Video: Best moments you didn’t see on TV at 2016 SEC Media Days
By Chris Wright
Published:
HOOVER, Ala. — An hour into my first touch down in Saban’s Country, we arrived at the original Dreamland, dined on some delicious ribs and smoked sausage and saw another patron wearing a Bear Bryant houndstooth hat.
Hello, Alabama.
Tuscaloosa set the bar. Somehow, Hoover cleared it with its annual four-day tailgate party. You just had to know where to look to find the fun and, on occasion, drama.
The SEC Media Days main room isn’t built for intimate, in-depth, one-on-one interviews, the types that produce original thought, original answers, original content. What you hear is what everybody hears. Nothing is exclusive.
You know that going in, so the trick is to search out things fans can’t see on TV, to capture the flavor and personality that sets SEC Media Days apart from other leagues, other media events.
That didn’t take our cameras long.
Two of the first people we saw in The Wynfrey Hotel were Steven “Stingray” Ray and Shannon Villa, super fans from Mississippi State and Alabama, respectively. The only time Stingray put down his signature cowbells was to hold a microphone. Villa carried his WWE-inspired championship belt with him everywhere. It’s homemade. It’s pure genius, pure SEC.
Fans like Stingray and Villa make this event. Duke has its “Towel Guy,” but I never saw him at an ACC Media Day.
The SEC, as commissioner Greg Sankey said, it just means more.
That was obvious. Fans packed the hotel lobby each day, arriving long before the media, hoping for a glimpse — or signature — from their favorite stars or coach.
ACC fans love their basketball, but Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams don’t get this kind of reception in Greensboro.
https://twitter.com/SDS/status/753214698296897537
That downstairs lobby usually stayed packed throughout the day. Some fans waited … and waited … and waited, long after the media sessions ended, pens extended, holding out hope.
https://twitter.com/SDS/status/753343317375610880
Players come and go, jersey numbers and last names change. It’s these kinds of moments and fans that make SEC Media Days different. That was my biggest takeaway, that SEC football fans will take off work and drive hours just to see their heroes.
Upstairs, in the media rooms, there were plenty of other highlights and a few low points, too.
We compiled two videos with some of the better moments you might have missed.
THE PLAYERS
— Kentucky running back Jojo Kemp teasing reporters about his go-to touchdown dance.
— Teammate Jon Toth correcting the moderator, who mispronounced his last name. (It’s toeth, not tahth.)
— Florida’s menacing Jarrad Davis setting an example for everyone on how to act responsibly around women. The SEC doesn’t have a preseason All-Character Team, but Davis would have been a unanimous selection.
— LSU’s Leonard Fournette explaining how eating Wheaties helps him prepare for Myles Garrett.
The coaches
— Dan Mullen and Nick Saban showing off their dodgeball skills when confronted with serious questions concerning player behavior.
— Les Miles demonstrating his acting skills … and shortcomings. “I tried for the romantic lead and I didn’t get it.”
— Will Muschamp taking a friendly jab at friend/rival coach Kirby Smart, who can’t quite agree on a certain play in which Smart either had 10 or 12 defenders on the field at Valdosta State. Next year, Muschamp and Smart have to share a table, with one mic in the middle.
— Bret Bielema, the fastest talker in the room, should have charged admission for his stand-up act. He entertained us by explaining why his wife likes to come to SEC Media Days — “it’s connected to a mall” — and unveiled his own personal recruiting ranking. At Arkansas, a hot recruit is a “Farrah Fawcett.” He then explained why college football needs a NFL Combine for juniors, adding, “first and foremost, if you’re not invited to that Combine, if you even think about coming out, you’re a moron.”
Chris Wright is Executive Editor at SaturdayDownSouth.com. Email him at cwright@saturdaydownsouth.com.
Managing Editor
A 30-time APSE award-winning editor with previous stints at the Miami Herald, The Indianapolis Star and News & Observer, Executive Editor Chris Wright oversees editorial operations for Saturday Down South.
