In my state and many others, besides your faith, family and job, the topic that most people are most interested in is NOT digital currencies or Climate Change, the next presidential election or even a respiratory pandemic .... it's college football. Hands down.
It occurred to me that big changes are now engulfing this sport and that, as amazing as it seems to even me, college football might not be as popular in years or decades to come.
The "most important thing" could be screwed up ... so I took a stab at writing about this.
Hey - I'm not trying to be facetious, and for my whole life till I guess this year, I was such a passionate Buffalo Bills fan that my "Best Man" (my brother) painted "Go Bills" on the soles of my wedding shoes so all could see that when we made our vows.
But, have you ever heard of "K-balls" used in the NFL only for kicking situations? I've seen this video of Justin Tucker I think his name is, one of the most precise field goal kickers ever played the game, and he was mystified when that ball flanked off to the side - I think it was too the right - and they showed the look in his eyes on the video - he just couldn't believe it. Nor could I when I watched the video, but whatever........When #3 of the Buffalo Bills fell on the field this season and the game eventually was cancelled. When it actually happened, I was watching and suddenly I decided - I don't care so much about this game in the NFL anymore. That was a sad moment.
Did you know, I didn't until my insurance fella mentioned it, that on the tickets to the game it actually says something like: "this game is for entertainment purposes only" - that kind of rubs me the wrong way if it is true, but I don't know.
One game I went to when I was a kid was a Monday Night game - Buffalo Bills versus Oakland Raiders - sometime in the 70's and this game was a classic. Bills won at the end with plenty of excitement in the final few minutes.
When we were walking back to our car in Orchard Park parking lot, we saw Howard Cossell, and my Dad used to make so much fun of Howard, but he was out there talking with the fans and I was a slipperly little kid and I navigated myself up to the front and then I shook Howard's hand.
My brothers and sisters couldn't help but laugh......that was one of the best days of my life!
There is, however, one country where football is fairly popular and has long roots (McGill University lays claim to having invented - or at least formalizing the rules of - football) outside the U.S. and that's Canada. The Canadian Football League is actually older than the NFL and the Grey Cup is the oldest trophy in North American pro sports.
Obviously, the game isn't a part of the cultural fabric as it is in the USA. The success of the NFL(and College football) is a phenomenon. In fact, it doesn't come close. The CFL has always lived a precarious existence. Hockey dominates here and lacrosse is the official national sport.
I'm generally fascinated with the history of sports here in North America and its 'Canadian-American' connections. For example, there was a lot of inter-collegiate play between universities from both countries.
The best football player my town ever produced - Bobby Marlow in the early 1950s - was the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft ... but he went to the Canadian football League because they paid him more money. My favorite team, Alabama, recently had a great player (John Metchie) who was from Canada. He's now in the NFL but had to sit out this past year as he is battling leukemia. He was a great player for Bama.
Yes, the CFL was able to somewhat compete in the 50s. There were six games played between CFL-NFL teams in the 50s and 60s with the NFL winning five of them. Many Canadians have played in the NFL while Americans have made up the majority of the CFL's greatest players. Doug Flutie and Warren Moon are two examples.
I also neglected to mention baseball has long roots here, particularly in Montreal.
He proved you didn't have to be 6-2 to be a QB. The 2nd year he beat Bama was in the first game of the season in B'ham. Alabama couldn't stop Flutie, but Alabama had a running back (Kerry Goode) who was having even a bigger game than Flutie. He had like 275 all-purpose yards early in the third quarter. Then he blew his knee out. He was never the same after that. I thought he could have been Alabama's first Heisman winner that year. Flutie ended up winning it.
I should have also added the NFL is extremely popular here.
I've been an Eagles fan since 1980.
We used to play pick-up football every Thursday after school. Bunch of Broncos, Dolphins, Eagles, Notre-Dame, Alouettes, etc jerseys. A friend of mine played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and was invited to the Seahawks combine in the 90s.
Spot on; when my husband was coaching years ago, I remarked one time that I thought college football would implode.
NIL, portals, etc. are culprits.
College coaches are tasked with keeping their guys in line, but how when the players live all over the college town. NCAA shut down athletic dorms (specifically football one). When my husband played he lived in the athletic dorm; healthy meals provided, study hall w/ tutoring if needed,& a man & his wife were house parents (having an apartment in the dorm). There was a curfew & accountability. Just as a guy’s fraternity bonds it member together so did this arrangement. Get in trouble? - boys being boys - handled swiftly.
Today they are scattered across town.
One could say other students are scattered to, but they aren’t a team.
Sororities & Fraternities have dorms. But dorms for athletes are verboten.
My dad, who I wrote about in my last article, often said he would have never graduated from Alabama if he didn't play football. The players have/had a regimented lifestyle that promoted discipline. Their coaches were also monitoring their class attendance. The key to graduating from college is simply going to class every day. The players today and I guess in the past also had mandatory study halls. As you know, Coach Bryant was serious about his students going to class and doing well. Yes, he didn't want to lose players to academic eligibility, but I also think he believed in the importance of a real education.
