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#UNC coach Bill Belichick pre-Wake Forest press conference
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0:00
Um certainly uh a very impressive win
0:02
for uh you know for Wake uh last weekend
0:05
against Virginia. Um you know
0:07
statistically Virginia um you know had
0:11
an edge in a lot of areas but uh the
0:13
three turnovers um that Wake got and the
0:16
and the return were you know some big
0:19
gamechanging plays and and uh I think it
0:22
just is highlights the type of team that
0:24
uh that Jake has there. I think Jake's
0:26
done a great job as he did at Washington
0:28
State. Uh he has several other people on
0:30
his staff with him, but um did a
0:33
tremendous job out there and and um he's
0:36
got a lot of a lot of good football
0:37
players. They're very good football
0:39
team. They're well coached. Um they're
0:41
good in every area. They're good on
0:42
special teams. They're good on defense.
0:44
Uh and they're good on offense. They
0:46
have some very good skilled players. Um
0:49
you know, offensively, the running back
0:50
Claybourne is outstanding. Um Barnes,
0:54
you know, Rodriguez, um you know, the
0:56
receivers are explosive. quarterbacks
0:58
can run. Um they're averaging over 200
1:00
yards a game passing, so they can throw
1:02
it, too. Um defensively, they they
1:05
they're very disciplined. They're
1:06
they're tough. They can rush the passer.
1:09
Uh they play the run well. They're very
1:10
physical. Uh a good tackling team. So,
1:14
um be a big uh you know, a big challenge
1:16
for us out there. Um you know, we're
1:17
back in the state, so we know that the
1:19
intensity is going to be um you know,
1:22
high for this game as it should be and
1:24
um you know, look forward to it. So,
1:26
good opportunity, but um a lot of
1:28
respect for uh for the program um and
1:31
for Jake and and the job that he's done
1:33
there this year. They've really uh it's
1:35
been impressive.
1:36
We'll get started front row center.
1:39
Bill, what have you learned about these
1:41
tobacco road rivalries and big four
1:43
rivalries since being here and now
1:45
starting them in this final stretch of
1:47
weight?
1:50
You know, I've been involved in a lot of
1:51
them before, but I'd say the ones uh you
1:53
know, regionally are just just
1:55
different. You know, in Tobacco Road,
1:56
we've uh certainly talked about that
1:58
with uh people who have played in a lot
2:00
of these games or coached in them or
2:01
been around them. And so, it's uh um you
2:04
know, historically we're we're catching
2:05
up on it, but um you know, we even saw
2:07
it in the Charlotte game uh that there's
2:10
uh it's a little bit different when you
2:11
play in state, you know, and uh every
2:13
high school kid wants to win a state
2:14
championship. Um, and so, you know, when
2:18
you're playing at this level, it's it's
2:20
important to win in the state. And, uh,
2:22
you know, we know it's going to be we
2:23
know they're look, they're a good
2:24
football team no matter where they're
2:25
located, but we know it's an in-state
2:27
game and it's going to be tough and it's
2:29
their place. And, you know, I'm sure
2:30
they'll be there'll be a lot of energy
2:32
in the stadium.
2:35
Bill, you said last, I think after
2:37
Stanford that the Wake defensive front
2:39
is among the best that you're going to
2:40
see this year. How important is it for
2:42
the offensive line this week in practice
2:44
to be able to go against your own
2:45
defensive line based on the production
2:47
that they've had? I know you talked a
2:48
little bit about them struggling in a
2:50
sense against some of Tyler Thompson
2:52
plays and Melart.
2:55
Yeah, it's uh I think the way Wake plays
2:57
is a little different than the way we
2:58
play. Um so we'll try to u simulate that
3:03
the best that we can. Um but they, you
3:06
know, they they move quite a bit and
3:08
they're um you know, the people that
3:10
support uh from the secondary um are
3:14
very aggressive and um they just have a
3:17
little different way of playing than
3:18
than the way we play. It's, you know,
3:20
not good or bad, it's just a little bit
3:21
different. And so that's what we'll have
3:23
to try to uh simulate for our offense to
3:26
um you know, be able to handle it. But
3:27
they're they're very physical team. They
3:30
pursue well, they tackle well, they
3:31
force fumbles, they turn the ball over.
