College football news and memories; National Football Foundation honoring Wilber Marshall

I'm watching this now!

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Some college football news worth reading about from some emails I received over the weekend straight from the National Football Foundation.

You'll note that former Gator great Wilber Marshall is among the new class,whom I watched and followed closely with the great Super Bowl-winning Bears and Redskins teams while I was living in Chicago/Evanston in the mid-'80's, and then later in Washington, D.C.

He was such a joy to watch!

Just the sheer anticipation of the hits he was about to deliver used to get my friends literally jumping out of their chairs when we'd watch them on TV.

I'd love to see a game b/w that '85 Bears team and the '91 Redskins team that was so methodical and powerful. Having seen both in person, at Soldier Field and RFK Stadium, it'd be a hell of a game to watch.

Now that I think about it, that's one of those match ups that ESPN should've thought of a few years ago when they had that series that incorporated contemporaneous film footage to have teams of different eras play one another to determine who was better.

I usually avoided watching those qhen they were on TV, mostly because I disagreed with the selection of the teams, since it always seemed to have the bias that because the great Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers won the Super Bowls, they'd win the fantasy games.

But the problem is, as we know, that the best team doesn't always win, which is why having the 1968-69 Baltimore Colts team that lost to the Jets in Super Bowl III play the Len Dawson-led Chiefs team that won the Super Bowl a year later against the Vikings, would've been a great match. Don Shula and Unitas/Morrall against Hank Stram and Len Dawson?

Or what about the the great high-powered Vikings team with Randy Moss that choked against the Giants in the NFC championship, actually play the Ravens team that won that year?

Hell, I'd watch those games now!

See Jon Saraceno's great USAT column on Wilber Marshall before the Bears-Colts Super Bowl downpour down here: Marshall's torments not likely to fade

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/saraceno/2007-01-31-wilber-marshall_x.htm

I'm someone who from an early age, while growing up in San Antonio, then Memphis and finally Miami, followed college football more closely than just about anyone I ever met, reading Sports Illustrated and SPORT magazine from cover-to-cover, devouring all the books, films and videos on the subject and its history, while also meeting lots of people involved in it from the 1970's on.

That also included someone who played for one of the best teams of the era, the University of Michigan Wolverines, who was also football family royalty of a sort.

The person in question is Dave Elliott, a Wolverine defensive back from the early 1970's and the son of former Illinois and later U-M head football coach Pete Elliott, who himself later became the Executive Director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, who was one of my counselors when I attended the Bob Griese-Karl Noonan sports camp up in Boca Raton, three summers in a row from 1971-'74.

His personality and mine were somewhat similar, so we spent a lot of time talking about what it was like to play at a prominent big name school like Michigan, where there were always big expectations, plus, having a family name that was as well known as his was in the Midwest.

Plus, of course, his name was Dave, also.

He was also a key witness to my making an interception of Bob Griese in a flag football game and running about 80 yards for a touchdown, using my speed and moves to twice fake out a lunging Griese, who was my then-idol.

This was back in a time and place when I and all the fellow campers there in pre-cable, pre-ESPN America also knew where every single pro athlete who was at camp had gone to school, with Big Ten schools Purdue and Iowa being most prominent because that's where Griese and Noonan had gone and starred.

(This is the same camp where I first met future Emmy-winning sportscaster Roy Firestone, who I'd stay friends with for years -and who recommended I go to Syracuse- back when he was a U-M student who also toiled at Ralph Renick's WTVJ-Channel 4, back when they had the best sports talent in town under Bernie Rosen.

Roy and I kept in touch for many, many years, even after he left Miami and was doing very well out in LA. When it came time to consider schools, after the financial aid situation made it clear that USC was untenable, much to my disappointment, Roy recommended Syracuse to me over IU because of the growing pub of the Newhouse School of Communication, and the possible synergy b/w my own personality and career interests.
I stuck with IU and dropped him a line every so often of what was going on in Hoosierville as Coach Knight made college basketball relevant to someone who grew-up when the U-M didn't have a team.

Years later, when Roy came back for a family visit to Miami, and I was home from Bloomington for either the summer or Christmas, I showed up unexpectedly with my mother at WKAT over on Miami Beach -which had been the Braves weekend affiliate- when Chris Myers -now of FOX-TV- had a radio show, and had announced the night before that Roy would be a guest.

I figured I'd just say hi and talk for a few minutes before he had to go inside.

To Roy's surprise and mine, because Chris and I and the producers had chatted for a bit before the show, Chris surprised me by inviting me -and my mother- to go on the air with Roy for about an hour, as he recalled one great Roy anecdote after another, and I threw in a few when I could.

It was quite a blast.

Even now, I still recall a younger Roy up in Boca Raton going back and forth with Earl Morral's son, Matt, also a counselor, about whether the rock group Deep Purple would remain a studio band, or would tour. Odd the things your brain remembers!)

