Nov. 8, 2008
(Written by Greg Harris of G. Allan Inc., Sponsor of NCCU Athletics)
Friday November 7th: (Day 2)
California is absolutely beautiful. The mountains, the ocean and the warm weather make you feel like you are on a tropical island. During the day I had on a pair of shorts and a polo shirt. While I like the sun and fun, I love the beautiful fall weather of North Carolina.
This morning after an early morning workout at the hotel gym, I was able to grab a light breakfast and spend time talking football and life with Coach Cabell and Coach Bullock. My conversation with Coach Cabell was focused mostly on football and I found him to be extremely personable and a man of great pride and conviction. He is a very knowledgeable coach and his love for the game and his influence on each player both on and off the field shines brightly. During breakfast he received a phone call about a potential recruit and it was amazing how he spoke passionately about NCCU and what we had to offer a recruit. With good men like Coach Cabell supporting Coach Rison, I know the future of the program is going to be very bright.
If you don't know Darryl Bullock, you need to meet him and shake his hand. I promise you his infectious personality and powers of motivation will have your adrenaline following and you'll be pumped up and ready for any challenge. In addition to being the Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Line Coach, Coach Bullock is responsible for the travel coordination and meal arrangements. I have been around a lot of teams and groups and it is rare that everything goes smoothly and on time. However, I must give Coach Bullock major kudos because this trip was extremely well planned and executed. We have not had one glitch the entire trip. Credit also must go to the other coaches and players as they have been responsible and considerate of each other by being on time. I hope the O-Line plays tomorrow afternoon as well as Coach Bullock coordinates travel plans, if that is the case we are going to have a very good afternoon.
Practice was scheduled for 4pm today, so the team had a meeting after breakfast and then time to get off their feet and relax. While the players were resting, the coaches were meeting and watching film. I decided to enjoy the sunny day and do a little shopping at a local outlet before we departed for practice at the Cal Poly stadium. As the team held a walk thru, I was able take a good look at Cal Poly's 2-year-old football facility and stadium addition. The renovation is very impressive and a great recruiting tool. The field is grass, the maximum capacity is just over 11,000 and there are 8 skybox suites as well as a very high tech and impressive press box. My wish is for NCCU to have something very similar to this football facility and stadium addition in the near future.
Tomorrow's subject, The players, Coach Rison and the game.
G.
