He was a star running back for the SMU Mustangs, where he was half of the cel- ebrated “Pony Express” with future NFL Hall-of-Famer Eric Dickerson. He went pro with the New England Patriots and played in Super Bowl XX. Now a college football analyst and instantly recognizable from ABC/ESPN’s college football studio show and Thursday Night Football, Craig James is funny and frank, and knows college football inside and out. You’re in for a great time as he takes you along for an unforgettable behind-the-scenes look at it all. In Game Day, James celebrates the sport America is most passionate about while chronicling the remarkable 2008 season. Courting controversy, he offers a dramatic solution to the BCS problem and reveals all the payoffs, schemes, and battles behind recruiting during the wild days. He takes fans behind the scenes at spring training sessions, where exclusive interviews with coaches such as Pete Carroll and Charlie Weis and players like Tim Tebow from the top-twenty programs show fans just what goes into preparing for the season—and which teams were slated for greatness. He details what makes the best coach—and dares to name his ideal one. He takes fans backstage during the original College GameDay years and walks them through the preparations and prognostications for the season-changing USC–Oregon State game. He explores the importance of rivalries and shows readers how he puts together his rankings and Heisman ballots. And he sits back and tells a whole lot of great stories. Along the way, he shares his thoughts and stories from thirty-plus years in the game, including jaw-dropping encounters with the greats and the crazies—including how Reese Witherspoon put UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel in his place and how James nearly got into a fi stfi ght with former Michigan coach Gary Moeller. From the sweetness of life in small-town Texas, where he rode a tractor through the tomato fi elds with his grandfather, to the wild ride of college football today, where parity and the spread offense keep everyone on the brink, James has tons of great stories to tell. If you love college football, don’t miss a word of Game Day. This lively book will keep you turning pages long after lights-out. Craig James, formerly a running back for SMU and the New England Patriots, is arguably the most visible college football analyst on televi- sion, appearing for ABC and ESPN on Thursday Night Football, as well as Saturday’s college football games and studio shows. (continued from front fl ap) (continued on back fl ap) $25.95 USA/$30.95 CAN Jacket Design: Howard Grossman | 12E Design Jacket Photograph: Courtesy ESPN GAME DAY CRAIG JAMES JAMES GAME DAY A ROLLICKING JOURNEY TO THE HEART OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL “Seeing the college football world through Craig James’s eyes is a treat for any fan of the game. After all, no one has a better perspective on this landscape than a guy who was not only a standout running back at SMU, but also played in a Su- per Bowl and then was the fi rst star of ESPN’s College GameDay. He has literally seen everything and met everyone while playing and covering the sport as it has evolved over the past twenty-fi ve years. He’s the perfect tour guide.” —Bruce Feldman, ESPN.com college football columnist and author of Meat Market: Inside the Smash-Mouth World of College Football Recruiting “With Craig James, you always get opinion and insight in abundance—there’s never a shortage of either. Add in a dash of sharp humor and a dollop of Texas charm, and you have one of the most unique personalities in college football. Viewing the season through his eyes is a real treat.” —Pat Forde, ESPN.com college sports columnist and author of Battle of the Bluegrass: Kentucky, Louisville, and College Basketball’s Most Heated Rivalry “As someone who is lucky enough to spend every college football Saturday with Craig, I can say I don’t know anyone with as much passion not just for the sport but also for the entire culture of college football—the coaches, players, tradition, and most important, the fans. The fall is not just my time to share the stage with Craig but it’s also a time to learn more from him about the game and have more fun watching college football than should be legal.” —John Saunders, ABC Sports and ESPN “Craig is one of the most knowledgeable and entertaining college football ana- lysts on television today, and I know no one can capture the essence and spirit of a college football season better than he can. Game Day is one heck of a book and a must-read for any college football fan from Florida to California and all stops in between.” —Doug Flutie ADVANCE PRAISE FOR GAME DAY ffirs.indd iiffirs.indd ii 7/22/09 11:06:05 AM7/22/09 11:06:05 AM ffirs.indd iffirs.indd i 7/22/09 11:06:04 AM7/22/09 11:06:04 AM ffirs.indd iiffirs.indd ii 7/22/09 11:06:05 AM7/22/09 11:06:05 AM CRAIG JAMES John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ffirs.indd iiiffirs.indd iii 7/22/09 11:06:05 AM7/22/09 11:06:05 AM Copyright © 2009 by Craig James. All rights reserved Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and the author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or war- ranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifi cally disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fi tness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any loss of profi t or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. For general information about our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at www.wiley.com. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: James, Craig, date. Game day : a rollicking journey to the heart of college football/Craig James. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-0-470-47056-5 (cloth) 1. Football–United States. 