In high school, we played touch football every weekend at Jane Reynolds Park. Years ago, our field was turned into a skateboard area. Which the local authorities filled with sand during the lockdowns 🤷.
“In a war, if one side’s soldiers grew up playing soccer and the other side’s grew up playing football, I’m betting that the nation of former football players will prevail. “ ...and those that played rugby...?
All major western college sports saw their origins arise from the private school system in 19th Century UK: such forerunners to the professional game were a deliberate tactic by the establishment to foster leadership and camaraderie, so as to supply the British Army and East India Company with officers, so the war analogy is en pointe.
Often the athletes are the best students. The "dumb jocks" - who get preferential treatment - no doubt exist, but so do those top calculus students - who were all key players on my high school's 3A state championship team. Civic and school pride was never higher than that year.
Ha. Think about Paul Bryant. He grew up about as poor as anyone can grow up. He said it in his excellent memoirs. His entire motivation in life was that he didn't want to go back to pushing that plow and living in that tiny house he lived in in Morrow Bottom, Arkansas. Football gave him every opportunity he ever had. And he tried to make sure his players took advantage of the same opportunities. True, his methods were kind of harsh, but he wanted to make his players tough. He'd be arrested today for some of the practices he led.
Hey Bill - do you know anything about that pee-wee football coach in Buffalo, NY who coached the pee-wee team called the "Bills Bombers" in the 1970's? That was the team I played on until we moved away. I think the "Kenmore Packers" were in the same league. There were 8 teams I seem to recall - some of the teams never seemed to win too many games. Another team had the name "Brighten" I think.....I remember the weigh-ins we had to go through to make sure we weren't above the limit. Everybody got on the scale and it was done in public and it was fair. Lots of lessons for kids to learn playing pee-wee football in the 70's especially.
I've tried to find info on the old league and the coach I remember whose name was "Quinlin" or some such, and have come up blank. For a moment, I thought it was the fella who was the defensive end for the Green Bay Packers (owned by the town or not I wonder, but I hope so), who was the coach of the pee-wee team I played on back then in the 1970's - Bill Quinlan. But, I can't find anything to place this fella in Buffalo, NY in the 1970's - he was from Lawrence, KS apparently and so I guess he wasn't my coach after all....but the coach we had was named Bill and his last name was Quinlin or some such, and he was a hell of a good coach for us kids - he really cared about us and so did the whole coaching staff and us kids we could tell.
So anyhow thanks for giving me a chance to share here my memories of pee-wee football as a youth. I treasure those memories.
No, I don't know anything about that coach. Sounds like you had a great experience. A wonderful coach can have a lasting impact on anyone who played for him/her. Most of the coaches I've had were good human beings.
Thanks. I think at my SubStack place next Monday I'm gonna publish a short story and it will be an account of my pee-wee football days from the perspective of an 11 year old. I think I can pull this off but the tricky part is going to be to somehow mix George Wythe (https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Wythe - signer of the Declaration of Independence) into the story and to keep the story short at the same time. I feel compelled to include George Wythe into the story only because I have a place near Wytheville, VA and I looked up the history of the place recently and learned about George Wythe, a signer of the Declaration as I've said. His history is so ripe for a short story, he is referred to as the "Father of American Jurisprudence", and I must figure out a way to combine both of them and keep the story short at the same time because let me ask this....when does a short story become a novel?
So, anyhow....I'm gonna stew on this and the only reason I'm posting this is I subscribed to your place financially so I might as well get my money's worth out of it since it seems I can't easily unsubscribe.
I'll tell you this and it won't be in the short story, but since I'm paying for your place I feel I'm at liberty to share this.....so one time there was a pee-wee game and the opposing team was on our 1 yard line hoping to score and Cricket and I, we knew this halfback on the other team, he was their best player sort of, and he was a true punk and in a matter of moments Cricket and I decided no matter what happens we are going to tackle the punk - we tackled the hell out of him and I think he might of cried like a baby on the field afterwards even though his team scored a touchdown because he didn't get the handoff. After that, that kid was less of a punk and Cricket and I did what we planned in the moment. The other team scored, but I think our team still won that game.
Playing football on a team is a great way for a kid to learn about life I reckon.
I agree with you wholeheartedly. Football provides the toughness factor that does help a youngster grow in his capabilities. It also is a team sport which allows kids to bond with one another.
This article reminds me of the saying: Hard Times Create Strong Men; Strong Men Create Good Times; Good Times Create Weak Men; Weak Men Create Hard Times.
Thanks for reading this one - one of my departures from Covid topics. The more I thought about it, the more I decided this wasn't a trivial subject matter.
That is a GREAT picture on the top of this article.