My conversations with Dave Elliott and his descriptions of what it was like to live in a real Midwestern college town like Ann Arbor, plus all the other stuff I had observed and absorbed by osmosis, are one of the reasons that I always knew from junior high school on, that I'd leave South Florida in the rear view mirror when it came time to go to college.

I wanted a college experience that was more like the ones I saw broadcast every Saturday on ABC's college football broadcasts with Keith Jackson and Chris Schenkel, than the all-too apathetic and blase reality of late '70's South Florida.

Bloomington offered me all the things I wanted -and much more.

I was totally captivated by the college experience that ABC presented in their three hours and knew that was exactly what I wanted, and that while Gainesville or Tallahassee might be fine for some of my friends, I and most of my smarter friends were getting the hell out of Florida, toute-de-suite!

That's why we headed to Princeton, Charlottesville and Boulder...

I recall having game programs of the Liberty Bowl games when I was six, asking my father's friend to get the game program for me for the 1968 Alabama at U-M game at the Orange Bowl, the first night college football game ever televised in color, and years later, when I was at North Miami Beach, seeing the photos of the NMB head football coach and an assistant coach who had played for that Hurricane team.

At my South Beach Hoosier blog, http://www.southbeachhoosier.blogspot.com/ I mention the following under the split-U logo and Sebastian the Ibis:

South Beach Hoosier's first U-M football game at the Orange Bowl was in 1972, age 11, against Tulane in the infamous "Fifth Down" game.

In order to drum up support and attendance for the U-M at the Orange Bowl, that game had a promotion whereby South Florida kids who were school safety patrols could get in for free IF they wore their sash. I did.

Clearly they knew that it was better to let kids in for free, knowing their parents would give them money to buy food and souvenirs, perhaps become a fan and want to return for future games.

The ballgame made an interesting impression on The New York Times, resulting in this gem from the "View of Sport" column of Oct, 14, 1990, labeled 'Fifth Down or Not, It's Over When It's Over.'

"In 1972, aided by a fifth-down officiating gift in the last moments of the game, Miami of Florida defeated Tulane, 24-21. The country and the world was a much different place that fall because The New York Times took time and space to editorialize on the subject.

''Is it right for sportsmen, particularly young athletes, to be penalized or deprived of the goals for which they earnestly competed because responsible officials make mistakes? The ideal of true sportsmanship would be better served if Miami forfeited last week's game.'

South Beach Hoosier hardly needs to tell you that this was YET another New York Times editorial that was completely ignored!

Before going to my first U-M game at the Orange Bowl in 1972, a friend's father often would bring me home an extra 'Canes game program. That's how I came to have the Alabama at U-M game program from Nov. 16, 1968, which was the first nationally-televised college football night game in color. (A 14-6 loss to the Crimson Tide.)

After that first ballgame against Tulane, as I often did for Dolphin games if my father wasn't going, I'd get dropped off at the Levitz parking lot near the 836 & I-95 Cloverleaf in NMB, and catch a Dade County Park & Ride bus, going straight to the Orange Bowl.

Once onboard, I'd get next to the window and listen to WIOD's pre-game show on my Radio Shack transistor radio.

A few times, I was just about the only person onboard besides the bus driver, which was alright by me. Once at the Orange Bowl, if I didn't already have a ticket, I'd buy a game program for myself and one or two for friends or teachers before heading to the ticket window, since you usually couldn't find a program vendor once inside.

I probably had a friend or my father with me for just under 40% of the U-M games I ever went to, but you have to remember that the team, though blessed with several talented players, like Chuck Foreman and Burgess Owens, was just so-so to average at best, and the games were usually played on Friday nights, so it wasn't exactly high on every one's list of things to do.

Depending upon the opponent, if I was alone, I'd often have entire areas of the Orange Bowl to myself. (Wish I had photos of that now!)

For instance, I had a good portion of the East (open) End Zone to myself against Oklahoma in the mid-70's, when the Boomer Schooner and the Schooner Crew went out on the field after an Oklahoma TD, and the Schooner received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty from the refs, as would happen years later in an Orangle Bowl Classic game. (Against FSU?)

I was there for the wins and losses under Pete Elliott, Carl Selmer & Lou Saban, and the huge on-field fight in '73 when under eventual national champion Notre Dame (then under Ara Parseghian), they called a time-out with less than a minute to go, and already up 37-0.

Their rationale? To score another TD and impress the AP football writers; final score 44-0.

Well, they got their wish and beat Alabama 24-23 for the title at the Sugar Bowl.

A year later, thanks to my Mom's boss, who had tickets he couldn't use, she and I saw Ara's last game as head coach of the Irish in the Orange Bowl Game from the East End Zone -in front of the Alabama cheerleaders!!!- in an exciting 13-11 Notre Dame win over Bear Bryant's Alabama Crimson Tide, and a rematch of the '73 national title game.

