ESPN Founder

Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN - available in paperback

2010-05-22T11:32:00.003-04:00

Wherever I travel I'm always asked, "Where did you get the idea and how did you start ESPN?" Simple questions - complicated answers! You'll learn those answers and much more in the new paperback edition of my book, Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN, now available on ESPNFounder.com.

If you pride yourself on knowing everything there is to know about ESPN, you'll need to own this book to cover all the bases. Do you know about the $9,000 credit card advance, the first advertiser on ESPN, or the cost of ESPN's first satellite transponder? Or why ESPN is in Bristol, Connecticut? All that and more about the early days is covered, including Memorial Day 1978 - when it all really got started . . .

Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN is my personal account of the launch of the Total Sports Network founded over 30 years ago. On September 7, 1979, ESPN went on the air for the first time as the first 24 hour network. This is a great gift for Dads and Grads!

Order today at ESPNFounder.com.

College Fanz Perfect 10 Grand Prize Winners of Exotic Trip to Maui Invitational

2010-05-20T10:09:00.000-04:00

The winners of the NCAA DI brackets in the College Fanz Perfect 10 contest will be going on an all-expense paid exotic trip to the Maui Invitational in Hawaii during Thanksgiving week.

College Fanz is sending the Grand Prize winners of the women's bracket and the men's bracket and their companions on a trip of a lifetime.

Congratulations to DallasMavs, the winner of the NCAA Div. I Men's bracket with 121 pts.

Last year, JDLChu enjoyed his trip to the Maui Invitational.

Next year it might be your turn to win!

College Fanz Perfect 10 Contest Winners

2010-05-19T17:31:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to our first seven winners in the College Fanz Perfect 10 – these winners are enjoying their brand new HDTVs!

Here’s how the College Fanz Perfect 10 Tournament Leaderboard turned out:
    NCAA Div. II Women: rhanson_65 is the winner with 110 pts.
    NCAA Div. III Men: titusott is the winner with 100 pts.
    NCAA Div. III Women: kevint is the winner with 125 pts.
    NAIA Div. I Men: TranSouthfan is the winner with 56 pts.
    NAIA Div. I Women: JeremyFoleySucks is the winner with 64 pts.
    NAIA Div. II Men: mills2626 is the winner with 46 pts.
    NAIA Div. II Women: oscarlee is the winner with 64 pts.

    NCAA Div. II Men: Cal Poly Pomona 65, Indiana (PA) 53
    NCAA Div. II Women: Emporia State 65, Fort Lewis 53
    NCAA Div. III Men: UW - Stevens Point 78, Williams 73
    NCAA Div. III Women: Washington University 65, Hope 59
    NAIA Div. I Men: Oklahoma Baptist 84, Azusa Pacific 83
    NAIA Div. I Women: Union (Tenn.) 73, Azusa Pacific 65
    NAIA Div. II Men: Saint Francis (IN) 67, Walsh 66
    NAIA Div. II Women: Northwestern (IA) 85, Shawnee State 66

This is the second year College Fanz had the only bracket contest that includes all 10 NCAA and NAIA championship tournaments.

Congratulations to everyone who participated in this year's contest, especially our unofficial winner of the Men's NAIA DII bracket (highest points) and a youthful, ineligible follow-up bracket that I will only mention here to thank everyone for playing - even if it was just for fun.

The NCAA 68 Team Tournament!

2010-05-16T00:26:00.000-04:00

Bill's blog from April 29, 2010:

The uproar. The cries of "it will never work." Critics saying, "They're too greedy." College sports is filled with naysayers on the outside looking in -- only that time (1984), it was writers and fans decrying increasing the NCAA men's basketball tournament field to 64 teams for the 1984-1985 season. A lot has happened in the intervening 25 years, including the continued growth of the NCAA Tournament as a rallying point for college basketball fans, alumni, and "subway" alumni around the world. March brings with it madness, and each year, another form of madness -- how big can it get?

So the recent announcement by the NCAA, in the person of interim interim president Jim Isch was very careful not to rule out a move to 96 teams in the future -- saying that "everything is still on the table and it will be a membership decision" -- but he said that adding three more teams to the current tournament format is the anticipated scenario for now. What the agreement -- which also includes Internet, wireless and marketing rights -- means is that every game will be shown live on national television. Beginning next season, first- and second-round games will be shown on four networks: CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV (formerly known as Court TV). All games will continue to be streamed online as well.

(Of course, ESPN pioneered the broadcast of all NCAA Tournament games back in 1980 with the celebrated 'whip-around' format that is now much-beloved and greatly missed by college hoops fans everywhere).

