Groundhog Day

The ritual of Autumn in all its glory has descended upon us. We gaze out windows as foliage screams its last gasp of brilliance before the final spiral of death renders it grounded and inert. The bright color and pageantry of fall begins to blur as the winter of our discontent looms omnipresent. The brightness of blazing orange will soon be a distant memory as gloom, darkness and pessimism take hold.

Though the season is but a few weeks old, the changing of the leaves never changes and our fortunes repeat themselves as if stuck in a Harold Ramis movie where every day is the same and our fate is predetermined. In the movie, “Groundhog Day,” redemption and salvation occur when meaningful change of heart and purpose is accompanied by a plan of action that embraces a different and better way to approach each day.

Illinois Football is stuck in a 42 year cycle with a strategic plan that reads as follows: if you come to dead end in a labyrinth, go in another direction. For instance, 17 years ago we hired a defensive head coach and when our offense stagnated, we fired him and hired an offensive guru. Six years ago our recruiting slumped and we fired the offensive guru and hired a recruiting wizard and now he has stumbled and bumbled and exposed himself as a one trick pony without an encore; so we will navigate the labyrinth as we always have and react to a dead end by merely changing directions.

As we approach another addition of the Illinois version of Groundhog Day, it is clear that everything will stay the same unless we change our philosophy, or put another way, how we use reason to seek truth and knowledge. The problem with our current philosophy stems from a lack of coherence at the top and the misguided notion that problems should be fixed and that winning is the ultimate fix. For many of us, losing is bearable to a point if the product is likable, entertaining and something we can be proud of at any level. The issues with football, and I want to address them without disparaging players of good character, of whom there are many, stem from a program without an identity, purpose or direction.

The seemingly eternal Illini question is, where do we go from here and who is going to take us there? The answer starts with the following, it cannot be fixed, it must be rebuilt. The confidence of the people of the State of Illinois and the Alumni and students must be won back after years of hollow promises and failed initiatives. Edifices do not build character or embolden the spirit without embracing a philosophy that kindles that which burns eternally and speaks to a higher purpose.

I want Illinois football to succeed and win as much as most, but ultimately, I want to take pride in our coaches and players as they represent our great institution. Can you imagine interviewing for and accepting a job without knowing how to pronounce the name of the company or institution; we don’t have to, and perhaps we should have known that barbarians were at the gate when our current HC was introduced to the media and he blurted out that he “was thrilled to be at Illinoise.” I yearn for the days of former Dartmouth coach Bob Blackman and his literate and 500 winning percentage ways. Each day is the same unless there is a change in philosophy; only then will the next journey begin as we search for truth and reason amidst chaos and defeat.