|
Viewing 1 - 9 out of 10 Blogs.
Page:
1 |
|
July, 15, 2011
Jul 15
1:14
PM ET Email
Comments146 We're still a few weeks from our friends at ESPN Stats & Info unveiling their weekly College Football Conference Power Rankings. Their formula is a beautifully formulated blend of the AP Top 25 and computer rankings that measure a conference's top-shelf strength as well as its bottom-shelf weaknesses. But I'm an impatient man. So, until they reveal their initial [url=http://www.chinajerseyswholesalecheap.com/]cheap authentic jerseys[/url] numbers, let's take an official midsummer crack at it ourselves, shall we? For this week's Three Downs and Punt: First Down: Ranking the conference colossuses I'm employing a much simpler formula that's one part top teams, one part problem teams, one part hunch -- and a little easier to bang out on a calculator for those of us who barely made it out of middle school algebra. My numbers are based on my predictions. 1. How many teams from each conference will legitimately factor into the BCS championship fight? 2. How many teams will be in the AP Top 25 conversation on a regular basis throughout the season? 3. How many teams do I expect each conference to send to a bowl game? 4. How many teams will qualify for none of the above, aka the "Holes in the Boat" that threaten to bring the conference down from the inside? 1. SEC
BCS Contenders: (+2) Alabama, LSU
Top 25 Contenders: (+7) Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi State
Likely Bowl Teams: (+10) Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Auburn, Kentucky
Holes in the [url=http://www.chinawholesalejerseyscheap.com/]cheap authentic jerseys[/url] Boat: (-2) Ole Miss, Vanderbilt
Total: 17 This is the no-brainer of the list, although it's closer than most might have thought before doing the actual arithmetic. The Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers are on nearly [url=http://www.chinajerseyscheapwholesale.com/]cheap authentic jerseys[/url] everyone's preseason title contenders list. Past that, it's a bunch of schools that are already being labeled "could be this year's [url=http://www.chinawholesalecheapjerseys.com/]cheap authentic jerseys[/url] Auburn," schools that could finish the season in the AP top 10 or outside the Top 25 altogether. Still, the SEC likely will send a whopping 10 schools [url=http://www.chinacheapwholesalejerseys.com/]cheap authentic jerseys[/url] to bowls. Some [url=http://www.chinacheapjerseyswholesale.com/]cheap authentic jerseys[/url] say that last team will be Ole Miss, I say Kentucky. [url=http://www.jerseyschinacheap.com/]cheap authentic jerseys[/url] As for the league's longtime Hole in the Boat, Vanderbilt is on [url=http://www.jerseyscheapchina.com/]cheap authentic jerseys[/url] the way up, not down.
Tags: Big Ten Is Closing Gap On SEC
July, 15, 2011
Jul 15
4:15
PM ET Email
Print
Comments9 By Eamonn Brennan
By Packers Donald Driver Jersey now, most college hoops fans are aware of James Michael McAdoo. He's one of the best freshman forwards in the country, one who would start at pretty much any program in the country. Thing is, McAdoo has chosen to play at North Carolina, a team stocked with championship-level frontcourt talent. UNC doesn't really need an impact freshman in the frontcourt, Authentic Andrew Ladd Jersey but it has one all the same. It's almost kind of unfair. Less well-known is the other high-profile freshman arriving at UNC this summer: shooting guard P.J. Hairston. In reality, Hairston might be more important to his new team than McAdoo. North Carolina's biggest drawback in 2011 was its outside shooting; outside shooting just so happens to be Hairston's primary strength. Considering all the attention Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Tyler Zeller will draw, having a lights-out outside shooter to play alongside Kendall Marshall could transform North Carolina's offense into a totally unstoppable unit. So Carolina fans -- who've had no shortage of ways to be geeked about the upcoming college hoops season -- will be glad to hear reports out of Durham, Replica Donald Driver Jersey N.C., where Hairston has spent his time impressing pretty much everyone at the Greater N.C. Pro-Am, per this report from the News & Observer's Harold Gutmann. With a handful of his UNC Replica Malcolm Jenkins Jersey teammates sidelined thanks to other commitments, Hairston and fellow UNC players Premier Nick Mangold Jersey past and present (alumni Rasheed Wallace and David Noel, junior Leslie McDonald and McAdoo, too) were split into a game in which Hairston scored 25 points and unleashed a variety Authentic Tom Barrasso Jersey of dunks that sent observers into a tizzy. The only disconcerting moment, according to Gutmann, came when Hairston iced his wrist on the sidelines. What injury befell the Youth James Harrison Jersey promising freshman? Oh, nothing, really. Just a small matter Premier Pierre Garcon Jersey of dunking the basketball too hard: "I bruised my wrist from dunking too hard," said Hairston, who thought he would be fine in a few days. "(I wanted to) give the crowd a show."
