Home >  Sports >  Columnists

Tuesday, December 03, 2002

Is it too late to get Jeff Reed on the Dapper Dan ballot?

I thought so.

That's just as well. One record-tying game might have made Reed a Steelers legend, but it doesn't make him a Dapper Dan Sportsman of the Year candidate.

Not this year, anyway.

It's going to be hard to top the sight of Terry Bradshaw and Chuck Noll kissing and making up after all of these years at the Dapper Dan dinner Feb. 9, but the winner of the big prize surely will do it. The candidates are exceptional, stronger than most years. You have a difficult vote ahead of you.

	Who will get your vote? Balloting has begun to nominate finalists for selection as the Dapper Dan Sportsman 2002 and Dapper Dan Sportswoman 2002, both to be honored at the charity's annual banquet in February. The charity's board of directors select the honorees from among the finalists with the most votes for their sports accomplishments this year. Click here to review the ballot and record your vote online.

That's a reflection of our sports teams' success. These are good times. Enjoy them. It's not like a few years ago, when the teams were mediocre or worse, and Jason Kendall won the Dapper Dan more because of his inspiring comeback from a hideous ankle injury than anything he did on the field. The Steelers are a good bet to finish with the AFC's best record. The Penguins are fighting for first place in the Atlantic Division. The Pitt men's basketball team is No. 5 in America. The Pitt football team had a fine season, at least until it gagged at home against West Virginia. Penn State will play in a New Year's Day Bowl. West Virginia also deserves to play in one. Only the Pirates suck. They always suck.

In most years, Penn State's Larry Johnson would be a deserving Dapper Dan winner after running for 2,015 yards and breaking virtually all of the school's rushing records. At the moment, he's fourth on my Heisman Trophy ballot behind Miami's Willis McGahee, Iowa's Brad Banks and Southern California's Carson Palmer. There's no shame there. Nor is there shame in being third in the Dapper Dan voting.

Hines Ward would be a wonderful choice. He's not just the Steelers' MVP with his 89 catches, his 11 touchdowns and his countless big plays. He is the Steelers. He's everything they represent. Tough. Hard-nosed. A great work ethic ...

Did you see Ward go up to get those two onside kicks in Jacksonville Sunday? Did you see him get up smiling after taking a big hit each time? That's the way he plays every play. No athlete in town is more fun to watch.

But Ward is no better than No. 2 on my Dapper Dan ballot.

It really is an extraordinary field.

The winner has to be Ben Howland.

It's not like Howland needs another award. He was everybody's national coach of the year last season -- Pitt's first since Johnny Majors 26 years earlier -- after leading the Panthers to a school-record 29 wins, their first Big East Conference division championship and the NCAA tournament's round of 16.

It's just that Howland deserves the Dapper Dan. He has done the impossible. He has made basketball relevant again in Pittsburgh.

Not bad for a rube, huh?

Isn't that what they called Howland when Pitt hired him after the 1998-99 season? A no-name hick from Northern Arizona? You would have thought he was some extra from "Green Acres." Now, three-plus years later, he could walk into "Cheers" and feel right at home. Everybody knows his name.

Howland's first season was trying. He ran off Pitt's troubled players and finished with nearly as many walk-ons as scholarship guys. It was the price he felt he had to pay to build not just a team, but a program.

The second season was encouraging. The Pitt players bought into Howland's way and went to their first Big East tournament championship game and then to the NIT.

The third season was magical.

Pitt didn't just win big. It made Pittsburgh proud.

"Tough ... hard-nosed ... a great work ethic," Howland said, describing that team.

Yes, you might say he had a squad of Hines Ward-type players.

Howland was behind all of the success, constantly preaching defense, rebounding and -- most of all -- teamwork. He convinced the players not to worry about who scored the points or who received the credit. He promised there would be plenty of glory for everyone if they won.

They did and there was.

This season should be even better. Nine of Pitt's top 10 players are back. If any coach can keep them happy again, it's Howland. He has that special touch.

It's going to be nice to see him accept that Dapper Dan award.

It's always nice to see good things happen to good people.