When the audio for the Stevie Wonder pre-game performance was so terribly bad I had an idea that this Super Bowl was going to be anything but Super.  With respects to my friend, James Morrisett, the venue for the game forced all extreneous activitives indoors as the snow fell outside. Volunteers from local colleges actually had to volunteer their time to shovel snow so the celebrities would not get their expensive shoes wet or dirty. It is the little things that matter. So the scene was then set for the yearly NFL extravaganze with the football game  in between acts.

 What did not matter was the fact that Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw would not be a part of the former Super Bowl MVP presentation due to personal greed. It didn't matter that the NFL brilliantly selected Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, who was greeted with a chorus of boos from the pro-Pittsburgh crowd, to flip the coin for the ceremonial coin toss. It did not even matter that the Rolling Stones sounded like a newly formed garage band or that Mick Jagger could not remember lyrics that he had been singing for over thirty years. What mattered was the blown calls by officials and missed opportunities by the games participants.

 You had to have a clue that the officiating was going to be bad when the offensive pass interference call was made in the end zone, taking a touchdown away from Seattle. A nit-pick call that never would have been made in the regular season. Then Seattle reciever, Jeremy Stevens, fumbled the ball after catching a pass from Matt Hasselbeck and the officials ruled it an incomplete pass. The Seahawks then aided in their demise when Ben Roethlisburger lofted a pass against the grain of the field and the Seattle defenders stood mesmorized while Hines Ward made camp, went fishing, cooked and ate his meal, then let the ball fall into his arms at the three yard line. Still it took Pittsburgh three plays to be awarded a touchdown when the nose of the ball may or may not have touched the goal line, a contraversial call that will be disputed for decades. Then the Seahawks looked like a group of rookies as they squandered away a precious thirty seconds just before the end of the first half, then missed a field goal that they should have never needed to attempt. Thus, before the Sprint Halftime Show, or Coaches Interview Brought To You By Ford, or The GM Goodwrench, Budwieser, MasterCard First Half Review, Seattle had dominated play, yet they trailed by four points.

 There was for football purists, finally an exciting play when just after  The Second Half Kickoff, Brought To You By Taco Bell,  a pulling Pittsburgh lineman made a perfect block which sprang Willie Parker to a 75 yard touchdown run. But just as Pittsburgh seemed on the cusp of putting the game away early in the third quarter, Seattle db Willie Herndon stepped in front of a Steelers reciever, intercepting the Roethlisberger pass and returning the ball to inside the Steelers twenty yard line before he finally fell in exhaustion. Four plays later the score was Pittsburgh 14, Seattle 10. After a few exchanges of punts Seattle was about to take the lead when officials called a  holding penalty that did not happen. Then Seahawks qb, Matt Hasselbeck, threw an interception and was called for "blocking below the waist" when he made the tackle. Something I've never seen in over 30 years as a player and fan. After an Antwan Randle-El touchdown pass to Hines Ward the score was 21-10 and the game was over.

 I guess in the end what mattered most was not the poor officiating, poor play by the games participants or even the final score. What mattered most is that Hines Ward was going to DisneyWorld and I remembered to watch Grey's Anatomy, coming up right after the game.

 Now all we can do is look forward to next years Super Bowl and hope that the play is better and that the musical entertainment won't  be as antiquated. Though nowing the current atmosphere I suspect that it will likely include Chubby Checker and The Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

 From 1974 to 1979 the Pittsburgh Steelers dominated the NFL. Led by their irrascible head coach, Chuck Noll, the Steelers used both finesse and brute strength as the compiled a 67-20-2 record while winning four of six Super Bowl championships. This group  has often been called the greatest team ever assembled even though they could never match the undefeated 17-0 season of the 1972 Miami Dolphins.

 In the years afterword the Steelers teams were not nearly as successfull. At times the franchise even struggled to win half of its games. The years passed and while the Steelers were not making the playoffs there did remain one constant, coach Chuck Noll. While other NFL teams were running through coach after coach the Steelers ownership stuck with Noll, showing a respect for his past achievements. That is very rare in the NFL.

 In 1968, Chuck Noll was the defensiver coordinatior with the Baltimore Colts. That season his defense led the NFL in points against and total defense. After the season had ended he interviewed for the Steelers head coaching vacancy not once, but three times. The Steelers were being very methodical in order to ensure they made the correct choice. Finally, two days before the player draft, he was offered the job.

 As the Steelers head coach the next season Noll won the first game, then lost the next thirteen. In fact Noll's Steelers had losing seasons his first three seasons as head coach, with a compiled record of 12-30. Finally, in 1972, the Steelers went 11-3 and made the playoffs, where in the first round game against the Oakland Raiders  The Immaculate Reception  Occured. The rest as they say is history. For many NFL franchises Noll would never have been given the opportunity to guide the Steelers to four Super Bowl victories. Many owners would have fired the future Hall Of Fame coach after his second or third season. Noll was fortunate that he was employed by an aged and experienced owner in Art Rooney, a man who epitomized class and dignity. With a wisdom that can only be gained with age, Rooney clearly saw the fine qualities and potential that Noll posessed and never considered replacing him.

 Art Rooney was born January 27, 1901, in Coultersville, Pa. He founded the Pittsburgh NFL franchise in 1933, with money that he had won betting on horses. Rooney loved baseball and named his team the Pittsburgh Pirates, after the cities baseball franchise. Because of the confusion of two teams with the same name, he changed his teams name in 1940 to Steelers, because Pittsburgh was known as the Steel City.  In its first thirty-six y  seasons of play the franchise had a record of 150-234-14, never making the playoffs and having only six winning seasons. As the losing seasons piled up Art Rooney learned to be a patient owner, always looking forward to the next season with hope. His patience was finally rewarded by Noll, the man he refused to fire.

 After the glory years of the Steelers ended, Noll coached another twelve seasons, making the playoffs only once. His record as coach during that period was a disappointing 93-91. Still Rooney refused to replace Noll. Art Rooney died on August 25, 1988. Ownership of the Steelers then fell into the hands of Art's son, Dan Rooney, who also refused to fire Noll. Chuck Noll finally retired after the 1991 season, ending his twenty-three year career as Steelers head coach with a total record of 193-148-2. After over two decades with Noll the Steelers had a new head coach, Bill Cowher.