2. College sports–United States. I. Title. GV950.J36 2009 796.332'63—dc22 2009015964 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ffirs.indd ivffirs.indd iv 7/22/09 11:06:05 AM7/22/09 11:06:05 AM ffirs.indd iiffirs.indd ii 7/22/09 11:06:05 AM7/22/09 11:06:05 AM Dedicated to the men and women of the military, who serve our country with fi erce pride, bravery, and dedication, allowing us the freedoms we have as Americans. Thank you! ffirs.indd vffirs.indd v 7/22/09 11:06:05 AM7/22/09 11:06:05 AM ffirs.indd viffirs.indd vi 7/22/09 11:06:06 AM7/22/09 11:06:06 AM CONTENTS Acknowledgments ix 1 Why I Love This Game 1 2 On Tour 19 3 Thursday Night Football 41 4 The Birth of College GameDay 59 5 It Takes a Coach 79 6 The Wacky World of College Football 99 7 If It’s Broke . . . Fix It! 129 8 You’re Only as Good as Your Last Recruiting Class 149 9 You Can’t Teach Talent 171 10 The Greatest Rivalries 193 11 The Big One 217 Index 233 vii ftoc.indd viiftoc.indd vii 7/22/09 11:06:38 AM7/22/09 11:06:38 AM [...]... second year of pro football Eric was playing for the Los Angeles Rams, and I was with the New England Patriots We were out west in LA getting ready for a secondround playoff game against the Los Angeles Raiders The Rams were playing on Saturday, and we were playing on Sunday So I called Eric and told him I was coming to his game against the Dallas Cowboys Imagine, if you will, me and a few of my Patriots... up UCLA and USC I had to make single trips for a few, like Miami and Texas A& M, because of practice date changes Another huge issue was transportation The only way to pull off this jammed-up schedule and to allow for total freedom and flexibility of time with each school was to fly private For example, at LSU Les Miles let the assistant coaches take the night off to take me to dinner at Sammy’s We ate... big game against the Browns as well as I do the night before the Super Bowl when I played with the New England Patriots against the Chicago Bears in 1986 Trying to go to sleep that night as a ten-year-old boy was next to impossible I was in bed, acting like it was the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Browns of the NFL about to square off on a Saturday morning in Texas—and that I was either a star running... was voted to the Pro Bowl as an alternate In 1985, I started in the Pro Bowl, was voted the Patriots MVP, and was named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year by the Vince Lombardi Committee From day one in pro football, I never once took it for granted It was like being on a victory tour Each day and each game was more than a dream come true I’ve said many times that I was lucky to have played in the. .. touchdown at RFK Stadium against the ’Skins, and I was fortunate to have played the Browns in their original stadium Man, that Browns stadium was old—and the visitors’ locker room was a long way from our sideline So far away that by the time we’d get to the locker room, we had to turn around and go back And the shower room was dirty as all get-out! I was a neat freak about showers and usually packed my... scholarship to play at SMU with me But Chris decided that ice bags and bumps were the wrong path for him, so he chose to play baseball instead, which was a very good decision: he went on to play ten years of major league baseball His football background stayed with him, though, as he had a reputation as a hardass As a matter of fact, one year the San Diego Padres gave him the “Red Ass” award Bro would... important than our football recognition, we’d become lifelong friends I love Eric to this day and am glad to call him a friend I was so proud of him the day he was inducted into the Hall of Fame That tall, skinny kid at the car wash in Sealy went on to become one of the all-time great running backs in the history of the NFL I’ll never forget the run he made our sophomore year at Texas Stadium against the. .. day, my teammates and I stay in touch and are really close I was named Player of the Year in 1978 for the state of Texas after rushing for a state record 2,411 yards I also scored 35 touchdowns that year, as our team went 15–0 and won the state championship, making our freshman-year pledge a reality One of the first big life decisions high school graduates have to make is where they are going to college. .. bunch of Appalachian State players who wanted to prove something to the big guys of Michigan, prove to them they weren’t too small or slow or short as they’d been told when coming out of high school Because of these spread offenses, there has been a heavy emphasis on speed in the college game Being an old man now (as my kids say), I can look back on my childhood and better appreciate the things I did as... will know exactly what I’m talking about here): My freshman year at SMU our head trainer, Cash Birdwell, told a group of us that carbonation from soda was bad for you and would cut your wind Cash said it was better to drink a beer than a soda Unfortunately, we took his advice to heart and tested the cold beer theory! I was eighteen years old when I heard that from Cash, and didn’t have a carbonated drink . best coach—and dares to name his ideal one. He takes fans backstage during the original College GameDay years and walks them through the preparations and prognostications for the season-changing. through the tomato fi elds with his grandfather, to the wild ride of college football today, where parity and the spread offense keep everyone on the brink, James has tons of great stories to tell THE HEART OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL “Seeing the college football world through Craig James’s eyes is a treat for any fan of the game. After all, no one has a better perspective on this landscape than