The Confidential

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13 Aug 2013
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The ACC School Mount Rushmores: Notre Dame

The Confidential has been having some fun with league-wide coaches Mount Rushmores.  Football and Basketball, plus polls for each of football and basketball to share your thoughts.  In fact, it was so sufficiently fun and controversial that we are going to do school-wide Mount Rushmores now.  And we will only put three people on the list, leaving you–our readers–to comment as to who should be the fourth.  We will not do polls anymore.  For today, let’s go with a school that is in the ACC, not in the ACC, or partially in the ACC (depending on how you feel about it): Notre Dame.

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Posted by acaffrey in Mount Rushmore, Opinion and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,
12 Aug 2013
8 Comments

The ACC School Mount Rushmores: Syracuse Final

Well, this was certainly a tough one.  Frankly, narrowing it down to four Syracuse icons is very difficult.  Too many deserving folks get left off.  Based on the comments, and upon further review, it has to come down to Ben Schwartzwalder and Ernie Davis.  For all the lacrosse accomplishments, lacrosse remains a non-revenue sport.  Although many basketball players made contributions, only a few won a national title–Anthony, McNamara, and Warrick.  Does it get won without either of the three?

Still, Ben Schwartzwalder created Syracuse football.  And Ernie Davis won a Heisman Trophy–the only Syracuse player to do so and the first African-American to ever do so.  While Ernie Davis is a hero, it is difficult to choose a player over a legendary coach.  This is especially true when the coach brought the player to campus.  Without Schwartzwalder, perhaps Davis goes elsewhere.  And maybe Davis ends up a linebacker.  Who knows?

The Ernie Davis story deserved to be a movie, but we’ll have to go with the hero here: Ben Schwartzwalder.  He was a military hero, receiving a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, four battle stars, a Presidential Unit Citation and his actions during the Normandy invasion led to a promotion to major.  He coached Syracuse for 24 years, winning 178 games and a national title in 1959.  He brought Jim Brown, Davis, John Mackey, Floyd Little, and Larry Csonka to Syracuse.

Upon further review, however, it is impossible to keep Ernie Davis off the Syracuse Mount Rushmore.  For all that Dave Bing accomplished on and off the court, there is a clear lack of notoriety.  Part of that is because Dave Bing is a very classy individual.  But Bing did not win an award equivalent to a Heisman Trophy.  Bing is certainly a top 5, but we are going to switch things up and give Davis the spot previously reserved for Bing.  Mea culpa.

The final Syracuse Mount Rushmore: Jim Boeheim, Jim Brown, Ben Schwartzwalder, and Ernie Davis.

The original article…

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Posted by acaffrey in Mount Rushmore, Opinion and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
10 Aug 2013
23 Comments

The ACC School Mount Rushmores: Louisville

The Confidential has been having some fun with league-wide coaches Mount Rushmores.  Football and Basketball, plus polls for each of football and basketball to share your thoughts.  In fact, it was so sufficiently fun and controversial that we are going to do school-wide Mount Rushmores now.  And we will only put three people on the list, leaving you–our readers–to comment as to who should be the fourth.  We will not do polls anymore.  For today, let’s go with a school that is still one year away from formally joining the ACC: Louisville.

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Posted by acaffrey in Mount Rushmore, Opinion and tagged , , , , , , ,
10 Aug 2013
11 Comments

The ACC School Mount Rushmores: Miami FINAL

Update: The Confidential has given time for comments and is ready to finalize the Miami Mount Rushmore.

Having reviewed the few comments, the Confidential is stick with only two of its original three: Jim Kelly and Rick Barry.  After reviewing the comments of Miami fans, it is apparent that they all place Howard Schnellenberger above Jimmy Johnson.  Although the latter had much more post-Miami success, without Schnellenberger, Miami football might never have taken off.  Frankly, this was a blunder that the Confidential should have foreseen.  Icons that greatly improve a program have more value than ones who maintain dominance.  So, in a rarity, the Confidential will go the mea culpa route and swap Schnellenberger for Jimmy Johnson.

The fourth Miami icon is a bit harder to determine with all the great football players to come and go.  Although Miami fans may have a special place in their hearts for Ray Lewis and Michael Irvin, could you imagine the fall-out if Miami actually created a Mount Rushmore and put them on it?  Too much negative publicity over the years would overwhelm the issue.  And given the issues that Miami has had with, ahem, “the rules,” there is zero chance that Miami would ever immortalize a player with a negative image.  So the Confidential has to reject those two suggestions.  And then there is the issue of differentiating one great Miami player from another.

Instead, the Confidential goes with Ron Fraser, the former Miami baseball coach.  Without Fraser, Miami’s successful baseball program never would have existed.  Without Fraser’s efforts, Miami’s baseball program would have been eliminated years later.  He won national championships for Miami.  He even helped college baseball as whole, particularly as it relates to television.  And his coaching success speaks for itself.

The final verdict: Jim Kelly, Rick Barry, Howard Schnellenberger, and Ron Fraser.

