DALLAS (FWAA) - The Football Writers Association of America has announced nine finalists for the 2008 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award to be voted upon by the entire membership.
With the 2008 regular season completed, the FWAA, in conjunction with the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, has tabbed the following finalists: Texas' Mack Brown, USC's Pete Carroll, Texas Tech's Mike Leach, Florida's Urban Meyer, Penn State's Joe Paterno, Boise State's Chris Petersen, Alabama's Nick Saban, Oklahoma's Bob Stoops and Utah's Kyle Whittingham.
The finalists will be placed on a ballot which will be sent to the entire FWAA membership.
Two of the finalists, Boise State's Petersen and Utah's Whittingham, have directed their teams to unbeaten regular seasons, while seven of the nine coaches have led their teams to Bowl Championship Series games.
Of the nine finalists, four have previously been named the FWAA's National Coach of the Year, led by Penn State's Joe Paterno, who has been honored by the FWAA three times (1978, '82 and '86). Paterno has been a finalist on two other occasions (1997 and 2005). Florida's Urban Meyer (2004), Alabama's Nick Saban (2003) and Oklahoma's Bob Stoops (2000) are the other previous winners. Saban is trying to become the second coach to win the honor at two different schools after earning the award at LSU five seasons ago.
While USC's Pete Carroll has never won the award, he has been a finalist three times in three consecutive years (2003-05). This also is the third time Texas' Mack Brown has been named a finalist, the second time at Texas (2005). In 1997, he was a finalist for the award at North Carolina. Boise State's Petersen is a finalist for the second time in three years, while Texas Tech's Leach and Utah's Whittingham are the only two first-time finalists. The FWAA began naming its coaching award in honor of the late Robinson, the legendary Grambling State University coach, in 1997.
The winner of the FWAA/Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award will be announced and honored at a reception on Jan. 6 in Miami sponsored by the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and presented in conjunction with the FedEx BCS Championship Game.
The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,000 men and women across North America who cover college football for a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game day operations, major awards, a national poll and its annual All-America team.
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, December 1, 2008 – Tennessee’s best high school football players for 2008 were recognized at the Tennessee Titans Mr. Football Awards luncheon hosted by the Tennessee Titans.
More than 700 people, including the honorees, their families, coaches, school administrators and members of the media from all parts of the state, attended the 2008 luncheon at the Embassy Suites Hotel & Conference Center.
“Today’s celebration recognizes more that the ability of these young men to play our great game of football,” said Titans Owner K.S. “Bud” Adams, Jr. “The young men were here because of their outstanding character and academic achievements, traits which will pave their way though life long after their football days has passed. I congratulate all of the Titans Mr. Football Award finalists for the outstanding manner if which they represent their school and community!”
High school head coaches and members of the media nominated the finalists. A committee of statewide sports writers selected winners based on performance in the 2008 regular season. Academics and character were also taken into consideration.
The awards were presented to the top back and lineman in each of the seven classifications of the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association. For the seventh time in the history of the award, the top kickers in the state were recognized. There were three finalists in this category, regardless of their school’s classification.
The Titans became sponsors of the Titans Mr. Football Awards in 2007 and have signed a multi-year deal to remain sponsors of the Titans Mr. Football Awards.
2008 TENNESSEE TITANS MR. FOOTBALL AWARD WINNERS
1A Lineman Preston Gilbreath, Mt. Pleasant
1A Back David Jones, South Pittsburg
2A Lineman Tyler Robinson, Alcoa
2A Back
Ben Cunningham, Goodpasture
3A Lineman Daniel Hood, Knoxville Catholic3A BackZach Rogers, David Lipscomb
4A Lineman Justin Smith, Maryville
4A Back Marsalis Teague, Henry County
5A Lineman Jacques Smith, Ooltewah
5A Back Tausean Holmes, Millington Central
Division II-A Lineman Blair Arrington, Davidson Academy
The University of Tennessee is introducing Lane Kiffin as the 21st head coach in school history during a press conference Monday at 2 p.m. Eastern time in Neyland Stadium's Wolf-Kaplan Center.
Kiffin joins the Vols as the former head coach of the Oakland Raiders and former offensive coordinator at Southern California under head coach Pete Carroll.
During his previous collegiate coaching stint with the Trojans, Kiffin demonstrated strong offensive prowess as an assistant from 2001-04. He was promoted to passing game coordinator in 2004 and served as offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator for 2005 and 2006.
