13 Days to Go: Join The Huddle.
Football Fun Fact - Day 14
You might say Georgia State's football program has been "well scripted."
That's because the athletics department had a special font created as part of its new branding last year.
Never before in existence, the new font was named Sparks in honor of the university's first president for 29 years, George McIntosh Sparks. The main administration building is named Sparks Hall.
This font is used for the lettering and numbers on the football jersey. It is used for headlines on the web site and for type in news releases on the letterhead, in PowerPoint presentations and other places where possible.
So, that makes Georgia State unique with the football jerseys that no other college has ever worn in the history of football.
14 Days to Go: Join The Huddle.
Football Fun Fact - Day 15
ESPN The Magazine's football issue featured the birth of Georgia State football and used a recently-born baby for its cover photo.
The magazine produced a video showing senior photo editor Nancy Weisman and photographer Nathaniel Welch putting it all together. Last year, the duo produced the football issue with Texas QB Colt McCoy on the cover. They've done LeBron James and countless other superstars through the years.
"I guess we broke the photographer's rule of never, ever trying to do a photo shoot with a baby or an animal," Welch joked.
It is the first baby to ever be on the cover of ESPN The Magazine.
So, just how did they pick the baby? They recruited babies in the New York area and showed four in the filming of the cover issue.
Joseph "Meatball" Fabbricatore, Azariah Joseph, Jarret Flaherty and Addison Fazzio were all shown posing for their chance at stardom and as the Georgia State cover baby.
The baby photo selected and used on the cover that has appeared world wide is Jarret Flaherty.
15 Days to Go: Join The Huddle.
Football Fun Fact - Day 16
Georgia State, even though it is an FCS school and not an FBS school, will be playing in large stadiums this inaugural season.
At home, the Georgia Dome's 70,000 seats (28,155 lower level) make GSU one of the largest home stadiums in the country, especially at the FCS level.
GSU will play in the fifth-largest college stadium when they play at Alabama's Bryant-Denny stadium on November 18th, in front of 101,821 fans. In addition to the seven home games at the Dome, GSU will play in Mobile, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, which seats 40,646. The other two trips are to Old Dominion (just under 20,000) and Campbell (only 5,000 with standing room).
At the FCS level, only four schools averaged 20,000 or more for home attendance last year: Montana at 24,117 and Appalachian State at 24,004 top the list.
The CAA has three of the top 11 home averages with Delaware at No. 4 (20,750), Old Dominion at No. 5 (19,782) and James Madison at No. 11 (15,305).
At the FCS level, there were 22 schools that topped 12,000 average attendance and 31 total over 10,000.
16 Days to Go: Join The Huddle.
Football Fun Fact - Day 17
Georgia State students once started a club football team of their own.
In 2002, around 50 students drew up a charter with the school's Recreation Department in January to begin playing games in that fall.
The school newspaper, The Signal, noted that Mark Lawson, a GSU real estate officer, was "the godfather of the team" and Ed Gadrix, a GSU alum and attorney in Roswell, was "the benefactor." Student Ben Moore was assisting as a marketing and public relations person. A budget of $40,000 for the entire season was all they had.
On August 5, 2002, the first group, who had each paid $125 to join the team, showed up for the first practice. First GSU football season-ticket holder in 2009, Preston Stancil, was a center on that team.
The group found a coach in Ted Bahhur and then others served as assistants and eventual head coaches as the teams played four more seasons.
The first actual club game was at South Alabama against their club team on Sept. 7. Rain, lightning and thunder delayed play after the game had started and caused sloppy conditions as host USA topped the GSU club team, 9-8. GSU came home to play Sept. 14 and defeat a group from UNC Greensboro, 27-0, for the first win before 325 at Adams Stadium in DeKalb County. A win in Atlanta over South Alabama finished that 2002 season at 5-2.
While that club team had nothing to do with the athletics program, it showed yet another desire by the students to have a real football team.
17 Days to Go: Join The Huddle.
Football Fun Fact - Day 18
Georgia State's inaugural football season will actually be 78 days in length and run from a Thursday to a Thursday.
The Panthers open Thursday, Sept. 2 vs. Shorter at home and close on Thursday, Nov. 18 at Alabama.
GSU's first team reported to school on August 3 and had the first practice on Aug. 4. While they didn't practice every day of the month of August, they will have 29 practices in the 29 days before the inaugural game.
Classes officially start on Monday, August 23 and the Panthers will have players attending their first-ever college class with others attending classes towards their master's degree.
Fortunately, Georgia State has a veteran leader like Bill Curry and his staff to have the student-athletes prepared for the full advantages of a college career.
18 Days to Go: Join The Huddle.
Football Fun Fact - Day 19
Before Georgia State hired "legendary" coach Bill Curry, the school had hired another "legendary" coach to lead the Feasibility Study as to whether football was even possible at GSU.
On April 12, 2007, the school brought Reeves on "looking for answers to see if financial support meets the emotional support" to start a football program. With countless speeches and fundraising opportunities, Reeves and GSU realized it was, indeed, something to pursue full speed ahead. Just 14 months after Reeves began, the school was able to hire Coach Curry and the process began moving even faster.
