Four teams take the field for two NFL conference championship games this afternoon, but the best team working might be in the broadcast booth — specifically the Fox Sports booth. Play-by-play man Joe Buck and analyst Troy Aikman have put together their busiest and best season. This ...
“It’s not about wins and losses.” That’s what Altoona Area School Board member Rick Hoover said in the Jan. 8 Mirror article about the decision to reopen the Altoona football coaching position. That might be one of the strangest statements I’ve read or heard without telling the ...
Name: Mark Frederick Age: 52 Residence: Duncansville High school: Altoona My favorite sport: College football I usually attend games with: My family Favorite high school team: Altoona and Hollidaysburg softball Favorite college team: Penn State Favorite pro team: Oakland ...
Help! We Penn State fans have no idea where this football program is headed. Fourth-quarter collapses, special-teams mistakes, difficulty beating the upper tier Big Ten teams, a mediocre bowl record and a number of players declaring for the draft, with some possibly a little too early, ...
Some cities might like talented “me-first” players, but Pittsburgh is not one of them. The region’s fan base still maintains a blue-collar, steel-mill mentality despite an economy that long ago shifted to high-tech innovation, cutting-edge medicine and service jobs. That is why the ...
James Franklin made a decision with 4:20 left in the Citrus Bowl, losing by six points at the Kentucky 14, to go for a field goal. He did this thinking his defense could get one more stop to win or tie the game. Why not go for the first down or the win there? The worst thing that could ...
Perception can become reality depending on how the media delivers a message and in the case of Penn State football coach James Franklin that probably means his game management skills took another hit as a result of the VRBO Citrus Bowl. A late-game TV shot seemed to catch the coach looking up ...
Most college football bowl games are a combination of all-around junket, charitable/community event, television programming and sponsor activation. At their heart, though, they’re a TV show, what happens on the field matters little. That was made crystal clear four days ago when ESPN ...
Sifting through some old boxes, I came across a bunch of clippings from a debate that kind of dominated this Sunday space for several weeks: Bellwood soccer. It’s been 10 years since my friend Bob Crook and I presented our case to the school board only to be shot down on our first couple ...
It’s been 21 years since the PIAA unceremoniously took its football championship games away from Altoona and moved them to Hersheypark Stadium. From 1992-97, Altoona’s Mansion Park Stadium was the host for the PIAA championships. Altoona lost the games to Hershey for the 1998 season, ...
By Barry Wilner The Associated Press Thursday night football is here to stay, even if it’s gone for the rest of 2018. In past years, some — make that many — would have said “good riddance.” That would be misguided this year. First off, Fox’s presentation generally was strong ...
An 82 to 85 winning percentage for a coach in any sport should get you some recognition. Do it for a stretch of 20 years, and if you were a coach in one of the major sports such as football, basketball, etc. they would probably name a stadium after you. However, in the sport of swimming, ...
Name: Terry McCready Age: 50-plus Residence: Harrisburg High school: Hollidaysburg College: West Chester/American Public University My favorite sport: Football I usually attend games with: My wife, Nancy Favorite high school team: Hollidaysburg Favorite college team: Penn ...
Last week’s Army-Navy game opened with a well-produced, big-game segment that was narrated by a man who has in some ways become one the voices of football in recent years: Josh Charles. Some might know him better from TV (“The Good Wife”), classic movies (“Dead Poets Society”) or ...
Although not surprising, it was still a shock when I picked up the paper several weeks ago and learned of Dick Dibert’s passing. Like many my age, I first check the obituary page before turning to the Mirror’s award-winning sports coverage. Dibert’s health had been steadily ...
Urban Meyer stood before Ohio State boosters seven years ago with one goal in mind as he returned to the state he grew up in and the university where he got his first job. “Our objective is simple: to make the state of Ohio proud,” Meyer said. As Meyer walks away from coaching — ...
First, I find the Altoona Mirror to be very insightful with the Thursday, Nov. 15 presentation of the boundary schools (public schools) vs. the non-boundary schools (private schools) for sports purposes within the PIAA. Namely, that the article was presented on the obituary page as the PIAA ...
Hack’s back, or at least he’s getting another shot, and he could be playing football on TV by mid-February if things go well. Former Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg was selected in the second round of the inaugural quarterback draft conducted by the Alliance of American ...
Name: Aidan Balasco Age: 17 Residence: Wilmore High school: Forest Hills College: Will play football at Edinboro My favorite sport: Football I usually attend games with: My teammates from school Favorite high school team: Forest Hills Favorite college team: Ohio ...
The last time I was in Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, LeBron James and the Cavaliers were trying to hold off the Golden State Warriors from sweeping them in the NBA Finals. The crowd was hoping James, the hometown star who just two years prior had willed the Cavaliers from a 3-1 ...