USC led the nation in offense in 2005 and in both of his years as recruiting coordinator had the best recruiting classes in the nation. Those efforts helped the Trojans to back-to-back national college football championships and produced two Heisman Trophy winners -- Matt Leinart in 2004 and Reggie Bush in 2005.
"Over the past few weeks, we have been on the road meeting with prospective coaches and talking to some of football's most influential and knowledgeable players and coaches about the future of the Tennessee football program," said UT Athletic Director Mike Hamilton. "We have had unbelievable interest from great coaches. When it was all said and done, we felt like Lane Kiffin was a perfect fit for Tennessee. He's energetic, charismatic, consumed with recruiting and has had a lifelong love affair with football."
Kiffin began his coaching career at his alma mater, Fresno State, working with quarterbacks and wide receivers from 1997-98. He was an assistant at Colorado State in 1999, working with the offensive line, and made his first stop in the NFL as defensive secondary quality control coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2000.
Kiffin was a quarterback at Fresno State for three seasons (1994-96) and earned his bachelor's degree there in 1998.
A native of Bloomington, Minn., Kiffin is married to Layla Reaves Kiffin. They have two daughters: Landry (3) and Pressley (2), and are expecting a third child in January. His father, Monte, is the defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The elder Kiffin, a longtime NFL and collegiate assistant coach, served as North Carolina State's head coach in the early 1980s.
The press conference is closed to the public but will be streamed live on utsports.com. Satellite coordinates are Horizons 2 (ku analog), Transponder 12 K, Downlink Frequency 12160 Horizontal, Audio 6.2 & 6.8. The feed is available beginning at 1:45 p.m. Eastern time. Any media with special needs should contact Bud Ford at (865) 974-1212.
Layla Kiffin picture: Michael Macor/San Francisco Chronicle
Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer never has been one to make a big deal over himself and, apparently, doesn't intend to start now. But Thursday after the Vols' last full practice at Haslam Field, after paying a verbal tribute to his 25 seniors and sending them one at a time through the line of teammates to their "Last Tackle," Fulmer decided to take matters into his own hands. "I kind of got in on a cleanup block," Fulmer said of his charge through the line on a beautiful Thanksgiving afternoon. "I didn't have to hit it. It was already on the ground so I just cleaned it up a little bit."
Asked if he had ever before taken part in the Tennessee tradition, Fulmer said in his typical unpretentious manner, "It wasn't my year to be the `Last Tackle.'"
This Saturday, however, Fulmer coaches his final game on the UT sideline when the Vols host Kentucky in a 6:45 p.m. Eastern time kickoff. A win against the Wildcats not only keeps alive UT's 23-game winning streak in the series but also raises Fulmer's coaching record in 17 seasons to 152 wins against 52 losses.
Knowing the circumstances, Thursday's post-practice wrapup involved lots of hugs, thank-yous and well-wishes from players current and past. "A lot of friends came out to see us," Fulmer said. "It was a good day and I'm looking forward to the weekend."
The Vols coach said Thursday he has not made a final determination for Saturday's starting quarterback, offering that it likely would be Jonathan Crompton and that B.J. Coleman has been limited this week by a foot injury. Coleman, who saw his first extensive action in last week's 20-10 win at Vanderbilt, is expected to play.
As for Thursday's workout, the Vols practiced 75 minutes in a good tempo.
"We had a much better day as far as offensive execution than we had Wednesday, which was encouraging," Fulmer said. "It was a fun day. The guys changed jerseys and that's fun for them -- although it's hard to see Gerald Jones out there in No. 75 running the football. "And the last tackle is always special."
Make that extra special; just don't make it that big of a deal.
Nov. 27, 2008 It probably had to do with winning college football's national championship. Things like that tend to make an impression.
But sometime in the late 1990s, Phillip Fulmer became synonymous with the Tennessee Volunteers.
The very mention of his name and listeners or readers immediately thought "Tennessee." As in, "Yes, Phillip Fulmer coaches the Tennessee Vols and they won the BCS national championship and always are on TV and his daughters run off the field with him after every game and, well, he's Tennessee. He is Tennessee."
Fulmer obviously hasn't been alone in that distinction. UT fans would place Peyton Manning in that category, although the guess now is that Peyton is known nationally more for his Indianapolis Colts success and Super Bowl victory than for his days at Neyland Stadium.
