Retweet of the Day - January 8, 2013

Last night, the Alabama Crimson Tide left little shreds of four leaf clovers all over Miami last night, obliterating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 42-14, in the Discover BCS National Championship Game. The competitive portion of the game was over by halftime; Alabama led 28-0.

This leads us to today's retweet, from DosEquisMan Parody (@DosEqiusMan):

"I don't always turn off a #BCSChampionship, but when I do, it's when Alabama plays Notre Dame."

Saban got his "Dos Equis Man" on last night, too.

Image from www.pintrest.com

Behind Every Champion Are a Few Good Ladies

The Hat Trick is going to put a different spin on today's Chick Pic. 1) There will be three ladies, not just one. 2) All three (more or less) are fully clothed.

The University of Alabama repeated as BCS National Champions last night. Two people who caught my eye were the girlfriend and mother of Bama quarterback A.J. McCarron, Katherine Webb and Dee Dee Bonner, respectively. One would expect the big man on campus to have a hot girlfriend but his significant other is a stunning natural beauty. His mom ain't bad looking either considering the he is a college senior and and Ms. Bonner is...well...his mom!

The third lady is Nick Saban's daughter, Kristen Saban. Many of you may have heard about the catfight she was in at her sorority house last year. I didn't see her until last night but LAWD have mercy!

This picture doesn't even do Ms. Webb (left) or Ms. Bonner (right) any justice. 1

Kristen Saban...I see why Nick doesn't relax easily. 2

1) Image from www.al.com
2) Image from www.zetclan.com

All Is Right With The World Again

1

For the seventh consecutive year, the BCS National Championship was won by a Southeastern Conference school, the sixth time in seven years by the SEC champion. The result at the finish line is the same as the result that was expected at the time the starter’s pistol was fired in August. During the journey, the end result was legitimately in doubt for a while.

The Alabama Crimson Tide won its 14^th Associated Press National Championship (including their four BCS National Championships), thrashing Notre Dame, 42-14. Head Coach Nick Saban won his third BCS title in the last four years and his fourth overall. Admitting this makes the LSU purple and gold blood pumping through my veins curdle: Alabama football is a dynasty right now.

DOWNFALL OF THE SEC?

Twelve weeks into the college football regular season, Alabama was reeling after being upset at home by Texas A&M. Bama fell to #4 in the rankings at 9-1, behind #1 Kansas State, #2 Oregon, and #3 Notre Dame, all 10-0. The sports world was abuzz with talk of imminent demise of the SEC vice grip on the national championship, the sportsworld outside of the Southeastern Conference.

The Twittersphere was tweeting to the tune of “Ding Dong The Wicked Witch Is Dead”. Calmly, coolly, methodically, the SEC machine rolled on. The football gods smiled, knowing the little people of the college football world would enjoy some temporary joy and optimism. Then the dominoes fell in order.

The following week, Kansas State was obliterated on national television by unranked Baylor. For the second year in a row, Oregon was rubbed out of contention by losing to a fellow Pac-12 opponent by a field goal, falling to #13 Stanford in overtime, 17-14. With Alabama returning to #2 in the BCS rankings, the path was set for last night’s contest between the Tide and #1 Notre Dame.

Cold but fair.... 2

RETURN OF THE FIGHTING IRISH

Notre Dame is college football’s most storied franchise. However, their last national championship came in 1988 and the Irish had not been in contention for the title heading into their bowl game, by any measure, since 1990. College football’s iconic program fell into a generation long rut of being mediocre to above average. Along comes coach Brian Kelly on his white horse.

Kelly is an offensive mastermind. He helped vault the University of Cincinnati into the national spotlight and the BCS Bowl mix. But the Cincinnati Bearcats’ brand is known more for basketball than football. Being a member of the Big East conference, Kelly reached his ceiling at Cincy. The stars lined up for Kelly to try his hand at returning the Fighting Irish to national prominence.

