It's probably not very often that I'll have the chance to crow about two of my favorite things in sports in the same CFH post, so sue me if I take advantage of a golden opportunity. In case it hasn't been clear from my earlier posts, I'm an unabashed fan of The Ohio State University Buckeyes and their venerable varsity football team. I make no bones about that and never will. And if you've read between the lines, you can probably hint at another point of pride: my alma mater Kenyon College ("Kenyon David"... um, pretty obvious now, eh?). Usually, those two worlds are pretty separate... until this past week.
On August 21, Coach Tressel packed 130 of his players, coaches, and training staff into 6 buses and headed east towards sleepy Gambier, Ohio. The target of their quest was Jim Steen- Kenyon's award winning championship swimming coach. Senator Sweater Vest had decided there was something to be learned from a man who had led his men's swimming and diving teams to 29 STRAIGHT national championships and the women to 22 of the last 25. You read that right, this little known coach has won a combined 51 total Division III national championships over the past three decades.
Okay, I hear you out there saying, "Who cares, it's swimming and how hard can it be to win a national championship in that sport... at the Division III level?!?" If you take that tact, you're missing the point. Not to mention a dunce for not recognizing the magnitude of that accomplishment.
Coach Tressel is a student of the game, in all its forms, and he sees the value in having his team- who have lost two straight BCS title games in embarassing fashion- learn from someone who has built a lasting program of greatness. A program that constantly deals with the highest expectations and finds a way to win again and again and again. Now, I just wish we could've seen that on the basketball court...
Aside from my admiration for Tressel's studious approach to winning, I also admire something else that won't make the meager press clippings that have accompanied this admittedly minor story. A few days after the dust settled and the Buckeyes were back in the friendly confines of the Jesse Owens center and the 'Shoe, a package came to the Kenyon AD... addressed not only to Mr. Steen but to the men of the Kenyon football team. It was full of 105 hand-written thank-you notes, one from every player that made the trip that day. No matter what side you fall on the great debates of CFB today- SEC vs. Big 10, playoffs, Tim Tebow's deal with the devil- you have to admit the inherent class in a move like that. Above and beyond the call of duty, in my book.
Sure, class doesn't always translate to wins, but I have to say that I like how the stars are aligning this year. OSU definitely has a TON to prove this year, and this is more of a feel-good story than anything else. But it's scores some points in my book... I hope they can do the same to the tune of about 55 against YSU on Saturday!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment