Noles On Thorpe Watch List And Tight End Position Thin

Junior cornerback Tony Carter and sophomore rover Myron Rolle were both named as candidates to the Jim Thorpe Award pre-season watch list. as the top defensive back in the nation. Florida State tied four other schools with the most selections on the list.

Both Carter and Rolle have already been selected as members of the Bednarik Award watch list and both have been named to numerous pre-season All-ACC teams. Rolle was named the eighth-best safety in the nation by The Sporting News as well.
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Tight end will be a questionable position this year. With the transfer of Brandon Warren and the position change of Caz Piurowski, Madison County graduate Charlie Graham is the only tight end on the roster with playing experience.

"I Made Him Learn Patience"

"When he(Bowden) recruited me he came to my house and one of the things he said was to myself and my Mom and Dad was I had to be patient if I wanted to play quarterback. One of the things now looking back, when I got the opportunity to play I made him learn patience."
Charlie Ward at College Hall Of Fame enshrinement commenting on the virtue of patience

Charlie Enshrined And Noles Pick Up Another Commit

Heisman trophy winner and former Nole Charlie Ward will be enshrined today in the College Football Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as a versatile quarterback who could beat opponents with not only his arm but his feet. Ward and Bobby Bowden are part of a group that will be enshrined at the Hall of Fame in South Bend, Indiana.
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The Noles received another verbal commitment for 2008 when Madison County four-star standout safety Travis Arnold committed to the Noles on Friday. Among the schools that had been recruiting him were LSU and Florida.
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"Bubba Bowl" Gets More Seats

The "Bubba Bowl" is getting larger. Due to high demand for tickets to the River City Showdown on Saturday, Sept. 29, the Gator Bowl Association will add more than 5,800 temporary seats at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. The additional tickets will be split evenly between the participating schools. These tickets will only be available through the University of Alabama and Florida State University.

Houllis Gets Surgery And New Event For Fan Day

Rover Anthony Houllis underwent surgery on Monday to clean up his left knee. The surgery was considered minor according to the FSU sports department. Houllis started the first three games last season before cartilage damage in his left knee forced him to miss the last three games. Houllis is listed as the No. 2 rover on FSU's official two-depth chart.
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Florida State Football fans will be treated to a new event this year at ABC 27's Fan Day as Seminole Superstars Strength & Skills Competition is added to the festivities. For the first time FSU football players will take part in a strength and skill exhibition open to the public.

The free exhibition will take place inside the Donald L. Tucker Center August 12th. Doors will open at 12:00 p.m. with the weight lifting and skills competitions set to begin at 1:00 p.m. Fans will be invited to watch Florida State football players compete in the bench press, power clean and vertical jump. There will also be a skills competition featuring the FSU quarterbacks.

'They Have A Shot At The Title"

"They have a shot at the title -- the ACC title. Not the national title; there are too many good teams. Their big game is the opener against Clemson. They have to beat Clemson at night -- and it's tough to win there.

"Biggest thing for FSU is that staff needs a win to get the pressure off it."
ESPN Gameday analyst Lee Corso as quoted in Orlando Sentinel

Pie In the Face Award

In light of all the inane sports lists and awards, I have come up with one of my own.The Pie In The Face Award will be awarded to those in college sports who in my opinion deserve a great big one in the face.

My first award goes to Kirk "The Homer" Herbstreit. This former football player from Ohio State is currently part of the College Gameday team. This is a guy who believes that there are only three college football teams in the entire country- Ohio State, USC, and Oklahoma. And please Kirk don't let objective analysis keep you from rooting for a mediocre Ohio State team. This fomer has been QB has been photographed on the sidelines while working for ESPN applauding and clapping for Ohio State.

If you are a betting person, bet the opposite of what this guy predicts on the games. More times than not,he is wrong. What I would really like to see would be Lee Corso slapping him in the face with a pie. You see this guy who has a smirk on his face when Corso talks. Like he knows a lot more than Lee. By the way Kirk, Lee has forgotten more than you will ever know. So take the pie in the face Kirk. Bon appetit!