I was also present for the U-M's huge 20-15 win under Pete Elliott against Darrel Royal's Texas Longhorns, the week Sports Illustrated's College Football preview issue came out with Texas on the cover, above.

I was also present for lots of wins against schools called College of the Pacific, UNLV and Cal-Poly San Luis Obsispo, which I'd then never heard of before.

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excerpt

from Philip Marwill Dec 5
MEDIA ADVISORY

Contacts: Phil Marwill, the National Football Foundation

Email: pmarwill@footballfoundation.com
Dan Sabreen, CBS College Sports Network Email: dsabreen@cbs.com

THIS JUST IN...... from CBS College Sports Network
CBS College Sports Network announced today that the network will broadcast live the National Football Foundation's press conference for the 2008 NFF Annual Awards Dinner, including the induction of this year's College Football Hall of Fame Bowl Subdivision Class.

The press conference will air live from the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York on Tuesday, Dec. 9 from 9:30 - 11:30 AM, ET.

CBS College Sports Network will also provide live streaming video of the press conference available for free to all fans.

The press conference features National Football Foundation Chairman Archie Manning, 2008 Distinguished American Award recipient T. Boone Pickens, NFF Gold Medal recipient John Glenn, NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell and the 2008 College Football Hall of Fame Class, which includes Troy Aikman (UCLA), Billy Cannon (LSU), Jim Dombrowski (Virginia), Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern), Wilber Marshall (Florida), Rueben Mayes (Washington State), Randall McDaniel (Arizona State), Don McPherson (Syracuse), Jay Novacek (Wyoming), Dave Parks (Texas Tech), Ron Simmons (Florida State), Thurman Thomas (Oklahoma State), Arnold Tucker (Army) and coaches John Cooper and Lou Holtz.

CBS College Sports Network is available through local cable operators and nationally via satellite on DIRECTV Channel 613 and Dish Network Channel 152.
For more information on how to watch or subscribe to CBS College Sports Network, log on to http://www.sportsline.com/cbscollegesports/ _________________________________________
MEDIA ADVISORY

Dec. 9 Press Conference for NFF Annual Awards Dinner & College Football Hall of Fame Bowl Subdivision Inductees

WHO: Former U.S. Senator John Glenn, 2008 NFF Gold Medal recipient

T. Boone Pickens, 2008 NFF Distinguished American Award recipient

2008 College Football Hall of Fame Class - Football Bowl Subdivision (See list below)

2008 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class (See list below)

Archie Manning, NFF Chairman Steve Hatchell, NFF President & CEO

WHAT: Press Conference with access to John Glenn, T. Boone Pickens, the members of the 2008 hall of fame and scholar-athlete classes and the announcement of the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Finalists.

WHERE: The Empire Room at the Waldorf-Astoria, 301 Park Ave., New York, NY, 10022

WHEN: December 9, 2008 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. EST

HOW: * In person * Conference call by clicking here to register.* Live satellite feed from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (See below for coordinates) or clean feed via a Vvxy line at Circuit #1847 at the Waterfront (Ascent Media) in NYC. You may also contact your news service (ABC NewsOne; NBC NewsChannel; CBS Newspath; Sports News Service, CNN Newsource, Fox Feed, etc.) for specific footage. Permission is granted for use for news purposes only.

NOTE 1: Live satellite and clean feed available of dinner ceremonies starting at 7:30 p.m. (See below for coordinates) or clean feed via a Vvxy line at Circuit #1847 at the Waterfront (Ascent Media) in NYC. You may also contact your news service to request specific footage. Permission is granted for use for news purposes only. The Draddy Trophy winner will be announced live between 8:30 and 9 p.m. during this feed.

NOTE 2: Limited media opportunities at a 4:30 p.m. photo session in the Empire Room and the 6:30 p.m. Awards Dinner (Black Tie Required) in the Grand Ballroom. Previous notification required to Phil Marwill to cover all events.

PHOTOS

For Media Only: The National Football Foundation has established a Web site to distribute photos taken by its photographers during the NFF Annual Awards Dinner and surrounding events on Dec. 9 in New York City. Photos will be provided at no cost for one-time use and for news purposes only with a proper photo credit to: "The National Football Foundation." All other rights will be reserved. High resolution photos will continuously be posted throughout the day. To obtain access and/or to be placed on the email list for alerts when particular photos are available, please contact NFF Photographer Gene Boyers

Dec. 9 Press Conference Coordinates(Waldorf-Astoria Empire Room, New York)
9:30-11:30 a.m. ESTG 16 Transponder 6 Slot ADownlink 11804 VSymbol 3.978723Data 5.5FEC 3/4

