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[NextYearIsHere]

Remembering 9/11 and the SEC's initial mistake | al.com


"BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Ten years. Can you believe so much time has passed since the horrific and terrifying day of Sept. 11, 2001?

Where were you when our world got turned upside down?

Like many sportswriters, I was at a Tuesday football press conference, back when I covered Clemson. I will never forget sitting later in the baseball offices with assistants Tim Corbin and Kevin O'Sullivan and watching the World Trade Center collapse. I can still see O'Sullivan going about his work, unaware that his cousin, a 32-year-old New York City firefighter, would die at Ground Zero.

Playing games felt so meaningless and inconceivable that Tuesday and in the days that followed.

Yet the SEC initially planned to play football on Saturday. If not for the NFL's postponement, 9/11 could have been the SEC's Pete Rozelle blunder. Only 48 hours after John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, Rozelle played NFL games and forever called the decision his biggest regret in life.

"There was a little bit of a different circumstance because (the assassination) happened so close before the games," said Roy Kramer, the SEC commissioner in 2001. "I think that was a factor in the NFL's decision (not to play right after 9/11). We talked about it, talked quite a bit. But the NFL originally gave us the feeling they were going to play."

On Wednesday, the day after 9/11, the SEC became the most prominent sports entity to declare the games would go on. Kramer had consulted on conference calls with SEC presidents, athletics directors and TV partners.

"There was a lot of strong feeling that we should continue the games because you didn't want to give in to the terrorists," Kramer said. "We didn't want them to destroy our way of life, so to speak. There was merit to have those games."

Kramer said some SEC presidents immediately wanted to postpone the games, but the majority voted to play. Some university presidents had been advised to proceed by representatives in their states who had contacts in the White House, Kramer said.

"When you look back at it, President Bush had said we need to get back to normal as soon as possible," SEC spokesman Charles Bloom said. "We thought college football on a Saturday might help heal some of the psychological wounds."

The Big East and ACC had already decided not to play. Other schools, including seven from the Big Ten, called off games on their own. The SEC was moving forward, including a marquee game between No. 8 Tennessee and No. 2 Florida, and was roundly criticized.

"We knew public opinion was against us almost immediately," Bloom said. "Our fans let us know they didn't think we should play. We got phone calls, faxes -- whatever communication there was back then, we were getting it."

South Carolina was notified by Bowling Green that it was pulling out of their game, citing the anxiety of traveling by air. Florida's Steve Spurrier described at the time how his team couldn't focus in practice.

By Thursday, the NFL and Major League Baseball announced they wouldn't play. That triggered a change by the SEC, and the Big 12 and WAC followed with postponements.

"I felt we were sort of giving in by changing our lifestyle," Kramer said. "But once the NFL did it, I agreed our conference had to fall in line and it worked out."

Ten days after 9/11, South Carolina and Mississippi State played the first Division I-A football game since the terrorist attacks. The SEC donated $1 million to a fund supporting 9/11 victims.

"If there's one lesson we learned, it's probably to try to get more information before making a decision (on whether to play)," Bloom said. "Wednesday to Thursday gave us time to find out what was going on and to see what other people were doing. I think we eventually ended up with the right decision. It just took us a little bit to get there."

Ten years. So much has changed, but it still feels like yesterday.

Take this week to remember the perspective we had of our games during those terrible days.

Write Jon at jsolomon@bhamnews.com. Follow him at twitter.com/jonsol."


Personally, I'm very thankful that on the Friday after the attacks my school decided to play its schedule match up against rival Summerville. It felt great to suit up and not have to think about the attack for a couple of hours and I think think to this day that the SEC should have had games that weekend to give Americans a welcome distraction and to show the rest of the world that we could carry on. Regardless, it's still hard to believe it's been 10 years already

[StallingsBaldSpot]

we practiced the day it happened. We didn't take any time off. Our coaches contemplated it but they felt it might be best to play and not think about the tragedy. We proceeded by crushing Clay County 50-0

[ElephanTideis]

Not to disrespect 9/11, but what a stupid topic to write an article on. How the SEC came to the decision to postpone play? Seriously?

[GamecockDieHard]

ElephanTideis said:

Not to disrespect 9/11, but what a stupid topic to write an article on. How the SEC came to the decision to postpone play? Seriously?

No more stupid than any of a million stories of how people got on with their lives after that day.  Seriously.

[sealgaire]

NYIH,

Thanks for posting this. I remember vividly where I was the moment I heard about 9/11. I don't think I'll ever forget. Don't think it's something I can.

I was at Jones Co. Jr. College, and we did go on and practice that day. It was half hearted. I was an athletic training major at the time, and remember the coaches told us to find some American flag stickers to put onto the back of the helmets.

Our head coach had a son in the military, or just recently had gotten out, and we actually had a few red shirt players in the national guard. I think we went on and played that week, but honestly can't remember for sure. One thing I do remember was how pointless playing football seemed at the time, but when it came time to play, the players, coaches, schools, and fans all "came together". It was an opportunity to unite, and also an opportunity to show, in whatever small way, that we could be down, but not out.

Thanks to all our military, police, fire fighters, and first responders.