Dickinson County News: Sports Column: Ferentz to thank for Philbin's ascent to Dolphins (01/25/12)

Sports Illustrated's Peter King mentioned a very interesting tidbit this week in his Monday Morning Quarterback column, noting that the Miami Dolphin's hiring of Green Bay offensive coordinator Joe Philbin probably would have never happened if not for Kirk Ferentz and former Harvard lineman Matt Birk.

In paraphrasing King, Philbin attended Worcester (Mass.) Academy for a year in 1979 before going on to a four-year college. One of the assistant coaches on the football team was just a kid himself, Kirk Ferentz, who was fresh out of college.

Fast-forward to 1997. Philbin took a job coaching the offensive line at Harvard. This is where Philbin first got the chance to work with starting center Matt Birk. Birk was very raw at the time, but developed into an excellent NFL prospect under Philbin. Ferentz, who was the offensive line coach with the Baltimore Ravens at the time, saw the work Philbin did at the time and wanted to draft Birk. However, the Vikings selected him in the sixth round.

The next spring, Iowa hired Ferentz to take over for Hayden Fry. Well Ferentz hired Philbin to coach the offensive line at Iowa after seeing the work he did with Birk at Harvard. Four years later he went to the Packers and climbed the ladder there.

It's quite amazing how a person can make a name for themselves by simply being given a chance, and Philbin is the perfect example of that.

Paterno leaves cloudy, but lasting legacy

The Joe Paterno saga took a sad turn with the death of the Hall of Fame coach Sunday at the age of 85, just 85 days after the Penn State icon coached his last game in State College.

I believed that the university made the right move by firing the beloved JoePa after 61 years at the school because it was not fair to those seniors on the squad to have the Jerry Sandusky distractions ruining their one and only final season as a Nittany Lion. He was also the face of not only the football program, but the entire university, and so he ended up being the scapegoat of the scandal.

After saying all of that, I still believe that JoePa made an everlasting impact at Penn State and in the long run he will be remembered for truly what he stood for all those years in grooming young men into moral, upstanding citizens. Yes, Paterno could have done more in the Sandusky scandal than the bare minimum, but I don't believe he knew the magnitude of what was going on at the time.

Joe Posnanski, who is writing a biography about Joe Paterno, believes that the Penn State icon always tried to do the right thing and was very gracious for the incredible life he got to live.

We should all remember JoePa for the way he tried to live his life every day, and not one incident that has clouded his proud legacy over the past three months.

OHS to hold Coaches vs. Cancer Night

On Friday, Jan. 27, the Okoboji High School Athletic Department, Lakes Regional Healthcare and the American Cancer Society will be hosting a Coaches vs. Cancer Night in conjunction with JV and Varsity basketball games against Central Lyon at Okoboji High School in Milford. All fans are encouraged to wear white as the gym will be a "White Out" to show support for the cause of cancer awareness.

The theme for the night is "BEAT CANCER." There will be a tail-gate party starting at 5 p.m. in the new gym lobby served by Lakes Regional Healthcare. They will be serving chili, cinnamon rolls and a beverage for $5. The JV boys basketball game will begin at 4:45 p.m., the varsity girls game at 6:15 with the varsity boys game to follow. All coaches will be wearing sneakers during the games in support of coaches vs. cancer awareness.

White "BEAT CANCER" t-shirts are on sale at the Okoboji High School office for $15.

Each building in the Okoboji School District is having a "Building Nickel Battle" the Monday through Thursday leading up to Friday's game. The building with the most nickels will give their building principal a human sundae at an assembly that Friday afternoon.

There will also be a "wall of hope" in the hallway leading to the new gym at OHSl. Anyone that wishes can pay $1 and get a Coaches vs. Cancer card pledging support to fight cancer. These forms are on sale at the OHS office and purchased cards will be displayed down the new gym hallway.

Several outstanding sponsors have teamed up with the Okoboji High School Athletic Department in this project -- Lakes Regional Healthcare, the Okoboji Booster Club, the Lakes News Shopper and Decker Sports of Mason City.

All proceeds from all promotions will be donated to the American Cancer Society.

If you have any questions or would like to purchase a shirt, please contact the Okoboji High School office at 712.338.2446 or email Ryan Paulsen at rpaulsen@okoboji.k12.ia.us.