College Football Week 18 – Nineteen bowls down, nineteen more to go
May the calendar keep bringing
Happy bowl games to you
While watching a bowl game a few days ago, Swamp Mama asked me if I thought the
college football playoff should be expanded.
Before I could respond to her, she quickly added, “And don’t
give me one of your ambiguous answers.”
I have a habit of answering Swamp Mama ambiguously and it
drives her crazy.
Well, before I tell you what I said to Swamp Mama, let’s
first take a look back at college football’s post season.
The Rose, the Sugar, the Orange and the Cotton were the big
ones. The Gator, the Sun and the Tangerine were the other ones.
Those were the only bowls we had back in the 1950s. Everyone
was happy with that – everyone was content. Personally, I always wanted to see
No. 1 play No. 2, No. 3 play No. 4 and so on in the bowls, but it never
happened.
The four big bowls were tied to conferences. The Big Ten and
Pac-8 champs played in the Rose Bowl. The SEC champ went to the Sugar Bowl. The
Big Eight champ played in the Orange Bowl and the Southwest Conference champ
played in the Cotton Bowl. The ACC champ….well….they didn’t really play
football in the ACC back then. All the ACC knew was basketball.
The Associated Press (AP) Poll and the United Press
International (UPI) Poll determined who was No. 1 in the country. And sometimes
they differed.
As the years went by, other bowls were added in the 1960s,
1970s and 1980s – the Liberty, Peach, Fiesta, Bluebonnet, Independence,
Holiday, Outback, etc. Some endured, some fell by the wayside.
Everyone was happy – everyone was content.
That is until the 1990s. Something happened between the
1980s and the 1990s. Not only in football, but in everything. Music died in the
1990s. There were no good songs after 1989. Television died in the 1990s. There
were no good TV shows after 1989. The movies died in the 1990s. There were no
good movies after 1989.
In the 1990s, college football fans were no longer content
with the polls determining who was No. 1. College football fans had been
brainwashed by ESPN. In the 1990s, ESPN became established in college football coverage.
The network’s talking heads were pounding championship game down our throats
every day – several times a day.
So along comes the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) in 1998.
The BCS was the brainchild of then SEC commissioner Roy Kramer. Under the BCS concept, a championship game would be
played on a rotating basis in one of four BCS bowls – Rose, Sugar, Orange and
Fiesta.
The championship game would be played between the two
highest ranked teams in the final BCS poll. Originally, the BCS poll was a
combination of the AP Poll (one third), the Coaches Poll (one third) and seven
computer rankings averaged together (one third).
But as time went along, and due to controversy (there’s
always controversy), the AP Poll dropped out of the BCS picture. As a result,
the BCS committee created the Harris Poll to replace the AP Poll. The Harris
Poll consisted of voting members chosen by the BCS. Typically, they were former
college athletic directors, football coaches and players who had one foot in
the bucket and the other on a banana peel.
Also along the way, one or more of the computer rankings
either vacated or were removed from the compilation.
As mentioned, the two highest ranked teams in the BCS Poll
played for the national championship in one of the four BCS bowls. The other
BCS bowls were filled by the champions (or runners-up) of the ACC, Big East,
Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-10 and SEC conferences and/or Notre Dame, if the Irish
were highly ranked.
Tennessee won the first BCS championship in January 1999.
The No. 1 Vols beat No. 2 Florida State in the title game, 23-16.
The BCS ran for 16 seasons – 1998 to 2013. It wasn’t long
into the BCS tenure, before people began complaining that the No. 3 team in the
final BCS poll should have been ranked in the Top Two. Or even the No. 4 team
should have been ranked No. 2. Sound familiar.
And it wasn’t long before the ESPN talking heads began
calling for a four-team college football playoff. They were pounding a
four-team playoff concept down our throats.
So, in 2014, along comes the four-team College Football
Playoff. The four teams making the playoff would be the four highest ranked
teams in a College Football Playoff Poll. The CFP Poll would be compiled by a
13-member committee who would meet and collectively rank the teams during the
final weeks of the season.
