Good Monday morning to all of you. There's no word yet on what Gene Chizik is planning this week for his coaching staff - but it's early. Tiger Prowl continues to get a lot of national attention with ESPN and CBS Sportsline picking up the story over the weekend. It also got the attention of Florida Coach Urban Meyer who suddenly decided to get pious on us.
He was asked about Auburn's recent road trip by Gainsville Sun writer Pat Dooley and from his answer it's apparent he still hasn't gotten over those two whipping by Auburn in recent years. Here's an excerpt from the article:
STRETCHING RULES: You may have read where Auburn used stretch limos to parade recruits around the state of Alabama. The idea was that the limos would not only appeal to the kids but get Auburn plenty of attention because of the decals on the limos.
The real question here is whether other schools will follow suit or will the NCAA enact a new rule banning their use. We've seen the NCAA react to excessive meals and plane trips as well as text messaging. Can this be far behind?
"I think it should," Urban Meyer told Dooley Noted when asked if the NCAA will get involved. "We're trying to sell graduation rates and academics and trying the sing and dance routine.
"The Florida coaching staff will not be riding around in limos or ripping off our shirts."
That's an obvious reference to reports that some Tennessee assistants ripped off their shirts in front of recruits.
There's no question that Meyer is one of the top coaches in America. There's little doubt his program is among the top five nationally. But to say, "We're trying to sell graduation rates and academics" is like Nick Saban saying he can't find Gadsden on a map. It just doesn't fly.
I talked to a recruit who attended the Florida-South Carolina game last year and he said he actually put his wallet in his front pocket because of the recruits who were there visiting. He said they were cast straight from the streets of Miami. The only thing Urban Meyer is trying to do is win football games. Don't give us this crap about graduation rates and academics.
A reader noted last week that number 60 in the picture is Pat Dye.
We made mention last week of Ed Dyas being elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. Looking at that black and white photo, it's real easy to dismiss him as an old codger who played a brand of football many of us can't relate to these days. That would be a mistake. Simply put, Dyas was a bad dude on the football field. Looking at his stats, you wonder what took the Hall so long to induct him.
An All-American fullback in 1960, Dyas set an NCAA record for most field goals in a season with 13. Four of those were game winners. Let that sink in for a minute. In addition to playing in the backfield, he also played linebacker for Shug Jordan.
He finished fourth in the Heisman balloting in 1960 and also was selected captain of the 1960 Scholastic All-America team. When his career ended, he was the sixth all-time leading rusher in Auburn history.
"I was quite shocked when I got the news," Dyas said. "This is just a wonderful day, and I'm so proud to be inducted. I'm very humbled and thankful that this prestigious honor would happen to me. There have been so many great Auburn players that deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, and I'm excited to be joining those individuals that are already members of the Hall of Fame."
The highlights didn't stop in 1960 for Dyas. A gifted student, he went on to medical school and is a highly respected orthopedic surgeon in Mobile, Alabama. Congrats to you Dr. Dyas from all of us here at Track'em Tigers.