SWC75
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I asked this several years ago and it resulted in a pretty good thread. We've had a lot of new posters since then so i thought I'd try it again .
Obviously we are all Syracuse fans but I find that as I watch games going on around the country, (especially in a bye week for the Orange) , I find myself pulling for certain schools more than others. I'll bet you do, too. Here are my "other teams":
MICHIGAN STATE: Going back in history, (my favorite subject), the entire Syracuse coaching staff, led by Biggie Munn, transferred to East Lansing in 1947 because State was willing to spend money to improve the football program and Syracuse wasn't, (somewhere orange PA is smiling), and turned the Spartans into a national power, winning 28 games in a row from 1950-53, the 1952 national championship and the 1/1/54 Rose Bowl in a great game over UCLA. Munn then turned the program over to his assistant, former SU player Duffy Daugherty, (brother of the Magic Toy Shop's Jean Daugherty, for CNY baby boomers). Duffy became a great friend of Ben Schwartzwalder and their teams often scrimmaged against each other back when joint scrimmages were a common practice. the two schools occasional played in a real game but it never seemed to be when we were at our best. Later the Spartans were coached by George Perles, a friend of Coach Macs. I've kind of viewed them as SU's "sister ship" over the years.
The Spartans faded somewhat when two-platoon football came back in and Michigan re-took the momentum in the state. For a lot of years they were the wannabes while Michigan and Ohio State were the big powers. It seemed to me to parallel our situation with Penn State. The Spartans have made some mini-comebacks over the years, (1974, 1977-78, 1987, 1999, 2010-11), but always fallen back into mediocrity. Sports rooting is Pavlovian: interest + hope divided by inconsistent results glues you to a team. Last year the Spartans had their best year since the Minn/Daugherty glory years: 13-1, big ten champs, (breaking Ohio State's long losing streak in the title game). They beat Stanford in the Rose Bowl and wound up ranked #3 in the country. Right now, with Braxton Miller out, they are the odds on favorite to repeat as Big Ten champs and a major contender for the four team playoff. Tonight they are at Oregon, taking on the "Quack Attack" with what might be the nation's best defense. Can they follow up a big year with another one and make a run for another national championship? Stay tuned.
UCLA- I loved it when we used to play them back in the 60's. We did very well against all those sprinters and beach boys, winning 6 of 8 from 1959-68. That 1959 win probably clinched our national championship, (which was not on the line in the Cotton Bowl as there was no poll after the bowls in those days). It showed the west coast sports writers than an eastern team could be pretty darn good. And that was the purpose of those games. If we ever get really good again, we may need that showcase again.
People say uniforms are irrelevant but they are part of the show being put on and I always liked the Bruins, especially in the "power blue" and gold days:
I also liked the fact that they wore them home and away because it contrasted with anybody else's uniforms. They also have a bullying "big brother" program that usually- but not always- beat them in USC. I'm always waiting for the Bruins to return to national title contention- and beat USC. Maybe this will be the year.
LSU seems to have borrowed the UCLA uniform design but made it more colorful:
That's Billy Cannon who made the run that opened the door for us to win the '59 title against Ole Miss:
The Tigers have had many good and a few great teams and they have the most famous fan base in college football. . But they also have someone they are usually looking up and dreaming of beating: Alabama. I always find myself rooting for the Tigers, not only in that game but in the games that will make that game important. (And stripes need to go all the way around the arms, please!)
TENNESSEE Like us, they are "the Orange". Like UCLA, they used to wear their colored jerseys, even on the road:
Like LSU, they have traditionally been very good but have had trouble beating Alabama, so I always find myself rooting for them to do so and to win the game that would make that victory really matter.
NORTH CAROLINA My parents moved to Chapel Hill for their retirement in 1980 and I visited them there many times but I always liked the Tar Heels even before that. Again, the uniforms caught my eye: I've always like Carolina blue:
Like these other programs, they were never dominant but sometimes very good. Carolina had a hard time beating Clemson and now they are in it with Miami and Florida State. When I was a kid I had a set of historical football card and liked "Choo-choo Charlie Justice the best because of his anme:
http://www.footballcardgallery.com/1955_Topps_All-American/63/Charlie_Justice/
(It says "Choo Choo" on the back.)
