NFF News
NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell will appear on an upcoming edition of “Expert Opinion with Graham Spanier” on the Big Ten Network set to air Dec. 4 at 11 p.m. ET. The show will tackle the topic of the current college football rankings system, its impact, significance, fairness and accuracy. Spanier, the show's host, sits on the presidential oversight committee of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). Other guests include Barry Alvarez, athletic director at the University of Wisconsin; and Malcolm Moran, director of the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State and the University's Knight Chair in Sports Journalism and Society.
After 44 years of coaching football, College Football Hall of Fame coach Bobby Bowden is retiring from Florida State following the team’s bowl game. Bowden has won 388 games and will retire as the second-winningest coach in major college football history behind fellow Hall of Fame Coach Joe Paterno. Besides his 34-year stint as head coach at Florida State, Bowden also coached at Samford and West Virginia.
The two remaining undefeated NFL teams, Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints, are quarterbacked by NFF National Scholar-Athletes Peyton Manning (1997) and Drew Brees (2000), respectively. Manning was also the 1997 recipient of the William V. Campbell Trophy.
NFF Board Member Jack Ford was a special guest on CBS College’s “Tony Barnhart Show” this week.
2009 NFF Gold Medal recipient and Nike Founder and Chairman Phil Knight is this year’s winner of the NACDA Merit of Honor Award.
Kansas, College of Mount St. Joseph (Ohio), Rowan (N.J.), Washington & Jefferson College (Pa.) and University of Wisconsin - Whitewater joined as NFF academic members.
NFF National Scholar-Athletes Beau Kildow (Morningside (Iowa)), Tim Hiller (Western Michigan), Josh Mahoney (Northern Iowa), John Pawelek (Baylor), Tim Tebow (Florida), Blaine Westemeyer (Augustana College (Ill.)) and Reed Williams (West Virginia) have been named Academic All-Americans. Kildow and Tebow took were named Academic All-Americans of the Year.
Penn State has the top graduation rate of all the teams in the AP Top 25, checking in at 89%.
Help Your Coach Win $50,000 for Charity
Whether building houses for the homeless or starting charities to help neighbors in need, many of today’s NCAA football coaches are making a meaningful impact in their communities. If your favorite coach is a community leader, you can help him win $50,000 for his favorite charities through the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award. Just visit www.CoachoftheYear.com, click on “Vote Now” and cast for the coach you believe best represents sportsmanship, integrity, responsibility and excellence, on and off the field. And after voting, fans with Facebook accounts can encourage family and friends to cast their votes, by clicking on “Connect with Facebook.”
Since its 2006 debut, Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award winners have donated a total of $680,000 in prize money to support dozens of charities and college scholarship funds. This year, four more coaches – one from each NCAA football division – will earn the honor to direct a collective total of $280,000 toward their most important causes. By casting your vote on www.CoachoftheYear.com and spreading the word online, you can help decide who should win this valuable support.
The Heisman Trophy Trust also announced that former University of North Carolina and Olympic superstar Mia Hamm has been selected for the fourth annual Heisman Humanitarian Award for her work with The Mia Hamm Foundation. The Heisman Humanitarian Award was established by the Heisman Trophy Trust in 2006 to recognize athletes who go above and beyond to serve their community and improve the lives of others.
NFF Information
SAVE THE DATE: The 2009 NFF Annual Awards Dinner will be held Tuesday, Dec. 8, at New York City's Waldorf=Astoria. For more information, please contact NFF Director of National Events Will Rudd at 800-486-1865 or via email at wrudd@footballfoundation.com. Invitations to the dinner have been mailed.
Advertising in NFF publications will put your organization in front of key decision makers in football including coaches, players, former players, as well as NFL and college football administrators throughout the year. To inquire about the print advertising opportunities available to your organization, please contact Bret Krift with IMG College at 859-226-4406 or bret.krift@imgworld.com.
Become a fan of the National Football Foundation on Facebook - Upload your game day photos, check out pictures of the NFF Annual Awards Dinner, and chat with other college football fans.
To become an NFF member, please contact NFF Director of Membership Ron Dilatush at 800-486-1865 or via email at rdilatush@footballfoundation.com. Worldwide membership now is at 12,000-plus in 119 chapters. Visit www.footballfoundation.org/membership/index.php to join online.
For more information on the NFF and college football, including announcements from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and NCAA Football, please visit www.footballfoundation.com.
Sign up for “This Week in NCAA Football” at ncaafootball.com.
The FBS television schedule, including broadcast teams, will be posted every Thursday on the NFF website, www.footballfoundation.com.
Look for the NFF’s “This Week in College Football History” posted and released every Friday on our website at www.footballfoundation.com.
Chapter News
TWO-MINUTE DRILL
Business
Ari Fleischer, former press secretary to President George W. Bush, has been hired by the BCS… Sheraton Hotels and Resorts Hawaii signed an extension to remain the title sponsor of the Hawaii Bowl… Western Kentucky named Willie Taggert its new head football coach… Larry Porter has been named the new head coach at Memphis… SMU head coach June Jones has signed a contract extension through the 2014 season… Georgia Southern hired Jeff Monken to be its next football coach.
Community Service
Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson (Michigan) donated $2 million to the new University of Michigan Mott Children’s Hospital and Women’s Hospital. The donation will support pediatric research by the Charles Woodson Clinical Research Fund.
