RIP Beano Cook

[Steak Snabler]

According to Ivan Maisel on Twitter:

@Ivan_Maisel: I am very sorry to tell you that Beano Cook died in his sleep. He was 81. If you love college football, you will miss him.

https://twitter.com/Ivan_Maisel/status/256424165832290305

 

[Mizzougrad96]

One of those people who I rarely agreed with, but loved watching...

RIP.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

I guess heaven needed more material.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Heaven needed someone to talk about Ron Powlus' Heisman chances.

 

[HanSenSE]

Confirmed. RIP.

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/pitt-big-east/pitt-legend-beano-cook-dies-657150/

 

[UPChip]

To the heavenly choir: "Tell 'em! Tell 'em I can hear them!"

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I still think his quote about the Iran hostages getting a lifetime pass to baseball games is one of the best of all-time.

"Haven't they suffered enough?"

 

[Liut]

One of those people who I rarely agreed with, but loved watching...

RIP.

Agreed, but he was such a character it was part of the appeal, IMHO. Bad week for such characters: Mr. Cook, Bill Jauss, Alex Karras.

He was what he was. RIP, Beano, at the big Pitt Stadium in the sky.

 

[beanpole]

Well, damn. RIP Beano.

 

[proudpittsburgher]

Somewhere, Ron Powlus weeps.

 

[trifectarich]

I was in Western Pennsylvania for a U.S. Open at Oakmont many years ago. Early in the week, a group of us decided to get together for dinner one night in downtown Pittsburgh; someone knew Beano and invited him to join us. All the stories that were told for a couple of hours . . . priceless.

RIP.

 

[dixiehack]

He was College Gameday before anyone outside Kentuckiana heard of Lee Corso. Listening to his gravely voice (and Fowler introducing the College Football Quagmires to "Riders on the Storm" set the table for a great Saturday. Of course he would have never made it doing mascot heads, since he thought Pitt, Notre Dame, Army and Navy were the only four teams in the sport.

 

[Chef2]

Fowler still can't hear him.

 

[Batman]

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

 

[Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!]

He was College Gameday before anyone outside Kentuckiana heard of Lee Corso. Listening to his gravely voice (and Fowler introducing the College Football Quagmires to "Riders on the Storm" set the table for a great Saturday. Of course he would have never made it doing mascot heads, since he thought Pitt, Notre Dame, Army and Navy were the only four teams in the sport.

You left out Penn State.

 

[Armchair_QB]

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.

 

[Steak Snabler]

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 ... "

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

Thirty years old but pretty insightful.

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

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

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.

 

[Stoney]

Ron Powlus will attend four funerals in his honor.

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.