Gundy’s right: Football pre-game is no time for detente
Can't locate a good pre-game brawl photo. But while we're on the subject of sportsmanship, here's a nice shot from the Clemson-South Carolina game/brawl in 2004 (video below).
The American Football Coaches Association recently recommended that players shake hands before their opening games this weekend. I’m happy to say that a motion to also sing songs, sign each others’ yearbooks (”Hope you had a bitchin’ summer! Rock on!”) and make plans to go bowling on Tuesdays was defeated.
Oklahoma State Mike Gundy might be one taco short of combination plate. But he’s justified when he said he’s concerned about the thought of his players shaking hands before the Georgia game on Saturday in Stillwater. He fears bringing so many players together on the field before kickoff could lead to a brawl. And he’s right.
Question: Have any of you ever seen a football player before a game? I have. Most of them are in their own little world — worlds that fortunately don’t exist anywhere near our world. I’m not saying all players punch lockers or run head first into walls after chugging six Red Bulls to wash down a half-bottle of “happy pills.” But enough do to create, well, a delicate situation.
You bring 150 football players together at midfield, you might as well have music from “Westside Story” start playing over the PA.
I have had NFL players tell me, “We’re crazy. Even we know we’re crazy.” The only reason I wasn’t scared was because it was a Wednesday at the time.
The AFCA believes pre-game handshakes would promote sportsmanship. I’ve got a better idea. Have everybody shake hands after the game — like they do following hockey playoff series and little league baseball games. (Maybe the winning team can even sing that “2-4-6-8, who do we appreciate!” song, then throw their helmets up in the air. Sorry. Just reminiscing from my playing days at Rancho Park in L.A., where, by the way, O.J. Simpson now golfs. Wonder if he shakes hands with others in his foursome?)
Alabama-Auburn. Georgia-Florida. Florida-Tennessee. Oklahoma-Texas. Kurds-Shiites. Yeah. Pre-game handshakes. What a great idea.
Should players line up in a straight line, or would the AFCA prefer a calculated placement, like “Stratego?”
USC and Notre Dame had a brief skirmish 45 minutes before the game last season.
Have cheerleaders and tuba players shake hands. Have kickers shake hands. I don’t want my right defensive end anywhere near their left tackle.
Clemson and South Carolina rumble in 2004
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174 comments Add your comment
Saint Simons
September 2nd, 2009
11:28 am
45 – 42 !!!!!!!!!!!!! hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Mike Gundy
September 2nd, 2009
11:30 am
I am A MAN !!!
I am not a kid !!!!
These are good kids !!!
You don’t pick on them !!!
You pick on me instead !!!
I am A GROWN MAN !!!
I can take it !!!
Saint Simons
September 2nd, 2009
11:31 am
Osu will laugh at uga’s Jerry Springer fans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Spike
September 2nd, 2009
11:32 am
I think “THE I”M 40, I’M A MAN!!” Gundy is kind of losing it slowly. Just sayin.
Bama Aaron
September 2nd, 2009
11:36 am
Stupid, stupid idea… you’ve got 85 kids on each team psyching themselves up to knock the crap out of each other for an hour and you want them to play nice before the game? I’m sure they meant well in thinking this up, but at some school (probably many) this will go bad.
BobDog
September 2nd, 2009
11:38 am
I thought OJ was in prison. What’s he doing on the golf course.
You’re right about the hand shaking. There are going to be a lot of pre-game fights.
Murray County Indian
September 2nd, 2009
11:46 am
Gundy is crazy! Just because we recruit classless thugs that don’t go to class (thanks Jan Kemp), doesn’t mean we are gonna try to start a fight before the game. We will cheap shot and late hit ‘em like we did in our games last year.
They aren’t calling that stuff anymore are they?
Doctor Feelgood
September 2nd, 2009
11:47 am
Precautions against the swine flu is another good reason. Football is serious business, look what happened to the Emory students.
Woody Hayes
September 2nd, 2009
11:48 am
Punch ‘em in the head!
Hilton Head Dawg
September 2nd, 2009
11:52 am
Gundy is still as goofy as they come.
