Former Card Starr has big bowl decision
|
| Tom Starr (right) and Tom Weeks grew up together in Newton and remain friends today. Starr currently is the executive director of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. Submitted photo |
NDN Sports Writer The college football season is winding down, and bowl representatives are very busy trying to search for the right matchup for their respective games. Newton native Tom Starr is one of those busy at work as executive director of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. But he was able to take a few minutes to answer some college football questions recently. Troy Hyde: Let’s start by talking about your background at Newton. Tom Starr: I graduated in 1965. Our football coach was Paul Turner. We had some good teams and great athletes when I attended NHS — unfortunately, I wasn’t one of them. I never really played. TH: I always hear about how Newton's football team prepares guys for life? How did playing at Newton prepare you for after high school and even right now? Answer: High School football definitely did prepare me for life, but probably not in the sense that you might think. I was very lazy....I never tried hard, and I never learned the plays (which was a pretty stupid thing to do since I was a quarterback). I wasn't a horrible athlete....I just did not apply myself as much as is necessary. I cannot tell you how much I regretted that immediately upon graduating from high school. I was extremely angry at myself and I vowed that from that point on, I would work to be the best that I could be at whatever I was doing. I think that mindset carried me through my college days when I received my B.A. at Iowa and took my graduate work at Iowa State....through a stint in Vietnam....and on up to this day in my profession. I may not be the best, but it isn't from lack of trying.
How much is it to work for a college bowl? that must be awesome? What bowls have you worked for and which one are you at now again? Answer: The number one question I am always asked is "what do you do the other 364 days of the year?" Shhhh....I'm afraid someone will find out about this great gig I have and actually make me get a real job for once in my life! I absolutely LOVE what I do. I have never awakened and dreaded the day...quite the opposite, I can't wait to get to the office! The Los Angeles Times once said that college football was my mistress. This year's Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl game will be my 25th post-season game. I have worked with the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas (nine games); Freedom Bowl in Anaheim, California (six games); Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana (four games); and now I'm going into my sixth game as executive director of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, which is owned by ESPN. The teams I have had most in bowl games are Texas and Washington, four times each, and Oklahoma, three times. I am proud to say that I have had the Iowa Hawkeyes twice (1984 Freedom Bowl vs. Texas and 1996 Sun Bowl vs. Washington) and the Iowa State Cyclones once (2001 Independence Bowl vs. Alabama). I've been fortunate to have spent time in the homes of Bear Bryant, Joe Paterno, and Barry Switzer, and have enjoyed dinner with the likes of Bobby Bowden, Eddie Robinson, and many other coaching legends. When I served in the athletic department at Iowa State, Mack Brown was an assistant football coach and Pete Carroll was a graduate assistant. Both are doing fairly well today! We started the Armed Forces Bowl from scratch in 2003 and it will take us a while to compete with the "big boys." Much of my schedule revolves around speaking engagements, fund-raising, event management (we conduct several functions throughout the year) and traveling to meetings involving the various athletic conferences, NCAA sessions, Football Bowl Association meetings, and....being "forced" to go to college football games throughout the nation every weekend!
What goes into the choosing of a bowl game? You are traveling a lot but what are you looking for? Answer: When selecting teams for a bowl game, there are many elements to look for. There is little secret that fan support is very important and ranks near the top of the list of desirable traits. Obviously other factors are considered such as high national rankings; tradition; the present season's won-loss record; individual star power; and whether or not the two teams being strongly considered will have a good chemistry on the field....in other words, will they put on a good game?
Any chance you have an inside track on where my Hawkeyes are going to end up? Lol Answer: I believe the Hawks could be in one of four bowls at this point, depending on how the season plays out. They could go as high as the Capital One Bowl (with a win over Minnesota and the Big Ten playing two up -- Penn State and Ohio State -- into the BCS), but will probably be in the Outback, Champs Sports, or Alamo Bowl. All of them are excellent post-season games.
What is your take on the bowl system? I know many want a playoff system to decide a true champion. What is thoughts on that and why maybe haven't the ADs seen the llight? Does it all involve the money that comes wiith bowl games? Do you think the playof system is in the near future? Answer: If you talk to most college presidents, athletic directors, coaches, and players, they prefer the bowl system over a playoff by a pretty substantial margin. Many polls attest to that. I'll try to list a few reason why this is the case: 1. When a team goes to a bowl game, it is a festival. The team arrives at the bowl city and stays for a week -- sometimes longer -- in advance and is "wined and dined" and treated like royalty by the local citizens. The players get to taste the culture and entertainment of the respective city, whether it's Disneyland in Orlando....Bourbon Street in New Orleans....or the Pacific Ocean in Honolulu. With a playoff, the game would be treated like a regular season game; the team would go in the day before the game and leave immediately following it. There would be no time for fun. 2. College football is unique. EVERY pro sport and every other college sport has a so-called playoff system. In college football, 68 teams can say they went to a bowl game (enjoying the fun times and great experiences mentioned above), and 34 of those teams can go into recruiting season saying they WON a bowl game! When you have a playoff where only one team wins, nobody remembers who finished third, fourth, fifth, sixth, etc....possibly even the other team in the championship....everyone just remembers the team that happened to win on that particular day. 3. Fan travel would be limited. Many would decide to skip the first and possibly second rounds and wait to see if their teams advanced beyond that point, mainly out of financial concerns. It's unlike basketball, where fans get to see several teams play in one city during an NCAA Regional, including their own teams a couple of times if they keep advancing. 4. College football likes to have that constant argument about who is really the best team. It's good for business. The publicity goes on throughout the year. After the BCS Championship game is over, fans of Texas, Florida, Southern Cal, etc. will still be arguing that they have the number one team. Even if there was a playoff system with a single elimination type format, will a true champion really be determined if -- let's say Texas -- is knocked out in a semi-final game because Colt McKoy had to sit out a game with a slight ankle sprain? Under the current system, a team can still lose a game during the regular season build-up to the post-season and still make the Championship game. Playoffs are single elimination. 5. There is a feeling that the college football regular season has far more meaning than sports that have a playoff format. In college football, every weekend is a playoff game of sorts, as every team aims for the BCS. If a playoff system was implemented, the regular season would probably be shortened by the NCAA, and the teams that didn't make the playoffs would lose ticket revenue, parking revenue; merchandise sales, and concession sales from the regular season games that would be dropped. Likewise, the merchants in those university cities would lose an immense amount of sales revenue. 6. College administrators feel that they already have the very best play-off possible. The BCS bowls (Orange, Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, and Championship game) pretty much get the top 10 teams in the country....it's hard to argue that. And, although there will always be arguments, by and large the top two teams are selected for the BCS Championship game. Both will be either undefeated or have just one loss. Under a playoff format, for example, the ACC Champion, which will be 9-3 at best this year, could get into a lucky run and make it to the Championship game....with THREE losses! Would that be a true champion? Those are the main points I hear, Troy, but I'm for whatever is best for college football....my mistress!
Thanks for your time. If I think of anything else after you answer these I will hit you back. Fly safe and good luck selecting the teams for your bowl. Thank you, Troy. Please let me know if you need anything else.