As if Carolina fans needed any more reasons to be excited. Sheesh.
Tags: P.J Hairston Impressive In Summer Ball
July, 12, 2011
Jul 12
4:12
PM ET Email
Print
Comments7 By Diamond Leung
The easiest way to tell that West Virginia will be a young team next season is by checking its current roster, which consists of only four returning players. There is talent there with seniors Darryl Bryant and Kevin Jones, who withdrew his name from the NBA draft. Deniz Kilicli is back Packers Charles Woodson Jersey along with Kevin Noreen, who didn't play much before needing season-ending knee surgery. With a lack of experience, there is also the benefit of somewhat of a blank slate. According to what associate head coach Larry Harrison told Metronews Statewide Sportsline, the team's preseason tour of Italy presents an opportunity to go back to playing an old-school style of Bob Huggins basketball. "We're going to introduce a new style of play," Harrison said. "With the type of players that we have, we're going to try to play like the old Cincinnati teams that we had with the running and trapping and just playing full-court defense. We're going to try to put Authentic Adam Burish Jersey that in with these 10 days of practice that we have. And then when we take them over to Italy, we're going to play that way and get them used to playing that style. And then come back in October, we'll break it down a lot more and give them a little Jets Mark Sanchez Jersey more time to adjust to our teaching. We're going to throw them into the fire right way because that's the way we want them to get used to playing."
Harrison, who coached under Huggins at Cincinnati from 1989-97, sounded excited. During his
eight years there, the Bearcats Authentic James Harrison Jersey were 192-71 and won six conference championships. They went to the Final Four and made Colts Peyton Manning Jersey two trips to the Elite Eight playing in Huggins' aggressive Premier Jonathan Vilma Jersey style. Can a new batch of players help dust off what worked for Cincinnati? When they're not busy sightseeing in Italy, that will be the big question as the Mountaineers get an early Eagles Randall Cunningham Jersey start in preparing for the season. Laying the groundwork has already begun for Huggins, as he'll be going back to the Penguins Kris Letang Jersey basics for what was successful in the past.
