Players Mentioned
Plati-'Tudes: All Good Things Must Come To An End
October 13, 2017 | Football, General
Welcome to a notes and comment column in its 17th year, penned by CU Associate Athletic Director David Plati, who is now in his 34th year as the Buffaloes’ director of sports information.
Plati-'Tudes No. 104 … Remember these? The last one was some 10 months ago when I took to the keys to remember Rashaan Salaam; glad to report that we'll be retiring his No. 19 on Oct. 28 as part of our homecoming festivities. Several of his teammates are planning to return that weekend, both from CU and the Chicago Bears … Rearrange the numbers in "104" and you'll figure out the story behind this 'Tudes down below. (Pictured above: the late Doak Walker, Salaam and Plati at the '94 Heisman weekend).
Opening Trivia
CU—Phillip Lindsay tied the mark for the most first downs earned in a game by a non-quarterback when he had 17 against Arizona (matching Rashaan Salaam's mark against Texas in 1994). What quarterback holds the overall mark of 28 (26 passing, two rushing)?
Music—Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers covered the late '60s tune, "Something in the Air," on their '93 Greatest Hits album. Who sang the original (and major kudos if you know who produced it)?
Name That Tune—From what song is this lyric passage: "I went as far as I could and when I stopped the car … It was right in front of this little bar … A kind of a redneck lookin' joint called the Dew Drop Inn."
**********************************************************************************************
| Quick Hits |
One-time CU interim athletic director Jack Lengyel will receive the Tuss McLaughry Award, given to a distinguished American (or Americans) for the highest distinction in service to others. It was established in 1964 and is named in honor of DeOrmond "Tuss" McLaughry, the first full-time secretary-treasurer of the American Football Coaches Association and one of the most dedicated and influential members in the history of the organization. Lengyel, known most for taking over as head coach of the Marshall football program in 1971 after the program was decimated by a plane crash the previous November, was CU's interim AD for six months over the 2004-05 academic year. He'll be honored with the award this January … Have you noticed the start our women's golf team is off to this year? Coach Anne Kelly's team has a win, a runner-up and a third-place finish in three events; in compiling an early 41-3 record against Division I competition, the Buffs were ranked 12th in the nation by Golfweek prior to its second-place effort in Washington's home meet earlier this week … Senior tailback Phillip Lindsay had a game for the ages in our 45-42 loss to Arizona: 281 yards rushing, three touchdowns, 17 first downs earned and 320 all-purpose yards; it's the latter that all Buff fans should be proudest of. Going virtually unrecruited after tearing his ACL his senior year, he worked hard at rehab (and just as hard academically) and when he graduates this December, he'll exit with degrees in Communication and Sociology as well as being the Buffs' all-time leader in all-purpose yards with over 5,000.
| 410: All Good Things Must Come To An End |
Many of you who know me know that for the last decade or so, I've been dealing with some circulation issues in my left leg; the swelling at times makes it look like a Hawaiian banyan tree. Recently, it developed some complications and it's being treated accordingly (I'll be fine); but its condition at present is enough to make travel especially hard, thus ending a personal streak I have taken great pride in: starting on Nov. 19, 1983, I have attended and worked every Colorado football game – all 410, beginning with a 38-21 win over Kansas State to close the '83 season up to last Saturday's Arizona game.
(I wasn't overly keen on doing this, but our CUBuffs.com contributing editor, Neill Woelk, told me it was necessary to write something, or he'd write a news story and post it himself, with made-up quotes from me – though he said "I'd be surprised at what I said." So, since most of us are tired of fake news…)
Steve Vogel threw for 187 yards and two TDs
in Game 1 of Plati's streak
What does it all mean? Was I either too dumb to leave or did no one ever want to hire me? Truth is, I got my dream job when I was 24 and even though we've had some rough times to endure at CU, the bad has never come close to outweighing the good. Over 35 years, I really considered just four other positions, three in Major League Baseball, two of those with the same club. Never came close to splitting. To paraphrase Hotel California by the Eagles, once you fall in love with CU and Boulder, you may never leave.