I also like NEBRASKA, a powerhouse team but one that's had trouble beating Oklahoma when both are good. I used to like the Sooners in the Bud Wilkinson Era but soured on them when that arrogant Barry Switzer took over. I like the Husker's shade of red more than Oklahoma's or Alabama's and I really liked their 60's era uniforms with the fancy numbers:
ARKANSAS It's where my mother comes from and I've got a lot of relatives who are razorback fnas. And, of course, they were usually good but always looking up at Texas...
I have a generally affinity for any school that was good when SU was in the one platoon era and faded with SU when the two platoon era began. Some of them, like SU have made comebacks but most have had trouble sustaining success: Army, Navy, Maryland, Duke, Georgia Tech, Mississippi, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnestoa, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Texas Christian, Oregon State, Washington, etc. I'd stop short of calling myself a "fan" but when they do well, it tells me SU can do well, too.
I like small college football. My brother went to Hamilton and we used to go to games there, (I remember seeing them play Wagner, which meant I was shocked to see Wagner on SU's schedule last year). But I was always fascinated by those scores in the paper for schools I'd never heard of. The on es who consistently showed up on the left hand side of the column made me wonder how good they really were. When the small colleges tarted having playoffs, I enjoyed watching some of those questions get answered.
The Ithaca Bombers were a local team, (sort of) that did extremely well, going to 8 title games in Division III from 1974-1991 and winning three national championships. They've been good, not great since and I keep waiting for them to make another run at a title. Maybe that era is over?
My cousin became a professor at Delaware but for years before that I followed their program. I wondered what a "Blue Hen" was. But I also noticed that they were traditionally the best mid-level program in the East, winning college division poll championships in 1946, 1963, 1971 and 1972 and playoff championships in 1979 and 2003 and reaching title games in 1978, 1982, 2007 and 2010.
As I've written before I became smitten with North Dakota State back in the 60's when I read an article about them in Sports Illustrated. They've won poll titles in 1965, 1968 and 1969 and playoff titles in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990 and 201`1, 2012 and 2013. I thought they would be rebuilding this year but they smacked Iowa State by 20 points to open the season. It's my dream that someday the Blue Hens and the Bison will meet for the national title.
So, when SU isn't involved, who do you find yourself rooting for?
Obviously we are all Syracuse fans but I find that as I watch games going on around the country, (especially in a bye week for the Orange) , I find myself pulling for certain schools more than others. I'll bet you do, too. Here are my "other teams":
MICHIGAN STATE: Going back in history, (my favorite subject), the entire Syracuse coaching staff, led by Biggie Munn, transferred to East Lansing in 1947 because State was willing to spend money to improve the football program and Syracuse wasn't, (somewhere orange PA is smiling), and turned the Spartans into a national power, winning 28 games in a row from 1950-53, the 1952 national championship and the 1/1/54 Rose Bowl in a great game over UCLA. Munn then turned the program over to his assistant, former SU player Duffy Daugherty, (brother of the Magic Toy Shop's Jean Daugherty, for CNY baby boomers). Duffy became a great friend of Ben Schwartzwalder and their teams often scrimmaged against each other back when joint scrimmages were a common practice. the two schools occasional played in a real game but it never seemed to be when we were at our best. Later the Spartans were coached by George Perles, a friend of Coach Macs. I've kind of viewed them as SU's "sister ship" over the years.
The Spartans faded somewhat when two-platoon football came back in and Michigan re-took the momentum in the state. For a lot of years they were the wannabes while Michigan and Ohio State were the big powers. It seemed to me to parallel our situation with Penn State. The Spartans have made some mini-comebacks over the years, (1974, 1977-78, 1987, 1999, 2010-11), but always fallen back into mediocrity. Sports rooting is Pavlovian: interest + hope divided by inconsistent results glues you to a team. Last year the Spartans had their best year since the Minn/Daugherty glory years: 13-1, big ten champs, (breaking Ohio State's long losing streak in the title game). They beat Stanford in the Rose Bowl and wound up ranked #3 in the country. Right now, with Braxton Miller out, they are the odds on favorite to repeat as Big Ten champs and a major contender for the four team playoff. Tonight they are at Oregon, taking on the "Quack Attack" with what might be the nation's best defense. Can they follow up a big year with another one and make a run for another national championship? Stay tuned.