 Under the leadership of Cowher the Steelers were 11-5 in 1992 and made the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons. Since then the Steelers have  have made the playoffs ten times and twice have made it all the way to the AFC championship game. In his fourth season the Steelers returned to the Super Bowl, losing to the Dallas Cowboys. For many coaches the failure to produce a Super Bowl championship would have meant their dismissal. In this day of owners  with egos that match the size of their bank accounts, making the playoffs is often not enough. In recent years years coaches such as Tony Dungey and Jim Mora were fired because they could not get their teams to the Super Bowl. However the Steelers owner, Dan Rooney, learned from his father and continued to allow Cowher to be the seady, guiding hand that leads his franchise. Indeed, while other franchises have changed coaches with regularity, Cowher has been the Steelers coach for fourteen seasons, compiling a record of 141-82. However prior to this season it was his playoff record of 8-8 that his critics liked to point out.

 Through it all Cowher remains unfazed by his critics and Rooney has been  unwavering in his support for the coach that he hired.  For thirty-five years, first Art, the Dan Rooney, refused to be distracted from a vision that does not focus merely on the present. This intelligent approach to ownership looks far into the future and makes stability a priority. Like his father before him, Dan Rooney realizes that great coaches are rare and that a team is better off letting a great coach rebuild than going through a series of coaches until it finally stumbles upon success. A result of this loyalty is ten playoff appearences in fourteen seasons. Only the Denver Broncos, whose owner has been equally loyal to Mike Shannahan, have a similar record.

It is often called a regional sport filled with confederate flag waving good old boy red-necks. Many do not even consider it a sport at all. The drivers, who often endure hours on non-stop stress and tension to go with the G-Forces comparable to jet fighter-pilots are often not considered athletes. The most ignorant still see them as the whiskey-running moonshiners of old, with a long southern drawl. Far too many consider the very idea of a "sport" consisting of stock bodied cars racing weekly on a series of ovals as a joke. Indeed, Nascar, its competitors and fans have been the subject of jokes for decades. Through all the criticism and ridicule NASCAr has not only endured it has grown and prospered at such a rate that today even the NFL should be envious. It has managed this unequalled growth because pleasing the fans was always its first priority.

In 1959, when Lee Petty won the very first race at Daytona Internatinal Speedway, there were only a few thousand people in attendance. Nor did the event did not spark a great deal of interest around the nation. Except for in the south, even those who enjoyed racing had never heard of Petty, Glenn "Fireball" Roberts or Ned Jarrett. NASCAR was in its infancy and was overshadowed by USAC and its crown jewell, The Indianapolis 500. They cheered for AJ Foyt, Billy Vukovich and Parnelli Jones. One year later, Charllote Motor Speeday speedway opned and with Darlinton International Raceway, which had been holding NASCAR events for almost a decade, the organization had three venues that were dubbed "superspeedways". Over the years other superspeedways were built and suddenly NASCAR was racing the the Atlantic, at Daytona, to the Pacific, at Riverside and Onterio, both in California, and all the way north to Dover, Deleware and Pocono, Pennsylvania. Even then you had to actually attend the event live in order to see a NASCAR race for none of them televised. Still, under the leadership of its founder, Bill France Sr., NASCAR was growing. With its competitive racing by driver who were easily accessible to both the media and spectators, NASCAR was meticulously increasing its fan base.

In the early 70's corporate sponsorship came to NASCAR. Major companies began to put their product logos on the cars which in essence became rolling billboards. RJ Reynolds tobacco took on primary sponsorship of the main series infusing a tremendous amount of money into NASCAR and Winston Cup Racing was born. In 1976, CBS carried the Daytona 500 live from beginning to end. The network was rewarded for its ratings gamble when drivers Cale Yarborough and Donnnie Allison crashed on the final lap while battling for the lead, setting off a fight between the two with Allison being aided by fellow driver and brother, Bobby. NASCAR had finally gotten the nations attention.

In the 80's, France turned over control of NASCAR to his son, Bill Jr. The younger France took an aggressive approach in marketing the sport, negotiating a deal with ESPN to televise all Winston Cup races that were not already contracted out to other networks. The rise of a new breed of superstar drivers such as Dale Earnhardt, Bill Elliott and Rusty Wallace coincided with the early stages of the USAC implosion, who's disgruntled fans and drivers began to look south for competitive racing.

In the 90's Indy Car Racing had become CART, the organization which had overthrown USAC as open-wheeled racings primary racing series. France, a shrewd businessman, made a deal with Tony George to hold a NASCAR race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. NASCAR had in effect invaded the capitol of American open-wheeled racing. Just as USAC had before, CART splintered into two separate factions. The Indy Racing League was formed by the Indianapolis Motorspeedway owner, George, in a dispute over which type of tracks open-wheeled racing cars should be competing on. George favored the ovals, such as his own speedway, while the CART founders favored road courses. The two organizations became competitors, competing for the shrinking open-wheeled fan base. As the house divided began to fall NASCAR stepped into the breach, opening new venues in areas once considered open-wheeled bastions.

With the new millennium France Jr. gave the NASCAR reins to his son, Brian, who had been raised with the knowledge that he would eventually run NASCAR. His entire education had been focussed toward tthe day he would be the head of the series and he hit the ground running. Brian negotiated a new television package which gave broadcasting rights of NASCAR races to Fox and NBC. Suddenly what was once considered a regional sport broadcast mostly on cable had become a national sport with a network television deal. Ever aware of the criticism for being sponsored by a tobacco company, France then changed the face of NASCAR when Nextel replaced Winston as the primary series sponsor. A marketing genius, France revolutionized the sport by inventing "The Chase For the Cup", a ten race playoff which would decide the series champion. Not resting on its laurels, NASCAR has purchased land on Staten Island, New York, and by the end of the decade a NASCAR race will be held in the mecca of marketing, The Big Apple. Meanwhile, CART has folded and the IRL holds many of its events on NASCAR tracks, sometimes as a warm up race to that weeks NASCAR event.