3:33
Um, and again, it's just a physical
3:36
team. The closer it gets to the goal
3:38
line, the harder the harder it is
3:40
because they have more guys in less
3:41
space. And, you know, they they do a
3:42
good job down there, too.
3:44
Second rule on the block for coach
3:45
Aaron.
3:46
Aaron here with the AP. You guys have
3:48
the most sacks in the country the last
3:50
four weeks. So, it's been a consistently
3:52
out, you know, a lot of output. Going
3:54
back to your days as a coordinator, I'm
3:56
curious, how would you describe the
3:57
challenge maybe bringing along guys,
3:59
pass rushers, whether it's schematic,
4:01
whether it's teaching them technique? uh
4:03
that process of sort of building
4:05
something like that over time and how
4:06
this group has sort of been adapted to
4:08
that.
4:10
Um yeah, look, each each player usually
4:14
has his own strengths and weaknesses.
4:16
Some guys are more power rushers, some
4:18
guys are more speed rushers and and so
4:20
forth. Um I kind of look at it like a
4:22
pitcher. You know, it's hard to win with
4:24
just one pitch, even if it's a really
4:26
good one. Uh you can you can get to a
4:28
certain point, but at some point you
4:29
need you need something besides a fast
4:31
ball. You need a curve ball. you need a
4:32
change up or you know you need something
4:34
and uh I think that's the way it is a
4:36
pass rush too. If you only have one
4:38
thing and eventually they they block
4:40
that and then you got to be able to go
4:41
to something else. So developing
4:42
individual pass rush techniques for each
4:45
player is is important you know to have
4:46
a good two or three pitches that you can
4:48
throw. Uh and then being able to
4:50
collectively work together on pass rush
4:53
um to understand that for the most part
4:56
uh it's five on four so they have an
4:58
extra guy. So where's the extra blocker?
5:00
How do we attack that? which way is he
5:02
going? How are they doing it? Um, and if
5:05
it's five on five with the offensive
5:06
lineman, then you know, how do you
5:08
attack that differently than five on
5:10
four? And then when you start to
5:11
pressure, then you know, how does that
5:12
fit into the pass protection as well in
5:15
terms of are they protecting the five,
5:16
six, you know, or even seven. You know,
5:19
towards the end of the game last week,
5:20
you know, we saw a lot of uh sevenman
5:23
protection or um they were chipping and
5:26
then getting out. So, seven guys would
5:27
block and then five would stay and the
5:29
other guys would release. Things like
5:31
that. So, there's some different
5:32
protections that you have to work
5:33
through and understanding, you know, how
5:35
they're trying to neutralize your pass
5:36
rush either individually or as a scheme.
5:39
Um, what what we need to do to try to um
5:44
uh you know, how to how to attack what
5:46
they're doing to uh to neutralize that
5:48
success with
5:50
the right.
5:51
Hey, coach Wake Force, the running back
5:53
Dean Clayborn. What do you like about
5:55
his game? Josh is just a great routine.
5:58
Everything. Just a really good runner.
6:00
He's explosive. He's fast. He's got good
6:02
vision. Uh he sets up his blocks well.
6:04
Um he runs hard. He's a hard guy to
6:06
tackle. Um there's there isn't there's
6:11
much to not like about him really. Um
6:13
unless you're playing against him, then
6:14
there's a lot not to like about him. But
6:16
he's he's a problem. He can get inside,
6:18
he can get outside, he can go the
6:19
distance. Um but he can get tough yards,
6:21
too. He's a good contact runner. He's
6:23
got good balance. Um,
6:26
I like him. I mean, I like him. I think
6:28
Zach of a player and, uh, I have a ton
6:30
of respect for him. Um, we know he's
6:32
getting the ball. Everybody else knows
6:33
he's getting the ball. He still makes
6:35
yards. He makes a lot of them. Um, he's
6:37
very he's very tough to handle. He sees
6:40
blocks well and and he runs hard. He's
6:42
hard to tackle.
