Florida Celebrates Wilber Marshall’s Hall of Fame Induction

Former Florida LB Wilber Marshall will be honored at an On-Campus Salute, as the Gators take on Miami this Saturday in Gainesville.

Twice a consensus First Team All-America pick, Marshall broke the Gators’ single-season records for sacks (11) and tackles for loss (16) as a sophomore. By career’s end, he finished with a then school-record 23 sacks and remains UF’s record holder in career tackles for loss (58). The Titusville, Fla., native was only the third player in school history to be named a three-time First Team All-SEC pick. The Gainesville Sun named him Defensive Player of the Century in 1999.

NFF Chief Operating Officer Matthew Sign will represent the National Football Foundation at the event. The game begins at 8:00 p.m. ET and will be aired on ESPN. ESPN’s College GameDay crew will also be on site.

NFF News

The NFF High School Football Challenge and Kirk Herbstreit Burger King Varsity Football Series took place in Texas and Ohio throughout the holiday weekend. Today’s Mandeville (La.)-Houston (Texas) Klein Oak game was cancelled due to hurricane-related travel issues. Sponsors of the fourth annual Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series presented by Burger King were the Intersport, U.S. Marines, WazooSports.com, and Nike.

The ninth annual NFF Don Nehlen Chapter Scholar-Athlete Luncheon featured a cavalcade of West Virginia’s finest players and coaches. Morgantown Bishop Donahue HS LB David Richmond won the prestigious Simms Family Scholarship, named in honor Bob Simms, who played at Rutgers and is a member of the NFF’s national board of directors, and his family. College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Sam Huff (West Virginia) attended along with Mountaineers coach Bill Stewart who received the chapter’s Frank Loria Award, which honors successful coaches and is named for College Football Hall of Famer Frank Loria (Virginia Tech).

NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association

Newest members of the NFF’s National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association: Draddy winner Dr. Thomas Burns (Virginia) and Al Grigaliunas (Pittsburgh).

To become a member of the National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association, please contact NFF Director of Special Projects Hillary Jeffries at 800.486.1865 or via email at hjeffries@footballfoundation.com.


Two-Minute Drill

Northwestern head coach and 2008 College Football Hall of Fame LB Pat Fitzgerald became the first Wildcats’ coach since fellow Hall of Famer Lynn “Pappy” Waldorf to go 3-0 in his first three season-opening games… 1996 College Football Hall of Famer Jerry Tubbs (Oklahoma) conducted the coin toss and presented post-game trophies at last weekend’s inaugural Jerry Tubbs Classic at Buckaroo Stadium in Breckenridge, Texas… Nebraska won its FBS-best 23rd consecutive opener last week in Lincoln. PK Alex Henery became the first student-athlete in NCAA history to make four field goals (four tries) from the exact distance of 44 yards against Western Michigan in the Huskers' opener. The sophomore from Omaha now has connected on 50-of-50 extra points and 12-of-12 field goals in 13 career games at NU… Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell reached the 11,000-yards mark (11,218) to garner the second-most passing yardage in Red Raiders’ history… East Carolina became the first school in Conference USA annals to post back-to-back wins over Top 25 nationally teams. The Pirates upended Virginia Tech last Saturday in Charlotte before the third-largest crowd in Bank of America Stadium history (72,169) and also downed Boise State in last December’s Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl… Georgia administrators received a standing ovation as they put the new collar on UGa VII, the successor to the late Bulldogs' mascot Uga VI… Colorado has exercised its home team option and moved the 2009 CU-Colorado State game to Boulder… Illinois will auction Dick Butkus-era throwback uniforms worn by the Fighting Illini football team during the Illinois Renaissance Celebration on Sept. 6 on FightingIllini.com from Sept. 5-15… Florida held a Gators Canned Food for Kids drive on campus to help less fortunate children in the state…Wisconsin football student-athletes assisted 100 Black Men of Madison (Wis.) in planning and holding the city’s annual kids’ back-to-school picnic… Hawai’i players joined other students and fans in the “Manoa Makeover” to enhance the natural beauty of the UH lower campus… Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) College will bring back football in 2010 after dropping the sport in 1933.

