(Pictured above: NFF Central Pennsylvania High School Scholarship Winners – Front Row (L-R): Christopher Markum, Camron Kirkland, Coach Bill O’Brien, Aaron Michaels, Bryant Weller; Back Row: David Leedy, Cole Renninger, Jordan Fye, Bradley Winegardner, Austin Mital.)
Rotating Semifinals and Championship Game Will Extend Reach of New Playoff to Fans
The group overseeing the new college football playoff announced it has invited 31 bowl committees to consider whether they are interested in submitting a proposal to host the national semifinals and other bowl games to be played New Year's Eve or New Year's Day.
The Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl have already been chosen to host the first national semifinals of the playoff on January 1, 2015. The Orange Bowl and a yet-to-be named bowl will host the semifinals in the second year of the playoff. The two bowls that will host semifinals in the third year have yet to be named. Bids are being sought for the three to-be-named bowls.
The bidding process is consistent with other major events like the NCAA Men’s Final Four. A main requirement is a stadium with capacity for at least 65,000 fans. Bowl sites selected to participate in the new playoff structure would each host a national semifinal game once every three years and a non-playoff bowl matchup in other years.
Rules Changes: Involving the Game Clock
EXCLUSIVELY to Monday's Chalktalk Rogers Redding, the national coordinator of College Football Officiating, provides insights about rules changes and the mindset of college football referees. The CFO is the national professional organization for all football officials who work games at the collegiate level.
In two previous columns we have looked at the headline rule changes—automatic disqualification for “targeting” fouls and significant changes to blocking below the waist. Here are a couple more changes for 2013--new rules that involve the game clock.
Helmet Off: Player May Remain in the Game Via a Timeout
As a player safety measure last year the rule was made to require a player to leave the game for one down if his helmet came off through play except as the direct result of a foul by an opponent. The rule was modestly successful, as the number of helmets coming off trended down as the season progressed. This year the committee relaxed the rule slightly, in this regard: If a team is granted a charged timeout, the player whose helmet came off during the previous play may remain in the game. The team is then faced with a choice of losing that player for one down or burning a timeout. The timeout should allow time for adjusting the player’s helmet without costing him playing time. It will also allow the team to keep from losing a key player at a critical part of the game, if they would prefer to spend the timeout.
Injury Timeout: 10-Second Runoff
The rules committee has become concerned that there may be instances where teams have attempted to manipulate the clock by the feigning of injuries. Starting in 2013, if the clock is stopped at the end of a down only because of an injured player, the other team has the option of a 10-second runoff. This would not apply if the clock is stopped for any other reason—such as a first down or incomplete pass. And, of course, there will be no 10-second runoff if there are injuries to players of both teams on the same play.
Check out the Construction Site for the new College Football Hall of Fame
Visitors to Atlanta are encouraged to check out the progress on the construction of the new College Football Hall of Fame, located steps from the Georgia Dome and the site of the upcoming NCAA Division I Final Four Basketball Tournament on April 6-8.
Continual construction began Jan. 28 on the 94,256 square foot facility after Atlanta Hall Management, the nonprofit corporation established to build and operate the Hall, announced that they had secured the full $66.5 million to complete the project in December. Scheduled to open in the fall of 2014, the new Hall will provide fans a one-of-a-kind interactive experience with a full slate of events and exhibits that will make the destination a centerpiece for all of college football.
Situated on the former “Green” parking lot of the Georgia World Congress, the site is on the corner of Marietta Street and Foundry Street across from Centennial Olympic Park. Nearby attractions include the CNN Center, the World of Coca-Cola, the Georgia Aquarium, the Philips Arena and the future National Center for Civil and Human Rights. For more information, please visit http://cfbhall.com/.
NFF Board Member Jeffrey Immelt will receive an honorary degree and serve as the keynote speaker during the UConn commencement weekend in May.
College Football Hall of Famer Hall of Famer Lee Roy Jordan (Alabama) delivered the keynote speech at the recent Bishop State Community College Foundation fundraiser in Mobile, Ala. Alabama Live reporter Mark Inabinett profiled the speech, which drew a parallel between the success of coaches Nick Saban and Bear Bryant.
College Football Hall of Fame coach Barry Switzer (in a fur coat) led the Oklahoma Sooners in the Harlem Shake after a spring practice. Brian Bosworth, a candidate for the Hall on the 2013 ballot, entered on a motorcycle to help kick off the dance.
The Johnson City Press reports that East Tennessee State may resurrect its football program, and they would like College Hall of Fame coach Phillip Fulmer to run the program.
2009 NFF Gold Medal recipient and Nike founder Phil Knight will be inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame April 29 at the Waldorf=Astoria in New York City.
Baylor honored 2012 NFF Hampshire Honor Society member Robert Griffin III with the establishment of the Robert Griffin III Quarterback Scholarship during “RG3 Day” at the Texas State Capitol March 12.