In 2012, Notre Dame catapulted to the top of the national rankings with a 7-0 start. Ranked #5 in the nation, generations of Notre Dame fans and alums could sense a resurgence of the program to the top of the mountain. Still, there were valid criticisms about the strength of Notre Dame’s schedule and the quality of their wins. Having nipped unranked Purdue early in the season and slipping by unranked peon BYU, 17-14, sports video jockeys had Soul II Soul’s “Back to Life (Back to Reality)” cued up for the Irish’s pending road trip to #8 Oklahoma on October 27^th.

Count me among the naysayers. The Hat Trick was very dismissive of Notre Dame’s chances in Stillwater in the Must See Sports preview for that weekend. By Sunday morning, I and countless others had Nike leather with a side of shoelaces for breakfast. The Irish were for real.

Still, after escaping with their lives in a triple overtime game with mediocre, unranked Pittsburgh, the talk of doubt surface again in the national media. Still, in the BCS era, the quasi-Golden Rule has been that finishing the regular season undefeated will probably give a team a shot at the BCS Championship. Notre Dame held up its end of the bargain and earned a shot at their one moment in time.

Touchdown Jesus is smiling again in South Bend, Indiana. 3 

BOW DOWN

The late Whitney Houston sang the 1988 hit, “One Moment in Time”. Like Ms. Houston, Notre Dame’s 2012 hopes are now part of our cultural past. Alabama was too much for upstart, hopeful Notre Dame.

Bryan Santiago‏ (@Santiago_TPD) tweeted:

“Tonight Notre Dame silence all the haters, and against all odds finish up a perfect season. #IrishSwag”

Rajive Cunningham‏ (@CrimsonDynamoII) tweeted:

"Alabama won't be able to beat Notre Dame because the Irish want it more. A chance at a perfect season? pfft!!"

Before last night’s contest, Rajive and Bryan were among the many who could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Then the Alabama train hit them, with running back Eddie Lacy (140 yds., 1 TD, 7.0 avg.) powering the locomotive. Notre Dame, nonetheless, is back among college football’s powershouses. The Tide rolled once again. And the SEC is still the crown jewel among college football’s power conferences.

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls!

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.

The Daily Hat Trick is sponsored by Sports N Stuff. For great deals on jerseys, shirts, cologne, and other guy stuff, visit http://www.sportsnstuff.biz/.

1) Image from www.thewiseguise.com

2) image from www.bbcboards.net

3) Image from http://blog.ctnnews.com

4) Image from www.al.com

College football is only a month away. Strike up the band. Sing the Alma Mater. Recite the fight song! Saturday gridiron action is almost back!

With 21st century America's pastime right around the corner, and in light of recent developments in college sports, I thought the following article on powerful college coaches would be fitting. This article was submitted to us by Elena Verlee of Online Colleges. The original article can be found on the news blog at http://www.onlinecolleges.net/.

10 Colleges With the Most Powerful Coaches

by Staff Writers

July 17, 2012

Ideally, colleges should be well-known, desirable, and popular because of the high quality of educational resources they offer students and other members of the community. Yet, here in the U.S. that’s not always the case. Many schools’ academic programs are eclipsed by the overwhelming popularity of their sports teams, and for better or worse that has made the coaches and head administrators of these teams incredibly powerful figures that dominate what has now become a billion-dollar industry for colleges and universities.

Often, these college coaches command multi-million dollar salaries that outpace those of any other figures at the school (and the budgets of some entire departments) and may even hold quite a bit of influence over the college president and the direction of the school itself. While some coaches have done a lot to help schools, their athletes, and their image through their influence, others have abused their power and made some pretty poor and sometimes downright appalling decisions. The coaches that follow have been some of the most powerful in recent sports history and are well known for their winning streaks, high profiles, and in some cases, distressingly unprofessional misdeeds.

