Sports, life:a night with ESPY
TWO MINUTES
FOR CROSS-CHECKING
PETER HOCKADAY
LAS VEGAS — Sports is my life.
Monday was my night.
Let me tell you a story. I have this sister
named Caroline, who knows this guy, who
hooked me up with a pair of tickets to the ESPY
awards Monday night at the MGM Grand in Las Ve
gas.
For a helpless sports addict like myself, it was the
perfect cure for those February blues.
You see, ESPN’s yearly sports awards show was
similar to the town it took place in — an all-out blitz
of the senses. I felt guilty participating in such a sin
ful sports delight, as any gambler might feel a twinge
of guilt for an all-nighter in front of a slot machine.
There was Jack Nicklaus. There was Sheryl
Swoopes, Tony Hawk, Eddie George and Josh He
upel. There was even Don King, for God’s sake.
Like drug addicts around Vegas on Monday night,
I got my fix of superstar athletes and sports icons.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Antonio Free
man, who won the ESPY for the Most Spectacular
Play of the Year, said it best:
“You look around in the Green Room and see Tiger
Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Don King, just to name a
few. It is just a pleasure and delight to be around
these people,” Freeman told ESPN.com. “It's breath
taking, really.”
But the ESPYs were more than just star gazing.
One of the things I love about sport is that those
who participate in it love to glorify it, and they take
the fans along for the ride. NFL Films productions,
movies like “Hoosiers” and the Olympics’ Opening
Ceremonies all elevate sports to a level beyond a
simple football game, state basketball championship
or track meet. They give life, meaning and a little va
lidity to the sports world.
By simply celebrating sports, the ESPY awards ac
complished the same feat. Audience members
seemed to have an understanding and acceptance of
why they were there — for the love of the game.
Guys carried six-packs of beer to their seats, audi
ence members hooted and hollered during accept
ance speeches as if they were in a Miller Lite com
mercial, while host Samuel L. Jackson threw
Frisbees and NERF footballs into the crowd during
ad breaks.
But the ESPY’s captured the gut-wrenching side of
sports as well. Who could resist Pete Sampras weep
ing during an acceptance speech for record-breaking
performance of the year, as he recalled his parents’
presence at the Wimbledon final that marked his
13th career Grand Slam victory? Who had a dry eye
when Cathy Freeman accepted the Arthur Ashe
Courage and Humanitarian Award, and every word
sounded as if it came from some deep inner passion
to change the world?
Really, though, the night belonged to Tiger Woods.
The awards show authenticated the golfer’s domi
nance of his sport and the sports community as a
whole. Not only was Tiger the fan favorite, but he
gave sports fans the Comeback of the Year and the
Championship Performance of the Year. Woods’ four
ESPY’s meant he broke Michael Jordan’s career ESPY
record. Tiger now has 11, validating his rise to the
top of the sports world.
Woods’ performance almost overshadowed anoth
er golfer — not really a surprise, since he does it on
the course all the time — who received the ESPY
Lifetime Achievement Award. Jack Nicklaus, the
“Golden Bear,” seemed out of place at the young, hip
ESPYs, but his award meant a lot all the same.
When it comes right down to it, I was simply awed
by the awesome spectacle of the ESPY awards.
It was just like ESPN touted before the awards
show: “If sports is your life, than this is your night.”
Well, I’m a sports guy, from my baseball cap to my
tennis elbow to the spikes in my shoes. Because of
that, Monday was a night I will always remember.
Thank you, Caroline.
Peter Hockaday is a sports reporter for the Emerald. He can be
reached at phockaday@yahoo.com.
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Oregon football hires
one more from pros
■The Ducks are now fully
staffed after employing
their final assistant coach, the
Giants’ Mike Gillhamer
By Jeff Smith
Oregon Daily Emerald
For the second time in three
days, the Oregon football team
hired an assistant coach from the
NFL.
Mike Gillhamer,
who has spent the
last three years
working with the
NFC Champion
New York Giants,
was chosen to coach the Ducks’ de
fensive secondary Wednesday, ac
cording to Mike Bellotti, Oregon
head coach.
Gillhamer joins Robin Ross, who
was hired Monday by Oregon from
the Oakland Raiders to be the
Ducks’ special teams and lineback
ers coach.
“For us to add a second coach
from a NFL playoff-level organiza
tion is a tremendous statement
about how the Oregon football pro
gram is perceived by other coach
ing professionals,” Bellotti said in a
released statement.
Gillhamer fills the final coaching
vacancy and will take over for Bob
Gregory, who left to take over the
defensive coordinator position at
Boise State. Gillhamer’s contract
will pay him an annual salary of
$90,000 and will last until June 30,
2002.
He has 13 years of experience
coaching college defensive second
aries but spent this past season
guiding the Giants’ running backs
in their Super Bowl season. He cit
ed the opportunity to move back to
the defensive side of the ball as one
of the main reasons for returning to
the college level.
“I felt this was a great opportuni
ty to go to one of the top-10 college
programs in the country and get
back on defense, as well as go to a
great place to raise my family,” Gill
hamer said.
Gillhamer, 44, made a strong im
pression in New York and helped
the Giants’ ground game earn a No.
3 ranking in rushing with an aver
age of 125.6 yards per game. Need
less to say, his presence will be
missed in the professional ranks.
“Mike has done a great job in the
four years he has been with the Gi
ants,” New York head coach Jim
Fassel said in a released statement
on the Giants’ Web Site. “I have
high regard for Mike and his coach
ing ability, and I wish him nothing
but the best at Oregon. This gives
him a chance to work on the defen
sive side of the ball, which is his
first love.”
Gillhamer began his coaching ca
reer at the College of the Sequois
from 1979 to 1983 and then moved
onto Weber State in 1984. He
served as the defensive backs coach
at Utah (1985-89) and San Jose
State (1990-93) and then accepted a
position with Nevada to coach the
defensive backs in 1994. He was
promoted by the Wolfpack to de
fensive coordinator in 1995.
His final collegiate coaching spot
was as the defensive backs coach
for Rutgers in 1996 before heading
to New York in 1997.
“I’ve known Mike quite a while
from his days as a coach on the West
Coast,” Bellotti said. “So I’ve been
aware of his expertise as a defensive
backfield coach. Mike is very de
tailed oriented, a great teacher, an
excellent recruiter and understands
the techniques required to be suc
cessful in the secondary.
“[He’s] a great fit for us.”
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