As college football preseason camps start up again, it seems like a good time to discuss the lighter side of camp. Players and coaches alike get into an all-football all-the-time mode that makes for a physical and mental lockdown for several weeks leading up to the season opener. Part of camp is bed check. When camp starts players are moved into a common dorm so that coaches can be sure that they will stay in bed and get their rest. At the University of Virginia Hall of Fame Coach George Welsh once taught us a valuable lesson as coaches. On a Saturday night during camp, he could tell the team was antsy to have camp end and resume some sort of actual social life outside of football. At the co
It seems hard to imagine all these years into the internet and smartphone age, but there was once a time when college football fans young and old alike had to wait through seemingly endless summer days for the first College Football preview magazine to appear on the shelves of their closest newsstand. That first appearance signaled that the season was getting close….close but still several weeks away. There were magazines by Athlon, The Sporting News, Street and Smith, Lindy and Phil Steele. The Sports Illustrated preview was usually the latest and came mailed to the homes of subscribers and populated news stands as well. It was always interesting to see who was on the cover of the National
Back in the 1970s Alabama Coach Paul Bryant understood the power of the national media. He made it a point to engage the New York media to be sure they understood Alabama football was worth the trip to cover. Now several decades later the SEC understands the powerful effect that media attention has for exposure and the effects of that exposure flowing into the minds of recruits, television executives, poll voters and fans who buy tickets and decide which games to watch in a sea of college football over-exposure. This week was the annual gathering known as the SEC Football Media Days. For those unfamiliar with the conference media days concept, it is a few days when all the coaches, athletic
Almost every high school football program has a booster club that raises funds to support their team on and off the field. One of the annual events to bolster the coffers is the obligatory summer golf outing to get people from around the community to donate and participate in the program. This week I want to tell you a story about a different type of fund-raiser. This one certainly ranks as one of the more unique fund-raisers ever held by a high school football program, but one that certainly reflects the character of its community. In the summer of 2008 defending state champions Cardinal Mooney High School in Youngstown, Ohio boasted multiple big-time college football recruits including ris
