House of L Podcast – Univ. of Chicago Football History

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Travis Normand
July 18, 2018

A friend of mine who is a University of Chicago fan sent me the following podcast link. I have written about Chicago’s football history before and this particular podcast goes well with what I have previously written. The podcast interview is with Dave Revsine (Dave on Twitter) who wrote “The Opening Kickoff: The Tumultuous Birth of a Football Nation.“ If you enjoy college football history, you really should pick up a copy of his book.

Anyway, enjoy the interview / podcast …

“House of L Podcast”

The House of L podcast is an intimate look at media in all forms and how it works. Let Laurence Holmes take you behind the curtain with your favorite media personalities.

Episode 5: U of C Sports History

(Episode Synopsis): The University of Chicago is known for its academic reputation, but it has one of the most fascinating Athletic histories. I had an incredible conversation with Dave Revsine about Amos Alonzo Stagg’s rule of the university when it began, but a friend at U of C, told me another crazy sports story from Hyde Park, so I wanted to share it with you.

Links to podcast episode:

 

 

College Football 150th Anniversary Debuts Website through partnership with Sidearm Sports

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College Football 150th Anniversary DEBUTS WEBSITE through partnership with SIDEARM SPORTS

Irving, Texas (June 6, 2018) – The College Football 150th Anniversary has debuted another component of its celebration with the launch of its website at CFB150.org. The site will be designed in conjunction with SIDEARM Sports, a Learfield Company.

“SIDEARM Sports is a leader in college athletics and we know they will help us host a first-rate website experience for all college football fans,” touted Kevin Weiberg, Executive Director of the College Football 150th Anniversary.  “We look forward to expanding our digital footprint even further in preparation for and continuing through the Anniversary season.”

The site houses videos, news and other information pertaining to the anniversary, which will take place in 2019. Access to articles, historical information, a schedule of events and links to social media components will all be available. A portion of the site will also allow former players and coaches as well as fans and alumni to submit their stories about how college football has impacted their lives, through the CFB150 pillars of education, community and leadership.

“To partner with the College Football 150th Anniversary is such an honor. College football has produced so many great student athletes during its 150 years. We hope all college football fans enjoy the digital experience celebrating this historic milestone,” said Jeff Rubin, President and CEO of SIDEARM Sports.” [Sic]

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Paterno (2018)

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by Travis Normand
May 24, 2018

For those who may be unaware, the film titled “Paterno” has officially been released and can be seen on HBO and/or HBO.com, as well as Amazon.com Prime Video. I have posted the official trailer below, as well as a link to both the film’s IMDB.com page and its Wikipedia page.

I have not yet seen the film but caught about 20 minutes of it earlier this month when staying at a hotel. I would have watched the entire film right then and there, but unfortunately I had to run out to a conference. The small portion that I was able to see has me very intrigued and dying to watch the film in its entirety. I don’t have HBO, but if I can watch it on Amazon.com, I will do so in the near future and post my thoughts here afterwards.

 

The following synopsis is from the film’s page on HBO.com:

Paterno centers on Penn State’s Joe Paterno in the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal. After becoming the winningest coach in college football history, Paterno’s legacy is challenged and he is forced to face questions of institutional failure in regard to the victims.

Academy Award and Emmy Award winner Al Pacino (HBO’s You Don’t Know Jack; Scent of a Woman) stars in the film’s title role. Paterno is Pacino’s third HBO collaboration with award-winning director Barry Levinson, having starred in You Don’t Know Jack, which earned Pacino a Golden Globe for Best Actor and an Emmy for acting and Levinson an Emmy for directing. Pacino also starred in the title role in HBO’s Phil Spector, which Levinson executive produced. Levinson directs Paterno from a script by Debora Cahn and John C. Richards.

To read the rest of this, visit HBO.com by clicking here.

 

 

Where does the name “Ole Miss” come from?

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by Travis Normand
May 21, 2018

I stumbled upon this blog posted back in 2014 and thought it was pretty interesting. I wanted to re-post it / share it here for those who enjoy college football history.

 

 

 

Evidence Reveals Ole Miss Named for Train, Not Antebellum Reference
Oct. 6, 2014

This is the second segment in a two-part series on the evolution of the term “Ole Miss.” The piece is written by Dr. Albert Earl Elmore, a noted scholar who holds degrees from Millsaps College and Ole Miss Law School with a Ph.D in English Literature from Vanderbilt.

The History of the Name “Ole Miss”

The controversy about “Ole Miss” as a name for the University of Mississippi was conceived in innocent ignorance and perpetuated by the misinformation of the Internet.

Let us begin with the Internet misinformation that appears in the endlessly consulted Wikipedia entry for the name Ole Miss: “The student yearbook was published for the first time in 1897. A contest was held to solicit suggestions for a yearbook title from the student body. Elma Meek, a student, submitted the winning entry of ‘Ole Miss.’ Meek’s source for the term in unknown. Some historians theorize she made a diminutive of ‘ole Mississippi’ or derived the term from ‘ol missus,’ an African-American term for a plantation ‘old mistress.’”

To continue reading: HottyToddy.com

To read the rest, click here and visit HottyToddy.com.