Reeves, who lives in Atlanta, is a current NFL radio analyst for the game of the week on Westwood One Radio. He was an NFL head coach for 23 years with 190 regular season wins and 11 postseason wins. That followed an eight-year NFL playing career. The Americus, Ga., native had been MVP on a Georgia All-Star game and went to South Carolina on a football scholarship. Reeves has been a participant in nine NFL Super Bowls.
With founding fathers like Reeves and Curry, the program begins with confidence.
Football Fun Fact - Day 20
A pair of Panther players has the distinction of following their fathers as a football player for Coach Bill Curry.
Tight end Bailey Woods' father, Terri, was an offensive lineman at Georgia Tech in 1976 when Curry was the offensive line coach starting out his coaching career.
First recruit Mark Hogan's dad, Mark, was a starting safety at Georgia Tech in 1985 when Curry was the head coach of the Yellow Jackets.
Academics must have also been in the genes as Bailey earned his bachelor's degree at Auburn already and will finish his final two years at Georgia State working on his master's degree. Mark started his first semester at Georgia State with a 4.02 GPA to earn President's List honors.
Football Fun Fact - Day 21
When Georgia State sophomore defensive back Brent McClendon gets some family football advice, he usually listens with good reason.
Brent's father, Willie, was an All-America running back in college as a Georgia Bulldog. Papa McClendon was a third round draft choice of the Chicago Bears and played four seasons in the NFL. Brent's dad also has the SEC Player of the Year award at home to prove he was quite a player.
Brent's older brother, Bryan, played four years as a running back at the University of Georgia and is in his second year as the running back coach on Mark Richt's UGA staff. Bryan was an NFL free agent following his 44 wins in four years at Georgia. Bryan can talk about his game-winnnig catch to beat Georgia Tech or his crucial punt block in the SEC championship game to help beat LSU.
Brent followed his brother's footsteps at Benjamin Mays High School here in Atlanta and helped his teams win region titles in the 2006 and 2007 seasons. Brent played some wide receiver and had a top game of 120 yards on seven catches.
This spring, Brent was voted as Georgia State's "Most Improved Defensive Player" at his cornerback position.
Of course, mom Susan will have to figure out the family schedule to follow both the Panthers and the Bulldogs this year with a son in each program.
Football Fun Fact - Day 22
The Panthers decided to use the Visitors Locker Room at the Georgia Dome instead of the Atlanta Falcons Locker Room based on size.
The Falcons have around 60 lockers because of the size of NFL rosters. But, the Visiting Locker Room at the Dome is really a combination of four locker rooms used for basketball or other events. So, this way, the Panthers will have at least 110 lockers available so that each player has one to himself and won't have to double up.
This area will also allow for multiple medical training rooms and taping areas, as well as having coaching locker rooms and equipment rooms.
The Panthers will be on the same sideline the Falcons use in front of the press box areas.
Football Fun Fact - Day 23
The Panthers will play in one of the finest stadiums any team in college football will enjoy: The Georgia Dome.
Just blocks from campus, The Georgia Dome has everything a fan could want. From the giant jumbotron boards and LED boards, to the 660 TV monitors spread around the stadium, to the upscale stadium restaurants and concession stands, to the suites and club seats, to the paved parking lots for tailgating, to the heating and air-conditioning for comfort, to the great sightlines of every seat, The Georgia Dome is awesome. Every seat is a chair with armrests and cup holders.
Built in 1992, The Georgia Dome is 290-feet tall (a 27-story building) and is the world's largest cable-supported building.
The Dome has hosted everything from two Super Bowls, to the Olympics (basketball and gymnastics), to NCAA Final Fours of basketball, to Chick-fil-A Peach Bowls, to major concerts and speakers. Even the Panthers basketball team has played games in the Georgia Dome.
The Panthers hold some practices at the Dome and played their Spring Game inside the Dome last April.
23 Days To Go: Join The Huddle
Football Fun Fact - Day 24
A football team requires one of the biggest medicine chests and first-aid kits imaginable.
Start with the basics like 6,400 rolls of white tape, add in 3,200 rolls of ealstikon ankle wrap tape, mix in 2,000 rolls of Powerfast tape, toss in 3,200 rolls of Powerflex tape, and don't forget to include the 2,000 rolls of Powertape.
The chest includes 162 ace wraps, 100 knee braces, wrist wraps, calf sleeves, thigh sleeves, elbow pads, elbow sleeves, arch supports, blister pads and turf shoe insoles. And, you keep on stock around 250 mouth guards for players to wear at every practice or game.
Did you stock your cabinet with 1,000 tubes of antibiotic ointment, 20 big boxes of alcohol pads, the 1,000 tubes of Bacitracin, at least 3,000 bandaids, 5,000 gauze sterile strips, the dozen extra-large bottles of peroxide or the iodine bottles, the cans of tuf skin, and even your basic 1,000 packs of aspirin?
Bet you didn't even think to have about 3,000-4,000 pair of trainers treatment gloves to put on every time you're treating an injury.
And, you have to break that down and stock 10 first-aid kits that the trainers wear around their belts all practice or game long.
Oh, there's a whole lot more, but this is a basic starter kit to take care of your 100 "children." Heck, just like a good mom, you keep the sunscreen around for being out in the sun for hours and hours at a time.
Football Fun Fact - Day 25
Lights! Action! Camera!
