VAUGHT-HEMINGWAY STADIUM 2019 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PILGRIMAGE

VAUGHT-HEMINGWAY STADIUM 2019 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PILGRIMAGE

                                        Vaught-Hemingway Stadium

It was the morning of November 4, 2019 and the Gray Rental Chariot (GRC) was packed for the 2nd Leg of the 2019 College Football Pilgrimage. Included in the cargo were the Blessings & Gifts that my Feet received from Bobby Dodd Stadium Grant Field. For more on the Blessings & Gifts, visit the Pilgrimage Section on the Homepage and click on the Bobby Dodd Stadium Grant Field Story. This is a 16,000 word short story filled with pics and images.

The drive from near Atlanta to outside of Oxford, MS, the home of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and the 8th Oldest College Football Stadium in the USA, was advertised for about 300 miles. It was estimated that with the driving skills and habits of My Feet, it should take about 5 hours or less. Speed was not a priority, but Safety and Good Health was. Most of the drive was programed by the GPS to be on freeways and 4 lane roads. When venturing from one Shrine to another Shrine alone, many thoughts entertain My Feet. With no-control on the outcome of the Pilgrimage, My Feet ventured into the UNKNOWN.

There are those who claim that they enjoy driving and there are those who do not make such a claim. My Feet fall into the second category, for driving is a necessity of getting from point A to Point B. As the driver, sightseeing is minimal as one’s senses have to remain vigilant for the dangers that lurk on the roadways. The GPS routed the trip back through Birmingham Ala, the landing point for the start of the 2019 CFP. It was on the same freeway taken to Atlanta from Birmingham. Mental notes were used as a reference for roadwork construction was part of the drive from Birmingham to Atlanta.

Stops were planned at the 100 and 200 mile mark to stretch and take a few Deep Breaths while enjoying the scenery. The anticipated construction roadwork did not cause any unexpected delays, but it did slow down the speeds of the Chariots. Once beyond the construction, the higher speed limit gave a sense of making-up for lost TIME. All seemed to be back on the original schedule around the 150 mile mark. Then an unexpected sign reared its head with a Warning. It read, ‘In 5 Miles, One Lane’. The Chariots were still flowing freely, but in a short distance, all would change dramatically. At the 4 Mile Mark, the Chariots pace dropped to a walk.

Though the walk kept moving, it changed into a slow baby’s crawl between the 4 and 3 mile mark. Progress was being made. To keep the Spirits of My Feet up, my thoughts kept reflecting on a statement once used in another writing. “Slow Progress is Progress”. One should remember that in the Game of LIFE, once the Progress Stops, the Dirt Throwin Will Begin. Eventually, at the 3 Mile Mark, both lanes of traffic were now at a Snail’s Pace. When one adds, a Snail’s Pace with no clock to inform the driver, one’s Patience is put to the test. The 3 mile converging drive took about an hour. Though the GPS kept offering new route directions with a few exits, it was decided to remain with Slow Progress.

Read More »»»

BOBBY DODD STADIUM GRANT FIELD-5TH OLDEST-NOV. 2019

BOBBY DODD STADIUM GRANT FIELD-5TH OLDEST-NOV. 2019

The 2019 College Football Pilgrimage begins with the 2nd Leg of visiting the 10 Oldest College Football Stadiums in the USA according to a most recent 7/12/19 NCAA Ranking. Prior to this season, a different ranking had been in use. In part of the 150th Anniversary of College Football, the NCAA Ranking will now be the Official Ranking. The 1st Leg was completed during the 2018 College Football Pilgrimage (CFP). For those you are new to my website, a CFP is scheduled for about 20 days with visits to 3 or more College Football Stadiums. An Invite from GM in 2010 to Beaver Stadium on the campus of Penn State University was the catalyst for the CFPS. This is a short story format around 11,800 words.

As a graduate and former Pitt football player, watching the Panthers play at Heinz Field would wrench my insides. After tearing down Pitt Stadium in 1999, the Panthers have remained homeless for no stadium resides on campus. This travesty has put the Pitt Football Program into a ‘Quandary of Stupidity’. For in the history of NCAA Football Championships, a college football team sharing a pro stadium has not ever won a National Title. If Pitt continues marching deeper into this ‘Quandary of Stupidity’, one of two things will be the result. Pitt will become the first College Football Team to win a National Title sharing a Pro Stadium. Or, Pitt will continue selling ‘Fool’s Gold’ to their Future Gladiators, Alumni, Students, Faculty and other Pitt Fans while not ever winning a National Football Title by sharing a Pro Stadium. For the complete story, visit the Archives and in the College Football Section and/or Pittsburgh Sports Section, click on ‘Pitt Football, the Pederson Penalty’, parts One & Two.

BEAVER STADIUM PENN STATE UNIVERSITY

It was during the halftime at Beaver Stadium that My Feet confessed to GM about my Revelation. The Blessings created by the electrifying atmosphere of the tailgating and the near sold-out crowd of around 106,000 fans convinced my Feet, that my days as a Pitt Fan at Heinz Field were history. GM was the 1st to be told that beginning in 2011, My Feet would now Pilgrimage to other College Football Stadiums in the USA to seek similar Blessings from Beaver Stadium. For Heinz Field resembled a Morgue. My loyalty would remain with the Pitt Panthers and My Feet would follow them on TV. However, my small financial support would be held back and so would My Feet until Pitt built a New Pitt Stadium on campus. My rationale was this. ‘Why should My Feet support Pitt University who is selling ‘Fool’s Gold’ and will not win a National Football Title while sharing a Pro Stadium? Plus, my saved financial support could be used to finance the College Football Pilgrimages. Next is a reprint of the editorial that was published in the Pittsburgh Tribune, The Beaver Valley Times and the Altoona Mirror during the Fall of 2017.

Read More »»»