Hall of Famer DD Lewis (Mississippi State) will be attending the NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas' Scholar-Athlete Banquet on March 21.
Hall of Fame coach Barry Switzer (Oklahoma) will serve as the master of ceremonies at the 2013 Old Hat Super Fan 5K, supporting the Mary Abbott Children’s House and the Norman Public School Foundation, May 18 in Norman, Okla.
Barrett Jones, the 2012 winner of the NFF William V. Campbell Trophy and three-time BCS National Champion with Alabama, has been named a semifinalist for the 83rd AAU Sullivan Award, presented by the Amateur Athletic Union to America’s top amateur athlete. First presented in 1930, the Sullivan Award honors an athlete who demonstrates the qualities leadership, character, sportsmanship, and the ideals of amateurism.
The NFF Scholar-Athlete of the Day, presented by Fidelity Investments, is a daily segment honoring the 2012 National Scholar-Athlete candidates. Today’s honoree is Ben Buchanan, the punter at Ohio State, who has a 3.54 GPA in strategic communications.
The Los Angeles Chapter celebrated its 50th anniversary on March 15 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Culver City, Calif.… Penn State Head Coach Bill O’Brien and Temple Football Head Coach Matt Rhule spoke at the Central Pennsylvania Chapter’s 16th Anniversary Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet, as 39 high school and seven college student-athletes were honored, on March 17…
The San Fernando Valley [Calif.] Scholar-Athlete Banquet will take place March 18 at the Sportsman Lodge in Studio City, Calif.… The NFF Allstate Sugar Bowl Chapter will present its Distinguished American Award to Elliott Hill, Nike vice president and general manager of North America, on March 19. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu will make the presentation in recognition of Nike's support in funding the restoration of Joe Brown Park after Hurricane Katrina… The NFF Greater Baltimore Chapter will stage its 50th annual banquet March 20… Hall of Famer John Wooten will receive the Distinguished Texan Award, and 50 high school and nine college scholar-athletes will be honored at the NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas’ Scholar-Athlete Banquet March 21 at the Marriott Quorum Hotel… Hall of Famer Don McPherson (Syracuse) will emcee the NFF NYC Chapter’s “Elite Eleven” Dinner at the Down Town Association March 21. The NYC Chapter will honor legendary Saint Francis Prep Coach Vincent O’Connor at the event... The Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley [Calif.] Chapter will stage its scholar-athlete banquet March 26 at the Brookside Country Club…
The Western Massachusetts Chapter will honor former chapter president Alex Rotsko April 7… The Tampa (Fla.) Chapter will host its 17th Annual Scholar-Athlete Banquet April 10… The Gene Casey/New Haven [Conn.] Chapter will honor Jim Bell, a former Harvard All-Ivy defensive end and executive producer of NBC Universal’s Olympic Game coverage, with its Distinguished American Award at its 53rd Anniversary Dinner on April 12… The East Tennessee Chapter will honor Texas coach Mack Brown with its General Robert Neyland Award and college football personality Lee Corso with the Lindsey Nelson Award at its scholar-athlete banquet April 20 prior to the Tennessee spring game… The Wisconsin Chapter will hold its 20th annual scholar-athlete banquet April 20, prior to the Badgers’ spring game… Hall of Famer LaVell Edwards (BYU), Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham, BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall, Utah State head coach Matt Wells, Weber State head coach Jody Sears and Southern Utah head coach Ed Lamb will attend the Utah Chapter’s Student-Athlete Banquet April 23…
Hall of Famers Bobby Bell (Minnesota), Jim Christopherson (Concordia [Minn.]), Mike Favor (North Dakota State), John Gagliardi (Carroll, St. John’s), Randall McDaniel (Arizona State), John Randle (Texas A&M-Kingsville), Jeff Siemon (Stanford), Gene Washington (Michigan State) and Paul Wiggin (Stanford) will attend the Minnesota Chapter’s Scholar-Athlete Banquet April 28 at the University of St. Thomas. Former Gopher wide receiver Conner Cosgrove will be presented with the Courage Award, after his 2010 leukemia diagnosis ended his football career at Minnesota. The 1963 St. John’s football team will be awarded the Murray Warmath Legendary Team Award after going 10-0 and winning the NAIA national championship…
Liberty Mutual Division II Coach of the Year Peter Rossomondo (Univ. of New Haven) will speak at the DeSantis/McDougall Fairfield County Chapter Scholar-Athlete Banquet April 28… Appalachian State head coach Scott Satterfield will deliver the keynote speech at the NFF Corrigan-Faircloth Chapter’s 22nd Annual Scholar-Athlete Banquet April 30 at Old Town Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, N.C. The top student-athlete award will be given in memory of Bradley Faircloth.
