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CALIFORNIA
HISTORICAL RADIO SOCIETY
IS PLEASED TO HONOR
EDWARD
A. SHARPE
WITH THE
CHARLES D. 'DOC' HERROLD
AWARD FOR
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN
THE PRESERVATION AND DOCUMENTATION OF
EARLY RADIO.
BY
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 1992:
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Marching Griffins of
Lincolnway East, Illinois have one student’s whole world in
their hands while competing in the January 1, 2009 Blue Cross Blue
Shield National Band Championships at the University of Phoenix
Stadium, Glendale, Arizona. Bubble Girl, the girl in the
hamster ball, is the little sister of one of the band’s drum
majors. The Marching Griffins are under the direction Mr.
Clifton Smith and Mr. Cary Ruklic. |
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38th Annual
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Game Roundup! More photos and video to
follow!
University of Phoenix Stadium - Glendale,
Ariz. - Jan. 5, 2009
Post-Game Notes
No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes (10-3) vs. No.
3 Texas Longhorns (12-1)
Scoring
1 2 3 4 Final
Ohio State 3 3 0 15 21
Texas 0
3 14 7 24
Attendance: 72,047 (sell out) Weather:
Clear, 65 degrees indoors (roof closed)
Offensive Player of the Game: Texas QB Colt McCoy
Defensive Player of the Game: Texas DT Roy Miller
Sportsmanship Award: Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor
Quick Quote: "This game means we are
one of the best teams in the country. This
team just keeps coming back." - Texas Head Coach Mack Brown.
Quick Quote: "It was a great game.
I'm proud of the way both teams played hard."
- Ohio State Head Coach Jim Tressel.
Notable Notes:
Texas is now 25-21-2 in bowl games, 1-1
in the Fiesta Bowl and 8-3 in bowl games under Mack Brown…Texas
now ranks tied for fourth all-time with Georgia and Tennessee with
25 bowl victories behind Southern Cal (31),
Alabama (31) and Penn State (26)…Ohio State now holds a 18-22
record in bowl games, 4-2 mark in Fiesta
Bowls and 1-2 all-time record against Texas…the Buckeyes are now
4-4 in bowl games under Jim Tressel.
Texas WR Quan Cosby's 14 receptions
tonight were a Texas bowl record but one short of the Tostitos
Fiesta
Bowl set by Utah's Paris Warren against Pittsburgh in 2005…Roy
Williams' 11 catches in the 2001 Holiday Bowl
vs. Washington was the previous Texas bowl record.
Cosby's 171 yards receiving tonight
marked the eighth time that a Texas wide receiver surpassed 100
yards
receiving in a bowl game, and first since Roy Williams has 142
yards receiving in the 2003 Cotton Bowl against
LSU.
Texas QB Colt McCoy's 41 completions and
59 pass attempts tonight set a Tostitos Fiesta Bowl record…
Miami's Bernie Kosar (31, vs. UCLA in 1985) and Pittsburgh's John
Congemi (31, vs. Ohio State in 1984)
previously held the completion record and Kansas State's Elle
Roberson (51, vs. Ohio State in 2004) and Florida
State's Danny McManus (51, vs. Nebraska in 1988) held the passing
attempts record.
Ohio State's 6-3 lead over Texas at
halftime tonight provided the second-lowest point total in the
first half in
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl history…the lowest-scoring first half
occurred in 1979 when Pittsburgh led Arizona, 6-0.
Texas failed to score in the first
quarter tonight for only the second time this season…the
Longhorns also failed to
score in the first quarter of their 39-33 loss at Texas Tech on
Nov. 1…overall, Texas averaged 9.8 points in the
first quarter entering tonight's game.
Ohio State K Aaron Pettrey's 51-yard
field goal tonight tied for the second-longest field goal in
Tostitos Fiesta
Bowl history…UCLA's John Lee also kicked a 51-yard field goal
vs. Miami in 1985 while Arizona State's Luis
Zendejas 54-yard field goal against Oklahoma in 1983 is tops in
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl history…Pettrey's field goal
was also one yard short of the Ohio State bowl record, set by Rich
Spangler vs. USC in the 1985 Rose Bowl.
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| College
Football's Biggest Party Grants Wish
Jordan Shelledy and his family from
Iowa were guests of the Make-A-Wish Foundation for all of the 38th
Fiesta Bowl activities. Mark Korthals, Director of Community
Outreach & Marketing, accompanied the family on Jordan's dream
trip.
Jordan, a Texas Longhorns fan, had the chance to meet the
University of Texas team, ride on the Texas float during the
Fiesta Bowl parade, and attend the team breakfast. Although Colt
McCoy is his favorite player, he sat with Eddie Jones at the
breakfast. Jordan's mother said all of the players were nice
to Jordan, but particularly Jones and Jordan Shipley. Jordan
was even able to do the walk through at the stadium with the team.
He's shown here, showing he can master his own bucking steer.
Photo/Story -
Lesa Holstine Glendale Daily Planet |
Buckeyes at
College Football's Biggest Party
The Wellman family brought family,
boyfriends, and girlfriends in from Cincinnati to cheer on the
Buckeyes in the 38th Fiesta Bowl football game. - Photo/Story
- Lesa Holstine Glendale Daily Planet
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A trip though The
Arizona Republic's face painting booth
Or, everyone
from the same place was there!
The Arizona Republic's face
painting booth was a popular one at College Football's
Biggest Party. When Glendale resident Jim Holstine
had his face painted with a buckeye leaf for the Ohio
State Buckeyes, he felt right at home. Jim once
worked at Cedar Point, a large amusement park in northern
Ohio. A young woman, who went to Cedar Point during
summers, held her baseball cap as a model for the face
painter. The face painter was from northern Ohio as
well, so he used to go to Cedar Point. It was a
homecoming in Glendale for fans of Cedar Point, and the
Ohio State Buckeyes.
Photo/Story - Lesa Holstine
Glendale Daily Planet
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| Texas Longhorn
fans at College Football's Biggest Party
Texas Longhorn fans, Mike and Cindy
Boggs from Dallas, and Tom and Carolyn Bryant from El Paso, flew
in for the 38th Fiesta Bowl game and the surrounding festivities.
According to Carolyn, they walked over to College Football's
Biggest Party from their hotel, Residence Inn by Marriott.
She said they did Westgate twice since they arrived on Friday, but
the highlight of their trip will be the game and the stadium.
Photo/Story - Lesa Holstine
Glendale Daily Planet |
Queen and her Court -
Football's Biggest Party
Glendale resident, Jim Holstine,
enjoyed College Football's Biggest Party on Monday, particularly
his chance to meet the Fiesta Bowl Queen and her Court.
He's shown here with: Queen Jasmin Medina and the court members,
Jen Stimson, Haley Peterson, and Amanda Castillo.
Photo/Story - Lesa Holstine
Glendale Daily Planet
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GLENDALE
HOSTS FIESTA BOWL
GRIDIRON
JAM SATURDAY, JANUARY 3
GLENDALE,
Ariz.
–Glendale’s Fiesta Bowl Gridiron Jam in downtown Glendale,
from 4-10 p.m., on Saturday, Jan. 3, was a free event and featured
myriad exciting activities for football fans, including a
performance by The Ohio State University Marching Band to kick off
the fun!
Another
famous local marching band, the Mountain Ridge High School
band, performed, just weeks before they appear in the
Presidential Inauguration Parade in Washington, DC. The Band performed a 20 min set three times at 6 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m. at the Amphitheatre stage. Thrilling onlookers the band also marched around the event perimeter to show their marching skills to the Gridiron crowd.
Fans
also enjoyed interactive gaming, football-themed kids’
inflatable games, a rock-climbing wall and other attractions. In
addition, the Ultimate Tailgating Experience was on hand,
featuring activities like the cooler toss and Picture U©, as well
as traditional tailgating food, such as mouth-watering beef
brisket, barbecue and bratwursts!
Another
interactive highlight was the Sports
Mania Game Show,
a college football and TV trivia game show with emcee, audience
contestants and prizes! The game show will play every 45 minutes
during the event.
| The
NASA astronauts
from The
Honeywell Fiesta Bowl Aerospace Challenge were on
hand to sign photographs and converse with patrons
of the event! (To Learn more about the aerospace challenge
see: http://www.fiestabowl.org/index.php/events/aerospace/
This
is a premiere event for since minded boys and girls to be
involved in and Finalists will compete for a tour of the
Johnson Space Center and an on-field appearance at the
Fiesta Bowl. |
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This
year, Students from six Valley school presented
their models for next-generation space stations to a panel
of Honeywell engineers and NASA astronauts who in turn
asked questions about the designs.
This
years winning team of five students from the Tempe
Tri-City Christian Academy were the winners of the
the 10th annual challenge, The event took place at the
Challenger Space Center in Peoria.