For the original discussion of the Miami Mount Rushmore…

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Posted by acaffrey in Mount Rushmore, Opinion
08 Aug 2013
14 Comments

The ACC School Mount Rushmores: Georgia Tech

The Confidential has been having some fun with league-wide coaches Mount Rushmores.  Football and Basketball, plus polls for each of football and basketball to share your thoughts.  In fact, it was so sufficiently fun and controversial that we are going to do school-wide Mount Rushmores now.  And we will only put three people on the list, leaving you–our readers–to comment as to who should be the fourth.  We will not do polls anymore.  For today, let’s go with a school with a rich ACC history: Georgia Tech.

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Posted by acaffrey in Mount Rushmore, Opinion and tagged , , , , , , ,
08 Aug 2013
11 Comments

The ACC School Mount Rushmores: Wake Forest FINAL

Update: The Confidential has given time for comments and is ready to finalize the Wake Forest Mount Rushmore.

Having reviewed the few comments, the Confidential is stick with its original threesome of Tim Duncan, Arnold Palmer, and Billy Packer.  The fourth person on the list will be Chris Paul.  Paul was Mr. Basketball in North Carolina before heading to Wake Forest.  While at Wake Forest, Paul led the Demon Deacons to a #1 ranking during the season.  A few months ago his #3 jersey was retired.  Since graduation, Paul has had a successful NBA career, including six all-star game appearances.

The final verdict: Tim Duncan, Arnold Palmer, Billy Packer, and Chris Paul.  Continue to the original article…

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Posted by acaffrey in Mount Rushmore, Opinion and tagged , , , , , , ,
07 Aug 2013
10 Comments

The ACC School Mount Rushmores: Clemson

The Confidential has been having some fun with league-wide coaches Mount Rushmores.  Football and Basketball, plus polls for each of football and basketball to share your thoughts.  In fact, it was so sufficiently fun and controversial that we are going to do school-wide Mount Rushmores now.  And we will only put three people on the list, leaving you–our readers–to comment as to who should be the fourth.  We will not do polls anymore.  For today, let’s go with a school with a rich ACC history: Clemson.

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Posted by acaffrey in Mount Rushmore, Opinion and tagged , , , , ,
06 Aug 2013
13 Comments

The ACC School Mount Rushmores: Boston College FINAL

Update: The Confidential does want to thank all of the folks that provided comments–both here and on BC Interruption.  It is a tribute to Boston College sports fans that there was so much interest in this issue. 

Having reviewed all of the comments and criticism, the Confidential is amending its original threesome.  This will not happen often, but the Boston College fans have convinced me that Art Donovan should be replaced.  But we are sticking with Doug Flutie and Joe Mullen.

Flutie and Mullen will be joined by: Jerry York and William J. Flynn.  The rationale for York–as a player, York ranks among the all-time greats to wear the Boston College sweater.  As a coach, York helped cement Boston College as a preferred destination for college hockey talent, including multiple national titles.  For more on York, see this nice BC Interruption write-up.  As for Flynn, we moved him in over Donovan for a reason.  Flynn was instrumental in keeping Boston College relevant during a substantial period of flux, when many smaller schools decided to move away from football.  In contrast, Boston College took the next step… which eventually paved the way for Boston College beating Syracuse and Pitt into the A.C.C.  We’ll defer to the Boston College fans on his importance.  For more on Flynn, go here.

The final verdict: Doug Flutie, Joe Mullen, Jerry York, and William J. Flynn.  Continue to the original article…

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Posted by acaffrey in Mount Rushmore, Opinion and tagged , , , , , , ,
05 Aug 2013
16 Comments

The ACC School Mount Rushmores: North Carolina State

The Confidential has been having some fun with league-wide coaches Mount Rushmores.  Football and Basketball, plus polls for each of football and basketball to share your thoughts.  In fact, it was so sufficiently fun and controversial that we are going to do school-wide Mount Rushmores now.  And we will only put three people on the list, leaving you–our readers–to comment as to who should be the fourth.  We will not do polls anymore.  For today, let’s go with a school that has a rich ACC history: North Carolina State.

Read more…

Posted by acaffrey in Mount Rushmore, Opinion and tagged , , , , , , , , , ,
05 Aug 2013
13 Comments

The ACC School Mount Rushmores: Maryland FINAL

Update: The Confidential does want to thank all of the folks that provided comments–both here and on Testudo Times.  It is a tribute to Maryland sports fans that there was so much interest in this issue. 

Having reviewed all of the comments and criticism, the Confidential is sticking with Gary Williams, Boomer Esiason, and Curley Byrd.  While Randy White had a fine career, his notoriety lags behind Esiason overall and also trails the final two competitors for the 4th spot.  As for the 4th and final spot… it came down to Len Bias vs. Juan Dixon.  Bias was the better player and the better athlete.  But Dixon led Maryland to a national championship.  Maryland fans got to savor a national championship because of Juan Dixon’s leadership and skills.  He gets the final spot.

The final verdict: Gary Williams, Boomer Esiason, Curley Byrd, and Juan Dixon.

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Posted by acaffrey in Mount Rushmore, Opinion and tagged , , , , , , , ,

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