CONTENTS n n n - of College Football Games

More documents

Recommendations

Info

The Un i v e r s i T y of Ak r o n • 2008 fo o T b A l l Me d i A GU i d e DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS Motor City Bowl Under the direction of former Michigan State University head coach George Perles, the Motor City Bowl has teamed with the Mid-American Conference since the bowl’s inception in 1997 to feature some of the nation’s top players in a highly competitive post season environment. In May of 2006, the MCB announced a four-year extension of its partnership with the Big Ten to provide an opponent for a MAC team. The game will feature the No. 1 or No. 2 MAC team versus the No. 7 Big Ten squad. The game is held at Ford Field in downtown Detroit. “This is a tremendous development for the Mid-American Conference,” said MAC Commissioner Rick Chryst. “The opportunity to join with the premier conference in the country, in the heart of our geographies, is a great thing. The growth of this game in five short years, and the stature and caliber of all the partners involved, is truly remarkable.” Perles, the bowl’s Chief Executive Officer, and Ken 142 Website _____www.motorcitybowl.com Hoffman, Executive Director, have secured sponsorship from the Big Three Automakers - Ford, Daimler Chrysler and General Motors. The 2003 MCB marked another first as MAC West Division Champion Bowling Green faced Big Ten foe Northwestern – the first MAC vs. Big Ten bowl game in history. The Josh Harris-led Falcons prevailed by a 28-24 score before an audience of 51,286. Harris threw for three touchdowns and rushed for a fourth to rally BGSU from a 17-7 third-quarter deficit. In 2005, MAC Champion Akron faced Conference USA member Memphis, with the Tigers escaping with a narrow 38-31 victory. The 2002 MCB was the first-ever collegiate game staged at Ford Field and involved MAC West Division Champion Toledo and Big East member Boston College. The Eagles came away with a 51-25 victory, snapping the MAC’s four-game MCB winning streak. Stars and spectacular performances have emerged from the MCB’s December competition, including Chester Taylor of Toledo, John Avery of Ole Miss, Randy Moss, Chad Pennington and Doug Chapman of Marshall, Chris Redman of Louisville and Jonathan Ruffin of Cincinnati. Moss and Pennington were Heisman finalists and Ruffin was the winner of the prestigious Lou Gorza Award. “Every year the bowl gets stronger and stronger,” said Perles. “The more success you have, the more credibility you have. The more credibility you get, the more respect you earn.” The initial MCB contest in 1997 was highlighted by two touchdowns in the first 41 seconds of the game, including an 80-yard scoring strike from Pennington to Moss. The Ole Miss Rebels secured a thrilling win on a Deuce McAllister one-yard run with 31 seconds remaining. The Motor City Bowl has had a positive impact on both the Mid- American Conference and the Detroit area. The Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates that the bowl has averaged a $21 million impact on the Metro Detroit area per year over the last six years. Only the North American International Auto Show makes a bigger financial stamp on the Detroit community. Motor City Bowl History Year Score MVP 1997 Ole Miss 34, Marshall 31 Stewart Patridge, Ole Miss 1998 Marshall 48, Louisville 29 Chad Pennington, Marshall 1999 Marshall 21, BYU 3 Doug Chapman, Marshall 2000 Marshall 25, Cincinnati 14 Byron Leftwich, Marshall 2001 Toledo 23, Cincinnati 16 Chester Taylor, Toledo 2002 Boston College 51, Toledo 25 Brian St. Pierre, BC 2003 Bowling Green 28, Northwestern 24 Josh Harris, BGSU 2004 Connecticut 39, Toledo 10 Dan Orlovsky, UConn 2005 Memphis 38, Akron 31 DeAngelo Williams, Memphis 2006 Central Michigan 31, MTSU 14 Dan LeFevour, CMU 2007 Purdue 51, Central Michigan 48 Curtis Painter, Purdue GMAC Bowl The success of the MAC continued last year as Toledo’s 45-13 win over UTEP marked the league’s fifth consecutive GMAC Bowl victory. In 2001, Marshall’s 64-61 double-overtime win over East Carolina was the talk of the bowl season and an ESPN Instant Classic. The 125 points were the most ever in any bowl game and Herd QB Byron Leftwich’s 576 passing yards tied the bowl record of BYU’s Ty Detmer. Not bad for the first appearance for a MAC team in the GMAC Bowl. In April 2001, the GMAC Bowl signed an agreement with the Mid- American Conference to provide a top MAC team to face the No. 2 choice from Conference USA in the annual post-season holiday bowl game. Thus, for the first time in the league’s 55-year history, two Mid- Website _____________ gmacbowl.com GMAC Bowl History Akron’s 66th and Final Season at the Rubber Bowl American Conference football teams played in bowl games in 2001. The MAC is 5-2 all-time at the GMAC Bowl, a game played in late December in Mobile’s Ladd-Peebles Stadium on ESPN. Year Score MVP 1999 TCU 28, East Carolina 14 Casey Printers, TCU 2000 Southern Miss 28, TCU 21 LaDainian Tomlinson, TCU 2001 Marshall 64, East Carolina 61, 2ot Byron Leftwich, Marshall 2002 Marshall 38, Louisville 15 Byron Leftwich, Marshall 2003 Miami 49, Louisville 28 Ben Roethlisberger, Miami 2004 Bowling Green 52, Memphis 35 Omar Jacobs, BGSU 2005 Toledo 45, UTEP 