Monday, December 14, 2009

The best college football game of the year was Saturday

The Black Knights of the Hudson and the Navy Midshipman faced off in a classic football game Saturday. There was the march on with the cheers from each, the Corps of Cadets and Middies. There were more than usual of up close and personal pieces on tv. There were bits from each school tweaking the other. There were the voices of support from servicemen across the country and around the world. And there was a pretty good football game. Navy won 17-3.

As a former Marine, I always root for the Midshipmen. This year I started to think that maybe it would be good for the rivalry if Army won one. Then I saw the Naval Academy’s uniforms. Gone were the traditional Navy Blue and gold replaced by a the Royal blue of the Marine Corps’ dress blue trousers with a strip that matched the stripe of a Marine Corps officer’s dress cover (hat for the unwashed), and not one but two Marine Corps insignia the eagle glob and anchor – one on the shoulder and one on the trousers. For all of the world, those uniforms made it look as if it was the Marine Corps Academy. Well any good wishes for the Army vanished. It would be one thing if the Naval Academy lost to Army, quite another if the Marine Corps Academy lost.

At one point during the broadcast, announcer Gary Danielson said something along the line, “well we’re going to try forget about the military nature of the game and think about football.” That’s not a bad sentiment given the nature of the world and what the young men participating in the 2009 version of the classic will have facing them upon graduation.

But it took someone on the inside to put this game into perspective as the teams headed to their locker rooms after the game. A visibly emotional Navy coach, Ken Niumatalolo, had this to say about his team's win,

“These kids will be in … [stops] These kids are going to protect us, in Afghanistan and Iraq, and — both of these teams. I have great, great respect for these men, and this is just a football game. I mean, that’s all it is, but there’s a bigger picture, and I couldn’t be prouder of our young men.”

I am absolutely certain that when he said, “I couldn’t be prouder of our young men” he meant the men on BOTH teams.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

We had the Griffin Family Christmas event on Saturday. The 40plus meant we had a few that could join us. We gave up years ago getting everyone together and shoot for 80%. Keeping on Lex' message, my nephew Randy, son of brother Tony has formally applied for all the service academies. He is a high school senior, at 18 years, 6'4" 150 lbs, and with a true 4.0 GPA, I have more than once wondered about his real DNA strain (his mother is 6' tall). The Griffins short, thick DNA was developed in the Welsh coal mines many years ago. Anyway, all the men folk shook his hand, liberally applied back slaps, and the women folk were torn and confused in giving their hugs. The men hoping he is accepted, the women hoping he is not accepted. His back up plan is OSU and the US Air Force. We will know soon. Regardless, he is an impressive candidate. The Griffin.