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The
tween crowd will be delighted by an appearance by Disney
Channel star David Henrie, honorary Grand Marshall of the 38th
Annual Fort McDowell Fiesta Bowl Parade, who stars in “The
Wizards of Waverly Place,” on the popular children’s network.
He will appeared and signed autographs.
The
Fiesta Bowl Trophy was on display, and the Fiesta Bowl Queen and
her Court will make an appearance and sign autographs, as well.
Visitors
enjoied performances by local bands from all genres of music, as
well as food and beer gardens decorated for both Ohio State and
Texas universities, to help fans feel right at home.
That
evening as the sun sets, Glendale Glitters, Arizona’s largest
free holiday light display, lit up the nighttime sky, with
more than 1.5 million lights throughout 12 blocks of the historic
downtown area.
 
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TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL: OHIO STATE v TEXAS
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Media Dinner!
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MEDIA DAY - TOSTITOS
FIESTA BOWL:
OHIO STATE v TEXAS -
January 2, 2009
Held at
Camelback Inn Arizona Ballroom
Text by ASAP
Sports - Photos By Ed Sharpe Glendale Daily Planet
Media came from far and
near - here you see the satellite truck for Ohio
News Now http://www.onntv.com
Click
HERE
to see inside the truck (or save-as).
Photo by Ed Sharpe Glendale Daily
Planet /KKAT-IPTV
We got to see the trophy!
- Photo by Ed Sharpe Glendale Daily
Planet /KKAT-IPTV
City of Glendale Vice
mayor Manny Martinez presents Ohio Coach Jim
Tressel with a welcome gift.
Photo by Ed Sharpe Glendale
Daily Planet /KKAT-IPTV
January 2, 2009
Photo by Ed Sharpe Glendale Daily Planet /KKAT-IPTV
GLENDALE, ARIZONA
COACH TRESSEL: Our kids are excited about being here and playing
against a good opponent. Life is good. It is an honor to be here
at the Fiesta Bowl and the wonderful venue in Glendale. What we
understand, Glendale has changed a great deal in the two years
since we've been there and we're anxious to see what's gone on.
Q. Is there a chance that Todd will start the game? I
understand Terrelle might not be here today.
COACH TRESSEL: No, that is probably -- that's probably not why
Terrelle -- Terrelle will start the game, just so you know. But
Todd is going to contribute to our cause and we're excited about
it.
Q. What about Terrelle? Were the starters mandated to be here?
What was your decision in maybe not bringing them?
COACH TRESSEL: Not that I was aware of. There was a little change
in plans from the original venue of being at the stadium due to
play-off games and so forth and they asked that we limit it to 30
players. And as we've said quite often, this particular game is in
large part about our 28 seniors.
And so we put together a list of 30 people that we thought would
be good to come over here and another 75 are over watching film
and getting ready and preparing, and we got a good group here.
Q. Are you fearful that he would not be able to handle himself
in this situation?
COACH TRESSEL: My feeling is he probably had something that would
be more impactful on our cause and that was to spend time in the
meeting room.
Photo by Ed Sharpe - Glendale Daily Planet /KKAT-IPTV
Q. He is in meetings right now rather than being here?
COACH TRESSEL: Absolutely.
Q. The Fiesta Bowl encourages all the starters. What kind of
conversations did you have and did you have to explain to them why
you weren't going to make him available?
COACH TRESSEL: No, really we were asked for bring 30 players and
we sent in a list of players and I did get one call asking, Did
you happen to miss any? (Laughter).
And I said you might be talking in terms of Terrelle and Brewster
because they are starters. But they are freshmen. When decided
when we were counting to 30, there were 30 others that afforded
the opportunity to be here.
Q. Do you think that the fans want to hear from the starting
quarterback one time before the Bowl game?
COACH TRESSEL: Well, I think we owe a lot to our fans and
unfortunately you can't do everything that you would like to do. I
would like all of our kids and coaches to be able to sign every
autograph that every fan has and all of those kinds of things.
You can do so many things. You have to make decisions. Some of
them are well thought of, some of them aren't. But we work very
hard and I think our fans appreciate how much we know that they
are a major part of what we do.
Q. Do you think Terrelle has been treated unfairly by the
media?
COACH TRESSEL: Not at all. I think he has done a nice job every
weekend in his visit with me. He has been very forthright and
honest and it was a decision we made.
Q. You want him doing more homework?
COACH TRESSEL: We want him doing more homework. That's what we're
here for. I hope he has a very nice visit after the game.
Q. Can you just explain, he was available after the games but
he was never made available during the week, was there a thought
process behind the fact you never got him out there?
COACH TRESSEL: Preparation time. Getting through a season of what
all it takes to prepare for a ball game, it is tough to be the
starting center. It is tough to be the starting quarterback. It is
tough to be in your first year of having study hall and tutors and
mentors and advisers and all the different things.
When you can use some time elsewhere, we've just felt that that's
the growing process that we would use.
Media came from far and near surround
Coach Tressel - Photo by Ed Sharpe, Glendale
Daily Planet /KKAT-IPTV
Q. Do you get to the point when you are answering questions so
often for so long to build up to a Bowl game in the past few
years, how do you avoid -- you want that message to be fresh. How
do you avoid getting stale and trying to get these guys to
understand that that task is coming and it is going on three days
now?
COACH TRESSEL: The good thing about when you get out to the Bowl
site is you can feel the energy. They have had a chance now to
watch Texas on film for a long time and they know how good Texas
is. So it is not hard to stay fresh about that.
You can feel the activities as they get rolling and now here we
are -- I guess this is like Wednesday for us. I don't know what
day it is for real, but it is like Wednesday for us.
You can kind of feel the anticipation, a lot of ball games on TV
that they got to see bits and pieces of that, you talk about the
impact plays and you talk about what you have to do to be
successful. You add all those things together.
But you want the right blend of this being fun and experienced
along with keeping that message front and center and getting great
preparation.
Q. You know you change it up from time to time. Anything out of
the ordinary to change the routine or anything?
COACH TRESSEL: We were a little bit different back home in that we
took the last 20 minutes every day and did a competitive
scrimmage-type situation that we have a scoring system as you
know. We did a seven-day ongoing scoring system which was kind of
a fun, competitive thing.
Outside of that, we didn't do much real different. But it wasn't
real hard for our guys to be excited when they were named to come
to the Fiesta Bowl. And then they get to know it will be against
Texas who could be the best team in the country. They wanted to go
to work.
Q. You said you were getting up there, you're not that old.
What did this mean to you?
COACH TRESSEL: Age, I guess, is relative. When I was in college, I
probably thought this age was very old. But there was something
magical about the makeup of this team with so many older kids, so
many kids who had been through so much, whether they were playing
or not. Just to have them have this final opportunity toward the
Bowl experience, number one, and play a team like Texas, number
two, to me, it made it extra special.
Q. The big game, how excited are you defending -- I don't know
how anybody can get on Jim Tressel about your big-game success.
COACH TRESSEL: I think because there has been so many volumes of
experiences that we've had with these kids, the juices might be
flowing maybe even more so than at other times because every guy
you look at, you look out around the ball game, there are stories
about what they have been through, what they have meant to you,
how you have gotten to know them and then add to it we are playing
Texas.
Growing up in Ohio, this is Texas. It was pretty special.
Q. Carrying the banner for the Big Ten, how important is it for
you knowing what happened this year in the Big Ten?
COACH TRESSEL: I don't know what's happened this Bowl season makes
it any different. We take it very personally to carry the banner,
number one, of Ohio State, number two of the Big Ten, and number
three the game of football. We know a lot of people will tune into
this game and we want to have the game of football take on a stage
where people enjoy it, respect it, gain something from it. But I
don't know what the other Bowl games really have to do with it
because of course we were rooting for the Big Ten, no question
about it.
One of my guys, Mark Antonio, was up 6-3 at the half.
We take it very seriously, period.
Photo by Ed Sharpe - Glendale Daily Planet /KKAT-IPTV
Q. Mack was talking about the parallels between your two
programs and you both came into places where there is a legend in
the background and the expectations are off the charts. What are
some of the parallels between those two and that you and Mack have
been able to navigate where maybe some predecessors of yours
didn't understand those expectations?
COACH TRESSEL: You are talking about two of the greatest
institutions that are huge that have alumni reaching all over the
world that have a football history that's in the top five, both of
us in the entire country. As Mack mentioned, you got in the
shadows there the Darrell Royals and Woody Hayes and the
expectations and so forth.
I think the thing that I have learned from Mack -- I remember
studying Mack when he was at North Carolina, you go about doing
things with a plan, and you go about doing things right, and if
you are fortunate enough to make good decisions in recruiting, you
will have a chance to have some successes.
Maybe if you are at Ohio State or Texas, your opportunity to get
an even better football player is greater and if you do things
right and if you have a plan, you can handle the ups and downs.
There are ups and downs everywhere. I think that's what we both
believe in. We both believe that the game is bigger than us.