In the playoff, No. 1 would play No. 4 and No. 2 would play
No. 3. The winners would meet a week later in a national championship game.
Six bowls – the Rose, Sugar, Orange, Fiesta, Cotton and
Peach were established as the CFP bowls. The two first-round games in the
playoff would be hosted by two of the six CFP bowls on an annual rotating
basis. The other four bowls would be filled by teams selected by the CFP
committee.
Ohio State won the first College Football Playoff
championship. The No. 4 Buckeyes beat No. 2 Oregon, 42-20. In the semifinals,
Ohio State beat No. 1 Alabama, 42-35, and Oregon beat No. 3 Florida State,
59-20.
Five years into the CFP and people already want to expand
the playoff to six or eight teams. They are complaining that the No. 5 team or
the No. 6 team should have been in the playoff.
And at ESPN? Yes, the talking heads are already brainwashing
us with expanded playoff propaganda. Where does it end?
That’s what I said to Swamp Mama, “Where does it end?”
If we expand to six teams then a few years later they will
want to expand to eight. And if we expand to eight teams, then before long they
will want to expand to 12 teams or 16 teams. Where does it end?
Is that an ambiguous answer?
As the week before Christmas began, backup Georgia
quarterback Justin Fields became the
topic of speculation – whether or not he would transfer and if so, where.
Ohio State was rumored to be courting Fields. Oklahoma and
Florida State were listed as possibilities. Meanwhile, Georgia coach Kirby Smart said he would do everything
possible to hold onto Fields. Stay tuned!
Nebraska and Akron reached an agreement on their September 1
game that never took place. The game was called off due to extremely bad
weather in Lincoln. Akron was contracted to get $1.17 million for playing the
game. But, of course, the game was never played. So, under the new agreement,
Akron will get $650,000 for the canceled game and a future game at Nebraska
which will take place on September 6, 2025. For the future game, Akron is
guaranteed $1. 45 million.
Following a two-day break, bowl play resumed on December 18.
After two C-USA teams had suffered losses on December 15, UAB gave C-USA its
first win. The Blazers (champions of C-USA) beat Northern Illinois (champions
of the MAC), 37-13, in the Boca Raton Bowl. The MAC is off to an 0-2 start in
bowl play.
Kurt Roper was
hired as the quarterbacks coach at NC State. Roper had been the QB coach at
Colorado. Prior to that, Roper was the offensive coordinator at both Duke and
Florida.
Well, the MAC wasn’t winless for long. The next night, Ohio
got the MAC on the winning track, beating San Diego State, 27-0, in the Frisco
Bowl. Bobcats coach Frank Solich, the
oldest coach in FBS football, won his 164th game. Solich, 74,
recently took over the elder statesman position from Kansas State coach Bill Snyder, who resigned last month.
Snyder is 79.
The following evening, C-USA evened its record at 2-2, as
Marshall dominated South Florida, 38-20. It was the 6th-straight
loss for the Bulls, who began the season 7-0. USF coach Charlie Strong has really fallen from the ranks. He looked lost and
bewildered standing on the sideline.
The combined attendance at the last two bowl games was only
25,000. Just 11,000 showed up for the Frisco Bowl. I suspect no one knew where
the bowl was. I couldn’t tell you where Frisco is – much less, even heard of
it.
The crowd wasn’t much better at the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa
– 14,000. Even sadder, the bowl was played on South Florida’s home field. I
guess that tells you what South Florida fans think about Charlie Strong. South
Florida never has had the support or backing from the people of Tampa.
Two bowls were played Friday (December 21) – one in
70-degree temps, the other in 30-degree temps. In the 70-plus-degree game,
Florida International edged Toledo, 35-32, in the Bahamas Bowl, in Nassau.
In the near-freezing degree game, BYU plastered Western
Michigan, 49-18, in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise. BYU freshman
quarterback Zach Wilson was perfect throwing
the ball – 18-for-18. Wilson finished with 317 yards and four touchdowns.
