The lasting image of the 1989 college football season was 60 Colorado Buffaloes down on one knee, before a game at the University of Washington, pointing to the sky. They were honoring Sal Aunese, their star quarterback who had died of stomach cancer the week before. But the subplot was that Aunese had left behind a 5-month-old son, a child he’d fathered with Kristy McCartney, the daughter of Colorado’s head coach Bill McCartney. At the time, it was considered a scandal. Kristy raised her son, T.C., as a single parent, living next door to her parents. Twenty years later, T.C. McCartney is now a reserve quarterback at LSU, recruited by the same coach who brought his father to Colorado: Les Miles. ESPN.com's Tom Friend tells the story of a son trying to walk in his father’s footsteps. The video features Bill McCartney and Jeff Campbell

“I think a lot of what keeps me going is continuing his legacy. Finishing what he started, that’s what my whole football career, I’ve always thought about. He didn’t get to see it through, so maybe I’ll be able to get on the field and see it through one day.” -- T.C. McCartney 

“And then she said, ‘Dad, the father of the baby is the quarterback of your team, Sal Aunese.’ I was flabbergasted. I did not see that coming. And so I said, ‘Well, it doesn’t matter who it is, we’re with you.’ I called Sal in right away, and I said, ‘Look, this is not going to affect your position on the team, but I need to know whether you’re going to be with her through this or whether you’re not.’ And he looked me right in the eye and said, ‘Coach, I’m not going to marry her.’ And my heart, that hurt my heart.” – Bill McCartney 

“I know it took every single bit of effort for him to get there. I wanted him to know, ‘That’s for you, man, that’s for you.’ And I remember him raising his arm up.” -- Jeff Campbell, Colorado receiver, who after catching a long pass against Illinois on Sept. 16, 1989, signaled to Aunese, who had been attending practices and games while on oxygen

Drew Brees: Pregame Chant
Sunday NFL Countdown (11 a.m. ESPN)

Drew Brees made news in last week's game against the Detroit Lions by throwing six touchdown passes. But before every game, he makes his mark with his teammates. Brees “breaks the team down,” acting as the team's final voice before kickoff. His passionate chant – “This Is New Orleans” – puts him alongside memorable pregame voices like Ray Lewis and Brian Dawkins. Ed Werder reports on Brees' message and the effect it has on the Saints.

Last Sunday, the Giants opened the season with a 23-17 win over the Washington Redskins, but understandably, Plaxico Burress' thoughts were more on his immediate future than his former team's victory. On Sept. 22, Burress, who faces two years in prison, will be sentenced for having a gun in a New York City nightclub last year. Kelly Naqi reports on what awaits a high-profile inmate such as Burress in prison.