A Guest Blog by Author Mike Frascogna
Love it or hate it, Mississippi JUCO football is unique. The League, while considered by some to be rogue, has produced literally thousands of players who have gone on the compete at the Division I and professional levels.
Hidden in all the glamor of big-time college and professional football are the staggering number of high school and college coaches produced by the JUCO system. Not much attention is given to the players who ended their playing careers at the JUCO level but used their experience to advance their skills as coaches.
Additionally, little attention is given to the student side of the player’s experience. For many of the players in the past, as it is today, JUCO ball allowed them an opportunity to continue their education simply because it was financially affordable. After completing two years of community college, many of the students, whether or not they continue to play football, go on to complete their degree requirements at four year colleges and universities.
JUCOS: The Toughest Football League in America
Signing: Thursday, December 15 at 6:00
Also be on the lookout in January 2012 for a wonder historical novel, The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak. The story is told by Varvara and servant in the Russian court of Empress Elizabeth. When Princess Sophie arrives at the Russian court Varvara (who is a spy or ‘tongue’) is given the task of befriending the young girl and reporting all she hears to the Empress. The two soon become fast friends and as the years go on Varvara makes the decision to side with the Grand Duchess as she makes her descent to the throne to become as we know her Catherine the Great.
Set in the 1950s, Booker Prize winning author of The English Patient, has written a compelling novel, titled 
Soon after the novel opens, the reader learns that the young boy, who tells this story from his point of view, is being sent from Colombo to England to reunite with his mother, whom he has not seen in four years. He is told, in a matter of fact way, that he will cross the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and then go through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean before he arrives at his small port in England. Although he does have a “semi” guardian on board the ship, he is not really controlled by her and is given a top bunk in a suite where a middle age bunk mate holds nightly bridge parties. The protagonist does enjoy the periodic company of Emily, a seventeen year old beauty, whom he knew in Colombo.
By the end of the first day, Michael learns that he has been assigned to Table 76, the “Cat’s Table” in the dining room, the table farthest away from the Captain’s Table, which is reserved for the” insignificants” aboard. It is here that Michael meets two slightly older boys who become his friends, confidants, and pre-adolescent “partners in crime“. What these boys witness during the three week voyage–adult romances, the exotic living garden hidden in the ship’s dark hold, a trapeze artist performance, a shackled prisoner’s nightly parading, and even a possible murder–make the three week trip one which the narrator will reflect upon for his lifetime. What Ondaatje holds up in this book are two non-touchable human abilities, the ability of perception versus the ability of memory. Where they reside, overlap, or overrule each other in the impressionable mind of an 11 year old boy, as he matures into his late twenties, make this novel the masterpiece that it is, in my opinion.
All this said, it is impossible to compare, statistically, the impact of a quarterback against the impact of a defensive tackle. It is also futile to measure player performance (even at the same position) from different eras. Players in the 1930s-‘60s spent nearly every minute on the field — playing on offense, defense and special teams. In many cases, prior to the 1980s, statistics weren’t kept for many positions (particularly on defense). The few active players who made our list are still mid- to early-career. In another decade, Eli Manning or Patrick Willis may be at the very top spot.
