D1 College Football News

August 11 , 2008

Source: The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, Inc.


NFF News

The College Football Hall of Fame and the Madison Center will present the 11th Annual KeyBank Salmon Chase on Sept. 13 in South Bend, Ind. The 10K/5K will begin at 8:00 a.m., prior to the Notre Dame vs. Michigan game. For more information, please visit www.collegefootball.org

New members of the NFF's National Scholar- Athlete Alumni Association: John Cochran (Auburn); Morgan Copeland, Jr. (Texas); Tim Green (Syracuse); Dr. Craig Mahoney (Iowa State); Peyton Manning (Tennessee); and Dr. Harry Tolly (Nebraska).

Several College Football Hall of Famers have participated in previous in Olympic games. These inductees include: Jim Thorpe (Carlisle); Herschel Walker (Georgia); Ollie Matson (San Francisco); Jack Riley (Northwestern); and Sam Francis (Nebraska).

The Auburn Chapter held its annual membership drive on Aug. 7 at the university's football complex. Members of the Tigers' coaching staff attended and spoke to the group of approximately 80 about the upcoming season. The attendees then accompanied the coaches to the team practice afterwards.

Two-Minute Drill

Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops, several assistant coaches and members of the '08 Sooners' football squad volunteered for bone marrow donor screenings last week... Florida State has established a Seminole Fitness Challenge to promote exercise among youngsters... 2005 College Football Hall of Fame inductee David Williams will return to Illinois for the school's Renaissance Celebration Game against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 6. He joins a long list of legendary Illinois players for the 2008 home opener, when fans will get their first look at the newly finished stadium... 2006 College Football Hall of Famer Chad Hennings will be the guest speaker for Rockpointe Church's (Texas) Leadership Series on Aug. 20... Michigan, Notre Dame and Oklahoma ranked as the top three nationally in football traditions based on a national survey by Collegiate Licensing Co. and Learfield Sports... The "Vince Dooley Roast & Toast" charity event was held last Saturday in Atlanta. Proceeds benefitted Children's Healthcare of Atlanta... Washington State QB legend Drew Bledsoe and university president Elson S. Floyd will be the featured speakers at the 46th annual Northwest Dodge Dealers Cougar Sports Banquet and Auction on Aug. 21... Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler and Delaware State mentor Al Lavan are celebrity chefs tonight in the Dover Downs Is Cooking contest to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware and Impact Delaware Tobacco Prevention Coalition... Central Michigan head coach Butch Jones threw out the first pitch at Comerica Park in Detroit last month... SMU will honor its 1968 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl squad during Lettermen's Weekend festivities on Sept 5-6... Navy has established a season ticket sales record for the third season in succession... Fonda and Wayne Huizenga, Jr. , part owners of the Miami Dolphins, recently addressed the Appalachian State football squad on life lessons... Montana State football staff members helped build a home for Habitat for Humanity... Over 550 youth football players attended the NCAA's Football Youth Day clinics in New Orleans, Atlanta and Albuquerque.

Kansas State head coach Ron Prince received a five-year contract extension through 2013... Ohio hired Russ Eisenstein as its new director of broadcasting... Leigh Torbin was named director of communications at UCF... The Papajohns.com Bowl named Joe Dean Jr. chairman of community relations.

Texas Tech unveiled expansion plans of $25 million for Jones AT&T Stadium after the '08 season... Penn State will introduce LED ribbon boards at Beaver Stadium this season and signed a deal with software supplier ANC Sports... Hawai'i has signed an eight-year athletics apparel and merchandising agreement with Under Armour... Judy Devine, a long- time member of the Kent State athletics department, has made a large donation to the university, benefitting the expansion of KSU's Academic Resource Center and the Athletic Academic Honors Dinner... Michigan also unveiled its new Adidas jerseys for '08... The Eastern Michigan Athletics Department celebrated a second consecutive record-breaking fundraising year.

Utah State's 2009 Athletics Hall of Fame includes football legends OL Dave Kragthorpe, RB-KR Tom Larscheid and QB John Pappas... The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) announced the addition of three members to its 2008 All-America Committee, which selects winners of the Bronko Nagurski and Outland trophies: Frank Coyle, draftinsiders.com; Chadd Cripe, Idaho Statesman; and Phil Stukenborg, The Memphis Commercial Appeal... Allstate has become the corporate sponsor of the 2008 American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team. Over 70 student-athletes from all NCAA and NAIA divisions have been nominated for the 22-man team, which will be named later in the fall.

Chick-fil-A has become a sponsor of ESPN's "College GameDay" ... FSN Ohio will become the exclusive regional cable home of Cincinnati football after a new multi- year agreement with the university... Yale will be featured in three consecutive Ivy League games on the YES Network... Sports streaming facilitator Jacked has signed a cooperative agreement with VERSUS. Versus will also televise 23 college football games this year, including eight from the Mountain West and five each from the Big 12, Pac-10 and the Ivy League.

Jack Rockne, 82, the only living child of College Football Hall of Fame head coach Knute Rockne, died yesterday in South Bend, Ind. He was youngest of four children of the coaching legend... Simpson Pepper, 79, the public address voice of Alabama football from 1970-97 and hundreds of games at Birmingham's Legion Field from the 1960s until recent years, died in Birmingham last week.