Through savvy marketing and with a little luck NASCAR has come from obscurity to the primary racing organization in the United States. The sport that no one outside of the south followed is now the fastest growing sport in America, with sponsors standing in line to get their product logos onto cars and in front of record crowds and television audiences. NASCAR had arrived as a major sport in the U.S. and is even now looking toward the future which will eventually include races in Mexico, Canada and beyond. Based on its record NASCAR will continue to grow and prosper long into the future.

Until 1972 the Pittsburgh Steelers were nothing more than an NFL afterthought. Then, in a playoff game against the Oakland Raiders, a pass thrown at Pittsburgh FB, Frenchie Fuqua, by Steelers QB, Terry Bradshaw, was deflected by Raiders DB Jack Tatum. The rest as they say is history. We all have heard the announcer shout "It's caught out of the air by Franco Harris". In an instant the Steelers fortunes turned from early playoff elimination to Super Bowl contender. The Steelers wouldn't make the Super Bowl that season but over the next eight years they would claim four Super Bowl titles. Pittsburgh coach, Chuck Noll, had been able to assemble a group of players who would become NFL legends, made all the more impressive because it was before there was free-agency. It was all done through the draft. I was watching the "immaculate reception" game. I saw the play happen, though I must admit that Harris was inside the ten yard line about to score before I realized what was going on and it was several minutes before I came to accept that the touchdown was going to be allowed to stand. When the officials ruled it a touchdown many believed that the favored Raiders had been robbed. When the Steelers were eliminated from the playoffs the following week it seemed as if a wrong had been righted. No one believed that these Steelers were actually that good. No one except the team and the city of Pittsburgh that is.

In the years that followed we, the fans of the NFL, became acquainted with the various personalities that made up the Pittsburgh Steelers. Head coach Chuck Noll a was a no nonsense teacher hard-nosed defense and mistake free football. His pupils were the likes of "Mean" Joe Greene, Dwight White, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham and Donnie Shell. The offense was loaded with talented skill players such as Bradshaw, Harris, Rocky Blier, a combat wounded Vietnam veteran, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth and Bennie Cunningham and a tremendous offensive line, anchored by center Mike Webster. The placekicker was Roy Gerela, and even the punter, Craig Colquitt, was a weapon with his deep booming punts. The personality on the team was Fuqua. As was the style in the 70's, he wore high-heeled shoes under his bellbottom pants. The difference was that Fuqua had clear heels and kept goldfish in water inside of them. It wasn't very good for the goldfish, but it garnered Fuqua much media attention. The people of Pittsburgh loved their Steelers and came up with several imaginative ways to show that love. They became members of "Franco's Italian Army" and "Gerela's Gorillas, as they waved their "Terrible Towels" and cheered their Steelers to victory after victory. Finally the city had a sports team to be proud of besides the baseball Pirates. They had their own boys of Autumn.

Time is a relentless enemy and for an athlete it is even more so. By the early 80's age had began to take its toll on the Steelers. One by one the Super Bowl veterans began to retire, depleting the organization of talent that it could not replace. The team began to slide back toward the mediocrity it had fought so hard to escape. Over the next twenty years the Steelers would make an occasional playoff appearance and even managed to find itself in another Super Bowl. But these Steelers were not "The Steelers" They were mere imitations, lesser talents in the same black and gold uniforms.

Last season, the twenty-third since the Steelers last Super Bowl Championship, it looked as if Pittsburgh had accumulated the talent needed to win the coveted Lombardi Trophy once more. With the addition of rookie QB, Ben Roethlisberger, all the pieces seemed to be falling into place. Even Bradshaw, now a broadcaster for FOX, called the rookie "The Guy". The stars were once more aligning themselves to favor the fortunes of the Steelers for the similarities between the current Steelers and the Steelers of the 70's were uncanny. Though eliminated from the playoffs in 2004, the expectations for the 2005 season were greater than ever. The Steelers were one of the favorites to win the AFC title and advance to the Super Bowl but things are not always that easy.  As the season began to play itself out one would have thought that fate had viciously turned against Pittsburgh. Roethlisberger was injured and the Steelers were losing games that they should have easily won. To make matter worse, the Indianapolis Colts were destroying anything that got in their way, including the Steelers, who looked like a team in chaos during a Monday night loss to the Colts. But the race is not always won by the sprinter. The road to the Super Bowl is long and difficult. As the Colts began to have their own troubles the Steelers were getting healthy and their star QB was getting back to his rookie form. So when the teams met for a second time the Steelers were ready and defeated the Colts in a game that was not as close as the score would lead one to believe. Now, a week later, only one game and one team stand between the Steelers and another opportunity to play for the Super Bowl title. One more chance to bring glory back to The Steel City. This edition of the Pittsburgh Steelers look as if they may be up to the task.

It is impossible to talk about my favorite football moment without telling about the long road that I took to get there, so here it goes.

 In early 1983 my brother came to me with what can only be called a gift from God. He had the opportunity to buy two season tickets to the University of Tennessee football games. He wanted to know if I would go in half with him and we could each use a ticket. It was only a few hundred bucks each at the time and I jumped all over the opportunity. Somehow it didn't seem possible. Even though the university was expanding Neyland Stadium as fast a possible, tickets for the Vols home game came at a premium. You had to be either rich or lucky to get them and neither of us were rich. Though I could hardly believe it a few months later we were in. We had season tickets that were renewable each year!

 The following two seasons we were at every home game in Knoxville. We sat through  some great victories over teams such as Alabama and LSU, where the students took down the goal post and carried it through the streets. We saw Reggie White play his final college season. We sat in the pouring rain as the Vols blanked Memphis State, 24-0. We also witnessed some pretty bad football from our Vols such as a tie to Army and losses to Kentucky and Auburn, when Bo Jackson and Lionel James ran wild all over the Neyland Stadium field. Through it all both good and bad we were just glad to be there, to be part of it all.