Two days after the Gasparilla Bowl, we learned that 11 South
Florida players were dismissed from the team. In fact, they didn’t even dress for the game on Thursday night. They
had been suspended from playing. And to make matters worse, USF coach Charlie Strong
fired four of his assistants. No wonder Strong was so lost and confused during
the Gasparilla Bowl.
In the first of four games on Saturday, Wake Forest rallied,
not once, but twice, to edge Memphis, 37-34, in the Birmingham Bowl. Memphis
shot itself in the foot at the end when the Tigers went for the tie instead of
the win. With a first-and-ten on the Wake Forest 20, a timeout and enough
seconds to execute four plays, Memphis sat on the ball for two of three plays
before attempting a field goal. The Tigers missed the field goal. Mike Norvell is not the smartest coach
in the world.
In Fort Worth, Texas, Army totally embarrassed Houston in
the Armed Forces Bowl. The Cadets pillaged the Cougars, 70-14. Army quarterback
Kelvin Hopkins put on quite a show. Houston
coach Major Applewhite is overrated.
I’m not even sure Applewhite is head coach material.
The Dollar General Bowl in Mobile was a thriller. With less
than eight minutes to go in the game, Troy led Buffalo by only three points –
35-32. Then the Trojans scored a security touchdown with three minutes left on
the clock to pull out a 10-point win – 42-32. Troy quarterback Sawyer Smith had a great game.
In the final game on December 22, Louisiana Tech surprised
the home team in the Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu. The Bulldogs from Ruston,
Louisiana beat Hawaii, 31-14.
So after 14 bowl games, the Independents are 2-0, the Sun
Belt is 3-1 and C-USA is sitting at 4-2. Conversely, the MAC is 1-5 and the AAC
is 1-3. So much for the AAC claiming to be a Power Six conference. The Big 12,
Big Ten and SEC have yet to play.
And I am 9-5 on my picks.
Well, Ohio State has sweetened the pot even more for Urban Meyer, after he retires from
coaching in January. First, he was made an instructor in the college of
business, teaching a “Character and Leadership” course (cough, cough). Now,
Meyer has been named the assistant athletic director at Ohio State. What next?
Florida State coach Willie
Taggart named Houston offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, the son of former Baylor coach Art Briles, as the new OC at Florida State. After Houston’s 70-14
loss to Army, does Taggart really know what he’s doing?
Sunday, Swamp Mama
and I headed north for the Holidays – north being the panhandle of Florida. We
were spending Christmas with Princess
Gator, Bama Gator, Gator Gabe and Gator Babe.
The traffic driving north on the Florida Turnpike, north on
I-75 and west on I-10 was incredibly light. Sunday was definitely the day to be
driving before Christmas.
Yes, it was nice to have a three-day break from the bowl
games. Did I really say that? Yes, I said it to Swamp Mama. And she placed the
back of her hand on my forehead and said, “Are you sick?”
Backup Notre Dame junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush announced he will transfer after the playoff.
Wimbush began the season as Notre Dame’s starter but lost his starting position
to Ian Book after three games. He
will graduate with an accounting degree and play next year as a graduate
transfer. Early reports have Penn State interested in Wimbush.
Former Tennessee quarterback Tee Martin was named the new offensive coordinator at Louisville. A
few weeks ago, Martin lost his OC job at USC when he was fired by Clay Helton. Tennessee has an opening
at the OC position, but Jeremy Pruitt
showed no interest in Martin.
The day after Christmas, Swamp Mama and I returned to the warmth of east-central Florida. The
drive home was almost as pleasurable as the drive up. No traffic on I-10
eastbound, no traffic on U.S. 19 southbound and no traffic on U.S. 27 from
Chiefland to Ocala. There was moderate traffic on I-75 south and on the Florida
Turnpike south. No traffic on U.S. 192 into Melbourne.
So after three days of no bowl games, I arrived home the day
after Christmas ready to catch the second half of the first of three games on
December 26. But when I turned on the television, there was no football. What’s
up?
