Martin Luther Luther King, Jr. Day honors the legacy and celebrates the birthday of the iconic civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. A campaign to create the day started shortly after King's death in 1968. Representative John Conyers (D-MI) and Senator Edward Brooke (R-MA) introduced a bill to make King's birthday a national holiday, and it first came up for a vote in 1979 but fell short. The two main arguments against its creation were that having another paid federal holiday would be too expensive and that honoring a private citizen would go against tradition. Up until that time the only two other figures were honored with a national holiday, George Washington and Christopher Columbus.
The King Center turned to support from the public and corporate community to continue pushing for the day. Stevie Wonder released "Happy Birthday" in 1980 and hosted the Rally For Peace Press Conference in 1981 to encourage the creation of the day. Six million signatures were part of a petition to Congress urging for the day. Ronald Reagan originally opposed the day because of cost concerns, but signed the bill on Nov 2, 1983; it was first observed three years later, on January 20, 1986.
Former Syracuse football wide receiver Jamal Custis had a rare opportunity on Saturday in the East-West Shrine Game and he took full advantage of it.
The East-West Shrine Game is the longest running college football all-star game in the nation. This is a unique platform for some of the best college football players in the country to strut their stuff.
Although it’s not a normal football game, there are special rules including on offense: the formations must be balanced and there are no motion or shifts allowed. While defensively you can only play cover 1, 2, or 3 and there is no stunts or blitzes allowed.
...
Clemson football offered an in-state 2019 running back this past weekend. What does it mean for the Tigers moving forward at that position?
The Clemson football coaching staff extended an offer to 3-star in-state running back Michel Dukes this past weekend.
Dukes, who played his high school football at First Baptist in Charleston, has offers from South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Oregon, Syracuse, North Carolina and Indiana.
The 3-star prospect rushed for more than 2,000 yards and 33 touchdowns during his senior season in SCISA football.
So, what does the offer mean for Clemson football?
There are several things we should take into account.
First of all, it’s clear that Dabo Swinney and his staff believe that Dukes has the talent and ability to play at the next level. They wouldn’t just offer a guy to make an offer. They think that Dukes has the ability to play.
For them to be offering him this late in the process, though, tells me that they’re wanting some security as far as numbers are concerned at the running back position.
Right now, the Tigers have five running backs on scholarship:
Former Pitt running back Darrin Hall was one of three Panthers invited to the East-West Shrine Game, which was played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Saturday afternoon. However, he ended up being the only one to take the field, as Qadree Ollison and Alex Booker were listed as non-participants.
As is typically the case with all-star games, players cycled in and out and did not get the opportunity to become fixtures of the contest. But despite getting just 12 touches, Hall put in a full day’s work. When all was said and done, he led all rushers with 77 yards for a game-high average of 6.4 yards per carry. Hall also broke away from the pack for a 39-yard rumble that was a contender for the play of the game.
... Ron Dugans hired as new Florida State wide receivers coach (247sports.com; Newberg)
A deal has been finalized with Ron Dugans to become the new wide receiver coach at Florida State. Dugans, an FSU alum, has previously been coaching on the Miami Hurricanes staff since 2016.
“Ron Dugans is a respected teacher and recruiter who understands the culture we are building and the benefits of playing at Florida State,” coach Willie Taggart said in a statement on Sunday. “He has NFL and high-level college coaching experience, including two years with us at South Florida, and won a national championship at Florida State. His coaching experience has proven he is extremely qualified for this position, and we are happy to welcome him back home to Tallahassee.”
A source tells Noles247 that David Kelly, who coaches wideouts last season, will remain with the team. His status is unknown, he could still end up on the field, or could have a role off of it, in the recruiting department.
Dugans, 41, is a Tallahassee native and played at FSU in the late 1990s before getting drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played with the Bengals from 2000-02 before returning to FSU as a graduate assistant in 2005.
...
Here are highlights and insights from Q&A: A LOOK INSIDE ACC FOOTBALL SCHEDULING with ACC Senior Associate Commissioner of Football Michael Strickland - along with some comments from yours truly...
