News Nuggets, 08.29.03
NOTES FROM ECU AND BEYOND...
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Compiled from staff reports
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ECU and U of L coaches establish new
pre-game traditions
PREVIOUS NUGGETS |
08.28.03: Muse
pushes Pirates' cause with ACC chief... .. Nix wins national
coaching honor... .. Revered former TCU football coach passes... ..
More... |
08.27.03: Logan
teams up with Hinton on weekly sports show... .. Injury no
barrier to recognition for Art Brown... .. Southern Miss, LSU
schedule two-game series... ..
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08.26.03: J.T.
set for Cyberspace hookup with fans... .. Early TV exposure
plentiful for C-USA teams... .. Nevels wins scramble for Army
starting QB job... .. Green Wave elects team captains... ..
Attrition depletes Billikens' projected hoops roster... ..
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08.25.03: Southern
Miss 'community blitz' package includes ear of corn... ..
Tough Louisville hoops slate heavy on national TV exposure... ..
More... |
08.24.03: USM-Cal
game selected for HD-TV telecast... .. ECU-Houston game
celebrates region's military bases... .. Charlotte slate
features two Final Four teams... ..
More... |
08.23.03: New
ECU depth chart packed with answers... .. Butkus committee
eyes seven C-USA players... .. Hawaii Bowl lands new title
sponsor... ..
More... |
08.22.03: Pirate
offense percolates, QB battle heats up... .. Bearcats offer
incentives for fans to attend ECU game... .. Cincinnati player
penalized for unapproved game... ..
More... |
08.21.03: Michigan
programs oppose schedule shifts to Friday night... .. Clock
ticking on ECU starting position battles... ..
More... |
08.20.03: Private
money rolls in for TCU basketball palace... .. Bearcats' hoops
slate loaded with heavyweights... .. Berry starts unraveling
Army QB logjam... ..
More... |
08.19.03: Muse
taps in-house talent to buy time for AD search... .. C-USA
saddled with another Friday night game... .. League
official Teter accepts Cincinnati position... ..
More... |
08.18.03: Work
ethic reaps dividends for USM walk-ons... .. Tigers take
preseason trip to Liberty Bowl... ..
More... |
08.17.03: Pirates'
final open practice touches all bases... .. AP poll identifies
Horned Frogs as Top 25 material... ..
More... |
08.16.03: East
Carolina's go-to running back sidelined for 2003... .. Pirate
football legends headed to Hall of Fame... .. 'Uptown' Pirate
Radio sets sail for football season... ..
More... |
08.15.03: ECU
harvests brightest crop of newcomers yet... .. Ailing Schwab
waits patiently for new lungs... .. Calipari picked for
UNICO's Lombardi Award... ..
More... |
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New head coaches at East Carolina and
Louisville are on the same wave length when it comes to how they want their
players to make their entrance for home games.
The Pirates will trek to Dowdy-Ficklen
Stadium through the buzz of the fans' parking lot two hours before each home
kickoff. First-year ECU head coach John Thompson has embraced the idea of
the "Pirate Walk" as a worthy new tradition.
"I think the Pirate Walk will create a lot
of excitement for the fans and team," Thompson said. "I know that our
players enjoy that and having everyone come from tailgating to be a part of
this tradition is exciting."
Starting at Harrington Field, ECU's
baseball stadium located off of Charles Boulevard, the football team will be
dropped off by the team buses near the third base side of the stadium, where
the Pirates will begin a five-minute stroll up to the team locker room in
the Ward Sports Medicine Building.
Along its journey, the team will be ushered
by the Marching Pirates and the ECU Cheerleaders through throngs of festive
and tailgating fans, down the gravel road located between the Pirate Club
lots and the Cliff Moore Football Practice Facility.
"For the fans, I think it is a chance to
see a different side of the team," said Thompson. "When they step off that
bus, they can see how focused the players are about going to war and
representing the university. This walk is a critical time in our game
preparation."
The Pirate Walk is expected to grow into a
major part of the game-day at ECU — so much so that Thompson has it listed on
the players' game weekend itinerary.
"I have seen the walk tradition happen at a
lot of places like Tennessee, Ole Miss and Auburn. I think that it adds to
the football atmosphere, and I know that it will help our team get ready to
play and we'll play better because of that."
The Pirate Walk will first occur at ECU's
home game against West Virginia on Saturday, Sept. 6. With kickoff scheduled
at 7 p.m., the Pirate Walk will get underway promptly at 5 p.m. beginning at
Harrington Field.
The thought process that inspired the
Pirate Walk was similar to the one which motivated new Louisville coach
Bobby Petrino to adopt a pre-game ritual that will be called the "CardMarch."
Petrino cited hundreds of letters and e-mails as the deciding factor in
coming up with the name for the new custom.
"We received an overwhelming response,"
said Petrino. "We'd like to thank the fans for their participation and their
input. It was great to see the originality in some of the responses, and I
was glad that our fans had some fun with it."
The CardMarch is a creation of Petrino that
will take place prior to each Cardinal home game. The team will be dropped
off at the South side Denny Crum Overpass two hours and 15 minutes prior to
kickoff. With the assistance of the U of L marching band and cheerleaders,
the team will walk through the Green Lot and into Papa John's Cardinal
Stadium. Fans are invited to arrive early and create an entrance way for the
players as they head into the stadium.
