1) 12/17/08 - The Road (Sky) to Salem;
2) 12/18/08 - Cold Weather, Warm Reception;
3) 12/19/08 - A Night of Celebrations;
4) 12/19/08 - Meet the Teams (and Miss Virginia); or
5) 12/20/08 - With Nine Hours to Go.]

Since I wrote my first blog entry on an airplane heading toward Salem, it’s only fitting that I begin to write the last “Sideline Guy” entry from the plane ride I’m taking from Dulles Airport to Laguardia Airport. It’s tough to fit in all of the stories from the day in one entry, but I have plenty of them to share with you and am writing this over the period of a day.

I didn’t fall asleep until about 4:00am on the night before the big game because of the adrenaline that I had been experiencing through much of the week. Unfortunately, that meant I was ripe for a rough morning since we were aiming to leave for the parking lot by 7:30am. After falling out of bed and getting dressed up for the sidelines, we were ready to roll. Gordon Mann, Ryan Tipps and I threw together our equipment within 45 minutes and began broadcasting our pregame show at 9:00am.

I have to be honest – our 90 minutes of the show flew by. The weather cooperated (the temperature hovered around 50 degrees until the fourth quarter and no rain fell), and the crowd began filing into the parking lot around the same time. My favorite moment of the show is when Mr. Allison, a Whitewater fan who had his tailgating station set up nearby our pregame set, asked if we wanted some of what he was serving. I motioned for him to bring us some – and much to my surprise, he brought us steamed oysters on the half-shell with cocktail sauce! Now, granted, I didn’t have any breakfast and had no time to really eat before manning the sidelines, so I threw caution to the wind and ate my share. It was a good choice, because I didn’t eat again until 4:00pm. Thanks Mr. Allison and to your crew for thinking of us this morning.

Now, unlike the events I wrote about earlier in the week, this was actually my second Stagg Bowl game day. However, having spent a few days with many of the participants made Saturday feel extremely different from the start. When I walked the Whitewater sideline, I heard a lot of hooting and hollering above me from a few Bridgewater fans. Next thing I know, they’re chanting my old college nickname that has made its rounds on the message boards, “Frank the Tank! Frank the Tank!” That took me by surprise, but it was amazing how many people today took time out to say hello to me – even people I met only briefly this week. I kept harping on the family aspect of the game and related events this week, but I can’t overstate how true it really is.

My feet were killing me after the game because I kept walking both sidelines a lot more than I did last year. I wanted to gain the feelings on both sidelines during their offensive and defensive possessions – and gauge what factor the crowd played at times. My only gripe about the crowd was from the Whitewater side of the field early in the game, although it was an isolated incident. After failing to convert in an early possession, Whitewater quarterback Jeff Donovan came over to talk with his offense on the benches when a small group of Whitewater fans got on him a bit, barking out some negative statements concerning his play on that drive apparently in the name of motivation. Donovan, who always is smiling when I see him, lost that smile from his face – and I think other fans noticed. The next words I heard from the crowd a few seconds later were positive toward Donovan who nodded and smiled once others in that area applauded and repeated those comments. These players will hear enough criticisms from their coaches throughout the day – although, that’s part of a coach’s job, not the fans’ jobs. The sudden expectation of championship wins on the part of some Whitewater fans needs to remain positive in order to be productive.

There were a lot of laughs had and memories created on the sidelines – like when the Mount Union mascot decided to try to fake me out about losing my iPhone on the ground (yeah, I’m gullible since that was how I was getting my feed to the Press Box). Other memories include when I admitted to Springfield Head Coach and Selection Committee member Mike DeLong that I was nervous to interview Mount Union Head Coach Larry Kehres at halftime (I know Coach Kehres has a certain dislike of the mundane “how is your team playing” questions since those answers should be obvious and are a waste of his time). DeLong assured me that, as a fellow East Region guy, he had my back if anything happened. Well, Coach Kehres was a great interview at halftime, as was Coach Leipold after I broke the 100-meter dash record to get across the field before halftime was over to interview him (it was wind-aided, so I don’t get in the record book).

