RIP Beano Cook

Fowler still can't hear him.

 

Ron Powlus will attend four funerals in his honor.
RIP, Beano.

 

You left out Penn State.

 

Most people remember him from his GameDay days but he is credited with being the man behind the curtain for one of the signature games in college football history.

Beano was the ABC executive who convinced Texas & Arkansas to switch their 1969 game from October to the first weekend in December to serve as the nationally-televised concluding game of the 100th anniversary season of college football.

 

My favorite Beano story was about an incident when he was SID at Pittsburgh. Supposedly, a woman called his office one day asking how should could get a copy of the Pitt football roster.

BEANO: "I'd be happy to mail you one if you give me your address. But would you mind telling me why you need it?"

WOMAN: "I plan on sleeping with every member of the team this year."

BEANO: "Well how 'bout I just read it to you over the phone? Do you have something to write with?"

WOMAN: "Yes, that would be fine. Go ahead."

BEANO: "First player ... Cook, Beano ... "

 

Thirty years old but pretty insightful.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1125856/1/index.htm

 

This is from an e-mail I received about an hour ago from an old colleague who used to teach sports writing and had Cook speak to his class once.

i had beano at one of my classes. he was a huge success. the students never heard anything like that.

i remember one of the things he told them, on the age difference.

he was saying how there was very little difference between him and his day and the students and their day. and then he added:

"Of course, you get sex easier than we used to. But then you also get AIDs."

wished i could have taped that. just to get the looks on their faces.

 

One for each Heisman Beano predicted he'd win?

Powlus was the first guy that popped in my head here, and then I saw a half-dozen of you beat me to it.

RIP Beano.

 

Nice piece from Ivan Maisel.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8491813/college-football-beano-cook-was-friend-made-us-laugh

 

I recently cut way back on my podcast downloading/listening, but Maisel's with Cook was one I kept. It hasn't been the same without Beano the last few weeks, and won't be again ...

 

RIP

He also called a Steeler Super Bowl win after seeing Roethlisberger as a rookie in training camp.

 

"You only have to bat a thousand two things; flying and heart transplants. Everything else you can go four for five."