After checking around, I learned that the First Responder
Bowl between Boise State and Boston College had been called off – canceled.
Severe and stormy weather in Dallas was the culprit.
The First Responder Bowl became the first bowl in history to
be canceled. Actually, they played about 10 minutes of the first quarter before
the game was canceled. Boston College led at that point, 7-0.
No worries about the weather canceling the next game. The
Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit was played indoors. Minnesota shut the door on
Georgia Tech, 34-10. Gophers’ running back Mohamed
Ibrahim rushed for 224 yards. The game was the swan song for Georgia Tech
coach Paul Johnson.
In the finale on December 26, TCU edged California, 10-7
(OT), in the Cheez-It Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona. The score was 7-7 at the end of
regulation. For a while, the contest was like a game of hot potato – I don’t
want the ball, you take it. No you take it. No you take it. California threw
five interceptions and TCU responded, throwing four interceptions. TCU running
back Sewo Olonilua rushed for 194
yards. That was the only offense in the game.
Remember Blake
LaRussa? Back in September, he came off the bench to quarterback Old
Dominion to a 49-35 upset of Virginia Tech, throwing for 495 yards and four
touchdowns. He remained the starting quarterback for the rest of the season.
Wednesday, LaRussa announced he will forego his senior season to attend
seminary. After he graduates in the spring, he will be going to seminary school
to start his Masters of Divinity.
Three bowls were played yesterday – none canceled. In the
first game, Duke clobbered Temple, 56-27, in the Independence Bowl in
Shreveport, Louisiana. To Duke’s advantage, Temple was playing under an interim
coach. I don’t know who the interim coach was but he looked and acted like Clarabell the Clown on the sideline. Duke
quarterback Daniel Jones put on
quite a show, passing for 423 yards and 5 touchdowns.
I give Mark Richt
one more year at Miami, if that long. In the Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium,
Wisconsin rocked Miami (Florida), 35-3. Miami only had six first downs in the
game. Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor rushed for 205 yards.
After two blowouts yesterday, the nightcap turned out to be
the best game of the day. Baylor edged Vanderbilt in a thriller, 45-38, in the
Texas Bowl in Houston. With the game tied 38-38, Baylor scored the winning
touchdown with 1:50 to go. The lead changed hands seven times in the game.
Nineteen bowl games down and I’m 11-8 with my picks.
Nineteen more to go, plus the big one. Halfway through the bowls, the Big 12, the
Big Ten and the Independents are 2-0, while the Sun Belt is 3-1 and C-USA is
4-2. On the other end of the stick is the Pac-12 at 0-2 and the SEC at 0-1.
Also, the MAC is 1-5 and the AAC is 1-4. The ACC and the MWC are sitting in the
middle at 2-2.
This evening, I will be in Orlando attending the Camping
World Bowl between West Virginia-Syracuse. No, Swamp Mama isn’t going with me. She will be home watching the game
on TV. Instead, I will be attending the game with four friends who are Syracuse
fans. All I can say is West Virginia better win or it is going to be a long
ride home for me.
CFW – Week 19 will be posted on Wednesday morning, January
2.
Happy
New Year!
Touchdown Tom
December 28, 2018
Review of the
Bowls
The Huskies were
torched (in the Boca Raton Bowl) – UAB
37, Northern Illinois 13 (Touchdown Tom said: UAB 25, Northern Illinois 21).
