Thursday, August 17, 2006

I Always Wanted to be a Renaissance Man.

I do my best to refrain from blogging about college football because there are just too many blogs covering it. But every once and a while I am going to breakdown and steal someone's idea and blog about it a little. Of course, I will put my own twist on it. Isn't that what most journalists do anyway. So you know a little about me from the title and from my content, which is why you will understand why I think this is cool and hilarious all at the same time.

It turns out that the head football coach at Texas Tech University, Mike Leach, is somewhat of a renaissance man. He is knowledgeable about a plethora of things (because he is in Lubbock I am sure that pinatas are included), and he loves to not just know but do. The well known and well read Fort Worth Star-Telegram has a pretty good story about him, and it is well worth the read. The Dallas Morning News also has some good stuff too, but I will just give you some quotes from that article.

He can talk about anything, and does. Vikings, for instance. Turns out he's half-Norwegian. Notes the NCAA's reformation on Native American symbols and wants to know when something's going to be done for Vikings.

In case you don't know, the NCAA has come up with some rules, which I think are rather silly about banning mascots and symbols from Native American heritage because they don't want to offend anyone. The crazy thing is they want to ban it even if it is not a negative image.

"I think me and other Norwegians ought to unite," he says. "We're tired of being characterized as warriors. We dishonor all the lazy Vikings."

I have come to view Tech as kind of a sad puppy dog that you can't help but feel sympathy for, and now that I know more about their coach that sympathy just grows. Heck I would love it if they were really successful in football this year as long as they don't beat Texas.

(Hat tip: EDSBS)

1 comment:

Swany said...

Lubbock--the best view is from your rearview mirror, as my wife likes to say. I was just impressed that Lubbock has a Starbucks now.

It amazes me that you can have guys like Mike Leach and Bobby Knight coaching in the middle of nowhere. You'd think it would be harder to recruit good coaches there, regardless of the pay or benefits.

Anywho, with all that knowledge, sounds like the man needs a good blog!