Sept. 29, 2010
EVANSTON, Ill. - Former Northwestern standout and current New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi is the focus of Thursday's brand new episode of "The Next Level" on the Big Ten Network. The program debuts at 7 p.m. Central time.
A 1986 Northwestern graduate, Girardi is featured in the program along with Yankee outfielder Nick Swisher who attended Ohio State. Girardi was an ABCA All-American, a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection and a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-American during his time at NU.
In the show, Girardi and Swisher talk about how they've stayed loyal to their Big Ten roots and how the rivalries extended into the clubhouse with Derek Jeter (Michigan fan) and into the front office before the passing of George Steinbrenner (one time Northwestern football assistant coach and longtime Buckeye fan). Here's a clip from the show: http://www.bigtennetwork.com/nextlevel.
Some quotes from the episode:
Girardi on his Big Ten rivalry with Steinbrenner: "That natural rivalry was there for Mr. Steinbrenner and myself. He used to get on me because he actually coached football at Northwestern, but he was then a huge Buckeye supporter. There is a common bond there, and there will always be a common bond because we're pulling for each other. We want to see our conference do well."
Girardi on how being a student-athlete at Northwestern affected him: "Hard work is extremely important to me. Preparation is extremely important. But learning how to balance everything, as you have to do when you're a student-athlete, those are lessons that I take and use every day."
Girardi on football: "Football was actually my number one passion. I was actually an option quarterback and I loved the excitement of football, but I realized that my true talents were probably in baseball.
Swisher on a hypothetical football matchup against Girardi: "Skip is such a great guy, but I was a safety. If I saw him coming around on an option, I'd be looking to do some head hunting."
Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald is slated to be featured in next week's episode of "The Next Level." Other Big Ten alumni who will appear this season include Penn State's LaVar Arrington, Iowa's Dallas Clark, Iowa's Chad Greenway, Penn State's Tamba Hali, Michigan's Steve Hutchinson, Michigan's Dhani Jones, Purdue's Carl Landry, Ohio State's James Laurinaitis, Illinois' Brandon Lloyd, Michigan State's Muhsin Muhammad, Illinois' Roger Powell, Indiana's Rodger Saffold and Michigan State's Kevin Willis. New episodes air each Thursday this fall at 7 p.m. CT.
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter and become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook! Get the latest news, schedule updates, video and interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!