A new era of needs was created for football that never existed and that was a video department and supplies.
In order to film all the practices and games, the GSU football program needed items to be able to produce.
The team purchased three cameras to catch all the action. Then, it obtained 14 XOS computers to be able to break down the videos for each coach to have for his portion of the team and their meetings.
The building and offices had to be re-wired with the proper cabling that required more than 100 cables for the cameras and computers.
Then, you'll go through at lests 50 DVD's a week, which will be well over a 1,000 in the next few months.
To keep it all accessible, that requires a Video Network Storage server that has 10 terabytes of space.
To make the copies, that takes a 10-burner DVD unit to do multiple ones at a time.
At practices, that requires either building or renting three towers or lifts to be high above the field.
A last step is moving into video production to produce pieces for the athletics web site and show all the things going on to the public right here on this site that you see every day.
Football Fun Fact - Day 26
Georgia State has a trio of key members who were all at Lake Worth (Fla.) Community High in 2007.
GSU assistant coach Anthony Midget (running backs and special teams) was an All-America player at Virginia Tech and an NFL draft pick. When his playing days ended he became an assistant coach and assistant head coach at Lake Worth to learn about coaching. The head coach was Errick Lowe, a former WR at Auburn in the late 1990s. Midget was at Lake Worth from 2002-07.
Midget joined Coach Curry's staff in 2008 and helped recruit a star running back from that 2007 Lake Worth Trojans football team in Rosevelt Watson. Watson, a 5-9, 205-pound speedster, ran for 1,125 yards (a whopping 10 yards a carry) with 17 touchdowns in his senior 2007 season. Watson also had 72 tackles and two Int's on defense.
The QB of that Lake Worth 2007 team was Star Jackson, who signed with the Alabama Crimson Tide. When Jackson was given permission to transfer to another school, Midget was among his first phone calls. Jackson passed for 1,677 yards with 13 TD and only 3 Int's, while running for 500 yards that year at Lake Worth.
The Trojans of Lake Worth went 7-4 that year as the district runner up team in Palm Beach County. Lake Worth is just south of West Palm Beach on the Atlantic coast.
Football Fun Fact - Day 27
Georgia State will play 11 opponents during its Inaugural Season.
Let's take a quick look at the 11th and final opponent on Thursday, Nov. 20, at 7:30 p.m. (ET) on ESPNU.
The Alabama Crimson Tide are the defending national champions (14-0 last year) under coach Nick Saban. The game was originally scheduled for Nov. 20, but moved back for Alabama's preparation time for its game the next week against Auburn on Nov. 26.
This game between the school with 115 seasons of tradition, 1,151 wins and 56 bowl appearances and the school that has never played a game does have several unusual notes.
Georgia State's coach, Bill Curry, was the Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year at Alabama in 1989 when he guided the Crimson Tide to a 10-2 mark and Sugar Bowl game loss to No. 2 Miami in his final year there. Curry is still the lone Alabama coach to win the Bobby Dodd coaching award (started 25 seasons ago in 1976) and he coached only three years at Alabama.
Georgia State has former Alabama QB Star Jackson on its roster as a summer signee after he decided to transfer. Another GSU Panther, Bailey Woods, is familiar with Alabama after playing 11 games in 2009 for the Auburn Tigers. The TE has two seasons left to play at Georgia State.
Georgia State's assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator, George Pugh, was a four-year Alabama letterwinner at tight end (1972-75 under Bear Bryant) and won a national championship in 1973 after an undefeated regular season, but lost 24-23 in the Sugar Bowl. In 1974, the undefeated regular season was followed by an Orange Bowl loss to Notre Dame. As a senior, his team lost its only regular season game in three years, but finished with a Sugar Bowl win in 1975 over Penn State. Pugh was coach at Bryant High in Tuscaloosa before Bill Curry called him to Georgia State in 2008.
The Panthers will leave their 72,000-seat home in the Georgia Dome to travel the 200 miles (three hours) to Tuscaloosa in its first-ever national TV game. Alabama, on the other hand, is hoping to get to travel the 200 miles to Atlanta two weeks later to play in the SEC Championship Game in the Georgia Dome.
While Alabama is the big school in football, Georgia State actually has a larger student body that Alabama. Georgia State is expected to have around 31,000 students this August, while Alabama lists 28,800 as its enrollment. GSU is the second largest school in the state, just a couple thousand students behind UGA.
Alabama is picked as one of the favorites to repeat as national champ, starting with the return of Heisman Trophy running back Mark Ingram and star WR Julio Jones among the eight offensive starters back. The team returns 39 letterwinners off the title team.
Football Fun Fact - Day 28:
Georgia State will play 11 opponents during its Inaugural Season.
Let's take a quick look at the 10th opponent on Saturday, Nov. 6, at 1:00 p.m. in the final home game of the inaugural year in the Georgia Dome.
The Lamar University Cardinals are playing their first season in Division I FCS after halting football in 1989. Lamar will make the 700-mile journey from its home in Beaumont, Texas, a city of more than 100,000 east of Houston and near the Louisiana border.
Lamar has 14,000 students and competes in the Southland Conference in other sports. They played football as a senior college in 1951, moved into the Southland in 1964, and played 38 seasons before halting the team. Lamar begins the season at McNeese State and travels to North Dakota the week before coming to Atlanta.
