VIEW THE MOBILE ALPHA VERSION OF THIS SITE

News Nuggets, 12.02.05
 —  —  —  —  —
NOTES FROM ECU AND BEYOND...

Previous Day Nuggets...             Next Day Nuggets...

Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Disney picks storm-weary Wave for Spirit Award

According to an announcement that is likely to conjure up a poignant deja vu moment for members of the East Carolina community, the Tulane University football team has been chosen for the 2005 Disney's Wide World of Sports Spirit Award.

Tulane's selection for the award, which is given annually to college football's most inspirational student-athlete or team, was announced Thursday by the Disney Company.

The Green Wave program was selected for the award after persevering through the season under adverse circumstances in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the team's home city of New Orleans in August and forced the team to abandon its campus.

East Carolina University's football team was presented the award in 1999 after enduring similar dire circumstances. The Pirates finished the regular season in the national rankings after overcoming the epic floods and devastation from Hurricane Floyd that displaced the team from its campus and affected the entire eastern North Carolina region.

Tulane played 11 games in 11 different stadiums this season, including "home" games in six different cities, and endured logistical challenges in an effort to fulfill the mandate of university president Scott Cowen to "carry the torch, be the face and represent the name" of Tulane University.

"The Tulane University football team handled these incredibly difficult circumstances the same way we would hope that we would if faced with the same challenges - with fortitude, resolve and unwavering optimism," stated Disney Sports Attractions Vice President Reggie Williams, a former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker. "Their determination amid such extraordinary circumstances is a testament to the character and leadership within their football program, and is reflective of the very ideals that led us to create Disney's Wide World of Sports Spirit Award."

Disney's Director of Sports & Recreation Planning and New Event Development Kellen Winslow, an NFL Hall of Famer, will present the award to Tulane head coach Chris Scelfo and seniors Matt Traina and Brandon Spincer as part of ESPN's live broadcast of The Home Depot 2005 College Football Awards at Walt Disney World Resort on Thursday, Dec. 8. The 15th annual awards show is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. CT.

The Tulane football program, which consists of 120 players, coaches and staff, evacuated New Orleans on Aug. 28, one day before the hurricane hit New Orleans in what was one of the worst natural disasters in American history. The team endured a 10-hour bus ride to Jackson, Miss., where players slept on air mattresses in the Jackson State University gym for two nights — one of which was spent without power or running water.

Because of worsening conditions in Jackson, the team was eventually forced to relocate again to a hotel in Dallas, where it used facilities provided by Southern Methodist University, including a weight room and dining facilities. Throughout the ordeal, players and coaches anxiously watched daily news reports from New Orleans while not knowing the fate of many friends and family members still in the hurricane-devastated areas.

With the fall semester canceled at Tulane, the school's athletic teams were split up among four universities in two states with the football team moving from Dallas to Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, LA. There, players were housed in a dormitory that had been closed for more than a year for renovations. A banquet hall in Louisiana Tech's basketball arena was converted into a makeshift locker room, although there were no actual lockers.

With the team's Sept. 3 season-opener at Southern Mississippi postponed due to the hurricane damage sustained in Hattiesburg, MS, Tulane finally played its season-opener and first "home"game at Independence Stadium in Shreveport on Sept. 17 against Mississippi State. The Green Wave lost 21-14, but the team bounced back with two straight wins over SMU and Southeastern Louisiana despite the off-field challenges the players still faced because of the hurricane.

Tulane also played home games in Baton Rouge, LA, (Oct. 1 vs. Southeast Louisiana), Lafayette, LA, (Oct. 8 vs. Houston), Ruston, LA, (Oct. 14 vs. Texas-El Paso), Mobile, AL, (Oct. 29 vs. Marshall) and Monroe, LA (Nov. 19 vs. Tulsa).

"In coaching, we all stress to our players that adverse situations make stronger student-athletes and stronger people," stated Scelfo, the Wave's head coach. "This group of players exemplified the ability to overcome adversity and to persevere through the largest national disaster in our nation's history while representing themselves, our city and our university. I appreciate the people from Disney for recognizing these players and coaches with this year's Spirit Award."

Disney's Wide World of Sports Spirit Award is presented annually to college football's most inspirational individual or team. The Tulane University football team becomes the tenth recipient of the Disney Spirit Award, joining past honorees Daniel Huffman (1996), Dwight Collins (1997), Matt Hartl (1998), East Carolina University (1999), Hameen Ali (2000), the United States Service Academy football teams (2001), Dewayne White (2002), Neil Parry (2003) and Tim Frisby (2004).

In commemoration of the Spirit Award's 10th year as part of the Home Depot College Football Awards, the Tulane University football team will receive the newly designed Disney's Wide World of Sports Spirit Award trophy. The new trophy, rivaling the more magnificent awards in college sports, will be presented at this year's awards show on Dec. 8.

From a Conference USA report.

C-USA Basketball Standings, Scores & Schedule

C-USA Football Standings, Scores & Schedule

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from Associated Press and other sources. Copyright 2005 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007 12:30 PM