Wake LB Ineligible And Miami QB Injured

Wake Forest middle linebacker Eric Berry has been ruled academically ineligible for the 2007 season, athletic department officials announced on Monday. Berry will not participate in any football activities during the fall while he concentrates on academics.
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University of Miami freshman quarterback Robert Marve injured his left (nonthrowing) hand early Monday morning when a car driven by Hurricanes freshman receiver Jermaine McKenzie flipped over on Interstate 75 just north of Naples.

McKenzie -- who received a ticket for careless driving after telling troopers he fell asleep -- was not injured, according to his father, John, and was back in Miami on Monday afternoon.
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The Maryland football team began its summer testing Monday with a power clean weight lifting session in the Gossett Team House. Several players posted impressive numbers including tight end Tommy Galt and defensive tackle Dre Moore who set all-time team records for their positions.

Galt, the son of Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Dwight Galt, posted a clean of 385, which bested the previous record held by first team All-American Vernon Davis, who had owned all six testing records for the position. In spring 2007 testing Galt posted a clean of 370.

Assistants To Hart Leaving And No Need To Feel Sorry For Hart

The Tallahassee Democrat reported that two Florida State senior athletic administrators have submitted letters of resignation effective Oct. 1. In response to a public records request, the letters of resignation were submitted by senior associate athletics director Charlie Carr and associate athletics director Pam Overton.
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According to published reports, two of the biggest items guaranteed in Dave Hart's contract are a $50,000 annual tax-free annuity and a $300,000 retention bonus. These items are mostly covered by money annually placed into the Athletic Developmental Fund that is part of the Seminole Boosters' budget.

FSU Verbal Commit Back In Hunt And Taiwan To Stay Nole

Altoona,Pa. athlete A. J. Alexander has had a change of heart, putting himself back in the middle of the recruiting game.

The Altoona Area High School standout has backed out of his verbal commitment to Florida State, citing a desire to test the waters a little more before making his college choice.

Alexander is considered the most heavily recruited player in Altoona history, fielding offers from dozens of major programs around the country. The Seminoles remain in the hunt for his services, but now four other schools are back in the mix, including Penn State.

This illustrates the fact that football fans should not put too much faith in these verbal commitments.

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Taiwan Easterling, Mississippi's Mr. Baseball for 2007, says he won't sign a professional baseball contract this summer and will instead play football and baseball at Florida State.

Easterling, a football and baseball star at Oak Grove High School, was taken in the sixth round by the Florida Marlins in the Major League Baseball draft last month and has until Aug. 15 to sign a contract. He's enrolled at FSU, however, and is attending summer workouts.

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Center John Frady is on crutches following surgery to correct an ankle problem. His status for the preseason and early part of the season will be determined later.

Weatherford Goes From Mild Mannered To Man of Steel

Some have compared Drew Weatherford to Clark Kent. A mild mannered man during the day and then rip off the suit and he is on the field doing rigorous summer workouts under new Strength and Conditioning coach Todd Stroud.

The Clark Kent part refers to Weatherford's job as an intern in the Florida Governor's Office of Legislative Affairs. Weatherford works from 8 to 11:30 a.m. each day, fielding phone calls from Florida citizens who have questions about legislation in the state's Senate and House of Representatives.

After work, Weatherford returns to Florida State's campus to take classes and work out with his teammates in preparation for two-a-days and training camp, which begin Aug. 7. He is one of the players that Todd Stroud has singled out as one of the players that has performed at an exceptional level this summer. Now he needs to turn that into exceptional play on the field in 2007.

FSU To Play In Orlando And True Pride Tees Launched

Florida State University has reached an agreement with Florida Citrus Sports to play a neutral site football game in Orlando, pending a renovation of the city's Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium. The game, which would pit the Seminoles against a quality non-conference opponent, would be played in either 2012 or 2013.

Although details of the prospective game will not be finalized until later this summer, the game would be a coup for Central Floridians and area businesses.
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The Seminole Student Boosters, in conjunction with Florida State University and Seminole Athletics, launched its TRUE Seminole campaign Tuesday afternoon at a press conference at the Moore Athletics Center.

Fact Sheet:

The TRUE Seminole Campaign is a student initiated movement to unite the Seminole Community and harness what is best about FSU: our Unconcerned spirit and our one sense of core values.