Oh, the stories I could tell about my "pee-wee" football days. Us kids, we took the games serious.
My pal, his name was "Cricket" he was the cornerback and I was the safety.
The two of us knew each other well, and when opposing teams played against our team of 11 players on the field, if they didn't know Cricket and I were top notch defensive backs, they learned it soon enough! The best part is we complimented each other on the field - we made each other better in a synergistic sort of way. The stories I could tell.......oh boy....it was so much fun.
I treasure the days I played pee-wee football. We had great coaches, it was in the 70's, and it was good all around.
I'll tell this. The name of our team was the "Bill's Bombers" - we had maroon colors. One of the coaches was a former Buffalo Bills player, Quinlin or some such I think his name was, and we used to practice 2 or 3 times a week. In addition to my defensive duties in my 3rd year on the team, I was also the center and of course Cricket was the quarterback. Sometimes we would have scrimmages with other teams at practice, and those were the most fun because....like I said it was serious. So, in one of these scrimmages, the defensive line kid on the other team got seriously flustered with my center playing abilities and he screamed "you are holding me" and commenced to whaling upon my helmet. I just sat there sort of dazed and couldn't believe the kid was losing it like he was but he was smashing my helmet with his fist and I must of figured, no need for me to fight back.......we were then separated.
Later, a coach said to me - "Ken - why didn't you fight back - he was animated and didn't appreciate my just taking it.....". I was just a kid, I didn't say anything.
Later after that, I remember the coach apologized to me for his response - I can't remember if it was just he and I talking or if he did it in front of others - I didn't care - I was just a kid who liked to play, but not fight so much.....Still, I think that ended up being a good experience for that coach and made him a better man - Plus, I don't think I was holding that defensive lineman - I was just protecting my quarterback...Cricket!
Apparently he wore out his welcome with Lombardi, but I swear that guy looks like the same fella who apologized to me when I was a kid for not swinging back upon an opposing player trying to beat the shit out of my helmet. So, maybe he didn't play for the Bills but he was a hell of a pee-wee coach for the Bills Bombers and I'm pretty sure that is the fella made a big difference in my life. I remember one time at practice he said to me: #20 - you sure have improved - and I took that to heart. As a young kid I knew getting accolades from that coach meant something and it only inspired me to be better.
You know in the old days the NFL players didn't get paid like they do nowadays. I think the old days were better, but I think the players from back then should have been paid more.
Oh well, the clock ticks on and Lady Libra holds the scales.
I would like to also say and put forth regardless as to whether he was my pee-wee coach or not (but I think that is him), that all of the NFL teams ought be owned by the locals where they reside - that would solve a lot of problems right off the bat.
Here’s where I think we’re headed in, say, 10 years. This will be the end result of all the “reforms” to benefit the student athletes:
You’ll have a “Big Boy” League of college football with maybe four super conferences of 16 “blue blood” or marque programs. These programs will do fine and continue to make plenty of money to fund their sports programs.
The other 68 “have nots” of Division I football will be relegated to a AAA level and will rarely get to play one of the Big Boys. Fan interest in those programs will erode and economic realities will thin their ranks, resulting in fewer funded scholarships for intercollegiate male and female sports.
Fan interest in college football will still be pretty strong - at least among fans of the fortunate 64, but over-all “college football” will not be the great American pastime it once was.
The loss of interest in the smaller programs - exacerbated by non-stop transfers, NIL deals for the blue-blood programs and top players leaving the smaller programs - will filter down to the high schools, junior highs and recreation leagues.
More fans being “turned off” by trends in modern-day college sports will result in fewer kids taking an interest in the sport and playing it. Plus, the high schools are facing the same inflation-caused economic challenges.
The big sport in Nebraska now is women's volleyball. They know that football is rigged against them. Folks will pack the stadium for another 20 years. But in a generation from now, no one will remember why and think it's just something they did "back in the day."
Unlimited transfers - Another trend that is transforming college sports is the rule that allows athletes to transfer whenever they want and however many times they want - without having to sit out for a year.
At the surface level, this “reform” seems “fair.” After all, a non-athlete can transfer whenever he wants. If an athlete can increase his playing time or isn’t happy at his first (or second or third) school, let him transfer. My libertarian instincts say this is a good and fair thing.
However, in practice, this trend will also benefit the rich while harming the poor. It’s already happening. Coaches are now recruiting proven college players instead of reserving scholarships for high school athletes.
This trend will only increase as coaches know they better win in a hurry or they are going to be fired. The quickest way to improve your roster is to pilfer good players from the smaller schools. Plus, the best of these athletes know they can generate some NIL spending money if they transfer from, say, Louisiana-Lafetyette to, say, Florida.
This trend is now conspicuous in college football but it’s been common in college basketball for many years. Once upon a time, fans of college basketball had three or four years to get to know the rosters of their favorite teams. Now, at many schools, 70 percent of the roster turns over after one year.
