GALLERY: Kansas City Chiefs are Back to Back Super Bowl Champions
On February 11, 2024, the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers faced off in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV. Only the second Super Bowl ever to go into OT, the Kansas City Chiefs came out on top with a final score of 25-22. This Super Bowl victory made the Chiefs the first team to win back to back Super Bowls since the New England Patriots in 2004-05.
“Run Your Own Race”
Whistles blow, cleats click, chinstraps buckle and mouth pieces go in around this time throughout the country. With less than a month away, Syracuse Football is back and ready for a strong season yet again.
For Syracuse University Newhouse BDJ Master’s alum Carl Jones, this time of year brings back a unique moment he will never forget from his time on the Syracuse Football team.
“That was the first time in my life I looked down the field and the vibrations off of the field, because the sound was so great and so strong, I couldn’t see the kickoff returner,” Jones said.
In September of 2018, the undefeated Syracuse football team traveled to Death Valley to face a young freshman quarterback in his first first career start for Clemson. The man who is now the Jacksonville Jaguars franchise leader, Trevor Lawrence.
“I legit couldn’t see 70 yards in front of me, that’s how strong the vibrations were.”
Though with the intensity high and energy pumping to this day, the Orange came up short 27-23. Just three years into his student-athlete career, how did Syracuse University Football become the destination for Carl Jones?
Jones was a late recruit. He didn’t receive his first division one offer until December of his senior season. It was Coach Babers departure from Bowling Green University and arrival at Syracuse, when Jones received interest from the Orange. He later visited and accepted the offer to play football for Syracuse University.
“To be able to play on that stage, ESPN weekly in a Dome… that intrigued me, and I wanted to be a part of it,” Jones said. “I fell in love with the campus, the people, and a strong academic institution in which my Mom enjoyed most.”
Upon Jones’ undergraduate career at Syracuse, journalism became his calling as he joined the Broadcast and Digital Journalism Master’s program in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Growing up without the intention of becoming a journalist, Jones gravitated toward sports.
“I was that kid six, seven years old, reading newspapers looking at box scores, how did Lebron do?,” Jones said. “I would get to school early arguing in the lunchroom, Lebron or Kobe. Brady or Manning. I wanted to be Stuart Scott, Stephen A. Smith, but I didn’t know what that looked like.”
Jones said it became a pipe dream. Another passion of his was criminal justice which was the route he took in undergrad. He didn’t know the power of the Newhouse school until his sophomore year when he took notice of the media coverage throughout his football season.
Since his education and knowledge of sports, Jones has become a lead sports reporter for the News 8 Sports Team in Rochester since September 2021, covering national teams such as the Buffalo Bills.
Jones’ is currently striving for greatness working for an even bigger network in sports such as ESPN or NFL Network continuing the goal-oriented process that he has fostered from his parents. Waking up everyday, pushing toward that goal because Jones can’t see it turning out any other way.
Jones believes running your own race is pivotal in excelling at the next level, especially for the next generation of Master’s students who come through the Newhouse doors.
“In my master’s year and first year in the industry, I kept comparing myself to those who may have had five, six, seven years of journalism classes and taken internships which was discouraging,” Jones said. “I didn’t know what a VOSOT was or a PKG. I felt as if this wasn’t the career path for me.”
Jones said, if you get around enough people who have faith in you, like Professor Stomski and Professor Park, you will run your fastest looking straight ahead, focusing on what you can control.
The Buffalo Bills Experience
SYRACUSE (Newhouse Sports Media Center) — Let’s go Buffalo! This simple yet effective catch phrase roars through Ralph Wilson Stadium as 74,000 fans cheer for their hometown Bills. While the Giants and Jets fill up the back pages of sports sections, they technically play in New Jersey. Thus, I find myself in New York’s lone professional football Mecca and it felt like I landed on a different planet.
How did I get here to begin with? It started with a conversation among friends during Newhouse summer boot camp. We looked at the schedule and circled October 13th, 2013 versus the Cincinnati Bengals. A two-hour drive west on I-90 took us from Syracuse to Buffalo on Saturday night. Luckily, a fellow classmate lives here and was gracious enough to be our guide and host for the weekend.
What is the first thing you think of when hearing Buffalo? Wings naturally.
“You have to get authentic Buffalo wings as soon as we get there,” our friend proclaimed.
Everyone says to check out Duff’s, and by many accounts Anchor Bar is where Buffalo Wings were invented, but if you want an old school, country western vibe, locals say Sportsmen’s Tavern is the place to be. Located in Black Rock, this two-story pub and music venue is a staple of the community, where twenty-something-year-old hipsters and war veterans share bar stools and stories till 4 a.m.
I ordered a basket of ten spicy wings that were cooked to perfection, falling off the bone, and we drank Rusty Chain, an amber brewed by local favorites Flying Bison. The house band played Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, and Elvis Costello covers, with the addition of a great slide guitar player. Everyone welcomed us in like family. The bartender told me a story about rebuilding a 1967 Fastback Mustang Mach 1 over the summer, and a sauced up football fan chewed my ear off about this rookie quarterback starting the next day. Our group stayed up late playing pool and mingling with the locals, knowing we had a long day ahead of ourselves.
Sunday is a day of rest, but also a time for great football. Waking up early and heading to the stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff sent chills down this sports junkie’s spine. This would be my first time seeing a live professional football game. Growing up in Southern California, the ‘hometown’ team is the San Diego Chargers. A modest 90-minute drive down the 5 South could take me there, but I’m not a Bolts fan and never made the trek.
The first thing you notice driving towards the stadium parking lot are nearby residents selling spaces on their driveways and front lawns for $10 to $20. An extra five dollars will get you a parking spot inside Tailgate USA, in Orchard Park, the Buffalo suburb where Ralph Wilson Stadium is located. The lot is a 360 degree concrete jungle surrounding the stadium, which has been home to the Bills and their fans since 1973.
Buffalo fans are notorious for their pre-game activities and our rowdy bunch was ready to join the party. Charcoal and propane grills lined the asphalt, with the smell of hot dogs, hamburgers and bratwursts sizzling behind every car, pickup truck and minivan. Coolers stocked with Bud Light, Coors Light and Natty Ice were popular choices along with camping chairs propped up by 9 a.m. Families were playing backyard games such as corn hole and tossing around the pigskin. Tailgating is serious business around these parts.
Then you become aware of Zubas, everywhere. A fashion trend consisting of red, white, and blue oversized stripped pants, matching their team’s colors. A craze started in the 1980’s that quickly escaped most of America, except here. Men, women, and children of all ages wear these obscenely bright pants with pride, along with throwback Jim Kelly jerseys and sing the team fight song.
As for the game itself, the rookie quarterback, Thad Lewis, started for the Bills and gave them a brief lead early on. Not long after, a couple thousand Bengals fans, in the right end zone were noticeably vocal. Wearing matching striped tiger prints, they took over as their team stormed back to what seemed like a comfortable lead.
Suddenly some football magic happened. An offensive explosion broke out on this overcast afternoon. A deep pass with under a minute to play tied the game up and forced overtime to the delight of many. A few minutes later, however, the road team won on an anticlimactic field goal.
This was my first NFL experience and it took part in the least likely of places. Time slows down on Sunday afternoons, where friends and family come together and all that really matters is Bills football. Buffalo, New York, I salute you.