Great picture from Carroll College win:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/sports/story/242107.html
Excellent story on the SI web site about the photo. Here's part of it:
In the euphoric aftermath following Carroll (Mont.) College's 17-9 win over the University of Sioux Falls last Saturday in the NAIA football championship, AP photographer John Russell snapped a photo of Carroll junior linebacker Brandon Day celebrating on mud-caked Jim Carroll Stadium in Savannah, Tenn. That image appears on the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated as part of our PICTURES OF THE YEAR issue. Day, 21, tells SI.com's Richard Deitsch what it means to be a Carroll football player and what he was feeling when Russell took his photograph. Russell also gives us the story behind the picture from his perspective.
The euphoric celebration of Brandon Day (34) and his Carroll College teammates after they won the NAIA title last Saturday was captured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
John Russell/AP
The big word we use around here is brotherhood. I know it's kind of cliché and lots of teams use that stuff but it's real here. We play for each other and we believe in the tradition that our coach (Mike Van Diest) has developed. I was born in Boise but my family moved to Helena when I was 8. Helena is a quintessential Montana town. You can see the mountains everywhere and be at three different lakes in 15 minutes. I started playing organized football here in the fourth grade and played linebacker and tight end at Helena High. There are about 1,400 students here at Carroll and I share an a house about a mile from campus with wide receiver Travis Browne, free safety Tyler Pasha, and wide receiver Stevie Sloan.
What I want people to know about players at our level is that we play because we love the game. A lot of players, especially the ones on this team, were recruited to play at big-time schools. But they came here because they love football. It doesn't matter about the recognition that bigger schools get. It's about coming to a quality program and winning. That's what Carroll is about. I was recruited by Montana and Montana State and I talked to Northern Arizona. I don't know if I would have gotten a scholarship but Montana told me I had a chance play as a true freshman. The reason I chose Carroll was when I visited the campus, it just fit for me. The older guys were totally accepting of me from the moment I stepped on campus. There was none of this 'I'm a senior and you're just a recruit stuff.' They just accepted me. Coming here was the best decision I ever made.
Last year we lost at home in the NAIA quarterfinals against St. Xavier (Ill.). They were a great team but we kind of beat ourselves. It was hard losing. It was only my second loss at Carroll (the school has won five NAIA titles over the past six seasons, including four consecutive titles from 2002 to 2005) and it was hard looking at the seniors. We all wanted so much more for them. I knew I had two more years left and we would have a chance to win again but just looking at those seniors, most of whom will probably never play football again, we wanted to go out big for them but we didn't pull it off.
Sioux Falls is a great team and they won the NAIA championship last season. They had the player of the year in quarterback Chad Cavender and came in averaging 46 points per game. We had the top-rated defense in the country this season. It was the best offense against the best defense. What more could you ask for? We knew we were going to have a big challenge but I think we were comfortable with the challenge.
We flew to Tennessee last Wednesday and the rain started on Friday. It was steady and hard and never really stopped. There was standing water on the sidelines and it was up to your ankles. I remember one play just going face first right through this huge mud puddle as I tackled one of their backs out of bounds. Mud games are the best. As a defense, we probably had our best game of the season. The defensive line shut Cavender down. They kept him in the pocket so he could not scramble much. (Junior middle linebacker) Owen Koeppen was flying around the field like a crazy man.
After the game, I remember a guy who was standing around with a camera but I had no idea he was taking that picture. But I know exactly what I was thinking when he took the photo. I got up on my knees, I thanked God, and I thought about my grandfathers, Howard Day and Dale Gullings. They passed away this July and October, respectively. I thought about them and I wished they were there with me. I also thought about my teammates.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/sports/story/242107.html
Excellent story on the SI web site about the photo. Here's part of it:
In the euphoric aftermath following Carroll (Mont.) College's 17-9 win over the University of Sioux Falls last Saturday in the NAIA football championship, AP photographer John Russell snapped a photo of Carroll junior linebacker Brandon Day celebrating on mud-caked Jim Carroll Stadium in Savannah, Tenn. That image appears on the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated as part of our PICTURES OF THE YEAR issue. Day, 21, tells SI.com's Richard Deitsch what it means to be a Carroll football player and what he was feeling when Russell took his photograph. Russell also gives us the story behind the picture from his perspective.
The euphoric celebration of Brandon Day (34) and his Carroll College teammates after they won the NAIA title last Saturday was captured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
John Russell/AP
The big word we use around here is brotherhood. I know it's kind of cliché and lots of teams use that stuff but it's real here. We play for each other and we believe in the tradition that our coach (Mike Van Diest) has developed. I was born in Boise but my family moved to Helena when I was 8. Helena is a quintessential Montana town. You can see the mountains everywhere and be at three different lakes in 15 minutes. I started playing organized football here in the fourth grade and played linebacker and tight end at Helena High. There are about 1,400 students here at Carroll and I share an a house about a mile from campus with wide receiver Travis Browne, free safety Tyler Pasha, and wide receiver Stevie Sloan.
What I want people to know about players at our level is that we play because we love the game. A lot of players, especially the ones on this team, were recruited to play at big-time schools. But they came here because they love football. It doesn't matter about the recognition that bigger schools get. It's about coming to a quality program and winning. That's what Carroll is about. I was recruited by Montana and Montana State and I talked to Northern Arizona. I don't know if I would have gotten a scholarship but Montana told me I had a chance play as a true freshman. The reason I chose Carroll was when I visited the campus, it just fit for me. The older guys were totally accepting of me from the moment I stepped on campus. There was none of this 'I'm a senior and you're just a recruit stuff.' They just accepted me. Coming here was the best decision I ever made.
Last year we lost at home in the NAIA quarterfinals against St. Xavier (Ill.). They were a great team but we kind of beat ourselves. It was hard losing. It was only my second loss at Carroll (the school has won five NAIA titles over the past six seasons, including four consecutive titles from 2002 to 2005) and it was hard looking at the seniors. We all wanted so much more for them. I knew I had two more years left and we would have a chance to win again but just looking at those seniors, most of whom will probably never play football again, we wanted to go out big for them but we didn't pull it off.
Sioux Falls is a great team and they won the NAIA championship last season. They had the player of the year in quarterback Chad Cavender and came in averaging 46 points per game. We had the top-rated defense in the country this season. It was the best offense against the best defense. What more could you ask for? We knew we were going to have a big challenge but I think we were comfortable with the challenge.
We flew to Tennessee last Wednesday and the rain started on Friday. It was steady and hard and never really stopped. There was standing water on the sidelines and it was up to your ankles. I remember one play just going face first right through this huge mud puddle as I tackled one of their backs out of bounds. Mud games are the best. As a defense, we probably had our best game of the season. The defensive line shut Cavender down. They kept him in the pocket so he could not scramble much. (Junior middle linebacker) Owen Koeppen was flying around the field like a crazy man.
After the game, I remember a guy who was standing around with a camera but I had no idea he was taking that picture. But I know exactly what I was thinking when he took the photo. I got up on my knees, I thanked God, and I thought about my grandfathers, Howard Day and Dale Gullings. They passed away this July and October, respectively. I thought about them and I wished they were there with me. I also thought about my teammates.