6:43
Right next to Bill, what would you say
6:46
your relationship is like with with
6:47
Coach Dickard? I know he was at
6:49
Washington State last year when you were
6:51
out Washington with Steve. wonder if you
6:53
ever ran into him out there.
6:55
I wasn't out there for that for that
6:56
game. I saw the game. Um it was a big
6:58
win for Washington State. Um you know,
7:01
winning the Apple Cup. They beat him in
7:02
uh I think it was in the Seattle
7:04
Stadium, Seahawk Stadium. But um
7:08
they had a great year last year. Um you
7:10
know, and they're uh they have a good
7:12
program. Um you know, I met him at the
7:15
ACC uh meeting, spent some time with him
7:18
there. Um really enjoyed it. Um, so you
7:21
know, a ton of respect for me know
7:23
defensive guy. I like that.
7:25
Front left.
7:27
Bill, uh, wanted to sort of circle back
7:30
on on having the for UNCC the three
7:33
rivalry games here to end the year. And
7:35
I was wondering what your school thought
7:37
might be um for you know the
7:39
regionalized the rivalry games would you
7:41
know some people might say it's better
7:42
to have them spread out throughout the
7:45
course of the season or do you feel like
7:47
having them all here back to back to
7:48
back it's sort of the way it should be I
7:50
don't know to end the season.
7:53
Yeah. Not my decision. They schedule
7:55
them we play them. So if we play Friday
7:58
night if we play Saturday morning if we
8:00
play Saturday night whenever the games
8:02
are we we if we play Monday night we
8:04
play Monday night. So, who we play when
8:06
we play them, um it's really out of my
8:08
control. We just got to get ready to
8:09
play. So, I I'm not going to worry about
8:11
that. Um this week it's all about weight
8:13
force. We're going to put everything we
8:14
have into this game and um
8:17
and then next week we'll move on to next
8:20
week. You know, it's it's the same thing
8:21
we do every week, but we got to pour
8:23
everything we have into Wake Forest.
8:24
Again, they're a really good football
8:25
team. Uh it was a big win for them
8:27
against Virginia. Virginia's a good
8:29
team, so we know that. Um we're excited
8:32
for the challenge and the opportunity,
8:33
but it's going to be tough. We know
8:34
that.
8:37
Yeah. Wanted to ask you about Cory
8:39
House. Obviously, he came in, you know,
8:42
one year as well. Right now, I see you
8:44
guys in tackle. Seems like he's one of
8:45
the more vocal guys on the team as well.
8:47
Um, just wondering in the interceptions
8:49
today. Wanted to ask you what what have
8:51
you liked about his play to this point
8:53
of the year and then also like how have
8:55
you noticed maybe him growing from a
8:57
leadership perspective?
9:00
Um, yeah. Uh, you know, Kamari brings a
9:02
lot to the program. um both on and off
9:04
the field. He's uh he's vocal but in a
9:07
good way. You know, it's uh when you're
9:09
the middle linebacker, you have to
9:10
communicate things to the front, to uh
9:13
the linebackers on your level,
9:14
adjustments that you make, and sometimes
9:16
the entire secondary in terms of the
9:17
play call or an adjustment against
9:19
certain formations and uh or no huddle
9:22
and things like that. So, um those
9:24
communication skills are are really
9:25
good. It's important to be decisive.
