On The Sidelines

Monday's Chalktalk

News and Notes

From Around College Football

for November 2, 2009

NFF News

The BCS Standings will be released by the NFF between 4:00-4:40 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 8.

The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) recently announced the 2009 National Scholar-Athlete class, who will vie as the finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, endowed by HealthSouth. Selected as the best and the brightest from the college gridiron, from a nationwide pool of 154 semifinalists among all NCAA divisions and the NAIA, the 16 members of the 2009 class are:

Jon Asamoah (Illinois), Matt Bauman (BYU), Eric Decker (Minnesota), Moses Harris (Fresno State), Tim Hiller (Western Michigan), Paul Jasinowski (Brown), Beau Kildow (Morningside College (Iowa)), Josh Mahoney (Northern Iowa), Colt McCoy (Texas), Jarrell NeSmith (Tusculum College (Tenn.)), Joe Pawelek (Baylor), Todd Reesing (Kansas), ZaVious Robbins (Hardin-Simmons (Texas)), Tim Tebow (Florida), Blaine Westemeyer (Augustana College (Ill.)) and Reed Williams (West Virginia) . The William V. Campbell Trophy winner will be announced during the 52nd NFF Annual AWwards Dinner on Dec. 8, 2009 at the Waldorf=Astoria in New York City.

Prior to Saturday's On-Campus Salute at Oregon, 2009 NFF Gold Medal winner Phil Knight made the guest selections on ESPN's College GameDay.

Louisiana Tech's On-Campus Salute to Fred Dean will take place this Friday in the Bulldogs' game against Boise State. Director of

Membership Ron Dilatush will be on hand to represent the NFF. The game kicks off at 7:00 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

NFF National Scholar-Athlete Tim Tebow was recognized as Florida's Scholar Athlete of the Game during CBS's coverage of the Florida-Georgia game on Saturday. Tebow also broke College Football Hall of Famer Herschel Walker's (Georgia) SEC record for rushing touchdowns.

Forest Evashvski, 91, a 2000 College Football Hall of Fame inductee and former Iowa coach, died last Friday in Petoskey, Mich. Evashvski also played for Michigan.

Nick Batalis (Butler), Robert Burger (Notre Dame) and Eli Manning (Ole Miss) have joined the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association.

The Oregon Ducks (7-1) are the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week for games of the weekend of Oct. 31, as chosen by the board of the Football Writers Association of America.

The Connecticut football team is this week's nominee for the 2009 FedEx Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award, to be announced at the end of the season.

For everyday sports fans who yearn to see their names highlighted on a cable sports show, Liberty Mutual has created a funny college football video starring ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit that fans can customize and share with friends. In the video, Herbstreit chronicles the zany adventures of a college football fan who would do anything to support his or her coach, from skywriting to painting messages on farm silos. Just visit www.coachoftheyear.com/superfan, enter in your and your favorite coach's names, and instantly become the star of this adventure. And by sharing this video via e- mail and Facebook, you'll support your coach for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award, an honor that donates $50,000 to winners' favorite charities and $20,000 to their schools' alumni associations.

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 such as the quarterly Footballetter and the prestigious NFF Annual Awards Dinner Program 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.

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.footballfound ation.com.

Look for the NFF's "This Week in College Football History" posted and released every Friday on our website at www.footballfoundation.com.

Two-Minute Drill

Scheduling

North Texas received final approval to build a $78 million dollar stadium that will break ground in January.

Business

Bill Hayes has been named the new athletics director for Winston-Salem State University effective January 1, 2010... Through 2013, the Chick-fil-A Bowl will continue to get the second selection from the ACC after the BCS makes its pick ... Oregon State President Ed Ray has been named chair of the NCAA Executive Committee, effective immediately. He replaces Georgia President Michael Adams... The Collegiate Licensing Company reached an agreement with Grambling State University to manage its trademark licensing program... UC-Davis and IMG College have reached an agreement to allow the company to be the school's exclusive third party sales representative for corporate sponsorships.

Awards and Honors

Myles Brand, the late president of the NCAA, was honored on Wednesday night in a ceremony at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz hosted the event and Indiana University's Michael McRobbie announced the creation of an endowed chair for cancer research in Brand's honor. Soprano Sylvia McNair and rock star John Mellencamp sang in Brand's honor... College Football Hall of Fame coach Vince Dooley has been named the 2010 Paul "Bear" Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award recipient... Beginning Saturday, October 31, the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award® will kick off The O'Brien On-the-Road Campaign. Over the next four weekends, The O'Brien On-the-Road Campaign will visit a home game for each of the 15 Semifinalists to promote each quarterback's campaign for the award.