First, an explanation of why the ACC is always the last P5 conference to release its football schedule:
Q. This year marked the earliest the ACC football schedule has been released since 2001 and is thus the earliest in the expansion era... Why now as opposed to the fall?A. As a conference... we want to put the right teams in the right matchups in the right weeks to give all of our programs their best possible chances at maximum national exposure. Waiting until January gives us more information that we need to make the best possible decisions.
Honestly, this is the only (and best) reason for waiting to put the schedule together.
Regarding schedule changes in support of the ACC Network channel...
Q. The August 22 date for the debut of the ACC Network is drawing closer. What bearing did that have on this year’s football scheduling?A. ...We built the schedule in a way to give us as much weekly flexibility as possible to enhance the content of the ACC Network. In fact, we’ve been working towards that for several years in anticipation of this year’s ACC Network launch. Over that time, we’ve moved several FCS games out of week one and dispersed them throughout the schedule, and that will be a common theme of our schedules moving forward. You will not see any specific weeks, including week one, where we have more than four FCS games in a given week.
That sounds like a directive from ESPN, and it makes sense - the last thing you want is one week with way too many low-quality games, followed later in the season by a week with too few games.
Here's some great research which I wish I'd have thought of first...
From Definitive Overall College Football Conference Ranking (based on data from the past 5 seasons), in which the author ranks the conferences on several objective measures, then proposes an overall ranking (you know I have to massage it a little to add some value here...)
Attendance.
Average Home Attendance
SEC 77,226
Big Ten 66,314
Big 12 57,458
Pac-12 51,064
ACC 49,375
AAC 30,329
MWC 24,557
C-USA 19,983
Sun Belt 17,919
MAC 15,633
... Are Transfers Making College Football Better? ACC Basketball is heating up, and all of the latest news and notes around the ACC - Chowder & Grits (chowderandgrit.com; podcast; chiola)
On the latest episode of Chowder & Grits, we discuss all of the recent transfer news around college football and take a look at how it’s effecting the ACC. We also recap all of the latest ACC Football action, check in our friend Kyler Murray, and discuss the best fast food options from around the country!
Other
All you need to know about Syracuse University’s little orange ball of team spirit – in one minute.
Martin Luther Luther King, Jr. Day honors the legacy and celebrates the birthday of the iconic civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. A campaign to create the day started shortly after King's death in 1968. Representative John Conyers (D-MI) and Senator Edward Brooke (R-MA) introduced a bill to make King's birthday a national holiday, and it first came up for a vote in 1979 but fell short. The two main arguments against its creation were that having another paid federal holiday would be too expensive and that honoring a private citizen would go against tradition. Up until that time the only two other figures were honored with a national holiday, George Washington and Christopher Columbus.
The King Center turned to support from the public and corporate community to continue pushing for the day. Stevie Wonder released "Happy Birthday" in 1980 and hosted the Rally For Peace Press Conference in 1981 to encourage the creation of the day. Six million signatures were part of a petition to Congress urging for the day. Ronald Reagan originally opposed the day because of cost concerns, but signed the bill on Nov 2, 1983; it was first observed three years later, on January 20, 1986.
Former Syracuse football wideout Jamal Custis impressed the right people at the East West Shrine Game on Saturday and made the most of his opportunities.
Former Syracuse football wide receiver Jamal Custis had a rare opportunity on Saturday in the East-West Shrine Game and he took full advantage of it.
The East-West Shrine Game is the longest running college football all-star game in the nation. This is a unique platform for some of the best college football players in the country to strut their stuff.
Although it’s not a normal football game, there are special rules including on offense: the formations must be balanced and there are no motion or shifts allowed. While defensively you can only play cover 1, 2, or 3 and there is no stunts or blitzes allowed.
...
Clemson football offered an in-state 2019 running back this past weekend. What does it mean for the Tigers moving forward at that position?
The Clemson football coaching staff extended an offer to 3-star in-state running back Michel Dukes this past weekend.
Dukes, who played his high school football at First Baptist in Charleston, has offers from South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Oregon, Syracuse, North Carolina and Indiana.
The 3-star prospect rushed for more than 2,000 yards and 33 touchdowns during his senior season in SCISA football.