Pat Summitt meets the criteria and has become one of college basketball's true ambassadors. Eight national championships carry a great deal of exposure, and Summitt never fails to put a class product on the floor. This story just as easily could be about her and all the great things she's done for this university, city and state, as well as her status as an icon for the sport of women's basketball.
But Fulmer has been UT on its biggest sporting stage, a venue that seats more than 100,000 fans every Saturday. Home games or away games meant massive crowds and mind-numbing media scrutiny.
College football is not the nation's most popular athletics endeavor, but it's not 12th either. Coaches roaming the sidelines in the powerful Southeastern Conference in front of six-figure crowds carry a certain notoriety to say the least.
And Phillip Fulmer has been the face of the Tennessee Vols.
That meant whether it was during a nail-biter against Georgia or during a Big Orange Caravan stop in Germantown, Fulmer was the one Vols fans wanted to see.
But now he's leaving, stepping down after 17 seasons at the helm. Tonight's game against Kentucky marks his final appearance as head coach of the Volunteers.
So before kickoff, we say, "Thanks, Coach," for all you've done for UT fans and for what you've meant to the Tennessee football program:
Thanks for that 34-31 win at Georgia in 1992, your first road triumph. You broke out the white pants away from home for the first time in 10 years and started a winning streak against the Bulldogs that lasted the rest of the decade.
Thanks for your very first bowl game victory over Boston College in January 1993. Tampa's Hall of Fame Bowl -- now the Outback -- was the setting as Tennessee and quarterback Heath Shuler breezed to a 38-23 triumph. Tampa also marked your final bowl appearance, a 21-17 win over Wisconsin this past January.
Thanks for closing out the artificial turf era on Shields-Watkins Field with a 62-14 thumping of Vanderbilt. The Vols ended with a record of 125-38-7 at home on artificial turf, and your mark as head coach was a perfect 9-0.
Thanks for recruiting an amazing cast of footballers to UT in the spring of 1994. Names such as Jeff Coleman, Jeff Hall, Mercedes Hamilton, Steve Johnson, and Jarvis Reado were all future starters for the 1998 national championship team. Oh, and that Manning guy mentioned earlier played a down or two in the seasons prior, as did starters Terry Fair, Cory Gaines, Ron Green and Marcus Nash before leaving Big Orange Country. Out of the 22 signees in February 1994, Manning was selected All-America, five others made All-SEC and seven were chosen in future NFL drafts, including Manning and Fair in the 1998 first round. Such hauls helped cement your status as one of the nation's top recruiters and made Neyland Stadium a destination location for top high school talent.
Thanks for compiling that 45-5 record from 1995-98, culminating in the very first Bowl Championship Series title.
Thanks for patching those gaping holes in the 1998 lineup and guiding that team through a scheduling gauntlet, one that included seven ranked opponents at the time you played them and four teams ranked among the elite top 10.
The entire 1998 season was highlighted by the development of unsung quarterback Tee Martin, successful replacement of injured all-star tailback Jamal Lewis, a relentless defense led by Al Wilson that routinely came through with tide-turning big plays and a field goal kicker in Hall whose heroics salvaged victory in the first two games.
Coach-of-the-year honors cascaded one upon another into your trophy case, culminated by the Eddie Robinson National Coach of Distinction Award.
Thanks for the 2001 season. No it didn't end the way everyone would have liked, with an SEC championship and berth in another BCS national title game. But still it was a heck of a ride. Gritty wins that year over Arkansas, LSU, Alabama, South Carolina and Notre Dame, not to mention rallying from a 21-point deficit at Kentucky, only set the stage for a spectacular night in Gainesville. The Vols prevailed in a top-5 showdown, defeating the Gators 34-32 after entering the game more than two-touchdown underdogs. LSU won the rematch one week later in Atlanta, but a bowl win over Michigan -- the first meeting between these traditional powers -- capped an 11-2 campaign that saw the Vols finish fourth in the AP poll.
Thanks for the overtime experiences. It took six extra periods to topple Arkansas in 2002, five for the win at Alabama in 2003 and four more at Kentucky in 2007 to clinch the SEC Eastern Division title. You became a master motivator when the ball was placed at the 25-yard line, winning six straight OT games from 2002-07.
Thanks for the gutsy fourth-down calls. Like that steamy November Saturday in Miami when the Vols went for broke just before halftime and Derrick Tinsley swept around right end. You said leaving the field, "We came down here to win a football game!" Tinsley scored the afternoon's only touchdown in a 10-6 victory that ended the Hurricanes' 26-game home winning streak.
