College Football Week -- 2014 Promo
It’s the most wonderful time of the year

“With the fans all a yelling
And ESPN telling you, ‘The first kickoff is near’
It’s the most wonderful time of the year”

On a slow Friday afternoon at work, some 19 years ago, my creative writing juices began to flow.  If memory serves me correct, it was the Friday before Labor Day weekend.  Sitting at my desk, I began to write on my PC.  Struck with a wild and crazy inspiration, I wrote a brief, but substantial, commentary on seven college football games being played that weekend.  Each game commentary was sprinkled with dose of humor – maybe more than a dose.

After completing my analysis, I emailed my seven-game commentary to 12 friends – mostly fellow workers – all of whom were college football fans.  Not only college football fans, but more specifically, they were graduates and/or dedicated fans of Duke, Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, Purdue, Texas or West Virginia – the seven teams whose games I analyzed. 

“It’s the hap-happiest season of all
With those ‘Let’s go’ greetings and fun tailgate meetings
When friends come to call
It’s the hap-happiest season of all”

Little did I realize what I was conceiving on that slow Friday afternoon.  As a result of the prodding and encouragement from my 12 friends, I continued to write weekly previews and analysis of the games of those seven teams for the remainder of that football season.  Not only that football season, but every football season since then.  What began 19 years ago continues today – but on a much larger scale.  

The weekly commentaries grew from about a page and a half of text to several pages.  It grew from those original seven teams to many more teams.  It grew from commentary on seven football games to everything about college football – and then some.  The email recipients also grew from the 12 friends in 1995 to more than 700 by 2009, along with countless, unknown others that it was forwarded, and forwarded and forwarded to.  Since 2010, several thousand more readers have come aboard when my weekly college football commentary went online via my blog – www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com.

“There’ll be parties for hosting
Cold beer for toasting
And corn-hole games in a row
There’ll be the wildest of stories
And tales of the glories of
Ball games long, long ago”

Along the way, what began in 1995, eventually took on the name “College Football Week.”  My wife became Swamp Mama and Swamp Mama gave me the name Touchdown Tom.  For 13 years, beginning in 1998, Touchdown Tom co-hosted a 30-minute, weekly college football radio show on WMMB (Melbourne, Florida).  Originally working for six years with radio host Larry Brewer, the show continued for another seven years with radio host Bill Mick.  Last year, Touchdown Tom appeared on The Mark Moses Show on WSJZ Sports Radio 95.9 – The Fan.  
 
One week from today – August 11 – College Football Week will begin its 20th season.  For the next 24 weeks, come aboard for a thorough, in-depth and fun-filled weekly look at college football as seen through the eyes of Touchdown Tom and his accomplices Swamp Mama, Rockledge Gator and Bootsie.  CFW is simply everything college football and then some.  You can follow it all each week at www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com.  So sit back with your cold pizza, chili dogs and beer and get ready for CFW 2014.

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year
The quarterbacks will be throwing
And hearts will be glowing
When victories are near
It’s the most wonderful time of the year”

Touchdown Tom
August 4, 2014