 

  No one had any idea that the 1985 season would be any different than the rest. Yes, quarterback Tony Robinson has a season of experience under his belt and he had future Cincinnati Bengal, Tim McGee as his primary target, but the defense was unknown and unheralded. We had no idea the ride we were about to undertake with this team. It began with an nationally televised 26-64 tie, with UCLA. It was a game that felt like a loss because the Vols had at one time lead 26-0. Two weeks later, after a week off, the Vols again hosted Auburn and Heisman trophy favorite, Bo Jackson. This time the game went much differently than it had two seasons before. Jackson might as well have been wearing a target on his uniform instead of the number 34. Time and again he was stuffed at the line of scrimmage. Meanwhile, Robinson to Mcgee had built up a huge lead. After the half the game was never in any doubt. The Vols won 38-20. Tennessee then beat Wake Forest and incurred their only loss on the road against Florida. After another week off they went the Birmingham, to play the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Vols won the game 16-14 when the Tide missed a long field goal as time ran out. It was however the very sense of the term "Pyrhic Victory" as quarterback Tony Robinson was lost for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. His replacement was named Daryl Dickey, the son of the Vols Athletic Director at the time. He did not have the arm of a Tony Robinson, who could throw the football seventy yards in the air. What Dickey had was a knowledge of the game and the Tennessee offense. His father had been head coach at two major universities and he knew his stuff. Still, the Vols offense was anemic at best the following week against Georgia Tech. It was a warm October night in Knoxville as I watched the Yellow Jackets warm up and stretch as their coaching staff blasted "Rainbow in the Dark" by Ronnie James Dio, from a tremendous speaker. Tech took an early 3-0 lead and held a 6-3 lead with less than a minute to play. Tennessee took a punt and quickly drove into field goal range using short sidelline passes and as time ran out Carlos Reviez kicked a long field goal to get Tennessee the tie. This time a tie felt like a victory. The rest of the season was easy. The Vols rolled over the likes of Rutgers, Ole Miss and Kentucky. The final game of the regular season was a cold November Saturday, the opponent was Vanderbilt. They were all that stood between Tennessee and the SEC championship, which meant a trip to the Sugar Bowl, in New Orleans. A few hours later the official invitation was given at mid-field, in front of all in attendence. Finally, after all these years, my beloved Vols were going to the Sugar Bowl. we hadn't even gotten out of Knoxville when my brother started talking about the Sugar Bowl. The Vols opponent would be the University of Miami Hurricanes.

 The following week my brother called me. We had to go to the Sugar Bowl. Despite my scepticism he managed to get us booked into at hotel in New Orleans AND he had two ticket to the game. I just had to come up with $800. In 1985 that was a lot of money, especially to a 23 year-old printing apprentice. Still, I got my savings together, pawned some meaningless jewelry and borrowed a little money from my parents to come up with the money and arranged for time off from work. That was it. We were going to the Sugar Bowl. My brother was married and had a hard time explaining a three-day trip that did not include his wife, but hey, this was football and a bowl game at that. She would just have to understand, and finally she did. We arrived in New Orleans on New Year's Eve. The drive from our hometown was twelve hours. We checked in to the Sheraton downtown and then checked out Bourbon Street. It was everything we had ever heard it would be. That meant that there were plenty of opportunities for two country-boys from Tennessee to get themselves in mess. We managed to stay out of trouble, In part because we kept our imbibing to a minimum and avoided getting into a mass shouting match between the two opponents fans. Then it was game day! We took a ride on the Mississippi River aboard a steamboat, where we had lunch. After going back to the motel to watch some of the New Years Day games  we headed off to the Superdome. On the way we decided to follow another crowd of Tennessee fans who were going to see the Vols board the team bus. The team was staying at the Hilton and the band was outside the hotel playing Rocky Top when the team came out. I still remember starting linebacker, Dale "The Hit Man" Jones, started crying because there were hundreds of us there. They were surprised that so many had managed to get tickets and show up for the game. Dale and the rest of the Vols were in for another surprise when they got to the dome. There weren't hundreds of Vol fans in attendance, there were tens of thousands. Somehow travel agents in Tennessee had managed to secure most of the Sugar Bowl packages and the Miami fans were outnumbered by about 7-1. Yes, the Superdome was a sea of orange. I was in section 534, row-3, seat 8. I have the ticket framed. Miami scored first, on an touchdown pass by All-American qb, Vinnie Testeverde. as we grew nervous it looked like the rout was on. But Tennessee managed to mount a drive getting inside the Miami twenty-yard line. A pass from Dickey, to Tim McGee got the Vols inside the 5. Then the Vols running back fumbled the ball on the next play, but McGee fell on the fumble in the endzone, TOUCHDOWN TENNESSEE!  After that there was no looking back. The Vols blitzing defense swarmed on Testeverde play after play shutting down the Miami offense cold. Tennessee built a 21-7 lead at the half and extended it to 28-7 after a Jeff Powell touchdown run where he outran Miami track sprinter Brian Blades. After an interception of Testeverde by safety Chris White, who had led the nation in interceptions, the Vols punched in another score it was 35-7. By that time my brother and I were all screamed out. We had hoped in our wildest dreams to win a close game. We had never dared expect the Vols to Beat Miami in a blowout. My last memory inside the Superdome is of Daryl Dickey, the games MVP, and Tony Robinson,who was on crutches, walking off the field together as they waved to the cheering crowd.

 

 We had strained our voices to the point that the following morning we could not even speak. We were not able to say anything until we were in Alabama, when we barely were able to order lunch. We had regained a little of our voices by the time we reached home that night, but not totally. I was flat broke, but the Sugar Bowl experience was priceless. I was on a high like I had never felt before. The high became a low the next day when I heard that Tony Robinson had been arrested for dealing cocaine, ending a very promising football career. I only saw or heard of him once after that, as a replacement player for the Washington Redskins, during the NFL strike. A few weeks later my brother came with bad news. The university was making it a policy that season ticket holders had to contribute a minimum of $5000 to keep their tickets. We had to give ours up for we knew the reality of the situation. In their never ending need to increase revenues universities were beginning to turn more to the wealthier alumni. I understood, for the competition among universities for recruits was to the point that a program had to be constantly updating its facilities, and indoor practice feilds and new weight rooms don't come cheap. Still it felt as if we were giving away our children. I have only been back to Neyland Stadium once since, for a meaningless game against Utah, the following season.