9:27
It's important to be loud. Um, but you
9:31
know, sometimes even if you don't call
9:33
the right thing, as long as everybody's
9:34
playing the same thing, you know, you're
9:36
okay. It might not have been a perfect
9:37
deal, but at least everybody's on the
9:39
right same page and and that's better
9:41
than being half, you know, half right
9:43
and half wrong. So, um, that's really
9:46
good. I mean, Kamari loves football. Um,
9:48
he's very, uh, engaged. Um, ask lot, ask
9:52
questions, ask good questions. Um, you
9:55
know, wants to wants to improve, wants
9:57
to be better. uh works hard. He's, you
9:59
know, not the biggest guy, but he's
10:01
explosive for his size. Um he plays
10:03
bigger than than the weight that he's
10:05
at. Um he plays strong and plays
10:07
explosive and he can run well. So, um
10:09
he's got a really good skill set. He's a
10:10
good blitzer. He's a good tackler. He
10:12
can cover a lot of ground. Uh and he's a
10:14
smart instinctive player for not very
10:16
much, you know, he doesn't have a lot of
10:18
experience. I mean, two years playing,
10:19
but um he's played, you know, a lot of
10:21
football, but not as much as, you know,
10:23
guys who played four or five years. So,
10:25
um, but he he performs and acts and
10:28
carries himself like like he has played
10:30
more than he really has. So, it's he's
10:32
very mature kid is impressive.
10:34
Center second row Brian.
10:36
Hey, how are you? Um, I know when you
10:38
got here you said you're not coming here
10:40
to leave, but as soon as the Giants job
10:42
came open yesterday, your name got
10:44
thrown out there. I'm sure it will with
10:46
other NFL jobs. What is what is your
10:48
message to players to to recruits? I'm
10:50
sure people are asking you about that
10:51
who who want to come and pro. Yeah,
10:53
getting ready for week four. That's all
10:55
I got this week.
10:58
Has anyone asked you or players or
11:00
recruits want to know about your future?
11:03
I mean, I've been asked about it from
11:05
time to time, but yeah, I look this I've
11:09
been down this road before. I'm focused
11:11
on Wake Forest. That's it. And that's my
11:14
commitment to this team. And next week
11:16
it'll be to our next opponent and so
11:18
forth. But, you know, I'm here to do the
11:20
best I can for this team. second row far
11:23
right. Coach
11:24
Bill, nine, 10 weeks into this, you go
11:27
back on the road this week. Um, the
11:29
emotional swings and you talk about the
11:31
intensity of these types of games. Is it
11:33
comparable the in-game swings in college
11:36
football compared to what happens in the
11:37
pros?
11:40
Um,
11:42
it it's a little bit different uh in
11:46
college because of the timing. Um the
11:52
from a timing standpoint, from a timing
11:55
standpoint, it's a little more like the
11:57
Super Bowl timing. The timeouts are
12:00
long. Um the halftime is twice as long
12:04
as what it is in the NFL. Um and the
12:08
two-minute warning with the clock
12:11
stoppages on first down and things like
12:12
that make that time frame long. you
12:16
know, the two minutes in the NFL is like
12:20
a minute in the NFL is like two minutes
12:22
in college at the end of the half or end
12:24
of the game. So that those timing things
12:27
are are different and it's more like
12:29
that. It's a long halftime. um you can
12:32
get a lot done, but you also have to
12:34
come back out, kind of rewarm up, get,
12:36
you know, get going again because you've
12:38
you've kind of been sitting for a while.
12:39
And I'd say the the timeouts, the clock
12:41
stoppages between quarters and timeouts
12:44
and so forth are are are long. Um and
12:48
that just, you know, it just it takes
12:51
away a little bit of momentum, gives you
12:52
a little more time to talk to your team
12:53
in between series and things like that.
12:56
So those are the differences. They're
12:58
not good or bad. I mean, everybody's got
12:59
the same, you know, it's the same thing,
13:01
but um that's what I've noticed
13:05
back far right. Um I think a lot of
13:08
people would maybe compare you and Vicki
13:11
this week and you guys reliable both
13:13
first year coaches. Um just how much
13:15
appreciation maybe do you have for what
13:17
you've been able to do there that they
13:19
didn't have a lot of expectations this
13:20
year and that they're having a great
13:22
season, especially given that you've
13:23
experienced this, you know, trying to
13:24
build a program here your first year.
13:26
Yeah, like I said, I have a lot of
13:27
respect for him. I have a lot of respect
13:29
for their program uh and the way their
13:31
kids play. So yeah, um all the above.
13:37
Um how close is that? He's basically
13:39
going to practice this week and how
13:40
close
13:41
Yeah. Uh so he's dayto- day. Um he's,
13:44
you know, he's coming back. He's closer
13:45
than he was today than he was yesterday.
