POTPOURRI

MISCELLANY AND POTPOURRI

Home Depot College Football Awards

Walter Camp
Award (Player of the Year): Colt McCoy, Texas

Lou Groza
Award (Outstanding Placekicker): Kai Forbath, UCLA

Biletnikoff Award (Outstanding Wide Receiver): Golden Tate, Notre Dame

Jim Thorpe
Award (Outstanding Defensive Back): Eric Berry, Tennessee

Davey O'Brien
Award (Outstanding QB): Colt McCoy

Outland Trophy (Outstanding Interior Lineman): Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska

Chuck Bednarik
Award (Defensive Player of the Year): Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska

Ray Guy
Award (Outstanding Punter): Drew Butler, Georgia

Doak Walker
Award (Outstanding Running Back): Toby Gerhardt, Stanford

John Mackey Award (Outstanding Tight End): Aaron Hernandez, Florida

Vince Lombardi
Award (Top Lineman): Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska

Butkus Award (Top Linebacker): Rolando McClain, Alabama

Coach of the Year: Brian Kelly, Cincinnati

Maxwell Award (Outstanding Player): Colt McCoy

Disney Spirit
Award: (Most Inspirational Person in College Football): Mark Herzlich, LB, Boston College.

With the Heisman Trophy still to come on Saturday and based on last night's awards, I'm guessing Colt McCoy is going to take home the New York Athletic Club's prestigious honor. I don't necessarily agree, but with the Walter Camp, Davey O'Brien and Maxwell trophies in hand, it appears he has impressed enough voters with this year's body of work.

For the record, in last Sunday's "Bearcat…" column I picked the five finalists. Here's the order I had them finishing: 1) Mark Ingram; 2) Colt McCoy; 3) Tim Tebow; 4) Toby Gerhardt; 5) Ndamukong Suh. Suh has had a ton of late support from the "talking heads", but his late run in the media blitz is too little, too late for Nebraska's #93. His selection for the Outland, Bednarik and Lombardi Awards validates his candidacy as college football's best player this year. If I were voting, Suh would win the Heisman.

Cincinnati's Brian Kelly won National Coach of the Year, appeared via satellite to accept, refused to comment on the Notre Dame job, and then went back to the Bearcats' awards dinner to tell his team he was leaving for the Golden Dome. That had to make them feel good about the season. With Cincinnati preparing to face Miami in the Orange Bowl, I wonder how they will react with no head coach in place. I think they are probably overmatched anyway; and this development knocks them back a little more. On the other hand, Florida may have a "hangover effect" from the Alabama loss which knocked them out of the BCS title game. Alabama suffered the same fate last year when Utah smoked them in the Sugar Bowl. If the Bearcats' superstars (Tony Pike, QB, and Marty Gilyard, WR) can keep the team focused, Cincinnati could still make their second consecutive trip to Miami a successful one and avenge last year's loss there to Virginia Tech.

Regarding Mark Herzlich: He was the ACC's Defensive Player of the Year in 2008 before being diagnosed in May with Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer. After undergoing chemotherapy, surgery and radiation to treat the disease, in September he was found to be cancer free. Ewing's is the same cancer that ultimately took the life of my daughter, Carrie
Ruth Steele, in 1999. I am offering a prayer for Mark and hope 10 more years of research have helped him beat a terrible disease.

Until now, I have kept mum on Tiger Woods' escapades and the media's obsession with his "transgressions". Tiger's new nickname should be "Cheetah". What the hell was he thinking? Whatever he was thinking it was with the wrong head. His wife Elin is hotter than a stolen pistol, and he has two little kids at home. Listen, I can understand Eldrick can probably have any woman he wants; but ALL of them? I think this goes to show just how big Tiger's ego really is. He thought he could get away with it. He's lowered himself to the level of the "ghetto stars" who see themselves as above the moral constraints of society.

I love Woods' golf game. I hate his demeanor on the course. Golf is a gentleman's game; and it is obvious Tiger is no gentleman. It will be interesting to see how this episode affects his performance. Until he comes out in public and faces the cameras, this story will not go away. Eventually, he will have to come out of his Isleworth compound, if only for the Masters. I think he needs to do so sooner than later, try to put the humiliation behind him, sever the ties with everyone in his entourage that allowed him to stray so far off the path, and get on with the chase to overtake Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major tournament victories. Before this revelation, I thought Tiger had lost some of his edge in his quest for 19. Perhaps the disclosure of his infidelity will force him to reconsider his goals, to put his personal life in order and to get back to golf full-time. No wonder he hasn't played a full schedule for the past few years. He needed time for his dalliances. And rest. Even superstars aren't superhuman.

C'mon, Man!

The Real Don Steele

December 11, 2009