It’s clear who won the award Best Comedy Act at the 2015 Big 12 Media Days. Art Briles reeled off some interesting quotes all day. Many of the coaches were strictly business at the event. One thing is for certain: the better the team in 2014, the lighter the mood on stage. Below is a look at the top 10 quotes from the press conferences at the event.
10. “Yeah, I can’t be too specific. There’s people watching.”-Dana Holgorsen, West Virginia head coach
Holgorsen has been a credible name in the Big 12 Conference and, specifically, with the air raid offense for a long time. He’s coached alongside Mike Gundy, Kliff Kingsbury and Art Briles. He was Kingsbury’s coach at one point. He’s also a part of the Mike Leach coaching tree, who was Bob Stoops offensive coordinator in 1999 during his first year at Oklahoma. Holgorsen truly does need to mix up his playbook. This statement, while true, is one of the more underrated zingers of the event.
9. “Been here longer than most of you, I think. I don’t know whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but it is what it is.”-Bill Snyder, Kansas State head coach
“When you’ve been around the game as long as Snyder has, it gives you the opportunity to poke fun at everyone around you. Snyder isn’t normally a funny coach. This is appreciative though. Snyder is trying to relax the mood with a good laugh, but also makes the true point that he is experienced.”
8. “That’s the first I’ve heard that, gun metal gray? That’s a little wordy for me. Yeah, we like it.”-Art Briles, Baylor head coach
One question regarding the displayed helmets on the podium belted out a pair of zingers. If you’ve seen the landscape of college football lately, teams like Oregon and Baylor almost never wear the same uniform twice. A new helmet was placed up, the question was asked and Briles delivered. Now we just wait for “gun metal gray” to be the next crayon in the biggest pack.
7. “I don’t know if I could take 12 steps straight ahead much less win 12 championships in a row.”-David Beaty, Kansas head coach
In the Big 12, it’s hard to play second fiddle to a basketball team. That’s what Jayhawk football has to do with Kansas basketball though. Some coaches can’t acknowledge this. Some coaches hate this fact. Beaty’s take on playing second fiddle is amazing. He shows his pride in Jayhawk basketball, but during his answer to the particular question, he knows it is his job to give the Kansas fans something to be excited about on the gridiron. The only way this answer can be any better is if an actual comedian were on stage.
6. “As far as a favorite, if we got one more point than the other when we’ve got that helmet on, it’s a favorite for me that day.”-Art Briles, Baylor head coach
This quote came from the exact same question as the “gun metal gray” quote. Obviously, all coaches love to win. For many, it doesn’t matter how. Briles may enjoy his team wearing bubblegum pink if the Bears hang 100 on an opponent wearing that shade.
5. “I lost the pool, by the way. I thought that would be the first question.”-Bob Bowlsby
Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman, who has a tremendous sense of humor, fired back with a great zinger of his own, “Sorry. Couldn’t get to the mic fast enough.” Bowlsby knew the expansion question was coming. After being snubbed by the College Football Playoff and still not being proactive in adding teams for the purpose of a conference championship, the subject was the elephant in the room. It was the third question of the day and Bowlsby was clearly ready and had a tremendous first response.
4. “That’s about the amount of applause I get when I make a call.”-Walt Anderson, Director of Officials
Actually, Anderson received more applause than anyone else at media day. Cheering in press boxes is extremely frowned upon, so many media members have learned not to clap. Facts are facts though. Officials only receive credit for a good call from fans inside the stadium when the call favors a fan’s team. Officials have the toughest job in the stadium. No matter what they do or say, someone hates them for the duration of that particular game. In some cases, they wind up with death threats after a game-deciding call. I’m extremely happy to give Anderson some credit for bringing a laugh. No official is perfect, but Anderson ended his conference perfectly with this quote.
3. “He’s 6’8″, 403 pounds right now, slimmed down to that.”-Art Briles, Baylor head coach.
Ummm, coach? Are we talking about a human? Oh wait, that’s Baylor tight end LaQuan McGowan.
2. “Did you really say started from the bottom and now we’re here? Did I hear you say that? Never heard that before.”-Art Briles, Baylor head coach
Someone in the media set themselves up. This is one of the more famous lines from the 2015 Big 12 Media Days event. What the question was in reference to was Baylor not making a bowl game for the first 14 years of the league’s existence. The Bears were the doormat of the league. Now they’ve got a pair of Big 12 Championships under their belt since Briles became head coach.
1.“Kendall’s been around our system and our program ever since he could say mama.”-Art Briles, Baylor head coach
Art’s probably been practicing this quote since hiring his son, Kendall, as a member of his coaching staff.
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