Coach Ray Woodward takes over the program after 20 years as a high school and junior college coach. Longtime NCAA basketball coach Billy Tubbs (630 wins at Lamar, Oklahoma and TCU) is the Athletic Director at his alma mater.
Football Fun Facts - Day 29
Georgia State will play 11 opponents during its Inaugural Season.
Let's take a quick look at the ninth opponent on Saturday, Oct. 30, at 4:00 p.m. (CST), 5 (EST) on the road in Mobile, Ala.
The South Alabama Jaguars are starting a football program to make the transition to Division I FCS in 2011. They played seven games last year, all against junior college level teams, finishing 7-0.
The Jaguars play in 38,888-seat Ladd-Peebles Stadium, where the Senior Bowl all-star game is played. It hosts the GMAC Bowl every year between a MAC team and C-USA team. It was also the site of Bear Bryant's first game at Alabama when the Tide lost to LSU in 1958. This will be the third largest stadium GSU will play in, behind Alabama and the Georgia Dome. The distance from Atlanta to Mobile is about 325 miles or five hours. This will be Georgia State's third road game of the season.
The head coach is Joey Jones, a former Alabama All-SEC WR (1979-83) under Bear Bryant. Jones is a former high school head coach before becoming the head coach at Birmingham Southern in 2007.
South Alabama has 15,000 students and the football squad returns 46 letterwinners from last year.
Football Fun Fact - Day 30
Georgia State will play 11 games during its Inaugural Season.
Let's take a quick look at the eighth opponent on Saturday, Oct. 23, at 2:00 p.m., on the road in Norfolk, Va.
The Old Dominion Monarchs of the CAA are one year ahead of Georgia State in the process of starting a football program and then moving into the CAA schedule. This game will be ODU's Homecoming Game at 19,782-seat S.B. Ballard Stadium at Foreman Field as GSU travels the 600 miles to Norfolk. ODU has almost 24,000 students. Foreman Field is an astroturf GameDay grass artificial surface.
ODU opened 9-2 in their inaugural season, falling only to Monmouth (at home in Norfolk) and on the road at Fordham. Their games saw them average 35 points a game and allow 23 points in high-scoring contests.
Coach Bobby Wilder came to ODU to get things started in 2005 after having been at Maine, his alma mater.
The Monarchs will have almost everyone returning, with only one starter on offense and defense gone. Last year, the offense was pretty much centered around QB Thomas DeMarco. The Californian ran for 892 yards to lead the team and passed for 1,921 with 21 TD's and just four interceptions. Lindy's named him the FCS Independent Offensive Player of the Year for this season in their preseason magazine. Punter Jonathan Plisco is a secret weapon as he led the FCS last year with his 44.8 punting average to help with field position all year long.
ODU will play William and Mary of the CAA this season as their first-ever league opponent and then begin a CAA schedule next season.
Football Fun Fact - Day 31:
Georgia State will play 11 opponents during its Inaugural Season.
Let's take a quick look at the seventh opponent on Saturday, Oct. 16, at 1:00 p.m., in the Georgia Dome.
The North Carolina Central Eagles play their fourth year in reclassifying to Division I FCS from years of being NCAA Division II. They have played football at NCCU since 1923, with dozens and dozens of NFL players coming from the program. In Division II, the made the tournament four times, most recently in 2006 before they began their transition upward.
The maroon and grey of Durham, N.C. have 8,500 students and the school celebrates 100 years of growth.
Head Coach Mose Rison is in his third year as head coach after being an assistant at many places, including Arizona, Stanford and Rutgers. He also coached on the N.Y. Jets staff. The Rison name is familiar to Atlantans as Mose is a cousin of Falcons former Pro Bowl WR Andre Rison.
They will make a 380-mile trek from their campus to Atlanta, but just a five-mile trek for their season-opener when they play Duke of the ACC. NCCU hosted Duke and Appalachian State last year and make return trips this year.
Linebacker Donald Laster was picked as the FCS Independent teams Defensive Player of the Year by Lindy's Magazine this summer. QB Michael Johnson returns for a second year at NCCU in his hometown after originally signing and spending a year at Tulsa.
Football Fun Fact - Day 32:
Georgia State will play 11 opponents during its Inaugural Season.
Let's take a quick look at the sixth opponent on Saturday, Oct. 9, at 1:00 p.m., in the Georgia Dome.
The Savannah State Tigers will make their drive from the Atlantic Ocean coast city of Savannah of 250 miles (four hours) to play the Panthers in the Dome. Savannah State starts their season at Georgia Southern and also plays at CAA school, Old Dominion.
Savannah State will have loud representation with their roster of Georgians, including around 25 players from the metro Atlanta area. They return 51 lettermen and 15 starters to give them a good base.
Head Coach Julius Dixon, a former player at Furman (1985-88) and a 14-year assistant coach there, begins his first year at SSU as head coach after being promoted from the Tigers staff.
The Burnt Orange and Reflex Blue Tigers play at the Division I FCS level. Leading rusher, Justin Babb (804 yards) played in Atlanta at Westlake High.
Football Fun Fact - Day 33
Georgia State will play 11 opponents during its Inaugural Season.
