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John Rohde: Handshakes have their place, and it's not before the game

 
By John Rohde | Published: August 30, 2009    Comment on this article Leave a comment

Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne is addressing his team inside the locker room.

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POTENTIAL PREGAME PROBLEMS
Sept. 3

→Oregon at Boise St.

→South Carolina at North Carolina State

→Utah State at Utah

Sept. 5

→Georgia at

Oklahoma St.

→Missouri vs. Illinois (St. Louis)

→Alabama vs. Virginia Tech (Atlanta)

→Oklahoma vs. BYU (Arlington, Texas)

→Maryland at Cal

→LSU at Washington

Sept. 6

→Colorado St. at

Colorado

Sept. 7

→Miami at Florida St.

→Cincinnati at Rutgers

Compiled by

John Rohde

"The last thing George said to me, ‘Rock,’ he said, ‘sometime when the team is up against it and the breaks are beating the boys, tell them to go out there with all they’ve got and win just one for the Gipper.”

The players suddenly spring to their feet and scream with deafening enthusiasm. Rockne sees a fire in his team he hasn’t seen all season.

The right buttons have been pushed. The Fighting Irish are ready to fight.

Just as the players are about to storm out the door and take the field, Rockne shouts, "But first, gentlemen, shake their hands.”

Welcome to the 2009 college football season.

(OK, Rockne’s immortal speech actually occurred during halftime of the 1928 game against Army at Yankee Stadium, where a 5-4 Notre Dame team went on to post a come-from-behind upset over the undefeated Cadets, but you get the point.)

Starting this week, college football coaches will pop blood vessels giving their pregame speeches. Their teams will run onto the field, hear the roar of the crowd and then promptly make nice with the enemy.

The American Football Coaches Association is asking teams to shake hands at midfield before their opening games.

Former Baylor coach Grant Teaff heads the AFCA and considers the pregame sign of sportsmanship "a very important initiative.”

This is a one-time gesture only and is not mandatory, but Teaff said he would be surprised "if the high, high majority” of teams do not participate.

The handshake stems from the NCAA rules committee’s re-evaluation of sportsmanship.

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Related Topics: Sports, Football, College Athletics, College Football



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