Busy, Busy Day!

After breakfast at the hotel, we drove along Lake Michigan to the UChicago campus. The city was just as big and impressive in the daylight as it was last night upon our arrival. Our day started in the athletic center. The first thing you see when you walk through the doors is the first Heisman Trophy ever awarded. We learned a bit of trivia about this prestegious award. Apparently when college football coach John Heisman retired, he moved to New York and was the athletic director of the Downtown City Athletic Club. He created an award for the best college football player and awarded it for the first time to Paul McDonald of UChicago in 1935. (They were a division one team in their early years.) John Heisman died in 1936 and the award was re-named the Heisman Trophy in his honor. So techincially the first Heisman winner was Larry Kelley who received it in 1936. Paul McDonald won the Downtown Atheltic Club Trophy, but was the only player to receive it from John Heisman.

First on our agenda was watching the team's highlight video from last season. They do have a turf field, but it was evident from the films that they play in plenty of snow and the famous wind of the windy city. For this reason they are a strong running team. Good for Kirk. Not so good for Kirk is that this year's OAA Rookie of the Year was UChicago's running back. We went to lunch following the highlight film. I have to say, of all our campus visits, Chicago has the best food by far. I'm sure for Kirk that is it's own selling point. Following lunch we did our campus tour.

We began our tour by entering the gates that mark the "underclassmen" section of campus. These gates were also where the beginning scene of the movie "When Harry Met Sally" was filmed. I never paid attention, but they were students at UChicago and left on thier infamous road trip through these gates. That of course is strictly in the movies. Cars aren't actually allowed onto this part of campus.

Unlike other schools, our tour was conducted by the Offensive Coordinator. I probably shouldn't have worn heeled boots, but then I didn't know we'd be walking all the way around the one mile square campus. Our first stop was the Barlett Building. Long ago it was the athletic center of campus...well the men's center. I had to laugh at he midevil mural and inscription above the door as you enter the building.

To the advancement of Physical Education and the Glory of Manly Sports this gymnasium is dedicated to the memory of Frank Dickinson Bartlett. No offense to Mr. Bartlett *snort* but the glory of manly sports?!

Next we walked to to the Rockafeller Chapel.

It's currently undergoing a lot of rehabilitation. Rockafeller gave the inital 30 million grant to start the university. It is a universty rule that no building on campus can be taller than the bell tower of the chapel. At least one new building had to go six floors underground to accomdate this rule.

Inside the chapel is where they filmed "My Best Friend's Wedding" with Julia Roberts. The stained glass and wooden pipe gallery are stunning.

We toured more buildings, lirbaries, saw gargoyles and stained glass and were appropriately impressed. Then we returned to the athletic center for a presentation by the head coach. He is the university's biggest cheerleader. We heard a lot about the university, not so much about football. Still, it's evident that he loves what he does and will talk about it all day if you let him.

At that point, about 3:00 pm, Brian and I were "dismissed." Kirk was taken on a tour of the city and got to go down on the field of Soldier Stadium. Then he returned to campus for a one-on-one with the coach. Wish we had been invited to that. Then he had dinner, attended the basketball game and hung out with the players. We went back to the hotel to rest before dinner. I can't wait to hear about the dorms, the players and the rest of his day on the trip home.

We ended the day by having dinner at a little Italian place with my friend Rummanah Aasi. We met in an on-line book club for Twilight by Stephanie Meyer and have been chatting on-line about books for over a year. She brought her brother along and I dragged Brian with me. It was good food and good conversation. So fun to finally meet her in person!