Another Championship Season

A few months ago, I was invited to give the convocation address at my undergraduate alma mater, Appalachian State University. The previous December, A.S.U. had won the NCAA Division I-AA national football championship, and I cannot tell you how many people swore to me that A.S.U. would repeat this year.

Sure, sure, sure, I thought. Winning any kind of championship is hard enough. (In fact, A.S.U. had never won one in any sport.) And repeating is even harder. Just ask my poor Pittsburgh Steelers this year.

But A.S.U. did it, beating the University of Massachusetts on Friday night, 28-17. A.S.U. running back Kevin Richardson ran for 179 yards and 4 touchdowns, which gave him a record-setting 30 touchdowns for the season. A few football players from A.S.U. have had successful N.F.L. careers, including Dexter Coakley and John Settle. Richardson, a junior, wouldn’t have seemed a likely candidate to follow them. He was a walk-on player, not even offered a scholarship. Here’s hoping he continues to defy expectations. Congratulations to him, his team, and everyone at A.S.U.