Miscellaneous

Oklahoma State and Oregon hosted record home crowds for their games against Texas and USC, respectively... Elon's Terrell Hudgins broke College Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice's Division I-AA record for 100-yard receiving games... NFF National Scholar- Athlete Eric Decker will have season ending surgery on his left foot... ESPN will salute veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces Nov. 4-11 with America's Heroes: A Salute to Our Veterans. ESPN GameDay will be on campus for the Air Force game against Army in Colorado Springs and the salute will wrap up with a special edition of SportsCenter Wednesday, Nov. 11 (Veteran's Day), from West Point... Former Florida quarterback and 1996 William V. Campbell Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel and former Georgia kicker and College Football Hall of Fame member Kevin Butler were guests on CBS College's Tony Barnhart Show last weekend.

Obituaries

Darvin Wallis, 60, 37-year assistant coach at Tulane, Mississippi and with the Kansas City Chiefs, died last week in Colorado.

Key NFF Dates for 2009

Tuesday, Oct. 29- Announcement of the William V. Campbell Trophy Finalists and the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class

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.

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)

This Week in College Football History:

Nov. 9 - Nov. 15

As part of an ongoing series throughout the fall, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame posts This Week in College Football History, which takes a look back at some of college football's landmark moments over the last 140 years. During the season, many of these events are featured in a changing exhibit at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind.

FEATURED MOMENT:

November 13, 1993 - No. 1 Florida State visited No. 2 Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. for the first-ever on-site broadcast by ESPN's College GameDay. Originally airing in 1987, GameDay was broadcast from ESPN's studio in Bristol, Connecticut until hitting the road for the showdown between the two top-ranked teams. The Seminoles' late charge, led by College Football Hall of Famer Charlie Ward and running back Warrick Dunn, fell short and the Irish beat the Seminoles, 31-24.

OTHER NOTABLE DATES:

November 9, 1957 - William & Mary upset No. 10 N.C. State 7-6 in Raleigh. The Tribe forced five turnovers and scored the game-winning touchdown on a 67-yard drive that was capped off by running back Dave Edmund's touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

November 10, 1984 - Facing a 31-0 deficit at halftime, unranked Maryland completed the biggest comeback in NCAA history at the time, beating Miami (Fla.) 42-40 in the Orange Bowl. The Terrapins, led by back-up quarterback Frank Reich, scored on six consecutive drives in the second half and stopped Hurricane running back Melvin Bratton's two-point conversion attempt on the goal line late in the fourth quarter.

November 11, 1978- Led by receiver Dave Shula, son of legendary coach Don Shula, and quarterback Buddy Teevens, current coach at Dartmouth, the Big Green beat Brown 31-21 in Providence to break its first place tie with the Bruins at the top of the Ivy League. Brown quarterback Mark Whipple, currently the offensive coordinator at Miami (Fla.), opened up the scoring with a four-yard touchdown run in the first.

November 12, 1983 - UCLA, led by College Football Hall of Fame coach Terry Donahue, only needed a tie against Arizona to punch its ticket to the Rose Bowl but kicker John Lee's field goal sailed wide as time expired to lose, 27-24, in Tucson. Bruins' quarterback and current head coach Rick Neuheisel threw for 185 yards and a touchdown in the loss.

November 14, 1998 - Undefeated No. 2 Kansas State beat conference foe No. 11 Nebraska for the first time since 1968, 40-30 in Manhattan. With the win the Wildcats clinched the Big 12 North title, the first football championship of any kind for Kansas State since 1934.

November 15, 1890 - Minnesota and Wisconsin squared off for the first time in what has become the most-played series in college football history. The Gophers beat the Badgers 63-0 in Minneapolis. The two teams have played for "Paul Bunyan's Axe" 119 times.

This Week in College Football History provided by, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame.

Football is an extraordinarily exclusive sport. It not only is the sport with the greatest number of team participants, but it also has the largest number of specialized roles, 11 players on offense, another 11 players on defense, people playing on special teams who are involved in kickoffs, punts, field goals and extra point attempts. It is a complicated and strategic game. It is like a giant chess match with 11 different pieces on both offense and defense moving simultaneously in an effort to out smart their opponents.

If a team is to be successful, each player must perform his assignments with total commitment, while trusting that his teammates will do the same. If one player does not fulfill his job, the whole team suffers the consequences.

All team sports require teamwork and reliance on others. So what is so special about football? There is no other team sport in which a person can be an all-star without ever having touched the ball or scored a point? The fact is that much of the workings of a successful football team go on unobserved by most fans. The intricate blocking or defensive schemes employed by football teams often get lost in the excitement of a running back breaking into the open or a safety making an interception or a punt returner going 80 yards for a touchdown. On every successful play there are players executing their job getting no recognition other than a pat on the back by a teammate or a high five from a coach.