  I eventually married, raised a family and watched my beloved Vols on television. Dale Jones is now a coach at Appalachian State University and Daryl Dickey is the quarterback coach under Bobby Bowden, At Florida State. It has been twenty years since the team that has been dubbed in Tennessee as "The Sugar Vols" played that magical night in New Orleans. The two strapping young men that my brother and I were have become middle aged men, grandfathers with grey on their temples. We have seen the Vols claim the ultimate prize in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl, but it was only on TV. It was nothing like the experience of seeing a live college bowl game and having your team win. I watch my games from my own home now and he does the same. A couple of grandpa's babysitting grandchildren and trying to explain our devotion to a team and a game we both love.

 As the field goal attempt by Mike Vanderjagt saild badly wide right Sunday afternoon, you could almost hear a collective chuckle from many sports fans. The Indianapolis Colts, who had been the odds-on favorite to win the AFC championship, had been defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's not that fans don't like the Indianapolis Colts. It has nothing to do with the city, or its people. It doesn't even have anything to do with Colts head coach Tony Dungey. Sports fans were reveling in the defeat of one person, Peyton Manning. The golden boy had lost yet another big game.  For in modern  America, good guys are not someone to respect or look up to as role models. In modern America that role is reserved for those who deserve it least. It is after all a new millenium and people have a different idea of what a hero should be. It is a time that heroes are players like, Joe Horn, Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson. This is a time when players who look to draw attention to themeselves are celebrated. This is not a time for people who quietly go about their job and work extra hard to be successful without ever doing anything that says "Look at me,  I am great!". Peyton Manning is not one who will be celebrated or even respected in some circles. Peyton Manning is not about being the center of attention, even though as quarterback he is the focus of almost every play.   There is however one place that Peyton Manning is and always will be celebrated. Peyton Manning is still the favorite son of the sports fans in Tennessee.

  As the son of Archie Manning, a great quarterback with a terrible team, the New Orleans Saints, Peyton grew up in crescent city leading what most would consider a privileged life. He and his brothers were never spoiled, Archie and their mother, Olivia, saw to that.  That does not mean that they ever did without. The boys were given everything that they ever needed, and a few things that they wanted. That is the type of people the Mannings are. They give but not to an extreme. As a result, Peyton manning grew up to be a level-headed young man, both feet firmly on the ground. He was taught to give everyone the respect that they deserved, for he was no better than them, despite his families wealth. Peyton learned early in life that if you wanted success you had to earn it. He worked hard to be a good person, good student and great quarterback. As a reward for his efforts he was one of the most sought after high school players in the nation his senior year. After months of study, prayer and advice from his parents, Peyton chose to attend and play football for the University of Tennessee. He liked the campus, the city, head coach Phillip Fulmer and especially offensive coordiator, David Cutcliff.

 Some people in life are gifted and some are just lucky. Peyton Manning was both. In the first game of his freshman year, against the UCLA Bruins, Vols starting quarterback, Jerry Colquitt, went down with a season ending knee injury. The backup quarterback was Todd Helton, a star baseball player who had never played a single down in his previous three seasons. Helton could not get the Tennesse offense moving and it became obvious that the Vols would lose the game without a miracle so Fulmer put Manning in the game. Just four months removed from high school  Manning had no miracle in him, though he did show flashes of what was to come.  Through the next two games Manning shared time as quarterback with Helton and fellow freshman, Brandon Stewart as Tennessee lost badly both times. By then Helton had seen the light. Not wanting to jeopardize his future, which was in baseball, he quit the football team. Fulmer then made a bold decision based in part on pure instinct and handed the reigns solely to Manning. At eighteen years of age, Peyton Manning was the starting quarterback for the University of Tennessee. With Manning, the 0-3 Vols won 7 or their next 8 games and finished out the season and a victory over Virginia over Virginia Tech.

 The next two seasons brought fame to Peyton Manning and Tennessee. There were victories over Alabama, Georgia and even Ohio State, in the 1996 Citrus Bowl. But no victory over the Steve Spurrier coached Florida Gators. After his junior season it was assumed that Manning would enter into the NFL draft. All the experts placed him as a hight first-round selection. As Tennessee fans waited anxiously, Manning weighed his options. Once again he studied the situation, prayed and took advice from his parents and others that he respected. Many believe that it was a telephone conversation with former Tennessee quarterback, Heath Shuler, who regretted his decision to leave college early, that finally helped Peyton make his final decision. So as Tennessee fans held their breath, Manning walked up to the microphone and made his announcement. "I have decided to stay at Tennessee for my final year of eligibility."  At that moment Peyton Manning became what can only be described as the closest thing to a living God that you will ever find in the state. Over the next few years their were hundreds if not thousands of babies named Peyton in Tennessee. The university put his name on a street outside of Neyland Stadium. All this for a player who could never beat Florida. It was not about winning or losing. It was about how he played the game. It was about a man giving and then keeping his word. It was about an honors student who graduated from college in three years caring enough to want to win a championship, for himself, the university and the state. It was about sportsmanship, class and honor.

  One year later Peyton was the first pick in the NFL draft.He had already picked up a steadily increasing crowd of detractors. Though he had done everything he had needed except beat Florida, a campaign was devised to divert the coveted Heisman trophy to a defensive player who's statistics could not even match those of a former Tennessee player, Carl Pickens, who had more touchdowns both recieving and on special teams while simultaneously intercepting 7 passess in two season as he played both offense and defense.  The detractors all said that the second player chosen, Ryan Leaf, also a quarterback, would be the better professional player in the long run. But like the class act that he is, Manning never got angry and never said anything against those he spoke out against him. He quietly went about his business and won the starting quarterback job with the Colts. Through the years Peyton Manning has won a lot of games. He has both team and NFL records. What he has thus far failed to do is win a Super Bowl.  In modern America that is all that most care about. In Tennesse  it will never matter how many games Peyton wins or loses. The Colts remain the unofficial favorite team in the state, even ahead of the Titans.

 To understand the people of Tennessee you would have to live in the south. Here professional football is a diversion. It's something you watch between November and February, when NASCAR is not in season. Don't get me wrong, football is king in the south but it is college football that rules the roost. On Saturdays, millions of fans drive for up to twelve hours to see their team play. Some compare it a religion, but  that is another story for another time. Suffice it to say that when given the choice, southern fans  pick amatures over professionals and the people of Tennessee love their Vols most of all. Peyton may never win "the big game" but he has won the hearts of millions in Tennessee.

