I have recounted on this board how I suffered the difficulty of being in Belgium in 1985 and the difficulties of following a team that overachieved and won the National Championship.(No internet, lousy military radio AM radio reception , etc.)
I will never forget how our beloved team rose to the occasion and managed to tough out a National Championship. Their exploits will remain forever legendary.
We have now reached the same outcome but I would argue that it is less of a surprise. This is not a team of lovable upstarts. They are a TEAM of great players who know how to win and play together and are every bit as good as the top flight competition that they faced.
I love these teams equally but I have to say that this team has been extraordinary for 3 years and this outcome is no upset. I think they are as good or better than Iowa(7), Miami(3),Kansas(1), Oklahoma(2),North Carolina(1). The only upset here is that they cleared each hurdle where they could have had one fatal stumble.
The delight that comes in this is that Villanova did not just prove it is (by definition) this years best team but that VU has a program that is sustainable and will for the foreseeable future be an elite program that plays by the rules, makes sure it's players graduate (we genuinely care about our players and their future), and knows how to remain competitive against teams that do not share our values.
This is the easiest of programs , coaches, players, student bodies, Universities to root for.
I expect to root for them with the same passion to the last....
A Genuine and Heartfelt Thank you to the team for inspiring us and ebbing the natural flow of cynicism in a frustrating world.
Thank You, Jay and Coaching staff, Father Rob, Father Peter and the Villanova management,conditioning and medical people, and Ryan and Daniel and Josh and Kris and Jalen and Phil and Mikal and Darryl and the Bench Mob who provided the edge in practice and our redshirts that we are anxious to see.
I have been a fan of a lot of teams that won but I have never been so proud of shared values before.
Thank you all for a great and virtuous ride.
Sorry for the elongated post but it is sincere. God Bless this University and those who are associated with it.
Sincerely,
Tom
I will never forget how our beloved team rose to the occasion and managed to tough out a National Championship. Their exploits will remain forever legendary.
We have now reached the same outcome but I would argue that it is less of a surprise. This is not a team of lovable upstarts. They are a TEAM of great players who know how to win and play together and are every bit as good as the top flight competition that they faced.
I love these teams equally but I have to say that this team has been extraordinary for 3 years and this outcome is no upset. I think they are as good or better than Iowa(7), Miami(3),Kansas(1), Oklahoma(2),North Carolina(1). The only upset here is that they cleared each hurdle where they could have had one fatal stumble.
The delight that comes in this is that Villanova did not just prove it is (by definition) this years best team but that VU has a program that is sustainable and will for the foreseeable future be an elite program that plays by the rules, makes sure it's players graduate (we genuinely care about our players and their future), and knows how to remain competitive against teams that do not share our values.
This is the easiest of programs , coaches, players, student bodies, Universities to root for.
I expect to root for them with the same passion to the last....
A Genuine and Heartfelt Thank you to the team for inspiring us and ebbing the natural flow of cynicism in a frustrating world.
Thank You, Jay and Coaching staff, Father Rob, Father Peter and the Villanova management,conditioning and medical people, and Ryan and Daniel and Josh and Kris and Jalen and Phil and Mikal and Darryl and the Bench Mob who provided the edge in practice and our redshirts that we are anxious to see.
I have been a fan of a lot of teams that won but I have never been so proud of shared values before.
Thank you all for a great and virtuous ride.
Sorry for the elongated post but it is sincere. God Bless this University and those who are associated with it.
Sincerely,
Tom