Also, in basketball, the best players are going to only stay for one year (before they can go to the NBA). For me at least, the net result is I don’t know who half these guys on “my” team are and my interest in the program has waned as a result. I don’t get the feeling these guys really care one way or another about playing for “my school” … and the, shocking result for this life-long college sports fan is my interest in “my” team is beginning to wane. And if you are losing interest in “your” team, you are probably not keeping up as closely with all the other teams either.
Some of the changes transforming college football include ....
Name Image and Likeness (NIL) - This movement allows (a very few) college athletes to make money while in college. So, per conventional wisdom, these athletes are no longer being “exploited” by the big colleges that make tens of millions of dollars off the sweat of these athletes.
One problem with this narrative is the vast majority of colleges actually lose a ton of money by offering college sports. If you count Division III, II, I-AA and “mid-major” Division I athletic programs, 99 percent of colleges are spending far more money offering these sports than they make.
If you might have noticed, real inflation is now staggering so every week it is becoming more expensive to fund these sports. This is not going to change. It will become much harder for colleges to offer these sports not just to football players but to the female athletes and the males who play “minor” sports. This will require even greater tax-payer funded subsidies, which is the real money source that allows these colleges to offer these programs.
The rising costs of offering sports programs affects the big colleges just like it does the little colleges. Fortunately for them, the prestigious “blue blood” programs benefit from huge TV contracts.
If one wants to know the truth, ESPN (owned by Disney) is calling all the important shots in college sports. As long as certain games draw desirable TV ratings, the money will pour in … at least for the SEC, Big 10 and ACC schools. This is why we have ….
Conference re-alignment. All the schools are scrambling to be a part of the conferences that are going to get the most lucrative TV (and, soon, streaming or pay-per-view) deals. ESPN or CBS don’t mind spending billions of dollars to telecast college football games … as long as those games draw good ratings (which results in more advertising or cable subscription revenues).
The network executives want “good games” with maximum interest. So when Texas and Oklahoma join the SEC - and USC and UCLA going the Big 10 - the “inventory” of high-interest match-ups is going to improve. But this trend is going to have an increasingly negative impact on all the smaller mid-major schools (like my own alma mater and hometown college, Troy University).
To mollify the TV networks, the blue-blood schools are going to schedule more high-interest games against conference rivals and other blue-blood programs. The small schools like Troy are going to find it increasingly rare to be able to schedule “pay-day” games against programs that pay them $1 million for a game. The pay-days from those games basically subsidize the entire athletic department at these smaller schools.
In the future, we won’t see Troy playing, say, LSU. Or such games will become much more infrequent. This not only takes away a big chunk of revenue for programs like Troy it also denies them the opportunity to “shock the world” and pull upsets that might enhance their brand.
Bottom-line prediction: The rich programs will get richer, while the poor programs will get poorer. It will become increasingly harder for Troy to fund scholarships, coaches and facilities for, say, its women’s volleyball program or its men’s golf program.
At some point, economic reality will force more of these smaller programs to disband certain sports programs or go back down to Division II, where they won’t lose as much money.
While the average sports fan celebrates the fact that former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young is now making seven figures from his NIL deal, they won’t notice when Troy stops funding scholarships for cross country. Some programs will probably drop entire athletic programs. Will this benefit the allegedly exploited student athlete? No it won’t. It will keep more of them from earning college sports and being exposed to all the positives that come from playing sports.
This list of unpleasantries..."topics like Name Image and Likeness (NIL), the wave of athletes transferring, conference re-alignment, TV networks increasingly ruling (and probably harming) the sport, etc."...is maiming the college game of football.
Hate to see it. All about money.
Because of the specter of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), I sometimes have an unhappy vision that the misguided people who shape things will turn contact football into a virtual version in years hence. I hope this is just some farcical negativity of mine which floats up based on all of the other inversions going on.
And I always thought it was "dag-blasted" and not dad-blasted. I'm sticking with dag-blasted in reference to the burgeoning dag-blastedness of things.
I have enjoyed your strolls down the lanes of football. Thanks for all the great writings, Bill.
In my state and many others, besides your faith, family and job, the topic that most people are most interested in is NOT digital currencies or Climate Change, the next presidential election or even a respiratory pandemic .... it's college football. Hands down.
It occurred to me that big changes are now engulfing this sport and that, as amazing as it seems to even me, college football might not be as popular in years or decades to come.
The "most important thing" could be screwed up ... so I took a stab at writing about this.
Now back to Covid topics!
Hey - I'm not trying to be facetious, and for my whole life till I guess this year, I was such a passionate Buffalo Bills fan that my "Best Man" (my brother) painted "Go Bills" on the soles of my wedding shoes so all could see that when we made our vows.