Let's take a quick look at the fifth opponent on Saturday, Oct. 2, at 1:00 p.m., in the Georgia Dome.
The Morehead State Eagles have been fielding a football team since 1927. They are members of the Ohio Valley Conference and for many years fielded a football team in the league. Their most widely known football alum is QB Phil Simms, the New York Giants Super Bowl leader, and current TV analyst. The school moved its football into the Pioneer League, where it has also had many successful seasons recently. They have won four Pioneer League championships, last playing in a title game in 2005, bowing to San Diego, 47-40, in a shootout.
Coach Matt Ballard returns for his 17th year (90-84 record) with 34 lettermen and 19 starters returning as the nucleus for the 2010 squad. Morehead opens its season at James Madison of the CAA on Sept. 4.
The school has 9,000 students in a college town of Morehead, located in the Daniel Boone National Forest in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. The town is about 60 miles east of Lexington and about 60 miles west of the West Virginia border.
Morehead State will be used to traveling by the time they get to Atlanta on Oct. 2 as this will be their fourth road game of their five opening games, following the trips to James Madison, Dayton and Marist.
Football Fun Fact - Day 34
Georgia State will play 11 opponents during its Inaugural Season.
Let's take a quick look at the fourth opponent on Saturday, Sept. 25, at 1:00 p.m., at Campbell in Buies Creek, N.C.
This will be Georgia State's first-ever road trip for football. Campbell University is located 30 miles south of Raleigh and 28 miles north of Fayetteville, N.C. The most direct route from Atlanta is out I-20 east, to I-95 north, and then a short drive back west off I-95 (Exit 73). It is just a little over 400 miles and a roughly 6 1/2-hour trip.
Campbell was a former conference member with GSU in the days of the T.A.A.C./Atlantic Sun as they played twice a year in basketball and in every other sport through 2004-05, the Panthers last year in that league.
Campbell is in the NCAA FCS Division and plays in the Pioneer League as a non-scholarship program. This is their third year with football. The school has 4,700 students on its main campus and almost 7,000 on all its campuses. They play at 5,000-seat Ed Gore Field with an artificial surface field, but drew 5,845 for its inaugural game. They announced their program in 2006, practiced with a fall game in 2007, and have played the 2008 and 2009 seasons of competition.
The Fighting Camels are coached by Dale Steele and posted a 3-8 season in 2009, but by being so new and building, they return 50 lettermen and 21 starters to give them stability now. Coach Steele went through what Coach Curry has at GSU in building a football program from scratch. A former South Carolina player, Steele coached at Tulane, Kansas State, East Carolina, Elon and ETSU, as well as being a North Carolina high school head coach.
Campbell plays Old Dominion and Davidson at home before GSU to give them three consecutive home opponents.
Football Fun Fact - Day 35
Georgia State will play 11 opponents during its Inaugural Season.
Let's take a quick look at the third opponent on Saturday, Sept. 18, at 1:00 p.m., at the Georgia Dome.
Jacksonville State University has been playing football since 1903 with an all-time record of 472-328-40 as it closes in on its 850th all-time game.
The Gamecocks are members of the Ohio Valley Conference, but were previous conference members with Georgia State in the TAAC/Atlantic Sun. The school is just over the border in Alabama in the town of Jacksonville, Ala. JSU has 9,000-plus students and a home football field that seats 24,000.
Coach Jack Crowe returns for his 10th season at JSU and led the team to an 8-3 mark last season. This year's team returns 46 letterwinners and 13 starters. Jacksonville State averaged 35 points a game last year and held their opponents to just 17 per game.
The offense returns four starting offensive linemen, all at 290 pounds or larger. A pair of running backs who combined for 1,152 yards and 10 TD's return (Calvin Middleton and Alphonso Freeney). A new QB will take over for LSU-transfer Ryan Perrilloux, who passed for 23 TD's last year.
On defense, CB T.J. Heath's six pass interceptions give the team confidence for pass defense.
JSU opens this season at Ole Miss on Sept. 4, after opening at Georgia Tech and at Florida State last year to start the 2009 season.
Football Fun Fact - Day 36
Georgia State will play 11 opponents during its Inaugural Season.
Let's take a quick look at the second opponent on Saturday, Sept. 11, at 1:00 p.m., at the Georgia Dome.
Lambuth has been a strong NAIA team the past several years, going 12-1 last year and losing only in the playoffs. The Eagles finished No. 6 in the final national poll. One of the best Lambuth players signed a free agent contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The West Coast-style, pass-happy offense will be the exact opposite of the first opponent, Shorter. The up-tempo team averaged 40.4 points a game last season.
Lambuth's QB Adam Wiese passed for 3,422 yards last year with 32 TD's as a sophomore. His favorite receiver was junior 6-foot-6 Jefferson Rodrick with 74 catches and 1,160 yards.
The new head coach of Lambuth is Ron Dickerson, a veteran coach who had been the head coach at Temple and at Alabama State. He was so respected, that he was the first president of the Black College Coaches Association. He was a former NFL player and is one of the members of the 1972 undefeated Miami Dolphins team.
Lambuth is a private school affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1843, has 750 students. It began football in 1985 and is trying to make its move from NAIA to NCAA Division II. The school is located in western Tennessee, midway between Nashville and Memphis in the town of Jackson.
