One Foot Down Is Three!
by whiskey OFD on Jan 31, 2012 8:01 AM EST
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PrintToday the tiny sliver of the Internet that I named One Foot Down is 3 years old. If you had told me back then that OFD would be what it is today I would have laughed out loud and asked you how early you had started drinking that day. But here we are.
As it stands today we have a great group of writers and an arguably better commentariat. Our never-ending discussion about Notre Dame Athletics and the greater college football landscape isn't just a tagline. It is literally what happens here almost 24 hours a day, and it belongs to all of us.
For the last few weeks I have been thinking about what I should write in this post. How does one summarize a three year evolution in a few paragraphs? Is anyone even interested? Maybe not.
At the speed that information moves today a blog is only as good as its last post and the next one better not be too far around the corner! Despite this, I feel compelled to pause for a minute and take a brief look back at how this all got started.
31 January 2009. I hit post for the first time. That post was not good, but it also really wasn't anything more than me trying to figure out how to use Blogger. Nice excuse right! Regardless One Foot Down came to life.
This all started much as it is today only significantly smaller. It was a never-ending conversation about college football that was happening via email. The Coach, my brother-in-law "The Deer Hunter", a couple of other close family friends and I were constantly firing emails back and forth about assorted college football topics du jour. We represented affiliations with assorted programs but shared a common love of the game. That email conversation literally went on for about 10 years
Within that group my emails were always the most longwinded. I like to write. I don't consider myself to be particularly good at it but it is one of the few activities in life that I have discovered to be relaxing for me. Couple writing with my favorite recreational topic of conversation (Notre Dame & anything else college football related) and I can run long on occasion.
My original idea was to move that email chain to the web where anyone else that was interested could join the conversation. At the time the other guys participating in that conversation were all fans of different teams, and the collective discussion was national in scope. Hence the more general college football name One Foot Down.
As it shook out, I started writing and those guys commented. The more I wrote, the more the conversation naturally turned to South Bend. I still discussed a fair amount of national stuff, and as you know I still enjoy doing that, but One Foot Down obviously ended up reflecting the primary interest of its only writer. As I found my voice the site took on more and more of a Notre Dame flavor.
During the 2009 season I settled into a groove and the site turned into the freshman version of what it is today. By the end of that season the site had a small following and a few regular commenters. The foundation was in place.
Today the focus remains the same as it was three years ago. It really is all about the conversation, and that conversation is now the product of a great team of writers and an outstanding commentariat.
As we continue to move forward that won't change. As you know our community goals are to keep an open dialogue that is interesting, thought provoking, entertaining, educational and fun. That's it.
Thanks for being here. We are looking forward to a great 2012.
Go Irish!
Whiskey
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Very proud to be a part of One Foot Down
I’d like to thank Whiskey first and foremost for everything he’s done for me and for this site. Obviously none of us would be here without you.
I’d also like to thank our current staff: Mouth, Burgs, CW, 4pointshooter, and Miesle. You guys are a great part of this wonderful team we’ve got. Also a shout out to Michael Collins who remains a close member of our community after serving as a writer in the past.
Most especially, thanks to all the people who come here to talk ND football, college football, and Irish athletics. You make the place what it is.
Sky rockets in flight.
Absinthe Party!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not sure if we ever made it official, but OFD surpassed the 1,000,000 page view category a few weeks back, and that was just in the time since it moved to SBN.
A BIG thanks to Whiskey for getting this going and making a home for the regulars and occasional visitors. The conversation never gets old and every reader/writer/commentor has brought something new to the table.
Sláinte and (just as appropriately) joyeux anniversaire! This internet thingy is pretty neat sometimes….
I don't tweet often--but when I do, you can be sure it isn't important.
@jemiesle
by Jim Miesle on Jan 31, 2012 8:46 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
Congrats
I’m fairly new to the site, but I’m a big fan.
Here is to continued success.
"I asked for Shaq. They gave me Shackleford."
http://whereisbenrivera.posterous.com/
Congrats
and much continued success
didn’t realize it had been that long.
consumed massive quantities of booze in el paso over the new years, women and children ran for the hills
I love this website
I’m not sure how I ever lived without it. This is the only place you can go for intelligent Notre Dame football conversation. So much of the conversation about Notre Dame is either overly optimistic (the Lou Holtzes of the world) or overly pessimistic (the Mark Mays of the world). This is the only place you can go where everything is kept in perspective.
I will say, I’m glad I wasn’t posting on a Notre Dame website back in 2009, because that season still makes me furious to this day. Jimmy Clausen has one of the best seasons a Notre Dame QB has ever had, Golden Tate and Michael Floyd are two of the best receivers in the country…and the team goes 6-6. Thank you Jon Tenuta. I can still remember the season finale against Stanford, where the offense was unbelievable and yet we still managed to blow it. One of the final plays of the Weis era was, fittingly, a let-them-score TD for Stanford so the offense could get the ball back with time remaining.
Thanks for all the well wishes.
I honestly couldn’t be happier with the community that we have here. I am a huge fan of all of our writers and commenters. The fact that as a whole we are able to maintain some perspective is pretty amazing. I really don’t think that there is a better collective voice out there. That is what makes the conversation here so great. It is incumbent on all of us to make sure that doesn’t change!
Keep doing what you do. It is very much appreciated.
whiskey
www.onefootdown.com
Congrats and thank you
this is a great site, and like others have mentioned has become a great place for intelligent banter about ND football (and more).
Also – someone said party…and well I just can’t control what the hot cops will do next.
BACK TO BACK ZERO BLITZES WITH NO SAFETY HELP!! MAKE PLAYS!!
Thanks to Whiskey for letting me jump on board back in the summer
I was shocked to find out he and Eric were aware of my stuff when I just putting up FanPosts back at Rakes of Mallow (/pours one out) but thrilled when they agreed to let me join as a writer.
And many thanks to those that read our posts and join in the conversation – you’re the reason this place is so great.
One Foot Down
On teh Twitterz
Totally weren't stalking you or anything....
Sky rockets in flight.
by Eric Murtaugh on Jan 31, 2012 9:53 PM EST up reply actions
Happy Birthday OFD!
i think this season is the first time i’ve spent much time here, but i’m glad i did. After The Blue Gray Sky shut down i defaulted back to BGI, which, unfortunately, remains just a sliver better than NDN.
So, thanks for the hard work. OFD is an Emerald Tower (i’m pretty sure an emerald tower would by nature be much cooler than a pretentious ivory one) in the troll-filled world of ND Football forums.
same here....I lived, breathed and ate at Blue Gray Sky
And i naturally transitioned to OFD, where I now do the same…which worked out great for me because now I have both of my blogs for both of me teams right here on SB Nation.
Thanks for all the good insight OFD, and especially for preventing me from doing more important things.
Happy Birthday OFD!
Glad that I stumbled upong OFD, nice conversing about ND football with a mostly rational crowd, unlike most of the other sites.
I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren
Thank you all for all of the work you do and the heart you put into it.
This is the best NDFB site I’ve found, and I love stopping by here. I really value the level of conversation and the good humor you show.
#figureitoutbobby
We love you guys too.
We all love one another. Isn’t that nice?
by Mouth of the South on Feb 3, 2012 3:00 PM EST reply actions
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