One of the roles of a sideline guy is to report on injuries to either team’s players, and there were about three injuries of any importance all day that I saw. The amazing thing to me was watching these hobbled players insist on getting back out onto the field. Obviously, the training staffs checked out their players fully before allowing such a return, but these players proved to me that no matter how many Stagg Bowls they have played, each one is just as important to them as the last. Coach Leipold spoke Friday at the luncheon about how his team, though appearing in their fourth consecutive Stagg Bowl, does not take the appearances for granted. After watching the sidelines on Saturday, I can confirm that message for both teams.

The best memories of the day, however, came from the post-game award ceremony. Mount Union looked like a team that had won their first Stagg Bowl ever. It was a team that really wanted to end the careers of quarterback Greg Micheli and running back Nate Kmic with the fitting conclusion – and they worked hard, even in the face of a Whitewater comeback, to do just that. When I interviewed Micheli Thursday after the Gagliardi Award ceremony, he was smiling and relieved that the speech portion of an individual award was over. Saturday, when I tracked him down on the field post-victory, he was elated, modest and team-oriented with everything I asked him. Yet, I know that there is an enormous level of personal satisfaction he derived from being able to get the “walnut and bronze” back in the hands of his team. I had never been a real Micheli fan prior to this year’s Stagg Bowl week – not that he had done anything negative, but because his per-game passing stats were never something that jumped out at me and his demeanor seemed somewhat quietly overconfident. I hate admitting when I’m wrong… I especially hate admitting when I’m completely out of my mind. This was one of those occasions – his modesty isn’t overconfidence, but rather, it is truly who he is. He hates the spotlight, and he just lets his arm do most of the talking. And when you look at his per-season and career statistics, you realize that his arm never shut up over the last couple years. Micheli is a true role model – and I hope there are a lot of young players that will learn from his example.

After the postgame interviews, I headed upstairs and reflected for a while as the D3football.com crew put the finishing touches on their stories, photos and the broadcast. I was one of those people this year who was really exhausted at the end of the regular season because of the level of travel I put in covering Union College’s away games for the radio from an average of 1,300 miles away this year (all that while being a full-time student). I’m not looking for kudos, but rather, I’m trying to give an example of the fatigue level that all of us in D3football.com end up with by the end of the season because of the amount of work and travel we put into Division III Football coverage. Yet, I was reinvigorated on Saturday and throughout the week. My energy level was well beyond what it’s been in the last month thanks to the energy and positive regards I received from the players, coaches, fans, families and many of you readers (and, of course, Miss Virginia 2008, Tara Wheeler). I now understand what drives Pat Coleman and the rest of the D3football.com crew to do this every year, and I realize how lucky I was to be in Salem and Roanoke this week.

Some quick words of thanks are due here to Brad Bankson (ODAC Commissioner), J.J. Nekeloff (Asst. ODAC Commissioner and ODAC Sports Information Director), Sara Rechnitzer (ODAC Intern) and Carey Harveycutter (Director of Salem Civic Facilities) – these were the folks who really painstakingly made sure this week went off without any hitches. You succeeded and deserve much more than this brief mention, folks. Also, thanks to Kyle in the Press Box elevator, who always made sure we were walking around with a smile on our faces, and to the entire crew at the Stagg Bowl Stadium for keeping the facilities in tip-top shape, even in the wind, rain and cold weather we experienced throughout the week.

So, this ends the “Sideline Guy” blog for this year – although, let me pass on one final story. On my way home Saturday night, I got on the plane from Dulles to NYC to find the entire Iona Mens’s Basketball team on the plane heading for home. I sat next to the Gaels’ freshman guard Kyle Rawson and had a nice conversation with him after the Gaels’ defeat at Ohio State Saturday. We hit the topic of football, when I brought up the fact that Iona disbanded its football program. Kyle told me that there was still a lot of anger about the decision, although I’ve understood that the travel costs Iona faced after several local FCS teams disbanded their programs made the decision necessary for Iona. I received a good closing lesson from this encounter related to the value of Division III Football programs and what they can do to add a sense of pride and commitment toward the schools that have them. Sure, Division III Football can create Title IX (gender equity) issues because of the male/female athletics ratios that must be maintained by such schools that have programs. However, when you see 104 young men represent their schools as well as Mount Union and Whitewater players did this week, you understand why football is such an important staple in American colleges and universities today, especially those in Division III. It was a fitting end to a tremendous week.