13:48
Um we'll go out there and see how it
13:49
goes. Um
13:52
but you know, if you've ever had an
13:53
injury, um you go out there and you you
13:56
do what you can do. And if everything
13:58
feels good, then you move ahead to the
13:59
next step. And if it doesn't, then you
14:01
step back and you give things a chance
14:04
to um you know, settle down a little bit
14:07
or whatever. And then then you go back
14:09
and do it again. So there's no way of
14:11
knowing what's going to happen today,
14:12
tomorrow, the next day or 3 days from
14:14
now. Um so we just take it day by day
14:17
and if things go good today, then we
14:19
ramp up tomorrow. if things maybe need
14:22
to settle down for a day, then we repeat
14:25
today, tomorrow, and then look at it
14:27
again the next day. So, I really don't
14:28
know the answer to that question. I'm
14:30
not going to be able to answer any
14:31
injury questions because it's they're
14:32
they're just dayto-day. Just depends on
14:34
how the player progresses or how any
14:36
individual impre progresses whether
14:38
you're a player or not as to how much
14:40
you can do depends on how it goes. And
14:44
that's,
14:46
you know, again, I I've been in this a
14:48
long time, and that's that's the reality
14:50
of it. You know, people say, "Well, this
14:52
this is going to take this long. This is
14:54
going to take that long." It's pretty
14:56
hard to be right on that. I'd say that
14:58
those predictions are usually wrong one
15:01
way or another. It's impossible to say,
15:03
"Oh, this guy's going to be ready in
15:04
like however many days." How do you know
15:06
that?
15:08
Front left.
15:10
Coach, defense has stepped up, played
15:12
well. The offense still lacks some
15:14
consistency. Have you been able to
15:16
pinpoint an aspect of the offense or
15:19
reason for the offense and that lack of
15:20
consistency?
15:22
Well, I think we need more consistency
15:24
all the way across the board. I mean,
15:26
defensively, offensively, um, our
15:29
defense has done a good job, but I mean,
15:30
the two-minute drive at the end of the
15:33
half, two-minute drive at the end of the
15:34
game last week, I mean, those could be
15:36
better. So, I mean, there's room for
15:37
improvement all the way across the
15:39
board. And certainly offensively we need
15:41
to score more points in the first half.
15:43
Let's start with that. That's number
15:44
one. So we need to find a way to do
15:46
that.
15:47
Love to second roof. Shelby coach.
15:49
I was curious. You said through the game
15:51
on Saturday um kind of lead press
15:53
conference that you felt like that could
15:56
have done a better job looking at some
15:58
of the players playing in a better
15:59
position to be successful like early in
16:01
the season. I was just curious if you
16:02
could maybe expand on that. provide some
16:04
examples of maybe certain ways that you
16:06
feel like you identify certain
16:07
combination.
16:10
No, I mean it's no specific examples.
16:12
It's just the more you know about
16:13
somebody, then the better you can
16:14
evaluate them, the better you can
16:16
utilize them in your program. So, some
16:19
skills were maybe not evident or u maybe
16:22
they improved or maybe they started and
16:26
then didn't really improve and that's
16:28
kind of what they were and you hope for
16:30
that they're going to be better and they
16:31
kind of stayed there. you look at others
16:33
and say, "Well, they're not very good."
16:34
But you know what, in a certain number
16:36
of practices and after time they improve
16:38
and and get better and then you
16:39
reevaluate. So that that's really what I
16:41
was referring to, but that's pretty much
16:42
across the board. Um, you know, we know
16:45
a lot more than we knew back in the
16:46
spring. We knew a lot know a lot more
16:47
now than we knew in August uh or even
16:50
September. And so, uh, as we've learned
16:52
more about our players and our team and
16:54
how they work together and what we can
16:56
do and what maybe what we have a harder
16:58
time doing, um, and you know, we've
17:01
tried to take steps to improve those
17:02
things. In retrospect, if I had known
17:06
then what I know now, I wouldn't have
17:07
done some of the things I did, but I did
17:10
what I thought was best at the time. And
17:11
so, that time's passed. I mean, you
17:14
can't go back on it one way or the
17:15
other. So, just keep moving ahead.