Thanks for believing in America's youth. Tennessee began the 2004 season with a pair of true freshman quarterbacks in Brent Schaeffer and Erik Ainge. The results were an appearance in the SEC Championship Game, a smashing Cotton Bowl victory and a 10-3 finish. Thanks for all the miraculous finishes. Rick Clausen rallying UT from 21-0 down on a Monday night at LSU in 2005 to win in overtime might have been the most impressive.
Other great come-from-behind wins in UT football history also occurred on your watch -- 18 down against Arkansas in 1998; 21 at Kentucky in 2001; 24 at Notre Dame in 1991 (when you were offensive coordinator); and 25 against Vanderbilt in 1987 (when you coached the offensive line). And though not among the top five, coming from 24-7 down at Georgia in 2006 to win 51-33, and rallying last season for the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in Neyland Stadium history to clip Vanderbilt 25-24, after trailing 24-9, are games that will go down in the annals of UT football lore.
Thanks for the great run against Alabama. An 11-5 career coaching record versus the Crimson Tide is no small accomplishment. Even sweeter was becoming the first school and head coach in history to post seven consecutive wins over Alabama (1995-2001).
And finally, thanks for the pageantry of the SEC Championship Game. The Vols have played five times in the league's premier event, all with Phillip Fulmer patrolling the sideline. You won two nail-biters and lost three heartbreakers, but over the final decade of your tenure you never went more than three years without taking a team to Atlanta. Over the last two decades -- really, for the last 40 years -- Phillip Fulmer has become synonymous with the Tennessee Volunteers. Fans this weekend from Memphis to Mountain City are saying "Thanks, Coach." You did it your way, the right way, the Tennessee way. To the end.
Berry Named Thorpe Award Finalist, SEC Defensive Player of the Week
Tennessee's Eric Berry saw his weekend exploits spill over into Monday as he was named both a Jim Thorpe Award finalist and the SEC's Defensive Player of the Week in the same afternoon. Berry is one of three finalists for the coveted Thorpe Award, presented to the nation's top defensive back by a selection committee of former players, coaches, journalists and representatives of the major conferences. His selection as a finalist means the UT sophomore is headed to Orlando, Fla., for The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards.
The program, hosted by ESPN's Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit, originates Dec. 11 from the Atlantic Dance Hall at Disney's Boardwalk on the Walt Disney World Resort. The program airs live on ESPN from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Eastern time.
Other finalists are Ohio State senior Malcolm Jenkins and Southern California junior Taylor Mays.
Berry stands alone nationally with seven interceptions for the season. His 265 interception return yards this year are threatening the all-time NCAA mark of 302 set by Southern Cal's Charles Phillips in 1974, and his 487 career yards in just 24 games are within 14 of the NCAA career mark of 501 set by Florida State's Terrell Buckley from 1989-91.
The fierce-hitting safety also earned his second weekly SEC defensive honor of the season for his efforts in Saturday's win at Vanderbilt.
The sophomore returned an interception for a touchdown for the second time in five games to help Tennessee past the Commodores, 20-10. Berry's season interception return yardage total broke the 52-year-old SEC record of 242 set by Florida's Joe Brodsky in 1956. He added one sack in the game and also took four snaps at quarterback, rushing for 11 yards and a first down.
This week's other SEC recipients were Mississippi State running back Anthony Dixon (offense), LSU placekicker Colt David (special teams), Mississippi center Daverin Geralds (offensive lineman) and defensive tackle Peria Jerry (defensive lineman), and Florida running back Chris Rainey (freshman).
187 YEARS OF RECORDS SHATTERED
Berry in less than two seasons has broken interception return yardage records that had been on the books for a combined 187 years. He now owns records for a UT season (previously stood for 37 years), UT career (39 years), SEC season (52 years) and SEC career (59 years).
"I'm going to really try and keep this on task as far as getting ready for Kentucky and our game against Vanderbilt if you want to talk about that. Obviously we have a very short week with Thanksgiving coming up. We're certainly glad to get the Vanderbilt win, but we didn't spend a lot of time even going through the tape except for plays that we felt like were relevant during the game. We wanted to get right onto Kentucky with all of our Sunday preparation. Where normally we would give corrections, we skipped so that we could get ourselves started on Kentucky because of the short week and because it's a very important game to our seniors and our football team.