In the end, everybody wins -- fans get to see more games in the early rounds (the "bracket busters" we've all come to love), while the TV networks get more games to show, sponsors more opportunity to connect with fans, and the participating schools get a share of a larger tournament earnings pool. Even better, the National Invitational Tournament will continue, at least for now. I am glad that this latest "enhancement" to the NCAA Tournament is happening, without making the conference tournaments a moot point. If and when that day comes, however, I may be a little less forgiving. For now -- hoop it up!

Are You Ready For Some Football - NAIA Style

2010-05-15T11:14:00.000-04:00

Bill's blog from August 23, 2009:

Are you ready for some football - NAIA style? Starting this Saturday you’ll have a full season of College Fanz NAIA Game of the Week at your fingertips. The College Fanz First Down Classic features the season openers for four teams in a day-night doubleheader streamed live from our site in partnership with Livestream. Avila University meets Doane College at 2:00 ET / 1:00 CT and McKendree University takes on Ottawa University at 8:00 ET / 7:00 CT. Check out the full schedule to discover which teams are included on the Inaugural season schedule.

We are extremely pleased to be working closely with the NAIA President Jim Carr and his staff to showcase the NAIA Champions of Character program. We’ll be talking more about this outstanding initiative throughout the season.

The entire College Fanz team is extremely proud to announce that we will provide over $50,000 in awards to colleges and universities through our newly formed College Fanz Scholarship Fund. Awards will be presented in the names of outstanding players and coaches appearing during the NAIA Game of the Week series.

Now, back to football! We will be streaming not only games live at no charge, but delivering news information and features 24/7 on our site. Bands, cheerleaders, dance teams, rivalries, mascots, traditions and more will be featured on the College Fanz Report daily.

Speaking of our live coverage of the NAIA Game of the Week, we’ll be doing all of the production from our innovative College Fanz Van and Mobile Broadcast Unit. The Fanz Van is provided by The Prestige Traveler, while the MBU comes from Wells Cargo. We’ll have actual footage of these units in action elsewhere on CollegeFanz.com.

There’s more! We have partnered with Webstorz, providing a unique opportunity to design your own items for clubs, groups, teams, etc. A portion of every sale will be donated to both the individual school and the NAIA. More details on this outstanding service may be heard on our 24/7 channel.

So, there you have it! Enjoy the season openers on Saturday and “stay tuned” for more innovation…there’s much more to come.

The CoSIDA Convention - San Antonio, Texas

2010-05-14T09:04:00.000-04:00

Bill's blog from June 24, 2009:

Last June, I traveled to Tampa to meet the unsung heroes of college sports, the members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The backbone of college sports, CoSIDA members are the vital link in communications between each team and the fanz, the media, and the general public. Their work is behind-the-scenes, getting the schedules, scores, and stories out to the world, running the press boxes and press row at games around the country, and ensuring that their college or university has their best stories told to a wide range of audiences.

In the year since that meeting, College Fanz has become a partner with CoSIDA in reaching their fanz through their athletic website, and through College Fanz. We are a partner website for each college's athletic website - a place where their fanz can interact with other fanz, a place where each college’s fanz can check out the competition for next week's game and next month's game - all in one place. We introduced America’s College Scoreboard with their contributions, through their personal Virtual Pressbox, and we’ve created additional enhancements to College Fanz that are exclusive member benefits for CoSIDA.

This week, we have again joined CoSIDA at their annual convention, this year in San Antonio. While some of us are visiting the Alamo and other historic sites, our focus as always is in providing CoSIDA members a social media platform to engage their fanz. As their “team owner,” it is critical that they use College Fanz to reach the fanz who will never attend a game but follow a particular student-athlete or team. We’re pleased that College Fanz provides CoSIDA with the platform to reach their fanz.

For all fanz, we’ll be introducing some major enhancements to College Fanz this month and throughout the summer, including live video-streaming webcasts of selected college games, a cross-country tour visiting college campuses around the U.S.A.

College Fanz has grown tremendously over the past year, and we are gearing up for the start of our third year with a new look to the web site and even more enhancements. It has been my dream to enhance the fanz experience, to include the fanz -- allow them to show their passion for their favorite team, show their school colors, and take on their greatest rival. With the College Fanz Sports Network, we have been able to do what no school has dared to do - allow the fanz to have their say!

Next up: The College Fanz NAIA Football Senior Classic

2010-05-13T10:28:00.000-04:00

Bill's blog from April 22, 2009:

Before we get to this weekend's football game, another basketball season has ended, and with it comes another wonderful album of memories. Congratulations to the University of North Carolina Tarheels on winning the NCAA Division I Men‘s Basketball Championship, and to the University of Connecticut Huskies on winning the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship.

