The John Carroll University football
team, coaches, support personal, along with a heavy dose of family and friends,
had a terrific experience in Ireland over the last week.
The
team and coaches went over on four different flights, and things got off to a shaky
start on Tuesday when all of United Airline computers went down on the east
coast causing temporary chaos. Most of our entourage either got stuck on the
ground in Cleveland or New York for several hours before the situation got
resolved. Once my flight got to Newark Airport things almost got back on
schedule and the trip over to Ireland was very pleasant. On their international
flights United now has entertainment centers on the back of each seat that
contain free movies, music, and television shows. I listened to nothing but music on the way over, including
the new Ray Charles tribute album featuring Willie Nelson, Wynton Marsalis,
and Norah Jones (outstanding); a Bowie Anthology; and a John Coltrane disc that
contained his take on 1950’s and 60’s movie and Broadway themes. It made the trip fly, and we landed in
Shannon Airport at daybreak.
After
going through customs and claiming our luggage we were off to the Cliff of
Mohers on the west coast. It was cold, wet, and miserable there, but the sites
were breathtaking. I would strongly suggest checking it out if you ever go
Ireland.
We
finally checked into our hotel by the late afternoon and traveled to a local
rugby field for practice. By then most of the kids had been up for 24 hours, so
practice was a bit sluggish. We had a late dinner and then everyone had a good
night’s sleep.
Thursday
was a great day. We practiced and had lunch at the University of Dublin’s main
campus, which was quite impressive. We then went and checked out the stadium we
were going to play in the following night, the Donnybrook Rugby Stadium. What a
great venue, old and historic it will prove to be a great place for the game.
But on Thursday afternoon it was empty, and we checked out the turf and took
some pictures. We then went to St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Trinity College. Old
and historic, we took some great pictures of our players in the garden next to
the cathedral. We then participated with all the other high school and college
teams playing in Dublin over the weekend in a parade through downtown Dublin
that ended on the main plaza of Trinity College were there was speeches and
welcomes from dignitaries, including the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland.
Friday
was game day. We had breakfast and mass in the morning then some short
meetings. Everyone had a couple of hours of down time, then a pregame meal and
the drive over to the stadium. There
was a high school game before us, a thriller won by Jesuit Prep of Dallas over
Loyola of Chicago 30-29. Both teams had a good amount of parents and fans at the
game, as were a lot of Irish fans.
A
big thrill for our players, especially those from the Pittsburgh area, was
meeting U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Dan Rooney before the game. He spoke a few
words to both teams, as well as shaking dozens of hands and posing for many
pictures. An affable guy considering he’s a Steeler.
Our
game against St. Norbert’s of Wisconsin got off to a shaky start as they took
an early 3-0 lead after we gave them great field position on an interception.
That would proof to be one of our few mistakes, as we would roll to a 40-3
victory over what was a pretty good football team. Our new quarterback Mark
Myers threw for 457 yards and five touchdowns; one of our new running backs
Randy Greenwood took a swing pass 73 yards for a TD; and Lane Robilotto and
Alex Kline both had 2 touchdown catches. I coach the running backs with Ron
Dolciato and they had a good game, D’quan Grobsmith had several exciting plays,
as usual, and scored a rushing touchdown; and all nine RBs saw action both in
the backfield and on special teams.
Even
with all of those offensive exploits, the story of the game for the Blue
Streaks was the defense. They were outstanding, giving up a total of 90 yards
and only 7 first downs.
The Irish fans were absolutely nuts
during and after the game. Aided by the fact that there was a bar in both end
zones, a few of them had had a pint or two. They stormed the field afterward
asking our players to pose for pictures and to sign autographs. Between the
history and ambience of the stadium and the enthusiasm of the crowd it was one
of the best game day experiences I have had in my football career.
The
mood back at our hotel afterwards was quite festive. The team, parents, and
fans took over the lobby and pub area, while the coaches and support staff
retired to Coach Scafe’s suite to celebrate the big victory.
Saturday
found us in total tourist mode, as we went to the Notre Dame/Navy Game, which
was fun but turned out to be not much of game as ND rolled 50-10. Navy could
have kept it close, but blew some first half scoring opportunities and threw an
interception for a touch down right before half. The game should have ended
43-10, but ND drove for a final score instead of taking a knee at the very end
of the game, a classless way to end the game. This is from the same coach who
left his University of Cincinnati team two weeks before they played in the
Orange Bowl to go to Notre Dame. Oh, the high moral standards of DI athletics!
The
Midshipmen marched on the field before the game; ND’s band did a great halftime
show of ‘Irish songs,’ most of which made the real Irish in the stands cringe a
bit.
On
Sunday we had a day full of highlights, starting with a team mass attended by
not only the team but also friends, family, and a host of JCU dignitaries. It
was held in the chapel of the Catholic University of Ireland, a beautiful church
located across the street from Stephen’s Green. We then had a brunch in the
lobby of the National Concert Hall. Afterward we had an hour or so to do a
little sight seeing, I went of to St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin’s version of
Central Park. It’s a beautiful urban park, 22 acres of lawns, ponds, walking
paths, and landscaped gardens.
We
then went off to what was the surprise moment of the trip, to see County Mayo
play County Dublin in the semi-finals of the National Gaelic Football
Championships. We were amongst the eighty thousand crazy fans who watched the
Irish National Sport, which is a combination of soccer, rugby, basketball, and
keep away. The game came down to the end, as Dublin came back from a 17-7 deficit
to pull within 2 points, only to see Mayo hold on for the victory. The game was
played by amateurs from their home counties, and we were on our feet screaming
for both teams until time ran out. It would be like if the Browns were made up
completely of players from Northern Ohio, and the Steelers were made up
completely of players from Western Pennsylvania, and everyone had to go back to
their day job the day after.
Monday
was our travel day, with the players due back in class on Tuesday.
Special thanks to Coach Regis Scafe and the fulltime coaches, Jane Evans and
Laurie Massa in the Athletic Department, Mrs. Debick and Father Niehoff from the
administration, Father Bernie, and everyone else involved in putting the trip
together. It was a terrific week filled with priceless moments.
Some Misc Comments:
1. I traveled the week on the offensive bus, and our driver
Tony was a real treasure. A great representative of Ireland and its people.
2. Except for the first day at the Cliffs of Moher, we had
terrific weather. It rained a bit, but it was perfect for the game and for our
practices.
3. The Irish really love their green spaces, especially
lawns. Whether it was in St. Stephen’s Green, Trinity College, or our hotel,
there were beautiful rich green lawns everywhere. Can you see in America someone saying ‘no you can’t build a
shopping center there because a lawn is already there’? Look what’s going to
happen to Acacia Country Club.
4. The entertainment units on the back of the seats on the
United oversea flights really make the trips a lot more bearable. Our flight
back was over seven hours long, but I watched three films and the time flew by.
5. It was enjoyable watching the British take on American
politics on their news shows.
6. Dublin is a city without a skyline.
Most buildings are only four stories tall, including those in its downtown.
That gives the city a great charm, and it is also filled with wide walking
paths and sidewalks, and is very bicycle friendly. And, as I mentioned already,
contains a lot of urban green space.
7. Our hotel City West Hotel and Golf Club was ideal. It was
a large charming place, with winding staircases, pubs filled with comfortable
leather furniture, and classy old dining rooms. It also had a championship golf
course, a health club with a lap pool, and a convention center that was huge.
It was far enough out in the country to keep us out of trouble, but a short bus
ride to everywhere we needed to go.
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| Monday was a travel day for the Blue Streaks |
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| Monday was nothing but bus rides, layovers, and airplane flights as we made our way back home. |