But, have you ever heard of "K-balls" used in the NFL only for kicking situations? I've seen this video of Justin Tucker I think his name is, one of the most precise field goal kickers ever played the game, and he was mystified when that ball flanked off to the side - I think it was too the right - and they showed the look in his eyes on the video - he just couldn't believe it. Nor could I when I watched the video, but whatever........When #3 of the Buffalo Bills fell on the field this season and the game eventually was cancelled. When it actually happened, I was watching and suddenly I decided - I don't care so much about this game in the NFL anymore. That was a sad moment.
BK
Did you know, I didn't until my insurance fella mentioned it, that on the tickets to the game it actually says something like: "this game is for entertainment purposes only" - that kind of rubs me the wrong way if it is true, but I don't know.
One game I went to when I was a kid was a Monday Night game - Buffalo Bills versus Oakland Raiders - sometime in the 70's and this game was a classic. Bills won at the end with plenty of excitement in the final few minutes.
When we were walking back to our car in Orchard Park parking lot, we saw Howard Cossell, and my Dad used to make so much fun of Howard, but he was out there talking with the fans and I was a slipperly little kid and I navigated myself up to the front and then I shook Howard's hand.
My brothers and sisters couldn't help but laugh......that was one of the best days of my life!
~~~~~~
Sept. 16, 1974: Bills 21, Raiders 20
https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/sports/football/nfl/bills/2018/10/28/buffalo-bills-monday-night-football-memories-jim-kelly-dick-jauron-ahmad-rashad/1765027002/
Good piece.
There is, however, one country where football is fairly popular and has long roots (McGill University lays claim to having invented - or at least formalizing the rules of - football) outside the U.S. and that's Canada. The Canadian Football League is actually older than the NFL and the Grey Cup is the oldest trophy in North American pro sports.
Obviously, the game isn't a part of the cultural fabric as it is in the USA. The success of the NFL(and College football) is a phenomenon. In fact, it doesn't come close. The CFL has always lived a precarious existence. Hockey dominates here and lacrosse is the official national sport.
I'm generally fascinated with the history of sports here in North America and its 'Canadian-American' connections. For example, there was a lot of inter-collegiate play between universities from both countries.
The best football player my town ever produced - Bobby Marlow in the early 1950s - was the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft ... but he went to the Canadian football League because they paid him more money. My favorite team, Alabama, recently had a great player (John Metchie) who was from Canada. He's now in the NFL but had to sit out this past year as he is battling leukemia. He was a great player for Bama.
Yes, the CFL was able to somewhat compete in the 50s. There were six games played between CFL-NFL teams in the 50s and 60s with the NFL winning five of them. Many Canadians have played in the NFL while Americans have made up the majority of the CFL's greatest players. Doug Flutie and Warren Moon are two examples.
I also neglected to mention baseball has long roots here, particularly in Montreal.
Flutie beat my Crimson Tide twice when he was in college. Alabama's D linemen were exhausted by the fourth quarter, trying to chase him down.
I always felt he never got a fair shake in Buffalo.
He proved you didn't have to be 6-2 to be a QB. The 2nd year he beat Bama was in the first game of the season in B'ham. Alabama couldn't stop Flutie, but Alabama had a running back (Kerry Goode) who was having even a bigger game than Flutie. He had like 275 all-purpose yards early in the third quarter. Then he blew his knee out. He was never the same after that. I thought he could have been Alabama's first Heisman winner that year. Flutie ended up winning it.
275 AP yards! In one quarter?! WOW.
I should have also added the NFL is extremely popular here.
I've been an Eagles fan since 1980.
We used to play pick-up football every Thursday after school. Bunch of Broncos, Dolphins, Eagles, Notre-Dame, Alouettes, etc jerseys. A friend of mine played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and was invited to the Seahawks combine in the 90s.
Spot on; when my husband was coaching years ago, I remarked one time that I thought college football would implode.
NIL, portals, etc. are culprits.
College coaches are tasked with keeping their guys in line, but how when the players live all over the college town. NCAA shut down athletic dorms (specifically football one). When my husband played he lived in the athletic dorm; healthy meals provided, study hall w/ tutoring if needed,& a man & his wife were house parents (having an apartment in the dorm). There was a curfew & accountability. Just as a guy’s fraternity bonds it member together so did this arrangement. Get in trouble? - boys being boys - handled swiftly.
Today they are scattered across town.
One could say other students are scattered to, but they aren’t a team.
Sororities & Fraternities have dorms. But dorms for athletes are verboten.
My dad, who I wrote about in my last article, often said he would have never graduated from Alabama if he didn't play football. The players have/had a regimented lifestyle that promoted discipline. Their coaches were also monitoring their class attendance. The key to graduating from college is simply going to class every day. The players today and I guess in the past also had mandatory study halls. As you know, Coach Bryant was serious about his students going to class and doing well. Yes, he didn't want to lose players to academic eligibility, but I also think he believed in the importance of a real education.