"Kentucky presents a significant amount of problems on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Offensively, they have done a really good job as they've changed quarterbacks. I'm so impressed with Randall Cobb when you consider his youthfulness and look at his ability and what they've been able to do with him. We'll have to do a great job of containing him in this ballgame because a lot of what they're doing is built around him. The fact that they are a no huddle team, we've been able to see quite a bit of that during the course of the year. The practice time and the preparation are always a little bit more difficult because of that. It really makes you work.
"I think it's appropriate to say that the defense really has a challenge this week. I've been really proud of our defensive football team this year, particularly in light of some of our inefficiencies on offense. It's almost amazing what they've been able to accomplish this year getting that done.
"Last week was the first consistent time during the season our offense was able to take some of the burden off the defense by keeping the ball 34 minutes or so and scoring some points. Hats off to our defense and also to our offense to stay on the path that we're on. We obviously have to throw the ball better and more than nine times. You're not going to get away with that too often. That's certainly one of our priorities during the course of the week.
"When you look at Kentucky, at their kicking game, they've done a good job. Their punter is very good, their kickoff is very good. It's a good solid kicking game. That was another area where I felt like made a difference -- there were some hidden yardage plays that made a difference for us versus Vanderbilt. We will continue to address that during the course of the week.
"Our challenge has been our offensive team. They did take the challenge a bit better against Vanderbilt. We need to be able to continue to run the ball effectively. We must improve our balance. At this point right now, all of the quarterbacks are in the mix. We'll go here during the course of the week and decide exactly what we want to do. We'll continue to be creative a little bit with some of the things we do. Hopefully, we can do enough things well to keep Kentucky having to work to stop us.
"The guys started off well on Sunday night. Today and through the week it's going to be extremely important that we put the plan in place and execute to be able to do what we need to do."
Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer didn't see a particularly sharp team during Wednesday's 90-minute workout at Haslam Field. Only one full practice date remains for UT before the 2008 season finale against Kentucky this Saturday night. "Hopefully in the morning we will pick up the slack there," said Fulmer, whose squad returns to practice on Thanksgiving. "Today wasn't as sharp as I'd like for it to be offensively. I thought we have had two good days defensively." Defense hasn't been the problem for Tennessee this season. The Vols rank sixth nationally in total defensive yards allowed and among the top 16 in all five major defensive categories. Thursday also marks the day of the "Last Tackle," a Tennessee tradition in which Fulmer uses the occasion to gather his seniors at one end of a double line of teammates and offer a few kind words about each individual. The players then take turns plowing into a tackling dummy one last time, to the cheers and salutes of their teammates. "We've done it this way for quite some time," Fulmer said of Thursday's annual ritual. TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR FULMER FAREWELL Individual game tickets for Tennessee season football finale -- and the final game for head coach Phillip Fulmer -- remain available for purchase online at utsports.com, via phone at (800) 332-VOLS and at Thompson-Boling Arena. Kickoff for UT-Kentucky is 6:45 p.m. from Neyland Stadium. Tickets for are $50 each plus shipping and handling.
Eric Berry has the athletic ability, swagger, size and mentality to be one of the greatest defensive players in SEC and Tennessee history.
I voted for Berry as a member of the defense for the 2008 Football Writers Association of America All-America team. This is why I won't leave Eric Berry off of the list. Compliments of http://www.youtube.com/
The decision on who will be the next football coach at Tennessee may still be many days away. The media is speculating about a variety of coaches who could come to Knoxville.
The Sporting News talked with the Tennessee Titans Albert Haynesworth and the Dallas Cowboys Jason Witten and asked them who they would hire to replace their former coach Phil Fulmer at Tennessee.
Here's what they told the Sporting News
Albert Haynesworth, Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Choice: Jon Gruden, head coach, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: "I heard they wanted to get (Steve) Spurrier, but I don't know about that. They need a new wrinkle, kind of how (Alabama did with) Nick Saban."
Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys tight end Choice: Gruden. "I played for Coach (Phil) Fulmer, and I hate to see him go down after all the success he's had. I heard Jon Gruden's name has been mentioned. Obviously he has a connection there. ... You see some programs across the country that go through slumps there and just had a bad couple of years, but Coach Fulmer did a great job over the years, and I hate to see this happen."
5A Lineman
The University of Tennessee is introducing Lane Kiffin as the 21st head coach in school history during a press conference Monday at 2 p.m. Eastern time in Neyland Stadium's Wolf-Kaplan Center.
Eric Berry has the athletic ability, swagger, size and mentality to be one of the greatest defensive players in SEC and Tennessee history.