River City Showdown A Sellout And Noles On Preseason ACC Team

After expanding the stadium to maximum capacity last week for the Florida State versus Alabama game, the Gator Bowl Association announced today that the River City Showdown on Saturday, September 29, is a sellout with an expected crowd of over 85,000.

"The Association is proud to bring this match-up to Jacksonville along with an expected record-setting attendance of more than 85,000," said Kelly Madden, 2007 Gator Bowl Association Chairman. The previous record attendance for Jacksonville Municipal Stadium was 84,753 set in the 2004 Florida vs Georgia game.

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Florida State had three players named to the Pre-Season All-ACC Football Team released Wednesday. The Seminoles were tied with Miami for the second-most selections on the team. The media attending the 2007 ACC Football Kickoff at Pinehurst voted on the squad.

Wide receiver Greg Carr, defensive tackle Andre Fluellen and rover Myron Rolle were all named to the team. Rolle is one of only two sophomores to make the squad and the only second-year player on the defensive side of the ball.

FSU May Play In Georgia Dome In 2008

Tony Barnhart of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that The Atlanta Sports Council is close to an agreement for Florida State to play a non-conference game at the Georgia Dome during the 2008 season

Discussions about the game between Florida State athletics director Dave Hart and Atlanta Sports Council president Gary Stokan were held here during the 2007 ACC Football Kickoff. An opponent for Florida State has yet to be determined.

According to Barnhart,Hart has confirmed that the talks had taken place but there is no timetable on when a decision might be announced.

Background Checks And No Name Team

Background checks of football and basketball officials have been conducted by the Atlantic Coast Conference for two years, commissioner John Swofford revealed Tuesday. "It gets to the very integrity of the games we're playing," he said during the final session of the annual ACC Football Kickoff.

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First-year Miami head coach Randy Shannon has stripped the names from the back of this season's uniforms in an effort to continue his ''team-first'' theme. He said the policy is to help emphasize the team concept. Names might reappear next season.
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North Carolina football coach Butch Davis said the school is hoping to begin a $100 million renovation of Kenan Stadium within the next 18 months.

Although athletics director Dick Baddour said through a departmental spokesman that the plan is "still in the early stages," he confirmed that he held his first meeting last Thursday with a special task force to discuss the expansion.

"I'd Just As Soon Die On The Football Field"

"I'd just as soon die on the football field as die on the beach. If I retired, what else have I got to look forward to other than dying? I can't imagine me being retired."
Bobby Bowden comments at ACC Football Kickoff

FSU And Va. Tech Picked To Win Their Divisions

The media at the 2007 ACC Football Kickoff selected Virginia Tech and Florida State to win their respective divisions. Virginia Tech was also the favorite to win the 2007 ACC Championship Game, receiving 69 of the 83 votes.

2007 ACC Football Kick-Off

On Sunday the ACC Football Kick-Off 2007 began at the Pinehurst Golf Resort and Spa in North Carolina. Antone Smith and Andre Fluellen are representing the Noles with the media.

Couple of quotes from Fluellen and Smith:

Andre Fluellen
What does Florida State have to do to get back to where it was?

"We have to make a greater commitment to do all of the little things right. We had a lot of penalties last year; a lot of people were out of position last year. We have to eliminate all of that and do things right. The only game we really got it handed to us was Wake Forest. Other than that, we lost five games by a touchdown or less. One play here; one penalty there and we can eliminate a lot of that. I think it's just doing the little things right. I look as Florida State as being a national championship contender every year."

Antoine Smith on Jimbo Fisher as the Seminoles' offensive coordinator:

"Jimbo Fisher is talking about getting me the ball as many times as he can. He's not going to beat me up as far as running the ball up the middle a lot, but at the same time, he's going to give me the ball and let me do what I do best to help the team win. I'm doing a lot of catching out of the backfield; motion out to the outside; the quarterback is checking down to the running back and things like that just to get me the ball as much as possible."

New Poll: Which FSU Game Are You Most Excited About?

Vote in new poll regarding which FSU game you are most interested in watching this upcoming season.

Poll Results

Results of the poll regarding whether you agree with T.K. Wetherell's decision to not renew the contract of Dave Hart was:

61.8% agreed with T.K. Wetherell

38.2 disagreed

"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.

Urban Has A Bust And Bama Players Arrested

The Gainesville Sun is reporting that Urban Meyer's first Florida recruiting class is a bust. According to the Sun, "It's almost as if the 2005 class has fallen into a black hole."

That class of 18 players is now down to only eight and only two of those players figure to be starters this season running back Kestahn Moore and wide receiver Louis Murphy, the offensive star of the spring game.

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Two University of Alabama football players Brandon Deaderick, 19, and Roy Upchurch, 22, were arrested early Saturday morning on misdemeanor charges following an altercation in front of The Legacy, a bar along the UA strip. A sophomore, Deaderick, is a 6-foot-4-inch, 271-pound defensive lineman from Elizabethtown, Ky. Upchurch is a 6-foot, 191-pound sophomore running back from Tallahassee, Fla. A third University of Alabama football player was later arrested and is facing charges due to an altercation in front of a bar located just off campus early Saturday morning. Brandon Fanney, 21, was brought to the Tuscaloosa County Jail and charged with disorderly conduct.

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.

My View: They Deserve Our Compassion

If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.
~St. Francis of Assisi

I am deviating from this blog's purpose to ask you to consider the reprehensible and disgusting acts that are alleged to have been done and endorsed by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. This has resulted in his indctment by the Federal government.

The indictment contains disgusting and vile acts that were done and endorsed by Vick. For those of you unfamiliar with this case, he is charged with owning and operating a dog fighting business in which dogs are trained to be vicious and fight against each other for "sport."

