On a personal note...

This weekend the game of football lost a real gem of a coach in Brad Verdon, who passed away in his sleep this weekend at 44.  I had the pleasure of working with and learning from Brad during our seasons together (2002 - 2006).  We became very close friends during this time.


If you're a reader of this blog with any regularity, much of the content you've enjoyed was the result of countless late night bar napkin arguments with Brad.  I learned a lot of hard lessons from this salty St. Ambrose Graduate Assistant.  More important than scheme talk, Brad was passionate about developing relationships with all the kids in the program and constantly checking up on all his players.

Brad was the most understanding and compassionate person I've ever had the pleasure of knowing and was a devoted uncle to his nieces and nephews.

Make the moments you share with the people you're around count.  Enjoy this holiday season with your families and staff.