A College Football Poem to get the Year Started

Ed. note: this is from Jeffrey Hendrickson who wrote the whole thing out on Twitter. I thought it was great and wanted to republish in full. Here’s an ode to the 2015 season. 

T’was the night before football
And all through the state
Hardly a fan could sleep
Seven months was a long wait

Cowboys young and old
Tried to sleep in their beds
As visions of Sanders
Ran through their heads

Glenn Spence read his Bible
As Gundy hit the hair gel
Mike Yurcich watched game film
On last season, they did not dwell

When out in the darkness
Such a sound came transpiring
It woke up Dave Hunziker
Who exclaimed: “PISTOLS FIRING!”

Gundy fled the hotel
With a temper so gnarl some
One would think he had read
A column by Carlson

The coaches followed Gundy
To the practice field of old
But what awaited their arrival
Was a sight to behold

On the field stood Rudolph
With all polish and poise
Gundy’s anger quickly melted
As he saw his Cowboys

With fire in his eyes
QB 1 ran the game
He directed his offense
And called them by name

“Now Carson! Now Childs!
Now Shepherd and Curry!
On Glidden! On Seaton!
On Jarwin and Murray!”

“From the front of the ‘zone
to the last forty-nine!
Now rush the goal! Rush the goal!
Rush the goal line!”

As the quarter-horse runs
And the tornado wins fly,
The Pokes moved with haste
Under the Michigan sky

In the backfield they blitzed
And the secondary they raced
Exhibiting no fear
Of Chippewas soon faced

The lively battle carried on
As the hour grew longer
Yet as the moments passed
The Cowboys grew stronger

But all good things
Must come to an end
Practicing into the night
The coaches ceased to defend

“Time for bed” they yelled
And the players complied
The commands of Mike Gundy
Could not be defied

As the team left the field
Coaches marveled the sights
But one player stood back
Throwing under the lights

The coaches called and called
But he could not be swayed
Because, for Mase Rudolph
There was still a game to be played

So Gundy sent back the staff
And bid them sleep tight
Then encouraged young Rudolph
For victory, to fight!

And as the pair joined
The rest for a dream
Gundy asked Rudolph
How he’ll inspire the team

“They all want to know
How you’ll handle the day”
Gundy offered a question:
“What words will you say?”

Rudolph spoke softly,
But could not hide his glee:

“You tell ’em I’m coming
And hell’s coming with me.”