13 Bruce Gradkowski, Toledo 2006 Southern Miss 28, Ohio 7 Damion Fletcher, Southern Miss 2007 Tulsa 63, Bowling Green 7 Paul Smith, Tulsa International Bowl In April of 2006 the NCAA announced approval for the International Bowl, a new college football game, to be played at Rogers Centre in Toronto. The game will be played on January 6, 2007 and will match a team from the Big East Conference against an opponent from the Mid- American Conference. Website ________ internationalbowl.org The addition of the International Bowl will give the MAC three bowl opportunities as the league is already affiliated with the Motor City Bowl held at Ford Field in Detroit and the GMAC Bowl staged at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. “This will be the only college bowl game played outside of the U.S.,” said Ken Hoffman, Executive Director for the game. “It is an exciting opportunity for the City of Toronto and two football teams that will have an international experience.” The game will match a selection from the Mid-American Conference against an opponent from the Big East Conference. The game will be played in January. “Toronto is geographically central to the member schools for these two conferences,” said Nick Carparelli, Associate Commissioner for the Big East Conference. “Our Coaches, Athletics Directors, and Presidents all find Toronto and the Rogers Centre to be an ideal location for a new game.” ESPN television has partnered with the organizers in a multi-year agreement to broadcast the game in the US and Canada as well as provide assistance with marketing and sponsorship sales. International Bowl History Year Score MVP 2006 Cincinnati 27, Western Michigan 24 Dominick Goodman, Cincinnati 2007 Rutgers 52, Ball State 30 Ray Rice, Rytgers
The Un i v e r s i T y of Ak r o n • 2008 fo o T b A l l Me d i A GU i d e DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS The Mid-AM e r i c A n co n f e r e n c e Providing leadership in education and in diversity, the Mid-American Conference moves into its 62nd year of service to the student-athlete. Since its inception in 1946, the Mid-American Conference has progressively grown and developed into one of the most aggressive Division I conferences in the country. Under the guidance of Commissioner Rick Chryst, the seventh commissioner of the league, the MAC has responded to the ever changing landscape of membership issues and member standards in the fast-paced environment of collegiate athletics. The league has grown its commitment to championships by expanding to six, its number of neutral site post-season events – football (Detroit’s Ford Field), volleyball (Toledo’s SeaGate Centre), men’s and women’s basketball (Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena), softball (Akron’s Firestone Stadium) and most recently baseball (Chillicothe’s VA Memorial Stadium). MAC football produced three bowl teams in 2007, and giving the MAC 14 b owl berths in the past four years with 10 different league institutions represented during that time. The 2007 season also welcomed the addition of Temple University to the East Division and the Owls responded with a league-leading defense and a 4-4 conference mark in their inaugural MAC season. A total of nine MAC football players were selected in the 2008 NFL draft — including Akron’s Reggie Corner, making it the second most selectees for the league since the NFL went to seven rounds in 1994. In its partnership with ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports, an unprecedented 25 football games involving MAC schools will be televised in 2008. That number includes regular season and post-season events on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Classic and ESPN 360. In addition, an eight-game MAC Game of the Week will be syndicated on ESPN Plus and available on over-the-air network affiliates to more than 22 million homes in the Midwest Four Mid-American Conference men’s basketball programs went on to post-season play this season as Kent State (NCAA Tournament), Akron (National Invitation Tournament), Miami (College Basketball Invitational) and Ohio (College Basketball Invitational) all made an appearance in post-season tournaments. There were a total of two women’s basketball programs that reached the post-season as Miami (NCAA Tournament) and Bowling Green (Women’s NIT) represented the MAC in post-season play. Kent State men’s basketball program was ranked in the top 25 in the regular season for the first time in school history. The Golden Flashes were 23rd in the Associated Press and 24th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll, both of which were released on February 25th. The Golden Flashes also made headlines in men’s golf this past season as KSU finished alone in sixth place at the NCAA Championship to earn the highest finish in the program’s storied history. MAC wrestlers also continued to shine on the national stage as Central Michigan senior 197-pounder Wynn Michalak finished runner-up at the NCAA Wrestling Championships and the Chippewas finished tied for seventh in the overall team competition. The conference now has national leadership positions on the following NCAA committees: Carol Cartwright, Interim President, Bowling Green (Ad