We both believe that the schools we're at filled the stands long
before we came and we'll never be the Woody Hayeses of the place,
but we are the people that have the responsibility to try to
maintain that type of excellence.
Glendale Councilperson
Steve Frate and Ohio Coach Jim Tressel. Councilperson Frate
is originally from Ohio!
Photo by Ed Sharpe - Glendale Daily Planet /KKAT-IPTV
At times it was hard to get a
clear view of the coach so the photographer at left goes for a height
assist to get a shot with a long lens!
Photo by Ed Sharpe - Glendale Daily Planet /KKAT-IPTV
Ed Sharpe from Glendale
Daily Planet / KKAT-IPTV On the Scene! Photo by Steve Frate
End of FastScripts
January 2, 2009
GLENDALE, ARIZONA
COACH BROWN: We've had a great few days so far in the Valley of
the Sun. The people are great. You have a host for every staff
member. The players are having a tremendous time.
And at the same time, they have enough functions that you can go
in you want to, but they're not going to interfere with your
preparation for the game. So we've had spirited practices, we've
had physical practices, but the guys, again, they went to the
Insight Bowl game the other night, they went to the block party.
They've had a lot of fun. They will go to the Suns game tonight.
I think they have a great meal with a comedian this afternoon and
as far as the week is concerned, this would be about Wednesday of
game week. So they're having to gauge if they were back in Austin
trying to make sure that they're fresh and that they -- they don't
get ready to play too soon because of the respect they have for
Ohio State. But they also will be ready to play fresh on Monday
night. Questions?
Q. What kind of game are you anticipating? Many fans?
COACH BROWN: I think it will be a great game and a fun game
because the two schools have so many respect for each other. The
traditions, you feel like Coach Royal is not coming, but the two
other times we have played Ohio State I think I see Coach Hayes
and Coach Royal on the sidelines because that's what these two
schools are about for many years. You go from Big Bertha, the
Texas band, and the Ohio State band. You look at what Jim has
accomplished in his eight years at Ohio State.
And we feel like we have got a real good team as well. We think it
will be a great game. Two teams that still have a lot to prove and
two that are excited about each other that haven't played each
other -- have played each other twice and split, so this one is
both important for both games.
Q. Defensive struggle? Shootout?
COACH BROWN: Who knows. I sit around and see 3-0. Who knows what
will happen in a Bowl game. Oregon had a 3-0 game when they played
Pittsburgh. I know both defenses are really, really good. And I
know that -- I think we're first or second in the country against
the run, but we haven't faced a running back like Beanie Wells and
a huge offensive line.
You look at the progress that Terrelle Pryor has made since early
in the year. They are a much better offensive team than they were
when they showcased against Southern Cal at the first of the year.
They are the best defensive team we played, and Jim does as good a
job as anybody we have coached against.
I think it will be a real battle for us and should be a great
game.
Q. When you are in a Bowl week, when you have done X amount of
interviews almost every day, you have had to talk about the same
game, is it almost repetitive in your head? You feel like you are
repeating something you said two days ago word for word and not
trying to talk yourself to death about one football game?
COACH BROWN: It is. You want it to be fair. You don't want it to
get old and boring. You want to get the excitement. What you got
with this one is you really got a month. We went through this in
2005 with a national championship. We had a taste of it with
Michigan the year before. Jim is used to this because they have
been to so many BCS games.
What you do, again, is you have to come up with a little different
theme every day for your players to keep the edge because there
has been a lot of talk since Ohio State played Michigan a week
before we played Texas A&M. It will have been a month before
we play another football game. That's a tougher situation because
of the time off than you have for an opening game of the season.
Q. There seems to be a connection between you and Jim in terms
of -- you both have programs (indiscernible). You arrive before he
arrives (indiscernible).
COACH BROWN: I had not been around Jim very much when we played in
2005. It was funny, he and I both called each other the week of
the game and said here's -- what about this, what about this? We
play the next year and the same thing. What will happen here, will
we have trouble getting in and that's unusual for coaches to hit
it off and have that kind of relationship.
And at the same time, I can remember standing out on the field in
the horseshoe, which was exciting for me; it was the first time I
had been there. Jim and I were talking about coaching in the
Capital, we were talking about the fan support, the passion, both
schools. We were talking about the things you deal with off of the
field. We talk about recruiting and there are so many similarities
in the two schools it really kind of hit us that we are living in
the same place, we just have different colors and different
weather.
And at the same time, we have been able to follow up since that
game, since we didn't think we would be playing again and share a
lot of ideas. We talked about recruits. We've shared ideas about
how we practice. They were even talking about we might visit some
this spring after the game.
And I followed Jim for a long time because of his dad being a
prominent coach and Jim winning all the games up at Youngstown
when I was at Appalachian State. We had some similarities in our
background as well.
Q. Have you had a chance to tour the stadium yet?
Q. (Indiscernible)?
COACH BROWN: I would think it would have a tremendous effect on
places. There will be another coach, Darrell Royal at Texas. He is
the face of the program. He always will be. One of the good things
I learned early, I am not chasing that legacy. I know it is there
and I know it is not going to change. I.
Would think Jim will tell you the same thing about Coach Hayes
because these are two men he and I idolized growing up. We are not
sitting there thinking we will be him. When a coach said, I hope
you break my records, I said, I will not be alive to break all
your records, so don't worry about it.
It has been really, really fun for me. Unlike Jim, I have had
Coach Royal with me. He is a great consultant and friend. I will
call him while we are out here. He will not be able to come to the
game. There is no doubt that when a guy wins three national
championships and the guy wins 30 straight games that has impact
forever in the program and that's the standard that's set in
people's minds. Whether that's fair or not, that's the way it is
and it is not going to change.
Q. Have you had a chance to tour the stadium yet?
COACH BROWN: We have not. We have walk-through the day before the
game. On the 4th. So we've seen a video of the stadium. It looks
just unbelievable. We have been able to play in Reliant Stadium
that has the retractable roof in Houston.
Q. Traditionally this event is awkward with the Cardinals
getting to the play-offs.
COACH BROWN: The Cardinals are playing the Falcons tomorrow, so it
kind of screwed us up. We will see it on Sunday.
Q. You talked about Terrelle Pryor. Do you think he will stay
in the hunt for the next couple of years?
COACH BROWN: We do. There have been similarities made between
Terrelle Pryor and Vince Young. They are real tall and strong.
They can make plays with their feet. They both have strong arms.
The thing that Vince did is he continued to grow as a quarterback
and then he made everybody around him better and he helps
recruiting. I think Terrelle had that kind of publicity coming
into Ohio State. Vince didn't play as a freshman. Terrelle has
been very impactful for their program as a freshman and he will
only help them in the future.
But I see him being a game changer.
Q. Terrelle has a long way to get to where Vince was.
COACH BROWN: I don't think anything is fair in comparison except
when you go back and look at the same stage. I wasn't able to see
Vince at this stage. Vince wasn't playing at this stage, so
Terrelle is ahead of him in the same time frame. And we thought it
was good for Vince to get a year of red shirt.
But I think potentially there is no doubt, Terrelle is the type of
guy because he touches the ball every time. You have a trigger guy
that takes you all the way, he can doing that.
Q. Personality-wise, how do they carry themselves?
COACH BROWN: I don't know Terrelle that much. He did not visit our
school. We tried to get him to. He is a guy we followed, saw in
the All-Star games and we have seen all the games he has played in
this year with film. From what Jim says, he is very positive and a
guy who has the magnetism that he can lead a team.
Q. Were you able to watch USC's game at all? Does that
reinforce your earlier thoughts about play-off or ultimately the
BCS?
COACH BROWN: It does. I think there are eight teams that deserve a
shot at the national championship and maybe more. It is really sad
that it is hard to say who is national champ when all these look
so good at the end.
And there will be three or four one-win teams in the end, but
probably should have a claim to look at the share of the national
championship. USC is obviously in that group.
Q. Do you think the more this continues and the more these
wins, something will come out of it?
COACH BROWN: I love the Bowls. You see Vanderbilt kick a
last-second field goal and win their first Bowl game since 1955.
It was emotional for me. I went there. My brother went there. It
is good for them. I don't want us to take away a win for kids like
that. I saw kids throw Gatorade on their coach and have never been
happier.
We got something for the teams that can't get in the picture at
the end. Right now there is so much talk about only one game that
it seems like the ones that are in the BCS and not in the end are
in the pressure. Everybody else has a Bowl game like it used to
be.
I would like to see us get in or get out. Either go back to the
old Bowl system and match it up where we have a real fun game for
everybody and have a bunch of people to vote on whoever they want
to be number one in the country or try to get a more fair way to
figure it out at the end.
And I don't see play-offs coming. I really don't. Every year it is
mentioned. We won't have a play-off in my estimation until
somebody figures out the plan and we won't have a plan until
somebody figures out the money. So until those get figured out, I
don't think we will see play-offs.