Football Fun Fact - Day 37:
Georgia State wil play 11 opponents during its Inaugural Season.
Let's take a quick look at the first opponent on Thursday, Sept. 2, at 7:30 p.m., at the Georgia Dome.
Shorter University is an approximate 3,000 student-body school located in Rome, Ga., about 70 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta. The Hawks field 17 varsity sports teams and were ranked No. 9 in the Directors' Cup for the approximate 300 NAIA member institutions.
Shorter is just a five-year football program itself under Coach Phil Jones. The Hawks have led the country in rushing the past two seasons with their option-style running game similar to Georgia Tech. So, that presents a unique challenge for Georgia State's defense.
Running back A.J. Cooley signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars this spring and will compete this summer in their training camp for a roster spot. The 6-1, 230-pound Cooley ran for 4,111 yards and 50 TD's in his career. Linebacker Logan Lollis finished as an NAIA All-American along with Cooley.
Shorter competes in the 14-member Mid-South Conference (Western Division) in the NAIA. Head Coach Phil Jones was a college assistant coach at Gardner-Webb, SMU, and at the University of Georgia (1997-2001). He spent 29 years as a successful high school coach, including Winder-Barrow from 1984-1996. Shorter was 6-5 last season after ranking No. 11 in the final poll in 2008 with its 9-3 record.
Six-foot QB Ben Williams (Lassier High/Marietta) returns for his senior year after passing for 766 yards and 8 TD's and running for 706 yards and 7 more TD's. Even with the loss of Cooley, the Hawks return junior running back Antwon Appleton, who ran for 758 yards and 6 TD's.
With the bulk of their roster from Georgia and metro Atlanta, expect Shorter to have at least a thousand-plus fans at the opener at the Dome on Sept. 2.
Football Fun Fact - Day 38:
Georgia State's coaching staff has an outstanding record as coaches, but before they turned their focus to that, most of them were outstanding players.
Coach Bill Curry was a 10-year NFL center and two-time Pro Bowl pick, playing in four NFL championship games. That followed his days as a team captain at Georgia Tech.
Todd Perry played the most years in the NFL (11) with the Bears and Dolphins after being an All-SEC offensive lineman at Kentucky.
Anthony Midget was an All-America CB at Virginia Tech team that advanced to the national title game and was drafted in the 5th round of the NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.
Jason French played eight professional seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a wide receiver.
Chris Ward was an All-SEC defensive lineman at Kentucky before playing several years in the NFL Europe League in its heyday. He was a 7th round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens.
George Pugh was a stellar tight who played on a national championship team at Alabama under Bear Bryant.
John Thompson is in his high school Hall of Fame as a QB and TE, who went on to play DB at the University of Central Arkansas.
John Bond was an All-State QB and in his high school Hall of Fame. He was recruited to Arkansas in the SEC, but a career-ending injury ended the dream of playing more.
Craig Harmon was a standout high school QB who played at Northern Illinois and Quincy College.
Mike Riddle played four years at the University of Kentucky after a solid high school career on the offensive line.
Football Fun Fact - Day 39:
What's In A Name? Let's look at the Georgia State roster and see.
The roster goes from A to Z with first names (Aaron Gambrah to Zach Jones) and A to Y with last names (Omotayo Akintoye to Cade Yates).
The shortest last name is three letters: Lee (Parris and Travis). The longest last name is 10 letters: Burkhalter and Schlechter (Mark and Bo).
The shortest first name is two letters: Bo (Schlechter), while Bo Carter goes by that as a nickname. The longest first names are 11 letters: Rontaverous (Aribo) and Demetreious (Shorter).
There are three players named Davis (Hubert, Michael, Ramell) who are not related, but there are a pair of brothers named Muasau (Louie and Jake). Louie's real name is Tuugalue Samuele Muasau, while Jake's real name is Manumalo. There are also two Jones (Brandon and Zach) and Williams (Arthur and Danny), not related.
There are three players named Michael (Davis, Donovan and Hall).
There is a player named Little, who isn't at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds (Drew). There is a player who is Shorter, but he's not shorter than most at 6-foot-4 (Demetrious). There is a player who fears no one at his cornerback spot (Jocquez), even though his last name is Fears.
We'll have to see if the Price is Right to start at cornerback (Rodriguez Price) or if Grant King can be the king of the offensive line.
If you call for Brad, two will come (Brad Bush and Brad Chahoy), just like if you call for Mark, as two will respond (Mark Collins and Mark Hogan).
Don't be confused because James and John are these players last names (Blake James and Ulrick John).
The head coach is Bill Curry, but there is nary a Bill or William on his roster.
Football Fun Fact - Day 40:
Where are you going to practice football downtown? That question was easily answered when the school purchased land and an existing structure at 188 Martin Luther King Dr., about 3 blocks or .2 of a mile from the GSU Sports Arena.
The school broke ground on Nov. 20, 2008. The team held its first actual practice on the 100-yard state-of-the-art artificial turf field on Saturday, March 27, 2010 during the spring practice session. There is also a natural grass field. The building itself with the meeting rooms and trainers rooms will open this fall. Work will continue with upgrades and additions over the next year.
