Brian VanGorder
The Gulf Coast Athletic Club opened its September 13, 2021 meeting at Woodside Restaurant in Gulf Shores. After social time and dinner, President George Autrey welcomed the assembled crowd at 7:00pm.
He reported that our longtime meeting site, Craft Farms Golf Resort, is almost complete with renovations, repairs, and reconstruction since Hurricane Sally did its work on our area almost one year ago this week. Hopefully, we’ll be back in two weeks for our September 27th meeting with former ESPN commentator and now author, Brad Edwards. This should be a great meeting.
Membership is still trailing our normal since last year’s COVID issues, but it’s still picking up and a return to our normal meeting spot will certainly bring a boost. No guests joined us this evening.
Team Reports are always the highlight of any meeting and, despite several team representatives being absent (you know who you are), it was excellent as usual. Somewhat strange to hear an Alabama report from anyone other than the unique but ailing Barb Patty, but an informative report nonetheless. It was noted that Alabama’s last three starting Quarterbacks all started yesterday’s NFL season opener. Last time two Bama QBs played against each other in the NFL? Snake Stabler and Richard Todd last century!!
Mississippi State fans are optimistic again this year with a couple of early wins. Auburn is loaded this year with an improved Bo Nix and an average of 61 points in the first two scrimmages. A real test comes this week with the annual White Out Game at Penn State. Tom Grabowski warned the Tigers fans he would be relentless if his Nittany Lions can blow out the Plainsmen.
Maryland fans are delighted with Tua’s younger brother and the Terps are up early this year. LSU fans aren’t quite so lucky with some doom and gloom in Tiger Town. Of course, we can’t understand the Coach and maybe that’s their problem, too!!
Our annual Pigskin Prognosticator Challenge is rolling into its third week with two perennial favorites, Bulldog Billy and Geronimo3509 heading the pack early with lots of games to go. It was noted our Fearless Leader was allowing the rest of the pickers to get a head start as not to embarrass them later.
Crying Towel – who does it better than Kevin Corcoran??? Answer is nobody!! He said it was good to get back to normal, but we need some more diversity in Team Reports as many of our team reps are no longer with us. With no FSU or Ohio State reports or reps and the perennially traveling Dec McClelland (GO IRISH) missing in action, the CT went to LSU – “Sweet 16 Not So Sweet – UCLA 38 LSU 27.” Seems a few fans are a little upset with Coach O right now.
Kevin also recognized our member, Steve McMillan for his 41 years of service to the State of Alabama as our State Representative as Steve is retiring after this term.
THANK YOU, Steve!!
Kevin then introduced our Guest Speaker, Brian VanGorder, currently the Defensive Coordinator at Gulf Shores High School. We are really fortunate to have a gentleman with his credentials, abilities, and tenacity coaching and leading our Dolphin defensive efforts. These kids are playing with a new-found intensity like never seen here before, hitting hard and involved in every play.
Brian has seen an incredible array of talent in his career, coaching at the college levels and NFL with legends of the game. This Detroit area kid played college ball at Wayne State, then had a very successful coaching career at Auburn, Georgia,
Notre Dame, Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars, among others.
Coach insists that his players get used to: 1) great organization, 2) over & over repetition, and; 3) outrageous enthusiasm! He says ‘I raise warriors’ and the Dolphins are certainly playing like that, getting a penalty last week for, as the official agreed, “hitting too hard”. He believes in giving back to our youth and giving them great life skills. “They need to love life.” We’re fortunate to have Coach in Gulf Shores.
Upcoming programs:
9/25 Brad Edwards: ESPN GameDays, College Football host. New book “Dynasty By The Numbers.”
10/11 Cole Cubelic : ESPN SEC Network sideline reporter, WJOX radio host of McElroy & Cubelic.
10/25 Chris Childers: ESPN radio/Sirius XM Channel 84 host of Chris Childers & Rick Neuheisel.
11/8 Phillip Rivers: Former NFL All Star QB, future Hall of Famer, and now Coach at St. Michael’s.
11/22 Bo Bounds: ESPN radio host of The Out of Bounds Show.
The meeting adjourned at 8:15pm.