Q. (Indiscernible)?
COACH BROWN: It might not. You have a year for 2005 where us and
SC were clear-cut undefeated teams, BCS was really lucky that
year. Other than that, it gets tough for them.
End of FastScripts
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Glendale
Presents the 2009 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Day
Luncheon and Promoting Inclusiveness Award
The city of Glendale’s
Diversity Committee is proud to present the 2009 Martin
Luther King, Jr. Unity Day Luncheon, featuring Kweisi Mfume,
former US Congressman and President/CEO of the NAACP.
|
City of Glendale -
Unity Day
Glendale
Presents the 2009 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Day Luncheon
The city of Glendale’s Diversity
Committee is proud to present the 2009 Martin Luther King, Jr.
Unity Day Luncheon, featuring Kweisi Mfume, former US
Congressman and President/CEO of the NAACP.
Each year, on the third Monday of
January, the life and the ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
are celebrated. Glendale honors this great man and his ideals
with a luncheon that acknowledges the value of diversity, the
progress made toward freedom and equality for all people and
continued efforts to strengthen communities across the nation.
This year, the luncheon will be held
from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm, Friday, Jan. 16, 2009 at the Glendale
Civic Center, located at 5750 W. Glenn. Drive.
Kweisi Mfume has been an active leader
in the civil rights struggle for many decades. As a congressman,
Mfume became one of the most well-known African American
politicians in Washington, D.C. Believing that he could achieve
more for civil rights by working for the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Mfume eventually
left Congress to become president of the organization and
currently consults.
As one of the state’s premier
celebrations of Dr. King’s life and the ideals his name so
symbolically represents, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity
Day Luncheon demonstrates Glendale’s commitment to create a
society that is more just, peaceful and understanding.
The public is invited to attend the
event, with the purchase of a luncheon ticket. Tickets for the
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Day Luncheon can be purchased
in person at the Glendale Visitor Center, located at 5800 W.
Glenn Drive, suite 140. The Visitor Center is open Monday
through Saturday, exclusive of city holidays. Tickets are $40
per person. For more information on purchasing tickets, contact
the Visitor Center at (623) 930-4500.
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Fiesta Bowl National
Band Championship 01-01-2009
© 2008 Glendale Daily Planet
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Marching
Griffins of Lincolnway East, Illinois have one student’s
whole world in their hands while competing in the January
1, 2009 Blue Cross Blue Shield National Band Championships
at the University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona.
Bubble Girl, the girl in the hamster ball, is the little
sister of one of the band’s drum majors. The
Marching Griffins are under the direction Mr. Clifton
Smith and Mr. Cary Ruklic.
The
LincolnWay East Marching Griffins were thrilled to be in
the Fiesta Bowl Marching Band competition and parade
over New Years, reprising their 2004 visit.
By
Jean Stanker, Special to The Glendale Daily Planet
The Marching
Griffins are 130 strong, and though they do well in
competitions (capturing the 1st two years in a row at the
ISU Illinois Marching Band Competition), the goal of the
marching and music programs at LWE is not to capture an
assortment of trophies, but rather to challenge the
students to do their best with challenging music and
shows. They
begin practicing their new shows in June, a week after
school ends. They
practice long and hard all summer, and end with a
week-long camp devoted to practice, sectionals, and
forming a tight knit unit. This year the theme behind the show was circles, and they
incorporated a 42 ft. semi-circular stage that we built
over the course of 3 weeks, complete with ramps.
The stage breaks down into 4 pieces and rolls right
out onto the field. During
the course of the show, behind a black screen, a
battery-operated generator quietly fills a giant “hamster
ball” with air, and a beautiful young girl then runs out
inside the ball, with the band separating and the color
guard lifting her, inside the ball, into the air. Don’t
worry about her, though, there’s 1 ½ hours of air in
that ball, and she’s in it for less than 5 minutes.
And she just happens to be the little sister of one
of our drum majors, who keeps a close eye on her.
LincolnWay East High School is part of
School District 210, which has grown from a single high
school to four 4-year high schools in less than 10 years.
Our award winning Marching Griffins lost about a third of
the band when we split off our most recent school this
past September. A
group of parent volunteers donate countless hours to
building props and stages, sewing, driving the trucks,
organizing uniforms and costumes, raising money, etc. to
help promote the joy of music that drives the Marching
Griffins to excel year after year.
We are lucky to have Mr. Clifton Smith and Mr. Cary
Ruklic as our directors, and look forward to many more
years appearing at the Fiesta Bowl competition.
Photo By Ed Sharpe Glendale Daily
Planet
Editors Note: I was
fortunate enough to meet Tom Stanker on the field
of the Fiesta Bowl Marching Band Championships.
He built the stage and is the driver of the
"Beast," the truck that hauls the instruments
and uniforms, His wife Jean, who wrote the above article
for us, is the Music Booster President. they hail
from Lincolnway East, in Frankfort, Illinois. Thank you
for participating in the Glendale Daily Planet Jean! --
Ed Sharpe
|
Photo By Ed Sharpe Glendale Daily Planet
Photos by Bette Sharpe
Photos by Bette Sharpe
Photos by Bette Sharpe
 
Photos by Bette Sharpe
Photos by Bette Sharpe
Photos by Bette Sharpe
Photos by Bette Sharpe
Photos by Bette Sharpe
Photos by Bette Sharpe
Photo By Gregory Duffner, DDS
a Visitor to the Fiesta Bowl!
Below photos by Ed Sharpe
Photos by Ed Sharpe
Photos by Ed Sharpe
Photos by Ed Sharpe
Photos by Ed Sharpe
Bette Sharpe - Photos
by Ed Sharpe
 The
Marching Griffins of Lincolnway East, Illinois have one
student’s whole world in their hands while competing in the
January 1, 2009 Blue Cross Blue Shield National Band Championships
at the University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona.
Bubble Girl, the girl in the hamster ball, is the little sister of
one of the band’s drum majors. The Marching Griffins are
under the direction Mr. Clifton Smith and Mr. Cary Ruklic.
|
January 4, 2009
GLENDALE, ARIZONA
COACH TRESSEL: It is exciting that it is almost game day. Our guys have
had a tremendous week here, and as always the folks from the Tostios
Fiesta Bowl are extraordinary. The folks from the entire Valley of the Sun
are tremendous. We can't wait to get out to Glendale this afternoon to
have our guys see the stadium and walk through and then wish the game were
tomorrow at about noon, but we'll have to anguish through that -- the long
day for those later games.
Our kids are excited. They worked extremely hard. I can't ask any more
from them, from our staff. We're proud of our fans that have come out and
supported us and supported the Phoenix area and supported the Tostios
Fiesta Bowl.
It is just an honor and a pleasure to be a part of this great week.
Q. Coach Brown talked about how similar the two programs are, two
prestigious football programs and they are very similar. Can you comment
on that?
COACH TRESSEL: I think you can go all the way from very similar
institutions: great research institutions, some of the greatest things
being done in the world in terms of research and education and educating
thousands of kids a year and the culture of both of our states is that we
love football. It is deeply intwined in who we are.
We have that great legacy at both institutions, that football has been
successful many, many times. To have a chance to put both of those similar
groups in one stage here in the greatest Bowl there is, it is a lot of
fun.
Q. Coach Brown earlier had mentioned when looks at Terrelle Pryor he
sees a young Vince Young. Could you comment on that similarity?
COACH TRESSEL: Well, I think when all of us during the recruiting stages
were watching Terrelle, that was the first person that came to mind
because Vince had just had that tremendous success in taking his team to
the national championship and going on and doing very well in the
professional ranks.
And I remember talking with Mack about that very thing. We were at an
American Football Coaches board meeting during the year prior to his -- to
Terrelle signing and so forth, he really felt that he did look similar to
Vince in high school. I'm sure as he watches him now, he feels as if that
is that type of young man. He works at it extremely hard. I'm sure deep
down one of the role models he has for playing that position, and we
certainly hope he becomes as good as Vince Young by, like, Monday
(smiling).
Q. Coach Brown mentioned he thought there was more pressure on Texas
and that they would see a loose Jim Tressel really going for it and that
he would have the guns drawn. I'm not sure "loose" is the word I
would use to describe you. Are you feeling loose?
COACH TRESSEL: Oh, I'm loose. I think more than loose I'm just
appreciative to be out here and you think about the opportunity,
especially for our 28 seniors, that you do want to let it all hang out.
This is their last opportunity and you are not going to hold anything in
reserve and playing against a great team. Arguably the best team in the
country.
I don't know that I would consider it -- you are just going to waltz out
and casually play the ball game. We prepared extremely hard. It is very
important to us. But we're not going to hold anything in reserve, that's
for sure.
Q. Speaking of those 28 seniors, given their quantity and the quality
of all they have accomplished during their career, what sort of emotions
do you anticipate feeling tomorrow as you say good-bye? What sort of
message do you send to them?
