Oklahoma State University Athletics
Bowl Blog IV: Here Comes... Shamu?
December 28, 2008 | Cowboy Football
We'll actually kick off tonight's bowl blog with a note from last night.
While out on a walking tour of San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter (including a trip to gorgeous PETCO Park, home of the Padres baseball club), I had the pleasure of meeting former Cowboy Jamal Williams. If you haven't followed Jamal's career since he left Orange Country, he's gone on to make quite a name for himself with the San Diego Chargers. Williams is widely regarded as one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL, having been to three Pro Bowls in his career.
Jamal was very excited to see his alma mater in town, and will be in attendance for Tuesday night's Holiday Bowl. Any Cowboy fans in the area might be interested in seeing him and Tatum Bell play for the AFC West division championship when the Chargers and Broncos collide at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday. Good luck finding a ticket, though!
Now onto this morning's practice.
For the first time since we've been in America's Finest City, the Cowboys got to practice at the University of San Diego's Torero Stadium. The last two practices were held at USD's practice field on account of the rain making Torero Stadium's grass surface too muddy to use.
The field was still a little soft, though, and gave the Cowboy receivers some difficulty while they were trying to make their cuts. However, a few pointers from Trooper Taylor helped the wide-outs find their footing and made things a lot more productive.
As for the rest of practice, I'd have to say things went well. During this whole season, it's been amazing to see how strong this team's chemistry is, and it's good to see that carry over into the bowl season. This team has what appears on the surface to be a laid-back approach to all the bowl game preparation, but yet all their practices have been very productive from what I've seen.
I think it's safe to say the players had a blast at SeaWorld today. SeaWorld is a bit similar to the San Diego Zoo in that the whole atmosphere can be a bit overwhelming, and it may take you a few visits to really see all the attractions.
Before everyone split up to tour the park for themselves, a few players and coaches got to meet a pair of dolphins and their trainers. Dez Bryant was very disappointed that he didn't get a chance to jump in the tank and go swimming with the dolphins.
Naturally, everyone wants to see Shamu and friends perform. Several players and coaches attended the two afternoon Shamu shows. Most notably in attendance during the 3:00 show was offensive line coach Joe Wickline, who was the unfortunate target of many signature splashes from the killer whales. I'll give it up to Coach Wick, though – he shrugged off the waves like it was nothing!
Of course, I was there with the video camera documenting the whole trip. Check out the video section of our bowl site at CoachGundy.com later to see all of today's fun and catch up on any other videos in case you missed them!
By Jordan Smith
