Tag Archives: Bubba Smith

HORNS WILL BE CRYING A RIVER

I could not bring myself to do a "High-5" College Football Contest video for picks this week.  Normally, I proudly wear my favorite Georgia Bulldogs Original Retro Brand t-shirt and football helmet to ham it up for the camera, but after a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Mississippi State Bulldogs (Georgia now 0-3 in the SEC - are you kidding me???!!!!), I simply could not utter a syllable.  Wasn't it enough to have the Hogs Ryan Mallet rip my heart out last week against the DAWGS before doing it again in his meltdown against the Tide?! Eeesh...

Outside of my sucky pick of Notre Dame over Stanford, and the  "Mallet Meltdown", I did great in my picks last week!  Roughly 50 people (out of 60 entries) picked more games correctly than me - I'm the Georgia Bulldogs of the "High-5" contest!  My running record now stands at 10 -5.  Most entries picked 4 out of 5 correctly, but seemed to get tripped up by the South Carolina - Auburn game.  There were 4 entries (out of 54) who picked all 5 games correctly, and thus we went to a drawing to determine the winner of the FREE Original Retro Brand T-shirt. Ted Turich of Denver, Colorado, was the winner and chose this Michigan State Rose Bowl shirt as his prize.  Here's what Ted had to say after hearing the good news;  "Wow!  That is awesome news!  I cannot believe I won!   First, let me say that I absolutely love Original Retro Brand clothing.  It is the main focus of my style and unbelievably, a sports shirt that my wife loves!  She just requested that I do not get another beer t-shirt ( I already own four)!" Congrats & Thanks Ted!   Before we get to this week's matchups, if  this is your first week playing in the “High-5″ contest, you can see the quick & easy rules in the body of this post.  Now let's get down to business!

GAME 1:  # 21 Texas vs. # 8 Oklahoma - I knew Texas wasn't Texas this year, but who the H*** could have seen UCLA trouncing them in their own crib like they did?  The Sooners had their hands full with the Bearcats and Air Force the past two weeks, and haven't looked so great either.  Regardless, in the 105th meeting of these 2 teams in this "Red River Rivalry", "Give me a T for Trouble (for Texas)"  OKLAHOMA - 35, TEXAS - 28.

GAME 2:  # 11 Wisconsin @ # 24 Michigan State - The Badgers come in 4-0 against NOBODY, and the Spartans ain't no Austin Peay.  The Spartans come in 4-0 against basically NOBODY (sorry Notre Dame) and the Badgers ain't no Florida Atlantic.  Vegas has this as a pick em' for good reason, but I'll go with gang green based on home field advantage, Coach Dantonio being in the press box, and Bubba Smith was my favorite football player of all time (a ridiculous reason for sure; Bubba was NFL's # 1 draft choice out of MSU in 1967).  MICHIGAN STATE - 42, WISCONSIN - 28.

GAME 3:  # 9 Stanford @ # 4 Oregon - I love this Pac-10 palooza.  Many folks saying the Ducks are way overrated.  Yeah, averaging 58 points a game ain't that good.  I bet against Stanford last week and boy did I screw up on that one.  The Tree trounced an apparently good UCLA team on the road a few weeks ago, and just embarrassed the Fighting Irish in another road win.  Sorry Oregon, but  Andrew Luck & the Cardinal are road tested and win at the Duck Pond.  STANFORD - 36, OREGON - 33.

GAME 4:  # 22 Penn State @ # 17 Iowa - Another BIG-10 pick em' the way I see it.  I love the Hawkeyes Adam Robinson near the goal line - he is a BULL.  Ricky Stanzi's stats caught my eye simply because they are bizzare; 99 attempts, 999 yds, 9 TD's.  Hawkeyes dressed to the 9's (Couldn't help myself).  IOWA - 26, PENN STATE - 17.

GAME 5:  # 7 Florida @ # 1 Alabama - The aforementioned "Mallet Meltdown" was my one-sided, sore loser view of what really went down in Arkansas.  BAMA never panicked, and did what Champions do to win.  Did I say not to worry about Mark Ingram?  Eeesh again....  The Gators fumbled their way to victory in their first few contests and looked sloppy, but they are starting to gel, and that means problems for any team they face.  Dare I pick against Alabama for the second week in a row in my upset special?  Dare, I do!  AND I HATE THE GATORS!!  FLORIDA - 28, ALABAMA - 21.

