Speaking of Glory Road, Art again transcends life in 2011
In the book and soon to be movie, Glory Road, written by yours truly; Phillip Dexter attends Florida State. His older brother, Jeff, attends Texas A&M. Fitting how a book designed nearly a decade ago is now imitated in real life through sports. Earlier this year, Florida State defeated Texas A&M in the NCAA Basketball Tournament in Chicago, 57-50. Florida won that second round game en route to another victory over Notre Dame that weekend. However, irony strikes again as Texas A&M travels to Tallahassee to face Florida State in the College Baseball Super Regional. Again, the Seminoles and Aggies meet in the playoffs.
Even more ironic, Texas A&M won the NCAA Womens Basketball National Championship in 2011. Texas A&M defeated Notre Dame in the national championship game. On the mens side, FSU defeated both Texas A&M and Notre Dame in this year's tournament, before falling to VCU a week later. In baseball, Texas A&M settled the score with Florida State. In 2011, art transcends life and Glory Road seems to take a life of its own. Fitting, that destiny will ride with Glory Road when the book is completed this September for the complete re-launch. Next year, the movie script will be complete.
Glory Road is undergoing a facelift this year. The galley is being cleaned up, with the language being toned down. However, fiction as it maybe, real life is starting to take its mold after Glory Road. The Seminoles and Aggies are no longer the second-fiddle schools in their state anymore. Texas A&M defeated Texas 24-17 in Austin this year, and Florida State walloped Florida 31-7 at home. Just as the characters lives, both start out with heartache and suffering. Yet in the end, they're winding out on top. Funny how fiction and reality can intermingle amongst themselves.
Want something more eerie? The last two national champions in NCAA Mens Track and Field over the last six years? You guessed it! Florida State and Texas A&M. Florida State won three consecutive national championships from 2006-2008. Texas A&M has won the last three national titles in 2009-2011.
2011, what a great year for Glory Road. What a great year for the Seminoles and Aggies. About damn time. After years of setbacks and suffering, they're both looking at a bright future. Just like Phillip and Jeff Dexter. Sometimes, art really does imitate life!