Dec. 9 Dinner Coordinates (Waldorf-Astoria Grand Ballroom, New York)
19:30-23:30 p.m. ESTG 16 Transponder 6 Slot ADownlink 11804 VSymbol 3.978723Data 5.5FEC 3/4

Note: The morning press conference will provide sound bites from each member of the 2008 College Football Hall of Fame Class, U.S. Senator John Glenn, and T. Boone Pickens. Time permitting several interviews with the NFF National Scholar-Athletes may occur during the morning feed. The dinner feed will feature all of the honorees accepting their awards.
The 2008 Hall of Fame Class: Troy Aikman (UCLA), Billy Cannon (LSU), Jim Dombrowski (Virginia), Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern), Wilber Marshall (Florida), Rueben Mayes (Washington State), Randall McDaniel (Arizona State), Don McPherson (Syracuse), Jay Novacek (Wyoming), Dave Parks (Texas Tech), Ron Simmons (Florida State), Thurman Thomas (Oklahoma State), Arnold Tucker (Army). Coaches: John Cooper and Lou Holtz.

The 2008 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class: (Football Bowl Subdivision) Chase Daniel (Missouri); Graham Harrell (Texas Tech); Quin Harris (Louisiana Tech); Jeff Horinek (Colorado State); Alex Mack (California); Ryan McDonald (Illinois); Darryl Richard (Georgia Tech); Brian Robiskie (Ohio State); and Louie Sakoda (Utah). Football Championship Subvision: Andrew Berry (Harvard); Ryan Berry (South Dakota State); and Casey Gerald (Yale). Division II: Ryan Kees (St. Cloud State, Minn.). Division III: Brian Freeman (Carnegie Mellon, Pa.); and Greg Micheli (Mount Union, Ohio).

The 2008 Major Award Winners: Former U.S. Senator John Glenn (Gold Medal Recipient); T. Boone Pickens (Distinguished American Award) ; Bill Battle (Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award); Gene Smith, Ohio State (John L. Toner Award); Thomas Robinson, long-time WAC/Mountain West official (Outstanding Football Official Award); and Bob Curtis of Idaho and posthumously Dick Galiette of Yale (Co-recipients of the Chris Schenkel Award).

ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE HALL OF FAME

Founded in 1947 with leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 121 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, Play It Smart, the NFF-FWAA Football Forum, the NFF Gridiron Clubs of New York City, Dallas and Los Angeles, and scholarships of over $1 million for college and high school scholar-athletes.

The NFF awards the MacArthur Trophy, the Draddy Trophy, presented by HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings.

Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org

______________________________

Orange Bowl Stadium

Orange Bowl Stadium, 1501 N.W. 3rd Street, Miami, FL 33125

See also: http://www.orangebowlstadium.com/

Memorial Stadium

Memorial Stadium, Indiana University, 1001 East 17th Street, Bloomington, IN 47408

Liberty Bowl

Liberty Bowl Stadium, 335 South Hollywood Street, Memphis, TN 38104

Finally! Some college football worth watching: U-M-Gators

Finally! Some college football worth watching!
I expect the Gators to roll by a margin in the low twenties, with tons of recruits on the sidelines at Florida Field.

I first saw Florida Field from the field in early July of 1979, back when beautiful U-F girl-next-door student Louann Fernald's fame as the June Playmate had made its way south from Gainesville but weeks before. http://www.playboy.com/girls/playmates/directory/197906.html
The sheer number of beautiful women there was sorta jaw-dropping, and I'm sure that's not changed in the years since.

[Ironically, a little over three years later, in December of 1982, Playboy had a Playmate centerfold named Charlotte Helmkamp whom I knew not just from IU, but who had actually lived in my dorm, Briscoe Quad A, just two floors above me.
Charlotte was a very sweet and thoughtful girl from Toledo, Ohio, and at the time, often expressed an interest in science, though I don't know if that had something to do with her major or was just a general interest of hers.
She was also as friendly as she was good-looking -beyond all possible description here!

As someone who spent some time around her, since we knew many people in common there at Briscoe, trust me when I tell you that any photos you've ever seen of her simply don't do her justice, since she was easily one of THE most beautiful women I've EVER met in person -jaw-dropping! Still.
http://www.playboy.com/girls/playmates/directory/198212.html

I sometimes ate meals with Charlotte in the dorm cafeteria, especially when she was with my wonderful friend Diane Frommeyer, a Hoosier-by-choice like me, from suburban Chicago -Naperville- who lived on Charlotte's floor.
It's not surprising that Diane was Charlotte's trusted friend, too, since Diane was a great dispenser of both common sense and good advice, which I happily took on many occasions when I was filled with doubt or had a difficult decision to make.
Diane proved herself a great friend more times than I can count.