Well I haven't picked all 5 games yet in 3 weeks, but this is my week!  E-mail your picks to andyphyman@gmail.com and let's see what you got suckers!!  Be sure to get them in before kickoff Saturday to be counted.

WILL BITE BAMA

Parting FYI's: Friday's ORB "5 Questions with..." interview features College & NFL Hall of Famer, Lee Roy Selmon - this guy is one of the most humble and extraordinary individuals I've ever had the honor to speak with - just an amazing guy.....Going to see legendary Georgia Coach Vince Dooley at the Touchdown Club of Atlanta this coming Monday (Will be raffling off ORB  T-shirts) in hopes he will bring much needed luck to his alma mater against Colorado.

I really didn't think I'd be wearing my NFL pajama pants and Bubba Smith Colts jersey until Super Bowl Sunday (pants were cut, sewn, and made from 1968 bedspread, curtains, and pillowcase set).  Alas, when I opened up my 5 year old's back-pack this morning, I was reminded by the flier inside that I had an 11am appointment at the Pre-K center today.  It's "GET IN THE GAME & BE THE BEST DAD YOU CAN BE!" week, and my gig was fast approaching.  Jammies.....check, Jersey.....check!

This baby is right up my alley.  Any opportunity for me to spout my sports drivel to anybody, including a group of Kindergartners, and I'M IN THE GAME! I eagerly ran upstairs to my sports-prison,* and started packing and plucking pieces of apparel and memorabilia in a sports-crazed frenzy.  Within minutes, I had a bucket filled with some pretty cool stuff to show the kids.

Proudly pointing out that I had a Colts jersey on to show who I was pulling for in the big game, I thought the kids would find it interesting to know that the Colts originally came from Baltimore.  Not so much.  They were more interested in seeing the bright orange Original Retro Brand Tennessee shirt with the Davy Crockett logo - "That man with the rifle is neato!"   I thought they would find it interesting that Super Bowl quarterback Peyton Manning went to college there, and that Drew Brees went to Purdue.  Not so much.  They preferred to try on the full size 1970 New Orleans Saints and Georgia Bulldog helmets and knock heads (I should have had them all sign a waiver).  Other items that went over well were the 1980's "game-worn" Atlanta Hawks cheer-leading uniform (I would have worn that, but it's a tad snug), the 1970's NFL Gatorade Bottle Cap set, Milwaukee Braves Bobble Head doll, Johnny Unitas - Joe Namath "Timeless Legends" Starting lineup figurines, Shaquille O'Neil doll, Original Retro Brand Georgia & Georgia Tech tees, and a 1920's leather laced-up basketball.

I want to give a big thank you to Mrs. Grove and Mrs. Harner for allowing me the opportunity to come by and spread the sports gospel.  I really, really enjoyed myself, and outside a few slips of boring commentary, I'm pretty sure the kids had a great time too.

* Sports-prison is the best way to describe my home office.  I usually spend 23 hours on the inside, and am surrounded by sports memorabilia I've collected over 40 years.  I'm quite sure it's the only prison I would want to be in.

Two very different games played last night.  The first game between Bowling Green and Idaho, was an exciting back and forth scoring fest that was decided on an all or nothing 2-pt conversion for the Vandals with 4 seconds left to play.  The second game was a blowout for Nebraska over the Arizona Wildcats, who let too many opportunities slip through their hands before things slipped out of control.  The Humanitarian Bowl that featured Idaho and Bowling Green was not part of the Original Retro Brand's 12 BOWLS OF CHRISTMAS CONTEST, but the game was so good, that I had to give props.  With the Wildcats going down to the Cornhuskers in the Holiday Bowl, I was able to go up a game in the win column on my fellow ORB compadres.  Thus the standings look like this:

Andy 8-3         Cassidy 6-5         Marc 5-6         Rick 5-6

My hypocrisy when it comes to the SEC rolls on.  I still firmly believe that the conference is superior overall to the rest, yet as I pick the UCONN Huskies to beat the South Carolina Gameocks in the Papajohns Bowl, it marks the 4th straight bowl game that I'm betting against the SEC (Auburn, LSU, & Florida going down!).  The Huskies played with more heart than any team in the nation this year, even before the tragic death of star Jasper Howard.  After losing so many close games in the waning seconds to the likes of Cincinnati, Rutgers, and Pitt, they were able to beat Notre Dame with the heaviest of hearts in South Bend for the biggest win in school history.  UCONN - 34, South Carolina - 20. (I'm the only staffer picking the Huskies)

