In case you missed it, three state colleges hosted their football media days this past week.
With just days away until season kickoff – and Sioux City’s Brennan Cougill at Iowa this year – anticipation is high among college pigskin fans.
Get a sneak peek at the talent in these photo galleries from Iowa, Iowa State and Nebraska.
I attended the press conference this afternoon announcing the resignation of Sioux City Bandits indoor football Coach Jarrod DeGeorgia after two years, but came away most intrigued with long-time owner Bob Scott’s blast against the Indoor Football League (successor to UIF league of a few years ago). Scott put the hard times this year (4-10 record) in part on teams paying player salaries in excess of the league limits and practicing out of line with league rules too.
He said it would be premature to name a new coach until he knows if the IFL will put some teeth in rule enforcement. Scott said his preference is to remain in the league, since there are so many regional opponents, but the Aug. 28 league meetings will tell a lot. He’s going in with an open mind, hoping for the best, although he blasted the league to boot.
Scott said the Bandits have never made money, at best breaking even financially. He noted the team lost money on the 2009 year. The team could do better, he said, if the IFL ensured a competitive playing field — Scott was concerned the league moving to some teams (Sioux Falls?) becoming the equivalent of the high-paying, high-performing Yankees to the detriment of the others.
“Either we get people who play by the rules and do it right, or we’re gonna have to look at a different place to play football,” Scott said.
The Bandits have not had a winning season since 2005, with the 15-3 team that won two playoff games. In nine years since the team was created in 2001, the Bandits have made the playoffs four years.
ESPN and Rick Reilly will be coming to Iowa to tape a special featuring looking at the roots of three-time Super Bowl quarterback Kurt Warner. Many Iowans are familiar with the story of Warner, who quarterbacked at Regis Catholic High School, then started his senior year for the Northern Iowa Panthers before working at Hy-Vee grocery.
He then became an indoor Arena League QB for the Iowa Barnstormers before moving into the NFL with the St. Louis Rams in the late 1990s. He moved onto the Arizona Cardinals a few years ago, and had a great year in 2008, leading the team to a Super Bowl.
I so enjoyed Reilly when he was a Sports Illustrated columnist for many years, and he’ll be coming to Cedar Rapids to tape the show on June 14 at Regis, which is now a middle school. As a release from UNI lays out, Warner has “made a lifetime of exceeding expectations and has earned his place as one of the NFL’s best.”
Warner will tell his story for Reilly in front of family, friends and teammates in the Regis homecoming. If you live in the area and want to be part of the event, email espnhomecoming@yahoo.com. In the subject field, put “Kurt Warner-Homecoming.”
There was something of a ticket buying splurge this morning down in Ames, as fans bought the remaining end zone season tickets within a mere hour of going on sale. An Iowa State press release said fans “devoured” the 380 ducats at a price of $125 per, demonstrating excitement for the 2009 season.
Jack Trice Stadium still has seats available, including some single game tix in the end zone, and season tickets elsewhere. If you go to the first of six home games, you’ll see old Division II North Central Conference power North Dakota State, which now plays in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly1-AA).
Of course, some of the excitement is on the possibilities a new coach brings (which was the case as well in 2007 with the arrival of Gene Chizik before he flew the coop). We had new football coach Paul Rhoads in Sioux City two days ago as part of a Cyclone Caravan, where he spoke with Journal sports writer Barry Poe about improving all facets of the program, from recruiting to workouts in the weightroom. The Ankeny native said he was “absolutely thrilled to be back in the state of Iowa.”
The University of South Dakota is using appearances on the fields of Big 10 football opponents as a way to gain some national publicity. Today USD, which in 2008 finished 6-5 in the transition from Division II to Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA), announced a third game with a Big 10 school in the next few years.
The 2012 opponent announced today was Northwestern University, which plays in a stadium roughly six times the size of the DakotaDome. That game is on top of the 2010 game to be played at Minneapolis with the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the 2011 tilt with the Wisconsin Badgers.
Will those be slaughters that will give the USD athletic department some plump funding for playing the road games? Probably the three Big 10 games won’t be wins, but Coyote coach Ed Meierkort is enthused. He’s a Chicago native who says it’s good to be playing a top flight conference foe, while athletic director Joel Nielsen noted USD will nab exposure in one of the biggest media markets by playing in the Chicago metro area vs. Northwestern.
Can a USD-Iowa Hawkeye game in Iowa City be far behind? There’s no way it would ever be a home-and-home arrangement, since Iowa has never agreed to travel two hours north to play UNI in Cedar Falls, even though they play each other about every three years.
The will-he/won’t-he saga of former Green Bay Packer quarterback legend Bret Favre heading to play for the Minnesota Vikings is still very much in flux. Jeremy Schapp of ESPN a few hours ago reported the story isn’t going away and Favre talks could happen. Yesterday, Vikings Coach Brad Childress stayed with the team rather than travel to Favre’s home.