"We wanted to do something that our fans
could relate with and be a part of," said Petrino. " We hope this a ritual
that our fans will embrace and build it into something special. It's
important to have traditions, and we hope we can start one that will be
special to all Cardinal fans."
Fans will be able to greet the team for the first CardMarch on September 20
at 12:45 p.m. when the Cardinals host UTEP at 3:00 p.m. in the team's home
opener..
Pirates' Dougherty, Houston's McClary on Guy Award list
Two Conference USA players are among 32
players named as candidates for college football's most prestigious award
for punters. East Carolina's Ryan Dougherty and Houston's Jimmy McClary have
been named to the Ray Guy Award watch list, the Greater Augusta Sports
Council announced on Thursday.
Dougherty, a native of Orlando, Fla., is a
sophomore academically and a redshirt freshman in terms of football
eligibility. Highly touted as a recruit in 2002, Dougherty has been
impressive in spring and fall scrimmages, averaging well over 40 yards per
punt. Dougherty will be taking over punting duties from Jarad Preston, who
ranked among the nation's top dozen punters during each of the past two
seasons.
McClary will punt for the Cougars for the
third straight season and was recently named to the preseason All-Conference
USA first team. Last season, McClary averaged 38.9 yards per kick with 14
placed inside the 20-yard line. More importantly, McClary's net average of
35.9 placed the Cougars in the top 35 in the nation in this category. He has
not had a punt blocked in 125 attempts.
Ray Guy, the award's namesake, was an
All-American punter at Southern Mississippi and went on to a fabled career
as a punter for the NFL's Oakland Raiders. A native of Thomson, GA, Guy was
unsurpassed in his ability to impact the outcome of games with hang time and
ball control. Since his retirement, Ray Guy has sought to bring heightened
awareness and recognition to the punter position at all levels, and to
spotlight the contributions and talents that these young athletes bring to
the playing field.
The Ray Guy Award winner is determined by a
national selection committee made up of sports writers, college football
coaches and sports information directors, former punters and members
designated by the Greater Augusta Sports Council. Among the statistics to be
included in determining the Ray Guy Award winner are total yardage, number
of times a punt is downed or kicked out of bounds inside of the opponent's
20-yard line, net average, average return yardage and percentage not
returned. The winner will display leadership and self-discipline, and will
have a positive impact on the team's success.
The Ray Guy Award watch list will be
narrowed to 10 semi-finalists who will be announced in early November. The
national voting body will then vote for the three finalists and the winner
who will be announced in late November. On December 11, 2003, the three
finalists will travel to Orlando, Florida for the Home Depot College
Football Awards Show, with the winner being announced and presented with the
award live on ESPN. The winner will be invited to Augusta, Georgia for a
two-day celebration, including the Greater Augusta Sports Awards Gala, the
Ray Guy Kicking & Punting Academy, and community appearances.
2003 Ray Guy Award Watch List |
Curtis Ansel, Kansas, Senior
Grant Autrey, Louisiana-Lafayette, Senior
Bryce Benekos, Texas-El Paso, Junior
Vinnie Burns, Virginia Tech, Senior
Adam Coles, Connecticut, Senior
Jared Cook, Mississippi State, Junior
Luke Donovan, Wyoming, Senior
Ryan Dougherty, East Carolina, Sophomore
Ryan Downes, Idaho, Senior
Adam Finley, Michigan, Senior
Brock Harvey, Missouri, Senior
Austin Herbert, North Carolina State, Senior
Brian Huffman, Northwestern, Senior
Todd James, West Virginia, Senior
Derek Jones, Nevada, Senior
Donnie Jones, Louisiana State, Senior |
Brad Kadlubar, North Texas, Junior
Kyle Larson, Nebraska, Senior
Andy Lee, Pittsburgh, Senior
Tom Malone, Southern California, Sophomore
Jimmy McClary, Houston, Senior
Tim Parker, Arizona State, Senior
Matt Payne, Brigham Young, Senior
Ryan Plackemeier, Wake Forest, Sophomore
Adam Podlesh, Maryland, Sophomore
Cody Ridgeway, Mississippi, Junior
Cody Scates, Texas A&M, Senior
Nicholas Setta, Notre Dame, Senior
John Skaggs, Navy, Senior
Brent Slaton, Purdue, Senior
Mike Wafzig, Miami (Ohio),Junior
Tony Yelk, Iowa State, SenioR |
TCU establishes separate baseball booster organization
Head coach Jim Schlossnagle and his staff
are inviting all Texas Christian fans to attend the TCU Baseball Tailgate
and Reception, Saturday, September 6 at Lupton Stadium and Williams-Reilly
Field. Gates for the event will open at 3:30 pm beginning with a meal and a
short program set to begin at 4:45. Admission and food are free.
The formation of the Diamond Club, a TCU
baseball booster club, will be announced during the short program. The
purpose of this group will be to raise interest in the TCU baseball program
and provide financial support for baseball scholarships and the baseball
operating budget.
News Nuggets are
compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member
schools, and from Associated Press and
other reports. Copyright 2003
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