Another bowl game featuring an SEC team?   That means another black eye for the conference.  The Oklahoma State Cowboys started their season with an SEC beatdown (My Georgia Bulldogs), and will end the season with another, when they take on the Ole Miss Rebels in the Cotton Bowl.  Both teams started the season ranked in the top ten, but both didn't live up to expectations with the Cowboys losing star receiver Dez Bryant to suspension, and Rebs qb Jevan Snead not living up to his hype.  Both ended the regular season with a thud, getting hammered by in state rivals Oklahoma and Mississippi State.  The Cowboys will have a home field advantage under the eyes of Big Tex at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, so they'll have the edge.  Oklahoma State - 23, Mississippi State - 17. (Cassidy the only staffer picking Ole Miss)

With the firing yesterday of Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, will the Red Raiders show up and "win one for the Gipper," or will they cave to an inferior Michigan State Spartan team in the Alamo Bowl?   They cave.  Michigan State - 24, Texas Tech - 20. (I'm the only staffer picking the Spartans, and that's because my favorite football player ever was a Spartan: Bubba Smith)

That's if for picks until Monday folks, when the winners for Fiesta, Orange and the BCS title game will be revealed.  By then, another dozen games will have been decided, and the ORB 12 BOWLS OF CHRISTMAS standings will have changed drastically.  Tomorrows post will feature the Grand Prize Winner of the "ORB IN ACTION" photo contest, so after you sleep in, be sure to check it out...

HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY-HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

In our 9th installment of College football’s greatest players ever by position, we feature the most intimidating to step on the field - the defensive linemen.   Many will argue that the likes of a salivating linebacker, ala Dick Butkus, hold that crown.   Maybe I'll give the linebackers nasty and mean, but the sack artists in the trenches take the crown for biggest, hairiest, and scariest!

Unlike the 9 lists that proceeded this one, all 10 players on this list have one thing in common; they are all members of the College Football Hall of Fame.  Be sure to click on the link to the Original Retro Brand shirt featured for the team each player suited up for.   Here are the TOP TEN best college football linemen of all time!!

10. Mike Reid, Penn State:  Reid won the Maxwell Award in 1969 for College Football's most outstanding player* in addition to the Outland trophy for outstanding interior lineman.  He recorded 83 tackles for the Nittany Lions and went on to win a Country Music Grammy Award for songwriting in 1985.

9. Jack Youngblood, Florida:  A member of the Gators Ring of Honor, Youngblood holds the Florida team record for sacks with 14 in 1969.  He was named SEC lineman of the year in 1970.  He also kicked field goals and was one of the first players to test Gatorade!  He went on to play 14 years in an NFL Hall of Fame career.

GATORADE KID

8. Bubba Smith, Michigan State:  Bubba was a massive 6'7" 300 pounder (huge for the 1960's) who responded to the Spartan fans constant chant of "Kill, Bubba, Kill!!'   Bubba played in the "Game of the Century" epic 10-10 tie vs. Notre Dame for a share of the National Championship in 1966.  Bubba was the NFL's # 1 First round draft choice by the Baltimore Colts in 1967.  After football, he became famous for his Lite Beer commercials and roles in the comedy movie series, Police Academy.

7. Alan Page, Notre Dame: Led the Fighting Irish to the 1966 National Championship.  He recorded 63 tackles that same year and was a consensus All-American.  Page was more brain than brawn, and earned his law degree at the University of Minnesota at the same time he was playing his way into the NFL Hall of Fame.  Page is now serving his third term as a Justice on the Minnesota State Supreme Court.

6. Ted "The Mad Stork" Hendricks, Miami: Hendricks averaged a staggering 109 tackles per year in his 3 seasons at the "U."  In 1968 he finished 5th in the Heisman voting, unheard of for a defensive player at that time.  The Stork was a math nut, and when he wasn't causing havoc on opponents, he would spend his time relaxing by solving math problems.