So, what does the offer mean for Clemson football?
There are several things we should take into account.
First of all, it’s clear that Dabo Swinney and his staff believe that Dukes has the talent and ability to play at the next level. They wouldn’t just offer a guy to make an offer. They think that Dukes has the ability to play.
For them to be offering him this late in the process, though, tells me that they’re wanting some security as far as numbers are concerned at the running back position.
Right now, the Tigers have five running backs on scholarship:
Former Pitt running back Darrin Hall was one of three Panthers invited to the East-West Shrine Game, which was played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Saturday afternoon. However, he ended up being the only one to take the field, as Qadree Ollison and Alex Booker were listed as non-participants.
As is typically the case with all-star games, players cycled in and out and did not get the opportunity to become fixtures of the contest. But despite getting just 12 touches, Hall put in a full day’s work. When all was said and done, he led all rushers with 77 yards for a game-high average of 6.4 yards per carry. Hall also broke away from the pack for a 39-yard rumble that was a contender for the play of the game.
...
A deal has been finalized with Ron Dugans to become the new wide receiver coach at Florida State. Dugans, an FSU alum, has previously been coaching on the Miami Hurricanes staff since 2016.
“Ron Dugans is a respected teacher and recruiter who understands the culture we are building and the benefits of playing at Florida State,” coach Willie Taggart said in a statement on Sunday. “He has NFL and high-level college coaching experience, including two years with us at South Florida, and won a national championship at Florida State. His coaching experience has proven he is extremely qualified for this position, and we are happy to welcome him back home to Tallahassee.”
A source tells Noles247 that David Kelly, who coaches wideouts last season, will remain with the team. His status is unknown, he could still end up on the field, or could have a role off of it, in the recruiting department.
Dugans, 41, is a Tallahassee native and played at FSU in the late 1990s before getting drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played with the Bengals from 2000-02 before returning to FSU as a graduate assistant in 2005.
...
Here are highlights and insights from Q&A: A LOOK INSIDE ACC FOOTBALL SCHEDULING with ACC Senior Associate Commissioner of Football Michael Strickland - along with some comments from yours truly...
First, an explanation of why the ACC is always the last P5 conference to release its football schedule:
Q. This year marked the earliest the ACC football schedule has been released since 2001 and is thus the earliest in the expansion era... Why now as opposed to the fall?A. As a conference... we want to put the right teams in the right matchups in the right weeks to give all of our programs their best possible chances at maximum national exposure. Waiting until January gives us more information that we need to make the best possible decisions.
Honestly, this is the only (and best) reason for waiting to put the schedule together.
Regarding schedule changes in support of the ACC Network channel...
Q. The August 22 date for the debut of the ACC Network is drawing closer. What bearing did that have on this year’s football scheduling?A. ...We built the schedule in a way to give us as much weekly flexibility as possible to enhance the content of the ACC Network. In fact, we’ve been working towards that for several years in anticipation of this year’s ACC Network launch. Over that time, we’ve moved several FCS games out of week one and dispersed them throughout the schedule, and that will be a common theme of our schedules moving forward. You will not see any specific weeks, including week one, where we have more than four FCS games in a given week.
That sounds like a directive from ESPN, and it makes sense - the last thing you want is one week with way too many low-quality games, followed later in the season by a week with too few games.
Here's some great research which I wish I'd have thought of first...
From Definitive Overall College Football Conference Ranking (based on data from the past 5 seasons), in which the author ranks the conferences on several objective measures, then proposes an overall ranking (you know I have to massage it a little to add some value here...)
Attendance.
Average Home Attendance
SEC 77,226
Big Ten 66,314
Big 12 57,458
Pac-12 51,064
ACC 49,375
AAC 30,329
MWC 24,557
C-USA 19,983
Sun Belt 17,919
MAC 15,633
...
On the latest episode of Chowder & Grits, we discuss all of the recent transfer news around college football and take a look at how it’s effecting the ACC. We also recap all of the latest ACC Football action, check in our friend Kyler Murray, and discuss the best fast food options from around the country!
Other
All you need to know about Syracuse University’s little orange ball of team spirit – in one minute.