17:18
Thank you. front row on the left.
17:20
Bill, with it being Veterans Day and the
17:22
unveiling of the wall, was there any
17:23
story of one of these guys that really
17:25
resonated with you throughout this
17:26
process?
17:29
Um, well, I mean, Hamburger is a great
17:31
story, you know, I mean, it's got NFL
17:33
Hall of Fame and served his country and,
17:36
you know, had a great career here. I
17:37
mean, that's, you know, and and there
17:40
are a lot of other ones, too. But, you
17:41
know, I have a lot of a lot of respect
17:43
for those guys. You guys like Stallback
17:44
who had a great career in college, had a
17:47
great career in the NFL and served his
17:50
country, didn't own the Philankis, and
17:52
many other players that I have a closer
17:54
relationship with because they served in
17:55
the military through the Naval Academy,
17:57
but you know, guys like that. I mean,
17:58
it's um and you go back to, you know,
18:01
some of the players that that impacted
18:03
the NFL after the war, but specifically
18:05
to North Carolina. I mean, put put Chris
18:08
in there.
18:10
Second row.
18:11
I want to do that to the pass rush for
18:13
one second about the sack. So with what
18:15
you talked about about bringing guys
18:16
along there's a process. I'm curious was
18:19
there a point when you kind of began to
18:20
feel like some confidence maybe in the
18:22
way you guys could rush the pass or
18:24
maybe under maybe feeling like the guys
18:26
understood schematically more of what
18:28
you were asking for? I mean was there a
18:30
point that it begin to feel more
18:32
comfortable to you about what you guys
18:33
could accomplish with that?
18:35
Um, look, let me just say that
18:39
sacks are a function of team defense. If
18:42
the receivers are open and the
18:43
quarterback throws the ball, I don't
18:44
care how fast you get there, you're not
18:46
going to get there. And so, in order to
18:48
sack the quarterback, you need to have
18:51
um enough pass coverage to not allow the
18:54
quarterback to get rid of the ball
18:56
before you get there on the rush. So,
18:58
sacks are a function of team defense.
19:00
Um, I'd say for every sack, you have a
19:02
good coverage play. Um, for most
19:04
interceptions, unless the quarterback
19:06
makes a mistake, you usually have a good
19:08
pass rush that forces a bad throw or
19:10
forces a a hurried throw uh or disrupts
19:13
the passing game in some way, right? And
19:15
that's team defense. And so, when your
19:18
team defense is good, then all those
19:20
things fall into place. You know, you
19:21
you have better pass rush, you have
19:23
better pass coverage, well, then you
19:25
have more negative plays. Um, you have
19:28
to be able to rush the passer in order
19:29
to have good pass rush. I'm not saying
19:31
that, but it's also combined with the
19:33
rest of and it's it's uh you know, I
19:35
think Steve's done a good job of mixing
19:36
up the coverages where sometimes the
19:38
quarterback has to, you know, be a
19:40
little bit indecisive on where to go
19:42
with the ball. Uh and then that gives
19:43
the the pass rush a little bit more time
19:45
to get there. So, it's it's really about
19:48
team defense. And it's the same thing in
19:49
the running game. If we're playing the
19:50
run well, it's because we got a lot of
19:52
guys playing the run well. One guy can't
19:54
stop the running game and one guy can't
19:55
stop Claybornne. I mean, I don't care if
19:57
you had Deacon Jones out there. it's
19:58
going to take more than that. So, you
20:01
need everybody to play well collectively
20:03
and and to fill their areas to feed
20:05
their blocks. Um, yeah, it's really
20:08
about team defense. So, I give credit to
20:10
the pass rush, don't get me wrong, but I
20:12
think it's really, you know, team
20:13
defense. If you go back and look at
20:14
those sacks, some of them are on a
20:16
three-man rush, some are on a fourman
20:18
rush, some aren't a fiveman rush. A
20:19
couple of them are, you know, we're
20:20
bringing six or more. And so, they're
20:22
not all the same. They're not all the
20:24
same thing. Some of them play action
20:26
passes, some of them are loose scramble
20:27
plays, some of them are drop back
20:29
passes, and again, it just it's it's a
20:32
variety of things that um happen on on a
20:35
lot of the plays that you're
20:36
referencing. I just don't want to pin it
20:38
on one things. I really don't think
20:39
that's what it is. It's it's collective
20:41
team defense.