1) 12/17/08 - The Road (Sky) to Salem;
2) 12/18/08 - Cold Weather, Warm Reception; or
3) 12/19/08 - A Night of Celebrations.]

Quick update direct from the Press Box overlooking Willis White Field, home of the Stagg Bowl. I’m going through a post-lunch lull right now after a great lunch reception put together by Salem and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference that introduced the teams, coaches and members of the NCAA inside the Salem Convention Center’s basketball arena. It was a great setup and really good food – I certainly haven’t gone hungry since arriving on Wednesday night.

While I’d love to go on and on about the teams and coaches and that part of the program, I have a story that tops all of that. When we walked into the arena for lunch, Miss Virginia 2008, Tara Wheeler, was there to meet and greet the participants. She seemed sweet, but we continued on toward the table area. Since we were a little later than we had hoped (my bad), we had to push toward the front tables and found a table with five empty chairs (we had three people from D3Football.com). As Pat Coleman reached to pull out a chair, I noted to him that a chair that is leaning on the table generally denotes a “saved” seat. There were only two of those, though, so we sat in the remaining three chairs. The program began and Miss Virginia did a great job singing the National Anthem. Next thing we know, she and one of the executive directors made their way to the saved chairs at our table! Yes, I stopped Pat from stealing the chair from Miss Virginia – a former Penn State ice hockey goalie who might have beaten him up for that chair. Yes, I saved Pat from certain destruction – and ensured that Ryan Tipps and I had a very pleasant lunch guest with whom we could discuss sports and pageants. I now have a new favorite for the 2009 Miss America Pageant – and I have the picture to prove it (click here).

Oh, wait, there’s a football game tomorrow! I almost forgot. Keegan Brennan, UW-Whitewater linebacker, spoke on behalf of his team and knocked the ball out of the park with his remarks – a great mixture of comedy, modesty and thanks. Greg Micheli spoke on behalf of Mount Union. After my interview with him last night, I knew that he would keep his comments poignant but brief – and he didn’t disappoint. It was a great job done by both guys.

The honest impression you come up with when you see both sets of starters lined up in front of you is that both of these teams look very young. That’s a credit to these teams because remember, we’re at the championship game right now. That’s a word of warning to the other couple hundred teams in Division III, as these teams may be around for some time to come. Work hard in the offseason, guys.

It’s time to break my lull and help Pat, Gordon Mann and Keith McMillan get the shows (pregame and actual NCAA.com broadcast) together for tomorrow (Pat’s beginning to wonder why I’m hiding in the corner, typing like a madman). So, hopefully I’ll update you once more tonight before we go on the air at 9am EST tomorrow with our pregame show. We all hope you can listen.

The official portion of our first day in Salem ended with the awarding of the Gagliardi Trophy to Greg Micheli. The reception included both teams and their coaching staffs, as all of this weekend’s participants celebrated one player’s great achievements.

A lot of people want to try to compare the Gagliardi Trophy with the Heisman Trophy, but there are many differences that, I feel, make the Gagliardi concept superior. First, the criteria for the award include factors that make the recipient a well-balanced individual, not just a great football player. The award has been nicknamed the ”Academic Heisman” because of its emphasis on a player’s classroom performance, but a player’s service record is also considered in the balloting. This is an appropriate measure because, as we always point out on the air, the odds are greater than 99.9 percent that Division III Football players will not play at the next level – making the other aspects of their collegiate experience as or more important than their participation in the sport of football. This, too, is why the award is presented only to a senior – so that the player’s entire academic and athletic careers can be evaluated, not just a portion of each.