Tags: Bob Huggins To Bring Back Cincinnati Style
Email
Print
Comments By Scott Powers
ESPNChicago.com
Archive Former Illinois point guard Demetri McCamey signed a one-year deal with Mersin in Turkey, his agent Roger Montgomery confirmed on Thursday. "We thought Women Hines Ward Jersey this was a good opportunity for the year," Montgomery said. "There's a lot of uncertainty with what's going on with the NBA Premier B.J. Raji Jersey season. We wanted to get his career started. There were a lot of teams that were interested Eagles LeSean McCoy Jersey in him. We Premier Jamie Silva Jersey had to sift through them and do our due diligence for what was the best fit for Demetri. [+] EnlargeDemetri McCamey
Dennis Wierzbicki/US PresswirePlaying in Turkey, Demetri McCamey may go up against another former Illinois star, Deron Williams. "We decided this situation from a financial standpoint, basketball standpoint and location standpoint was the best fit. Turkey is a really, really quality league. It's been in the news as of late. That's why we made the decision." McCamey, a 6-foot-3 point guard, was projected by ESPN's Chad Ford as a second-round pick in last month's NBA draft, but he was not selected. Montgomery said the few days following the draft were difficult for his client. "Demetri was extremely disappointed because we had gotten great feedback," Montgomery said. "It probably took him 48 hours to get over. Allan Penguins Brooks Orpik Jersey Houston from the [New Premier Garrett Hartley Jersey York] Knicks called and gave him support and encouragement, which is really cool. He really believed in Demetri's game and had a lot of positives to say about Demetri. "That's over with now. We recognize things happen for a reason. He's going to have a lot of options. This is one of the alternatives we think is a positive for him. At some point, he's going to play in the NBA. The cream rises to the top even when NBA teams have made an oversight, which the NBA did." McCamey's potential competition in Turkey was one of the reasons he signed with Mersin. He could face former Illinois and current New Jersey Authentic LaDainian Tomlinson Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams, who has signed with Besiktas, if the NBA lockout continues. "Deron Williams is a draw no matter how you put it," Blackhawks Patrick Kane Jersey Montgomery said. "He's one of the biggest players in the NBA. He's going to play in Turkey. If that comes to fruition, that's a great opportunity for any player. A lot of people think Demetri and Deron's games are very similar. I think that will be cool. I'm excited about that possibility." Mersin went 10-20 and finished in 13th place in the Turkish Basketball League last season. Alex Scales, a former Oregon player, and Anthony Grundy, a former North Carolina State standout, were among the team's leaders last season. McCamey averaged 14.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 6.1 assists as a senior at Illinois last season.
http://handbagsok.socialgo.com/members/profile/437/blog-view/blog_3087.htm, http://handbagsok.socialgo.com/members/profile/444/blog-view/blog_3077.htm, http://www.hyevideos.com/profile_blogs/zaohoubing/&action=view&id=120566, http://www.hyevideos.com/profile_blogs/zaohoubing/&action=view&id=120572,
Tags: Demetri McCamey To Play In Turkey
Email
Print
Comments740 ESPN.com news services
Georgia Tech Stripped Of 2009 ACC Title
Joe Schad on the fine and loss of the 2009 ACC title Tags: NCAA Sanctions, Georgia Tech Fine, Joe Schad, College Football Live ATLANTA -- The NCAA put Georgia Tech on four years of probation, fined the school $100,000 and stripped its ACC title game victory from the 2009 football season on Thursday for violations that also included problems in the men's basketball program. Georgia Tech did not lose scholarships and was not ruled ineligible for postseason games in either sport, but the basketball team had the number of recruiting days and official visits reduced for the next two seasons. The NCAA vacated the final three games cheap bengals jersey of the football team's 2009 cheap blackhawks jersey season -- a loss to rival Georgia, the Atlantic Coast Conference championship win over Clemson and the Orange Bowl loss to Iowa -- for using an ineligible player. It was the Yellow Jackets' first season under coach Paul Johnson. Dinich: Georgia Tech can, will move on The NCAA came down hard on Georgia Tech Thursday, but athletic director Dan Radakovich called Georgia Tech's players "very resilient," writes Heather Dinich. Blog The NCAA said Georgia Tech should have declared receiver Demaryius Thomas ineligible after he accepted $312 worth of clothing in '09 from former Yellow Jackets quarterback Calvin Booker, who was working for a sports agent at the time. But the investigation took a harder turn against the school when athletic director Dan Radakovich broke NCAA rules by alerting Johnson that Thomas and safety Morgan Burnett would soon be interviewed. It seemed obvious to the NCAA that Thomas and Burnett were told to prepare answers to questions they would be asked during the interviews. In its 26-page report, the NCAA wrote that it decided not to make a finding of its interview with Burnett after he "consistently denied" accepting free clothing. The NCAA committee on infractions wrote, however, that a violation occurred in regard to Thomas. "The staff members provided, before the NCAA could conduct their