American Football showcase touches down and lives up to ‘Classic’ billing

The GAA must have known they were making themselves hostages to fortune when they dubbed their American football showcase as the ‘Croke Park Classic’, but Penn State and the University of Central Florida obliged with a game that lived up to its billing.

An estimated 20,000 American fans swelled the attendance for the college football game at GAA HQ up to 53,304 on Saturday afternoon for a contest that had bumped the All-Ireland semi-final replay between Kerry and Mayo down to Limerick’s Gaelic Grounds.

Both venues were treated to grandstand finishes.

Ultimately, it took a last-second field goal from Penn State kicker Sam Ficken to decide a game that finished 26-24 and one that had plenty of touchdowns, interceptions, crunching hits and mazy runs for fans.

Dublin City was awash with colour, most of it Penn State’s traditional blue and white, with designated areas in Temple Bar set aside for parades and tailgating parties.

Pubs such as Gill’s and The Hogan Stand on the shoulder of Croke Park buzzed to a different beat for an occasion that started with a flyby from two US Air Force F-16s and renditions of the Star Spangled Banner as well as Amhrán na bhFiann.

ESPN broadcast it all live in the US.

Croke Park stadium director Peter McKenna and GAA director general Paraic Duffy were among those on hand to take in what they hope will be the first of many such ‘classics’ and the occasion gave both food for thought.

“Myself and Paraic were in Temple Bar [on Friday] and saw the atmosphere for ourselves,” McKenna said.

“We’ve learned a lot of lessons for future All-Ireland finals in the manner in which the event took over the city.”