What jumped out at me about Micheli’s resume wasn’t the 2008 season pass efficiency rating he’s compiled (which was amazingly over 200), but his 3.84 GPA at Mount Union – in his mathematics and physics double major. This guy’s got brains and tremendous career potential, and in the interview I did with him after he received the Gagliardi Trophy (included below), he discusses his plans for after graduation.

The other thing that makes the Gagliardi Trophy superior is that the ceremony is crisp. From the beginning of dinner to the final speech took about 90 minutes – the ceremony seemed to fly by. It’s not that I was excited to just be done with the ceremony; instead, the efficiency of the ceremony allowed me to retain focus as to why we gathered together with our Division III colleagues to celebrate. The only shortcoming I can find is that there is no suspense at the actual ceremony – the winner is announced about a week before the ceremony – and the suspense could create a celebration of a few more very deserving players that we should honor. This point could be debated either way, but the St. John’s “J Club,” the Salem Rotary Club and Jostens should be proud of the job they did tonight in celebrating Micheli’s career.

Upon returning to our hotel, we joined some members of the NCAA Selection Committee, fans and media in the hospitality room. The night came full circle as we all kicked back and discussed the day and the season, as the son of Coach Gagliardi, St. John’s Offensive Coordinator Jim Gagliardi, sat and talked football with us for a decent amount of time. What became clear was that while his father is truly a fixture at St. John’s who exemplifies the values of Division III Football and coaching in any division, Coach Gagliardi’s bloodlines contain that same extreme passion, understanding and love for the sport. It gave me a better perspective as to why the Gagliardi Trophy was named after Coach Gagliardi beyond the fact that he holds the record for wins by a Division III coach. Like I said about the coaches’ interviews we performed earlier in the day, these moments humanize the figures in this division with whom we might not have much personal contact during the actual seasons. Tonight furthered this point.

So, I go to bed tonight thinking about the celebration of two careers I witnessed tonight – one career that will begin to head in a different direction after Saturday and one career that has helped pave the way for the first man to have memories that will never be forgotten. Congratulations to Greg Micheli, and thank you to Coaches Gagliardi, both father and son.

My first full day in Virginia has started very well, although, as some have pointed out after my first blog entry, the weather has become suspect. More on that in a bit, but first, an update to the map since last I updated you here.

Last night, I waited in Dulles Airport for Pat Coleman to finish his day job and tripped onto a Washington, D.C., staple, Five Guys, for a makeshift lunch/dinner. I now understand the hype that I’ve heard – “cheap eats” that make a burger lover happy. For me, this trip is about accentuating the positives, so Five Guys gets high marks on the karma scale to kick things off (granted, my diet is deteriorating down here with the hotel cookie and the greasy food, but New Year’s resolutions don’t start for another couple weeks…). When Pat picked me up, we headed down to Roanoke without incident (meaning, no fights about the music choice). By the time we got settled in at the hotel, it was bedtime for me after a long day of travel.

This morning, I woke up pretty early without any problem – I think I have a little adrenaline running through my veins with the Stagg Bowl approaching. The daytime hours involved two events; the first was interview sessions with both teams, and the second was watching both teams practice on the actual Stagg Bowl field. Interviews with the coaches present some instant contrasts when you compare the two men. For Whitewater, Coach Lance Leipold comes across a little reserved but very warm – an easy guy to talk to, and someone who you know bonds well with his team. For Mount Union, Coach Larry Kehres comes across more as a stoic authority figure at first – very direct with his answers, but very open about his feeling about certain topics. In fact, Coach Kehres was more fun to speak with after the official interview, as he became anecdotal (for instance, we know now that he’s a “Criminal Minds” fan on CBS based on some post-interview comment he made). This is the type of thing you don’t get to see on game day or from conference calls with the teams; it truly humanizes the men who have become household names in Division III households over the last couple years.

We also had a chance to briefly speak with Mount Union senior running back phenom Nate Kmic, who can’t even explain himself why other teams have trouble tackling him (aside from crediting his offensive line). Let me be honest: if the Mount Union offensive line blocked for unathletic 5’9”, 160-pound me, maybe I’d average two or three yards per carry – not eight. Kmic is modest, but I know, like all of you, that he has a talent that can’t easily be measured – especially since he comes across as unimposing when you meet him in street clothes for the first time.