interview, information about what would be discussed in wholesale sooners jersey the interview," NCAA committee on infractions chairman Dennis Thomas said. "These actions impeded the enforcement staff investigations and hindered the committee in getting to the truth in this case. Otherwise, this case, as it pertains to the football program, would have been limited to impermissible benefits and preferential treatment violations." Radakovich defended his decision to tell Johnson that Demaryius Thomas and Burnett would be interviewed, and added that he didn't agree with the findings. "I think that's where they feel (the investigation) started," Radakovich said. "I've been working with coaches for 25 years, and I think it's important that you have cheap mavericks jersey a relationship with coaches. And while in this particular circumstance I should've picked up the telephone and made a call -- and I probably could've convinced the (NCAA) individual that this was important for me to do. I've worked with other investigators who wouldn't have had a problem with that, so I think that's part of the other growth and understanding process you go through when you have these issues at hand." The basketball violations involved a youth basketball tournament held on campus in 2009 and again in 2010. A graduate coaching assistant helped administer both tournaments, violating NCAA prohibitions on scouting, and in 2010 an academic adviser for the team "evaluated prospects and reported his observations" to the coaching staff. The NCAA said the violations were considered major. "They were not isolated because the violations occurred over two academic years and involved members of the men's basketball staff," the infractions committee report said. "They were also not inadvertent, as the institution and (former) head men's basketball coach (Paul Hewitt) were aware of its staff members' involvement in the tournament, which had occurred on the campus for a period of 10 years." That Stings Georgia Tech The NCAA Committee on Infractions has penalized Georgia Tech's football and men's basketball programs, citing the school's failure to cooperate with the investigation, among other violations. The penalties include: • Four years' probation (July 14, 2011 through July 13, 2015)
• Reduction in official men's basketball recruiting visits for 2011-12 and 2012-13
• $100,000 fine
• Vacating 2009 ACC football championship game victory
• Reduction in recruiting days for 2011 summer evaluation period *
• Public reprimand and censure
* Self-imposed Georgia Tech spokesperson Dean Buchan said that the school originally offered a self-imposed one-game penalty for the first game of the 2011-12 season on Hewitt. But cheap reds jersey the NCAA didn't accept it. Hewitt was fired from Georgia Tech after the season and then was hired by George Mason. There is no mention of the one-game penalty in the committee on infractions report. The men's basketball program will be limited to 10 official visits for the upcoming and 2012-13 seasons. The NCAA also accepted Georgia Tech's self-imposed penalty of reducing by two the number of recruiting days during the 2011 summer evaluation program. According to Peterson, Georgia Tech has yet to decide if it will appeal the decisions. He seemed more concerned that the embarrassment of probation had tainted the school for the second time since 2005. "We could have been more aggressive in our investigation," Peterson said. "Had we known then what we cheap hurricanes jersey know now, we could have acted differently. At the time we took appropriate steps, and we acted in good faith." The NCAA took a different view. It said in its report that Randy Nordin, who served as general counsel at the time for Georgia Tech, "adopted an obstructionist approach." Neither Nordin nor Paul Parker, who served as a compliance officer, still works at Georgia Tech. Peterson added that Georgia Tech is "very concerned about having to vacate the championship title," but the school has already been cheap bears jersey in touch with ACC commissioner John Swofford. "Consistent with NCAA procedures, Georgia Tech will return the championship trophy and the official conference records for 2009 will not designate a champion," Swofford said in a statement. "All ACC record books will be amended accordingly." Johnson called his players together for a 4 p.m. meeting Thursday to let them know what the school was facing, but later in the day the coach said he had yet to speak with Thomas, a 2010 first-round pick of the Denver Broncos, or Burnett, a third-round pick last year by the Green Bay Packers. "I know they are both very adamant that they didn't do anything wrong, still to this day," Johnson said. "So it's a tough situation for them as well." Johnson, who said he has never been involved in an NCAA investigation in 32 years of coaching, cheap indians jersey indicated that he believed Thomas and Burnett were eligible to play in the last three games of the 2009 season when the NCAA told Radakovich they had been cleared. "I knew that they had been interviewed and I had no idea what was said in the interviews or what was going on," Johnson said. "We found out actually that Wednesday or Thursday (before the Georgia game) that they were eligible to play, so as far as we were concerned, we went with the attitude that until someone told us differently, they were playing. And then Dan came in and told us they'd been cleared."