I would also like to congratulate the final two winners in the College Fanz Perfect 10 March Madness contest, “xxxxxxxx” (NCAA Division I men’s bracket winner) and “xxxxxxxx” (NCAA Division I women’s bracket winner). It was a phenomenal contest, and I hope everyone who played enjoyed watching 10 brackets in one place for the first time ever! If you’ve been reading this blog lately, you know that my “bracket busted” when UConn’s men’s team didn’t make it to the National Championship, but it certainly was fun to watch all the tournaments this year.

In another winter sport championship, how about the exciting performances in the recently-concluded NCAA “Frozen Four,” with the Boston University Terriers capturing the men’s ice hockey championship? I’m a big fan of college hockey, and ice hockey in general, and it was fun to see the Terriers capture their fifth ice hockey National Championship (but their first since 1995).

Now our attentions turn to other fields and arenas. Coming up is the College Fanz Sports Network's Senior Classic, which pits 120 former NAIA football players against one another in a showcase of talent and character. The game kicks off Saturday, April 25th at 1:00 p.m. in Platte County’s Pirate Stadium in Platte City, Missouri.

College Fanz Director of NAIA Relations, Jason Dannelly, is the founder of this event, which is in its third year. For many of these players, it's a great chance to be seen in front of professional scouts and possibly earn their way onto an NFL or CFL team roster. For others, it's just a chance to play football one last time before they hang up the cleats and head into their post-college careers. It’s an exciting game, and we think it will be an exciting day for everyone.

I’m also keeping an eye on my first love, baseball. This time of year is a bonanza for the sports fan, with winter sports wrapping up, spring sports enthusiastically bursting on the scene, lots of baseball, golf, and football news (among others) to catch up on – if you love sports, you’ve gotta love the spring!

Eight Down - Two to Go in College Fanz Perfect 10

2010-05-12T10:04:00.000-04:00

Bill's blog from April 2, 2009:

Bracket-busters indeed! The college basketball season is rapidly coming to a close, with the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s Final Four games this weekend, and National Championships in both tournaments early next week. My bracket is already “busted” in regard to my men’s Final Four, but my earlier picks for both National Championships are still alive – Connecticut, in both cases.

Of course, we’ve watched all 10 NCAA and NAIA basketball tournaments very closely this season at College Fanz, with our College Fanz Perfect 10 contest. With eight tournaments concluded, we also have eight winners already in the contest.

Congratulations to our eight winners in the College Fanz Perfect 10 – your prizes will be arriving shortly! Here’s how the College Fanz Perfect 10 Tournament Leaderboard shapes up:

    NCAA Div. II Men: xxxxxxxx is the winner with 146 pts.
    NCAA Div. II Women: xxxxxxxx is the winner with 152 pts.
    NCAA Div. III Men: xxxxxxxx is the winner with 139 pts.
    NCAA Div. III Women: xxxxxxxx is the winner with 147 pts.
    NAIA Div. I Men: xxxxxxxx is the winner with 55 pts.
    NAIA Div. I Women: xxxxxxxx is the winner with 73 pts.
    NAIA Div. II Men: xxxxxxxx is the winner with 68 pts.
    NAIA Div. II Women: xxxxxxxx is the winner with 65 pts.

Congratulations as well to the incredible student-athletes, coaches and staff at the eight schools that have won National Championship titles in the past three weeks! Here’s a quick look at the results:

    NCAA Div. II Men: Findlay 56, Cal Poly Pomona 53 in overtime
    NCAA Div. II Women: Minnesota State 103, Franklin Pierce 94
    NCAA Div. III Men: Washington University 61, Richard Stockton 52
    NCAA Div. III Women: George Fox 60, Washington University 53
    NAIA Div. I Men: Rocky Mountain 77, Columbia (Mo) 61
    NAIA Div. I Women: Union (Tenn.) 73, Lambuth (Tenn.) 63
    NAIA Div. II Men: Oklahoma Wesleyan 60, College of the Ozarks 53
    NAIA Div. II Women: Morningside (Iowa) 68, Hastings (Neb.) 63

Who will win the NCAA Division I men’s and women’s championships – both on the court and in the College Fanz Perfect 10? We’ll all know that answer next week. Until then, enjoy the extended March Madness in early April!

College Fanz Perfect 10 - Down to the Final Two!