 No sane person would compare football to war. War is a deadly serious business. A lesson that we sadly learned with the tragic death of former Arizona Cardinal, Pat Tillman. Players who call themselves "warriors" deserve all of the ridicule that society visits upon them for football is nothing more than a game that distracts us from the mundane toils of everyday life. If you make a mistake you still get to live to see another day. A luxury that many true warriors do not have. No, there is in the truest sense no comparison between the two.  But there are indeed similarities.

 Despite their obvious differences, the two are quite similar in many ways. Both are primarily about taking possesion of ground tht an opponent is defending. In football, each play is a type of battle. One team is on the offensive and attempting to drive into enemy territory while the other attempts to defend that territory and even drive their opponent  backward. Both use terms such as "Field General", "Bomb",  "Blitz" and "The Trenches". Indeed, the modern T-fomation was even based upon German Panzer strategies used during WWII.

 Like war, in football you attack both on the ground and through the air. One compliments the other. Both are neccessary for a successful plan of attack. Though it is usually the ground game and defense that is the key to victory. During the Gulf War, coalition forces used strictly air power against the Iraqi army for thirty-eight days without displacing them. It took an infantry ground attack to bring the conflict to a conclusion. The old adage is, "Offense sells tickets, defense wins championships."  What has been historically proven is that the key to offensive success is running the football. As legendary coach, Woody Hayes, once said, "When you throw the ball only three things can happen, and two of them are bad." As in war, the air-attack is breathtaking and spectacular, but it is never enough for total victory. That is done on the ground and in the so-called trenches.

 Over the past thirty years there have been teams that attempted to win championships with an offensive strategy that relied mainly upon attacking through the air. Few have been successful. During the mid to late 1970's, Don Coryell was a coach who loved to employ his passing game as his primary weapon. As head coach of the San Diego Chargers, he had quarterback Dan Fouts, who threw to a talented recieving corps that included Charlie Joiner and Kellen Winslow Sr. Coryell met with some initial success. His Chargers made the playoffs consistantly, but never could win a championship. They would always get outscored by equally talented opponents. Then in the 1980's, Mouse Davis, used his run and shoot offense with the Houston Gamblers, of the USFL  and though his team made the playoffs they never won a playoff game.  When he brought the run and shoot to the NFL it was a total failure.  Hall of Fame coach, Don Shula, made it as far as the Super Bowl with the arm of quarterback Dan Marino, but could not repeat the success that he had when running backs  Larry Csonka, Jim Kick and Mercury Morris were his weapons of choice.  Steve Spurrier, with his passing offense, lasted only two seasons as coach of the Washington Redskins. Season after season, the old adage is proven true.

  This season, the Indianapolis Colts have proven it again. With their mediocre ground game shut down by the Pittsburgh Steelers, they were forced to rely on attacking through the air with their primary weapon, Peyton Manning. Such a one-dimensional attack is nothing more than a recipe for failure, for even a player as great as Manning cannot carry his team to victory through the air alone, A fact that was proven by Vince Young in the BCS Championship game. When under a heavy rush and unable to find an open reciever, Young was able to run for yardage and lead his team to victory.  As a pure passer, Manning needs excellent protection by his offensive line, something the Steelers defense did not allow. The stingy Pittsburgh defense used blitzes to keep Manning off balance and did not give him time to locate an open reciever and the Colts were never able to make the proper adjustments. In another case of strategy and coaching overcoming talent, the resulting confusion was just enough for Pittsburgh to claim the victory.

 A special thanks to Forgotten Fan for information on the Houston Gamblers.

Everyone seems to be doing a top ten list so I thought I would join the crowd.

10. Tonya Harding.

 Her showing leg, hip and thigh to the Olympic judges as she whined and cried  about  the loose laces on her skates reminded me that in America crime sometimes does pay.

                                              
                                                  
      

9.  Male figure skaters.

   There's just something about a man in a puffy shirt that says effeminate. When I saw the episode of Seinfeld  with the puffy shirt I didn't think he looked like a pirate. I thought he looked like a male figure skater. Not that there's anything wrong with that!   I personally like men such as Scott Hamilton and Brian Boitano. They make even the wimpiest of  us look macho. 

 8. Eric Heiden and Bonnie Blair

 Heiden and Blair won a combined eleven gold medals in Speed Skating. They made Americans proud and speed skating cool. Though I don't understand the whole lane changing thing. Being from the south, I think they should put them all on one big track and let them beat and #### their way to the gold medal. 

7. Ski Jumping.

 From the time I first saw that guy being the agony of defeat on Wide World of Sports I've thought that ski jumpers were maniacs. Who in their right mind would ski down a ramp, fly through the air that high and then hope to make a controlled landing? Not this height fearing good ole boy. You just have to wonder who came up with the event. It had to be someone in southern Austria or southern Switzerland who said, "Hey y'all, watch this." It just proves that there are crazy red-necks in every country of the world.

6. Katerina Witt.

 This East German beauty broke many a young red-blooded males heart by crushing all competition  in the 1984 and 88 Winter Olympics and then showing disdain for anything male and everything American, pledging  loyalty to her communist homeland. Though in later years Katerina restored my faith in humanity when she sold out and took the American money to pose nude in a popular mens adult magazine. Better late than never I always say.

5. The Mens Downhill and especially Franz Klammer.

 My very first Olympic experience happened on a Monday night in February of 1976, When I just happened to turn the channel and catch Klammer's highflying, breathtaking flight down the course in Innsbruck. I swear the man was sideways and upside down at times as he flew to the gold medal. A human missile doing seventy miles per hour down the side of a mountain is definately must see TV.

4. The Bobsled

 Once again the southerner in me just loves seeing people stuffing themselves into a soap box derby car with sleds and then go racing down a frozen water slide at ninety miles per hour. Though one mistake could mean instant death, these brave daredevils never stop searching for more speed.

3. Oksanna Baul

 How could you not be touched by the warm-hearted story of the orphan girl taken in by the skating family and then growing up to become Olympic champion.