Tags: NCAA Places Georgia Tech On Probation
Email
Print
Comments369 Maisel By Ivan Maisel
ESPN.com
Archive Editor's note: This is the fourth in a weeklong series examining the unique cheap cavaliers jersey circumstances faced by FBS programs that reside in metropolitan markets alongside an NFL franchise. USC and UCLA share the second-largest media market in the nation between themselves. When the NFL last called Los Angeles home, this fall's incoming freshmen were 1-year-olds. [+] EnlargeUSC Aerial
Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty ImagesUSC packed the L.A. Memorial Coliseum during its run under Pete Carroll. In other words, the only thing standing between the Trojans and Bruins and the 18 million potential ticket buyers in southern California is the beach. And the Dodgers, Angels, Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Ducks and Galaxy. And Disneyland, Universal wholesale wolverines jersey Studios and Six Flags. I hear the movies are pretty big in Los Angeles, too. When trying to sell college football tickets in a major media market, not having an NFL team is no panacea. "There are definitely challenges that we feel and live with every day compared to some of our brethren in college towns," UCLA assistant athletic director Scott Mitchell said. "We're in the media market in the entertainment capital of the world. What I tell all the people working for me is that if you can market in L.A., you can market anywhere." The NFL abandoned Los Angeles after the 1994 season. The Rams left for St. Louis. The Raiders returned to Oakland. All of a sudden, USC and UCLA had the entire Southland market to themselves. Man the ticket windows! Order the T-shirts! Make room for the displaced fans! In 1995, UCLA sold exactly 787 more season tickets, an increase of 2.7 percent, and per-game attendance actually decreased to 49,107, a drop of 4.6 percent. It would be seven more seasons before one of the schools attracted the unserved football fans in southern California. In 2002, USC tapped into something as essential to Los Angeles as the Pacific Ocean and Botox -- the hunger for stars. Under Pete Carroll, the Trojans not only won like they hadn't won in 25 years, but they did it with arms and doors wide open. Carroll defied the coaching tradition of secrecy and eliminated the barriers that his profession has thrown up in front of the media and, therefore, the public. "The way Pete ran the program in terms of being open to the media really, really helped us," said Jose Eskenazi, USC associate athletic director and director of corporate services. wholesale cubs jersey "I think we transcended the typical collegiate program from that perspective. We were really accessible. There were faces to the names of players ... you'd turn on the news, and there were cameras at practice. People were able to see the culture. Kids were working hard and having fun at the same time. I think it was very inviting to everyone in L.A. It took on the culture in Los Angeles, the personality of the city and what L.A. is all about." Which is what, exactly? "L.A. has an attention mentality, a star mentality about what's hot. We have our base of alums, the Trojan family, if you will. When you extend beyond that, it's grabbing attention of folks in the city much like the Lakers did during their heyday. That's what we did, a lightning-in-the-bottle kind of cheap cubs jersey thing. We just took off from '02, '03 [until] prior to all this NCAA stuff. We're still doing relatively well. Obviously we've taken a step