Partial OT: RIP Beano Cook

[bluehenbillk]

died in his sleep at 81. I grew up on college football with him & Keith "Whoa Nellie" Jackson.

[Laker]

http://www.thebiglead.com/index.php/2012/10/11/beano-cook-rip-dead-at-81/

I liked listening to Beano except when he would pontificate about Notre Dame. I'm trying to think of which ND QB it was who Beano said would win the Heisman two or three times.

[RichH2]

Yup, he was informative and fun. Many of today's talking heads could learn from him.

[bluehenbillk]

http://www.thebiglead.com/index.php/2012/10/11/beano-cook-rip-dead-at-81/

I liked listening to Beano except when he would pontificate about Notre Dame. I'm trying to think of which ND QB it was who Beano said would win the Heisman two or three times.

Ron Powlus

[Laker]

Ron Powlus

Yep, that is who it was. Thanks for reminding me.

[DFW HOYA]

Unlike today's resume requirements for TV hosts (former coach, former pro athlete or Newhouse School (Syracuse) grad), Beano Cook's media experience was entirely hands-on: he served as the sports information director at Pitt for a decade.

[Franks Tanks]

RIP Beano. One of the best.

He was an absolute Encyclopedia of college football knowledge and facts, especially related to Eastern college football. He would bring up things that happened decades ago out of the blue. He once started talking about Charlie Trippi, and he couldn't understand how he ended up at Georgia all the way from Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Trippi played in the 40's.

I once heard him go on at length about the canidates for the Penn State head coaching job.. in 1950 when they ended up hiring Rip Engle. Noboby else but Beano.

We also spoke about Ivy and PL schools from our way back hey day.

[AppAlum2003]

Soup or Salad, Beano? Soup or Salad?

Very sad. Good man.

[AmsterBison]

I'll miss Beano.

[Ivytalk]

And today we have to put up with the likes of Kirk Herbstreit and Craig James. WAFJ.

[Go...gate]

Beano would talk about games at Army and Navy with reverence, even when the schools were faring poorly. One of the best lines he ever had was during a game at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in the late 1970's. The stadium lists all the major battles in which the Navy/Marines were engaged, and Beano ever the SID, said - "imagine having to play that schedule - and all on the road"! He was a special part of College Football.

[ngineer]

And today we have to put up with the likes of Kirk Herbstreit and Craig James. WAFJ.

Good observation. I enjoyed listening...and WATCHING Beano doing his thing. He was a true natural and not some coifed, salesman type reading a teleprompter.

[tingly]

http://www.beano-cook.com

[superman7515]

ESPN Remembers Beano Cook (http://frontrow.espn.go.com/2012/10/espn-remembers-beano-cook-1931-2012/#more-40684)


Cook always will be remembered for his sense of humor. Over his ESPN years, he gave many memorable quips, such as:

• I’d like to do the last scoreboard show and then go. I don’t want to die in the middle of the football season. I have to know who’s No. 1 in the last polls. (1988)
• The three things that mean the most to me in life are my parents, Casablanca and college football — not necessarily in that order. (1987)
• You only have to bat a thousand in two things — flying and heart transplants. Everything else you can go four for five. (1988)
• You’ll never have a 16-team playoff in college football. The most that could happen would be four teams in the next century. But after that, I’m dead, so who cares? (1992)
• Colleges spend more money on the promotion of the Heisman than the Pentagon spends on toilets. (1990)
• Argentina invaded the Falklands because they had ESPN and the Argentines wanted to get the late scores. (1986)
• ESPN is like your family, it’s always there. The networks are like your mother-in-law. They are there on the weekends. (1988)
• When they list the great things of the 20th Century, they’ll say, penicillin, Sophia Loren, jet travel and ESPN. (1992)
• Known for his fear of flying, he would often point out that the first word you see at an airport is “terminal.”

Cook was graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1954 with a bachelor of arts degree. He also served 21 months in the Army, and upon his return, became his alma mater’s sports information director from 1956-1966.

[bulldog10jw]

Beano loved the history of college football, and was therefore an admirer and supporter of the Ivies. I remember he covered the Yale-Harvard "Ice Bowl" game in person for ESPN in '87 and did a nice piece on the history of the rivalry.

[Go...gate]

Beano loved the history of college football, and was therefore an admirer and supporter of the Ivies. I remember he covered the Yale-Harvard "Ice Bowl" game in person for ESPN in '87 and did a nice piece on the history of the rivalry.

Could not agree more. He will be missed.