Vince Dooley and football’s growth

Vince Dooley, former UGA football coach/AD, signs books in suburban ATL

Now the Christmas season is in full swing, and that means a slew of football bowl games, most of which mean nothing to most people. By my count, there are 34 postseason affairs. That means roughly half the FBC teams get some sort of postseason reward. In other words, it really doesn’t say that much for a team’s achievements any more to be in a bowl game. (Credit/blame cable TV.)

So now, we are throwing even more potential combatants into the mix. Locally, Georgia State is starting a football program, with play set to begin in 2010 in the Georgia Dome. Former Georgia Tech and Alabama head coach Bill Curry is heading that program. That’s a good choice by GSU, as his name recognition will draw instant attention. Dan Reeves, the former Atlanta Falcons head coach and a Georgia native, served as consultant to GSU.

Along those lines, Kennesaw State in the Atlanta area has made plans to start a football program. Kennesaw apparently plans to play in an on-campus facility. And the school again realizes the value of mainstream media attention, hiring former University of Georgia football coach and athletic director Vince Dooley as an adviser.

The question many may be asking is, “Why?” Football programs cost money. Education is one of many fields that is suffering in the current economy. The likelihood of immediate return — television money, bowl game money — is slim.

My answer: college football has educational value, too. Starting a football program tells future students and their parents, “We are not all about academics.” Ivy League schools such as Harvard and Yale emphasize academics, yet still field football teams (though they do not offer athletic scholarships). As Bear Bryant once said, “It’s hard to rally around a math class.”

So I think it’s particularly appropriate that Dooley is advising Kennesaw. In a sense, I go way back with Dooley, as I covered the Bulldogs for The Red and Black in my student days.

Then and now, Dooley is perfectly suited for the college game. It never comes up much now, but Dooley is quite the scholar. He has a master’s degree in history, and he’s always been one to embrace the discipline and ideals necessary to run a program filled by young adults.

He won over 200 games in 25 years as Georgia’s coach, and had just one losing season (1977). That meant players, families and fans knew the Bulldogs then would always be competing for the SEC title and a bowl game (and yes, going to a bowl game was much more special then).

Many remember how Herschel Walker, who led the Bulldogs to the 1980 national title, left school after his junior year to play for the new United States Football League. Well, not many remember that Walker was essentially shoved into doing so, as Dooley declared Walker ineligible when Dooley learned that Walker was conducting negotiations with the USFL that violated NCAA rules at the time.

“I’m as mad at Herschel,” Dooley said at the time, “as I would be at one of my own kids.” That showed Dooley’s commitment to ethics and discipline. Minus Walker the next season, the Bulldogs went 10-1-1, including a Cotton Bowl win.

I also found Dooley very accommodating to me and others on the school paper at the time. I was more controversial than some others in my opinion pieces then, provoking such controversy among Bulldog players that one colleague felt called to write a piece in my defense. Yet Dooley himself never voiced displeasure or treated me any differently in press gatherings.

And perhaps the ultimate compliment to Dooley’s influence: his son, Derek, is the head coach at Louisiana Tech. Derek Dooley was an assistant under current Alabama head coach Nick Saban with the Miami Dolphins.

So Kennesaw has some good leadership on board as its football program incubates. Maybe there’s a rivalry with Georgia State brewing.

Los Angeles Angels, then and now

My Angels 2002 AL Championship T-shirt remains a unique souvenir

John Travolta at a baseball game. “K-Rod” as a setup man. And Gene Autry’s hat being paraded around a baseball park in Orange County, CA.

Those were the postseason scenes in 2002, when the then-Anaheim Angels reached the World Series for the first time, completing an improbable run to a title in a series that featured two wild-card teams, both from California.

My 2009 year in video

‘Tis the season for yearenders, and decade-enders. Everyone is being retrospective, and I’m no exception. This was a year that I really got into social media big time, not surprising given my journalist background and instincts.

But it wasn’t just tweeting, blogging, LinkedIn, etc., that marked my year. It was what I and others were putting online in increasing numbers. Fact is, more than half the traffic that moves on the Internet now is video, and that statistic will grow. One touch upload to YouTube is becoming more common, and that site got 41 million views an hour in October. No wonder parent company Google’s market cap is more than those of Time Warner (CNN owner) and Disney (ABC/ESPN owner) combined.

Chipper, Tiger: Image lessons

He had a memorable grin and tons of athletic talent. He was a phenom who made millions before turning 30. And he used his All American Boy image to cash in with endorsements.

Except the fallen star I’m referring to used a baseball bat, not golf clubs. Before the current Tiger Woods mess, you may remember that Chipper Jones, the cornerstone of the Atlanta Braves during their glory days, had an adultery scandal of his own. However, Woods can take a few tips about the way Jones handled his.

College football: My thoughts

Well, college football has only the bowl games left, and that Alabama-Texas game should be fun. So after another year of surprises and disappointments, it’s time for some more truths (as I see them).

Dadgummit, that Bowden done quit!

The news that Bobby Bowden finally is stepping down as Florida State’s head coach gives me mixed emotions. As a longtime sporting journalist and college football fan, I felt it was time. And as an Alabama native, I feel a personal connection and another sense of how fast time goes.

First, it was time, whether Bowden or others agree. His record is impressive, but this is a “what have you done for me lately” world. The Seminoles have won nine games just once since 2005, and they have become doormats for state rival Florida. That’s a distinct turnabout from the ’90s, when Bowden was the only coach around who could consistently beat Steve Spurrier at Florida.

Ten years after: CNN, Times, Register

Headlines about Boris Yeltsin greeted West Coast readers on 1/1/2000

Ah, wasn’t life simple then? The biggest national concern was Y2K, and that almost seemed secondary to the excitement of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for people to witness a new millennium dawning.

Now, the first decade of the 2000s is nearly done, and what a different world we live in now. People and events making an impact since then include Barack Obama, Osama bin Laden, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami in Indonesia in 2004, the deadlocked 2000 U.S. presidential election, the New England Patriots, and Web 2.0.

Tech-UGA with dash of Pepper

Seeing the movie “Julie and Julia” a few months ago got me thinking. Cooking? Well, my own culinary efforts are OK as long as there’s a recipe nearby. But I’m more comfortable with a microwave, and I never met a buffet restaurant I didn’t like.

Seeing Meryl Streep’s excellent portrayal of famous cook Julia Child also stoked another memory of an enteprising reporting effort of my younger days that is particularly appropriate this week.

California: The fun continues

Enjoying the teacup ride with niece at Disneyland, 1999

Well, I could go on forever about things I like about California. But I’m going to tie it up for now with five more. Here goes:

– San Francisco: I never lived in the northern part of the state, but I traveled to this memorable city three times. Unfortunately, I did not take any pics, but the images in my mind are terrific. Riding cable cars, eating from sourdough bread bowls at Fisherman’s Wharf and viewing the architecture at the top of Nob Hill are events not to be missed. This is a city that everyone needs to visit at least once.

California: More to like

My previous post gave five things to like about California, but you had to know that wouldn’t be all. Hey, there are books, TV shows, movies, etc., about the state’s virtues, if you care to look past the current dismal headlines. My 22 years of living there and my recent visit prompt me to throw out five more likable things.