1912, 1913, & 1915 Mississippi State – Texas A&M, schedule dispute

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Travis Normand
May 21, 2018

On October 28, 2017, Mississippi State (and hereinafter sometimes “MSU” and/or “Mississippi A&M” and/or “Mississippi A. and M.”) defeated Texas A&M 35-14 at Kyle Field. At the conclusion of the broadcast the television commentators stated that, according to MSU, it was the first time MSU had won in College Station since 1913. They then mentioned that the location of the 1913 game was a point of disagreement between the schools (and that according to A&M, MSU’s last win in College Station was in 1915). I was unaware of this disagreement so I began investigating and the following is what I found.

Apparently MSU and Texas A&M have played a total of 11 times throughout their history, with the first four games being played in 1912, 1913, 1915, and 1937. After 1937, the two schools didn’t play again until they met in the Independence Bowl on December 31, 2000 (a historic game due to the snow, and the fact that MSU was coached by Jackie Sherrill and A&M by R.C. Slocum*). The last six games have been played since A&M joined the Southeastern Conference (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017).

* Mississippi State and Texas A&M share at least two head coaches in common: (1) Emory Bellard, and (2) Jackie Sherrill.

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The most important game on Texas A&M’s 2018 schedule

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Arkansas Razorbacksby Travis Normand
May 9, 2018

While looking at Texas A&M’s 2018 football schedule I noticed that the majority (five) of A&M’s conference games are on the road while only three are at Kyle Field. The Aggies start conference play by going to Alabama on September 22, and other than a quick pit-stop at Kyle Field against Kentucky on October 6th, the Aggies don’t return home until they play Ole Miss on November 10. In other words, most of the action for this years’ Aggie team will happen on the road; however, Texas A&M plays Clemson at Kyle Field on September 8 and LSU on November 24, which will hopefully make up for the lack of home conference games (a quality over quantity argument, if you will).

As for the lack of home games, continuing to play Arkansas in Arlington obviously doesn’t help as this game has been perpetually lost to the metroplex. If not for the agreement to play this game in Arlington, the Aggies would potentially add a SEC home game to the 2018 schedule.

Speaking of the Hogs, the game against Arkansas is, in my opinion, the most important game on the Aggies’ 2018 schedule. Why? Well, how many reasons do you want?

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Keith Jackson, 1928-2018

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by Travis Normand
January 15, 2018

Keith Jackson passed away on January 12, 2018, and with his passing, a large chapter of college football’s history is permanently closed. Mr. Jackson was the voice of college football for as long as I can remember; and his voice is what I hear during the endless loop of replays that run through my head.

It saddens me to know that I will never hear another game called by Mr. Jackson, even though he actually retired a few years ago. Losing the voice of college football is something that future generations will simply have to learn to live without.

For more, I highly recommend the following ESPN.com article and video on Keith Jackson.

2017 Lombardi Award

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Travis Normand
January 15, 2018

Apparently the following information was released back in October but I had completely missed it and did not receive a press release about it (until today, January 15, 2018). As I previously posted, the Rotary Club of Houston announced that they would not be giving out the 48th annual Lombardi Award despite having presented the previous 47 awards. You can read the Rotary Club of Houston’s press release here on OnePointSafety.com, or on their site at LombardiAward.org.

Today I received a press release in my email announcing that the award would be given out on January 27, 2018. However, it will now be awarded by the Lombardi Foundation (click here to read the October 2017 press release).

A few notable differences between the October 2017 release, and the release I received via email today, are: (1) the location of the event will be held at Lone Star College (in Houston) as opposed to the Hobby Center, and (2) the second release contains a list of award nominees.

The list of nominees are:

  • Saquon Barkley, Penn State (RB)
  • Lamar Jackson, Louisville (QB)
  • Ed Oliver, Houston (DT)
  • J.T. Barrett, Ohio State (QB)
  • Derwin James, Florida State (S)
  • Da’Ron Payne, Alabama (DT)
  • Bradley Chubb, N.C. State (DE)
  • Joel Lanning, Iowa State (LB/QB)
  • Rashaad Penny, San Diego State (RB)
  • Tyrell Crosby, Oregon (OT)
  • Bryce Love, Stanford (RB)
  • Roquan Smith, Georgia (LB)
  • DeShon Elliott, Texas (S)
  • Hercules Mata’afa, Washington State (DE)
  • Vita Vea, Washington (DT)
  • Minkah Fitzpatick, Alabama (S)
  • Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma (QB)
  • James Washington, Oklahoma State (WR)
  • Shaquem Griffin, UCF (LB)
  • Quenton Nelson, Notre Dame (G)
  • Christian Wilkins, Clemson (DT)

The release also states that: (Emphasis added)

Up to seven finalists from this list will be selected by the award voters this week and announced next Monday, Jan. 22. Four of the finalists will be invited to the Lombardi Honors presentation that will include several other awards being recognized, including the Lombardi Coach of the Year.

For a copy of the October 2017 release, visit: https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2017/10/26/1154553/0/en/LOMBARDI-AWARD-UNDER-NEW-DIRECTION-2018-EVENT-DATE-SET.html

If I find a copy of the January 2018 release online, I will post it here later.