On the field and off, Columbia football wants to be stronger than ever
This article, and what it says about the weight program at Columbia, mean more to me than any other kind of vindication I could get. When I saw that the previous coach was dangerously malnourishing our players, I was the first, (and for two years, the only one), to publicly protest. To have the greatest FCS coach of our generation replace that coach and justify my concerns, feels good. I'm sure it feels even better for our players.
To people who haven't followed Columbia very closely, the losses the Lions were suffering on the field were nothing new. But those of us closer to it saw that in addition to losing by greater amounts than usual, our players were now in serious danger of greater injury because they were so undersized.
Al Bagnoli is the most successful coach in FCS history. His take on player fitness is unimpeachable. And he is now publicly saying, albeit without the dramatic terms that are thankfully no longer needed, that our players were suffering from physical malpractice.
I don't know how many wins Bagnoli will rack up whenever his tenure at Columbia comes to a close. But he's already a major success in my book by simply putting an end to a dangerous physical and psychological situation ushered in by the previous coach and previous athletic director. The fact that they are both now gone and replaced by more than just competent and ethical management makes all the brickbats I endured for so many years more than worth it.
1 comment:
How can we ever forget Mangurian's brilliance in lining up a 227 pound right guard. Lightest OL in all of college football at maybe 245 on average. Most high schools were bigger.
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