5. Billy Ray Smith Jr., Arkansas:  Billy Ray Jr. followed his dad's footsteps as an All-American lineman for the Razorbacks.  The 2 time All-American had 63 tackles for loss during his career.   Like Page and Hendricks, Smith had a brain, and was a regular on the dean's list.  Big, hairy, scary and SMART!

4. Randy "The Manster" White, Maryland:  Was a fullback as a freshman, and by the time he finished his senior year, he had won the Outland trophy as best interior college lineman of the year, as well as the Lombardi award for best lineman/linebacker.  He also won ACC player of the year in 1974 and had his jersey # 94 retired.

3. Lee Roy Selmon, Oklahoma: Selmon led the Sooners to back to back National Championships in 1974 & 1975.  He finished his career with 335 tackles and 40 sacks.  Winner of the Outland trophy and Lombardi Award in 1975.   His Sooner teams finished a combined 32-1-1.  Selmon was another braniac from our list, as he was a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete in 1975.  He also donated 10 hours to volunteer work, every week throughout the course of his career.

2. Bruce "The Sack Man" Smith, Virginia Tech:  Another Outland trophy winner on this list, Smith had an incredible 22 sacks in his junior season and finished his career with 71 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.  The Sack man would end his NFL Hall of Fame career sitting alone atop the sack heep with 200.

# 1 IN THE PITT

1. Hugh Green, Pitt: Green was the first Defensive End to ever win the Maxwell Award in 1980.  He also won the Walter Camp award, and came in second place in the Heisman trophy voting; That was the highest ever for a defensive player until Charles Woodson won the award for Michigan in 1997.  He finished his career with 463 tackles and 53 sacks and had his # 99 retired.

* The Walter Camp, and Heisman Trophy awards are also awarded for most outstanding College player of the year with the Heisman being the most prestigious.

Did I leave anybody off the list?  As usual, the answer is, OF COURSE I DID!

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I have been so excited about the College Football season getting started, that I drove 60 minutes from Cartersville, GA., to the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta  this past Friday, to attend the Annual Georgia Tech Football Kickoff luncheon.    The only problem was that the luncheon was not until THIS FRIDAY!

So as I started my hour drive back home, I started thinking about the upcoming Pick of the Week post ( Purdue Pete shirt for $24!), and how I needed to do some research.   Then I started thinking about the old guys from Perdue like Bob Griese and Leroy Keyes, and that led me to thinking about more old guys from the BIG TEN that I remembered whilst growing up.  Heck, my favorite player of all time went to Michigan State - Bubba Smith.  What I am getting at is....

In the same vein that I have been doing TOP TEN College players by position on a weekly basis,  I will also be presenting my COLLEGE CONFERENCE PREVIEWS on a weekly basis too (won't be previews once the season starts, so more like just talking about)!  Figure I'll start with the BIG TEN since we're talkin' about Purdue Pete n' all.   And this won't be your Mel Kiper, Jr. style preview, either.  I'll simply list the teams in the order I believe they will finish within their conference, and they will be linked to what I believe to be the coolest Original Retro Brand shirt offered for that school. Then I'll add the 2009 difference maker for the team, and my old school favorite player from that team too...just for fun....this is about fun!   So enough of my yackkin' - here is the list!

1. Penn State:  New-QB Daryll Clark   Old School: RB John Cappelletti

2. Michigan State:  New-LB Greg Jones  Old School: DE Bubba Smith

3. Ohio State: New- QB Terrelle Pryor  Old School:  RB Archie Griffin

4. Michigan: New- DE Brandon Graham  Old School: WR Anthony Carter

5. Wisconsin: New-RB John Clay  Old School: C Mike Webster

6. Illinois: New- QB Juice Williams   Old School:  LB Dick Butkus

7. Iowa: New- LB Pat Angerer   Old School: DT Alex Karras

8. Minnesota: New- LB Simoni Lawrence    Old School: DE Carl Eller

9. Northwestern: New- DE Corey Wooten   Old School: DB Fred "The Hammer"  Williamson

10. Purdue: New- DB Torri Williams    Old School: FB Mike Alstott

11. Indiana: New-QB Ben Chappell    Old School:  K  Pete Stoyanovich

So there you have it.   Are we all in agreement?

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