20:42
Two more here, Brian. And far right.
20:44
Yeah, Bill, you mentioned that you
20:46
talked to Chancellor Roberts about the
20:47
military role and other things honoring
20:49
the tradition of the program. Why was
20:51
the military role in particular so
20:52
important? But also, you know, we saw
20:54
the bus back there. You mentioned LT a
20:56
lot of times. Why is talking about the
20:58
history of the program important to you
20:59
as well?
21:00
Well, because those are the people that
21:02
made the program. The program is is
21:04
here. It's established. It's got a
21:06
tradition history. Um, long before I got
21:09
here. Uh, so I want to recognize those
21:12
people that again like Lawrence Taylor
21:15
and Peppers and Hamburger and so forth
21:18
that you know and and um um Choo Choo
21:23
and you know all the great players and
21:24
and people that have been here um I
21:28
think they deserve to be recognized. I
21:30
mean I really do. So um and that's the
21:33
same for the players just cuz a player
21:34
signs here and comes in here. This
21:36
program is here whether that guy comes
21:38
here or not. this program's here whether
21:40
I'm here or not. So, it's about
21:42
recognizing the program and showing
21:43
appreciation to the people who um you
21:46
know built it. I won't say laid the
21:48
foundation like that's going back to
21:49
1888 or whatever. Um but people who
21:52
built the program I mean there's a lot
21:54
of you I think of the players that
21:56
played here with Lawrence Taylor. I mean
21:57
that was a that was a pretty good group
21:59
you know in 1980 they gave up 120 points
22:02
and 42 were against Oklahoma. I mean
22:04
that's one of the greatest defensive
22:05
teams in in college football. So, you
22:08
know, I think they should be recognized.
22:11
And why was the wall so important the
22:13
military?
22:14
Well, we just had to find a way to do
22:15
it. I mean, we there was we talked about
22:17
different ways to recognize
22:19
um the military. But look, I want when
22:22
people come back here, I want them to to
22:24
feel that we appreciate their
22:25
contributions and and recognize them.
22:27
whether it was in the military, whether
22:29
it's their playing career, whether it's
22:30
their academics, whether it's, you know,
22:32
we have again various awards and
22:34
recognition for what our student
22:35
athletes do, not just on the football
22:37
field, but um academically or, you know,
22:40
in the military or community service um
22:42
and so forth. I mean, it's just part of
22:44
what who we are and and that's what
22:46
we're proud of. We're proud of football
22:48
accomplishments, but there's there's
22:49
other things, too, that you know, should
22:51
be recognized.
22:52
Last one, uh third row on the right, you
22:54
know, Michael BBC 11. Can you share a
22:57
bit about your dad's military service or
23:00
sort of having conversations with
23:02
players uh so they're better educated on
23:06
the history of military conflicts
23:08
military service?
23:11
Um yeah, we I mean we've I've always
23:13
talked about that especially as the
23:15
historic dates come through. I mean like
23:17
uh you know whether it's a Pearl Harbor
23:19
or you know D-Day or Veterans Day,
23:23
Memorial Day so forth. Um uh yeah, so my
23:26
dad was um you know, he played for the
23:29
Detroit Lions in 1941 and that was his
23:32
rookie year and um you know Pearl Harbor
23:35
December 7th. So he um enlisted in the
23:39
Navy and went to Great Lakes uh in the
23:41
Great Lakes football program up there
23:43
and their training program. So when he
23:44
got finished, he came in as a lieutenant
23:47
um as an officer, not as an enlisted
23:49
man. And so um that was you know two
23:53
years of training there and then uh he
23:55
went to um served in Europe uh in the
23:58
Navy. So they went over to Europe and
24:00
then um after victory in Europe then
24:03
came back and ended up going to the
24:05
Philippines um for the end of the war in
24:07
45. And then when he came out um then
24:11
that's when he he started coaching at
24:13
Hyum in Cleveland and then went to
24:14
Vanderville and North Carolina and so
24:16
forth. So um
24:18
you know at that time I mean I think
24:20
what you know uh honestly that was the
24:24
World War II was the uh explosion of
24:26
football. I mean it was literally the
24:29
explosion of it because prior to that
24:30
everything was regional. Um nobody in
24:33
east knew what the south was doing.
