Happy Anniversary, "Make Plays"

By
Collegian Staff
on September 20, 2009 6:59 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Notre Dame and Michigan State played Saturday afternoon. While this was just another game involving a Big Ten team for most of the Penn State student body, we here at Make Plays remember it for a different reason.

You see, three years ago, Mike Valenti, a Michigan State radio host, took the microphone for 15 glorious minutes on The Sports Inferno. Why was he ranting? Michigan State had just given up a 16-point lead with just more than eight minutes to play in a sopping wet Spartan Stadium. Brady Quinn and the No. 12 Fighting Irish put up three late touchdowns to stave off the upset and win, 40-37.

Valenti went off on his show, even though he was hoarse from the night before. Among his cries was a comparison to Teddy Ruxpin, a lambasting of former Michigan State defensive coordinator Chris Smeland and, of course, the plea for then-quarterback Drew Stanton's supporting cast to "Make Plays!" From this, our humble blog was born.

Recently we have discovered even more from this rant, and quite frankly, it put a spring in our step. So thank you, Mike Valenti, for giving us a reason to get excited for Notre Dame-Michigan State every year. We will do our best to make plays every day.

-Dan

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The Roster

Mug

Dave Miniaci is a senior majoring in journalism and is the Daily Collegian's sports chief. He has previously been sports night chief and a sports copy editor. He has also covered men's rugby, men's track and field and field hockey. He is from New Jersey and is a big Devils fan and proud of both, and he doesn't care if you hold that against him.


Mug

Adam Clark is a senior majoring in journalism and is the Daily Collegian's sports editor. He previously covered fraternity and sorority life, crime and courts and was the Collegian's summer 2009 news/sports editor. His favorite athlete died on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 and his favorite football team is coming off the worst six-year stretch in NFL history. He does hold it against Dave Miniaci that he's from New Jersey.


Mug

Dan Rorabaugh is a senior majoring in sports journalism and minoring in English. He is the sports copy desk chief, and was previously a reporter for the men's rugby, men's cross country, men's volleyball, women's soccer, women's basketball and men's lacrosse teams. Last year, the impossible dream happened - one of his favorite teams, the Phillies, won a championship. Now if only the Eagles could catch some of that magic, he might be able to actually find peace with sports.


Mug

Michael Oplinger is a junior majoring in media studies and political science and the Collegian's assistant sports copy desk chief. He previously covered the men's tennis and men's volleyball teams. Even though he enjoyed the Phillies' World Series victory, he misses the days of Jose Mesa and David Bell.


Mug

Eddie Gentile is a senior majoring in journalism and minoring in history. He works on the sports copy desk and previously has covered the women's tennis team, the Lady Icers and the Penn State baseball team. Gentile is your stereotypical Philly fan - he considers every game a loss until they actually win... and even then he'll probably still be moaning. Go birds.


Mug

David Rung is a senior majoring in journalism and minoring in kinesiology. He works on the sports copy desk and previously has covered the women's swimming team and the men's rugby team. Rung isn't as die hard about pro sports as his sports staff brethren from Philly and Pittsburgh, but he does take pride in being a Red Sox fan before the bandwagon started.