Vision: Inspire SPIRIT and SERVICE in the Seminole Community through students, alumni, faculty and friends.

Mission: The TRUE Seminole Campaign aims to build tradition and respect by unifying the Seminole community to achieve excellence. It is an honor to represent the Unconquered Spirit of the Seminole Tribe and we strive to uphold the ideals of our namesake and our University.

Values: Tradition, Respect, Unity, and Excellence
The TRUE Pride Tee program is just one of the first projects the campaign aims to implement.

Portions from every shirt sold will be donated back to Seminole Boosters, Inc. In turn, monies will be donated to a SGA financial aide account to help benefit need-based students. The other monies will be place into an endowment fund for student athletic scholarships.

The concept for the inaugural t-shirt design came from the whole idea that we are a "Seminole Community" and as a single person we each are Seminoles, but together We are Florida State.

Head Coach Bobby Bowden:
"When I first came to Florida State 31 years ago, we were always thinking of ways in which we could get spirit going. Remember when we used to take the balloons out there and release the balloons? I can't think of anything finer than to have the students come up with something like this that will really unite our fans and boosters and everything together, so we thank you for that."

Where you can purchase the true Pride Tees:

"He Will Be Judged On Who He Replaces Dave Hart With"

"Let me tell you the one thing that is important for people to understand. President Wetherell will not be judged on what he does with Dave Hart. He will be judged on who he replaces Dave Hart with."
Palm Beach lawyer Peter Mettler, a former board member of Seminole Boosters Inc. commenting on Dave Hart situation

Hart Wants To Stay And FSU In Top ACC Games For 2007

An article in The Tallahassee Democrat reports that Dave Hart has released a statement saying that it's his desire to"finish my athletics administration career as a Seminole." Hart and Wetherell are scheduled to meet later this week.
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If you were planning on going out to purchase Athlon or Street & Smith to see where FSU is ranked in their top 25, save the money. The answer is that FSU is absent in both.
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According to one of the many sports sites, FSU is involved in three of the Top 10 Games Involving ACC Teams:
3. FSU at. Clemson

4. FSU at Wake Forest

8. FSU vs. Alabama

Bama Self-Reports And Gators Take Disciplinary Actions

The University of Alabama has self-reported three secondary violations committed by its football program since Oct. 16, 2006, according to documents obtained by The Birmingham News.

Two of the violations occurred after Nick Saban was announced as the Crimson Tide's coach on Jan. 4, though one of those happened "unbeknownst to (Saban and his) staff," documents say. Two of the violations involved a representative of athletics interest (booster) having an impermissible contact with a recruit.
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Colorado head football coach Dan Hawkins is eager to have the football season begin. "I just see much more assertiveness, much more confidence, much more twinkle in the eye," he said. "I know we're going to be a lot stronger than we were last year. That will help us just physically."
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Florida offensive lineman Ronnie Wilson has been suspended for the 2007 season and running back Brandon James is suspended for Florida's opener because of separate off-the-field incidents, according to The Gainesville Sun. Wilson is facing misdemeanor charges after allegedly taking a rifle from his trunk and firing it in the air to intimidate a man during a disagreement.

It's About Time

A story in the Tallahasssee Democrat today indicates that T.K. Wetherell does not plan to renew Dave Hart's contract when it expires in 2009. The only thing that I can say is that it's about time.

I have written several My Views regarding Hart and the FSU program. On April 4 of this year, I criticized Hart because of his lack of leadership regarding the basketball program. At that time, I said that I had..."had enough Hart. It is time for someone new." Apparently T.K. thinks so also.

Dave Hart in many respects has gained what influence he has by being in the right place at the right time. He has been able to ride Bobby Bowden's coattails for all these years. However, when you look at those things that he actually did, the proof as they say is in the pudding. His hires relating to the basketball program have been awful. His inaction regarding to the Jeff Bowden situation and the subsequent payoff of Bowden were examples of his lack of leadership.

Dave Hart has been a great promoter for Dave Hart. A lot of fluff but very little substance. The decision by T.K. Wetherell to say goodbye to Hart if the story is accurate is good news. We need an athletic director who can take FSU to the next level in all sports.