In high school, we played touch football every weekend at Jane Reynolds Park. Years ago, our field was turned into a skateboard area. Which the local authorities filled with sand during the lockdowns 🤷.
My gosh. But I believe it.
“In a war, if one side’s soldiers grew up playing soccer and the other side’s grew up playing football, I’m betting that the nation of former football players will prevail. “ ...and those that played rugby...?
All major western college sports saw their origins arise from the private school system in 19th Century UK: such forerunners to the professional game were a deliberate tactic by the establishment to foster leadership and camaraderie, so as to supply the British Army and East India Company with officers, so the war analogy is en pointe.
Come on. Most of the football team was in my calculus class (I was only in the pep band), and they took 4A state that year.
Often the athletes are the best students. The "dumb jocks" - who get preferential treatment - no doubt exist, but so do those top calculus students - who were all key players on my high school's 3A state championship team. Civic and school pride was never higher than that year.
Don't underestimate the stupidity of politicians.
I'm sure you know Teddy Roosevelt saved American football. Without that politician Bear Bryant would have stayed a cub.
Ha. Think about Paul Bryant. He grew up about as poor as anyone can grow up. He said it in his excellent memoirs. His entire motivation in life was that he didn't want to go back to pushing that plow and living in that tiny house he lived in in Morrow Bottom, Arkansas. Football gave him every opportunity he ever had. And he tried to make sure his players took advantage of the same opportunities. True, his methods were kind of harsh, but he wanted to make his players tough. He'd be arrested today for some of the practices he led.
Hey Bill - do you know anything about that pee-wee football coach in Buffalo, NY who coached the pee-wee team called the "Bills Bombers" in the 1970's? That was the team I played on until we moved away. I think the "Kenmore Packers" were in the same league. There were 8 teams I seem to recall - some of the teams never seemed to win too many games. Another team had the name "Brighten" I think.....I remember the weigh-ins we had to go through to make sure we weren't above the limit. Everybody got on the scale and it was done in public and it was fair. Lots of lessons for kids to learn playing pee-wee football in the 70's especially.
I've tried to find info on the old league and the coach I remember whose name was "Quinlin" or some such, and have come up blank. For a moment, I thought it was the fella who was the defensive end for the Green Bay Packers (owned by the town or not I wonder, but I hope so), who was the coach of the pee-wee team I played on back then in the 1970's - Bill Quinlan. But, I can't find anything to place this fella in Buffalo, NY in the 1970's - he was from Lawrence, KS apparently and so I guess he wasn't my coach after all....but the coach we had was named Bill and his last name was Quinlin or some such, and he was a hell of a good coach for us kids - he really cared about us and so did the whole coaching staff and us kids we could tell.
So anyhow thanks for giving me a chance to share here my memories of pee-wee football as a youth. I treasure those memories.
Ken
No, I don't know anything about that coach. Sounds like you had a great experience. A wonderful coach can have a lasting impact on anyone who played for him/her. Most of the coaches I've had were good human beings.
Thanks. I think at my SubStack place next Monday I'm gonna publish a short story and it will be an account of my pee-wee football days from the perspective of an 11 year old. I think I can pull this off but the tricky part is going to be to somehow mix George Wythe (https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Wythe - signer of the Declaration of Independence) into the story and to keep the story short at the same time. I feel compelled to include George Wythe into the story only because I have a place near Wytheville, VA and I looked up the history of the place recently and learned about George Wythe, a signer of the Declaration as I've said. His history is so ripe for a short story, he is referred to as the "Father of American Jurisprudence", and I must figure out a way to combine both of them and keep the story short at the same time because let me ask this....when does a short story become a novel?
So, anyhow....I'm gonna stew on this and the only reason I'm posting this is I subscribed to your place financially so I might as well get my money's worth out of it since it seems I can't easily unsubscribe.
I'll tell you this and it won't be in the short story, but since I'm paying for your place I feel I'm at liberty to share this.....so one time there was a pee-wee game and the opposing team was on our 1 yard line hoping to score and Cricket and I, we knew this halfback on the other team, he was their best player sort of, and he was a true punk and in a matter of moments Cricket and I decided no matter what happens we are going to tackle the punk - we tackled the hell out of him and I think he might of cried like a baby on the field afterwards even though his team scored a touchdown because he didn't get the handoff. After that, that kid was less of a punk and Cricket and I did what we planned in the moment. The other team scored, but I think our team still won that game.
Playing football on a team is a great way for a kid to learn about life I reckon.
BK
Thanks for subscribing, Buffalo Ken. I look forward to seeing your story.
I've started the story.....it is here!
https://buffaloken.substack.com/p/pee-wees-and-a-wolf
Thanks,
Ken
I agree with you wholeheartedly. Football provides the toughness factor that does help a youngster grow in his capabilities. It also is a team sport which allows kids to bond with one another.
