Annapolis-#1 Football Town

mombee · 10-07-2009, 10:00 AM

From the perspective of a Denver sportswriter in Annapolis last Saturday to cover his first Navy football game:

Henderson: Anchors aweigh for one of greatest college football towns - The Denver Post

Quote:

The best is just as well defined. Austin, Texas, tops nearly everyone's list. Also up there are Boulder and Madison, Wis., and I like Columbus, Ohio, one of the underrated cities in America. But let me add another and put it way up there, a little past Boulder and challenging Austin as the best college town in the U.S. — Annapolis, Md.

I'm serious. I attended my first Air Force-Navy game Saturday, and a visit to Annapolis should be on every college football fan's bucket list. I've been to 69 of the 120 FBS schools, and Annapolis is one of the most pleasant surprises of my career.

My political leanings are just to the left of Gandhi, so I don't get misty-eyed watching military students marching in formation. Navy's option offense is not part of this equation.

But unlike the Air Force Academy, which is stuck in the middle of a frozen tundra between Colorado Springs and Castle Rock, the Naval Academy is smack dab in the middle of Annapolis.

It was a great game, perfect weather, and a highly partisan very vocal crowd that was totally into the game from the perfectly timed flyover leading the Navy team onto the field until the last goal line stand in overtime where Navy denied AF the end zone on eight consecutive plays.

The defense and special teams were huge and the offense negated a very strong AF defense, especially their nose guard.

Whistle Pig · 10-07-2009, 12:21 PM

Concur minus his left-wing pov. Sadly, in that light, he only got the tip of the iceberg of what most of us have determined is top of list in fostering feeling good about God, country, Navy football, and 4,200 "good" guys n gals, everyone wearing a white hat.

We can only imagine this dude's effervescing scribblings if he loved them like we do ...and he should, whatever his political views. They're the ones who allow him to put in print that he's nearly a communist, and not have to worry about being gulagged for it.

Imo, he really doesn't get the sizzle in this steak.

Whistle Pig · 10-07-2009, 12:54 PM

Make that the steak in the sizzle.

vineyardmh · 10-07-2009, 02:20 PM

Imagine how to rate USNA Football if factors included Graduation Rates for Athletes (Navy ranks #1), has to have good SATs and GPA to get in to the school and the fact that EVERY athlete is required to get a B.S. degree in 4 years.
How many football players would be disqualified from playing if they had to have completed 2 years of calculus (through differential equations) by the time they were in their 3rd year of college! No soft majors in "underwater basketweaving" or the equivalent. (Even English majors at USNA have to have the courses that make the degree a Bachelor of Science degree!!!!)

No doubt in my mind - if we look for the true student athletes - the service academies would top all other colleges ...and Navy tops the service academies!!