Football Dynasty Comes To An End in Illinois

April 29, 2009

Following up on a recent story carried here on NATS:

Despite fund raising efforts by parents and alumni of football powerhouse Driscoll Catholic High School in Addison, Illinois raising some $900,000 in the span of the last 17 days, the De La Salle Christian Brothers of the Midwest announced, in an email dated April 28th, its intention to go ahead and close the school in June due to a lack of funding to operate for an extended period of time.

"Like you, we wish the school's situation were different," the email states, "but unfortunately, our hoping and wishing is not enough to overcome the realities of rapidly declining enrollment and multi-million-dollar investment needs. So we have made the painful decision to close Driscoll at the end of the school year in June."...

The Kicker: The Forgotten Man

April 28, 2009

The Kicker. The often-overlooked little guy at the end of the bench who may never impact the game, or may have your entire season rested squarely on his extra-small shoulder pads. The men often confused with the towel boys sometimes have more responsibility than the star quarterback. They are as methodical in their preparation as the offensive coordinator, and as passionate about winning as any player on the field. Then why, much like Rodney Dangerfield, do they get no respect? The weight of the world rests on them at times and they are unnoticed, disregarded, and often unseen.

Kickers are sometimes outcasts who endure ridicule for the non-contact nature of their limited duties. They are expected to make every kick they attempt, and when they do fail, the attitude of the other players is one of contempt. "It's just kicking a ball, how hard can it be?" Yet to anyone that has attempted to kick a field goal, the skill required is something to be envied...

National Football Foundation in Central Florida

April 28, 2009

While covering a recent NATS combine event in Tampa, Florida, this writer had the opportunity of speaking at length with junior-varsity coach from Liberty High School in Kissimmee, Florida, Paul Knight. A man who at any given time serves in a wide variety of roles, Knight remains committed to the academic and athletic well being of countless student-athletes in the Central Florida area by not only volunteering time as a testing facilitator for NATS, but also delivering curriculum from the NFL's HSPD (High School Player Development) and JPD (Junior Player Development) programs and serving as a member of the National Football Foundation / College Hall of Fame. As it relates to the latter, Knight sat down and spoke with this writer last week about recent moves on his part to establish a new chapter of the NFF in Central Florida, in order to, as he states, "become a vital part of [a] crusade for amateur football" threatened by "political and economic forces [that] have forced football programs at our high schools and our alma maters to cut back or even completely eliminate football from their athletic programs."

The following is an excerpt of that conversation, and highlights Knight's motivations and goals in launching NFF Chapter #245 in the heart of the Central Florida area...

FHSAA Proposes Athletic Schedule Reductions

April 27, 2009

As a follow up to a previous article written for NATS, I thought it might be interesting to take a second look at where the Florida High School Athletic Association is in regard to its March 3rd proposal calling for a cap on the maximum number of games the state's high school sports programs could play in order to cut rising educational costs in the state.

Though varsity football would remain exempt from the proposed reductions, the organization's 16-member Board of Directors approach a critical crossroad in Gainesville April 26-27 when it will decide the fate of countless other programs likely effected by a shortening of their respective schedules by 20 percent (40 percent for non-varsity sports, including football) over the next two years...

Mountain West Conference: Part 2

April 23, 2009

According to Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com, Craig Thompson, commissioner of the Mountain West Conference, took the next step in attempting to convince colleagues comprising the nation's BCS conferences of the value in instituting an eight-team collegiate football playoff system in addition to a number of other recommended changes to the current system.

Presenting to a meeting of BCS commissioners convened in Pasadena, California for spring meetings this week, Thompson presented a proposal which not only included the creation of a national playoff system for football at the Division I level, but also called for the replacement of the BCS computer-rankings with a committee charged with selecting and seeding the ten teams which would be selected for participation in post-season playoffs. Maisel notes that the bottom two teams would play in some sort of "BCS Bowl," while the remaining eight would all battle for the opportunity to play for a national championship title...

