Northwestern University Athletics
PREVIEW: Northwestern's New Captain
9/6/2013 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sep 6, 2013
Northwestern vs. Syracuse -- Game Preview
The following is an excerpt from "The Den," the official gameday program of Northwestern Football. To read the rest of the story and other great features on the Wildcats, pick up a copy on your visit to Ryan Field Saturday when No. 19/20 Northwestern hosts Syracuse in its 2013 home-opener (5 p.m. CT, BTN).
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When Mike Greenberg (BSJ '89) was a Northwestern student cheering in the stands at Ryan Field, he never dreamed he'd one day play a role in the game plan for his beloved Wildcats. Last season, a picture of Greenberg's smiling face appeared on a play card held up on the sidelines of TCF Bank Stadium as Northwestern beat host Minnesota 21-13.
"[The coaching staff] used my face to call a play," Greenberg said. "There was the [acronym] W.I.N., a picture of Mike Wilbon, a picture of Abraham Lincoln and a picture of me. I still don't know what the play was."
Greenberg, co-host of the popular ESPN radio show Mike And Mike in the Morning and a veteran host of SportsCenter, joins Northwestern football on the sidelines again -- this time physically -- as honorary captain for Saturday's home-opener against Syracuse.
"I was never a ballplayer, so this is the closest I'll ever get to really being a part of it," Greenberg said. "When I was 19 or 20 years old if you would have told me that someday I was going to come back and be the honorary captain of the football team for a day I would have thought you were out of your mind. I can't imagine anything cooler that can happen to me..."
Greenberg decided he was going to make the most of his honorary captaincy, so last month he ventured to NU's Camp Kenosha to put in some quality time with the 'Cats. Watch the video below to get a taste of his experience and tune into ESPN's College GameDay at approximately 8:45 a.m. CT to see the entire piece:
Video courtesy of ESPN CollegeGameDay
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