So much hype about how dominating some players could be in the modern pro-sports.  Super Bowl XL is going to be different.  It will be remembered as the Super Bowl  without super star, or barely with just one.  Shawn Alexander is a "physical straight-line runner" that people will discuss for years.  Jerome Bettis came back from his intended retirement after the play-off loss last year.  Second year QB Ben Roethlisberger is still trying to find his place in the history book, should he be the one who threw 5 interceptions in two play-off games after carry the team through an amazing 2004 season, or the QB who made the touch-down saving tackle after the turn over?

There is Joe Montana, no Steve Young, no Jerry Rice; Neither is there Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith.  This is going to be the game between two coaches, the chin-arrives-first Bill Cowher and the USC fellow Mike Holmgren.  Bill Cowher is a good target for camera men.  His light-speed approach to his players, with that staring eye-contact really makes his point clear to his player. His 11-year tenure with the Steelers and his flecks of spittle are discussed equally in this Super Bowl week.

On the other hand, the coach who led Brett Favre's Greenbay to the Super Bowl Championship has quietly built the Seattle Seahawks team to a Super Bowl contender.  What showed Holmgren's style the best was the interview earlier this week.  When suggested a win this Sunday might make him a candidate for the Hall of Fame, he growled, "I am so mad at how we practiced today, I can't even think of it."

This is Holmgren, our proud USC alumni. Holmgren leads a team who not too long ago just  reached 10 wins for just the third time in franchise history in 2003, to the stage many players could only dream in.  Holmgren is a person who knows what he is doing.  He was hired as general manager and head coach  in 1999.  Following the 2002 season, he relinquished his duties as general manager, kepts his Executive VP and head-coach jobs only. 

The first time I noticed Holmgren was in the 1989 Super Bowl.   The second time was his most successful coach stint with Green Bay Packers, where his team, or Bratt Favre's team, appeared twice in Suprt Bowl, with one win.  Before his arrival, Green Bay only had two winning seasons in 19 years before his arrival in 1992.

So who is he?  What kind of person he is?  How does he come to who he is today?  Homlgren was the 1965's " Prep Athlete if the year".  He then went to University of Southern California as a quarterback.   During the recruiting, he was told that USC would focus on pass over run.   Holmgren was injured in his sophomore year, and that year, USC enrolled an Junior College transfer, whose name is O. J. Simpson.  That move ended Holmgren's stage at college level.    Worth mention is another famous bench player in that squas was Jim Fassel*, another guy full of story.  

Holmgren is a unique person. His wife of 34 years, Kathy is traveling to Democratic Republic of Congo, to work as a nurse,at an aid mission with Dr. Calla, one of Holmgren's daughters. "Kathy works very hard at a lot of things that are a lot more important than coaching a football game.  This is the Bay Area spirit. Winning, is important, but this is a region where winning and losing do matter but only in context.  Homlgren's football playing career was not successful.  "But I got my degree, and that was very important to me."  Holmgren said while asked about his playing career in USC. 

Holmgren was a lot more than a player.  He was also student body president when he was in Lincoln High.  In 1971, Holmgren went back to San Francisco and coached high school football team, and taught..... "History". His resume is amazing ever since, quarterback coach in BYU, than all the glory stories followed. 

A lot of people miss one thing.  Coaches are also people.  They are like us.  They have family, they have their thoughts.  What different is that Mike Holmgren was able to mold players like Bratt Favre into Hall of Fame, brought the formal Green Bay back-up quarterback Matt Hassellbeck with him and build another dynasty.  American Football is a brutal sport, but it is a extremely team work oriented sports. Feburary 5, 2006, Mike Holmgren could be the first in the history to coach two teams into Supoer Bowel Championship.  This is how big the game on Sunday is going to be. There is the pleasing ambivalence in Holmgren, winning and losing will just be put in context. Early success is not success for the life.  Important thing is to keep the prospective.  I bet, first thing comes to his mind after the game would be calling Kathy and Calla.

* Jim Fassel coached John Elway on his way to his ring and led Giants to the 2001 Super Bowl, eventually lost to Ravens.