I'll never forget the look Diane had on her face the day I ran into her and she said something along the lines of, "You want to know something really big that's going to be BIG news soon..."
Naturally, I was intrigued!

She was still so dumbfounded and amazed by the news that Charlotte told her in advance of the issue's publication, that when she told me what was coming down the pike, she still looked like she could hardly believe it herself.

Like me, Diane was VERY involved in IU's Student Alumni Council, SAC, one of my favorite activities because of the wide variety of interesting and thoughtful people it allowed me to meet.]

I flew up to Gainesville on Air Florida from MIA to visit my very good friend Robert, who'd graduated from NMB nine weeks early, and who decided to get a head start and leave for Gainesville early and take summer classes.
It was great walking around the town and campus, and I can still recall how intoxicating it all seemed after being in NMB and South Florida.

One of the real highlights was walking around the empty stadium with Robert, who snapped one of the best photos ever taken of me, taken directly below the painted "This is Gator Country" area of the stadium, which is showcased numerous times during any football telecast.
I think I must've kept that photo in a frame on my desk for years in Hoosierville, along with photos of friends from NMB and scenes of South Florida places I spent lots of time at: the Orange Bowl, Haulover Beach, Miami Stadium, et al.

My Fourth of July week visit there was great, made all the better knowing that I'd soon be seeing the Midwestern version of that whole college scene in Bloomington for myself in less than two months.

I'm curious if Gator wideout Frankie Hammonds Jr out of Hallandale will get much playing time tonight. He was the subject of Joseph Goodman's dispatch for the Herald just about two weeks ago. (See below.)If he was at IU with Kellen Lewis throwing the ball...




Gator head coach Urban Meyer quips to the ESPN crew this morning about 11:30 a.m., after I got out my football props.
There was immediate trash-talking between them, as they argued whether or not it's really a rivalry if you don't always play each other, like IU and Purdue.

South Beach Hoosier bought both for super-cheap bargain prices at the Bell Outlet store in Hallandale Beach on Hallandale Beach Blvd. and NE 10th Street, near the Bank of America branch that for years refused to trim the tree branches under their lights on the bank drive thru, much to my dismay and continual complaints.

(It would be pitch black and you couldn't see what you were doing, esp. during the Fall, opening yourself up to an easy walk-up robbery.)

Getting these two items was easily the best deal I've made since coming down here from D.C.!

An un-easy standoff before snacks arrive.
Even there they disagree!

Popcorn vs. chips?

The Gator mascot toy growls and moves.

If he were a Blue Devil mascot toy from Duke, he'd first let me know where he was from, then alternately pout, whine, condescend, mock and accuse, even if he was winning.

Well, at least the players will have their names on the back of the jersey this year so we'll know which 'Canes WR dropped the ball near the sidelines, refused to come back to help a scrambling QB make a play, could not consistently get 'separation,' or gave up on a play entirely and stopped running his route.

Like every single game last year!

Naturally, Shannon fired the defencive coordinator.

According to some U-F grad friends of mine, this is sacrilege!

But it's how they both fit in the closet from February thru July when not out for display.

Before the game, I was over at the beach, not too far from the ubiquitous HB Water Tower, and read the NY Times and listened to the U-M radio pregame show on WQAM, curious how they will spin Randy Shannon getting out-coached once again -before the game even starts.Why?

Due to pointlessly suspending redshirt freshman QB Robert Marve last week for the Charleston Southern game.

(Which I tried to watch on ESPN 360.com, but got frustrated with when it didn't start on time and after about thirty minutes, with constant interruptions of action, I gave up.)

Because sometimes even apparent moral victories are Pyrrhic ones, too, as I suspect that decision will be seen in retrospect, weeks from now, when questions are being asked about the season's slow start.

Kellen Lewis, IU's wiz of a QB from Jacksonville, both parents FAMU grads and athletes.

He'd have done wonders for the Hurricanes but they have a thing for skinny and/or blond out-of-state QBs, so...

Last week's game at the new and improved IU Memorial Stadium, now with a new field after this past summer's flooding ruined the old field and made a mess of downtown Bloomington.


Kellen Lewis is a man in motion!

What I'll be watching and taping later on the Big Ten Network's encore presentation on Monday at 2 p.m., though I'm checking on it in between commercials of the U-M game.

Kellen Lewis outruns some Western Kentucky Hilltopper defenders on his way to a TD

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I had this in draft since early this year, so better late than never...

Frankie Hammonds, Jr. Woulda Made a Great Hoosier

First came across these articles on Frankie Hammonds, Jr. a few months back, and at the time, with the Hoosiers playing confidently and actually showing some offensive flair, couldn't help but wonder how much more firepower IU would have in the future if he was teamed up with Hoosier wide receiver James Hardy.