Hoc Committee to Review Issues Related to Gender and Ethnicity); Warde Manual, Buffalo (Academic Cabinet); Dell Robinson, MAC (Administrative Cabinet); Tom Collins, Ball State (Amateurism Cabinet); Mack Rhoades, Akron (Championship/Sports Management Cabinet); Brad Bates, Miami (Committee on Academic Performance); Elleen K. Jennings, Central Michigan (Committee on Infractions); Susan Lipnickey, Miami (Infractions Appeals Committee, and Leadership Council); Derrick Gragg, Eastern Michigan (Legislative Council); Stephanie Harvey-Vandenberg, Eastern Michigan (Recruiting Cabinet); Kelly Andrews, Toledo (Student-Athlete Awards, Benefits and Financial Aid Cabinet); Karin Lee, Ball State (Minority Opportunities and Interests); Rick Chryst, MAC (Playing Rules Oversight Panel); Lee Meserve, Bowling Green (Walter Byers Scholarship Committee). Furthermore, the MAC has representation on the Division I Sport Committees and related governing groups: Cathy O’Donnell, Kent State (Field Hockey); David Heeke, Central Michigan (Football Issues); Laing Kennedy, Kent State (Men’s Basketball); Charlie Coles, Miami (Men’s Basketball Issues); Mary Lu Gribschaw, Akron (Men’s Soccer); Karin Lee, Ball State (Women’s Tennis); Rich Ceronie, Miami (Men’s and Women’s Track and Field); Anucha Browne-Sanders (Women’s Basketball Issues); Greg Christopher, Bowling Green (Women’s Basketball); Matt Wolfert, Ball State (Women’s Soccer); Derek van der Merwe (Wrestling); Jim Schaus, Ohio (Men’s Basketball Rules); Reggie Witherspoon (Men’s Basketball Rules); Jerry Reighard, Central Michigan (Women’s Gymnastics); Dee Abrahamson, Northern Illinois (Softball Rules Committee). From Super Bowl champions like Ben Roethlisberger (Miami University), Domenik Hixon (Akron), Chase Blackburn (Akron) and Dwight Smith (Akron), British Open winner Ben Curtis (Kent State University), World Series winning manager Bob Brenly (Ohio University) and Olympic bobsled team member Brock Kreitzburg (University of Toledo), the Mid-American Conference continues to excel in producing leaders in the world of athletics. his T o r y of Th e MAc Based in Cleveland since July 1999 following a 15-year stay in Toledo, Ohio, the MAC has established historic measurements in both football and men’s and women’s basketball since its move to Northeast Ohio. The Mid-American Conference was founded as a five-school league on February 24, 1946 in Columbus, Ohio with Ohio, Butler, Cincinnati, Wayne State and Western Reserve admitted as charter members. The Mid-American Conference has 12 full-time schools and a 13th Temple, for football only. Comprising the East Division is the University of Akron (joined in 1992), Bowling Green State University (1952), University at Buffalo (1998), Kent State University (1951), Miami University (1947), Ohio University (1946) and Temple University (2007). The West Division members are Ball State University (1973), Central Michigan University (1971), Eastern Michigan University (1971), Northern Illinois University (1975-86, 1997), University of Toledo (1950), and Western Michigan University (1947). In 1946 men’s basketball was the first competitive sport in the MAC, which now sponsors a total of 23 sports. Women’s sports were brought into the conference’s structure in 1980. For men, championships (11) are sponsored in football, basketball, baseball, cross country, soccer, swimming and diving, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, wrestling, golf, and tennis. For women, championships (12) are sponsored in basketball, softball, volleyball, cross country, field hockey, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, gymnastics, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, and tennis. CurrenT MAC MeMberS: Akron (1992) Ball State (1973) Bowling Green (1952) Buffalo (1998) Central Michigan (1971) Eastern Michigan (1971) Kent State (1951) Miami (1947) Northern Illinois (1975-86, 1997) Ohio (1946) Temple (2007)- Football Only Toledo (1950) Western Michigan (1947) Former Members: Butler (1947-50); Case Western Reserve (1947-55); Cincinnati (1947-53); Marshall (1954-69, 1997-2005); Central Florida (2002-03) – Football Only Akron’s 66th and Final Season at the Rubber Bowl 143
Page 1 and 2:
2 • The UniversiTy of Akron state
Page 3 and 4:
The stile Athletics field house (pi
Page 5 and 6:
RESHAPING ZIPS FOOTBALL n n n Over
Page 7 and 8:
JAsON tAYLOr • NFL Defensive Play
Page 9 and 10:
Achievements of Akron student-athle
Page 11 and 12:
FOOtBALL ACAdemiC ACHieVemeNt... 20
Page 13 and 14:
STUDENT-ATHLETE CAMPUS LIFE n n n T
Page 15 and 16:
QUICK FACTS ABOUT UA Academics •
Page 17 and 18:
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION Through its ma
Page 19 and 20:
As chief executive officer of The U
Page 21 and 22:
The Un i v e r s i T y of Ak r o n
Page 23 and 24:
Page 25 and 26:
Page 27 and 28:
Page 29 and 30:
Page 31 and 32:
Page 33 and 34:
Page 35 and 36:
Page 37 and 38: The Un i v e r s i T y of Ak r o n
Page 84 and 85: 138 The Un i v e r s i T y of Ak r
Page 86 and 87: 140 Wire Service Associated Press _
Page 94 and 95: Ivory Alexander Assistant Maintenan
Page 98: 152 The Un i v e r s i T y of Ak r
show all

CONTENTS n n n - of College Football Games

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?