They say mighty oaks grow from very tiny acorns. And while OTP is nowhere near “mighty oak” status, the site itself has at least made it to sapling. Fairly soon we’ll be in tree form, where we can hang a tire swing and build a clubhouse with a “No Girls Allowed” sign.
This website/sports report/labor of love was born in July of 2008 simply as a way to waste some time and write about college football. When Alan and RV decided to fire this puppy up, they branded OTP as a sort of catch-all football blog with special attention to Ball State and Kentucky, two of Alan’s passions. As the site has evolved, OTP has been rebranded to be focused solely on the Ball State University football Cardinals.
The first year for OTP was a roller coaster of ups and downs for both the site and the teams we cover, but this crash course in blogging ended up tremendously successful. OTP’s been linked to by some of the giants in the college football universe, we’ve been credentialed at many of the games we’ve covered in person, and now we’ve created this fancy new site. Bully for us.
Your OTP Staff…
Alan, Editor in Chief: The resident post creator and sarcasm czar, Alan provides the day to day operations, marketing, and public relations for OTP. Alan’s been a guest on CFB Weekly, ESPN Radio, numerous opponent podcasts, and has helped OTP get linked to by nearly every major college football blog and even ESPN. Alan completed a master’s degree in higher education and a bachelor’s degree in marketing and economics from Ball State University and while on campus contributed the weekly column “It’s All Greek to Me” for the Ball State University Daily News. He currently resides outside Washington, DC.
Edge, Senior Writer: While he is the newest addition to the OTP staff, Edge has certainly carved his niche out with his musical genius and statistical prowess. Additionally, and especially nice, is Edge is literally moments away from Scheumann Stadium. You know, in case we need to check if it’s still standing. During the season you’ll see contributions like Life on the Edge or the Rock and Roll Report Card grading the Cardinals for their on-field performance. Edge holds a master’s in information and communication and a bachelor’s in information technology with honors from Ball State University. He lives in Muncie with his wife and daughter and rocks out on occasion.
Nathan Pace, Staff Writer: The newest member of the OTP team, Nathan gives BSU football a voice from the student perspective. Born in Lexington, KY, Nathan has an unhealthy obsession with college sports. After his family moved up to Indiana, Nathan selected Ball State because the thought of attending IU was blasphemous. Nathan has gone as Charlie Cardinal for Halloween and has attended all but two BSU home games in his four years in Muncie. Nathan is now a Senior at Ball State double majoring in news-editorial and public communication.
RV, Contributor Emeritus: The person who registered OTP and began the site well before anyone knew it was out there. RV also strong-armed Alan into being the managing editor . Occasionally RV will make his way around to posting, but working full time and being a Notre Dame fan recently makes that difficult. RV is currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Sports Management from Bowling Green State University, but originally planted his roots in the Fighting Cardinals with Alan and Edge in the early ’00s. While lacking the journalistic credibility or couth to consistently contribute to OTP, he remains an integral part behind the scenes.
FAQs…
So… Ball State? Really?
Yes, really. Somehow or another, BSU has influenced all of us associated with this here site. Whether it be through the paper on the wall that vouches for our ability to do a job or the fun we had while there, BSU not only brought us all together, but certainly made us… well… us.
Interesting. Then Why Kentucky?
That’s a very simple answer… Alan. Alan wanted to cover the teams he loved, and frankly, that’s BSU and UK, along with Notre Dame but he leaves that to RV. It’s an odd mixture to say the least, but lets us cover two teams that rarely intermingle and have no competing interests in terms of conference or national titles. It’s not like we’re covering Florida and Georgia. UK coverage has since been discontinued, but sites like ASeaOfBlue should be your go-to site for UK news.
So why a blog?
We had followed numerous other blogs and wondered why there was no BSU themed one. Come to find out after starting ours there were a few here and there, all of whom have since disbanded. In all honesty, it wasn’t something any of us thought would have any sort of legs, but like some things in life, sometimes lightning strikes.
How can I contact you guys?
Anything you’d need to let us know about, comment on, advertise on the site, etc. you can drop an email to overthepylon [at] gmail [dot] com.