Just like football, "The St. Louis-Tom Lombardo Chapter of The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame", is an extraordinarily exclusive group. We are made up of many individuals working relentlessly together promoting amateur football in the St. Louis area. We seek no recognition, our love of the game of football keeps us committed. If you too love football, honor its traditions, thrill to its spectacle, believe in its positive role in developing America's youth, we invite you to join with us.

Penalty Flags' Roots Grew In Youngstown More Than 60 Years Ago
     In the game of football, a penalty flag is thrown when a rules infraction occurs during a game. The creation of that penalty flag was in Youngstown, Ohio 60 years ago this season.
     It was created by former Youngstown State University coach, Dwight Dike Beede on Oct. 17, 1941. The flag was first used in a game against Oklahoma City University at the Youngstown’s Rayen Stadium. Today the penalty flag is used in every competitive football game throughout the world.
     Before the introduction of the penalty flag, the officials used horns and whistles to signal a penalty. This made it difficult for fans and the media to know that there was an infraction on the field because they could not hear the signal.
     Beede said, "I always disliked the fish horn signal, figured it was a nuisance, irritating to the ears."
     Jack McPhee, who was an official during the first game the penalty flag was used said, "Through the use of the signal flag, everyone in the stadium knows that something is wrong. It’s been a big help."
     Beede came up with idea of the flag and had his wife sew it together. His wife, Irma Beede, later became known as the ‘Betsy Ross of Football’ because she sewed the first flags together. He asked her to make a flag that had a bright color (red) with white stripes. The flags were put together using pieces of the Beede’s daughter’s old Halloween costume for the red part of the flag and an old sheet for the white part. She used some lead sinkers from Beede’s fishing tackle box to weigh it down. It was 16 inches square with the weight all at one end of the flag. The flag has been modified over the years and today it is yellow cloth that has sand in it to weigh it down.
     Beede came to an agreement with Oklahoma City Coach Os Doenges to use the flags as an experiment. Beede proceeded to ask the game officials to use the flag.
     "Do me a favor boys, instead of using the horns, try dropping these flags on violations. The fans never hear the horns. Besides its just an experiment."
     The four game officials Hugh McPhee, Jack McPhee, Bill Renner, and Carl Rebele all agreed to use the flag.
     Jack McPhee later used the flag at the Ohio State-Iowa game which happened to have the league’s commissioner, Major John Griffith, as a spectator at the game. He became very curious why the officials were throwing "rags" in the air when a penalty was called. Griffith was impressed with the idea after McPhee explained what was going on after the game.
     The flag was officially introduced at the 1948 American Football Coaches rules session.
     McPhee carried the original flag for many contests including games of Princeton-Yale and various Ohio State games until it faded. He made his way to the Rose Bowl, where the flag was tossed in front of 100,000 fans.
     Two of the original flags are on display in Mosure Hall on the fourth level in Stambaugh Stadium.

A history and tradition more than 100 years old.
The leather football helmet has its origin more than100 years ago first worn in an 1893 Army-Navy game. An Annapolis shoemaker created the first helmet for Admiral Joseph Mason Reeves, who had been advised by a Navy doctor that he would be risking death or "instant insanity" if he took another kick to the head. Later in 1896 Lafayette College halfback George Barclay so feared the fabled cauliflower ear on his "hearing organs", which he felt was a direct cause of playing bare-headed, that he had a playing hat made. His design was a special headgear which was held to his head by three heavy leather straps fashioned by a harness maker, thus giving the first football helmets the nomenclature "head-harness". The Golden Era - The helmet as we know it today has undergone many changes in its 100 years. Helmets were not mandatory until the 30's. Most of the 1890--1915 games were actually played without helmets. It was not unusual to see half of the early players with helmets and half without. Around World War I the helmets were so flimsy that they were often mistaken for aviator caps. Year by year more padding was added and from the 1920's thru 1940's, considered the Golden Age of college, pro and high school football helmets always were strictly of leather construction. Flying wing, colors and targets - Another interesting fact was that nearly all of the games in this era were played in unadorned helmets —school logos colors and mascots were rarely used. As the great rivalries grew colleges and high schools began to hand-paint their helmets. The idea was that the simple colors, in the first days of the forward pass, allowed receivers to finally be distinguishable to the quarterback when they were heavily covered and far down the field. Not until 1948 was the first logo, the Rams horns, painted on a pro leather helmet. Soon after, practically every college, pro and high school team put their logos and mascots on their helmets. But the great old leather helmet was spared much of this "clutter" as its days faded into history before 1950.