1. Penn State, Joe Paterno:

   
   Paterno was head coach of the Nittany Lions for almost 46 years and holds the record for the most victories by an NCAA Division I coach. He coached five undefeated teams, won major and memorable games, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007. In short, he was one of the winningest and most powerful figures in college football, yet that power had a dark side, as was revealed in 2011. Paterno was fired from Penn State when it was revealed that he not only had knowledge that assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was abusing young men but actively dissuaded other university officials from reporting him to the authorities. Celebrity, high salary, success, a long tenure, and the support of team boosters and college donors gave Paterno power at the university that he shouldn’t have had, influencing the decisions of the board and the president, making him almost impossible to fire, and ultimately causing harm to dozens of young men that could have easily been prevented. Paterno is perhaps one of the clearest and most saddening examples of a college coach who had too much power for far too long.

2. University of Alabama, Nick Saban:

   
   Those who are outraged by how much university administrators make only need to look at astronomically high coaching salaries to put things into perspective. Nick Saban currently holds the record for the highest salary ever paid to a college coach: $32 million over eight years, with use of a university airplane, two cars, and a country club membership to boot. It’s a testament to his power and status at the university that he was able to command this amount, and in 2008 Forbes called him the “Most Powerful Coach in Sports.” More than his salary, however, gained him this distinction. Saban was given complete control over the football program, including recruiting, coaching, business administration, and even marketing. So far, the investment seems to be paying dividends to the university, with a profit of $32 million in his first year of coaching alone and bringing in even more through donations from alumni and school supporters.

3. Ohio State, Jim Tressel:

   
   Think college coaches aren’t really all that powerful? Jim Tressel admitted in 2010 that he had knowledge of his players taking money and tattoos from a drug dealer, concealed this information and did not report it to authorities, let these players start in games, and after all that was defended by the university president for these actions. In fact, Ohio State president Gordon Gee stated that, “I’m just hopeful the coach doesn’t dismiss me.” Gee may have been joking, but there is some distressing truth in his statement about the skewed balance of power in college sports today. Despite his improper actions, Tressel still had the support of the school and the community, with fans showing up at a pep rally to support him. While he was ultimately allowed to resign (a controversial decision in itself), his reputation doesn’t seem to be as tarnished as it should have for his actions, and he now works at the University of Akron as a vice president.

4. Indiana University, Bobby Knight:

   
   Bobby Knight has worked for a number of college teams in his coaching career, each time helping the teams to turn around and become winners, most famously at Indiana where he led the Hoosiers to numerous championships, won several Coach of the Year honors, and was even asked to coach the U.S. Olympic team. Yet Knight is as famous for his fits of temper as his high win count. During his tenure at Indiana he spewed profanities during an NCAA tournament news conference; kicked his son, an IU assistant, and responded with a four-letter obscenity to Indiana fans behind him who booed; refused to let his team finish an exhibition game against a Soviet team; and even purportedly choked one of his players. During all of this bad behavior, Knight was never under any threat of being fired by university president John Ryan who said he couldn’t fire Knight because of the alumni. In fact, it wasn’t until Ryan was replaced as president that Knight was ousted, with Myles Brand making a name for himself at the university for those actions. However necessary, Brand would face outrage, protests, and even threats for his actions, which in retrospect were long overdue and well within his power.

5. Florida State, Bobby Bowden:

   
   Bobby Bowden is one of the most decorated coaches in college sports history, winning an impressive 389 games (though some of those wins were vacated after it was revealed that ineligible players were on the field). Bowden may have an impressive record, but he’s another coach who held perhaps a little too much sway at his college. In 2008 the head of the Board of Trustees asked Bowden to step down in light of recent losses and Bowden’s advanced age (at the time, he was turning 80). Bowden responded that he would let them know if he wanted to come back or not, publicly demonstrating for all to see who was really in control of the situation. Even the governor of Florida announced that he supported Bowden if he chose to return to coach and that he considered him one of the greatest coaches of all time, wishing him luck for the season. Bowden would eventually retire on his own terms, but his power over the university and the community makes him stand out as one of the most influential coaches to ever work in college sports.