COACH TRESSEL: Just the other day when we were right back in this facility
for media day we were sitting around waiting our turn. A lot of those guys
were talking about the fact that, man, on Tuesday their whole life is
going to change as they have known it for the last four or five years.
That was a little bit frightening to them, and a little bit special to
them.
There will be a wide range of emotions because we've got guys who have
done extraordinary things on and off the field, made an impact in our
community and on our campus and in the game. We have had some guys with
tough situations arise in their lives, in their football careers and all
the rest. There is a huge range of emotions.
Probably the most difficult emotion all of us will have, which I have
always felt on the last day of the season, whether it was playing in a
national championship game, a Bowl game or the last game of a regular
season and that was going to be it, this group as it is this moment will
never be together again the same way. You could never have that back.
People keep great records of how many games you won and all those types of
things. The thing I have always cherished is the process toward those
records. That's what -- that's what you'll miss. They'll tell you they are
going to miss the times in the weight room getting after each other, in
the locker room and on the practice field and on Bowl trips and all those
kinds of things.
So it is a special time, and in other ways it is a little bit of a sad
time.
Q. Is Beanie as primed as you have seen him in a while? He seems like
he wants to make a statement in this game. Does it come down to you guys
being able to control or stop their passing game and them being able to
control and stop your running game?
COACH TRESSEL: I would say this: I think Beanie is really excited. Beanie
has the same emotions toward those 28 guys as the rest of us do. It is
really important to him to do the best he can possibly do. And so I don't
know if he is as interested in making a statement for Beanie as he is for
his teammates.
As far as is it that simple as to the outcome of the game? I think every
play is going to have a chance to make the difference in the game, whether
it's a punt return or a field goal snap or an open field tackle on one of
the great Texas receivers or us coming up with a big catch or us diving
for the first down.
That's the beautiful part of football. There will be, I don't know, 175
total plays or whatever and you don't know which one is going to be the
different maker. That's why you have to play each one of them like that
will be the difference.
Will there be moments we got to make sure we try to contain that great
passing offense? Absolutely. But you better tackle the run game too. You
better tackle them when you punt it to them, kick it off to them and all
the rest. Yes, we need to do a good job of running the football, but we
better throw it too because if we don't run it effectively, we probably
won't be able to run it.
The beautiful part of football is it is all tied together.
Q. Two questions about the offensive line. First, Mike Brewster as a
freshman center, what progress have you seen from him during Bowl
practice? And where is he as he gets ready for this game? Also, the other
day Jim Bollman said if the game was that day, Ben Person would have been
the starting left guide, Steve Rehring at right guard, and Jim Cordle
working in. Has anything changed with that?
COACH TRESSEL: That will be the rotation for now. Jim missed a good bit of
the practice back home and has done all the practice here, and Ben took
all the snaps back home. So Ben will begin the game, but Jimmy is going to
play plenty.
As far as Mike Brewster, I think he has evolved throughout the whole
season, all the way from whatever it was, Game 3 or 4 when he took over
the center duties and all those guys next to him helped him figure it out.
I think he is a little bit closer now to the point where he has a little
bit more of it figured out on his own, although he sure counts on help
from the veterans, I'm sure.
The Bowl practice was very valuable for him because he lined up against
our guys every day and they put pressure on you, and so this experience
against a great Texas front will be another great thing for Michael
Brewster as he tries to develop and become a very, very good center.
Q. Along those same lines, can you just talk about what jumps out at
you about the Texas defense?
COACH TRESSEL: Speed to start with. I mean, those guys can run. They're
always in the right place. They play with a lot of enthusiasm. They just
keep coming. They are relentless. One of the things we always hope that we
can have as a defense is a group that's relentless; no matter what
happened the last play, whether it was a good thing or bad thing, they are
coming back after you the next play.
The other thing I would say about Texas defense is they have great depth.
They play a lot of guys in the front, a lot of linebackers. They have
played, especially due to some injuries and so forth, a significant number
of guys in the back end. As many teams as they have faced that spread the
ball out all over the field, they have four and five, six DBs in the game
at times.
So they've got a lot of folks who have played a lot of football and they
can flat out run and that's what you want in your defense. They love to
hit you.
Q. I just wondered if there was anything that happened this week
injury-wise, discipline-wise that would affect playing time at all on
Monday. Also, if you could give us your latest thoughts on Nathan
Williams.
COACH TRESSEL: Nathan will miss some playing time. But we should be in
pretty good shape otherwise.
Brandon Saine, I don't know if he will be able to help. He really hasn't
worked as much as we would like. He is going to dress and so forth. Really
the only guys that won't dress and won't be available would be guys like
Curtis Terry and Lawrence Wilson, Willie Mobley, some guys that have had
some season-ending injuries.
J.B. Shugarts has practiced a little bit more. He will probably have a
post-season surgery. He will at least be available for some backup role.
Michael Adams is coming along a little bit more and is more ready to play
significantly, if needed.
So I think we are in pretty good health and will be ready to go.
Q. Can you just talk about the uniqueness of the stadium and the
rolling in and out of the field and how does it make it for your guys.
COACH TRESSEL: Well, our guys, unless they have seen it on TV or
something, wouldn't even have maybe known that it rolls in and out. It has
probably been in there with the play-offs and the Cardinals and all that.
The fact that you are indoors playing on an outdoor field is a little
unique, and they do a great job with it. They have had the Insight game
and the Cardinals play-off game and now our game. And I know the folks at
the Fiesta Bowl well enough to know they are working night and day to make
sure it is the best and safest surface we can possibly have.
I think playing in a NFL stadium like this is a thrill for the kids
because it is something they have dreamed about their whole lives, is to
do that. It adds one more tremendous thing to this experience. They have
had so many great experiences being here. This is a week they will never
forget.
Q. You already mentioned special teams a couple times. How would you
compare yours and Texas' special teams?
COACH TRESSEL: I think both sets of special teams have made a difference
for their respective squads. I don't think either of us would be here if
it weren't for some of the big plays that the special teams made.
I think back to -- it was 14-3 Oklahoma and Oklahoma kicked off and Texas
-- Shipley ran it back for a touchdown all of a sudden and a great punt
return against Texas Tech and all those things.
Ray Small had a great return against Michigan. We had similar things. A.J.
Trapasso did a great job knocking people down and giving us field position
and a chance to turn the tide in games. I think their specialists are very
talented. Their return guys are lightning.
When you have depth like they have on defense, you are going to have great
speed in your special units and so they do a great job of whether it is
blocking punts or kicks or covering punts or kicks, they do it with great
effort.
Our coaching staff puts a lot of emphasis on special teams, as you can
tell theirs does. I think both groups -- I think both of us are in the top
seven or eight in the nation in net punt and those kinds of things.
So both are very good, and that's going to be a huge difference maker. Who
is going to make that play? Which of those 30 special teams plays are
going to change the game, and that's -- you have got to be on guard every
single play in a football game like this, most especially in the special
units.
Q. Each year each team stands by itself. But the way the last two years
ended for Ohio State, is it fair to say at all that's put an extra burden
on this team to play well tomorrow night?
COACH TRESSEL: Well, I suppose if it's something that an individual is
thinking about and it distracts them from thinking about what they should
be, perhaps. But really as you started at the outset each team, each play
is independent of another and our focus has got to be an Ohio State 2008
team playing in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl against a great Texas team.
If we're thinking about anything other than that, it is going to distract
you from having the ability to handle a very difficult task.
I would hope that there aren't guys on our team that are disappointed or
whatever, that they happened to make the national championship game the
last two years, because that's not too bad.
Q. What are the next 36 hours like for you? Do you still get
butterflies? Do you get nervous and anxious as game time approaches?
COACH TRESSEL: I think the last 36 hours are the most difficult because we
are the kind of people that always want to be doing something, to be
getting ready, and we have had so many meetings, so many practices. They
have heard the same things so many times that you just want that clock to
tick.
Probably the only thing worse than the 36 hours before the game is the
hour before the game because you are really feeling as if you're fairly
useless and so forth.
But of course I get butterflies. If it is important to you, you get
nervous about it. And do I think we're prepared? Absolutely. Our kids have
worked extremely hard. Our coaches work extremely hard. But that doesn't
mean I'm not nervous about Colt McCoy and all those other guys because
they are pretty well prepared too.
Q. You have intimated that Beanie is ready for the pros, and when he
talked the other day he seemed to diffuse the situation saying, I'm not --
I haven't decided, perhaps not to take anything away from this game. Do
you sense that this is his last game? That he would go out with this
senior group?
COACH TRESSEL: I think that he is feeling as if he doesn't want to do
anything to distract from this moment because it is a special moment, and
he'll not have this moment with those guys.
I have felt all along that with his talent and the position he plays and
those kinds of things that it may end up being the best thing as we sit
down and talk about that after the season, that he move along.
