SOUTH DAKOTA STRAIGHT TALK

Finding a fair protocol to determine which College football team is the National Champion seems to be looking for a government solution like just about every other problem. Talk about socialism – whew!

President Obama has mentioned on several occasions both as a candidate and as President that we need a playoff system. And two weeks ago Utah U S Senator Orrin Hatch held a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee where he lambasted the BCS system calling it a violation of the Sherman Anti Trust act and then calling for change.

Considering totally nationalizing health care, revolutionizing national environmental and energy policy (climate change / cap & trade), and a Supreme Court nomination confirmation are all on the Congressional plate, do you think our Congress might have something better to do than investigate college football championships?

Given this background and a short piece in this week’s “Sports Illustrated” I began thinking about The Big Shootout in 1969 where President Nixon took it on himself to go to the University of Texas Longhorns vs. Arkansas Razorbacks football game and award the National Championship in the winner’s locker room on live on national television after the game. Fifty Million viewers watched ABC on that Saturday afternoon.

The Longhorns of course won. Final score was 15-14. By way of background of the game following is an excerpt from the book jacket of “Horn’s, Hogs, & Nixon Coming” a social history of the game (I will be reading this soon):

”On December 6, 1969, the Texas Longhorns and Arkansas Razorbacks met in what many consider the Game of the Century. In the centennial season of college football, both teams were undefeated; both featured devastating and innovative offenses; both boasted cerebral, stingy defenses; and both were coached by superior tacticians and stirring motivators, Texas's Darrell Royal and Arkansas's Frank Broyles. On that day in Fayetteville, the poll-leading Horns and second-ranked Hogs battled for the Southwest Conference title -- and President Nixon was coming to present his own national championship plaque to the winners.

Even if it had been just a game, it would still have been memorable today. The bitter rivals played a game for the ages before a frenzied, hog-callin' crowd that included not only an enthralled President Nixon -- a noted football fan -- but also Texas congressman George Bush. And the game turned, improbably, on an outrageously daring fourth-down pass.”

If memory serves me right, going into the final week of the season the four top teams all undefeated were the Horns, Razorbacks, Penn State, and Ohio State. Penn State had already declined the opportunity to play the winner of the Texas / Arkansas game preferring to wait on a Rose Bowl bid to meet (they thought at the time) undefeated current National Champion Ohio State. It turned out that Michigan defeated Ohio State and went to the Rose Bowl. Penn State then went to the Orange Bowl. Texas then defeated Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl. This was the first appearance ever by Notre Dame in a post season bowl game who had never chosen to participate. It should be remembered than in the pre TV big money days there were only four major bowl games (Rose, Cotton, Sugar, and Orange – all played in warmer climates.)

One other factoid too good not to mention was that the game winning extra point was kicked by Texas field goal kicker (I love this name) Happy Feller.

A personal reflection – A former colleague at the Republican National committee was John Paul Hammerschmidt. Hammerschmidt was a former U S Representative from Arkansas. Besides serving 13 terms in the Congress, he also served a couple of stints as State Republican Chairman and National Committeeman from Arkansas. The Congressman is a great story teller and a man of vast experience. He was a great man to share a story with.

Congressman Hammerschmidt is best noted for defeating post Watergate in a huge Democrat year, 1974, a challenge from then 28 year old Bill Clinton who was fresh off leading George McGovern’s campaign for President in Texas.

One of the great stories that Congressman Hammerschmidt shared with me was his trip with President Nixon to The Big Shootout.

The President took as many members of Congress from Texas and Arkansas that wanted to go to the game with him on Air Force One. The college town of Fayetteville did not have an airport that could service a plane as large as Air Force One. Consequently the President’s plane put down at a nearby Air Force Base and the President and guests were helicoptered over to the practice field adjoining Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

The pecking order in the helicopters was strictly partisan. The Republicans rode with the President and the Democrats rode in the other helicopter. Riding with the President were Texas Senator John Tower and Congressmen George H. W. Bush and Hammerschmidt. Both Bush and Hammerschmidt were the only Republicans in the U S House from their respective States and I am guessing at the time, Texas had as many as 20 members. Even Senator Fullbright of Arkansas rode with the Dems. Hammerschmidt was a close friend of Bush’s as both started their terms in the U S House in 1967.

President Richard Nixon in the Razorback Stadium stands at the Big Shootout. At left in his row are Arkansas Congressman John Paul Hammerschmidt, also a decorated World War II pilot; and Arkansas Governor Winthrop Rockefeller. Farther down the row, facing the camera, is a very young-looking Texas Congressman, George Bush, who was (and still is) one of Hammerschmidt's close friends. If you look real hard in the row behind them, you can spotthe top of Henry Kissinger's head and his glasses. (Comment taken from terryfrei.com/_wsn/page3.html )

Additional comment on July 11^th - If you look real close at the head and brow just above Arkansas governor Rockefeller, it appears to be none other than former Speaker of the House and then Congressman from Fort Worth Jim Wright.