Texas opened its season in front of the largest crowd ever to see a football game in the Lonestar State (98,053) for its win over Florida Atlantic last Saturday in Austin… Kansas also attracted a school-high 52,112 crowd at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence against Florida International. The Jayhawks’ athletic department will plant 100 pine trees to ensure privacy for the school’s two new practice fields. Northwestern just completed renovations to its weight room, indoor practice artificial surface to new FieldTurf, dressing room, and other football facilities… TCU and Daktronics will install new LED boards and a larger scoreboard at Amon Carter Stadium to replace th 2002-vintage apparatus… Youngstown native Edward J. DeBartolo Jr. has made a $750,000 donation to Youngstown State to help fund the indoor athletics facility.

Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel’s contract was rewritten, making him the highest paid coach in the Big Ten… East Carolina head coach Skip Holtz has agreed tentatively to a contract extension through 2013.

The 39th annual Rotary Lombardi Award designated 64 offensive players and 49 defensive standouts in its 2008 watch list… There are 43 running backs on the original Doak Walker Award watch group for the coming season… The MEAC/SWAC Challenge recently announced the inaugural recipients of the Walter Payton Achievement Award, Jackson State’s Marcus Smith and Hampton’s Kevin Teel… Marshall inducted College Football Hall of Fame coaching nominee Jim Donnan, former OL standout Phil Ratliff and Bill Harris into the school’s hall of fame.

The Big Ten Conference unveiled its “Big Life. Big Stage. Big Ten.” public service announcements last week featuring nationally recognized alumni. The conference also announced an agreement-in-principle with Time Warner Cable, ensuring that the cable provider’s customers in Big Ten states will have access to Big Ten Network programming on an expanded basic level of service… The Big East Conference has established amended and improved sportsmanship guidelines for student-athletes, coaches and fans... WBTR-TV in Baton Rouge, La., is the latest addition to the growing Southland Conference Television Network… Learfield Sports and the NACDA Directors Cup have agreed to a multi-year corporate sponsorship… Mile High Sports Radio (1510 AM) has been extended for two years as Air Force’s official broadcast partner in Denver… Ball State will utilize Backyard Broadcasting as its flagship and radio stations’ network for the 2008-10 football seasons… JumpTV and Western Kentucky have signed a content and design agreement for the Hilltoppers’ official website… Sporting News in conjunction with the Legends Football Coaches Association will release the Legends Poll this season, a top 25 ranking of Division I teams chosen weekly by 21 of college football's coaching elite.

Leo Elter, 78, who starred at Villanova and played in the NFL for seven seasons, died in Pittsburgh, Pa., last week… Jerry Miller, former Tarleton State (Texas) letterman, passed away on Aug. 24. He was 69.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Reminder - NFF members are eligible for a $5 discount on tickets to New York City’s Sportsmuseum of America. To reserve tickets, please visit www.sportsmuseum.com.

To become an NFF member, please contact NFF Director of Membership Ron Dilatush at 800.486.1865 or via email at rdilatush@footballfoundation.com.

Key NFF Dates

Sept. 1: Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series – Irving, Texas
Oct. 19: First Release of 2008 BCS Standings – Irving, Texas
Dec. 9: NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf=Astoria – New York, N.Y.
Jan. 5, 2009: National Hall of Fame Salute at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl – Glendale, Ariz.
Jan. 9, 2009: Presentation of MacArthur Trophy to BCS champion – Miami, Fla.

2009 BCS Schedule

Jan. 1: Rose Bowl presented by Citi – Pasadena, Calif., ABC
Jan. 1: FedEx Orange Bowl – Miami, Fla., Fox
Jan. 2: Allstate Sugar Bowl – New Orleans, La., Fox
Jan. 5: Tostitos Fiesta Bowl – Glendale, Ariz., Fox
Jan. 8: FedEx BCS National Championship Game – Miami, Fla., Fox



- NFF -