But we haven't had that discussion, and he has prepared with the intent of
the only thing that's important is the Fiesta Bowl. We will cross that
bridge as we go.
Q. On ESPN, 90 percent of the respondents picked Texas to win this
game. First of two questions, what have you done to instill confidence in
your team that they can win this game? Secondly, there seems to be some
situation that maybe Brian Hartline committed a team rules violation. Is
it affecting his status with this game? Will he start? Will he play?
COACH TRESSEL: Confidence comes in preparation. And as you prepare and you
watch the film and you watch yourself practice, then you watch the
practice film, if you feel as if you're doing what needs to be done, that
instills some confidence.
Now, there is a reality part of it as well. You have to go out there and
do that against them, and you have to do it play after play after play.
That will determine how successful we'll be and whether it is 90 percent
or 40 percent or 60 percent, I have been in games where there have been
varying opinions, sometimes more people thought we were going to win and
we didn't. Other times less people thought we were going to win and we did
or didn't.
The key will be can we keep that focus on the task at hand because our
guys have prepared. And so I think they're confident in that and they
certainly have been acting as if they understand the plan. The coaches, I
think, have done an extraordinary job of setting a plan, and I think we
happen to have every understanding of the difficulty of the task. We are
playing against a great team. A team that is not going to make mistakes or
give you anything. You will have to earn every yard you get.
But I think our kids have good confidence, but we'll have to see how that
unfolds.
As far as Brian Hartline goes, we may have some discussions as we go. But
for the moment, Brian Hartline, the only thing I would say is that he is
going to have a great part of this football game.
Q. You said when you got here that you have never been more excited
about a post-season game or you couldn't remember, at least. And having
coached in as many big ones with huge implications, why is that?
COACH TRESSEL: There aren't any post-season games that aren't big. I have
been a part of almost 40 post-season games and every one of them was huge.
There is not one huger than the other because of the relationship you have
with the kids involved.
Why is this one? Why do I feel that way? There has been something awfully
special about this group of kids. Maybe it is because it is today, I don't
know. They have been very unselfish. They have prepared extremely hard.
They care about one another. They have fun with one another. We're playing
against a great team that we have great respect for.
We're in a venue that's terrific. The people, as we landed, we knew we
would have a chance to reconvene our friendships. It was just a warm
feeling and so you tie all those things together and you have those
emotions.
But hopefully there will be a day when we're at another post-season game
and we think that's the greatest one in the world. We are excited about
this one.
Q. You have emphasized the Michigan game and obviously had a lot of
success in that game recently. Are there any elements from that
preparation that you take into these other big games, Bowl games and other
regular season big games given you have had so much success in that
specific game?
COACH TRESSEL: I think a league and a traditional rivalry and a Bowl
scenario are really different things. You know when you are in a league
that there are some teams you will get to play every year and they will
get to play you. They know you, you know them. You bump into them all the
time. Then add to it the fact that all of us have that rivalry game.
I think whenever you look at a season, you say to yourself that your
conference is number one and your rivalry game certainly ranks high up
there.
And then I don't know that you ever take for granted that you are going to
be in the post-season. You go to work. Once you have earned the
opportunity to be in the post-season, you really rev it up and get excited
about whomever it is you are playing and whatever your situation happens
to be.
So I think it is a little bit different. You have a lot longer time and
people talk a lot about the amount of time and do you do well when you
have more time or less time and all those things. It is a little bit like,
do you do well on your openers? You had nine months, those kinds of
things.
But I think it is a little bit different than your league and your rival.
Q. A lot of college football fans throughout the decades have grown to
appreciate the accomplishments of Archie Griffin. What does it mean to
have him around the program, around the kids, here in Phoenix as an
ambassador for Buckeye football and a voice the kids can listen to?
COACH TRESSEL: It is pretty special when you are at a university that the
CEO of the alumni association is a former football player. That tells you
about the culture going all the way back to the first question. It is two
schools that are so similar in their culture.
Ohio State loves football. And the fact that we've got the only two-time
Heisman trophy winner that's the CEO of our alumni association, and our
guys are very aware of his presence and his accomplishments and his class
and how much he cares about Ohio State and the impact he makes around the
community, not just for Ohio State but for other causes.
It is a great role model for our guys to see and you probably could ask
the majority of the college football players in the nation who's the CEO
of your alumni association and they might not know. But I would hope our
guys know it is Archie Griffin. I can't speak for all of them. But it is
pretty special.
Q. Do you think Utah has a legitimate claim to the national
championship?
COACH TRESSEL: Oh, gosh. We have a system. And as a part of the American
Football Coaches Association and also Mack and I are both on the board of
trustees, we have an agreement that we'll vote the winner of the BCS
national championship game as the national champion.
So I have always been one that believes that you go with the system
because you agreed upon it on the way in the door.
Now, did Utah have an extraordinary year? Absolutely. For them to -- we
they went over to Ann Arbor and beat Michigan. They beat TCU and BYU and
all the folks in their league and Oregon State or Oregon, somebody. Then
they go over to the Sugar Bowl and beat Alabama. Man, they're good. They
will be ranked very high on my ballot.
But for me to say that they should be ranked number one, I don't think so
because we have a system.
End of FastScripts
GLENDALE, ARIZONA
THE MODERATOR: Good morning. Welcome. We will turn it over to Texas head
coach Mack Brown for an opening comment.
Coach?
COACH BROWN: Thank you, Shawn. We would like to thank the Valley of the
Sun. We would like to thank Tostios and Frito Lay, especially the Tostios
team for the great time that the kids have had this week. It has been a
great balance of allowing us to do our job, kids working hard and
preparing for an important game and, at the same time, they've had a lot
of fun.
The committee, I have always heard that about the Fiesta Bowl committee,
but they have been able to go to the Insight Bowl, they have been able to
go to the Suns basketball game. They have eaten a whole lot and they have
had a lot of fun. The weather has been unbelievable. And all the kids, it
seems like from Texas and Ohio State, when they have been together it has
been respectful of each other and we are excited about the game.
Our practices have been good. They have been spirited. Everybody is
healthy. Everybody is excited about the game.
Let me see, Jim and Ellen Tressel called us when we were back in Austin
and said that they do an event at each Bowl where they take canned foods
and take them to a food bank in honor of Ohio State and they give a lot of
money back and they asked us if we would like to be involved -- our wives
to be involved.
This morning about 50 of our wives are going over to help Ohio State, and
I think it is at St. Mary's Food Bank, to give a lot of food to the less
fortunate at this time because the Bowls are so great to coaches and
families and they give us such opportunities that we felt like that it was
a great gesture for Ohio State to do this each year, and we were pleased
that Jim and Ellen called us and asked us to be involved.
They're involved at a big level. We're just learning, but it is something
we are definitely going to do from now on.
Q. Will you talk about the uniqueness of the field and the stadium. Is
this the first day that the team gets on it?
COACH BROWN: Yes, it was exciting watching it yesterday with the play-off
game with the Cardinals. Our guys will actually leave here and head to the
stadium. They will have about an hour there. They will not get to practice
in the stadium but they can walk through and look at the dressing room and
kind of get their feel of everything.
We are going to give them a little opportunity like we did at the Rose
Bowl, they will have their camera so they can take pictures and be the
last time the seniors will be together in a nongame setting and let them
sign autographs for each other for anything they want, take a little team
picture.
It should be a good hour out at the stadium. We are looking forward to it.
Q. Coach, can you talk about what you think about Terrelle Pryor and,
also, there has been talk that Ohio State might use two quarterbacks at
once. Can you talk about that?
COACH BROWN: Yes, Terrelle to us is like a young Vince Young. He is tall.
He is strong. He is 6'6". He was Mr. Everything in high school. He
has won all the games. He is a great basketball player. We see Vince Young
as a freshman in Terrelle Pryor. He is hard to tackle. He can throw.
Because he is such a great athlete and so strong, he does not get the
credit for his passing that he should get. He is completing 63 percent of
his passes. He has thrown very few interceptions. But he can dominate a
game, if you let him.
He has got Beanie Wells and that big offensive line to take some pressure
off of him. That's the concern we have, and think it is one of the great
matchups going into the game. We've gotten credit for great run defense,
but we haven't played runners like Beanie Wells and Terrelle Pryor.
And if you look at our Oklahoma game, we held them to 47 yards, but that's
about the only game you can compare a big offensive line running game. So
it will be a great matchup for us.
As far as their two-quarterback system, we hope it works as well as ours.
(Laughter). I think ours had five place for minus 12 yards. We put a lot
of time in it and talked about it and it carried the media in Austin for
about six months. Now they forgot the name.
Q. In light of USC looking impressive in the Rose Bowl and then Utah
beating Alabama, another undefeated team and then you guys of course as
well, might this year finally be the tipping point for the BCS where you
could have four teams to make a claim for a national championship?