This article reminds me of the saying: Hard Times Create Strong Men; Strong Men Create Good Times; Good Times Create Weak Men; Weak Men Create Hard Times.
This is the cycle of life we are in today.
Thanks for reading this one - one of my departures from Covid topics. The more I thought about it, the more I decided this wasn't a trivial subject matter.
That is a GREAT picture on the top of this article.
Oh, the stories I could tell about my "pee-wee" football days. Us kids, we took the games serious.
My pal, his name was "Cricket" he was the cornerback and I was the safety.
The two of us knew each other well, and when opposing teams played against our team of 11 players on the field, if they didn't know Cricket and I were top notch defensive backs, they learned it soon enough! The best part is we complimented each other on the field - we made each other better in a synergistic sort of way. The stories I could tell.......oh boy....it was so much fun.
I treasure the days I played pee-wee football. We had great coaches, it was in the 70's, and it was good all around.
Regards,
BK
I'll tell this. The name of our team was the "Bill's Bombers" - we had maroon colors. One of the coaches was a former Buffalo Bills player, Quinlin or some such I think his name was, and we used to practice 2 or 3 times a week. In addition to my defensive duties in my 3rd year on the team, I was also the center and of course Cricket was the quarterback. Sometimes we would have scrimmages with other teams at practice, and those were the most fun because....like I said it was serious. So, in one of these scrimmages, the defensive line kid on the other team got seriously flustered with my center playing abilities and he screamed "you are holding me" and commenced to whaling upon my helmet. I just sat there sort of dazed and couldn't believe the kid was losing it like he was but he was smashing my helmet with his fist and I must of figured, no need for me to fight back.......we were then separated.
Later, a coach said to me - "Ken - why didn't you fight back - he was animated and didn't appreciate my just taking it.....". I was just a kid, I didn't say anything.
Later after that, I remember the coach apologized to me for his response - I can't remember if it was just he and I talking or if he did it in front of others - I didn't care - I was just a kid who liked to play, but not fight so much.....Still, I think that ended up being a good experience for that coach and made him a better man - Plus, I don't think I was holding that defensive lineman - I was just protecting my quarterback...Cricket!
Ha, ha.
Peace,
Ken
I probably shouldn't do this or speculate too much, but this is who I think the coach of our team was:
https://www.packers.com/news/bill-quinlan-tough-physical-but-wore-out-his-welcome-with-vince-lombardi
Apparently he wore out his welcome with Lombardi, but I swear that guy looks like the same fella who apologized to me when I was a kid for not swinging back upon an opposing player trying to beat the shit out of my helmet. So, maybe he didn't play for the Bills but he was a hell of a pee-wee coach for the Bills Bombers and I'm pretty sure that is the fella made a big difference in my life. I remember one time at practice he said to me: #20 - you sure have improved - and I took that to heart. As a young kid I knew getting accolades from that coach meant something and it only inspired me to be better.
You know in the old days the NFL players didn't get paid like they do nowadays. I think the old days were better, but I think the players from back then should have been paid more.
Oh well, the clock ticks on and Lady Libra holds the scales.
I would like to also say and put forth regardless as to whether he was my pee-wee coach or not (but I think that is him), that all of the NFL teams ought be owned by the locals where they reside - that would solve a lot of problems right off the bat.
So much to say about this, it's hard to know where to begin.
In general, Bill sizes stuff up very well. As here. He sees linkages/effects that most others don't see.
Here’s where I think we’re headed in, say, 10 years. This will be the end result of all the “reforms” to benefit the student athletes:
You’ll have a “Big Boy” League of college football with maybe four super conferences of 16 “blue blood” or marque programs. These programs will do fine and continue to make plenty of money to fund their sports programs.
The other 68 “have nots” of Division I football will be relegated to a AAA level and will rarely get to play one of the Big Boys. Fan interest in those programs will erode and economic realities will thin their ranks, resulting in fewer funded scholarships for intercollegiate male and female sports.
Fan interest in college football will still be pretty strong - at least among fans of the fortunate 64, but over-all “college football” will not be the great American pastime it once was.
The loss of interest in the smaller programs - exacerbated by non-stop transfers, NIL deals for the blue-blood programs and top players leaving the smaller programs - will filter down to the high schools, junior highs and recreation leagues.
More fans being “turned off” by trends in modern-day college sports will result in fewer kids taking an interest in the sport and playing it. Plus, the high schools are facing the same inflation-caused economic challenges.
The big sport in Nebraska now is women's volleyball. They know that football is rigged against them. Folks will pack the stadium for another 20 years. But in a generation from now, no one will remember why and think it's just something they did "back in the day."
It's amazing how things can change over time. Things you thought would always be so ... weren't.
Unlimited transfers - Another trend that is transforming college sports is the rule that allows athletes to transfer whenever they want and however many times they want - without having to sit out for a year.
