One of my goals before returning to Europe to coach Hässleholm's Hurricanes this Spring is to have a chance to sit down and visit Senior football players at each of the 14 colleges that still play football in southern California. That means driving as far as Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to the north and to San Diego State to the south.
I have worked feverishly over the past week to put together a Power Point presentation that will hopefully peak the interest of these athletes as to the fantastic opportunities that are awaiting them in Europe.
Today was my first tour stop. I was going to drive about an hour south of Camarillo to Eagle Rock, the home of Occidental College, an NCAA Division III powerhouse operating in the Southern California Intercollegiate Atheltic Conference.
Before meeting with the Tigers' Head Coach, Dale Widolff and his Seniors, I had to get something to eat, but where?
The Bucket
Old Fashioned Burgers
Since 1935
4541 Eagle Rock Blvd.
Eagle Rock, California
I was swayed in my decision making by the "fact" that President Obama, who attended Occidental for two years in 1979-81 before transferring to Columbia, is said to have frequented The Bucket often and loved it.
Now, in my opinion, every college campus should have a nearby eatery worthy of consideration for Guy Fieri's TV show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" on the The Food Network.
At my University of Washington, I would nominate Beth's Cafe and their 12 egg omelet.
When I visited Georgia Tech, it was The Varsity.
Going to Tulane? Hit the Camellia Grill.
If your destination is Ann Arbor for a Michigan game then of course it is a Bleu Cheese Burger at Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger.
If your destination is Occidental College, there is no other choice than The Bucket!
The Bucket's Friendly Staff
I was greeted by Danielle, Ethan and Aly. They were happy and helpful in my final decision as to which of their miraculous burgers to order.
My final choice after their input?
The Mild Cardiac of course!!!
A 1/2 Pound Burger Patty with Lettuce, Tomato, Mustard, Ketchup, Pepper Jack Cheese, Bacon, Grilled Ham, and a heap of Grilled Onions and Mushrooms!!!
Now I could have ordered their Famous Cardiac which would have seen another 1/2 Pound Patty join the festivities but I opted against it as I am watching my weight, note the Diet Pepsi as proof! Also the Famous Cardiac would surely have guaranteed that I would have fallen asleep during my talk at Occidental!
IT WAS GREAT!!!
Somebody call Guy Fieri. . . STAT!!!
Oxy has a very picturesque campus
Rocky Ciasulli
Occidental's 2007 Football Team MVP
Although Rocky is now serves as the Wide Receivers Coach at Occidental, he is also a EuroVet. He has now spent a season playing in Finland, another one in Ancona, Italy and this Spring will play for a team in Switzerland.
He is a great resource for any of the Oxy players trying to decide about going to Europe
Interested Tigers
We had a good session and exchanged a lot of ideas about playing overseas. I think the day was a great success!
2 comments:
It is nice to see that with that pile of food you were still health conscious enough to have the diet soda.
My body is a temple, maybe even a cathedral perhaps!
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