Did you really think I'd only do one post that mentioned Mike Tomlin?

Here is a letter I wrote to the Pittburgh Post-Gazette's sport's mailbag. I doubt that it is going to get published, so I thought I'd go ahead and post it here.

It seems like everyone and their mother has an opinion on Mike Tomlin. And after reading and listening to what my fellow Pittsburghers are saying, I am very disappointed. More than a few have voiced opinions that Tomlin isn’t the man for the job because his history doesn’t include playing at a “big-time” college.

This makes me think some don’t take small college football seriously.

Or worse yet, that some believe the players at small colleges don’t take the game seriously.

I really hope that no one holds that opinion. Because it is dead wrong. No one, and I mean no one, takes football more seriously than the players at a small college.

First of all, the academic standards of most of the smaller schools are notoriously higher than at most larger institutions. Playing ball isn’t their main job—achieving in the classroom is. The fact that these young men do achieve academically, while maintaining intense training and practice schedules shows their dedication.

Second, the driving force in small school football is totally different than at “big-time” schools. The young men who play Division II, A-II, and (especially) III, know this, with very few exceptions, is the end of their football careers.

They are out there, doing the same 2-a-days, in 90 degree heat and 95% humidity. They are putting hours into studying game tapes as well as their textbooks. These young men are as serious about this game as anyone can be.

It is just the reasons that they do it that are different.

But they are doing it with the love of the game in their hearts, the discipline they have learned in their minds, and confidence in their souls. They do it with respect for the game, their coaches and teammates, their schools and communities, and even their opponents.

They aren’t doing it to be “big man on campus” or to show-off and hot-dog it. They don’t do it for pro-scouts. Or the chance at million dollar contracts and fancy shoe endorsements. Most of them do it without even a scholarship.

So, if this is what Mike Tomlin is bringing to the table, I’ll be waiting with open arms. Maybe if the NFL had more small school discipline, we’d see less pros being arrested, less show-boating during games, and fewer press conferences called for the sole reason of making apologies.

All I’m saying, is as a city that loves the sport, we need to give Tomlin a chance. And while we are at it, maybe we should show some support of all the good small school football we have around here. Go catch a game at CMU, where they teach the wing-T offense with the same precision that is devoted to their robotics program. Or head out to little Washington, where at W & J you can see a game with hits as hard as any big school (but where you’ll actually get to sit close enough to see & hear them). Take a road trip up north to check out schools like Allegheny College, Thiel College, Grove City College or Edinboro University. Or if you’d rather head west, go to neighboring Ohio and see Hiram, Kenyon, Oberlin, Wittenberg, Denison, Wabash, Wooster, Ohio Wesleyan, or the ultimate in small school football—the Mount Union Purple Raiders (with 8 National Championships in 11 years, often with young western Pennsylvanians on the roster.) So go find a small school game: there are many close by, the tickets are cheap, and rarely is there a bad seat in the house. These may be the best games no one is watching.


Hope you enjoyed it. And for real, find a D-III game and have some fun.