Social Networking-The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

April 16, 2009

Since social networking on the internet has become commonplace, more and more student and professional athletes are finding that the content they post can reap rewards or sow consequences. And, lately there has been proof of the good, the bad and the ugly.

The Good

Jarron Gilbert’s YouTube video, according to USAToday, apparently has the ability to raise his draft stock. The video of the 6’5”, 288 lb. defensive lineman must be a montage of some great football highlights right? No-it shows Gilbert leaping out of a swimming pool. This suggests that even the small things that make their way to the internet can make a big impact.

The Bad

Many NFL prospects are being faced with the news that there are ‘ghost profiles’ befriending them on social network sites like MySpace and Facebook. And, according to Yahoo Sports, apparently this widespread tactic has been occurring for some time now, and causing teams to take a closer look at potential draft picks. This year, Matthew Stafford of Georgia has a mark in his file because of a widely-distributed photo taken of him with a beer keg. In years past, the images and words found on social networking sites have ranged from a picture on an unnamed player’s page that showed drugs and drug money to a 2004 rap song released by University of Miami student-athletes calling themselves “the 7th Floor Crew” that is still following these men as we speak...

How to be a Savvy Social Networker

April 16, 2009

Being socially connected has become a relatively easy thing to achieve in the days of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and the like. But, there are right ways to go about keeping in contact with acquaintances, friends and relatives that will ensure the information you and others post about you online portrays you in the best light possible.

Be yourself!

Make sure that everything you post is true and accurate, as coaches, teachers, employers and schools will have the possibility to access things that you post online. If you fabricate your background, people will know. And these fabrications could tarnish your character and cause people to doubt your honesty and sincerity...

West Virginia Bill Seeks to Require Athletic Directors for Schools

April 16, 2009

The Charleston Daily Mail of West Virginia reveals recently that the state legislature is currently reviewing a bill introduced by Brady Paxton, D-Putnam, of the House of Representatives and Bob Plymale, D-Wayne, in the Senate calling for the state’s high schools to be required to hire athletic directors in order to maintain secondary education sports programs.

The legislation, notes the Daily Mail, seeks to require every high school in the state with 13 or more varsity sports to hire a full-time representative at the position of athletic director, while institutions with 12 or less would be mandated to bring a part-time director on board. At this point in time, the article states that “only about a dozen full-time athletic directors” are currently employed by schools in West Virginia...

USC Recruiting Strategies

April 10, 2009

University of Southern California head coach Pete Carroll has come up with a unique, yet simple way to counter moves by other programs like UCLA, Arizona State, and Notre Dame, who, in the past, heavily targeted recruits that announced early commitments to the Trojans football program.

Rather than immediately announcing a decision to verbally commit to USC, Carroll is apparently instructing many of his high-caliber recruits to "remain silent for awhile," such that the Trojans' recruiting efforts are allowed to continue without harassment while other programs -- this year, for instance, the Texas Longhorns, Alabama Crimson Tide, Florida, Louisiana State, and Michigan -- vie for the national spotlight with what Matt Hinton describes as "unprecedented early efforts" in snatching up a large number of verbal commitments...

7-Time State Champions Face School Closure

April 10, 2009

Citing falling enrollment and dwindling finances, Driscoll Catholic High School in Addison, Illinois -- a program which has won seven consecutive Class 4A state championships under two different coaches (doing so by an average of four touchdowns each time) and compiled an overall record of 92-6 since 2002 -- is closing its doors at the end of this school year, reports the Chicago Tribune.

It is a "very, very difficult" decision, notes Brother Kevin Convey, Director of Education for the institution, who is a member of the order of Christian Brothers of the Midwest. Yet, families which can afford the 43 year-old academy's $8,000-a-year tuition have grown scarcer over time, Convey suggests. At the same point, public and private elementary schools in the local area acting as a pipeline for Driscoll have also suffered a significant decline in overall enrollment...