Saban To Be Inducted Into Kent State Hall of Fame
Kent State University has announced that former son, Nick Saban, will be among eight people inducted into the university's Hall of Fame on September 26th.
Saban, the current head football coach at the University of Alabama, got his coaching start at Kent State back in 1990. He served there as a graduate assistant from 1973-74, and a defensive assistant from 1975-76. From there Saban went to Syracuse to serve as a defensive assistant in 1977.
In 1990 Saban returned to the Kent State Golden Flashes as head coach. That season he led the team to a 9-2 record and MAC championship.
After that season Saban departed to join the NFL and the Cleveland Browns. He was hired as their defensive coordinator.
Saban's next head coaching was for Michigan State. After another short stay it was on to the head coaching job at LSU. It was at LSU that Saban began to hit the national limelight, winning a national championship with the Tigers in the 2003=2004 season.
After a brief stint as head coach of the NFL's Miami Dolphins, athletic director Mal Moore persuaded Saban that a return to college coaching would be perfect for him, and that perfect place to return to college coaching would be the University of Alabama. Saban came to Bama in 2007 and has added three more national championships to his resume.
Saban is 177-59-1 as a head coach.
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Ken Stabler's Family Donates Brain For CTE Research
Kenny "Snake" Stabler's family has announced that they are donating his brain and spinal cord to Boston University's Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center for research concerning degenerative brain disease in athletes.
The Stabler family has asked everyone, in lieu of flowers, make a donation to the XOXO Stabler Foundation to support research of colon cancer and sports-related head trauma. You will find additional information at Stabler's Facebook Fan page as well as XOXO Stabler Foundation.
Stabler led a group of 74 plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the NFL back in 2012 concerning injuries to players due to concussions while playing. Litigation is close to being settled, and research continues in relation to football and long-term health consequences of concussions.
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5-Star DT Derrick Brown Can't Be Hurried
It appears that Derrick Brown can't be hurried. And who can blame him? The five-star defensive tackle should be in no rush to make his college decision. After all, he has some of the best college coaches in American shopping for his services. So he has decided to hold off on a commitment until after he takes all of his official visits.
The University of Georgia had formerly "turned the head" of Brown, and was the object of his affection. However, he know says the Bulldogs are pretty much even with his top four. Besides the Bulldogs, Brown now also has his eye on the Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers, and the Tennessee Volunteers.
In an interview with AL.com, Brown said that he is thinking of more than just playing football. The young man is proving he has a good head on his shoulders in that he wants a college that will prepare him for a future should he not make it into the National Football League.
The 6' 4", 321-pounder is ranked the number 7 overall player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite.
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Tide-Seminoles Official For 2017 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game
The deal is signed, sealed, and delivered.
The University of Alabama Crimson Tide and the Florida State Seminoles are scheduled for the 2017 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. Two of college football's most prestigious programs will open the 2017 season in the Atlanta Falcon's new state-of-the-art home, New Atlanta Stadium. This will be the tenth contest in the nation's longest-running kickoff game. Though no kickoff time has been announced, the game will be played Saturday, September 2, 2017.
The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is a bowl-style, neutral-site game created in 2008 by Peach Bowl, Inc. It features two of the nation's elite football programs, and has been televised by ESPN/ABC on the first Saturday of the college football season since its inception. The first match-up in 2008 pitted number 8 Clemson against the number 24 Alabama Crimson Tide. The Tide handily won that contest by a score of 34-10. In fact, Alabama has won all four times its played in the bowl. The other three were fifth-rankd Alabama over number seven Virginia Tech 34-24 in 2009, number one Alabama over Virginia Tech 35-10 in 2013, and number two Alabama over West Virginia 33-23 in 2014.
This will be the first time Florida State has opened their season in Atlanta.
The 2017 meeting between the Tide and Seminoles will be the fifth meeting all-time between the two. Alabama holds a 2-1-1 advantage in the series, but Florida State won the last meeting. The first game between the two was played back in 1965.
Percy Vaughn, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl chairman said, "With two teams of this caliber, it is really going to be a bowl-game type atmosphere and an epic celebration of college football.
Gary Stokan, Peach Bowl, Inc. president and CEO stated, "These teams represent the best in our sport. The best players, the best coaches, the best fans. It's going to be a memorable start to the season and there is no better place to host this than in Atlanta, the capital of college football."
The team payout averages $4.3 million dollars, which is higher than 21 of last season's bowl games, and averages more than 66,000 fans in the stands for the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. Television viewership has traditionally been strong, with more than 40 million viewers since the inception of the game.
Bill Battle, director of athletics at the University of Alabama said, "This game with Florida State fits our scheduling philosophy of playing outstanding opponents in great venues in games that create great exposure for our program. Of course, it also continues our tremendous relationship with the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games which goes back to the 2008 season opener. This game with the Seminoles will be an excellent start to the 2017 season and we're thrilled to be a part of it."
Alabama football head coach Nick Saban said, "This is a great opportunity to open the 2017 season against an outstanding Florida State program. Jimbo has done an excellent job there and this will provide a great challenge for our team. Having this game first on the schedule will give our players plenty to look forward to and prepare for in the off-season.
"It's really an honor and a privilege to be a part of this first-ever class event hosted by the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, which has really grown into one of the great traditions in college football. The last four times we've participated in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, it has been a big bowl game atmosphere and I know that will again be the case with these two programs, " Saban concluded.
The majority of the tickets will be divided between the two teams, just as an end-of-season bowl and all neutral-site games. The tickets will be sold through the university ticket offices.
Besides the over $4 million payout, the teams battle for The Old Leather Helmet Trophy, with the winners traditionally rotating wearing the helmet to celebrate the win. The first to don the helmet is the head coach of the winning team, then passed through the ranks to every player.
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No Bama Transfer For Braxton Miller
All one had to do was check registration records at the University of Alabama to know he was coming. Braxton Miller told The Columbus Dispatch this week that he won't be going to the University of Alabama or anywhere else this coming season because he will return to Ohio State.
Miller will be a fifth-year senior.
Finally the rumors can be put to rest. It came straight from the horse's mouth.
Miller is a two-time Big Ten MVP, having won the the honor in 2012 and 2013. He will compete for the starting quarterback job with sophomore J.T. Barrett and fourth-year junior Cardale Jones.
Miller did say to writers Tim May and Bill Rabinowitz that he is "the best athlete in college football." Now all he has to do is win the starting QB position and get on the field to prove it.
