Beano Cook (Sept. 1, 1931-Oct. 11, 2012) -- Known as "The Pope of College Football," Carroll Cook spent more than 40 years providing unvarnished commentary that was part curmudgeon, part comedian. He worked for ESPN, CBS and ABC. If there's one story that sums up Cook, it's one recounted by Sports Illustrated: As publicist at Pitt, he received a phone call from a woman asking for a copy of the football roster. Cook told her to wait until after ... more 

Beano Cook (Sept. 1, 1931-Oct. 11, 2012) -- Known as "The Pope of College Football," Carroll Cook spent more than 40 years providing unvarnished commentary that was part curmudgeon, part comedian. He worked for ESPN, CBS and ABC. If there's one story that sums up Cook, it's one recounted by Sports Illustrated: As publicist at Pitt, he received a phone call from a woman asking for a copy of the football roster. Cook told her to wait until after all the cuts were made, from 120 players down to 80 or so. "Otherwise it's really a waste of your time," he said. But the woman kept up her demand, upon which Cook asked why. "Because I want to sleep with everybody on the Pitt football team," she explained. "Well," Cook said, "in alphabetical order, starting at guard ... Cook, Beano." less