ESPN/ABC college football commentator Carrol (Beano) Cook passed away today at the age of 81. A longtime proponent of the superiority of college football over the professional ranks (not to mention other sports), Cook’s unique perspective is recalled in this 1982 item from Sports Ilustrated’s Jill Lieber :
When Beano Cook, the newest member of ABC’s college football announcing team, was the Pitt sports information director, he got a call one day from a woman asking for a copy of the Panthers’ football roster. “But lady,” Beano replied, “there are 120 guys out for the team right now. You really oughtta wait three weeks, till we make the cuts and are down to 75 or 80 kids. Otherwise, it’s really a waste of your time.”
The woman, however, was adamant. She needed the roster. Pronto. “But why?” Beano asked, dreading the hours it would take to round up the name of every tackling dummy cluttering up the practice field. “Because,” she said, matter of factly, “I want to sleep with everybody on the Pitt football team.”
Beano gasped. “Well,” he said, clearing his throat, “in alphabetical order, starting at guard…Cook, Beano.”