back." Carroll has gone to the NFL. The BCS asked cheap white sox jersey for its 2004 crystal football back. The public access to the Trojans is curtailed, cheap bills jersey a result of procedures installed after the NCAA penalized USC last year. Eskenazi is paid to market USC athletics. He's a company man but he isn't shy about saying that those procedures make his job harder. Nonetheless, USC's marketing hurdles are not nearly as high as the ones that face the Trojans' crosstown rivals. For instance, USC's stadium, the venerable Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, is adjacent to the university's downtown campus. UCLA's issues will sound familiar to several urban teams in NFL markets. The Rose Bowl, the Bruins' home since they left the Coliseum 30 years ago, is the most iconic stadium in the sport. But it is also 26 miles from UCLA's Westwood campus. Anyone with experience in L.A. traffic understands that distance is equal to, yes, a marathon. [+] EnlargeUCLA Rose Bowl
Gary A. Vasquez/US PresswireUCLA slashed student ticket prices last season to draw more fans to the Rose Bowl. With 190,000 living alumni in the Los Angeles area, according to Mitchell, the distance from campus is not important -- until you try to wholesale cavaliers jersey identify the ticket buyers of tomorrow. "If you can't get a student to attend when they are on campus, it makes it damn hard if not impossible to get them once they leave," Mitchell said. "... You need to do what you can to get them to attend from the get-go." UCLA sliced the price of a student season ticket from $149 in 2009 to $99 last year. The strategy worked. The university sold 7,761 such packages, the second-highest total in the last 50 years. Throw in single-game tickets and, despite the price cut, UCLA generated $1.03 million in student sales, a 45 percent increase over the previous year. To fight traffic issues, UCLA has opened the gates earlier at the Rose Bowl, where tailgating is an art form. However, earlier tailgating means more drinking, especially before a night game. Last year, three hours before the 7:30 p.m. kickoff of the USC-UCLA game, police broke up a brawl outside the Rose Bowl in which two people were stabbed. UCLA is working on strategies of how to calibrate increased tailgating and increased security for this fall. The NFL has looked longingly at Los Angeles since the Rams and Raiders left. That possibility does not concern either USC or UCLA. The Rams played in the Coliseum, too, from 1946 until 1979. They then cheap sabres jersey played in Anaheim Stadium until they lit out for St. Louis. "The thing about L.A. is it's such a transplanted market," Eskenazi said. "You probably have more Dallas Cowboy and Philadelphia Eagle fans than you do L.A.-centric fans. Whatever kind of team comes here, an expansion team or a transplanted team from Minnesota or Buffalo or wherever it is, it's going to take some time to generate the same interest level that you would have just from us or UCLA in the marketplace for football." So the Bruins and the Trojans may rest easy. Except for the beach. And the Dodgers, Angels, Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Ducks and Galaxy. And Disneyland, Universal Studios and Six Flags. I hear the movies are pretty big in Los Angeles, too.
Tags: Selling Football Not Easy In Los Angeles
Email
Print
Comments31 Powers By Scott Powers
ESPNChicago.com
Archive Pat Fitzgerald Jerry Lai/US PresswirePat Fitzgerald no longer can hear his parents from the stands, which is a positive sign.
