News and Notes from East Carolina, Conference USA and Beyond

PREVIOUS NUGGETS

06.24.06: Del Conte takes reins as AD at Rice ... Contact at combine means fine for Emory ... UNCW aligns with adidas for shoes, uniforms

06.23.06: Witter starts professional ball with a flourish ... Big Ben's little sister commits to Sooners ... Wake Forest football recruit faces felony charges

06.22.06: Big Ten scores momentous television deals ... Former ECU diver Derr to coach at JMU ... Grizzlies turn to Tinkle on hardwood

06.21.06: Troth returns to the fold as ECU assistant ... College of Charleston, Herrion settle on buyout ... Another national award for Houston's Lincoln

06.20.06: ECU announces long-term pact with Nike ... Pirates release women's soccer schedule ... Three C-USA linemen on Outland Trophy list

06.19.06: USM-Memphis game shifts to Sunday for ESPN ... Tar Heels AD Baddour gets contract extension ... U.S. Women's open to have distinct Duke flavor

06.18.06: Rice rallies in its College World Series opener ... Houston's Lincoln gets 2006 Howser Trophy ... C-USA's top scorer backs away from NBA draft

06.17.06: ECU grad Millican wins N.C. women's amateur ... College World Series: Tigers win in comeback ... LSU's Carter sweeps national track honors

06.16.06: Ex-ECU assistant named Campbell grid coach ... Pirate softball ace Keli Harrell named All-State .. Report: Back woes nix Redick draft workouts

06.15.06: Camels expected to name football coach ... Rice leads C-USA contingent on A-A team ... K-State, UCLA announce football dates

06.14.06: ECU's Smith among 7 C-USA All-Americans ... Duke star Redick charged with drunk driving ... UAB selects Shoop to guide baseball program

06.13.06: Owls carrying C-USA banner to Omaha ... ECU's Ray shares Coastal Plain League honor ... Terms of Huggins' K-State contract reported

06.12.06: ECU ticket office temporarily relocates ... Irish safety's ring debut: Bell rung quickly ... Miners seventh in NCAA men's track

06.11.06: Miami loses Berry- recruited QB to baseball ... Clemens award finalists have C-USA flavor ... Buckeyes announce series with Toledo

06.10.06: ECU network announces blowtorch flagships ... "The Buzz" remains in Pirate broadcast lineup ... Former LSU athlete turned pro wrestler dies

06.09.06: ECU's "Voice" revving up for benefit "Ride" ... Pirates bow out at NCAA track & field meet ... ODU makes plans to add I-AA football

06.08.06: MLB Draft: Smith selected by A's, Mathews by Giants ... ECU's Hunt, Krug take Scholar Athlete honors ... NCAA nixes course credits from 'diploma mills'

06.07.06: ECU's track elite at NCAA meet in Sacramento ... Super region pairings pit Rice against Sooners ... Cleared USC quarterback says he's rejoined team

06.06.06: NCAA change on grad transfers gets reaction ... Duke reinstates men's lacrosse with conditions ... Cardieri resigns as baseball coach at USF

06.05.06: Owls carry C-USA banner against Bears ... Laval steps down as LSU baseball coach ... Date of "Civil War" changed for TV

06.04.06: C-USA players reap All-America honors ... "Flesh- eating" germ claims Tulsa gridder ... Blazers baseball coach hangs up cleats

06.03.06: ECU's Jake Smith named 2nd-team All-America ... Pirates get first signee in McPhaul golfing era ... Duke men's lacrosse program to be reinstated

06.02.06: Bucs' new pitching coach has LeClair pedigree ... Three gridders depart WVU program ... ECU announces blue chip tennis signees

06.01.06: Pirates announce kickoff times, TV games ... ECU excels among C-USA's academic elite ... Rice's Degerman makes Academic All-America

The West Virginia Coal Association announced this week that it has entered a partnership with Marshall University and West Virginia University and will sponsor the upcoming football series between the two schools.

A seven-year series between Marshall and West Virginia begins with this year's contest in Morgantown.

"I am so pleased that a sponsor like Friends of Coal has now stepped up to take this game to a level of national prominence similar to the great in-state rivalries of such schools as Florida-Florida State, Alabama-Auburn and Clemson-South Carolina," West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin said.

Manchin joined representatives of the two universities earlier this week at a news conference, which was held at the Embassy Suites hotel in Charleston, WV.

A game logo that features the Friends of Coal emblem and helmets representing both universities' football teams was also unveiled. The contest was named the Friends of Coal Bowl in honor of the more-than-50,000-member grassroots organization that supports state's coal industry.

The West Virginia Coal Association will make a substantial donation that will benefit both universities and include scholarship support.

West Virginia football coach Rich Rodriguez signed an agreement Saturday that extends his contract an additional three years through the 2012 season, WVU director of athletics Ed Pastilong announced via the university's athletic web site.

Rodriguez’s new contract will pay him $1 million with annual increases each year. This includes a $150,000 base salary and $850,000 in guaranteed promotional income involving Mountaineer Athletic Club appearances, endorsements and radio, television, and Internet activities.

Rodriguez will continue to have the opportunity to earn additional compensation in incentives and summer camps. The incentives will include graduation rates, team grade-point averages, bowl appearances, Big East championships and season ticket sales.

The new pact recognizes Rodriguez’s achievements during the past three seasons when the Mountaineers captured three Big East conference championships and the 2006 Nokia Sugar Bowl title.

Tennessee's non-conference football schedule adds another traditional powerhouse to the ledger next decade with Friday's announcement that the Vols are meeting Nebraska in a home-and-home series.

UT is slated to visit Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, NE, Sept. 10, 2016, with a return engagement set Sept. 9, 2017, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, TN.

"The University of Tennessee and the University of Nebraska share rich football histories with great coaches, players and fans," Tennessee athletics director Mike Hamilton said on the university's athletic web site. "Knoxville and Lincoln are two of the great college towns and I know our respective fans and teams will look forward to these games with great anticipation."

Tennessee already has a prominent slate of non-conference opponents inked to contracts beginning in 2010. The Vols host Oregon that season, travel to North Carolina in 2011, host the Tar Heels in 2012, travel to Oregon in 2013, visit Oklahoma in 2014 and host the Sooners in 2015, before initiating the Nebraska series.

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 other sources. Copyright 2006 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.