UAB’s defense all but shut down Northern Illinois. The Blazers outscored the
Huskies 27-10 in the first half and 10-3 in the second half. Meanwhile, UAB’s
offense was performing on all cylinders, but primarily through the air. The
Blazers had 373 yards passing. UAB quarterback Tyler Johnston was 17-for-29, passing for 4 touchdowns. UAB
finished its season with an 11-3 record. The Blazers are 19-8 during the past
two seasons. Attendance in Boca Raton: 22,614
Skunked (in
the Frisco Bowl) – Ohio 27, San Diego
State 0 (Touchdown Tom said: Ohio 24, San Diego State 18). Ohio quarterback
Nathan Rourke accounted for all
three Bobcat touchdowns – one passing and two rushing. Kicker Louie Zervos was responsible for Ohio’s
other 6 points – two field goals. Ohio had 421 total yards to 287 for San Diego
State. Ohio finished its season with a 9-4 record. The Bobcats are 18-8 during
the past two seasons. Attendance in Frisco: 11,029
No Bull (in
the Gasparilla Bowl) – Marshall 38,
South Florida 20 (Touchdown Tom said: South Florida 34, Marshall 30). Marshall
mixed it up with 282 yards rushing and 221 yards passing for a total of 503
yards. South Florida passed well, but only had 92 yards rushing. The Herd also
dominated time of possession – more than 36 minutes. Marshall finished its
season with a 9-4 record. Attendance in Tampa: 14,135
It’s better in the
Bahamas for FIU (in the Bahamas Bowl) – Florida International 35, Toledo 32 (Touchdown Tom said: Toledo 29,
Florida International 25). FIU dominated the stats – first downs, total yards
and time of possession. The lack of a running game hurt Toledo. The game was
close until late in the fourth quarter when FIU went up 35-25 with 41 seconds
left. FIU finished its season with a 9-4 record. Attendance in Nassau: 13,510
Zach broke the
Broncos (in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl) – BYU 49, Western Michigan 18 (Touchdown Tom said: BYU 28, Western
Michigan 26). Western Michigan led at the half 10-7. But BYU unloaded in the
second half, outscoring WMU 42-8. The Cougars had 490 total yards to 313 for
the Broncos. BYU quarterback Zach Wilson
was perfect passing – completing 18 of 18 passes thrown. Wilson finished with
317 yards and four touchdowns. BYU running back Riley Burt rushed for 110 yards. BYU finished its season with a 7-6
record. Attendance in Boise: 18,711
The Forest held a
Wake for the Tigers (in the Birmingham Bowl) – Wake Forest 37, Memphis 34 (Touchdown Tom said: Memphis 36, Wake
Forest 33). Memphis held leads of 21-7 and 28-10 in the second quarter. But
after the Deacons were down 28-10, they outscored Memphis, 27-6. Wake had 529
total yards with a nice balance of 201 yards rushing and 328 yards passing. The
Tigers had a good running game – 110 yards from Patrick Taylor and 109 yards from Terry Pollard. Memphis had its opportunities to win the game at the
end but couldn’t pull it off due to poor coaching from Mike Norvell. Wake Forest
finished its season with a 7-6 record. Attendance in Birmingham: 25,717
And the Army goes
rolling along (in the Armed Forces Bowl) – Army 70, Houston 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Army 36, Houston 25). Army
led Houston 42-7 at halftime and 63-7 early in the fourth quarter. That’s how
bad it was. The Cadets had 592 total yards to 317 for Houston. Of Army’s 592
yards, 507 were from rushing. Houston only had 87 yards rushing. Army
quarterback Kelvin Hopkins rushed
for 170 yards and passed for 70 yards. Army finished its season with an 11-2
record. The Cadets are 21-5 during the past two seasons. Attendance in Fort
Worth: 44,738
Helen is happy
(in the Dollar General Bowl) – Troy 42,
Buffalo 32 (Touchdown Tom said: Troy 27, Buffalo 20). Troy trailed Buffalo
17-14 at the half and 24-21 at the end of the third quarter. But the Trojans
outscored Buffalo 21-8 in the fourth quarter. The teams were evenly matched in
