by Rex Robinson

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Mike Singletary, The Eyes Have it

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I just put Monday Night Football on and the 49er’s are handing it to the Cards 17-0 in the third quarter.  It sounds like Arizona has done all they can to give it away. Whatever the case, I would be pulling for San Francisco anyway. I want Mike Singletary to succeed as head coach, for lots of reasons, but more on that later.

I’ll never forget the first time I saw Mike Singletary. It was the season opener in 1978 and we  were playing Baylor University.  It would be a great day for the Dawgs and for me personally, but I also remember #63 making a tackle on the sidelines right next to me. That’s when I saw them. Those eyes! Dang, who is this guy? He’s possessed!

I have no idea how many tackles he made that day, but later that year he made 35 against Arkansas. Look it up. We were both sophomores, so no one outside the Southwest Conference knew who he was yet, but they would. He and I made some of the same All-American teams  in 1979 and 1980, but he went on to a Hall of Fame career with the Chicago Bears. Me, not so much.

I really am pulling for Mike to succeed because of what he represents. He is a man of faith and holds on to the old school way of thinking we grew up with.  He’s a great guy.

Oh, and in case you were not in Sanford Stadium that day, Georgia upset Baylor 16-14. I had three field goals of 43, 38 and 36 yards and one PAT…I even won the Chevrolet Player of the Game.

Thanks for asking!

December 15, 2009 | Categories: PERSONALS, SPORTS | Tags: , , , , | 5 Comments »

Oh No “U” Didn’t…But They Did

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I had an interesting  Saturday night . I joined my old team mate Buck Belue to celebrate his 50th birthday. It was a family friendly affair with couples and kids and even Santa stopped by. Just so you know, Santa went on Nutri-System and you may not recognize him when you see him.

We got home just in time for me to catch the last half of the ESPN series 30 on 30 episode called “The U”. In case you don’t know, that’s what players from the University of Miami call their Alma mater.  This documentary recounts the programs rise to prominence and the downright shameful attitudes that were not only allowed but encouraged at times.

There is no doubt that the Miami Hurricanes had a tremendous run as a team and they obviously had some of the most talented athletes ever to play college or pro football. They won an amazing five national championships from 1983 -2001, which is the most of any program during that time period. If you watch “The U”, which airs again tonight at 7:00 PM on ESPNU, you will see it all.

The coaches, the players, the plays, the shame.

It’s not that anyone connected to “The U” expresses any shame or regret over the repeated and flagrant abuses of sportsmanship and NCAA rules. The fact is, all the former players and coaches interviewed are very proud of themselves, even as 40-something year old men. I had forgotten how bad it really was. Of course not every single game was on TV like they are now. Suffice it to say, if you watch this two hour highlight reel of athletic freak-nik, you more than likely will be sick to your stomach.

Here is a Sports Illustrated  article demanding the dismantling of Miami’s program written in 1995.

December 14, 2009 | Categories: SPORTS | Tags: , | 11 Comments »

Tide Turns for Ingram & Heisman

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Mark Ingram won the Heisman Trophy in the closest vote in history last night.  Amazingly he becomes Alabama’s first Heisman winner. I thought Texas QB Colt McCoy might win it as a life-time achievement award, but he actually finished third behind RB Toby Gerhart of Stanford.

The best news was as the week progressed it appeared less and less likely Tim Tebow would be a factor. In my opinion, Tebow should have only been in New York as a past winner, not as a finalist. Maybe it saved the Gators some airfare or something. I’m sure ESPN would have pitched in if asked.

Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska had a tremendous week, winning the Lombardi Award as the top collegiate linemen/linebacker, and he also won the Bronco Nagurski Award for the nations top defensive player. He finished fourth in the final Heisman voting. Not bad for a defensive tackle.

December 13, 2009 | Categories: SPORTS | Tags: , , , , , | 8 Comments »

FWAA All Americans

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Drew Butler has won the Ray Guy Award and has been named to several All-American teams already. There should be more to come. The Football Writers Association of America named their team and Drew indeed was honored again.  This is a team I actually was fortunate enough to make in 1980, my senior year. Of course, Drew is just a sophomore and may well have other chances to make this team again. Oh yeah, Drew’s dad Kevin made this team also, in 1984. In looking back on that group I was a part of, I am reminded of how many notable names were on that team. Some of the best to ever play the game on the college or pro level, especially on defense.