Hilton Head Dawg
September 2nd, 2009
11:53 am
G
Doogsga
September 2nd, 2009
11:53 am
Sweep the knee, Johnny.
Rabbit
September 2nd, 2009
11:53 am
That you agree shows that you’re a taco short, too. Pfft. I knew that guy was touched. Didn’t know you were.
Chief Nock A Homa
September 2nd, 2009
11:54 am
Can’t we just all get along??!
1eyedJack
September 2nd, 2009
11:57 am
Looks like UGA’s lack of class is well know. Just goes to show the perception UGA has earned after rushing the field after a touchdown. Who knows what Richt would ask his players to do at mid-field before a game. Richt would probably ask one of his scrubs start a fight with one of their stars to try and get them kicked out of the game.
the real Old Gold
September 2nd, 2009
12:01 pm
Football players shaking hands BEFORE the game is ridiculous.
OZZFEST
September 2nd, 2009
12:03 pm
Somehow I get the feeling if MARK RICHT has anything to do with it, we will not only meet ‘em at midfield, but we will then offer prayer for the ASS WHOOPIN’ the Cowboys are about to receive.
Reality Check
September 2nd, 2009
12:04 pm
1eyedjack – You’re an idiot.
Ed-Covington
September 2nd, 2009
12:04 pm
AFCA? Do any actual football coaches run the AFCA? Obviously not. Maybe Ivy League?
anotherdawg
September 2nd, 2009
12:06 pm
I thought the captains shook hands during the coin toss. I would think that and the coaches shaking hands after the game should be sufficient. With this many players, I’m sure there would be some trash talking. Nothing wrong with encouraging good sportmanship, but this doesn’t sound like a good idea.
ExecutiveStinger
September 2nd, 2009
12:07 pm
The pre-game handshake idea is insane anyway…..
Is it too much to ask for the players from each team to be on their best behavior long enough to shake hands before the game? No.
Does it make sense to ask for such a thing? NO.
It’s the first game and every player out there will be geeked up and ready to go. A pre-game handshake may sound like a good idea on paper, but it’s not worth it. Even though the players should be able to handle it appropriately, I think it’s a little too much to ask for the first game. The first time those players should may contact with each other is on the opening kickoff where they can really say hello. Let their emotions run high at the start, and they can shake hands later.
GO COWBOYS.
Billy Bennett's Right Leg
September 2nd, 2009
12:08 pm
How would it work? Do the ClemPson rock petters run down the hill, stop at the 50 and then wait for SCU to come out to shake hands? What if Oregon wants to do a uni change after warmups but before the game…having to shake hands would mean less time to figure out which uniform combo to put on (they have like 30-40). How do you stop Ralphie or the Boomer Sooner Wagon from racing around the field so the players can stop and shake hands? Do the Techsters put the breaks on that perfectly rebuilt car (it is not a wreck), get up from their tickle pile to shake hands with the Dukies? At UGA, would they play like 4 notes on the trumpet, stop, shake hands, then play the last three notes and then let the band play?
The pre-game entrances to college football are part of what makes it special. Sure, the teams could do it during warmups, but it all feels like a pro game, not college. I want to see the teams run off the field after warmups, and then get that charged feeling you get waiting on them to come out. Handshakes before games are stupid, regardless of any possible fights.
chipperdawg
September 2nd, 2009
12:11 pm
1eyedjack, that sounds more like a Spurrior move than CMR. Ole’ Stevie even said so after the TD celebration. No, I think this is a case of their Coach being tight and worried and it’ll spill over to the players as well. OSU isn’t used to this big of a stage.
Brooks
September 2nd, 2009
12:14 pm
Shaking hands before a big game is like throwing gasoline on a fire. Hostile environment, OSU thinks they already got a W, and 150 guys ready to kill each other. That could turn WCW in a hurry. Good luck stepping in between that. Giants swinging haymakers at each other with helmets on and the coaches and officials don’t. Probably have a few coaches/officials on the DL before kickoff. I would turn them loose at kickoff and not a second before that. I don’t think the two teams care for each other very much. Probably have a kicker or a guy without pads on start a battle royal anyway. What is the latest on Perrish Cox? I bet he gets suspended for the Grambling game and has to run some extra sprints that’s about it. How about Zac Robinson? Is he 100%? GO DAWGS!!
