I’m old, but so is Franklin Field.
He was a patriot, a diplomat, a printer, a student of foreign languages, and a writer. He also dabbled in science. He invented the Franklin stove, bifocal eyeglasses, and the harmonica (which he called “armonica”). However, the phenomenon that interested Benjamin Franklin the most was electricity. So much so that, in 1748, he turned over his printing business to his foreman so that he could devote his life to science.
School children best know Ben Franklin for flying a kite in a thunderstorm to show that lightning is an electrical discharge. From that experiment, he invented the lightning rod. Electricity became a passion for him. His home was Philadelphia and the city has honored his name and image in many ways.
Franklin Field was named for Benjamin Franklin. I was a bit awestruck when I entered the historic venue for the first time back in 2007. I will return there on Saturday night. Franklin Field is located in the heart of Philadelphia and is the home of The University of Pennsylvania football team. It has been their home for a very long time. On October 1, 1895, Penn beat Swarthmore 40-0 and, thus, the first football game was played at Franklin Field. The next oldest college stadium is Harvard Stadium which opened in 1904. Lafayette’s home turf, Fisher Field, opened in 1926.
Over the years, Franklin Field became home to the first scoreboard (1895) and was the site of the first-ever telecast of a college football game when Penn destroyed Maryland 51-0 (1940). The game was covered with two cameras. ESPN Game Day visited there in 2002 for the Penn-Harvard Ivy League title game. Franklin Field remains the only Game Day visit for a I-AA (now FCS) game. Almost all Philadelphians remember how the Eagles gave Vince Lombardi his only NFL playoff loss the day after Christmas in 1960 (Eagles 17 Packers 13).
So, in 2007, I was thrilled to get to do a game there. Some of the historical thrill began to wear off just a bit when we found our broadcasting location. The trip to the midsection of the home side required one to climb a “thousand” steps and perform the limbo dance without music. You must go low or risk a severe head injury on the metal support beams that hold the media in an open-air cave. The view is great – the amenities are non-existent. I began to fear that I was not that grizzled old veteran of 37 years of broadcasting, but, instead, I had become a spoiled media softie, expecting every stadium to be like Fisher Field at Fisher Stadium. “Get over it!” I told myself. “This is Franklin Field.” I settled in for the game.
Ironically, the field is named after the “Father of Electricity”. However, on that night, there was no light in the “broadcast cave”. As the sun began to lower itself behind the skyline of Philadelphia, it became quite apparent that we soon would be unable to see our information. Despite what you think, announcers are SO much smarter when they can see their notes! The “spotter” sheets began to fade, our stat sheets were hard to see, and we could not see our “flip charts” which provide essential roster info. The only light in the booth came from my monitor and the “Leopardstrator”.
There may not have been electricity in the booth, but, there WAS electricity in the air that night. With 5:15 to go in the game, Penn led 7-5.
Lafayette got possession and drove within field goal range as the game neared the end. Davis Rodriguez was Lafayette’s freshmen kicker from St. Petersburg, Florida. He was 1 for 5 on field goal attempts for the season. Lafayette had not beaten Penn since 1991 – losing eight straight. Lafayette had not gone 3-0 since 1988. Davis Rodriguez was not born yet.
All of those negative numbers were erased with one swing of the leg. The 27-yard field goal was GOOD!! Victory belonged to Lafayette! The Leopards beat Penn at Franklin Field!
So, despite not having electricity in our “booth” that night in 2007, I imagine Ben Franklin was looking down on his field and smiling. He was still creating electricity in his own way. I’m sure of it. I know because I felt it!
NFL PICKS FOR THIS WEEK (12-4: Last week; 23-9 overall 72%)
Kansas City
Green Bay
Dallas
San Diego
Minnesota
New England
New Orleans
Washington
Giants
Baltimore
Atlanta
Buffalo
San Francisco
Seattle
Chicago
Denver