At the surface level, this “reform” seems “fair.” After all, a non-athlete can transfer whenever he wants. If an athlete can increase his playing time or isn’t happy at his first (or second or third) school, let him transfer. My libertarian instincts say this is a good and fair thing.
However, in practice, this trend will also benefit the rich while harming the poor. It’s already happening. Coaches are now recruiting proven college players instead of reserving scholarships for high school athletes.
This trend will only increase as coaches know they better win in a hurry or they are going to be fired. The quickest way to improve your roster is to pilfer good players from the smaller schools. Plus, the best of these athletes know they can generate some NIL spending money if they transfer from, say, Louisiana-Lafetyette to, say, Florida.
This trend is now conspicuous in college football but it’s been common in college basketball for many years. Once upon a time, fans of college basketball had three or four years to get to know the rosters of their favorite teams. Now, at many schools, 70 percent of the roster turns over after one year.
Also, in basketball, the best players are going to only stay for one year (before they can go to the NBA). For me at least, the net result is I don’t know who half these guys on “my” team are and my interest in the program has waned as a result. I don’t get the feeling these guys really care one way or another about playing for “my school” … and the, shocking result for this life-long college sports fan is my interest in “my” team is beginning to wane. And if you are losing interest in “your” team, you are probably not keeping up as closely with all the other teams either.
Some of the changes transforming college football include ....
Name Image and Likeness (NIL) - This movement allows (a very few) college athletes to make money while in college. So, per conventional wisdom, these athletes are no longer being “exploited” by the big colleges that make tens of millions of dollars off the sweat of these athletes.
One problem with this narrative is the vast majority of colleges actually lose a ton of money by offering college sports. If you count Division III, II, I-AA and “mid-major” Division I athletic programs, 99 percent of colleges are spending far more money offering these sports than they make.
If you might have noticed, real inflation is now staggering so every week it is becoming more expensive to fund these sports. This is not going to change. It will become much harder for colleges to offer these sports not just to football players but to the female athletes and the males who play “minor” sports. This will require even greater tax-payer funded subsidies, which is the real money source that allows these colleges to offer these programs.
The rising costs of offering sports programs affects the big colleges just like it does the little colleges. Fortunately for them, the prestigious “blue blood” programs benefit from huge TV contracts.
If one wants to know the truth, ESPN (owned by Disney) is calling all the important shots in college sports. As long as certain games draw desirable TV ratings, the money will pour in … at least for the SEC, Big 10 and ACC schools. This is why we have ….
Conference re-alignment. All the schools are scrambling to be a part of the conferences that are going to get the most lucrative TV (and, soon, streaming or pay-per-view) deals. ESPN or CBS don’t mind spending billions of dollars to telecast college football games … as long as those games draw good ratings (which results in more advertising or cable subscription revenues).
The network executives want “good games” with maximum interest. So when Texas and Oklahoma join the SEC - and USC and UCLA going the Big 10 - the “inventory” of high-interest match-ups is going to improve. But this trend is going to have an increasingly negative impact on all the smaller mid-major schools (like my own alma mater and hometown college, Troy University).
To mollify the TV networks, the blue-blood schools are going to schedule more high-interest games against conference rivals and other blue-blood programs. The small schools like Troy are going to find it increasingly rare to be able to schedule “pay-day” games against programs that pay them $1 million for a game. The pay-days from those games basically subsidize the entire athletic department at these smaller schools.
In the future, we won’t see Troy playing, say, LSU. Or such games will become much more infrequent. This not only takes away a big chunk of revenue for programs like Troy it also denies them the opportunity to “shock the world” and pull upsets that might enhance their brand.
Bottom-line prediction: The rich programs will get richer, while the poor programs will get poorer. It will become increasingly harder for Troy to fund scholarships, coaches and facilities for, say, its women’s volleyball program or its men’s golf program.
At some point, economic reality will force more of these smaller programs to disband certain sports programs or go back down to Division II, where they won’t lose as much money.
While the average sports fan celebrates the fact that former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young is now making seven figures from his NIL deal, they won’t notice when Troy stops funding scholarships for cross country. Some programs will probably drop entire athletic programs. Will this benefit the allegedly exploited student athlete? No it won’t. It will keep more of them from earning college sports and being exposed to all the positives that come from playing sports.
This list of unpleasantries..."topics like Name Image and Likeness (NIL), the wave of athletes transferring, conference re-alignment, TV networks increasingly ruling (and probably harming) the sport, etc."...is maiming the college game of football.
Hate to see it. All about money.
Because of the specter of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), I sometimes have an unhappy vision that the misguided people who shape things will turn contact football into a virtual version in years hence. I hope this is just some farcical negativity of mine which floats up based on all of the other inversions going on.
And I always thought it was "dag-blasted" and not dad-blasted. I'm sticking with dag-blasted in reference to the burgeoning dag-blastedness of things.
I have enjoyed your strolls down the lanes of football. Thanks for all the great writings, Bill.