But now we know that was just a pipe dream, with Hardy now leaving IU a year early for the NFL draft, and speedy Hallandale High WR Frankie Hammonds, Jr. heading for Gainesville.

Growing up in North Miami Beach from 1968-79, but being one of those rare NMB families that didn't just limit its drives, trips and jaunts to within the Dade County lines, I recall thinking while I was JFK Junior High how odd it was that two high schools as physically close to one another as North Miami Beach Senior High School and Hallandale Senior High School, could, in those pre-

Dr. Krop High School days, both wind up with the same exact name for mascots: Chargers.

I graduated from NMB in 1979, and my sister followed in 1982, long before anyone we knew could conceive of the idea of some school, especially one named Krop dividing NMB's student population base and tradition, and cannibalizing Turnberry, Ojus, Madie Ives and Highland Oaks.

Nobody who graduated from 1247 N.E. 167th Street could conceive of such a thing, and as opposed to the Lightning Bolt you see with the NFL's San Diego Chargers, our mascot was that of a medieval jousting knight charging.

It would be one thing if it was that old standby, Wildcats, the most popular school mascot name in the country last I heard, and the most popular every year when the NCAA tourney comes around -Kentucky, Villanova, et al-but Chargers?

I could never find anyone in NMB or Broward who could explain that bit of odd logic to me.

Meanwhile, another bright and talented South Florida kid who would've looked good in the cream and crimson of IU, Hallandale High's Frankie Hammond, Jr. has crossed-up Rivals.com who thought he was headed to the U-M, and made an oral commitment to stay in-state and play for the Gators, who just re-load and plug in one super-talented kid after another in the "Urban Era."

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Miami Herald

Wideout Hammond Jr. catching on with Gators
Wideout Frankie Hammond Jr. might not be a typical college football player, but he has amazed coaches nonetheless.

By Joseph Goodman

August 21, 2008

GAINESVILLE -- Preseason camp is over for the University of Florida football team. One of the biggest surprises out of two-a-days was the rapid development of freshman receiver Frankie Hammond Jr. of Hallandale.

In February, when Hammond signed with the Gators, the team's coaches assumed this skinny receiver from Broward County wouldn't be a contributor for at least two years.
But that has changed. Receivers coach Billy Gonzales has praised Hammond several times during the preseason and coach Urban Meyer also has recognized Hammond's surprising start to his college football career.

''[Hammond] was a guy that we thought we would put on the shelves for a couple of years,'' Meyer said. "But Coach Gonzales and Frankie have a good thing going. He's doing very well.''
According to senior receiver Louis Murphy, Hammond adapted to the Gators' complex playbook faster than any other freshman and played consistently well during preseason practice and two-a-days. Gonzales now believes Hammond might see some playing time this season.

''One thing about Frankie is that he's extremely smart,'' Gonzales said. ``Any time you come into a system with multiple sets you have to be a smart guy. He is an extremely fast learner and he will have the opportunity to make plays.''

Hammond's journey to Gainesville was anything but ordinary. Like his successful preseason camp for Florida, pretty much every facet about Hammond's development was atypical.
A track and field star -- Hammond won gold at the 2007 AAU Junior Olympics in the high jump (6 feet, 10 inches) -- he was an unknown high school football player when he received scholarship offers from Florida and Miami.

''A lot of people didn't like that I picked Florida over Miami,'' he said. ``Where I'm from, everyone expects you to go to Miami.''

A DIFFERENT PATHSome high school football players spend their childhoods training constantly and playing year-round to increase their chances at receiving a scholarship. Not Hammond. He preferred hanging out the skating rink and dancing on skates.

''Skating made my legs strong and gave me balance and coordination,'' he said.
Some high school football players in South Florida transfer from school to school so they can play for a winner. Hammond was loyal to a loser. Hallandale didn't post a winning record until his senior season.

Some high school football players lift weights constantly and are physical specimens by their senior season. Hammond could barely bench press his own weight last year. He has gained 13 pounds of muscle since arriving in Gainesville at the beginning of the summer.

Hallandale is one of Broward County's magnet schools, and Hammond studied television broadcasting for four years. He hasn't taken a journalism or communications class yet at Florida, but he knows how to produce his own TV show. He graduated high school with a 3.7 grade-point average.

''I can be in front of the camera or behind the camera,'' Hammond said.

Some high school football players blossom early and college coaches know about them before the 11th grade. Hammond didn't even play football his sophomore season. His junior year, he only caught seven passes. Florida's coaches didn't learn about Hammond until midway through his senior season, when he mailed the Gators a highlight tape.

PLAYING THE SYSTEMSome high school football players don't really know how to play the recruiting game properly. They enjoy the daily attention from Internet recruiting websites and wait until February to commit to a school.

One week after being visited by the Gators' coaching staff, Hammond called Meyer to commit. But Meyer, well known for his communication skills during a player's recruiting process, didn't answer the phone. Hammond left Meyer a message, declaring his commitment.