2010-05-11T18:31:00.000-04:00

Bill's blog from March 26, 2009:

If I’ve learned anything, it’s that March Madness is not confined to the NCAA Division I men‘s basketball tournament. That’s partly what inspired our College Fanz Perfect 10 contest, which so many fanz have embraced this year.

With attention now focused on the men and women of NCAA Division I, I must tell you about my recent visit to Kansas City for the NAIA Division I men’s basketball tournament. It’s the first time I ever attended this amazing championship. Did you know that the NAIA men’s championship was founded by the inventor of the game of basketball, the legendary Dr. James Naismith, with a couple of his friends? It’s also the country’s longest-running collegiate national championship in any sport – this year’s tournament was the 72nd annual championship.

It’s also probably the toughest tournament you can imagine – 32 teams, 31 games, one site, one week. They start playing every day at 8:30 a.m. and they are still going strong well after midnight. I saw some great games, some great fanz, and some great student-athletes who are as competitive as any student-athletes on any team in the country.

I even got the chance to get behind the radio microphone and do color commentary for the Freed Hardeman vs. Rocky Mountain contest in the tournament’s first round. Rocky Mountain (out of Montana) won that game – a real battle, with the Battlin’ Bears coming back from a 20 point first half deficit to outlast the Lions in overtime, 78-77.

Rocky Mountain went on to win their first-ever NAIA National Championship, beating Columbia College (of Missouri) 77-61 in the championship game. Both Rocky Mountain and Columbia were unseeded in the tourney, the first time that two unseeded teams ever played for the NAIA National Championship. In fact, on the first day of the tournament, the #32 seed, William Jewell, upset #1 seed Rogers State, 76-73. What a week!

Of course, people always ask me what I think about the “other” tournaments. Going back over the past 30 years, since the historic Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson/Michigan State vs. Indiana State game in the 1979 NCAA National Championship and the launch of ESPN later that year, I’ve had the pleasure to meet many of the student-athletes and coaches, and attended countless games. Remember Keith Smart and the Hoosiers at the Super Dome in New Orleans or how about Danny Manning and Kansas at Kemper in Kansas City, six Big East teams in the Elite Eight and on and on?

Ok, great memories, but how about 2009? Connecticut's my pick this year. I think they have an unbeatable combination, with Jim Calhoun's coaching, their history of success, the big man in the middle, Charles Okwandu and the talent around him, and their draw in the tournament. So my bracket has an All-Big East Final, with UConn beating Pitt for the National Championship.

I can’t wait!

College Fanz Perfect 10 - Monster March Madness

2010-05-10T11:35:00.002-04:00

Bill's blog from February 11, 2009:

Back in 1979, sports on cable TV - 24 hours a day - was thought to be a joke by many people. “It’ll never work,” “Nobody will watch sports 24 hours a day,” “Where will you even find sports to televise around the clock?” were some of the responses. On top of that, there were no 24 hour networks - not ABC, CBS or NBC - back then, HBO was only available 5 hours a night and CNN and MTV didn’t even exist!

ESPN changed all of that - and today, ESPN is a media conglomerate. Now there are countless 24 hour networks up and down your on-screen TV Guide. All-in-all, from “it won’t work” to today, sports fans have been the beneficiaries throughout ESPN’s growth.

Fast forward to 2009 and March Madness! If you ask around, you probably will get a variety of answers about March Madness brackets. Far and away the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship draws virtually all of the attention. Did you know there are nine (9) other post-season tournaments? Each has its own bracket and dedicated followers.

Well, it might not be as dramatic as 24 hours sports in 1979, but here we go again - this time with the 2009 College Fanz Perfect 10. With a single registration you can play any or all of 10 different tournaments. Never before have all 10 post-season basketball championship tournaments been gathered in a single place.

And best of all - it’s FREE!

Great prizes include a chance to win $25,000,000, a new car, a trip for two to the Maui Invitational and flat screen TV’s. Find all the details at CollegeFanzPerfect10.

Register early so you’ll be ready to go when the fun begins on March 1st. Be sure and come back for each tournament selection period - don’t miss one and your chance to win the big prizes!

Congratulations Pat Summit!

2010-05-07T09:21:00.000-04:00

Bill's blog from February 7, 2009:

Hats off to Pat Summit, coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols, on her 1,000th win. To add a bit of perspective, her first win was January 10, 1975 … a little over 4½ years BEFORE we launched ESPN in September 1979.

How the world of women’s basketball has changed. Well into the 1980s, attendance at women’s college basketball games was - shall we say - not robust! Some great teams from Old Dominion, Louisiana Tech, Iowa and others simply played terrific basketball in front of small, but enthusiastic, crowds.