Two points in the indictment illustrate the depravity:

"In March 2003, PEACE, after consulting with Vick about the female pit bull's condition, executed the losing dog by wetting the dog down with water and electrocuting the animal."

"In April 2007, PEACE, PHILLIPS and VICK executed approximately eight dogs that did not perform well in 'testing' sessions by various methods, including hanging, drowning and slamming at least one dog's body to the ground."

My wife and I have a dog who is a part of our family. I know that many of you that read this blog also are pet owners.I would urge those of you that are as outraged as I to take action to see that Vick never plays another down in the NFL.

PETA and the Humane Society have pages that illustrates what you can do by emailing NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Click Here For Peta

Click Here for Humane Society

Please take a few minutes and send emails.Thanks.

"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

Footman Commits And Bobby Enshrined On Saturday

Godby's British Footman is the fourth senior from the Big Bend area to orally commit to the Seminoles.

“He's an outstanding athlete,” head football coach Shelton Crews said. “He can play about anywhere on offense or defense. If they need a defensive back, he can be a defensive back. He can be a running back or wide receiver and he's a returner. About anywhere but offensive line or defensive line.”

Footman is the Nole's twelfth commitment for the 2008 class after Altoona, Pa., wide receiver A.J. Alexander de-committed last week. Verbal commitments are not binding.

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On Saturday Bobby Bowden will be formally enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be held in South Bend, Ind., the home of the Hall of Fame.

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.

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!

Jackson Out For 2007 Season

It is being reported that true freshmen Lamar Jackson,a 6-foot-4, 235 pound defensive end/linebacker suffered a torn ACL in his right knee and will miss the entire 2007 season.

Jackson will more than likely be granted a medical redshirt that would allow him four years of playing eligibility.

"The Athletics Department Has Isolated Itself From The Community"

"In our opinion, the Athletics Department has isolated itself from the community, which in turn has inhibited effective communication with other University officials and departments".
Summary of the Inspector's General's report which was made public in June 2003 after a review of the athletics department was requested by T.K. Wetherell

Note:Some wonder why Hart is being asked to leave. This is not a knee jerk decision as some would have you believe. This Inspector General's summary illustrates the corporate culture in the FSU athletic department.

For Whom The Bells Toal And Tigers Are Hurting

Injuries have taken their toll on Boston College linebacker Brian Toal. Toal, who is probably the Eagles' most physically gifted player, will more than likely redshirt this coming season, new Eagles coach Jeff Jagodzinski and Toal said Thursday. Toal underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder in early March and hasn't fully healed. The Eagles are scheduled to begin preseason practice Aug. 5.

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Four Clemson football players have sustained injuries in recent weeks that will limit their off-season workout schedule.

Linebacker Kavell Conner, and running backs Ray Ray McElrathbey and Ronald Watson, Jr, all have had arthroscopic knee surgery in the last week. Freshman Drew Traylor suffered a broken ankle at home in Alabama before he came to Clemson last week.

Conner and McElrathbey are expected to be ready for the beginning of preseason practice on August 4, while Watson may not be ready for that first practice. Traylor's return to the team is unknown at this time as he is still in a cast. He is enrolled in classes at Clemson for the second session of summer school.

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.

My View: "Sweet Home Alabama"

Nick Saban's favorite song must be "Sweet Home Alabama." With his new $32 million contract, Saban got everything he wanted with the exception of replacing the Bear's statute with one of him. That might be in his new contract. We have Alabama fans that pack a spring game while their state is at the bottom in education funding. See anything wrong with this picture?

As I have said before, I love college football but the salaries paid to coaches and apparently athletic directors is absolutely ludicrous. And the only ones that are going to be able to stop this are the university presidents at the major universities.

The question will be if they have the political courage to buck their fans and booster groups who want to hire the next new "coach of the month" that will be the saviour for their program. Does anyone really believe that Nick Saban's compensation can be justified? Or the salary of other coaches at the major football schools. Oklahoma's Stoops makes an ungodly amount of money and we now see that Oklahoma has to forfeit an entire season of wins that occurred under Stoops. I guess that was money well spent.

Closer to home, we now learn about Dave Hart's lucrative compensation package. Apparently according to sources, the search for a new athletic director will probably require $400,000 and more likely over $500,000 to attract a worthy candidate. This is ridiculous. How can a university justify these outlandish compensation packages while the state is cutting back on its budget and college tuition continues to escalate in Florida.

Insanity is the modus operandi in professional sports in terms of salary and now it seems to be permeating college football.

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.

Wetherell Letter To Hart Short And To The Point

In response to a public records request, FSU President T.K. Wetherell’s staff released a copy Tuesday of the letter Wetherell mailed athletic director Dave Hart in late May to inform Hart that he would not be retained when his contract ends in January 2009.

Here is the letter, dated May 29, 2007:

Dear Dave:

As we move forward this year, I would like to share with you important information so that you may plan ahead. In an effort to provide you as much notice as possible, this is to advise you in writing that your employment agreement dated January 27, 1999, will not be renewed.

While we look forward to continued successes and progress with the Athletics Department at Florida State University during this period and beyond, in an abundance of fairness I wanted to provide you this notice for your own planning purposes.

Yours truly,

T.K. Wetherell

"No Further Comment"

"There will be no further comment at this time on the athletic director’s employment contract, which concludes in January 2009."
FSU press release regarding Dave Hart

New Poll Regarding T.K. Wetherell Decision

Please vote in the new poll on whether you agree or disagree with T.K. Wetherell's decision to not renew Dave Hart's contract.

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