(Four hundred ten games over 35 seasons … yet, it wasn't the longest active streak in the FBS; Arizona State's Mark Brand works his 412th straight this weekend, and he has several more to tack on to that number from his days previously at East Carolina. Shelley Poe of West Virginia, Ohio State and now Auburn hit 369 before her streak stopped last year due to a family funeral. But the record, we all believe, is held by the late Bob Bradley of Clemson – 502. Was never gonna catch him! His successor, Tim Bourret, might have the second longest streak now at 314.)
I've done many a Top 10 list through the years, in my game notes, here in Plati-'Tudes. So out of 410 games, I've taken a crack at the top 10 that I was a part of, with some reflection as to why (doubt any of these will surprise any longtime CU fan, imagine most would be on your lists). These are just the tip of the iceberg, I could do a top 50:
Most recent: Colorado 41, Oregon 38 (Sept. 24, 2016). This stands out that after nearly a decade since our last bowl game, it felt like old times again.
10. Colorado 27, Oklahoma 24 (Sept. 29, 2007). Down 24-7 in the second half against the No. 3 Sooners, the Buffs record their largest rally ever against a top 5 team.
9. Colorado 16, Oklahoma State 12 (Nov. 9, 1991). CU keeps its conference winning streak alive with a touchdown on a fake field goal in the waning seconds. Typical Stillwater November winds, it was the safer play than a field goal try (we did miss the PAT). But the quote of all-time was uttered in the locker room by the late Bryan Stoltenberg: "We're gonna need another bus for Coach Mac's b---s."
8. Colorado 43, Wisconsin 7 (Sept. 2, 1995). This one is on the list for very personal reasons. Rick Neuheisel's first game as head coach; the first game after my mom passed earlier that summer. He took my cell phone and we called my dad right after the game, even before he sought out his own family.
7. Colorado 62, Nebraska 36 (Nov. 23, 2001). Can still see Chris Brown running over Husker linebackers. No mas!
6. Colorado 41, Notre Dame 24 (Jan. 2, 1995). During the bowl week team luncheon for fans, the usually reserved and guarded Bill McCartney told Lou Holtz that he'd "better pack a lunch," as the Irish would be in for a long afternoon.
Chris Brown's 6 TDs led to a 62-36 rout of Nebraska in 2001
4. Colorado 20, Nebraska 10 (Oct. 25, 1986). Referred to back in the day as "the turning point," CU's win over No. 3 Nebraska was the upset of the year and set the program on its next trajectory.
3. Colorado 41, Iowa State 20 (Nov. 19, 1994). Salaam goes over 2,000 yards; Mac announces postgame he's retiring.
2. Colorado 10, Notre Dame 9 (Jan. 1, 1991). For obvious reasons. Can still hear Dick Enberg's final call.
1. Colorado 27, Michigan 26 (Sept. 24, 1994). Some 23 years later, this still seems surreal. Often referred to as either "The Miracle in Michigan" or "The Catch," I've seen the replay hundreds of times and still get chills.
And I can't forget Colorado 24, Oregon 7 (Sept. 9, 1978). Though not part of the streak, it was my first game as a student assistant working for Mike Moran in the SID office. He placed me on the stat crew, keeping miscellaneous numbers (first downs, returns, punts, etc.). Promised a position in the office as a high school senior in New York, I was all braggadocios that I had a job when I got to college. Mike later told me he used to tell people, "I got some sucker from New York to do my stats for me."
(November 19, 1983, when the streak started: McCartney wrapped up his second year as CU head coach. The number one song in the nation: Lionel Ritchie's "All Night Long." "Terms of Endearment" was ruling the roost at the box office. "Dallas" was the top TV show. Jerry Lewis hosted Saturday Night Live, and the band Loverboy was the musical guest; Eddie Murphy was in his final year on the show. John Elway was a rookie. Michael Jackson's epic 14-minute music video "Thriller" was two weeks away from debuting.)
Over my 39-plus years in the SID office, I've updated the stats manually for roughly 33 of those. I've always liked my own template and the ability to create different categories the NCAA doesn't track. Still do it to this day. But in '83, you know who updated the stats weekly? None-other than Chris Fowler, a sophomore at the time in the SID office. Face it, he's gone on to bigger and perhaps better things in the sport; I'm still typing stats every Saturday night.