During that decade, with the help of ESPN and some strenuous efforts from coaches like Summit and C. Vivian Stringer to get more coverage, the game caught on. While at Iowa, Stringer, currently at Rutgers, filled Carver-Hawkeye Arena to capacity. As far as I know that was the first sellout of a major arena for women’s basketball. Summit coached teams that now routinely sellout Thompson-Boling arena in Knoxville as do many other great teams around the country … especially UConn, Oklahoma, Duke, Auburn and many more.

Of course, there are many coaches and teams who labored in virtual anonymity during the last quarter of the 20th century. Today, their efforts are rewarded and even recognized by the NCAA with a Final Four of their own with teams selected on an ESPN Selection Show and complete coverage of all 63 games by the Worldwide Leader in Sports.

This year, College Fanz will extend coverage to all levels of Men’s and Women’s post season tournaments. Our “2009 College Fanz Perfect 10” bracket event will include complete brackets with great prizes to the winners of all six NCAA Division I, II and III post season championships as well as all four of the NAIA Division I and II Championships.

Register early (see the Home Page) and join the fun. Summits’ Lady Vols and Stringer’s Lady Knights will be joined by over 300 other women’s teams from around the country competing for the right to be called Champions of each of the five divisions.

Play starts March 1st when selections for NCAA D III Men are posted and then the merry month of March Madness is underway. Come play the 2009 College Fanz Perfect 10 event and add to you enjoyment of the absolutely best month of the year for college basketball fans.

College Football Champions - Decided on the field!

2010-05-06T09:18:00.000-04:00

Bill's blog from December 22, 2008:

Congratulations to three championship college football teams who - unlike the BCS teams - won their titles on the field.

First, NCAA Division II: The Bulldogs of Minnesota-Duluth … winners over Northwest Missouri 21 - 14.

Second, NCAA Division III: Mount Union 31 - 26 over Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Third, NAIA: University of Sioux Falls defeated Carroll College 23 - 7.

All three champions were crowned at the end of - dare I say it - A POST-SEASON FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT. Isn’t that supposed to be a no-no? It is if you play Division I football. The season would be too long says one argument against a Div I playoff.

Well, let’s look at that: the Div II and Div III each played their way through a 32 team tournament and their Title came in game 15. The NAIA post season tournament winner survived a 16 team event and earned honors in game 14. Imagine that! They’ve won their championships and the season is over.

So what about the BCS games? Florida and Oklahoma will be playing a “one game championship” in game 14 for each team and the Longhorns from Texas along with Alabama’s Crimson Tide are just arbitrarily “eliminated” from National Championship consideration. End of story!

I don’t know about you, but I like the Div II, Div III and NAIA approach to determining the champion. And isn’t it interesting that every single NCAA sport other than Div I football decides the champion on the field, court or rink. Given the financial and public relations impact of the NCAA Final Four, can you imagine what even an 8 team (though I’d like to see at least a 16 team) tournament would have on college football?

BTW, this year’s quarter final pairings would have been:

#1 Florida 12-1 & # 7 Texas Tech 11-1
#3 Texas 11-1 & # 5 USC 11-1
#4 Alabama 12-1 & # 6 Utah 12-0
#2 Oklahoma 12-1 & # 8 Penn State 11-1

Think that schedule would sell any major TV advertising? Just 7 games over just 15 days and what a tournament that would be! Florida and Oklahoma might still play for the Championship, but wouldn’t you love to see the quarter final and semi-final games where each team has a chance to “play-on” and actually win a real - not a “mythical” - national crown?

Instead of a real playoff, we have these pairings (notice Texas Tech was replaced by Ohio State):

#1 Florida 12 - 1 & # 2 Oklahoma 12 - 1
#3 Texas 11 - 1 & # 10 Ohio State 10 - 2
#4 Alabama 12 - 1 & # 6 Utah 12-0
#5 USC 11-1 & # 8 Penn State 11-1

And what about those “Traditional” Bowl Games we all waited to watch on New Year’s Day? Well, the landscape has changed a bit there too:

Orange Bowl    #12 Cincinnati 11 - 2 & # 19 Virginia Tech 9 - 4
Sugar Bowl    # 4 Alabama 12 - 1 & # 6 Utah 12-0
Cotton Bowl    # 7 Texas Tech 11-1 & # 25 Mississippi 8 - 4
Rose Bowl    # 5 USC 11-1 & # 8 Penn State 11-1

Rose and Sugar still have the same pairings, but the Orange and Cotton have lost the luster of a bygone era.