first downs and rushing yards. But Troy was the better passing team. Troy quarterback
Sawyer Smith passed for 320 yards
and four touchdowns. Buffalo suffered four turnovers. Troy finished its season
with a 10-3 record. The Trojans are 21-5 during the past two seasons. Attendance
in Mobile: 31,818
All bite and no
bark (in the Hawaii bowl) – Louisiana
Tech 31, Hawaii 14 (Touchdown Tom said: Hawaii 34, Louisiana Tech 21). Hawaii
actually led 7-3 at the half. Then Louisiana Tech exploded and outscored Hawaii
28-7 in the second half. La Tech had 456 total yards to 226 for Hawaii. The
Bulldogs held the Rainbow Warriors to 58 yards rushing. Louisiana Tech finished
its season with an 8-5 record. Attendance in Honolulu: 30,911
Stormy weather
(in the First Responder Bowl) – CANCELED
(Touchdown Tom said: Boise State 29, Boston College 26). Attendance in Dallas:
0
No options (in
the Quick Lane Bowl) – Minnesota 34,
Georgia Tech 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Georgia Tech 31, Minnesota 23). No
team in the Big Ten employs the triple option, but Minnesota’s defense was
prepared. The Gophers shutdown Georgia Tech’s triple option. Minnesota’s
offense tallied 392 total yards – mostly running. Minnesota finished its season
with a 7-6 record. Attendance in Detroit: 27,228
Hot potato (in
the Cheez-It Bowl) – TCU 10, California
7 (OT) (Touchdown Tom said: TCU 23, California 20). California scored in
the first quarter and never again scored for the rest of the game – not even in
overtime. TCU wasn’t much better. The Frogs evened Cal’s score in the third
quarter and didn’t score again until overtime, when TCU converted a 27-yard
field goal. In total yards, both teams had less than 300 yards. TCU did have
262 yards rushing but only had 28 yards passing. TCU finished its season with a
7-6 record. Attendance in Phoenix: 33,131
No hoots in the second half (in the Independence
Bowl) – Duke 56, Temple 27 (Touchdown
Tom said: Temple 32, Duke 19). This game started out hot for Temple. Seven
minutes into the second quarter, the Owls were up on the Dookies, 20-7. At
halftime, Temple still led the Dookies, 27-21. But that was it for the Owls. In
the second half, the Dookies scored 35 unanswered points. Duke had 563 total
yards. The Duke defense held Temple to 73 yards rushing. Duke finished its
season with an 8-5 record. Attendance in Shreveport: 27,492
Badgers hit a
homerun (in the Pinstripe Bowl) – Wisconsin
35, Miami (Florida) 3 (Touchdown Tom said: Wisconsin 18, Miami 14). Wisconsin
had 406 total yards – 333 of which were from running. Miami only had 169 total
yards – only 48 yards passing. In time of possession, Wisconsin controlled the
ball for almost 40 minutes. Wisconsin finished its season with an 8-5 record. Attendance in The Bronx: 37,821
The anchor was
dragging the bottom – (in the Texas Bowl) – Baylor 45, Vanderbilt 38 (Touchdown Tom said: Vanderbilt 20, Baylor
17). This one went down to the wire with Baylor pulling it out in the final
minute and half of the game. Vandy led at halftime, 21-17. But the Bears were the
stronger team in the second half. The teams combined for 1,241 total yards –
668 for Baylor and 573 for the Commodores. The teams also combined for 52 first
downs. Baylor dominated the time of possession – more than 35 minutes. Baylor’s
Charlie Brewer passed for 384 yards.
Vandy’s Ke’Shawn Vaughn rushed for
243 yards. Baylor finished its season with a 7-6 record. Attendance in Houston: 51,104
Last 14 Bowl Game Picks: 7 correct picks, 7 fumbles (50 percent)
Total Bowl Game
Picks: 11 correct picks, 8 fumbles 57.9 (percent)
Superlatives
Impressive
Passers:
Duke’s Daniel
Jones – 30-41-2 for 423 yards (5TDs); Baylor’s Charlie Brewer – 21-34-1-384 (2TDs); Wake Forest’s Jamie Newman – 22-40-1-328 (1TD); Troy’s
Sawyer Smith – 31-44-0-320 (4TDs),
and BYU’s Zach Wilson – 18-18-0-317
(4TDs).
