The man who hired me at The Eagle is Mal Elliott. Blame him.
It was in November, 1974, and I was working at the Daily Reporter in Derby. I knew I was too good for that paper (kidding) and I applied for a job on the phone crew at The Eagle. Actually, it was Rod Smith, who was then the high school editor, who brought me aboard.
I felt like such a big shot. Here I was, 19 years old, and working at the state’s largest newspaper.
I’m thinking about Mal tonight because he just sent me an e-mail, telling me I should include on this blog what reporters who covered the Rose Bowl wrote about the game.
Personally, I cannot remember a better college football game. Or a better performance than that of Texas quarterback Vince Young. I voted for Reggie Bush to win the Heisman Trophy, but if I could re-vote, I would choose Young. On the biggest stage, he outplayed Bush. He was clearly the best player in the game.
Check the blog next week for some more about the Rose Bowl.