During the 2009-10 school year, the football team used the converted swimming pool facility right beside the Sports Arena. With re-modeling, they created locker rooms, training rooms and a weight room, as well as the main equipment storage areas.
During that first year without games, the team practiced at the NFL Y.E.T. (Youth Education Town) fields at MLK Middle School, at the artificial turf at Lakeside Stadium and inside their future home, the Georgia Dome.
The new practice facility is just two blocks from the State Capitol building and the Gold Dome is seen from the fields. The biggest landmark visible from the I-75/85 downtown corridor is the tall white Corey smokestack that sits right beside the practice field and separates the field from the Interstate.
Football Fun Fact - Day 41:
Georgia State will play football as an "Independent" for the 2010 and 2011 seasons. That means they can pretty much play any team they want and that they are not eligible for any postseason games.
In 2012, Georgia State will begin its conference play in the CAA (Colonial Athletic Association), just like they do in all other sports.
The CAA has built a reputation as the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) power and GSU would be the 12th team as things stand now. The other CAA football teams are full members Delaware, James Madison, Towson, William and Mary, and then Old Dominion in 2011. The football members include Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Richmond, Rhode Island and Villanova.
The CAA has produced 5 National Champions in the past 12 years, including the last two in a row. Villanova won the title last year and Richmond the year before in 2008. James Madison earned its title in 2004 and Delaware in 2003. Massachusetts claimed a title in 1998.
The CAA has had the most teams get bids to the NCAA Tournament in one year and has produced a whopping 47 playoff bids in just the last 10 years alone.
The NFL knows all about the CAA as the league has had 96 players drafted into the NFL and many more sign NFL free agent contracts.
The CAA also has the largest and most extensive TV contract of all FCS leagues.
Football Fun Fact - Day 42:
If you're a slot receiver, kick returner like Darren McCray (5-foot-7, 150 pounds), you can easily walk into any classroom undetected, slip through a cafeteria line without everyone looking at your tray, and fit comfortably in any bed in any dorm.
However, some members of the football team won't have it so easy or walk around anonymously.
So, here's a chair alert for every teacher and repairman to make sure they're all set for some extra weight...and, to the chefs and cooks of the dining halls..and, to the dorm staffs who supply the bed frames.
The initial football roster has six 300-pound players, topped by 6-foot-5, 340-pound Ladeven Kirkland. He's only 21 so he's not done growing yet. Then, there is the pair of svelte 320-pounders in 6-5 Gabriel Hampton and 6-4 Terrance Woodard. Harrison Clottey stretches 310 pounds over his 6-5 frame. Eduardo Curry packs his 300 pounds into his 6-3 skeleton.
Then, there are 10 more young lads who tip the scales over 280, but under 300, depending on how good the food service might be on most days. Some spread that over 6-8 or 6-7 frames, others can get it into their 6-2 or 6-1 body sizes. Hey, some of these are just 18 and 19-year old kids, so with their workouts, they can get mighty hungry.
And, there are 5 more "almost big" guys who "only" weigh between 270-275 pounds.
Heck, that almost makes 6-5, 250-pound QB Drew Little seem like one of the small guys.
So, that makes 21 growing young men at 270 pounds or more who won't be sneaking quietly into the campus atmosphere like Darren McCray will be.
Football Fun Fact - Day 43:
Yes, Coach Curry's first team at Georgia State will certainly have a lot of freshmen, but the team will also have some experienced hands to lead the way.
Coming from Division I FBS major programs are QB Star Jackson (Alabama), offensive linemen Joseph Gilbert and Clyde Yandell (Georgia Tech) and TE Bailey Woods (Auburn).
Two others come from Division I FBS programs and could start: C Ben Jacoby (Ball State) and WR Sidney Haynes (UCF).
Cornerback Jocquez Fears played the past two years in the CAA at Northeastern. LB Brad Chahoy played in two games for Georgia Southern.
Safety Brandon Jones (Mars Hill), DT Chris Halbert (Kentucky State) and LB Akeen Felder (University of the Cumberland) all have previous college experience.
The Junior College ranks were also fertile recruiting grounds for Georgia State with 11 players coming to Georgia State with experience playing at that level.
Football Fun Fact - Day 44:
The rule book states exactly what a player may and may not wear during an NCAA football game.
This is not the full wording, but the order in which the rule book lists the mandatory equipment:
- Knee pads that must cover the knee and be covered up by the uniform
- The Helmet that matches everyone else's on the team with only approved logo and facemasks.
- Body pads that are professionally manufactured and approved to include shoulder, hip, tailbone and thigh pads.
- A protective mouthpiece
- The Jersey that matches everyone else's on the team with only approved logo or marking
- A number at least 8-10" in size on both the front and back of the jersey
- Socks that match everyone else's on the team and are pulled up to the uniform pants below the knee
- Shoes that are approved with specific information about the bottom of the shoe and/or cleats
The other details include what may be worn to include things like bandannas, gloves, moisture-absorbing towels, wrist bands, tape and bandages, and more.
A player non-compliant with these uniform regulations will not be allowed in the game, and if in the game and something malfunctions with the equipment, will be told to leave the game. Depending on the violation, the team could be charged one of their alloted time outs for a uniform violation.