Editor's note: This is part of a weeklong series examining the unique circumstances faced by FBS programs that reside in metropolitan markets alongside an NFL franchise. Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald has an easy way of measuring the growth of fan support over the years. If he can hear his parents from the stands while he's on the sidelines, the level of overall support is low. If he can't hear them, then it's great. Nothing against his own parents, but Fitzgerald would rather not hear them. "When I was a student-athlete, I could hear my mom and dad yell my name," said the 36-year-old Fitzgerald, who played linebacker at Northwestern from 1993-97 and has been its head coach since 2006. "I knew where my mom and dad were sitting. Now, I have no idea. That's kind of embarrassing, but that's the easiest way to cheap thrashers jersey explain it. It's night and day." Fitzgerald has witnessed as a player and coach the brightest and darkest days of the program's support. He's seen Ryan Field, which was named Dyche Stadium during his playing days, packed in purple, but wholesale thrashers jersey he also knows of the times when the open seats have outnumbered the fans in the 47,130-capacity stadium. Fitzgerald and Northwestern are hopeful that with the program's recent successes -- three consecutive bowl appearances, the vision of athletic director Jim Phillips, the hiring of Mike Polisky to oversee sales and marketing, and the addition of a sales force -- Fitzgerald won't ever have to hear his parents again from the field. Unlike most programs, Northwestern's on-field success isn't the only factor that determines whether fans will come out to Evanston and get behind the football team. The program did receive a spike in attendance when Fitzgerald and Co. led the Wildcats to the Rose Bowl in 1996 and the Citrus Bowl in 1997. The Wildcats averaged more than 40,000 fans per game during those years. But there also have been years when the team won plenty yet the fans stayed away. The Wildcats were co-Big Ten champs in 2000 and averaged only 34,237 fans. Being just outside of Chicago, Northwestern does face a number of obstacles that other college programs don't. "We're in a really, really tough environment for a couple of reasons," said Phillips, who was hired as athletic director in 2008. "No. 1, this is a pro sports market. You're not going to displace those programs. No. 2, it's a saturated marketplace. There are so many things for people to do." Northwestern's other large hurdle is that the Wildcats do not have a massive alumni base in the area. Northwestern is a private school with an undergraduate enrollment of 8,100 and draws students from across the country. Illinois, which is 150 miles away from Evanston, has a significantly larger alumni base in Chicago than cheap orioles jersey Northwestern. [+] EnlargeDan Persa
Jerry Lai/US PresswireThe success of Dan Persa and the Wildcats program under Pat Fitzgerald, combined with a proactive marketing campaign, has helped make significant strides in fan interest. Phillips, who grew up in Chicago, understood these challenges when he was hired and had a few ideas about how to fix them. His main one was being proactive in drawing fans to Ryan Field. Instead of waiting for the phone to ring in the ticket office, Phillips wanted to aggressively advertise and market the football team. Phillips took a major step toward improving Northwestern's fan base when he hired Polisky in June 2010 to be the senior associate athletic director for external affairs, a job created to run the athletic sales and marketing. Phillips chose Polisky because of his cheap celtics jersey unique past, which didn't include a college athletics background. His career had been immersed in professional sports. He had been the Chicago Wolves (minor league hockey) wholesale orioles jersey team president and Chicago Rush (arena football) president and general manger. "We could have gone around the country and hired somebody with college experience, maybe somebody from Oregon, Oklahoma or Texas," Phillips said. "We made a conscious decision that we needed somebody who knew Chicago and knew what a crowded landscape it was. It was somewhat of a risk. "I felt someone with Mike's experience was perfect for us. He wasn't with the [Chicago] Bears. He's learned how to fight and scratch and claw toward progress in selling a product that has not been on the top of everyone's mind." Phillips also hired a sales force. Before, Northwestern waited for people to contact the school for tickets. By hiring people, the Wildcats became proactive. They had their people making a 100-plus calls a week to potential ticket buyers. Polisky also had his own ideas when he arrived. He sought to create brand awareness and spread the word about the Wildcats. "What we felt was important was that maybe Northwestern was still a little bit of a secret," Polisky said. "A lot of sports fans needed to be reminded we're here and we're yours. "We had to start competing like a professional franchise in the respect we had to advertise ourselves; we had to manage ourselves in a different manner than most colleges have to with a