Impressive Rushers:
Vanderbilt’s Ke’Shawn
Vaughn – 243 yards (2TDs); Minnesota’s Mohamed
Ibrahim – 224 yards (2TDs); Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor – 205 yards (1TD); TCU’s Sewo Olonilua – 194 yards (1TD); Army’s Kelvin Hopkins – 170 yards (5TDs), and Ohio’s A.J. Ouellette – 164 yards.
Quotes of the Past 10 Days
“Four works,” Big 12 Conference commissioner Bob
Bowlsby, on expanding the current four-team playoff.
“We may have to talk about expansion,” Big Ten
commissioner Jim Delany, on
playoff expansion.
“I’m not really for going to eight teams in a
playoff,” Alabama coach Nick Saban.
“They’re full of bull,” Texas A&M coach Jimbo
Fisher, lambasting Georgia on signing day.
“I’m having as much fun as anybody should be
allowed to have,” new Kansas coach Les Miles, after a month on the job.
“I’m going to clean up the program. A lot of
guys will be leaving. We need a good washing,” South Florida coach Charlie
Strong, after the Bulls lost to Marshall, 38-20, in the Gasparilla Bowl.
“I’ve never said anything about transferring.
Those words have never come out of my mouth. It’s always been kind of
assumptions. My story is far from over,” Alabama backup quarterback Jalen
Hurts.
“Our football team’s performance tonight – and
at other times this season – is simply unacceptable to all of us who love the
U. I am committed to getting UM football back to national prominence and that
process is underway,” Miami (Florida) athletic director Blake James,
after the Pinstripe Bowl.
Touchdown Tom
P.S.
Not exactly college football related, but there were two
passings of note the past week and a half – Penny Marshall and Mel
Hutchins.
Penny Marshall,
the nasal-voiced co-star of the slapstick sitcom “Laverne & Shirley” and
later the director of hit films like “Big” and “A League of Their Own,” died
last week at her home in Los Angeles. She was 75. Marshall became the first
woman to direct a feature film that grossed more than $100 million when she
made “Big” (1988). “Big”, starring Tom
Hanks, was popular with both critics and audiences. Four years later, she
repeated her box office success with “A Leaguer of Their Own,” starring Hanks, Madonna, Geena Davis and Rosie
O’Donnell. In between, Marshall directed “Awakenings” (1990), a medical
drama, starring Robert De Niro and Robin Williams. She was on the “Laverne
& Shirley” TV sitcom with Cindy
Williams for seven seasons – 1976-83. Carole
Penny Marshall was born on October 15, 1943, in the Bronx, New York, and
grew up there. She graduated from Walton High School in the Knightsbridge
section of the Bronx. Marshall attended the University of New Mexico but left
and headed for California where her older brother Garry Marshall was a successful comedy writer. Her big break came
in 1971 when she was cast on “The Odd Couple.” Her brother, the producer of the
show, got her the part. That same year, she married Rob Reiner. They divorced in 1979.
Mel Hutchins, the
All-American center who helped elevate BYU to the top ranks in college
basketball in 1951 and went on to become an NBA All-Star, died last week in
Encinitas, California. He was 90. At 6-foot-5, Hutchins was hardly a big man,
but he was an outstanding rebounder, both at BYU and as a pro. Hutchins led BYU
to the 1951 NIT championship in Madison Square Garden. The NIT crown was the
first national championship in any sport for BYU. Hutchins was the Tri-Cities
Blackhawks No. 1 draft pick (No. 2 overall) in the 1951 NBA draft. The
Blackhawks became the Milwaukee Hawks. After two seasons in Milwaukee, Hutchins
was picked up by the Fort Wayne Pistons. He played in four All-Star games
during his seven years in the NBA. Melvin
Ray Hutchins was born on November 22, 1928, in Sacramento, California and
grew up in Arcadia, California. His sister, Colleen Kay Hutchins, was Miss America in 1952. Mel Hutchins was
the uncle of Kiki Vandeweghe, the
high-scoring NBA forward and later general manager and coach of the New York
Nets.