So there you have it. Great fun to “what if” the Bowls and the BCS, but little will change. Check out my previous post, Bowl mania, madness and money. Looking at what might have been, and what may someday be, the madness and money part are very much alive and well in Division I NCAA football.

Bowl Mania - Madness - Money

2010-05-05T11:27:00.000-04:00

Bill's blog from December 21, 2008:

The nearest thing to professional golf's silly season has to be the NCAA Division I Bowl season. This year there are 34 recognized Bowl games (not counting the 36th Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl where the Division III champion is actually decided on the field).

Thirty-four games - 68 teams … all of whom managed at least 6 wins. Consider that there are only 119 teams playing Division I football and you have a hint at the madness of it all. Obviously more than a few “out of division” games help some programs get to the magic “Bowl eligible number.”

It would seem to appear that the number of bowl games depends on how many teams get to 6 wins. Thus the mania for creating such eye-popping bowls as The New Mexico Bowl, The Eaglebank Bowl, The MagicJack St. Petersburg Bowl, The Texas Bowl. The list goes on and on and on.

I did notice that the four games played yesterday drew huge crowds … sort of. It seems that roughly half of each stadium was populated by fans masquerading as empty seats (credit for that observation goes to pioneering broadcast great Harry Wismer). I hope the sponsors deemed each game a success and the organizers didn’t lose too much money what with team guarantees, expenses, etc. Some may survive for a year or two, but not to worry, there will always be sponsors willing to create another new Bowl.

For me the Rose, Orange, Sugar and Cotton Bowls were the football feast that culminated the season on January 1st. I’ve seen a lot of them going all the way back to Illinois ripping UCLA to shreds 45 - 14 in the first game of the Big Ten-Pac-10 contract on New Year’s Day 1947. A footnote note on that game: UCLA’s disdain for the Fighting Illini was evident long before the game. The Bruins wanted to play a “competitive team” and lobbied for Army a powerhouse of the era. Oops!!!!

Nevertheless, college football’s bowl season is always great fun, but whatever happened to the Tangerine Bowl and the Raisin Bowl or the … (fill in your favorite discontinued bowl here).

Monon Memories! One Incredible Feat!

2010-05-04T17:32:00.000-04:00

Bill's blog from November 13, 2008:

Everybody has memories and you might ask, “Why blog about my memories?” Well, here’s how it is … sure I have a few Monon Bell memories of from my tenure at DePauw. Does losing all four games from 1950 - 53 by a combined score of 163 - 32 (and 20 of those came in my freshman year) really make for worthwhile memories? You decide.

Over the 114 year period of the rivalry there have been dozens of exciting-memorable games … last minute field goals, touchdowns, interceptions, defensive stops … the list goes on. Students and alumni alike may remember a play or a game or some other event surrounding the Monon Bell week at each campus, but nobody … absolutely nobody does Monon Memories like Ken Owen, DePauw ‘82, Executive Director of Media Relations at DePauw.

Ken has researched all 114 DePauw - Wabash games and has produced an absolutely amazing series of vignettes for every game played. That's right EVERY game ... One Incredible Feat! The story of the Monon Bell series is about more than football, Owen noted. Many of the "Memories" include references to events that were making news in a given year, and of course, the rivalry has produced many colorful stories. DePauw fan … Wabash fan … football fan - check out Monon Memories … you will enjoy the trip down memory lane.

Here’s one more bit of Monon Bell fun, “The Ballad of the Monon Bell". The video is classic mid-America circa 1950, the production top notch and you’ll want to note the credits at the end. See if you can guess the vocalist.

At video parties all over the country, fans from both schools will be watching the national telecast from Crawfordsville on HDNet to find out.

Who will ring the Bell in victory? Tigers you say … or the Little Giants (aka Cavemen in a bygone era)?

The Rivalry Game! Every school has one!

2010-05-03T14:44:00.001-04:00

Bill's blog from October 20, 2008:

As the season winds down there are plenty of big games left on virtually all schedules. Most of the “BIG” games between long-standing rivals are yet to be played: Auburn - Alabama; Michigan - Ohio State; USC - UCLA; Pittsburgh - West Virginia; DePauw - Wabash … what did I just say? DePauw - Wabash a “BIG” rivalry listed in the same sentence as all those well-known match-ups? Yes I did and there are many more that are rarely mentioned, but are nonetheless fiercely contested.

Let’s look at the DePauw - Wabash rivalry game coming up on Saturday. For starters this will be the 115th game in a series that Wabash leads 53-52-9. There may be more visible rivalries, but few have been going for 115 years. Another thing this game has going for it is the Monon Bell. They have been playing for that Bell since 1932 and DePauw leads this part of the series 36-34-6. As you surmise this is a closely fought series between two Div III schools located just 35 miles apart in West Central Indiana.