Colorado celebrates the 2001 Big 12 Championship win over Texas
(Ranking the cities and towns I've visited during the streak would be harder than selecting games. Of the 410, 190 were outside the state in 50 different cities, with 17 others in Denver and three in Fort Collins. I've often been asked if I like the road trips in the Pac-12 better than in the old Big 8/Big 12, but I've always been fine spending a night or two anywhere. Can tell you this, it was much easier to navigate most of the Big 8 towns than those in the Pac-12 if the charter landed at 4:30. There was one road trip that just was not meant to be—New York City and Yankee Stadium—we were the top choice for the 2010 Pinstripe Bowl if we finished 6-6; but we were 5-7 thanks to some questionable calls against us in a certain game down the stretch that season.)
The streak covers my time from assistant SID to SID to assistant AD to associate AD. Mostly the same job with title tweaks and added responsibilities along the way. What a ride. And the "sub-streak" still lives: 238 in a row and counting at Folsom Field, dating back to that first game in 1978.
(What a privilege it has been to work with some of the all-time national media greats. Keith Jackson. Dick Enberg. Brent Musburger. Ray Scott. Jim Nantz. Don Criqui. Sean McDonough. Ron Franklin. Harry Kalas. Jack Buck. Brad Nessler. Skip Caray. Mike Tirico. Tim Brant. Rece Davis. Then some of the renowned analysts like Dan Fouts, Bob Griese, Gary Danielson, Mike Gottfried, Dick Vermeil, Lynn Swann, Charles Davis, Pat Haden, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso. Bill Walsh. And sideline reporters, ranging from the legendary Jack Arute, Dr. Jerry Punch, Craig Sager and John Dockery, to being there at the launch of the careers of Samantha Ryan, Erin Andrews, Lewis Johnson, Holly Rowe and Samantha Steele (now Ponder). And this doesn't include anyone local, but certainly can't leave out our own Larry Zimmer.)
I can easily remember the last Buff game I didn't work; it was a week before the 1983 finale (Nov. 12) on a small black-and-white TV in the newsroom at the old Rocky Mountain News. As the assistant SID at the time, I was allowed many side gigs to supplement my $13,500/year salary, one of which was compiling statewide high school football statistics for the News. CU fell behind 34-7 at halftime, but closed to within 41-28 with nine minutes left in the game. The Sooners actually stopped the Buffs on a 4th-and-goal from their 3 with three minutes to play, otherwise a score there and who knows what happens in the end.
The end. Guess I'll find out tomorrow what it's like to watch the Buffaloes on TV again for the first time in three-and-a-half decades instead of from a cushy press box seat. At least now my TV has a 55-inch screen; back then it was maybe only 19 … and I can't even recall if it was color or black-and-white. And most importantly, I do get the Pac-12 Network.
| This P-'Tudes Number(s): 428, 394 |
So I've worked 238 straight games at Folsom … child's play … CU's "Super Twins," Betty Hoover and Peggy Coppom, have been to all but a handful of CU's home games since 1940 (they'll turn 93 next month). That's a maximum 428 home games in their lifetimes, so if they've missed even 20, they're still over 400. The late F.M. "Dutch" Westerberg is the all-timer; the long-time season ticket holder saw every CU home game (394 of 'em) from 1921 until 1999, when he passed away at the age of 94.
| Help A Good Man In Our Business |
You may have heard by now about a Fort Collins fire that claimed the life of the daughter of Doug Max, CSU's longtime associate athletic director and former track coach. He's truly one of the good guys in our profession, and the fire last weekend also caused massive damage to their home. If you can afford to, please consider making a donation in any amount to help the family; a GoFundMe account has been set up in their name. Link: https://www.gofundme.com/dougandcindymax.
| Trivia Answers |
CU—Sefo Liufau. He earned 28 first downs in a 59-56 double overtime loss at California in 2014.
Music—The original recording in 1969 was by Thunderclap Newman; it was produced by Pete Townshend, who actually was a member of the short-lived band under the alias "Bijou Drains."
Name That Tune—"Uneasy Rider," from 1972 and the Charlie Daniels Band.
"Plati-'Tudes" features notes and stories that may not get much play from the mainstream media; offers Plati's or CU's take on issues raised by those who have an interest in the program; answers questions and concerns; and provides CU's point of view if we should disagree with what may have been written or broadcast. Have a question or want to know CU's take on something? E-mail Dave at david.plati@colorado.edu, and the subject may appear in the next Plati-'Tudes.