UCLA- I loved it when we used to play them back in the 60's. We did very well against all those sprinters and beach boys, winning 6 of 8 from 1959-68. That 1959 win probably clinched our national championship, (which was not on the line in the Cotton Bowl as there was no poll after the bowls in those days). It showed the west coast sports writers than an eastern team could be pretty darn good. And that was the purpose of those games. If we ever get really good again, we may need that showcase again.
People say uniforms are irrelevant but they are part of the show being put on and I always liked the Bruins, especially in the "power blue" and gold days:
I also liked the fact that they wore them home and away because it contrasted with anybody else's uniforms. They also have a bullying "big brother" program that usually- but not always- beat them in USC. I'm always waiting for the Bruins to return to national title contention- and beat USC. Maybe this will be the year.
LSU seems to have borrowed the UCLA uniform design but made it more colorful:
That's Billy Cannon who made the run that opened the door for us to win the '59 title against Ole Miss:
The Tigers have had many good and a few great teams and they have the most famous fan base in college football. . But they also have someone they are usually looking up and dreaming of beating: Alabama. I always find myself rooting for the Tigers, not only in that game but in the games that will make that game important. (And stripes need to go all the way around the arms, please!)
TENNESSEE Like us, they are "the Orange". Like UCLA, they used to wear their colored jerseys, even on the road:
Like LSU, they have traditionally been very good but have had trouble beating Alabama, so I always find myself rooting for them to do so and to win the game that would make that victory really matter.
NORTH CAROLINA My parents moved to Chapel Hill for their retirement in 1980 and I visited them there many times but I always liked the Tar Heels even before that. Again, the uniforms caught my eye: I've always like Carolina blue:
Like these other programs, they were never dominant but sometimes very good. Carolina had a hard time beating Clemson and now they are in it with Miami and Florida State. When I was a kid I had a set of historical football card and liked "Choo-choo Charlie Justice the best because of his anme:
http://www.footballcardgallery.com/1955_Topps_All-American/63/Charlie_Justice/
(It says "Choo Choo" on the back.)
I also like NEBRASKA, a powerhouse team but one that's had trouble beating Oklahoma when both are good. I used to like the Sooners in the Bud Wilkinson Era but soured on them when that arrogant Barry Switzer took over. I like the Husker's shade of red more than Oklahoma's or Alabama's and I really liked their 60's era uniforms with the fancy numbers:
ARKANSAS It's where my mother comes from and I've got a lot of relatives who are razorback fnas. And, of course, they were usually good but always looking up at Texas...
I have a generally affinity for any school that was good when SU was in the one platoon era and faded with SU when the two platoon era began. Some of them, like SU have made comebacks but most have had trouble sustaining success: Army, Navy, Maryland, Duke, Georgia Tech, Mississippi, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnestoa, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Texas Christian, Oregon State, Washington, etc. I'd stop short of calling myself a "fan" but when they do well, it tells me SU can do well, too.
I like small college football. My brother went to Hamilton and we used to go to games there, (I remember seeing them play Wagner, which meant I was shocked to see Wagner on SU's schedule last year). But I was always fascinated by those scores in the paper for schools I'd never heard of. The on es who consistently showed up on the left hand side of the column made me wonder how good they really were. When the small colleges tarted having playoffs, I enjoyed watching some of those questions get answered.
The Ithaca Bombers were a local team, (sort of) that did extremely well, going to 8 title games in Division III from 1974-1991 and winning three national championships. They've been good, not great since and I keep waiting for them to make another run at a title. Maybe that era is over?
My cousin became a professor at Delaware but for years before that I followed their program. I wondered what a "Blue Hen" was. But I also noticed that they were traditionally the best mid-level program in the East, winning college division poll championships in 1946, 1963, 1971 and 1972 and playoff championships in 1979 and 2003 and reaching title games in 1978, 1982, 2007 and 2010.
As I've written before I became smitten with North Dakota State back in the 60's when I read an article about them in Sports Illustrated. They've won poll titles in 1965, 1968 and 1969 and playoff titles in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990 and 201`1, 2012 and 2013. I thought they would be rebuilding this year but they smacked Iowa State by 20 points to open the season. It's my dream that someday the Blue Hens and the Bison will meet for the national title.
So, when SU isn't involved, who do you find yourself rooting for?