I’ll tell you about the Monon Bell and the history, tradition and lore surrounding it later this week, but back to the field. Matching the closeness of the series are several “SportsCenter highlight finishes.” Each of the last three games have been decided by three points, but last year’s three point DePauw win was about as dramatic as it gets. Sophomore transfer student Jordan Havercamp entered the game with just 2.4 seconds remaining and broke a 21-21 tie with his 47 yard field goal as time expired. It wasn’t “just another FG” obviously, but even better than the end of the game dramatics, it was his first try ever as a DePauw Tiger and it came on the last play of the season. Great theater!!!

Think Havercamp’s FG was a once in a lifetime? Well, maybe for him, but it was the second time such a thing had ended a DePauw - Wabash game. In 1955, Fred Williams knocked home an 18 yarder as time expired and it was HIS ONLY FG of the season. Amazing!

Of course, Wabash had its “Monon Miracle” in 2001 when with 2.7 seconds remaining and trailing by a point, QB Jake Knott unleashed a pass from his own 48 yard line that bounced off one receiver at the DePauw 5 yard line and landed in the arms of another in the end zone for the win.

So that brings us to Saturday’s 115th renewal of the rivalry. Last year Wabash arrived in Greencastle with a perfect 9 - 0 record and saw their undefeated season disappear on the wings of Havercamp’s field goal. DePauw was 7 - 2 entering the game. Unbelievably, this Saturday in Crawfordsville another 9 - 0 Wabash team will host another 7 - 2 DePauw squad. Will history repeat, will Wabash turn the tables and go undefeated, will there be more last second heroics? Stay tuned!

A Hawkeye Hiccup - Penn State fades!

2010-05-02T15:10:00.000-04:00

Bill's blog from November 9, 2008:

OK, I was one of the people who bought into the Penn State hype – JoPa’s final year – undefeated season – playing for the BCS National Championship (well, I didn’t buy that) – etc., but something called Iowa happened on the way to the celebration.

Now Penn State Paranoia is really mounting. A loss in the final game of the season to Michigan State and the Rose Bowl is gone too.

Now here’s a question for you - Penn State fanz and college football fanz in general: Did Penn State ever have a chance of going undefeated and playing for the National Championship? If you read my Penn State Paranoia blog you know where I stand and now I want to hear from you.

Clearly, I don’t think Penn State or any team from the Big Ten had a chance of playing for the title…the conference just doesn’t play a tough enough schedule overall and when one of the “Big Teams” loses to Iowa, the case is weakened even further.

So much for Penn State and the Big Ten…what are your thoughts for the National title match up?

Penn State Paranoia - BCS palpitations!

2010-05-01T10:46:00.000-04:00

Bill's blog from November 7, 2008:

Sitting at 9 – 0 on the season and third in the latest BCS and AP rankings is great…right? Not really and lot’s of Penn State folks are rightfully nervous. There are just too many good SEC and Big 12 teams still alive for the national championship.

Consider this: Texas Tech (9 - 0) wins out and beats whoever wins the Big 12 North. The Red Raiders are playing for the national title. Suppose Oklahoma (8 – 1) or Oklahoma State (8 – 1) upend Texas Tech. No problem either one will win the Big 12 and play in the championship game.

The other half of the title game goes to the SEC under virtually every scenario. Alabama (9 – 0) can run the table and end any suspense. If Florida wins the SEC title game regardless of whether Alabama is undefeated or not when they get there, the Gators fill the other half of the Championship game.

So there you have it: possibly two "one-loss" teams meet as it's SEC vs. Big 12 playing for the national title and undefeated Penn State is packing for Pasadena to play USC in the 2009 Rose Bowl. Penn State Paranoia indeed!!!!

The Political Season - aka the BCS

2010-04-30T09:53:00.001-04:00

Bill's blog from October 20, 2008:

Orators-debates- senators! It’s that time of the year. Lest you think I mean Obama/McCain, I have no interest in that arena. The two presidential candidates are rookies compared to the oratory of the football coaches of America – their debates are too few to mention (just three every four years, compared to at least 13 every year for football coaches). And college football even has its own Senator from Columbus, Ohio – the always fashionably attired Jim Tressel.

Let’s get to it! The first BCS rankings are out and the debate is on. Leading orator Pete Carroll always thinks USC should be or will be number 1 and play for the national championship. While he gets points for believing in his program, he gets a little tiring year after year especially when he loses to unranked teams early in the season. BCS rank in week one: 5. (he’s making points with the USA Today poll though – ranked 4th.