RC Cola and a Moon Pie
September 2nd, 2009
12:14 pm
No pregame handshake before a competition. I know of NO team sport that does this. bad idea. Shake after the game.
McDawg
September 2nd, 2009
12:15 pm
the best pregame brawl was ND-Miami
the worst was the GT tickle pile before the NW Fredonia ST game
benadawg
September 2nd, 2009
12:19 pm
all you @#@t talkers will shut up after we kick us some cowpokes ass…
Tom
September 2nd, 2009
12:21 pm
Never shake hands with someone who uses theirs to catch catfish.
Barkin'Dog
September 2nd, 2009
12:22 pm
1eyedJack – You’re a loser. Period. You’re the kind of idiot that would start a fight with a lame-a$$ comment like that about Richt. You certainly don’t know the man… and he is THE MAN! One of the best in the country at what he does, which is LEAD young men. He would never come close to doing what you suggest. He didn’t even know the players would take the field at Florida – he just wanted to set the tone for success for they day. The team did what they did thinking it would be okay, which it obviously wasn’t. But, to blame Richt or suggest he would ask a “scrub” to start a fight is way out of line. It’s buttholes like you who start arguments/fights…
McDawg
September 2nd, 2009
12:28 pm
i’m going noodling
chazzo
September 2nd, 2009
12:30 pm
Gundy made a dumb response to a dumber proposition. Stars and stripes, whistle, kick…. That is about all the pre-game ritual we need.
Jeff Schultz
September 2nd, 2009
12:32 pm
BobDog – Sorry, I meant where he golfs between prison terms.
Doosga – That was a cheap move, Johnny. But it helped Ralph Macchio score big time with Elisabeth Shue!
Ed Covington – Actually, they play paper football.
1eyedJack
September 2nd, 2009
12:32 pm
Richt is the loser and anyone who would defend him has no class. No one has ever done that before in the history of college football because it shows no class and no brains.
Who knows, maybe Richt has another trick up his sleave for this game like turning out the lights and having black jerseys magically appear.
Gatorman
September 2nd, 2009
12:33 pm
Stupid, stupid idea. What next? Singing kumbaya around a campfire the night before the game. I think they are looking for bralws to erupt so they can bring over wrestling fans to college football.
Jimv
September 2nd, 2009
12:35 pm
I thought all the bleeding hearts were in politics. This is FOOTBALL, not the senior prom!
Tombigbee
September 2nd, 2009
12:36 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX6233Nig18
Tech75
September 2nd, 2009
12:37 pm
Really bad idea, shaking hands, although in most high-level pro European soccer matches the starting 11s do shake hands after the photo op.
I think they discourage (or even disallow) the shaking of hands before high school games; there were some incidents where players spit on their hands before shaking, for instance.
csquared
September 2nd, 2009
12:38 pm
Barkin’Dog and 1eyedjack should come out and shake hands. That said, even if Gundy is off his rocker, there’s little to be gained by a BEFORE the game show of sportsmanship. Let captains shake at the coin toss, take it to the sidelines and shake AFTER the game. some academic types thought this up.
PlayaHata
September 2nd, 2009
12:38 pm
I agree, the idea of the team shaking hands before the game is ridiculous, that’s reserved for pop warner football and the ACC. On the other hand, we now know who is in charge of the football team at OKState- and it’s not Gundy. Wouldn’t be surprised to see T. Boone Pickens wearing the head set on the sidelines on Saturday. Heck, they could bring back Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders and it STILL wouldn’t matter. DAWGS ROLL- and thanks to Gundy’s bulletin board material – they may call a timeout with a minute or two left (ala Urban Meyer)to score another touchdown. Let’s see if they shake our hands after the beat down. GO DAWGS!!