The interview session was a good time – and a chance for me to confirm that Pat Coleman is the equivalent of “Norm” from “Cheers” in Salem (except, without the alcoholic intake on a perpetual basis and much thinner). He might be able to run for mayor around here, although Coach Kehres might be able to run a close race against him.

The daytime hours closed with both teams practicing. I won’t get into specifics about what the teams did on the field as the practices are not for public consumption. However, I was able to place faces with a lot of the names that play major roles in Division III Football on the sidelines, including Selection Committee Chair Dick Kaiser and many of the Committee members. It was also great to see a man I interviewed after the Warhawks’ win last year, former head coach Bob Berezowitz, who stays very much involved with Whitewater Athletics (that’s a good thing with his wisdom surrounding the team to this day). We all braved the rain on the sidelines in 50-degree temperatures to watch the teams prepare, and there were plenty of stories being shared by everyone. The weather today was not as bad as the weather we experienced during the 2007 Stagg Bowl (which was about ten degrees colder with a more persistent rain), but it also provides a preview of the weather forecasters believe we will see this Saturday (my big ears can’t wait).

So, Thursday at the Stagg Bowl isn’t so much about the families and the fans as it is about the teams, the media and the NCAA role players that helped to get us to this point this season. Now that today’s practices are over, we will move into a transition point – tonight’s Gagliardi Trophy presentation reception – when families and fans begin to become more integral in the process. Mount Union quarterback Greg Micheli will receive the honor – no surprise there as his play on the field and grades and service off the field are tremendous feats. I’ll discuss this ceremony more later. In the meantime, it’s time to get ready for the reception – but all in all, I just wanted to say that today’s experiences have made me understand a bit more that a lot of people care a lot about the promotion of Division III Football and the values it promotes. I felt part of a bigger family today based on the work we do in Salem – and I’ve been treated like family all day.

The only letdown in 2007 was that I spent a total of 24 hours in the Salem/Roanoke area, half of which was consumed sleeping after the game was over and five hours were on the air. I asked Pat Coleman if I could renew my role as sideline commentator for this year’s game, but on one condition: that I could enjoy the entire Stagg Bowl experience. Pat agreed, and I’m writing this blog entry from my flight from Fort Lauderdale Airport to Washington-Dulles Airport. In a few hours, Pat will meet me, and we’ll begin the 3 1/2-hour trek to Roanoke.

Among the events that I am looking forward to are the awarding of the Gagliardi Trophy, meeting the teams and coaches, meeting the families of the players and enjoying the area that has become the long-time home of the Stagg Bowl. As the week and weekend continue, I’ll update you with the activities in which I partake for those of you that can’t make it to Salem for the first couple days — or who unfortunately can’t make it at all.

Let me end this entry with my take on this year’s game as I head into the conclusion of the first leg of my trip to Salem. Yes, it’s a rematch of the same teams for the fourth straight Stagg Bowl — and that fact is getting a lot of play among Division III Football fans. However, what people are forgetting is that UW-Whitewater beat Mount Union in 2007. No matter how hot Mount Union has come into and through the playoffs this year, they still haven’t dethroned the defending National Champions. In many ways, for the first time in this heated rivalry, the pressure is on the Purple Raiders. Sure, my belief is that Whitewater has had more trouble than Mount Union in the playoffs to this point, but the score is still zero-zero right now until we kick things off Saturday.

Am I disappointed with the rematch? Initially I was concerned — but the more I have thought about it, the more I realize that these two teams deserve to be playing in front of a national crowd this year. We have a playoff system to force the teams to earn their path to a championship — instead of basing it to a large degree on teams’ reputations. I’d rather have this rematch than have a dissatisfied taste in my mouth after the fact that the winner might not REALLY be the best team in the land.

This should be an exciting and fun week. I hope you join me as I update you on my experiences at least once a day — maybe more if time allows. Feel free to comment with any Salem stories, recommendations on what I should do with my down time this week, or assessments on the big game, and I’ll try to respond as I can.