2. The 1980 U.S. Hockey Team

  It made Al Micheals more famous than the players. Mike Eruzione and the guys didn't fare as well after the Olympics were over.  Hero goalie Jim Craig lasted less than a season with the Atlanta Flames. But for a brief moment we did believe in miracles.

1. The Biathlon

  There's nothing that promotes peace on earth more than Germans, Russians, Englishmen and Americans all walking at the same time through a snow-covered European forest carrying loaded rifles.

Ok, it's not really a challenge. I'm not that type of person. What I mean to say is, well, people who know me are well aware that my head is full of useless information that I just love to accumulate. I can't help myself I really am fascinated by trivial facts, ironies, coincidence and the "would you believe" aspects of life. For instance, I can never get over the fact that during the American Civil War, the first major battle, at Bull Run, began on the farm of one Wilbur McLean. Yes, from the  McLean family that McLean, VA., outside of Washington D.C. gets it's name. But that's not what is fascinating. Here is what is. Bull Run began on his property in July, 1861,  when the Union army first assaulted the Confederate line. After the battle, the property damage and human carnage was so great that McLean was horrified. He sold his farm and moved to southern Virginia "to get away from the war". Nearly four years later, in April, 1865, the Union army caught up to the retreating Confederate army as they were making their way toward a supply train in Lynchburg, Va.  You know what  then happened but did you know that the house used to sign the surrender papers was the home of the very same Wilbur McLean.That is just fascinating.

 Ok, I know this is a sports blog, but I needed to "preface"  the remaining content so that  I will not seem totally insane. I have these facts in my head and I just feel the need to share them so that they may be "enjoyed" by others. I'm going to share them in the form of a quiz just to make it interesting. There can be no winners or losers for their is really nothing to gain except the useless knowledge this blog will contain. Maybe then someone else will as my father used to say, "have a muddled head full of nonsense".    Thanks in advance for playing along.  Some of the questions are probably easy ,some not so much. The answers will be at the bottom for any that you couldn't answer. Feel free to enter your answers in the comments section.

Question 1.  In the early 1970's the Green Bay Packers first and second team quarterbacks were Bart Starr and Scott Hunter respectively. The two men had something else in common. What was it?

Question2. University of Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Head-Summit has won 5 NCAA national championships, but she does not consider any of them her own greatest personal sports achievement.  What does she consider her greatest personal sports achievment?

Question 3. Who had the unenviable task of suceeding the legendary John Wooden as head basketball coach at UCLA?

Question4. What NBA coach was named "coach of the year" for three different teams?

Question 5. In the 1972 Winter Olympics, in Innsbruck, Austria, Rosi Mittermaier, of West Germany, won two gold medals. For what events did she win them?

Question 6. During the 2005 MLB season, one manager hold the distinction for having won as a player awards for Rookie Of The Year, League MVP and World Series MVP. Who is he?

Question7. Who as a driver won the Indianapolis-500 in three different decades?

Question8. What former boxing great taped a picture of his young son to his boxing boots for inspiration?

Question 9. What former Olympic gymnast was so perfect that the IOC had to change its formula for tabulating points to make it more difficult for her to score a perfect 10.0?

Question10. He was a three-time Olympic boxing Gold Medalist, but never fought a professional fight. Can you name him? If you give the reason why he never turned pro, pat yourself on the back.

Question 11. In 1984, the New York Jets had a starting quarterback who never started a single game in college. Who was he and what college did he never start for?

Question 12. Name the yacht that Ted Turner sailed to victory in the 1977 America's Cup.

Question 13. In the Nascar Winston/Nextel Cup Series only two drivers have ever been named Rooke Of The Year, won a Daytona-500 and the series championship. Who are they?

Question 14. In a 1972 NFL regular season game between the Miami Dolphins and San Diego Chargers, Dolphins safety, #### Anderson, intercepted a pass by Chargers quarterback Johhny Unitas and returned it for a touchdown. The footbage of the return by NBC later won an emmy award. Why?

Question 15. What driver won The Daytona-500, Indianapolis-500 and the Formula-1 championship. Can you name him?

Question 16. Who holds the NFL record for highest punting average in a single NFL game?

 

                                              
               The Answers

Answer 1.  Both Bart Starr and Scott Hunter were quarterbacks at the University of Alabama, where Hunter was backup QB to Starr.

Answer 2. Pat Head-Summit considers her personal greatest sports achievement winning the playing on the gold meda women's basketball team in the 1976 Summer Olympics, in Montreal, Canada.

Answer 3. Gene Bartow was named head basketball coach at UCLA after Wooden retired. He lasted only a few seasons before he resigned and took the head coaching job a University of Alabama-Birmingham.

Answer 4. Pat Riley has been named Coach Of The Year  as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, in 1990, the New York Knicks, in 1993, and the Miami Heat, in 1997.

Answer 5. Rosi Mittermaier won gold medals for both  the Woman's Downhill and the Woman's Giant Slalom. It is a tremendous feat considering how different the two events are and has never been duplicated in Olympic history.

Answer 6. Frank Robinson

Answer 7. Rick Mears won the Indianapolis-500 four times in all. His victories were in 1979, 1984, 1988 and 1991.

Answer 8. "Sugar" Ray Leanard taped a picture of his son to his boots on his way to winnig a gold medal in the 1976 Olympics.

Answer 9. Nadia Comaneci was the perfect gymnast. After the 1976 Olympics the scoring formula was changed because she scored nothing but perfect 10's throughout the Olympics.

Answer 10. Teofilo Stevenson, of Cuba, was three-time Olympic boxing champion in the Super-Heavyweight division. Sadly, Fidel Castro would never allow him to leave Cuba to box professionally. Not that Stevenson would have in any regard. He was a staunch Castro supporter and is today the coach of the Cuban National Boxing Team.

Answer 11. In 1984, Pat Ryan won job as starting quarterback for the New York Jets despite having never starting a single game at the University of Tennessee.

Answer 12. Turner sailed the yacht, Courageous, when he won the America's Cup.

Answer 13. Only Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Jeff Gordon have ever been Rookie Of The Year, Daytona-500 winner and Winston/Nextel Cup Series champion.

