Cheers to you Stan Parrish.
The players on the Ball State University football team were waiting a while. The diminishing Cardinal faithful were getting antsy — eight games and 51 days into the start of season without a win will do that to fans. However, nothing compares to your wait, coach.
Ball State's victory against winless Eastern Michigan University on Saturday ended Parrish's winless streak as a head coach at 35 games. The streak, which started after Kansas State University's win against Kansas University on Oct. 18, 1986, Parrish's last victory as head coach, is finally finished after 23 years.
We are still wondering how you got the victory. Passing for one yard and playing in front of about 1,500 people is not the recipe for great college football. We'll take it though — especially if fans can see that type of 300-yard rushing performance from running back MiQuale Lewis.
The streak started a long time ago, beginning with players who are now in their 40s. It is not often in sports anymore that you have a streak predate the collapse of the USSR and the Beach Boys' release of "Kokomo."
The streak talk is done. The question now is moving forward and learning what to expect from the rest of Parrish's tenure as Ball State's coach.
Current Ball State head coaches have struggled to get their first victory and then later became successful.
Men's basketball coach Billy Taylor had a program-worst 11-game losing streak to open his first season in 2007. Also, women's golf coach Katherine Mowat went two years before winning her first tournament as a Ball State coach.
In March, though, the men's basketball team advanced to the conference tournament semifinals and will most likely compete for a division title this year, while the women's golf team has won seven tournaments in the last two years.
Parrish entered in a little bit of different scenario. Ball State had reached bowl games for the previous two years and was ranked in the Bowl Championship Series when he took over in December 2008.
For the Cardinals this year, a bowl game is out of the realm of reality. Ideally, Ball State can hope to finish 3-9 with a home win against a beatable Ohio University on Saturday and then upsetting either Northern Illinois University, Central Michigan University or Western Michigan University in its final three games of the season.
The chances of winning in 2010 and 2011 are unknown right now. There are positives, such as the emergence of freshmen running back Eric Williams and quarterback Kelly Page.
However, let's just hope win number two for Parrish comes faster than win number one. If not, watch out Eastern Michigan in 2032 because Ball State and Parrish are coming for you.
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