Joe Guidry is the deputy editorial page editor of The Tampa Tribune. He is a Tampa native and a graduate of the University of South Florida. He is married and has an adult son.

Jeff Stidham

Jeff Stidham grew up and lives in Bartow. He has been with the Tribune for nearly 22 years, the last 10 on the editorial board.

William Yelverton

William Yelverton is a Tribune editorial writer who has worked for the paper nearly 22 years. He lives in the Dade City area.

Jim Beamguard

Jim Beamguard is a Tribune editorial writer. He is a native of North Carolina and a graduate of Davidson College. He and his family live in Brandon.

Jackie Papandrew:

Jackie Papandrew is a freelance writer and editor. Her syndicated humor column appears in publications in the United States, Canada and India. She lives in Largo with her husband and children. Visit her website at www.jackiepapandrew.com.

Camille Beredjick

Camille Beredjick is a senior at Chamberlain High School, an avid musician and a scribbler with a quirky sense of humor. In the fall, she will be attending Northwestern University to study journalism, political science and music, and she plans to pursue a career in journalism.

Jim Harnish

Jim Harnish is in his 17th year as Senior Pastor at Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Tampa. He and his wife, Marsha, have two daughters and two grandchildren. He is a graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary and received the honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Bethune-Cookman University. He is the author of six books and numerous articles and studies. He enjoys playing with his grandchildren and cheering for the Florida Gators.

Angela Hunt

Angela Hunt is a novelist living in Pinellas County with her husband and two 220-pound mastiffs.

Sheryl Young

Sheryl Young was a Tampa Tribune Community Columnist in 2005-2006. A freelance writer since 1997, including the Tampa Bay Business Journal, Tampa Style Magazines, St. Pete Times and nationally in Better Nutrition, Today’s Christian Woman and more. She’s received a First Place Amy Foundation national "Roaring Lambs" Writing Award, and has lived in Tampa Bay with her family for over 20 years.

Christie Gold

Christie Gold teaches English and journalism at Freedom High School in Tampa where she advises Revolution, the school newspaper. She has been both the Hillsborough County Teacher of the Year and Florida Journalism Teacher of the Year. She lives on a small farm in Wesley Chapel where she trains as a competitive equestrian.

Natalie D. Preston

Natalie D. Preston is a karaoke singing, only-child pouting, Seminole Tomahawk waving, newlywed bride blushing, 50-state traveling, girlie girl who loves to shop, read, run and jump up and down on her soapbox.

Fernando Figueroa

Gary Beemer

Interests include humor, politics, economics, community and world affairs, finance, people, religion, music, sports, current events, the arts and education.

Nicole Yunger Halpern

Nicole Yunger Halpern is an undergraduate at Dartmouth College, where she studies everything she can get her nerdy little hands on. Desired major: life. No, not necessarily biology. Life.

Kris DiGiovanni

Kris DiGiovanni is a Tribune Community Columnist, Huffington Post contributor, Daily Kos diarist, and teacher, who recently moved from NW Hillsborough to another planet - a small beach community in Pinellas County. She also blogs at www.sandscript.wordpress.com

H. David Braswell Jr.

H. David Braswell Jr. is an Information Systems Professional. He is a native New Yorker and a lifelong NY Giants fan. He attended college in California (Cal State Northridge) and moved to Tampa in 1998.

Sean Marcus

Sean Marcus teaches creative writing, journalism and reading at Chamberlain High School. He has one son and is expecting a daughter in early March. He can be reached at wuizabug@gmail.com

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Are You Ready For Some Football?

Posted Sep 22, 2009 by Natalie D. Preston

Updated Sep 22, 2009 at 03:34 PM

Heck yeah, Hank!

But, I’m craving the brave hearts that dash, dart and dodge every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and sometimes Monday.

Forget “Any Given Sunday.” With a game almost every night of the week, college football is on and ready when I am!

No wonder I have a 20+ year love affair with college football …

In the NCAA, there is no see-saw retirement, comeback, retirement, comeback drama. You’re in or you’re out.

Period.

Why wait until March Madness for ‘Cinderella’ to emerge when she’s in full bloom every week in Division 1 football?

On the heels of a 0-12 season, the Washington Huskies toppled the USC Trojans last weekend.

Cinderella.

On Saturday night, an unranked Florida State Seminoles team gave 7th ranked Brigham Young University their first home loss in years—breaking an 18-game winning streak!

Cinderella.

And, stadiums? Please!

If the planets were in alignment and Ray Jay could accommodate 100,000 fans, I doubt the Buccaneers could attract them. Meanwhile, Michigan Stadium draws more than 100,000 rabble-rousers—even with a losing season!

That’s the beauty of college football in America.

* * *

On fall Saturday mornings, there is nothing better than an easy three-miler around the neighborhood, followed up with a quick refreshing shower and bite to eat before running down the day’s events with Chris, Desmond, Kirk and Lee, ESPN’s “College GameDay” team.

If you’re a college gamer like me and aren’t watching “GameDay,” then you’re only getting half the story.

It was “GameDay” that first introduced me to Boise State running back Ian Johnson a.k.a. “Beanie boy.”

A college football player who crotchets and sells his wares? I had to see it to believe it.

A dark evening and screams cried out for help. Without hesitation, a young lad (and his dad) jumped into an unfamiliar lake and swam across to aid strangers in distress …

Not just any lad, this was the scene that Colt McCoy of the Texas Longhorns found himself in on Memorial Day 2006.

Rightly so, Colt is worshipped by millions of fans with his agile quarterback moves on the field, but it was his heroic deeds shared on “GameDay” that earned him my respect.

These are just a few of the reasons why wherever I am—on my honeymoon in Alaska—whatever time of day—at 7 a.m. in San Diego—I make “GameDay” and college football a part of my Saturday routine.

* * *

Tampa locals are geeked up over the first gridiron meeting of the University of South Florida Bulls and the football powerhouse to the north—The Florida State University Seminoles.

Rather than address the slaughter that Doak Campbell Stadium inhabitants will witness on Saturday, I call your attention to the sheer dominance that exists where it truly matters—off of the football field.

1. According to U.S. News and World Report’s 2010 edition of “America’s Best Colleges,” Florida State ranked 48th, among the top 50 public “national” universities.

2. Since 1977, The Florida State University has produced four Rhodes and one Marshall Scholar.

3. For the past several decades, FSU has been a leader in the state graduating impressive numbers of African-Americans with undergraduate degrees. In Diverse: Issues in Higher Education’s 2009 rankings, FSU placed second with 845 African-American graduates.

4. Likewise, FSU gets the job done when it comes to graduating Hispanics in law and medicine. In Hispanic Business magazine’s 2009 list of Top Graduate Schools, the FSU colleges of law and medicine ranked 3rd and 7th in the nation, respectively. Note that the FSU College of Medicine is a relative newcomer founded in 2000.

Ever wonder why USF is FSU spelled backwards? Tune in to this Saturday’s match up at Doak Campbell Stadium and find out!

By the way, the ‘House that Bobby built’ can accommodate more than 83,000 fans AND the university doesn’t have to share the space with a professional football team.

Go Seminoles!

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