24:35
Nobody in the south knew what was going
24:36
on in the west with you know pop Warner
24:39
and people like that. And you know it
24:40
was very regionalized. There was no
24:42
film. There was no TV. there was no, you
24:44
know, there was nothing. And once they
24:46
got into the war, then all those teams
24:48
came together and all those players came
24:50
together and so guys from every part of
24:52
the country played together. They talked
24:53
about and the coaches too and like Paul
24:56
Brown was another one served at Great
24:57
Lakes and you know Paul got uh he talked
25:00
about a lot of the ideas he got and also
25:01
saw players you know like Willis um and
25:05
Groza and guys like that who also served
25:07
there. So um they exchanged a lot of
25:11
ideas. Hey, we're doing this drill.
25:12
We're running this play. we're training
25:13
like this, we're doing this, we're doing
25:14
that. And then networking and then that
25:17
led to a lot of information exchange
25:19
after the war, right, after everybody
25:21
went back to where they were. And then,
25:23
you know, people from the Ivy League
25:25
would interact with people from the
25:27
Southwest and the South and the West and
25:29
the Midwest. And again, everything was
25:31
very regionalized, though. You just
25:33
played the people in your region. You
25:34
saw the teams in your region.
25:37
And that's really where the sports
25:38
writers, you know, people like Grant
25:40
Rice and guys like that who would see
25:42
games from around the country when they
25:44
picked the all-American teams, they're
25:46
the ones that saw everybody play. So
25:48
they could see Army, they could see
25:49
Notre Dame, they could see Alabama, they
25:50
could see uh Texas, they could see
25:52
Stanford, they could see, you know, all
25:55
the great teams around the country, you
25:56
know, they could do that. And their
25:58
all-American teams were, you know, if
26:00
anybody else picked it, the only guys
26:02
you're watching are the guys that are in
26:03
that that region that you, you know,
26:05
that you observe.
26:07
So from a playing standpoint, from a
26:10
training standpoint, from a coaching
26:12
standpoint, from a networking
26:13
standpoint, you know, once you got into
26:15
the late 40s and the 50s, you saw, you
26:18
know, the T formation and the passing
26:20
game expand and players in the NFL and
26:23
the higher quality there because, you
26:26
know, the good players were more easily
26:28
recognizable because they're playing
26:29
against other good players. And that's
26:31
where the good teams were was in the
26:32
military in 44 45, you know, because all
26:36
the good players were drafted in the
26:37
military. They couldn't they couldn't
26:38
play. I mean, except the guys are 4F,
26:41
but all the all the healthy players that
26:43
were juniors and seniors, you know, they
26:45
got drafted in. So, those are the best
26:47
players. A lot of those guys went on to
26:48
play in the NFL. And a lot of coaches
26:50
like Paul Brown use that networking to,
26:53
you know, build a team like he did at
26:55
the Browns and and also build a
26:57
repertoire of plays that, you know, hey,
27:00
this guy runs this play, this guy run
27:02
that play. Oh, they run this drill, they
27:03
run that. You know, there's a lot of
27:04
exchange of ideas there. So, um, World
27:08
War II was a was an explosion for for
27:11
football, college and pro, in terms of
27:13
ideas, networking, communication, and,
27:17
um, you know, it becoming more of a
27:18
national instead of regional sport.
27:22
Thank you.
27:23
Okay, Bill. Bring us.
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