sales forces, marketing. In order to compete in the Chicago area, you can't be a wallflower." Northwestern began advertising in local newspapers and websites and Sports Illustrated's regional edition. It also placed advertising on seven rotating billboards on nearly every major Chicago-area highway. A number of those billboards promoted Northwestern's new slogan -- Chicago's Big Ten team. The ad campaign was one of Northwestern's most successful this past year. "It spoke to who we are," Polisky said. "We open our arms to Chicagoans. We need Chicagoans. Anecdotally speaking, it grabbed a lot of people's attention. The brand identification resonated with people." Polisky also looked to improve the gameday experience for fans. Northwestern upgraded its sound system at Ryan Field. It added fireworks and more pre-game festivities. It tried different ways of increasing fan participation during games, especially with the use of the video scoreboard. "The passion isn't inherently there," Polisky said. "They don't have this national allegiance to Northwestern. You have to build that. When you're talking about families and young kids, you have to make sure they have a good time no matter what happens on the field." All of the changes have produced results. Northwestern went from averaging 24,190 fans in 2009 to 36,449 fans in 2010. cheap falcons jersey It was the second biggest increase in college football last season. Only Louisville's 18,198-fan jump was bigger. Phillips was pleased with the initial surge in attendance, but he isn't content. ESPNChicago.com Colleges blog Colleges blog The latest news and notes on the local college scene. Blog "There's no quick fixes," Phillips said. "We have a nice jump out of the gate. We're not going to be judged on one season. It's a test of time, a 3-5 year cycle." Fitzgerald, himself, is a walking advertisement for the school and football program. He's been a student, player, assistant coach and head coach at the university. He's memorized the program's Academic Progress Rates, graduation rates, its number of Big Ten championships and bowl game appearances and will recite them whenever given the opportunity. He also ends every wholesale celtics jersey conversation with wholesale gators jersey an enthusiastic, "Go 'Cats." Having just signed a contract that makes him Northwestern's coach through the 2020 season, Fitzgerald is in it for the long haul, and he's optimistic his program and his fan base will continue to grow. "The fans' support, the passion in Chicago and in Evanston, it's at an all-time high, and we're still not where we want to be," Fitzgerald said. "I think that's one for the positives when you're in a world-class city like we are. I don't know what the limits are. The sky is the limit. "We don't have an inherent fan base. We're not the state school. We're not where your mom or dad went to school. I still think the kids think we're cool and want to wear the purple and white."
Tags: Wildcats Finding Growth In Bear Market
Catching wholesale tide jersey up with Ohio State's Archie Griffin
July, 1, 2011
Jul 1
9:00
AM ET Email
Print
Comments20 By Brian wholesale jersey Bennett
Several people can make the claim to being the best player in college football history. But only one guy has two Heisman Trophies to bolster his argument. [+] EnlargeArchie Griffin and Woody Hayes
AP File PhotoOhio State's Archie Griffin, right, and coach Woody Hayes after Griffin was awarded the 1975 Heisman Trophy, on Dec. 2, 1975, in New York City.
Ohio wholesale braves jersey State's Archie Griffin won his first Heisman as a junior in 1974, in a time when anyone but a senior earning the honor was still a wholesale jersey rarity. He added his second stiff-arm statue in 1975 despite producing fewer rushing yards and touchdowns than he did as a junior. He also led the Big Ten in rushing as a sophomore. Griffin was never physically imposing at a listed 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds. But that couldn't measure his heart or determination. He won the Buckeyes' starting tailback job as a true freshman, led the team to a 40-5-1 record during his career and started in four straight Rose Bowls. wholesale ducks jersey He finished with 5,177 career yards, and that was with Woody Hayes often resting him in the second half because the team was so far ahead. Thanks to his incredible collegiate achievements, Griffin earned the No. 1 ranking in ESPN.com's Simply Saturday series, which profiles great college players who didn't quite reach the same heights in the NFL. That's not to say Griffin didn't have an impact in the pros; he played seven seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and even made a Super Bowl. He just didn't match his exploits at Ohio State, wholesale jerseys scoring seven career touchdowns and posting a career-best of 688 wholesale jerseys yards in 1979. I recently caught up with Griffin, who has wholesale hawks jersey been the president of the Ohio State Alumni Association since January 2004:
Tags: Catching Wholesale Tide Jersey Up With Ohio State's Archie Griffin
Page:
1 |
|
|
Favorites
Digg
Del.icio.us
Facebook
Furl
Magnolia
StumbleUpon
Google
Yahoo MyWeb