Awards and Honors
The American Football Coaches Association announced the Assistant Coach of the Year Award winners which include: Mike MacIntyre (Duke); Mark Speir (Appalachian State); David Needs (Carson-Newman (Tenn.)); Jeff Thomas (Redlands (Calif.)) and Josh Gehring (Morningside (Iowa)) … The finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award include: Eric Berry (Tennessee); Joe Haden (Florida) and Earl Thomas (Texas) … The finalists for the Maxwell Award include NFF National Scholar-Athletes Colt McCoy (Texas) and Tim Tebow (Florida) as well as Mark Ingram (Alabama)… The finalists for the Biletnikoff Award include Jordan Shipley (Texas), Freddie Barnes (Bowling Green) and Golden Tate (Notre Dame) … Florida State’s Rodney Hudson has been awarded the ACC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy… The National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) announced today that legendary football coach LaVell Edwards is the 2009 recipient of the NCFAA Contributions to College Football Award… Named as four finalists for the Lott Trophy are Tennessee’s Eric Berry, Ndaumkong Suh of Nebraska, Rolando McClain of Alabama, and Jerry Hughes of TCU… Finalists for the George Munger College Coach of the Year are Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly, Temple’s Al Golden and TCU’s Gary Patterson… Mike Tomlin, head coach of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, is set to be the keynote speaker at the opening of the Eddie Robinson Museum on Feb… TCU’s Dick Bumpass and Boise State’s Bryan Harsin have been named finalists for the prestigious Frank Broyles Award, given to the nation’s top assistant coach.
Miscellaneous
CBS is having its best college football season since 1996. The network’s Nielsen household rating average is up over 29 percent from last year and marks the first time that CBS has led ABC… Frisco, Texas, has been named a finalist to host the NCAA Division I Football Championship games following the 2010, 2011 and 2012 seasons… Clemson, Florida, Florida State, LSU and Missouri wore specially designed Nike Pro Combat uniforms over the weekend… Springfield College played its 1000th game last Saturday, which also coincided with Coach Mike DeLong's 150th career win at the school… SMU accepted its first bowl bid since 1984, agreeing to play in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24.
Obituaries
Eastern Illinois offensive line coach Jeff Hoover, 41, Saturday night in a car accident following the team’s game… Howard Waugh, former running back at Tulsa, died on Friday. He was 78.
Key NFF Dates for 2009
Tuesday, Dec. 8- Annual Awards Dinner Press Conference, Waldorf=Astoria, New York, N.Y.
Tuesday, Dec. 8 – 52nd NFF Annual Awards Dinner, Waldorf=Astoria, New York, N.Y.
Tuesday, Dec. 8- Announcement of the William V. Campbell Trophy Winner
Friday, January 9- Presentation of the MacArthur Trophy, Newport Beach, California
2010 BCS Schedule
Dec. 6- Final BCS Standings Release, FOX
Jan. 1- Rose Bowl presented by Citi, Pasadena, Calif., ABC
Jan. 1 - Allstate Sugar Bowl, FOX
Jan. 4 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, FOX
Jan. 5 - FedEx Orange Bowl, FOX
Jan. 7 - Citi BCS National Championship Game, Pasadena, Calif., ABC
NCAA Championship Schedule
Dec. 12- NCAA Div. II National Championship Game- Florence, Ala. (ESPN)
Dec. 18- NCAA FCS National Championship Game- Chattanooga, Tenn. (ESPN)
Dec. 19- NCAA Div. III National Championship Game- Salem, Va. (ESPN)
NAIA Championship Schedule
Dec. 19- NAIA National Championship- Rome, Ga. (CBS College)
Remaining Schedules for BCS Top Ten Teams
1. Florida (12-0): Alabama, SEC Championship (Atlanta), CBS
2. Alabama (12-0): Florida, SEC Championship (Atlanta), CBS
3. Texas (12-0): Nebraska, Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship (Arlington, Texas), ABC
4. TCU (12-0): bowl game TBD
5. Cincinnati (11-0): @ Pittsburgh, ABC
6. Boise State (12-0): New Mexico State, KTVB
7. Oregon (9-2): Oregon State (Thursday), ESPN
8. Ohio State (10-2): Rose Bowl, Jan. 1, 2010, ABC
9. Iowa (10-2): bowl game TBD
10. Georgia Tech (10-2): Clemson, ACC Championship (Tampa, Fla.), ESPN
NCAA FCS Quarterfinals Playoffs – Sat., Dec. 5
Stephen F. Austin (10-2) at Montana (12-0); Appalachian State (10-2) at Richmond (11-1); New Hampshire (10-2) at Villanova (11-1); William & Mary (10-2) at Southern Illinois (11-1). Dec. 11-12: Semifinals, TBD, campus sites.
NCAA Division II Semifinals – Dec. 5
Grand Valley State (Mich.) (12-1) at Carson-Newman (Tenn.) (11-2); at California (Pa.) (11-3) at Northwest Missouri State (12-1).
NCAA Division III Quarterfinals – Dec. 5
Albright (Penn.) (11-1) at Mount Union (Ohio) (11-0); Johns Hopkins (Md.) (10-2) at Wesley (Maine) (12-0); UW-Whitewater (Ohio) (12-0) at Wittenberg (Ohio) (12-0); St. Thomas, Minn. (11-1) at Linfield (Ore.) (12-0).
NAIA Semifinals – Sat., Dec. 5
St. Xavier (Ill.) (13-0) at Sioux Falls (S.D.) (13-0); Lindenwood (Mo.) (12-0) at Carroll (Mont.) (13-0).
-NFF-