Check them out.

OFFENSE

QB 9 Mark Hermann Purdue 6-4 190 Sr. Carmel, Ind.

RB 24 Freeman McNeil UCLA 5-11 216 Sr. Carson, Calif.

RB George Rogers South Carolina 6-2 210 Sr. Duluth, Ga. HOF

RB 34 Herschel Walker Georgia 6-2 215 Fr. Wrightsville, Ga. HOF

WR Ken Margerum Stanford 6-1 175 Sr. Fountain Valley, Calif.

WR 80 Dave Young Purdue 6-6 241 Sr. Akron, Ohio

OL 72 Nick Eyre BYU 6-5 276 Sr. Las Vegas, Nev.

OL 73 Mark May Pittsburgh 6-6 282 Sr. Oneonta, N.Y. HOF

OL Louis Oubre Oklahoma 6-4 262 Sr. New Orleans, La.

OL 68 Keith Van Horne USC 6-7 265 Sr. Fullerton, Calif.

C 57 John Scully Notre Dame 6-5 255 Sr. Huntington, N.Y.

DEFENSE

DL 99 Hugh Green Pittsburgh 6-2 224 Sr. Natchez, Miss. HOF

DL 39 E. J. Junior Alabama 6-3 220 Sr. Nashville, Tenn.

DL Derrie Nelson Nebraska 6-2 220 Sr. Fairmont, Neb.

DL 77 Kenneth Sims Texas 6-6 265 Jr. Groesbeck, Texas

DL 90 Hosea Taylor Houston 6-5 265 Sr. Longview, Texas

LB 51 David Little Florida 6-1 228 Sr. Miami, Fla.

LB 63 Mike Singletary Baylor 6-1 232 Sr. Houston, Texas HOF

LB 98 Lawrence Taylor North Carolina 6-3 237 Sr. Williamsburg, Va. NFL HOF

DB 5 Kenny Easley UCLA 6-3 206 Sr. Chesapeake, Va. HOF

DB 42 Ronnie Lott USC 6-2 200 Sr. Rialto, Calif. HOF

DB John Simmons SMU 5-11 188 Little Rock, Ark.

SPECIALISTS

K 5 Rex Robinson Georgia 6-0 215 Sr. Marietta, Ga.

P 3 Rohn Stark Florida State 6-3 195 Jr. Fifty Lakes, Minn.

Coach of the Year ……………………..Vince Dooley, Georgia

Outland Trophy ………………………….Mark May, Pittsburgh

Grantland Rice Trophy………………………..Georgia Bulldogs

December 13, 2009 | Categories: SPORTS | Tags: , , , | Leave A Comment »

Tiger Woods in a Buried Lie

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It’s been two weeks since “The Accident”, when Tiger Woods ran over a fire hydrant and hit a tree, just leaving the driveway. It was bizarre from the start and only went down-hill from there. The possibility of an irate Elin Woods swinging a golf club, not to extricate her husband from his Escalade, but to seperate his head from his body, is quite the mental picture.

The rumors had just started about the possibility of something extra-marital going on when, all of a sudden, the most famous and recognizable athlete in the world was in uncharted territory. His public persona had been almost perfect. The only possible exception might be his proclivity for expletives and the occasional club toss. No biggie.

Well, when Tiger found his balls out of bounds this time,  he was on a slippery slope and seemingly every day new and more damaging  information was exposed. This was no “mistake” as some were characterizing it. This was a life style, a conscious choice, over and over and over. The number of women claiming to have had a “relationship” with Tiger went from a bogie, to a double bogie and continued to grow until now, when Tiger has decided to pick up.

Tiger has announced that he will take an indefinite hiatus from the PGA Tour to try and save his marriage first and ultimately his image. Neither will be easy, but as a human being, I hope he can do it.  He does not deserve a mulligan, just because he is Tiger Woods. He will have a lot of work to do to regain his wife’s trust, if it ever happens.  I have a feeling the public will be more forgiving. That’s just the way we are.

December 12, 2009 | Categories: SPORTS | Tags: | 10 Comments »

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