At the halfway point of the 2018 college season, fans, teams, coaches, players and media all wonder the same thing: will my team be good enough to reach the College Football Playoff championship round. Four teams will vie for the game's biggest prize: the CFP National Championship. Bill Hancock, the first and only CFP leader, recently spoke with FBA Communications about his current job, places he's been before, and what he likes to do in his limited 'spare time'.
What are you most proud of about the CFP?
"I'm happy that the CFP is already so popular, after only four years. The CFP works, and is great for college football. Of course we are riding the coattails of fans' passion for this great game. I'm proud of our staff; they're awesome human beings who have made the CFP an iconic, respected event basically overnight. The CFP is creating great memories for athletes and other students, and fans, too, of course. And I am delighted with the CFP Foundation that has done so much for K-thorugh-12 teachers. Look for it to prosper and continue doing so much for education in America."
What makes this engine go?
"Well, CFP is governed by university presidents, conference commissioners and athletics directors who are devoted to ensuring its success. But the heartbeat of the CFP is the selection committee. The best thing the commissioners did when they set up the playoff was to create the committee to choose the teams. Our group of football experts is what makes the CFP purr. No group like this had ever been assembled in college football before, of course. The key is that these are high integrity people who know and love the game. And the diversity of background and thought contributes greatly to the committee's success. It has been rewarding to observe the diligence of the committee for these four years. They're dedicated. They're earnest. They are aware how important the event is, and they treat their job very seriously."
With such a new event, how did and do you educate the public about the selection committee's processes?
"Our website includes everything you would want to know about the CFP. Plus, we present mock selection exercises in the fall, where people come to the Gaylord Texan resort, play the roles of the committee members, and go through the entire process. This year the people who attended the exercise used results from the 2013 season; last year, it was 2012. Reporters and television announcers participate, bowl committee members and staff, athletics directors, conference staff members, sponsors, and student journalists. Malcolm Moran, the former USA Today and New York Times writer who is now a college professor, assembles the students. They're SO much fun—eager, bright, and engaged."
You directed the NCAA men's basketball championship, and now the College Football Playoff. You have attended an amazing 40 Final Fours in a row, and this year will mark 14 consecutive BCS/CFP championships for you. Which do you prefer—basketball or football?
"Well, let me just say that I am the luckiest guy in the neighborhood. I was able to work with the best event in college basketball for 16 years, and now the best event in college football. It has been a wonderful life—George Bailey's. But asking which I prefer is like asking my favorite flavor of ice cream. There's no way to choose!
"Actually, the basketball and football championships are more alike than they are different. Both give athletes the opportunity to compete for a national championship, in events that are among the best-organized in the world. Both captivate the nation. The selection committees' philosophies are similar. One big difference is that basketball committee members are employed in the field of intercollegiate athletics, whereas football has people from outside the sphere—such as the former coaches, former players, and former journalists. The "outsiders" add perspective and depth; I hope basketball could go that route someday. Overall, nothing can match the pageantry of college football; basketball is more intimate. The basketball tournament has been "cooking" for 80 years. The CFP is relatively new, but has already established a firm toehold among the most highly regarded events in America."
Let's turn to personal matters. What do you like to do in your spare time?
"I enjoy hanging out with my three grandchildren—a senior in high school, a sophomore, and a seventh-grader. I love to read—just finished "The Perfect Mile" about Roger Bannister, John Landy and Wes Santee. I was reading Bob Woodward's "Fear" at the same time; I would read Woodward until I needed to step away for a deep breath, then return to the heroic milers. My project last fall was "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich," and David McCullough's "The Great Bridge" this summer. Stephen Ambrose's books fascinate me, as do McCullough's and David Halberstam's. I am also a sort of a scholar of the history of my beloved home town, Hobart, Oklahoma. I enjoy going for long walks with my wife, Nicki, and also riding my bike, hiking and camping. I'm the worst member of our church choir, a sort of fallen tenor."
I know you were a runner and a bicycle rider. Tell us about your athletic career.
"Oh, I'm not an athlete. But I fell in love with distance running, which is a beautiful sport because almost anyone can do it. Kind of miraculously, I got pretty good at running marathons and ran 15 of them, including New York City twice, and also the crown jewel, Boston. My personal best is 3:06—I was heartbroken that day because I wanted to run faster than two hours. I treasured the discipline and the pure joy of being outdoors. I joined a group of people who did speed work on the Shawnee Mission East high school track in Kansas City, running repeat 800s in under three minutes, then 400s under 1:30. I was absolutely the clunkiest of that group; they were nice enough to wait for me to finish and catch my breath before running the next interval. But, wow, I was fit! Then I became a bicyclist and rode my great Trek bike across America twice." (Bill's remarkable book about his first trip, "Riding With the Blue Moth" is available at Amazon.com.)
And you're a musician, too. What's the deal with that?
"Well, I have very little talent in several fields. My dad played the violin in night clubs in the 1920s, and my mom was a church organist. Go figure. Anyhow, the gene came from them. I played tenor sax and clarinet, but piano was my instrument. I enjoyed practicing, and loved performing although I got really, really nervous every time. I once wanted to be a famous classical pianist, like Van Cliburn. This was shortly after I gave up my dream of becoming Tommy McDonald, and before I wanted to grow up to be Jim Murray. Am I weird, or what? Anyway, my sons also loved music, and now our three grandchildren are all musicians—the fourth generation—which is really cool. Myself, I prefer Mozart, Chopin, Beethoven and Wagner. And Simon and Garfunkel. And I am a total sap for the great Broadway musicals. If you would let me, I could probably sing and recite all the songs and libretto from Oklahoma! And My Fair Lady. And Music Man. And The Sound of Music. And I'm crazy about marching bands and college fight songs.
You and wife Nicki worked your way through a great tragedy after your son, Will, was killed in the Oklahoma State University basketball team's airplane crash back in 2001. Many of us were watching you from afar, amazed at your courage. If I can be so bold as to ask, how did you get through that tragedy?
"Oh, I'm not sure we ARE through it. Not sure anyone ever gets past something like that. What you do with grief is walk along with it. When it overtakes you, then you go off by yourself to cry and scream at the stars. I talk to Will in my dreams; then wake up and really can't believe he is gone. But when the gosh-awful sadness overwhelms me, now I realize it will go away. That wasn't the case early on. No one ever imagines a catastrophe like losing a child—I sure didn't comprehend such crushing hopelessness. Of course, our family is not alone. Every time I read about someone losing a child, my heart breaks. I am calmer than before, and I hope I am better at smelling the roses. Life is a precious gift. Cherish every moment, every person, every sunset, every root beer float."
