Canzano: Chip Kelly is smiling ... why does that make people unhappy?
The pursuit of happiness in college football.
Chip Kelly told a story on Tuesday about John Lennon. I didn’t mind that it was probably more of a fable. The lesson still held up.
Ohio State’s offensive coordinator was explaining to reporters why he traded the beaches of Southern California for shorefront property in Columbus. Kelly said that Lennon, age 5, was told by his mother that happiness was the key to life. Lennon then went to elementary school, where his teacher asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up.
“He said, ‘I want to be happy,’” Kelly explained. “And then his teacher said, ‘I don’t think you understand the assignment.’ And [Lennon’s] mom said, ‘I don’t think you understand life.’”
Historians who study the Beatles will tell you the story probably isn’t true. I’ll dive into more of that in a bit. But it helps explain why an unhappy 60-year-old football coach threw in the keys at UCLA, moved to Ohio, and went to work for a former pupil. It also lined up with what Kelly texted me on the day he left the Bruins.