Scheduling
Troy and Boise State have agreed to a home-and-home football series for the 2017 and 2018 seasons… Troy also announced the addition of new FCS school Abilene Christian to its 2014 non-conference slate…Texas Tech’s season opener at SMU has been moved to Aug. 30 for an ESPN national broadcast at 7 p.m. CT … Arizona’s 2013 home opener against Northern Arizona has been moved to Aug. 30… South Dakota State completed its 2013 schedule with an Aug. 31 home game against Butler…
Media
Kentucky announced Time Warner Cable as an official sponsor of athletics…
Marketing
Valdosta State (Ga.) fans can purchase limited-edition championship jewelry from Jostens to celebrate the Blazers’ 2012 NCAA Division II Football Championship… Arizona State has partnered with The Walt Disney Company to develop unique product and design initiatives as well as a design for mascot Sparky the Sun Devil… Raleigh-Durham International Airport is adding the first ACC American Café restaurant as part of its Terminal 1 Modernization Project… IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions created a regional management structure to handle the continued growth of the company, now servicing 24 athletic departments…
People
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice often meets with Stanford recruits when she is on campus to aid head coach David Shaw in landing the top players in the country… San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh visited San Jose State’s practice March 14, speaking with the team afterward…
Community Service
Ole Miss football players Justin Bell, Ontario Berry, Josh Richardson, D.T. Shackelford, Kameron Wood and John Youngblood spent spring break helping the less fortunate in Panama… Colorado State football players Kevin Davis, Max Morgan, Tommey Morris and Jordan White spent time with children at the Boys and Girls Club of Fort Collins… Kansas head coach Charlie Weis and the Jayhawk football team hosted the Hannah and Friends Football Clinic with athletes from the Special Olympics on March 9… The fourth Michigan Men’s Football Experience, a two-day chance to experience life as a Wolverine football player, will be held June 6-7 with proceeds benefiting the Men of Michigan Prostate Cancer Research Program at the University of Michigan Health System… The 11th Annual Penn State Football Uplifting Athletes “Lift For Life,” benefitting the Kidney Cancer Association, is scheduled for July 12…
Facilities
Connecticut will add more than 2,000 temporary seats for its Sept. 21 matchup against Michigan… Fans can take a virtual tour of Iowa’s Football Operations Center, scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2014… West Virginia has added the “Family FunZone” to its football stadium to create a more family-friendly game day experience… North Alabama trustees approved the funding for a new $440,000 workout facility for student-athletes… The Boise State football complex has been renamed the Gene Bleymaier Football Complex in honor of former Director of Athletics Gene Bleymaier…
Awards and Honors
Arizona kicker John Bonano and North Dakota punter Brett Cameron are among the fall recipients of the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships… Former Arizona linebacker Greg Nwoko has been recognized with a National Consortium for Academics and Sports Scholar Baller Academic Momentum Award… The 2013 nominees for the Athletic Director of the Year Award presented by Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily include Mike Holder (Oklahoma State), Tom Jurich (Louisville), Mal Moore (Alabama), Tim Pernetti (Rutgers) and Jim Phillips (Northwestern)…
Miscellaneous
Ben Hill Griffin III donated $12,500 to create Florida Gulf Coast’s first football scholarship in hopes of getting a program started at the school… Texas Tech is holding a spring practice session at Grand Communications Stadium in Midland, Texas, on April 6… The 3rd annual Allstate Sugar Bowl Prep Football Showcase announced the four top high school programs that will participate in the event Sept. 13 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome…
Obituaries
Steven Davis, quarterback of Oklahoma’s 1974 and 1975 National Championship teams, died in a plane crash on March 17 at the age of 60. Davis started every game during Hall of Fame coach Barry Switzer’s first three seasons, going 32-1-1 overall and posting perfect a 11-0 mark in 1974… Former Arizona State assistant coach Gene Felker passed away on March 13 at the age of 84.
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May 7, 2013 – Announcement of 2013 Football Bowl Subdivision Inductees into the College Football Hall of Fame – NASDAQ MarketSite, New York City
Oct. 3, 2013 – Announcement of 2013 Campbell Trophy Semifinalists – Dallas, Texas
Oct. 31, 2013 – Announcement of 2013 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, presented by Fidelity Investments – Dallas, Texas
Dec. 10, 2013 – 56th NFF Annual Awards Dinner – Waldorf=Astoria Hotel, New York City
Dec. 10, 2013 – 24th Presentation of Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth, to the nation's top scholar-athlete at the Waldorf=Astoria – New York, N.Y.
Jan. 2, 2014 – National Hall of Fame Salute at the Allstate Sugar Bowl - New Orleans, La.
Jan. 7, 2014 – MacArthur Bowl Presentation to the BCS National Champion – Newport Beach, Calif.
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The 56th NFF Annual Awards Dinner will be held Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013, at New York City's Waldorf=Astoria. For more ticket information, please contact NFF Director of External Relations Will Rudd at 1-800-486-1865 or via email at wrudd@footballfoundation.com.
Notes
The NFF would like to thank NFF correspondent Bo Carter for his contributions to this report.
NFF Chalktalk items are welcome, and should be submitted to news@footballfoundation.com.
