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D1 College Football News
7-10-06
Source: www.footballfoundation.com
Former President Gerald Ford Receives Enberg Award for Distinguished Service
The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) last weekend
named former U.S. President Gerald Ford as the 2006 recipient of its Dick
Enberg Award. The award, presented by the group since 1997 and named after
the longtime television sportscaster, annually recognizes one individual
committed to promoting the values of education and academics while
furthering the meaning of the student-athlete. As a football star at the
University of Michigan in the 1930s, Ford earned three varsity letters from
1932-1934 and participated on back-to-back undefeated and Big Ten title
teams in '32 and '33. In 1934, Ford was named team MVP as starting center,
and played in both the East-West Shrine Game and an All-Star game against
the NFL champions Chicago Bears following the season. Ford also served as
an assistant coach at Yale University before embarking on a three-decade
stint in national politics, culminating with his term as President of the
United States from 1974-1977. Ford received the NCAA's Theodore Roosevelt
Award in 1975 and the National Football Foundation's Gold Medal in 1972.
Northwestern Names Former LB Pat Fitzgerald as Head Coach
Former two-time Nagurski Award winner Pat Fitzgerald, who helped lead
Northwestern to the 1996 Rose Bowl as a standout junior linebacker, was the
named the Wildcats 29th head football coach on Friday. Fitzgerald replaces
Randy Walker, the seven-year NU head coach who died suddenly of a heart
attack on June 29. At 31 years old, Fitzgerald becomes the youngest head
coach in Division I-A and takes over a team that finished 7-5 in 2005 and
secured a spot in the Vitalis Sun Bowl against UCLA, a game they lost 50-38.
He joined the Wildcats staff under Walker in 2001 as the defensive secondary
coach, became the linebackers coach in 2002 and later added the title of
recruiting coordinator. Fitzgerald previously spent time as an assistant at
Colorado, Idaho and Maryland. In addition to the Nagurski Award, Fitzgerald
twice captured the Bednarik Award as the nation's top defensive player and
was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in both 1995 and 1996. He
helped Northwestern capture at least a share of the conference title in both
seasons, while the school's 1996 Rose Bowl appearance was their first berth
in the annual classic in 47 years. Fitzgerald joins a trend of 30-something
coaches receiving head coaching jobs on the I-A level this offseason, a list
that includes Wisconsin's Bret Bielema (36), Kansas State's Ron Prince (36)
and Temple's Al Golden (37).
Two-Minute Drill
The 2006 Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, the publications' sixth
edition covering all things college football, began shipping last week.
Orders can be placed at www.blueribbonyearbook.com ... Wake Forest tight end
Zac Selmon returned to the U.S. after two weeks in Liberia spent building a
school for children who survived the country's civil war... Georgia Southern
wide receiver Teddy Craft died last week from injuries sustained in a
motorcycle accident... Former Utah State football letterman and assistant
coach Ralph Maughan died last week at age 83... Northwestern will endow a
scholarship in memory of the recently deceased Randy Walker, who coached the
Wildcats from 1999-2005...
ESPNU will feature six of the nation's top incoming freshman in a new
reality series called "ESPNU Summer House" set for debut on July 25. The
show, hosted by former Ohio State linebacker and current college football
analyst Chris Spielman, will film freshmen Terrence Austin (UCLA), London
Crawford (Arkansas), Jarred Fayson (Florida), Cody Hawkins (Colorado), Cart
Kelly (Princeton) and Taylor Potts (Texas Tech) as they live together for a
week and compete in various challenges... Sports Illustrated On Campus
profiled their 15 Greatest College Athletes of All-Time last week, which
included only players who excelled in more than one sport while in college.
Among the greats that made the top 15 were Jim Brown (#1 overall) and nine
other former college gridders as well as current Notre Dame wide receiver
Jeff Samardzija (#14)...
More than a dozen former Georgia football players will host the "Countdown
to Kickoff" this Saturday, an event organized by former linemen Matt
Stinchcomb (1998 Draddy Trophy recipient) and Jon Stinchcomb (2002 Draddy
Trophy finalist) to provide fans an opportunity to interact with players
while enjoying carnival rides and games... The Illinois football team held a
supply drive at Cunningham Children's home last month that collected more
than $9,000 in goods and supplies for the children housed there... Former
Miami (Fla.) linebacker Jonathan Vilma joined USC great Ronnie Lott on the
National Football Foundation's Play It Smart National Advisory Board, as
announced last week...
The 12th Man Foundation at Texas A&M received $1 million contributions from
both Jerry and Cindy Holditch and Glenn and Lauren Hart to help finance a
multi-purpose indoor athletic complex... The Wall of Fame at the recently
constructed press box by the University of Iowa will feature legendary
journalist Bert McGrane and 2002 Chris Schenkel Award recipient Bob Brooks
among 18 other members of the media... University of Wisconsin season ticket
renewal packages reached an all-time high for the Badgers upcoming 2006
season...
