Monday Chalktalk NCAAF News & Notes for January 28
editor1 |Jan 28,2008
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Courtesy National Football Foundation -
www.footballfoundation.com
College Football Hall of Famer Mike Holovak, 88, died in Ruskin,
Fla., last weekend after legendary college and pro football
playing and coaching careers. He signed with Hall of Fame coach
Frank Leahy and starred as a running back at Boston College. As
senior co-captain in '42, he ranked second in the nation in
rushing and received consensus All-America honors. He set
records in the 1943 Orange Bowl for touchdowns (three) and
average yards per carry (15.0) against Alabama. Holovak served
in the Navy during World War II and later played professionally
with the Los Angeles Rams and the Chicago Bears. Holovak
returned to BC as head coach from 1951-59. He was coach of the
New England Patriots from 1961- 68 and was later general manager
of the Houston Oilers. He was a special assignment scout for
several years before retiring in Florida.
Bowl Game Notes
With more than 1.7 million combined fans attending a bowl game
and close to another combined 129 million households tuning in
to watch the bowl games on television, bowl payouts ran an
estimated $225 million in 2007-08 and have totaled $1.6 billion
over the last nine seasons. Over the next ten years, bowls are
projected to pay $2.4 billion to participating teams and
conferences in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Final attendance for all bowls in '07-08 was 1,733,499 for a
game average of 54,172. Of the 64 teams competing, 28 sold out
their allotment of tickets, 11 bowls sported record attendance
figures, eight postseason games drew 65,000-plus fans, and eight
bowls were proclaimed sellouts within 24 hours of their matchup
announcements.
NFF News
Indiana head coach Bill Lynch will be the featured speaker at
the NFF Central Indiana Chapter Scholar-Athlete Banquet on Feb.
23 at the Indianapolis Colts Complex. Jane Hoeppner, widow of
late IU head coach Terry Hoeppner, also will participate in the
festivities.
The 37th James Fitzpatrick Trophy Dinner was held on Jan. 20 in
Portland, Maine, by the NFF Maine Chapter. It included the
Fitzpatrick Trophy for Maine's top high school player - Jack
Hersom of Lawrence High School.
Syracuse senior Dowayne Davis and former Orange football
standout John C. Cherundolo were honored at the NFF Central New
York Chapter banquet last Sunday at the Turning Stone in Verona,
N.Y. Davis was the chapter's Scholar Athlete of the Year, and
Cherundolo received the Distinguished American Award for civic
presence in the community.
Members of the College Football Hall of Fame staff are taking on
new titles under new executive director Lisa Malin. The new
titles include: Katie Berrettini, Assistant Director, Marketing
& Development; Kent Stephens, Museum Curator & Historian;
Richard Allen, Multimedia & IT Manager; and Patti Glascoe,
Financial Services Manager.
Two-Minute Drill
Miami (Fla.) has most players on combined rosters of Super Bowl
XLII participants New England and New York with seven while
Arizona, Marshall and Michigan sport five alumni each on the two
squads... USF will play at Notre Dame in 2011 for their
first-ever meeting. The Fighting Irish will begin playing three
Big East Conference schools annually on the gridiron beginning
in '11... Florida Atlantic has seen a significant rise in
individual giving and anticipation for the 2008 season ticket
drive after winning both the Sun Belt Conference crown and R+L
Carriers New Orleans Bowl last year... Boston College QB Matt
Ryan has won the coveted 2008 Manning Trophy presented by the
Allstate Sugar Bowl... Recently retired Northern Illinois head
coach Joe Novak will be inducted into the 2008 Miami (Ohio)
Athletics Hall of Fame.
Over 50,000 fans gathered for a commemorative final flag
football event last Saturday at the historic Orange Bowl, which
will be demolished later this year after 71 years of usage. The
Hurricanes' alumni and former Miami Dolphins competed in the
flag football contest, coached by Pro Football Hall of Famer Don
Shula (John Carroll)... Tennessee recently dedicated its Pratt
Pavilion athletics facility - made possible by 342 individual
contributions... Wittenberg dedicated the Pam Evans Smith Arena
and Healthy Physical Education and Recreation Complex in
Springfield, Ohio, last week.
Blaine Bennett was selected as head coach at Central
Washington... Mike London has taken over the top coaching post
at Richmond... Frank Hood was named head coach at Eastern
Kentucky... Mike Kelly is retiring after 27 seasons as Dayton's
head coach and the fourth-highest winning percentage (.819,
246-54-1) among all- division college head football coaches with
25 seasons of experience. Defensive coordinator Rick Chamberlin
has replaced Kelly... Sacramento State head coach Marshall
Sperbeck has signed a contract extension through 2012... Temple
tabbed Mark D'Onofrio as assistant head coach... Colorado State
named Greg Peterson offensive coordinator... Jeff Mullen is
headed to West Virginia as the Mountaineers' new offensive
coordinator... South Carolina named Ellis Johnson as defensive
coordinator... Ruffin McNeill officially has been tabbed as
Texas Tech's defensive coordinator after serving as interim DC
since midseason 2007... Gary DeLoach is returning to North Texas
as defensive coordinator, a post he previously held with the
Eagles from 1998- 02.
Notre Dame athletics director Kevin White is the new director of
the Sports Management Institute, the executive management
program for sports management professionals... Northern Iowa
director of athletics Rick Hartzell has resigned effective July
31, 2008, and will end a nine-year tenure with the Panthers...
Florida State selected Bill Shults as head of the athletics
academic support program.
Bowling Green's official athletics Web site is promoting "Listen
Up" - a new online audio service for BGSU fans... FSN Southwest
and selected regional Comcast Sports outlets aired a 30- minute
recap last Saturday and interview highlights from the 2008 Paul
"Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award banquet... East Carolina
has inked a three-year agreement with WNCT-FM Radio in
Greenville, N.C., as football network flagship station... San
Francisco has retained J.P. Holland Sports Properties as its
official marketing firm.
The Davey O'Brien Foundation has named Jack Squiers of
Cistercian Preparatory School in Irving, Texas, as the recipient
of the 2007 Davey O'Brien High School Scholarship. The
Foundation presents a $20,000 scholarship to an outstanding
senior student-athlete in the North Texas area and $1,000
scholarships to each of three other finalists. The recipient is
chosen on the basis of scholastic achievements, community
service, character, leadership and varsity sports participation.
Former Huntington (Ind.) director of athletics Richard
Klopfenstein, 85, died.
Key NFF Dates
May 1: Announcement of Hall of Fame Class of 2008
July 18-19: College Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival - South Bend, Ind.
July 23-27: NFF Play It Smart National Conference - Arlington,
Texas Dec. 9: Annual NFF Awards Dinner at the Waldorf=Astoria.
www.footballfoundation.com
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