6. University of Louisville, Rick Pitino:

   
   The only coach to ever lead three separate teams to the Final Four, Rick Pitino was a college sports heavy hitter, a fact that was also evidenced by his incredible $7,531,378 a year salary. Yet his position at the school, perhaps cemented by this winning history, was so solid that even a major scandal couldn’t shake it. Despite his contract stating that Pitino could be fired for “acts of moral depravity or misconduct that damage the university’s reputation,” he held onto his job after it was discovered that he had sexual relations with a woman in a Louisville restaurant then paid her to have an abortion and keep quiet about the tryst. Those actions may have done damage to the university’s reputation, but university president James Ramsey decided that the damage would be worse if the school lost Pitino, allowing him to stay on as coach. After this year’s winning season and healthy prospects for next year, Ramsey probably feels pretty justified in that decision, though he’s made it quite clear where the university’s priorities lie.

7. University of Florida, Urban Meyer:

   
   Urban Meyer is in the top echelon of college coaches when it comes to salary, pulling in a contract with the University of Florida that promised him a whopping $24 million over six years. He has since moved on to Ohio State, where he commands $4 million a year, bonuses, and the use of a private jet. Unlike many others on this list, Meyer has generally held himself above many of the problems that have affected other powerful college teams, a big part of what helps him command such a high salary. Yet when he resigned from Florida in 2009, some pointed to serious problems with the team, including drug use, preferential treatment, entitlement, and scholarship manipulation. Meyer has denied these allegations, but with misbehavior and rule violations so prevalent in college sports and kept so deeply under wraps by embarrassed schools, it may never be known what truly happened.

8. Duke University, Mike Krzyzewski:

   
   Sometimes just called Coach K, this Duke coach has led his team to four NCAA championships, 11 Final Fours, 12 ACC titles, and 13 ACC championships. He’s also the coach of the men’s national basketball team, winning gold at the 2008 summer Olympics and hoping to lead this year’s team to a repeat victory. For his expertise, he’s paid pretty well, pulling in a whopping $4,195,519 during the 2010-2011 season. What’s more, he seems to have thus far avoided many of the scandals that have plagued other high-profile coaches, instead being better known for helping ensure almost all of his players graduate. He did raise eyebrows with recent comments in defense of Paterno, stating that the iconic coach’s record of winning shouldn’t be wiped clean because of recent revelations of misconduct. Many have found this distressing, as it reflects and increasingly common attitude that gives winning games more importance than doing the right thing.

9. University of Connecticut, Geno Auriemma:

   
   So far, all the coaches on this list have been for men’s sports, but there are some women’s sports coaches who stand out for their power on college campuses as well. Geno Auriemma is one of those coaches. He has led the Huskies to seven NCAA Division I championships, won six Naismith College Coach of the Year awards, and is the head coach of the U.S. women’s national team in this year’s Olympic games. He has long enjoyed a rivalry with Pat Summitt of the University of Tennessee, with each vying to coach the best women’s basketball teams. While Auriemma has largely enjoyed a spotless record at UConn, a recent lawsuit may tarnish that, as an NBA official for the Olympics claims Auriemma harassed her and then had her fired. The allegations may be proven to be false, but for now many are hoping that the legal trouble doesn’t distract Auriemma from coaching the women’s team to victory.

10. University of Tennessee, Pat Summitt:

    
    As unfair as it may be, women’s sports often don’t get as much attention on college campuses, nor do their coaches. Yet Pat Summitt made a name for herself during her tenure at the University of Tennessee coaching the Lady Volunteers basketball team. She is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA history in either men’s or women’s basketball, for all divisions. During her time at Tennessee, Summitt led her team to eight national championships, earning 1,098 victories during her 38 years as coach, and never once having a losing season. In both 1997 and 2000, Tennessee asked Summitt to coach the men’s team, an unprecedented move, but Summitt declined the offer, opting to stick with the women’s team. She was so well-regarded as a coach that she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012 by Barack Obama. That’s a kind of power and prominence that no other coach on this list can match.

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls!


To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info. 
The Daily Hat Trick is sponsored by Sports N Stuff. For great deals on jerseys, shirts, cologne, and other guy stuff, visit http://www.sportsnstuff.biz/.