At that point, Meyer and his staff barely knew Hammond. Shrewdly, Hammond leaked the news of his commitment to South Florida newspapers. The system uses some players, but some players use the system to their advantage.

''Everyone starts off at the bottom and that's where I'm at,'' Hammond said. "I've just got to prove to them that I can play.''

Joseph Goodman is the Gator beat reporter for the Miami Herald and you can read his blog comments at http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gator_clause/

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http://www.miamiherald.com/619/story/273024.html

Miami Herald

Hallandale's Hammond picks Gators

By Bob Emanuel, Jr.

October 16, 2007

Hallandale receiver Frankie Hammond Jr. orally committed to the University of Florida on Monday night.

Hammond, who was recruited by associate head coach Doc Holliday and receivers coach Billy Gonzalez, chose the Gators over a number of other suitors, including the University of Miami.

''They received film, transcripts and stuff,'' Hallandale coach Dameon Jones said.

"I guess it was a no-brainer for them. I guess they saw what Miami saw.'

'Hammond, who has caught 25 passes for 504 yards and seven touchdowns through seven games this season, called Gators coach Urban Meyer on Monday night around 7:30 and left his decision on Meyer's voicemail.

The allure of playing in the Southeastern Conference put Florida over the top.

''It gives me an opportunity to showcase my ability on one of the biggest stages of them all,'' he said.

Hammond did not play football as a sophomore.

Instead, he focused on track, where he helped lead his school to the Class 3A state championship.

Hammond spent the past summer on the track, where he took first place in the high jump of the AAU National Junior Olympics in Tennessee. But football always has been Hammond's passion.

After his layoff, he returned to football as a junior, and he started receiving heavy interest from colleges over the past few months. He admitted the offers, which included Miami and Boston College, were surprising.

''My goal this year was just to go to college,'' he said. "I didn't think any major colleges would come my way. I was lucky enough.''

Hammond said he would ''most likely'' go out for Florida's track team, too.

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http://www.miamiherald.com/619/story/265022.html

Miami Herald

FOOTBALL HALLANDALE

Hammonds brings speed, power to Hallandale

Senior Frankie Hammond Jr., a track star at Hallandale, is gaining success with his play at wide receiver.

By Bob Emanuel, Jr.

October 9, 2007

After taking a year off from football, senior Frankie Hammond Jr. said: 'I might as well keep playing football and open up my options.'

Speed and power are required in both sports of interest to Hallandale's Frankie Hammond Jr.

The strong leg muscles needed to propel him over the high jump bar and the body control needed to maintain his form carry over to football, where his speed and leaping ability make him one of Broward County's top receivers.

Hammond, an accomplished track athlete, is gaining notoriety on the football field as a senior. While the scholarship offers slowly trickle in, interest in Hammond continues to rise. The University of Miami, which is building a strong recruiting class centered on local talent, recently checked up on Hammond.

Much like Dillard sprinter Harry Adams, who committed to Auburn, the transition from track star to receiver could pay dividends with a scholarship to an elite program.

''I started out running track originally,'' Hammond said. "I took time off from football my sophomore year. That year is when I really got a good grasp on what I was doing as far as track was concerned. Last year, I was like I might as well keep playing football and open up my options. I took advantage of it, and coach [Dameon] Jones came around. Now, it looks like I've got both of them going hand in hand.''

JUGGLING SPORTS

Unlike many of the athletes in search of similar scholarship opportunities, Hammond did not attend football camps over the summer.

Instead, he traveled to Europe and various other venues to compete in track meets, including his first-place finish in the AAU National Junior Olympic Games in Tennessee.

The track success garnered Hammond attention, but the lack of camp exposure slowed the pace of scholarship offers. Undeterred, Hammond is taking a methodical approach to the process.

''I'm just waiting for my options to open up to see where I go,'' he said.

"I plan on playing football when I go to college.''

The constant switch from track star to football prospect is taxing, but Hammond finds it worthwhile.

''It's real difficult,'' he said. "Your mind-set is set on something as far as track. Your body goes through a certain change. You're putting your body through different types of things because now you're dealing with contact. It's difficult, but it's manageable. If you're talented enough and you're good at it and you're dedicated, it should come very easily.''

The dual-sport success is nothing new for Hallandale. Hammond, like many of his teammates, makes the same transition every season.

A bulk of the school's 2006 Class 3A state championship track team remains as seniors, many of whom play both sports.

Each athlete owns their individual preference, but Hammond's teammate and close friend Alex Bailey said Hammond's choice is simple.

''Football is his No. 1,'' said Bailey, the school's quarterback. "I don't want to speak for him, but track is just something he's good in. Football is what he likes.''

