I was making a photograph of co-workers in their Clemson apparel before the “big game” against UGA last week when my mind began to play back memories of past college football seasons and my time as a photographer assigned to cover games.
Most people believe the sidelines are a great place to watch a game. In fact, it’s the worst place if you really want to see what’s going on. Crowded with other photographers, television cameras, television support staff, coaches, trainers, cheerleaders, security personnel, boosters, prospects, and of course the mascots, the sidelines are a game within a game. A clear view of the field can become as elusive as an oasis in the desert. Which is why I preferred to shoot from the back of the end zone when I could.
Still, to experience a game, the sidelines are beyond compare. Hearing 90,000 people “barking” in unison from the sidelines in Athens is a surreal experience. Watching the orange-clad gang run down the hill and into your camera during the most exciting 25 seconds of college football at Death Valley is indeed exciting, particularly if you can’t hide behind the goalpost because the spot is already taken. And who could forget the first time they spied the giant bird running onto the field while the theme from “2001: A Space Odyssey” plays in Columbia?
I remembered the time covering the homecoming game at Clemson when things didn’t go as planned. At halftime the floats were driven onto the field. Unfortunately for the homecoming queen, the giant flower float she was riding inside malfunctioned. The petals of the flower were supposed to unfold; they didn’t. There was talk of getting the fire department when finally someone got a ladder and, with the help of a couple of men, they were able to break the flower open, releasing the stranded queen from her flower tomb to great applause from the Clemson faithful.
I remembered how lucky I was not to get hit. Maybe it was luck or maybe it was my rule of never turning my back to the field during a play that kept me uninjured while so many of my colleagues were not so lucky. In all my years of covering football – high school, college and professional – I was only trampled once. A Georgia receiver made a spectacular catch in the back of the end zone, right in front of me. Before I could get to my feet and away from the celebration that followed, several tons of human flesh known as offensive linemen began raining down on me. Fortunately, as I was on the ground already and the players were falling down and not running, I was not hurt – and more importantly, I was able to protect my gear.
Collage football season is finally here. So here’s to the Tigers, Gamecocks and Dogs! Enjoy no matter what animal you may be.
