Columnist Steve Guiremand: Tragedy reminds us football is never a matter of life or death

Steve Guiremand

Friday, Sept. 21, 2001 | 9:52 a.m.

Steve Guiremand covers colleg football for the Sun. Reach him at 259-2324 or steveg@lasvegassun.com.

Battle in the trenches.

War.

Do or die.

Life or death.

All are terms that ocassionally find their way into college football broadcasts or newspaper stories.

But hopefully not any longer, after the sobering events of Sept. 11. The terrorist attacks on the U.S. showed the true meaning of life or death.

I have to admit that my first thought following last Tuesday's vicious terrorist tragedies was that college football and NFL games should go on as scheduled, so as not to give in to the slimeballs who performed the cowardly acts.

But once the magnitude of the crimes finally hit home, there was no doubt that the right thing to do was to postpone the games for at least a week.

I don't know about you, but even almost two weeks later it still is tough for everyone that I come into contact with to get fired up about watching a college football game, especially when you see the massive wreckage of the World Trade Centers still smoldering.

It'll be interesting to see just how crisp the caliber of play will be. Besides the unexpected layoff, you've got to figure not everyone's heads -- coaches, players, fans -- has been totally focused on football lately.

Meanwhile, conferences and schools have been scrambling to reschedule contests so they can still get in a complete season of games.

Admirable to be sure. But future events involving this country both home and abroad could foil those best-laid plans again.

Here's hoping the rest of the college football season goes on without a hitch.

But if it doesn't, I know one thing: It won't be life or death.

Get A Clue Dept.

Adversity brings both the best and worst out of some people, as Rev. Jerry Falwell proved last week. But Falwell wasn't alone in his boneheadedness.

"I've always been a believer that you have to move on, as hard as it is," O'Leary said. "That's what needs to be done."

The Yellow Jackets were also upset that FSU has a bye the week before their game now, while Georgia Tech will be playing in-state rival Georgia.

"If you're going to postpone the game, why not make it fair for both teams?" Georgia Tech athletic director Dave "Half" Braine said.

Memo to Braine and O'Leary: There are families who still might not have the remains of their loved ones from the World Trade Center by Dec. 1. Show some respect.

Said Groh: "I'm not saying this to make light of it by any means, but I'm not planning on having Arabs in the traveling party. So therefore I think probably the threat of our being hijacked is pretty remote."

Groh, the former head coach of the New York Jets who said he knew a number of missing people in the World Trade Center attack, later apologized.

"I'm sorry if my remarks were insensitive," he said. "I certainly didn't want to insinuate that millons of sensitive, God-fearing people of Arabic descent are terrorists."

So, Al, just what were you insinuating, then?

Once around the Mountain West