This speculation has been ongoing for a few weeks and Favre’s playing status has been the NFL topic du jour for the last several offseasons. Some are sick of it; some love Favre and don’t want him to stop playing. Some had their regard for Favre lowered after he balked at retirement and played for the AFC Jets in 2008.
But playing for the divisional rival Vikes — well that’s another matter entirely for the most devoted Packer fans. If Favre goes to Minnesota, he’ll be seen as the turncoat of all turncoats and the old No.4 jersey (OK, a dresser drawer of them for some rabid fans) could be burned.
Lost in this story of regional teams beloved by many in Siouxland is another local angle. The QB the Vikings acquired to head the team (unless Favre drops in)? None other than Sage Rosenfels, a former Iowa State pigskin slinger.
For the fun of it, here’s the video of Favre’s March 2008 announcement of his retirement from the Pack, which involved crying. Of course, he changed course in the summer and cast his lot with the Jets.
Iowa’s Shonn Greene
If you’re a track fan, you’re likely pumped about the huge day at the Drake Relays for Sioux City high school girl performers. Not only did West’s Gabriel Williams win the 100 meter dash (12.72) and East sophomore Shelby Houlihan take the 800 meters (2:10.17), but an East threesome blanketed the 800, with junior Ellen Dougherty taking third (2:12.57) and senior Emily McCarthy fourth (2:14.90).
But if you’re a football fan, you’re more likely frothing for the NFL draft to begin tomorrow. There is a lot of speculation on how the Detroit Lions should go with the No. 1 pick (how about Georgia QB Matthew Stafford?), but here in the tri-state area college fans are waiting to see which Iowa, Iowa State or Nebraska player will be the first to be picked.
Among Iowa Hawkeyes, it could be running back Shonn Greene, who was the only D-I back to go over 100 yards in every game on the way to winning the national rushing title. Greene a week or two ago was listed in the top half-dozen backs in the field, but scuttlebutt lately has him dropping over concerns on size and speed, perhaps down to a late-second or third round pick.
The prognosis for an Iowa State guy going high in the football draft? Let’s just say ISU fans should stick with the good news today for the Cyclone basketball program, as post player extraordinaire Craig Brackins announced he’ll come back for his junior season.
As is often the case, rules enacted in the NFL and college football have filtered down to the high school level.
The National Federation of State High School Associations recently voted to make the so-called “horse-collar” tackle illegal. Taking a player down by grabbing the inside collar of his shoulder pads or jersey now will be a personal foul that will be penalized 15 yards from the end of the run.
The NFL initially passed this rule after Roy Williams of the Cowboys hurt Terrell Owens, then with the Eagles, by dragging him down from behind. The NCAA enacted a similar rule last year.
At the high school level, the rule shouldn’t have that much of an impact. In 10 years of officiating high school football, I can’t remember ever seeing a horse-collar tackle.
Other rule changes include making it illegal to grab an opponents’ chin strap (never seen this happen either) and some new restrictions on coaches standing in the coaching box.
BOYS TOWN, Neb. (AP) – Former NFL running back Jerome “The Bus” Bettis will be the keynote speaker at the annual Boys Town Booster Banquet.
Bettis, who was part of the Pittsburgh Steelers when they won the Super Bowl in 2006, is fifth on the NFL’s all-time rushing list.
The banquet is set for May 7 at the Embassy Suites conference center in La Vista.
The annual event benefits and honors Boys Town student athletes.
Past booster banquet speakers include baseball legend Johnny Bench and NFL figures Mike Ditka, Will Shields and Peyton Manning.
The lists are official, we now know for sure who’s going where to major college football programs. People love to talk about which key guy went where, and I’m still amazed that some apparently can make livelihoods in ranking the recruiting classes.
Many Siouxlanders are picking apart the recruiting classes of Nebraska, Iowa and Iowa State. While we in Sioux City have a lot of homegrown love for Heelan running back Brandon Wegher, that regard is obviously widespread — he’s seen as a key recruit for the Hawkeyes. I guess that’s what 3,238 yards and 51 touchdowns as a senior and 2,334 yards as a junior will get you. Wegher’s been told to be ready to play, and many are curious to see how soon he’ll get on the turf in Kinnick Stadium.
For the record, here are some recruiting class assessments:
– Rivals.com had the Cornhusker bunch ranked at 27th nationally, the Hawkeyes at 63rd and the Cyclones at 72nd.
– Scout.com put Nebraska at 33rd, the Hawks at 73rd and the Clones at 75th. The latter two assessments might be concerning to some fans as those teams seek to rise nationally in 2009.
Of course, the University of Northern Iowa, University of South Dakota and South Dakota State also are in the D-I ranks, albeit in the Football Championship Division (with a playoff determining a champion). Here are links to the USD and UNI recruiting classes.