COACH BROWN: I do think it will keep it hot on all of our minds, and our
system is not set up to have a definite one or two on years like this. We
said in 2005, we only had two undefeated teams. You go back to the year
Auburn won 13 and didn't get in, it is very difficult.
You go back to the year that SC was so good and they got the AP title and
did not get the BCS title, and then I also think we've got to look at just
because a team is in the BCS game -- the final game, if one team gets
blown out, should they be number two when some other really good teams are
sitting around? I do think we have got some flaws that we need to continue
to look at.
I think it has to be driven by you folks. Coaches have said openly we
would like to see something different. We love the Bowl system. When I saw
-- I played at Vanderbilt for two years, when I saw Vanderbilt kick a
last-second field goal to win their first Bowl game since 1955, there will
be no team or coaching staff any happier than that Vanderbilt staff was.
In my estimation, we do not need to take that away from college football.
It is an exciting time. I see 7-5 teams throwing Gatorade on their coach.
At Texas if we were 7-5 they would be throwing something on me but it
wouldn't be Gatorade, I will tell you that (laughter).
It is exciting for them and fun. Some teams can't get to this spot, so we
sure don't want to lose that. But I do think that obviously after this
weekend, whether it is us -- you already look at SC, they have made their
claim, you look at Utah, they made their claim, there should be another
game or two to see who is best. It is a body of work through the whole
year.
Q. Mack, you have been scrimmaging the young guys late in practice. Can
you point to maybe some of the nonstarters right now who've looked good in
the practices who you might need next year?
COACH BROWN: I really can't because it has no relevance to Monday and I'm
really worried about this game. But I will talk to you about it later,
Chip, because nobody else in the room cares but you, very honestly. I will
head you with that as we are walking out. Is that fair? Ohio State would
be pumped about what freshmen red shirts we might be looking at for string
today. That would be big for them (smiling).
Q. Evaluate the special teams, your team against Ohio State.
COACH BROWN: Yes, I always worry about special teams when we were playing
a Jim Tressel-coached team. I think he is as good as any. They are sound
and fundamental. They are returning punts at an average of 15 yards per
punt. They are doing a great job on punt coverage. They are holding people
to 4.13 yards per return. Kick-off return coverage, they're doing great.
I think it is like 17 yards a return that are allowing. They've struggled
with kick-off returns some. It scares you to death and it is something he
will fake. He is well-coached. There is probably more pressure on us in
this game than them coming in with everybody thinking we were supposed to
win.
So I think you will see a loose Jim Tressel that will go for it and keep
the guns down the whole game.
Q. Mack, could you talk about not only the on-field contributions of
your senior class but the way they provided leadership the past year,
taking ownership and kind of set an example?
COACH BROWN: It has been great. I think it is the best I have ever been
around in 33 years. Basically it has been a deal where that group and some
juniors stood up starting the Holiday Bowl last year against Arizona State
and said we're just going to start helping the coaches do what we need to
do.
Coaches aren't around all the time and this group has been very vocal. I
think that's why they will play hard on Monday night. They have practiced
hard every day and it is because of them. A lot of people say this team
will be great next year, and that's not necessarily true because when you
lose some ingredients, like Orakpo and his leadership and what he has
meant to this program or Roy Miller and you don't have those guys next to
you, my experience has been you don't wave the wand and say we have a lot
of good players coming back so it works again.
For whatever reason it didn't work as well for 2006 and -7, and it's has
worked this year. I heard one of you ask Brian Orakpo the other day what's
the difference in this year and the previous two years, because we might
have even been more talented some. His point was probably good, and we
don't talk about it enough. He said injuries. We had so many injuries in
2006 and -7 that people couldn't stand up and be leaders; for instance,
him, because he stayed hurt the whole time. And we had a lot of those
guys, so he said it disjointed our leadership core and really and truly
that that was the reason he thought we weren't as consistent in those
years, because we didn't have as many people in the field.
We have been fortunate, we have had very few injuries. We had them all at
tight end. We haven't had them in such a huge numbers that it has affected
the way we played.
Q. What's the next 36 hours like for you? With big games like this, do
you get nervous and anxious and ready for it to get here? How do you deal
with all that?
COACH BROWN: Yes, I asked Coach Royal once, said, Did you have trouble
sleeping the night before a big game? And at Texas they are all big,
unless you -- if you lose one, it gets real big. He said that unless you
gag before you brush your teeth on Saturday morning, you are not ready to
play. And I gagged this morning. So I think I'm fine.
Q. Is it lost -- back to the leadership, is it lost do you think on the
younger guys or are they feeling a sense of the responsibility that the
older guys have helped bring them along this year?
COACH BROWN: I think they get it and hopefully it will carry over. You
never know. We always talk about team, and I don't think any of us ever
understand how to get it because if we did, we would have a great team and
great team chemistry every year and we don't. For whatever reason. We talk
about leadership. Do you recruit it. Do you build it, do you teach it,
and, yes, but sometimes you miss it and that's just the deal.
Coach Royal's old story about if you got it, you are going to make it. If
you don't have it, you have no chance. If you don't know what it is, you
damn sure don't have a chance. Some kids have it and some don't. And the
Colt McCoys and Quan Cosbys and the Adam Ulatoskis and the Jordan Shipleys
and the Roy Millers, and we started just going through that group of kids
get it, and then they make some other kids that might not have gotten it
step up and play at a higher level.
So hopefully the -- we had some entitlement we thought over a couple of
years with some of the younger ones and last year before the Bowl game,
the older ones pulled the younger ones in. I thought part of it was
scrimmaging, like Chip was saying, and the older kids were coaching them
and jumping on them and getting after them. If they weren't running, they
were getting after them. Hopefully that will continue.
We want our seniors to go out right. It is really interesting in this game
to me that both of these teams have won over 800 games. I think we've won
831. Ohio State has one 808. Both of these teams have won 63 games over
the last so many years. Both of these teams have lost four games at home
in the last six years. The seniors at Texas are 44-7; the seniors at Ohio
State are 43-7. You start looking at the number of players currently in
the NFL, Texas has 35; Ohio State has 37.
If you look at the story line of this game, it is so close it should be a
lot of fun for all of us.
Q. Mack, the Big 12 hadn't fared quite as well in the Bowl games,
especially Texas tech, Oklahoma state. Missouri didn't look well. Does it
hurt the credibility of the league? Does that affect your argument for
maybe having a share of the title if you win?
COACH BROWN: Number one, I think that based on one game everybody changes
their opinions now sometime on a half. I think that's absolutely
ridiculous. Why do we have a year, if we look at a game.
Secondly, my experience in the Bowl games is the teams usually win that
want to be there. We've had some teams that weren't as excited about their
game because they didn't get the draw they wanted and they got
disappointed at the end of the year.
If you look at it, to me, that's the biggest thing in the Bowl games. Who
has the edge? Who is motivated? Who wants to be there? It could be a
concern if you look at us and Ohio State. That's a concern, so we've
talked about it, we've -- it is something that could have been an issue
coming in. I haven't seen it. I don't think it will be. But if you base
Alabama-Utah, you would have thought Utah was more excited because Alabama
was disappointed.
You look at Tech and Ole Miss. Tech was disappointed and Ole Miss was
excited. Boston College was disappointed. Vanderbilt was excited. If you
look at the games and see who wants to be there and who is motivated
because none of us have played for a month, I think that usually tells you
the story more than anything else. I get into all this if you play a bad
team in a Bowl and beat them, everybody gets excited and said, boy, that
league has got six wins. You didn't play anybody with a winning record, my
gosh. I think we should look at the body of work and see where that comes
before we start making those decisions.
Q. Jim Tressel was saying he thinks Texas and Ohio State are the most
similar jobs in the country. Have you all talked about that? Talk about
your friendship or how well you all know each other.
COACH BROWN: We actually did. I didn't know Jim before our game in 20005.
We discussed some things coming up to the game. I was really impressed by
him, watching their film and similar backgrounds with coaching dads.
On the field before the game we started talking about huge stadiums, very
passionate fan base. A lot of TV and radio and news reports about each
game and that people cared about what we do and there is some goods to
that and there is some others to that.
But we did feel like being in the capital, being the -- like a pro team in
town that the jobs were pretty -- they were different and construed
differently than some others in our league and some others that we played
again. But at the same time they are very unique and a lot of fun.
We ended up thinking if you can coach where Darrell Royal and Woody Hayes
coached, that's pretty cool stuff.
Q. Going back to something you said a second ago, what did you say and
do with the players to make sure that it wasn't a problem coming here and
being too disappointed?
COACH BROWN: What we try to do is be honest. We told them if you beat
A&M, and you beat A&M by a significant amount, which was the
second largest amount in the history of our series, that I would stand up
and say I thought you deserved to play in the conference championship
game. That's what I did.
We asked our players to keep their mouths shut and me being the guy to
stand up. We don't want to work to get attention for their team. That's my
job. That's our sports information director's job. That's what we felt
like we would do.