QUIET LEADERSHIP

The solitary approach on the track carries over to Hammond's mannerism on the football field. Those around the Charger program describe Hammond as a quiet leader -- a player Bailey said "does it by example.

He's not that kind of emotional or rowdy kind of person.''

''He pushes me to be better,'' Bailey said.

"In gassers or anything we do, even though he's the receiver and I'm the quarterback, he's very competitive. That's why I am where I am. A couple of other people look up to him for that competition.''

What truly inspires Hammond on the football field is the camaraderie with his teammates. His father, Frank, played receiver and cornerback for Glades Central in the 1980s, and the love for team sports has been fostered over the years.

''I enjoy it more,'' Hammond said. "It's more of a friend thing. I have teammates around me. If I do good, they come give me a high five and show their love. When I'm on the track by myself, if I mess up or if I do good, the only person who can congratulate me is maybe my dad at that moment.''

Jones said he could put Hammond in any situation on the football field and knows he would deliver results.

ATHLETIC ABILITY

''He's a great kid, a 3.7-GPA kid,'' Jones said. "He rarely talks. He's very quiet. The only time you see him talk is when he's around his buddies. When he's around adults and coaches, he doesn't say a word. He's a very coachable kid. He's just an athlete. You could put him in any sport, and he's going to be successful.''

Hammond uses his six-foot frame and his leaping ability, a high jump of 6-10 and a vertical leap of 39 inches, to post up his opponents.

Or, if he prefers, he could use his 4.4 speed to simply run by them.

''He's like a Randy Moss-type of receiver,'' Hallandale defensive lineman Gregory Smith said. "He runs all his routes hard. He catches the ball. He showboats just like him. He's good.''

The comparisons to Moss are evident because of Hammond's size and leaping ability.

Jones and Bailey are quick to point out another, unmeasurable strength to Hammond's success -- his soft hands.

''He has speed like Moss, but he has hands like Marvin Harrison,'' Jones said.

"He runs precision routes for a kid in high school. You don't see that at this level, a kid running those type of routes. At the next level? Yes. Here? No."

He uses all hands. He doesn't use his body, just pure hands. And, he uses his speed. For a kid to really only play high school football, this is probably just his second full year, for him to do the things he's doing is amazing.''

JT the Brick also sees Gators-Trojans in Miami for BCS Title

Written while watching USC pummel UVA at Charlottesville...

Naturally, no sooner does South Beach Hoosier post a comment yesterday about ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit making a pre-season selection of the Florida Gators and USC Trojans in the BCS Title Game, at Dolphin Stadium on January 8th, then he receives an email saying that popular FOX Sports radio host 'JT the Brick' (John Tournour) has also made that very same selection. See http://www.jtthebrick.com/home.html and http://www.talkbrick.com/

At his podcast site, JT's Rant, http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/3035015/site/21683474/ he said on Rant 161 FULL STORY that

a.) assuming the Gators beat pre-season #1 Georgia in Jacksonville on November1st, above,

http://www.coj.net/Departments/Recreation+and+Community+Services/Special+Events/FlaGa/default.htm

and

b.) that USC beats Ohio State at the Coliseum, http://www.lacoliseum.com/ on Sept. 13th -where endzone tickets are currently going for just under $400- he likes USC to beat the Gators in January down here for the BCS title. (Did I mention that JT was based out of LA?)

He also picks West Virginia's Pat White to edge out Tim Tebow for the Heisman Trophy.

Like Herbstreit, he also said that Georgia, while very talented, would not make it to Miami in January, where there are lots and lots of UGA alums, including some NMB High School gymnastics friends of mine, who'd make the Bulldogs very welcome, indeed.

Especially if the team and its fans were based out of the Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa down the street at Hollywood Beach.

I actually had the Florida-USC prediction prior to the 2005-06 college football season for the BCS Title Game at the Rose Bowl, which turned out to be the fantastic Texas-USC clash with Vince Young playing Superman for the Longhorns.

FYI: In case you didn't know, Hollywood mayor Peter Bober is a U-T graduate, like many of my friends back in D.C., especially when I belonged to the Texas State Society.

My own family has lived continuously in the Texas Hill Country since 1855, and one of the first maxims I ever learned as a kid, in San Antonio, was one credited to legendary Longhorn football coach Darrell Royal: "Proper preparation prevents poor performance."

Herbstreit pick: Gators vs. Trojans in BCS Title Game here in Jan.

While writing out my next blog post, I was listening to ESPN's Pardon the Interruption, as is often the case.

My ears perked up when I heard Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon's interview with ESPN (and former Ohio State Buckeye) college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit say that if he had to make a prediction right now, he'd look for the Florida Gators to face the USC Trojans in the 2009 Fed Ex BCS Title Game on January 8th at Dolphin Stadium.

Orange Bowl Committee: http://www.orangebowl.org/