The Beatles classic exhortation Get Back chugged along in the background this morning as I sipped my coffee and perused my morning sports, noticing that Penn State football head coach Bill O'Brien was selected as the 2012 Bear Bryant winner, an honor that bona fies him as the best coach in the land. Coincidence with the music? I think not.
From Day One, Get Back has been the unofficial mantra of B.O.'B and his entire stable. After the year plus drama surrounding the most publicized scandal in American collegiate sports history, culminating with the heavy handed and self serving penalties delivered from high on Mount Emmert, the PSU football program resembled a wounded seal hopelessly mired in tempest seawaters. Getting back to producing good football, Happy Valley's primary export for 40 some years, was the highest priority for the new coach. Hopefully, along the way, he could shift the focal points from scandals and coverups, while kickstarting a new tradition of excellence. O'Brien hit all of these marks, and he did it with an honorable poise and unapologetic candor. The only expeditious route out of the abyss for PSU was to follow the beacon held by an upright and capable leader. O'Brien proved to be that leader, and today his mantle place (and checkbook) are a little heavier for it.
Another step in the road to recovery. The next Beatles song cued,...Magical Mystery Tour...hmm, let's see where this is going!
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