Until Fox announced it at 4:00 or 4:10, whatever it was, we didn't know
what the announcement would be. Like everybody else, we were sitting and
watching very closely.
I got a call from our sports information director right after Dodd got the
call from Fox which was 4:10 or something, and our first concern was our
players would see it before they heard it from us and we never liked that.
We tried to text all of the players immediately and tell them that you
didn't get in and the Bowl selection will come down and you will be going
to the Fiesta Bowl.
At that time, we weren't even really sure who we would play. We thought it
would be Ohio State. We called a 7:00 meeting that night. Night to belabor
the point, basically I told them the same thing. Here's what happened.
There are six computers. You get more weight for winning an away game.
Oklahoma beat Oklahoma State on the road. We lost to Tech on the road. We
don't like the system. We would like to see it changed. You don't even
know who is voting. People that vote don't even see your games. Coaches
that vote can have an itinerary. Yes, it is not a good system for what we
think.
Some people like it. It is better than what we had ten years ago. But in
this case, it didn't work out for you. But one year it didn't work out for
SC. One year it didn't work out for Auburn. In 2004 it worked out for you
when you went to the Rose Bowl to play Michigan. Don't say "oh, poor
me" and don't say the system was poor to you just this time; it has
been poor to a lot of people. This year it was good to Oklahoma instead of
us.
We said -- I read a statement to them that I had prepared through our
president and athletic director, John Bianco, that said we don't like it,
we don't appreciate it, we don't think it is fair, but it is what it is
and we're moving forward.
Very honestly from that day forth, I haven't heard it mentioned. The only
time it is mentioned if I come on a radio show or come in front of you
all. I think the players have moved forward. I also told them, how do we
know after watching SC and Utah, how is it going to be fair to have a
national champion picked anyway. There is obviously more than one team at
the end of this week that will have a claim to the possibility of being
considered for a national championship.
Q. Will you talk about just the importance of finishing and kind of
like what you talked about, the body of work you have done through the
season doesn't matter as much if you don't win your Bowl game?
COACH BROWN: This is a unique game to me because both teams need to
finish. You talk to Jim and to me Jim has been the most consistent
football coach and team for the last two years at least because he is the
only guy to play for the national championship with his team two years in
a row and didn't win the two games.
If you look at it, every other game, except those two, he is the only guy
that has been in those games. In some ways it is tougher because it is
better to be third and win than it is to be second and lose because people
forget it and say you didn't win the big game. How many can get to that
game? It is a great compliment to him and his program.
They have gotten there. This game to them, I'm sure, is about making sure
that they prove that they deserve to be here again, but that they are
going to win their last game of the year because of the tough situation
for their seniors the last two years.
From our standpoint, we got to be careful that we're not satisfied that
we're here. We were a team that was picked third and fourth in our
division, much less to be in a BCS game. And then we got baited with
playing in the last one and that didn't work out.
So we got to make sure that we feel like that, number one, if you get to
come to a game like the Fiesta Bowl, the BCS, which everybody is trying to
get to, none of our players are coaches have ever been in this game so
that should be fun for us. It should be a great reward at the end of the
of the year.
Secondly, we get to play a team that I just said the numbers, just like
Texas. It is a storied program. Coach Tressel and their guys, when they
have won 43-7, ours 44-7, both teams expect to win this ball game.
Thirdly, we would like to see our seniors go out on the right note because
they deserve it. This class won a championship in their senior year. They
fought back and this team has played better than the two previous teams
that we had since the national championship.
Lastly, you would like to use this as a springboard like we did in 2004 at
the Rose Bowl to move forward and hope that it could put us in a good spot
to start out high next year.
Q. A little bit off topic from the game specifically, how gratifying is
it for you to have one of your former assistants in Mike Haywood to go on
and now run his own program for the first time at Miami?
COACH BROWN: It is great, other than dealing with your players, to have
one of your assistant coaches become a head coach is so much fun. To see
Gene Chizik go to Auburn, it will be good for him to get back to where he
is really comfortable in that setting.
I was able to see the first half of Minnesota-Kansas, to see Tim Brewster
out here coaching and to see Mike get a chance and get -- develop a staff
and pull them all together and work. Miami is a great job. Mike Haywood is
now part of the cradle of coaches. That's a lot of fun for us.
I have talked to him a lot over the last week, texted him a lot. He has
his first meeting coming up here. He is hiring his staff. I have never
seen anybody more excited. I am really pulling for Mike.
Q. You have a very excited team coming to play in a big-time Bowl game.
Over the next couple days you got young guys that play a lot. How are you
tempering some of that enthusiasm from the fun they have had as they
prepare to play a game? You have young guys that haven't been in this
situation before.
COACH BROWN: What we have told them is Texas and Ohio State, you need to
win your Bowl game. They are fun, but if you go and you have only fun and
you don't work and you lose, you won't be going back.
So what we do is we get them up really early in the morning. We practice
them really hard. We don't stay out there that long, and then we make sure
they get in bed in the afternoon some and take some rest and then we
really, really control where and what they do at night.
We want it to be fun, but we want it to be clean fun and make sure they
are in bed. We have had one eleven o'clock curfew most of the week that
we've been out here. We have checked every bed every night. One of the
coaches said if he smelled any alcohol on them, he would kiss them. That
took care of that. As far as I know, nobody has been kissed by Coach
Rucker before they went to bed. If you see Coach Rucker, only Nancy wants
to kiss Coach Rucker. It is not a group of guys (laughter).
We told them these guys have won four Bowl games that have been here. We
have a little thing called the drive for five. We want them to win their
fifth Bowl game for the five-year seniors. They have been involved in two
Rose Bowls, a Holiday Bowl and an Alamo Bowl and a Fiesta Bowl against
Ohio State. To be able to play in your career at Texas, Michigan, USC,
Iowa, Arizona State and Ohio State in Bowl games and have a chance to win
all five is really, really something special. These kids will remember it
for the rest of their lives.
I do feel like this game is really, really important. They looked fresh
yesterday when we practiced. It gets to be a long week about today.
Somebody asked about being anxious. We have been here a long time so the
guys are all ready to play.
And I think the stadium will stir them up today too. That will be really
good for them to walk in there and get the feel for game day. You start
seeing all -- I went out to eat dinner with one our hosts last night and
starting to see a lot of those red jerseys showing up around here. You see
all the red and orange start screaming at each other a day early and
getting pumped for the game.
Some of it was alcohol-induced last night. But they will all be pumped and
ready to go.
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GLENDALE WELCOMES
FOOTBALL FANS TO GLENDALE
Terry Williams
from the Glendale Marketing Department sets the clocks
for the two visiting teams time zones. Photo by Ed Sharpe
(COG) GLENDALE, Ariz.
– For colleges across the country, the road to a BCS bowl game
is a hard fought battle on the field and “Game Day in Glendale”
is now in sight. The city is excited to welcome football fans from
Texas and Ohio State to the 38th Annual Tostitos Fiesta Bowl,
which will be played in Glendale on Monday, Jan. 5, 2009.
In addition to the Fiesta Bowl this year,
Glendale will also host the first NFL play-off game for the
Arizona Cardinals since 1947.
To get in the “football spirit,” the
Glendale Visitor Center, located at 5800 W. Glenn Drive in
Historic Downtown Glendale, will suit up in its annual football
uniform, displaying team jerseys, changing its clocks to reflect
the time in Austin, Texas and Columbus, Ohio and will offer
football fans who stop by the Glendale Visitor Center, wearing
either college jersey or a Cardinals jersey, a special football
goodie bag.
The city of Glendale expects tens of
thousands of football fans to visit the city during these games.
Working on the ultimate fan experience for years, the city offers
travelers a variety of amenities, including hotel accommodations
just steps from the stadium, a famed historic downtown shopping
district, legendary special events and festivals, restaurants for
every craving and award winning professional sports facilities.
The city is also partnering with the
Fiesta Bowl to host a football-themed fan festival, just two days
before the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game. The Fiesta Bowl Gridiron Jam
will be held in downtown Glendale, from 4-10 p.m., on Saturday,
Jan. 3, 2009. Valley residents and out-of-town visitors will enjoy
street performances by local artists, football-related
attractions, interactive games and merchandise, as well as food
and beer gardens. There will also be special appearances by
college football personalities during the event.
For more information about the
game, the Gridiron Jam, lodging or other amenities in the area,
visit www.GlendaleAz.com or www.GlendalesGotGame.com.
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| Mike Schmidt
from Channel 3 interviews Jennifer Stein from
City of Glendale Marketing and Communications Department.
The visitor
center spent the day interacting with the media to get the
word out! |
Jennifer
Reichelt of Glendale Marketing helping make up
gift bags.
Photos by Ed Sharpe |
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Photos left and right
of the goodies and assembled bags! Photos
by Ed Sharpe |
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