Answer 14. NBC won an emmy award for the footage because they had been fortunate to capture seven perfectly placed blocks by the other members of the Dolphins defense during the return.

Answer 15. Mario Andretti is the only driver in history to win the Daytona-500, Indianapolis-500 and Formula-1 championship.

Answer 16. My apologies for this one.  Bob Cifers, of the Detroit Lions, averaged 61.75 yards per punt on four attempts in 1946 against the Chicago Bears. His average for that season was 45.6  yards per punt. This one is a bit personel because he was my late father-inlaws first cousin and best friend as a boy. He never got tired of talking about his "famous" cousin Bobby.

Thanks for playing and being a good sport.

The Ex-Jock

 

 Just as the Titan Atlas held the world on his shoulders, Vince Young picked up his Texas Longhorn football team and placed it upon his and almost single-handedly vanquished the deified Men of Troy, The University of Southern California Trojans. leading Texas to  a 41-38 victory in the BCS Championship Game. Young was unstoppable as he ran over, around and through the  Trojan defense. Then when USC would stack the line to stop the run he passed over them for 267 yards. Combined with his 200 rushing yards, young accounted for 467 of the Longhorns 556 yards total offense, garnering offensive MVP honors for his effort. Young, who finished second in the Heisman Award balloting to Trojan running back, Reggie Bush, easily overshadowed both he and USC quarterback, Matt Leinart, last years Heisman winner.

 I love college football. It doesn't matter who is playing, if it's on I want to see it. I love the fact that the players are playing for pride and glory, not for greed. I love that they have a time limit set on their careers and that coaches must restock the cubbard yearly. I love the recruiting process, the home visits, the speculation and elation when my team gets a commitment. I love national signing day and keeping up with who is going where, which the internet makes so easy today. I even love keeping up with spring practice, where you speculate on who's going to start that fall and who is not. A task made even more complicated by off season surgeries and players participating in track and baseball. I love watching college football, except when my granddaughter is around.

 Don't get me wrong, I love my granddaughter, but, she's a distracting pain in the backside when a football game is on. January 2, went something like this.

"Can I watch cartoons?"

"No honey, papaw is watching the football game."

"Is big-T playing?"

"No sweetie, Tennessee isn't playing."

"Which team are you for ".

"I'm for Florida, you know where they have all the hurricans."

"Will they have a hurrican today?"

"No sweetie, not today, see, the sun is shining."

"You booed Florida when big-T played."

"Well yes, I did, they were playing Tennessee that time."

"But they're not playing big-T today?"

(Sigh) "No sweetie, not today."

" Which team are they?"

"They're the team in blue."

"Are they ahead?"

"The game just started, the score is 0-0."

"I'm for the team that is ahead."

"Well, you'll just have to wait to see who scores."

"I'll be for the blue team, who are they?"

"That's Florida honey."

"I'm for Florida."

"Ok, you can be for florida too."

"Did they get a touchdown?"

"No honey, watch the screen, see, the runner went out of bounds."

"That's not a touchdown?"

"No, remember what I told you, they have to get to where they have written on the field."

"Oh."

"Man, you gotta catch that ball!"

"Did they get a touchdown?"

"No, he dropped the ball, pay attention if you're gonna watch."

"When can I watch cartoons?"

"You can watch them downstairs if you want."

"No, I don't want to watch them by myself."

"Why?"

"I'm afraid."

"Of what?"

"A monster."

"WHAT!!"

"A monster."

"You know there's no such thing as monsters!"

"I saw them on Scooby Doo."

"Thats a cartoon, it's not real!"

"Yes it is."

"Ugh!"

"Well sit here with me and I'll protect you, but you have to pay attention."

"OK."

"Good girl."

"Did they get a touchdown?"

"I don't know, I missed the play."

"Why don't you go play video games."

"Mamaw is playing."

"Great!"

 

Indianapolis-17   Arizona-13

 With most of his star players joining head coach Tony Dungey on the sideline the Colts finished out the regular season eeking out a victory over the Cardinals. Dungey, who had his son, Eric, with him, had returned to the team friday. My man, Peyton Manning, was pulled after one series. Jim Sorgi was 21-31, for 207 yards and threw for 2 touchdowns.

Kansas City -37  Cincinnati-3

 Hopefully for #### Vermiel the thrid time will be the charm. The Chiefs head coach announced his retirement for the 3rd time in his career before the game in which his Chiefs defeated the Bengals. The Chiefs offense ran roughshod over the Bengals defense compiling 537 total yards on the day.  Larry Johnson, who became the starting running back after Priest Holmes was injured at mid-season led the effort with 201 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns. My man, Dustin Colquitt, had two punts for a 49.5 yard average.

 Pittsburgh-35  Detroit-21

 The Bus was running in Pittsburgh. Jerome Bettis rushed for 3 touchdowns in the victory. Bettis, who now has 9 touchdowns on the season, ran his career touchdown total to 91, which ties him with former Steeler great, Franco Harris. My man, Shawn Bryson, had 3 rushes for 11 yards and 1 reception for 63 yards in a losing effort. My man, Ricardo Colclough, had one tackle for the Steelers.

 San Francisco-20  Houston-17

 Joe Nedney kicked a 33 yard Field Goal with 3:52 left in the game, lifting the 49ers to victory over the Texans in what was incorrectly dubbed "The Reggie Bush Bowl". The loss gives  Houston the first pick overall in the 2006 NFL Draft. With the selection the Texans will pick an offensive lineman or trade the pick for several players or draft choices. Houston has budding superstar running back in Domanick Davis, who with David Carr, only needs some decent blocking to make big things happen.

 Washington-31  Philidelphia-20

 Bad teams usually find a way to lose football games. The Eagles snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in what can be termed a monumental effort to lose. While outplaying the Redskins through most of the game the Eagles were constantly funbling away every opportunity to put the game away. Philidelphia finished with six turnovers, the last of which sealed the victory for the Redskins when Eagles 3rd-team quarterback, Koy Detmer, fumbled with 2:26 left to play. The fumble was recovered by Redskins saftey, Sean Taylor, who then ran for a touchdown which clinched a playoff spot for Washington.