What about senator Tressel and Ohio State? Ranked number 9 in the BCS and 10th in all the other polls, the Buckeyes have been humiliated by the aforementioned USC Trojans and knocked off such powerhouses as Youngstown State (3 - 6), Ohio University (2 – 5) and Troy University (4 – 2) enroute to a “glittering” 7 – 1 record. Still, a win over Penn State this Saturday and a Big Ten title along with a few “senatorial” statements could catapult the Buckeyes into the National Championship game…maybe even a chance for a rematch with the Trojans – ugh!

Other one-loss teams will be polishing their images as well: Oklahoma (4); Georgia (7); Florida (10); and LSU (13). The ranks of the one-loss teams will grow in the weeks to come and the flawed BCS system will give us a “Championship Game” between two of the top teams in the land, but, as history has proven, not necessarily the BEST two teams in the land.

The debate is on…what’s your projected BCS title matchup?

Road-Trip Excitement!

2010-04-29T09:48:00.005-04:00

Bill's blog from October 13, 2008

Last Thursday found me at Bay Path College in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Bay Path is a member of the brand new NECC (New England Collegiate Conference). Other members: Becker College, Daniel Webster College, Elms College, Lesley University, Mitchell College, Newbury College, Southern Vermont College and Wheelock College.

After a warm welcome by President Carol Leary, I had the opportunity to speak to some of the amazing students in the undergraduate and MBA entrepreneurial programs. The enthusiasm in the room was electrifying…great questions and lively discussion. Steve Smith, Athletic Director; Sandra Coyne, Director MBA Program, and other faculty members added to the success of the afternoon.

Later that day, Mike Cotnoir, Chairman and Tim Jensen, Co-Chairman of the Enfield, CT Athletic Hall of Fame (I was inducted with the Class of 1999) served as hosts for “Bill Rasmussen Day.” Dinner with Mayor Scott Kaupin was followed by a private reception and then a public presentation dating back to my days as an Enfield resident. Given the audience, my comments on the evolution of ESPN (and the ties to Enfield) right up to the here and now with College Fanz were enthusiastically received. More great questions and lively discussion followed with many “remember when…” conversations. All this culminated with a long line for book signing (Sports Junkies Rejoice: The Birth of ESPN) and more reminiscing.

I’m certain I had more fun on this Road Trip than Oklahoma, LSU and (again) Michigan had on Saturday. And did you notice where USC is ranked? It won’t be long before all the talk turns to the BCS. I’ll get into that swirl of tangled opinions and options in the weeks ahead.

Welcome to my World!

2010-04-28T18:40:00.007-04:00

Bill's original College Fanz blog post October 7, 2008: http://www.collegefanz.com/people/founder/blog/2008/10/07/welcome-to-my-world

This is the world of sports … sports in America. I am Bill Rasmussen, ESPN Founder and now, CEO and Founding Partner of College Fanz.

I’ve been involved in sports for over a half century…really, over 50 years! I’ve played, broadcast, telecast, watched, scored and listened to countless games over those years.

So here’s what this is all about: I’m going to blog about sports, sports and more sports … its people, plays and passion … from my perspective. I want fanz like you to jump in as well with comments, ideas and questions … whatever moves you.

For example, do you think Rich Rodriguez is wishing he’d never left West Virginia? Think Big Blue fans are having the same wish? Can you believe it: Illinois 45 – Michigan 20?

The feel good upset of the season so far: Vanderbilt over Auburn 14 – 13 … Vandy’s best start since the middle of World War II-Wow!!! That goes back farther than the Chicago Cubs last visit to the World Series.

Naturally I’ll get to topics such as the BCS of today and how champions were crowned in the past. What about today’s players vs. stars of yesteryear? Just a hint of where this blog will go. With each Monday’s post, I’ll introduce new features and raise other topics of interest to fanz of all generations.

Come along with me for this weekly journey through the world of sports.

Share the Dream

2006-01-18T16:41:00.000-05:00

Having been fired by the New England Whalers in May 1978, and armed with a $9,000 credit card cash advance, enough cable TV knowledge to be a little dangerous, no knowledge whatsoever about communications satelites, a fierce entrepreneurial spirit and little else, Bil Rasmussen started the journey that led to the launch of ESPN on September 7, 1979. more...

Chris Berman (Above left) and Bill Rasmussen share memories at ESPN's 25th Anniversary Celebration at the ESPN Zone in New York City, September 7, 2004.