Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell is one of the NFL’s great motivational figures. In fact, during the Lions game against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football, Joe Buck compared Campbell to one of the most famous motivational speakers of all time, Matt Foley.
Don’t recognize Foley’s name? Foley was a fictional character, played by the late Chris Farley on Saturday Night Live, best known for telling people “I live in a van … down by the river!”
During his interview with Lisa Salters before the second half, Campbell seemed to be channeling Farley, with not only his voice, which seemed to be hoarse, but also his mannerisms.
“Lisa, Dan, thank you,” Buck said. “Somebody get that man some tea. Sounds like he was going to go live in a van down by the river.”
Most everyone of a certain age immediately understood the reference, but lest anyone think he meant to imply something negative about Campbell, Buck added, “He’s the best, he’s about as genuine a guy as you will find. He wears his emotions on his sleeve.”
But the resemblance between Campbell and Farley’s iconic character is … eerie.
31 years ago tonight, May 8, 1993, legendary Chris Farley introduced the world to a motivational speaker named Matt Foley…who came into our homes to tell us a quick story about living in a van…down by the river.pic.twitter.com/9E0zNzTS7m
— Boston Radio Watch®️ (@bostonradio) May 8, 2024
Esquire named the Farley/Foley “Van Down by the River” skit as the second-best sketch in Saturday Night Live history. The show celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025. Fun fact: The character was actually created by Bob Odenkirk (Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul), who worked with Farley many years ago.
[ESPN]
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.