Collision Course

The Tigers of Louisiana State University and the Alabama Crimson Tide are long time rivals, with decades of history, in the Southeastern Conference. To date, both teams are undefeated in the 2011 college football season. As of this week, LSU is ranked #1 in the Associated Press poll; Alabama is #2.

LSU and Bama meet on November 5th in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. This could legitimately be billed the game of this young century should both teams remain undefeated. The survivor of this collision will be the odds on favorite to win the BCS National Championship.


THE MAD HATTER

LSU Head Football Coach Les Miles has become a favorite topic among national pundits. His unorthodox methods of winning games and unusual habits, such as chewing grass, and the manner in which he rests his hat on his head have distinguished Miles among his peers in college football. The Daily Hat Trick has compared Miles' to eccentric but savvy Disney character Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. For all of Miles’ oddities and eccentricities, he has assembled one of the most talented groups of football players in the century-plus history of the LSU football program.

LSU’s defense has absolutely smothered its opponents this season. In spite of having faced three ranked opponents away from Tiger Stadium, LSU has allowed fewer than 13 points per game this season and a nearly invisible 2 yards per opponent’s rushing attempt. While trying to run the ball against the Tigers is a bad idea, attempting to stop the Tigers from running has been futile.

LSU averages 173 rushing yards and close to three rushing touchdowns per game. Their three headed monster of Spencer Ware (323 yards, 4.0 avg., 3 TDs), Michael Ford (322 yards, 5.3 avg., 6 TDs), and Alfred Blue (148 yards, 4.4 avg., 3 TDs) have been unsolvable and unstoppable. Even if one man can be slowed down, another can be brought into the game with a fresh pair of legs to further batter the opponent.


Captain Hatter? 1

 RISING TIDE

In five years as LSU Head Football Coach, current Alabama coach Nick Saban brought LSU’s football program to the ranks of the elite by delivering a BCS National Championship following the 2003 season and leaving the program as a perennial Top 10 team and SEC championship contender. Since becoming the Head Coach at Alabama, Saban has returned the Tide to its historically elite status by delivering a championship following the 2009 season. Saban’s shadow looms large over the pending matchup.

Alabama is fueled by a defense equally capable of forcing an opponent to succumb to offensive asphyxiation as LSU. Bama allows 1.5 yards per carry and just over 8 points per game, best in the nation. Bama has only allowed a single rushing touchdown all season. Last week, in the blowout win over Florida, the Tide held Gators’ senior running back Chris Rainey, who still averages 5.6 yards per carry this season, to an invisible 4 yards on 11 carries.

Bama has its own steamroller in the backfield in the form of junior running back Trent Richardson (622 yards, 6.5 avg., 10 TDs). Richardson has been the workhorse in an Alabama backfield that has completely pounded its opponents for 230 rushing yards per game. When your opponent cannot run and cannot stop the run, you are all but invincible if you do not make any colossal mistakes.

Good luck stopping Trent Richardson. These four guys couldn't. 2

HEAD ON COLLISION

The stakes are often high when LSU and Alabama meet, but possibly never as high as they may be on November 5th. Assuming both teams are still undefeated (which is never a guarantee in the SEC), the SEC Western Division championship will hang in the balance, and likely the SEC Championship as a whole.

Regardless of any shuffling that may take place between LSU, Alabama, and #3 Oklahoma in the next month, the winner of this game will all but certainly have the #1 ranking in the following week. And with a #1 ranking and the inside track on the SEC championship, comes the inside track for the BCS National Championship. LSU and Alabama are on a winner-takes-all collision course.

Part V: To be decided in Tuscaloosa! 3

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls!

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.

The Daily Hat Trick is sponsored by Sports N Stuff. For great deals on jerseys, shirts, cologne, and other guy stuff, visit http://www.sportsnstuff.biz/.

1) Image compiled from multiple sources, cited in the The Daily Hat Trick on 10/8/2010.
2) Image from bleacherreport.com
3) Image from al.com