FSU In Middle Of Pack According To Some For 2007

Rivals.com apparently doesn't think much of FSU's football team for 2007. They have FSU ranked 23rd in their Top 50 countdown.

In addition, their most overrated player is Greg Carr who"can frustrate coaches with his inconsistent effort." Their most underated player is De'Cody Fagg.

FSU ACC Stadiums For 2007: Boston College Alumni Stadium

FSU has another payback game when they take on Boston College at Boston College on November 3. The Noles lost at home to the Eagles 19-24 in 2006.

Opened in 1915 as "Alumni Field," Boston College's first stadium was located just south of Gasson Quadrangle, on the site of the present "Campus Green", better known as the "Dustbowl." While today that area of BC's campus is grass-covered and landscaped, the Dustbowl nickname originated as a description of Alumni Field in the years when it was intensely-used not only as a gridiron, but a practice field, a baseball diamond and a running track. Formally dedicated "as a memorial to the boys that were" on October 30, 1915, Alumni Field and its distinctive "maroon goal-posts on a field of green" were hailed in that evening's edition of the Boston Saturday Evening Transcript as "one of the sights in Boston."

On September 21, 1957 Alumni Stadium opened on Boston College's lower campus. The new stadium incorporated a football field encircled by a regulation track with a seating capacity of 26,000. The dedication game, a match up with the Midshipmen of the U.S. Naval Academy, was orchestrated with the help of BC benefactor and then-Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy. Kennedy, who had received his honorary degree at Commencement Exercises in Alumni Field the previous year, would return to Alumni Stadium on a number of occasions over the course of his political career, including a 1963 Convocation Address, one of his last public appearances. Alumni Stadium has hosted numerous intellectual and cultural luminaries, religious leaders and heads of state as the venue for Boston College's annual Commencement Exercises since 1957.

As the home of the Boston College Eagles, Alumni Stadium has been the site of numerous notable moments in Boston College football history. On September 17, 2005, Alumni Stadium hosted BC's inaugural game as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference

Can't Duck This List

Under the heading of Can't accuse these teams of ducking anyone, ESPN has the Noles schedule ranked as the second toughest in the nation behind Wshington.

Happy Fourth Of July!

Want to wish everyone a safe and Happy Fourth!

"Bowden Bowl" Sold Out And Another List

The Clemson Athletic Ticket Office announced that the highly anticipated match up against Florida State is now Sold Out. The Kick Off packages went on sale to the public Monday, July 2nd, 2007. The Florida State game is scheduled for Monday, September 3rd, 2007. Kickoff is set for 8pm and will be televised on ESPN.
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Sporting News columnist Tom Dienhart did a subjective ranking of The Top 40 ACC Players. Here are where he ranked Nole players:

10. Andre Fluellen, DT, Florida State

16. Myron Rolle, S, Florida State

22. Antone Smith, RB, Florida State

25. Greg Carr, WR, Florida State

30. Geno Hayes, LB, Florida State

40. John Frady, C, Florida State
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Scottsdale, Az. Notre Dame Prep quarterback Sean Renfree has given Georgia Tech a commitment to play football.

Renfree was set on leaving the state from the beginning, but the push that Arizona State made under new coach Dennis Erickson made his decision more difficult

"The Bubba Bowl" Makes A List

Apparently someone else has a lot of time to kill.

The MZone(a Michigan blog)posted 100 things to look forward to this college football season. There are some FSU moments:

10. Antone Smith trying to become Florida State's first 1,000-yard running back since Warrick Dunn in 1996.

15. The Bowden Bowl on Monday, September 3.

16. The Bubba Bowl (i.e. Alabama vs. Florida State in Jacksonville) on Saturday, September 29.

94. Watching Myron Rolle continue his progression towards superstardom as he patrols the defensive backfield for the Florida State Seminoles.

"We Have To Do A Better Job Locally"

“Coach Fisher told everybody that Coach (Bobby) Bowden told him that if we're going to get this thing back like we need to do, then we have to do a better job locally.”
Godby Head Coach Shelton Crew's comments after Jimbo Fisher spoke to a meeting of local coaches as quoted in The Tallahasse Democrat