Bowling Green State University Athletics
Ay Ziggy Zoomba
January 08, 2004 | Football
Nov. 21, 2003
by Karl Smith, phillyBurbs.com -
Link to the article on the phillyBurbs.com site
As most people who know me well will attest, I don't have a lot of good ideas. This one was a long shot to even come to fruition, let alone work out well.
It came to me as my son began his first season of flag football. He loved playing the game he had become so interested in through his father's unnatural obsession with playing NCAA Football 2003 on Playstation 2.
It occurred to me that Noah had never seen a real game. We had taken him to a high school game when he was 2, but really just came for the halftime show (one of my wife's piano students and several kids from our church's youth group were performing). Now he seemed ready to see the real thing.
Our PS2 sessions had introduced Noah to my dedication to my alma mater, Bowling Green. We followed the Falcons as best we could through ESPN and the Web. He knew about their new coach, Gregg Brandon, and their Heisman hopeful Josh "Lethal Weapon 5" Harris. So I figured if I could choose his first game, it would be a BG game.
I wanted it to be a win, of course, and scanned the schedule for likely victories. My first two choices fell through, as Noah had committed to performing in a summer music camp production. It became clear that we had one chance - Kent State at BG on November 15. After ESPN's GameDay came to Bowling Green and the Falcons went on to crush Northern Illinois in front of a national TV audience, we were both ready.
Tickets were purchased and a room was booked; only then did it sink it that I was taking a 6-year-old on a nine-hour ride. As the date neared, I checked the weather and it wouldn't be doing us any favors: Cold, drizzle, typical November weather for Northwest Ohio.
Then BG fell to Miami of Ohio on national television. While I was worried that this would deflate Noah's enthusiasm for the trip, after I explained that the loss would mean the Falcons would need us more than ever he was as resolute as ever. I explained that we had to "run the table" and beat Kent State, Ball State and Toledo.
"If we run the table, does it mean we get to go to a bowl game?" Noah asked.
It does.
"We gotta crush Kent State," he said.
Yes we do.
We made the trip to my brother's home in suburban Cleveland on Friday, arriving around dinner time. It was a great start to the trip - Noah and I joked, talked football and played games. We even stopped for hot chocolate.
Saturday dawned cool and gray. We said our good-byes to my brother and sister-in-law and made the relatively short trip to Bowling Green.
"There it is," I said as we prepared to cross I-75. "There's The Doyt."
Noah practically jumped out of his seat. His eyes wide as saucers, he was speechless. Doyt L. Perry stadium is many things, but beautiful is not one of them. Nonetheless, Noah looked like he had seen Mecca.
We drove through campus and found a parking spot near the new student union (something I could never seem to do as a student). Now lunch in the student union may not sound like a big deal, but to a 6-year-old BG fan, it's about as cool as it could be. The fact that they had blue Gatorade about sealed the deal - this is the greatest "restaurant" of all time.The bookstore is in the same building, so we set about accomplishing a most important mission - stocking up on souvenirs. Noah had three targets in mind - a hat, a shirt and a plush of Freddy Falcon, BG's mascot (along with Freida Falcon). We gathered them (and plenty others) in short order. Noah left no stone unturned, investigating every display like he was in a toy store.
We checked into our hotel and unloaded our gear. Noah kept peering out our door, which afforded him a view of the stadium. It was still more than 90 minutes to kickoff when he yelled, "the lights are on! It's time to go!"
I tried to explain that there was no need to hurry, that the game wouldn't be starting for a long time, that it was cold and rainy, which doesn't make for much fun when you're sitting outside. He stared blankly, obviously still anxious to get to the stadium.
If there's one thing I'm pretty good at, it's dressing for cold weather football games. So I knew we'd be able to stay warm, if not dry. I was worried, though. Noah had never sat through an entire football game. I hadn't anticipated sitting around an extra 90 minutes waiting for the game to start.
Like so many parental worries, my concerns were unfounded. Noah was focused on the game the entire time. He loved the traditions - he sang "Ay Ziggy Zoomba" (the unofficial fight song - click here to hear it) after every score, he joined in the "BG ... SU" chant. He scooped up the Tootsie Rolls after touchdowns (the wrappers are orange and brown .. get it?).
We ate hot dogs and popcorn, sipped hot chocolate and shared some of our Starburst candies with 3-year-old Jack sitting next to us. We watched Josh Harris connect on a 91-yard TD pass and Kent's Joshua Cribbs put on a masterful display of athleticism. We saw BG linebacker Mitch Hewitt leave the game with what was later diagnosed as a high ankle sprain. "I feel bad for that man," Noah said. "I hope he's OK."
The Falcon Marching Band strode out at halftime and Noah's attention never wavered. The performed an original piece, "Frontiers," and he cheered as loud as anybody. The twirlers had a few drops and Noah said he felt bad for them, too, because "it looks like they practiced really hard." Indeed.
Deep into the third quarter, it was clear that Kent had no intention of giving up. Coach Brandon turned toward the stands several times, waving his arms and urging the fans to make things difficult for the Flashes. Once Noah realized what Brandon wanted, he jumped to his feet and screamed with all his might.
The only downside to the gamewas the ROTC's booming cannon, which erupted after every score, sending Noah about six inches off his seat each time.
Despite a gritty performance by Kent, BG put the game away by recovering an onside kick with a few seconds left. I could tell Noah was tired, and I was certain he had done better than any father had a right to expect.
"The game is pretty much over," I said. "We can go if you want to."
The game clock read 0:02.
"But Dad," he replied after glancing at the clock, "the game's not over."
So we watched as the clock struck zero, cheered and headed toward the field. Noah wanted to see the cannon and find out why it was so loud. Then we made our way toward the players, who were in front of the band as it finished the alma mater and rolled into Ay Ziggy Zoomba once more.Noah wanted to find Mitch Hewitt to see if he was OK; he wanted to meet Josh Harris; he wanted to wish Coach Brandon good luck for the rest of the season. But the mass of humanity was too large and the players were already headed toward well-deserved showers.
He frowned for a second, looked at the ground, then turned toward the team as it trudged away. "Way to go Falcons!" he yelled. Then he smiled and said, "Let's go, Dad." We returned to the room, changed, checked the rest of the college football scores and stayed up too late talking about the game and the Falcons. Exhausted, we both collapsed into a deep sleep.
***
It was a long trip home. What else could a nine-hour trip be? But we listened to our CD of the Falcon marching band, singing along; we played more games; we talked football.
About three hours from home, Noah finally appeared exasperated. "Dad, when will we ever get home?" I told him it would be a few hours. He sighed, shrugged his shoulders, then began playing with his plush Freddie Falcon and settled in for the rest of the trip. We finally got home and unloaded our stuff. Noah called his grandparents and we had a bite to eat.
"That was a long trip, eh Noah?" I asked.
"Yeah, a really long trip," he said.
"Would you want to go again?"
His eyes lit up. "To Bowling Green to see a football game? Oh yeah!"
Ay Ziggy Zoomba, indeed! See you next year, BGSU.