Football Fun Fact - Day 45:
When someone asks you how long a football field is, don't be duped into answering 100 yards. Think about it, you could never score a touchdown if you only played on a 100-yard field. A football field is 120 yards long because each end zone is 10 yards in depth.
A football field is also 160 feet across, or 53.33 yards.
It is 60 feet from a sideline to a hashmark and then 40 feet between the two sets of hashmarks. All plays start from within those 40 feet of hashmarks. If a play goes out of bounds, the ball is brought back in to the nearest hashmark.
Football Fun Fact - Day 46:
Play Toys for the Kids? Before the team goes out to practice in August, the equipment staff has had to gather these items to have at the field.
There are 24 Step-Over Dummies, 18 Hand Shields, 5 Pop-Up Dummies, 2 Linemen Chutes, a 2-Man Blocking Sled, an Offensive Lineman Sled, a Defensive Tackle Sled, Pass Rush Dummy Bags, Arm Pads for Coaches to use in drills, a Passing Machine for receivers to catch balls, 2 Linemen Hoses, 100 Cones (three different sizes), down markers and chains, and of course, a bull horn and whistle for Coach Curry, as well as stop watches for assistant coaches.
One needs the air compressor to pump up the footballs. And, the dry erase boards for coaches' plays.
And, the equipment staff carries their tool chests with every imaginable tool and item to keep things together if they break.
Much of the equipment is toted back and forth, inside and out, via a Ryder Rental Truck from the Sports Arena until the practice facility is completed soon.
Football Fun Fact - Day 47:
If you're going to build a football team at Georgia State, where will the players come from?
The answer is 12 states and Canada.
Currently, 30 members of the football team come from outside the borders of football-rich Georgia as the recruiting covered the whole country.
Besides the roughly 70 Georgians, the state with the next most Panthers is Florida with 12 players.
Other states with more than one player represented include Arizona, California, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.
States sending one player to GSU include Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi.
One player, Christo Bilukidi, hails from Canada.
The football coaching staff comes from Georgia (3), Alabama, Arkansas (2), Florida, Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio, with Jason French hailing from Canada. The Georgians are head coach Bill Curry (College Park HS), Chris Ward (SW DeKalb HS) and Jason Zimmerman (West Hall HS, Gainesville).
Football Fun Fact - Day 48:
When coach Bill Curry was hired in 2008, Georgia State athletics, literally, did not have a football. So, they bought one to use for press conferences and photos.
Today, the team has 140 official Wilson GST NCAA footballs ready to use for the inaugural season and all practices.
And, if you count the white-paneled footballs with the logo to be use for autographs, the number climbs higher.
A football is made of leather and never has been made of pigskin, even though that is its nickname.
A game football weighs 14-15 ounces, less than a pound. It is inflated to the pressure of 12 1/2-13 1/2 pounds per square inch (psi).
From tip to tip, a football is between 10 7/8" to 11 7/16," so would fit within a normal 12-inch ruler.
Equipment manager Jay Bailey says that the NCAA allows for six footballs to be approved by the game officials for use in a game. No other footballs are then allowed to be put into game play. So, when a ball goes into the stands during a college game, it is retrieved to ensure it could be used again, if necessary.
The equipment department also maintains football drying racks that pump out air to dry out footballs, shoes and gloves from rainy day practices or heavy player perspiration.
Football Fun Fact - Day 49:
Georgia State isn't the only football team to play its first game in 2010.
The University of South Alabama is another start-up program who played some exhibitions last year and will play a full schedule this year, while Lamar (Southland) will also field a team. Both are Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) teams like Georgia State. Bryant (Northeast) is finishing its third year of transition to Division I (FCS) from Division II.
CAA rival Old Dominion began last year, while the University of Texas at San Antonio (Southland) will start next year. Charlotte has on its drawing board to start playing in 2013.
The NCAA says there are 120 Division I (FBS, Football Bowl Subdivision teams) that grant the maximum of 85 scholarships and participate in Bowl games at the end of the season.
The NCAA reports there are 126 Division I (FCS, Football Championship Subdivision teams) that may grant a maximum of 63 full scholarships. These teams compete in postseason playoff format for a national championship (20 teams will get bids in 2010) just like NCAA basketball.
In addition, the NCAA has 149 Division II teams, 238 Division III teams and 92 NAIA teams. These teams also play for a national championship in postseason brackets like basketball.
So, Georgia State will play the full spectrum of NCAA teams, starting with an NAIA team (Shorter) and finishing with the FBS Bowl and poll-ranked national champion (Alabama).
Football Fun Fact - Day 50:
Equipment Manager Jay Bailey is getting ready to suit up the inaugural football team, so his closet will include the new uniforms.
Georgia State now has 120 blue game day jerseys, in addition to 120 white game day jerseys.
The closets are stocked with 120 blue practice jerseys as well as 120 white practice jerseys.
He has 150 game day pants ready for the team.
He has 160 practice pants, which also have belts, ready for the team when they report the first week of August.
Right now, there are 107 lockers in the team facility on campus, that was once the school swimming pool as part of the Rec Center before its relocation. That building is right beside the Sports Arena, visible on Piedmont Avenue across the street from the new Science Building.
The team's new practice facility is being built on MLK Drive, just three blocks away and just behind the big white Corey smoke stack that sits on I-75/85.