The 51 members of the U.S. Naval Academy's 2006 football recruiting class
include 19 from the state of Texas... Army's 2006 football recruiting class
features 32 incoming freshmen from 23 different states, as announced by the
school last week... The UNLV football team produced the second highest
cumulative team GPA in team history this year with a 2.649... Louisville
launched two websites last week to help promote the Heisman campaigns of
junior quarterback Brian Brohm and senior running back Michael Bush... The
Blue-Gold flag game wrapped up camp last week for 50 players and 10 coaches
participating in the fourth annual Notre Dame Monogram Club's Football
Fantasy Camp... The October 12 game between Clemson and Temple, originally
scheduled to be played in Philadelphia, will now take place at Bank of
America Stadium in Charlotte... Florida mascot Albert the Alligator
performed during the 14th annual Celebrity Mascot Games last week in Orlando
to benefit New Hope for Kids...
Administrators from East Tennessee State University are contemplating
bringing back its football program... Louisiana-Monroe replaced their Indian
mascot with a new Warhawk logo that the school unveiled last month... All
eleven Florida A&M football games will be carried live on the internet this
year thanks to a new agreement with Jericho Broadcasting Company... Illinois
will honor members of the U.S. armed forces with Military Day during their
season opener against Eastern Illinois on September 2... Fresno State will
host popular music artists and well-know music groups along Bulldog
Boulevard this year prior to each home football game this year...
Recently retired Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder completed his
autobiography, "Bill Snyder: They Said It Couldn't Be Done", which is set
for release this Wednesday... Former Tennessee head coach and 1987 College
Football Hall of Fame inductee Johnny Majors served as the honorary chairman
for a recent golf tournament to benefit the Center for Living and Learning
in Franklin, Tenn... 2000 College Football Hall of Fame inductee Johnny
Rodgers is leading a push in the Nebraska Supreme Court to get former NU
coach Tom Osborne's name listed as a write-in candidate on the November
gubernatorial ballot...
Construction in and around Nebraska's Memorial Stadium, which includes new
sod for the full-length football practice fields at the Ed and Joyanne Gass
Practice Facility as well as the installation of LED modules for the north
HuskerVision screen, is nearing completion... Improvements taking place at
Baylor's Floyd Casey Stadium this offseason include the construction of a
new Recruiting Center near the stadium's north endzone... Texas Tech is
auctioning off parts of the AstroTurf they are replacing at Jones AT&T
Stadium... Kyle Field, on the campus of Texas A&M University, will sport a
new 53-by-73 foot video board this season... Iowa buried a time capsule
outside Kinnick Stadium last week slated to be opened in 75 years...
Baylor running back Phil Tran, OL Seth Zehr of Iowa State, Texas DB Karim
Meijer and defensive back Matthew LaFon of Texas A&M were among 24
recipients of 2005-06 Dr. Prentice Gautt Postgraduate Scholarships as
announced by the Big 12 last week... Missouri quarterback and 2005 Draddy
Trophy Finalist Brad Smith and Texas Tech quarterback Cody Hodges were
recognized with Community of Champions awards by the Big 12 Conference in
conjunction with Chick-fil-A for the 2005-06 academic year...
The Nebraska Football Hall of Fame added former Cornhuskers Chris Dishman,
Bob Lingenfelter, Mike Minter, Christian Peter, Jared Tomich, Kerry
Weinmaster and Tyrone Williams as 2006 inductees last week... Former
Syracuse standout Tim Green, a 2002 inductee into the College Football Hall
of Fame and an NFF National Scholar-Athlete, and former Notre Dame guard
Robert Burger earned induction into the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of
Fame last weekend... Former offensive lineman Kent Hill and football manager
Gus Georgeton were among eight former Yellow Jackets announced as the 2006
Class of inductees into the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame last week...
Buckeye legends Eddie George and Ted Provost are among 12 members who will
earn induction into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame on September 15...
Texas athletics director DeLoss Dodds, the 2006 winner of the National
Football Foundation's John L. Toner Award, is scheduled to receive a raise
and a contract extension following a year in which every Texas team finished
either first or second in Big 12 regular-season or tournament competition...
New Colorado chancellor George "Bud" Peterson played wide receiver at Kansas
State from 1972-1974... Jim Bartko was named the new senior associate
athletics director for development at the University of California... Tom
Deahn left his position as director of football operations at Maryland to
assume the same role at Temple... Southern Illinois named Mario Moccia their
new director of athletics... North Texas hired T.J. Leon as an athletics
development associate... The Big Ten Conference hired Andrea Williams as
their new associate commissioner for branding... Indiana named Frank Cuervo
as their new assistant athletics director for external operations... Arizona
State named Dawn Rogers their new senior associate athletic director.
Schedule Spotlight: Western Athletic Conference
Team - Date - First Opponent (Home/Away)
Boise State - August 31 - Sacramento State (H)
Fresno State - September 1 - Nevada (H)
Hawaii - September 2 - Alabama (A)
Idaho - September 2 - Michigan State (A)
Louisiana Tech - September 2 - Nebraska (A)
Nevada - September 1 - Fresno State (A)
New Mexico State - August 31 - SE Louisiana (H)
San Jose State - September 2 - Washington (A)
Utah State - September 2 - Wyoming (A)
With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, The National Football
Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization,
runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing
scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. The NFF
presents the MacArthur Trophy, the Draddy Trophy presented by HealthSouth
and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings. NFF programs
include the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., Play It
Smart, the NFF Center for Youth Development Through Sport at Springfield
College (Mass.), the NFL-NFF Coaching Academy, and scholarships of over $1
million for college and high school scholar-athletes.
For more information, please visit www.footballfoundation.org
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