Courtesy of Flickr Creative CommonsOne year ago today, as I woke up in the late morning, I learned that Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel had resigned. A couple of months before, when the news that Tressel had lied about rules violations became public knowledge, in a press conference, a reporter asked if Tressel was going to be dismissed. With all of the public savvy of Joe Biden, university president E. Gordon Gee infamously quipped, “I’m just hoping that the coach doesn’t dismiss me.” Later, Tressel coached in the spring game, and preparations were underway for the 2011 season.
But on Memorial Day, suddenly, the era was over. It was a dark day for the program and for the fans. For a decade, Tressel had been a source of stability. It had seemed like he was weathering the scandal. But then, suddenly, it was over. (more…)
There was always a sense of fatalism. Not that he would one day die, that’s an inevitably we all face. But for the serious fan of college football, I think that there was a thought that he was never really meant to live apart from the game. Even before the Jerry Sandusky scandal broke, I think that sentiment existed.
Joe Paterno died today.
He was the winningest coach in the history of college football, but for many years of that career, he was pursing the wins record of the famous Alabama coach Paul “Bear Bryant. When Bryant retired after the 1982 season, he was asked how he would spend his time and replied that he would probably “croak in a week.” (more…)
Despite the fact that LSU had been thoroughly dominated in the first half, they only found themselves down by nine. Nothing for the Tiger offense had worked. On five drives, they had four 3 and outs. The Alabama defense was standing on their heads.
But this was LSU. They had trailed in games before. They would come out fresh in the second half and the game would still be competitive… (more…)
As a fan of college football, I cannot wait to see tonight’s national championship game between the top ranked LSU Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide. I expect this to be a great game, quite possibly the best national championship since Texas beat USC in 2006.
This will be the second time that the two teams have played this year. In the 13 previous BCS title games, it’s the first time that this game will feature a regular season rematch. (more…)
I saw this clip on ESPN this morning and was stunned.
Landon Collins is a star high school football player, and last night during the Under Armour All America game, the stand out defensive back made the highly anticipated announcement of where he would be playing college football. Surrounded by his family, the football player announced he would be playing for Alabama. His mother was sitting next to him, and her disappointment about her son’s decision was evident. (more…)