Brad
September 2nd, 2009
12:39 pm
Richt did come from FSU where they are known to do the kind of stuff 1eyedjack mentioned. The fla dance is a case in point. I too would be worried about the thugs known as ga bulldogs.
Ex-Poke Fan
September 2nd, 2009
12:39 pm
Nice discipline, Coach Grundy. Perrish Cox just broke the law. He knew his license was suspended and he went ahead and drove anyway.
Now, the only way to reach him is to take away something important to him. And the only thing important to a football player is playing time.
Go ahead and make him do a 5-mile run or 500 up-downs or a bunch of push-ups, if that makes you feel better. But at the end of the day, the boy will not have learned anything from this whole thing. Sit him on Saturday, and you will get through to him, as well as the rest of the team.
If you continue to run an undisciplined program, you can count on things like Cox’s arrest and TE Jamal Mosely’s marijuana possession and restraining order and subsequent leaving of the team
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4437055
It’s your choice. Nice discipline, Coach Grundy. This kid just broke the law. He knew his DL was suspended and he went ahead and drove anyway.
Now, the only way to reach him is to take away something important to him. And the only thing important to a football player is playing time.
Go ahead and make him do a 5-mile run or 500 up-downs or push-ups, if that makes you feel better. But at the end of the day, the boy will not have learned anything from this whole thing. Sit him on Saturday, and you will get through to him, as well as the rest of the team.
If you continue to run an undisciplined program, you can count on things like Cox’s driving on a suspended license and TE Jamal Mosely’s marijuana possession and restraining order
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4437055
It’s your choice. Even though I’m a Stillwater OK resident, at this point, I’m considering rooting for Georgia on Saturday, because Mark Richt knows how to handle situations like this. And his program is well-respected throughout the nation because of it.
Chris
September 2nd, 2009
12:40 pm
Captains already shake hands after the coin toss. Why is that not enough? This isn’t soccer.
wawel78
September 2nd, 2009
12:44 pm
this doesn’t have anything to do with Gundy not being able to handle the spotlight. It also has nothing to do with UGA’s TD celebration against FL. It’s because in general it simply not a good idea.
Guys – it’s ok to hate another football team. Just don’t let it turn you stupid.
SOW-Poke Stomper
September 2nd, 2009
12:44 pm
That Gundy guy needs to throttle back a tad on the estrogen injections – a little too emotional I think. He’ll probably cry like a lost toddler at the mall when the 4th quarter rolls around.
GB
September 2nd, 2009
12:46 pm
Yeah richt is the man. a man with very little class after that display against uf. one of the best you say? well i would hope so considering uga is the only program in the nation to have top 10 classes the past 8 years. yet where does it get them? blown out by fla. blown out by bama. if uga fans had any sense, they would see there is a problem with the guy. but they are happy with 9-10 win seasons. 3 wins vs fla since 1990. that makes me laugh.
Big time?? Not
September 2nd, 2009
12:47 pm
Four tickets, four hot dogs, four cokes
goober
September 2nd, 2009
12:48 pm
Yeah … and Uga and the other team’s mascot can meet at midfield to lick each others b_ _ _ _ s.
Jeff
September 2nd, 2009
12:50 pm
Cant beleive this made headlines front page of AJC. what a pathetic joke this newspaper is. To see the headline makes one think something completely different that what he actually meant. Such a SORRY newspaper
Paddy
September 2nd, 2009
12:53 pm
It is stupid before the game it is stupid after the game. You want to humiliate the opposition. Thats what my football coaches always said. I believed them then and I still believe in the same principle now. If you make them cry you stand a better chance of winning the game. Run up the score and make them mad then get on the plane back to Athens. I guess thats why my teams always won and everybody hated us. No handshakes, send them a Christmas card if you must.
SOW-Poke Stomper
September 2nd, 2009
12:53 pm
I’m going to the game and plan to kick some sow-poke fans’ a$$e$ in the parking lot before AND after the game!! I can’t wait!! If 1eyedJack-awf is there I’ll kick the crap out of him as well although the little puzzy will likely stay home with his mommy.