Nov. 4, 2015
Quick Slant is an array of brief insights and occasionally opinionated overviews of collegiate athletics in general and the Vanderbilt Commodores in particular.
We expect one of our more special pre-games against Kentucky when the game ball is parachuted in by a special operations team representing all four military branches based out of Florida. It is a part of the game’s theme as we salute our military. Hope for good weather as this Para-Commando unit is terrific!
Tulsa athletic director Derrick Gragg, a Vanderbilt wide receiver from 1988-1991, has not forgotten his Commodore years and has just released an advice book aimed at teenagers that recalls his tight-knit group of friends and teammates. http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/tusportsextra/tu-athletic-director-derrick-gragg-releases-book/article_c1241ac0-d848-508a-9409-9f47d8ea727b.html
Last May we had a Slant entry pointing out that there are seven current college athletic directors that were once members of Vanderbilt’s athletic staff: http://www.vucommodores.com/sports/quickslant/spec-rel/050115aaa.html How could we have left out Rick George, athletic director at Colorado, from this list! Rick was a talented good friend and colleague during the Gerry DiNardo/Todd Turner eras.
We have all been looking for food in an unfamiliar area when someone spots the shape or color of a sign in the distance and everyone knows that a specific restaurant is near. What would happen if restaurants, for example, decided to change their logos – opting for new colors, signage shapes and so forth? Walk into a sports bar on a Saturday afternoon with college football on the screen. Chances are you can’t immediately recognize the game since many teams are now wearing “alternative” uniforms and helmets. If there is not a score icon in the corner, it takes time to figure out who is playing. Branding experts and traditionalists cringe, even if it’s understood that the new threads and hats are intended to appeal to recruits and excite the current team at the expense of quick and traditional brand identification.
Hundreds of Tennessee Youth Football League players from Middle Tennessee will swarm into Vanderbilt Stadium Saturday and Sunday as we host a series of championship games for different age groups. It’s a winning combination for area businesses, our campus and the kids – who get the thrill of playing in a Southeastern Conference stadium. They will also be attending next week’s football game against Kentucky.
