Navy Sports

Colleges & Universities United States Naval Academy (USNA)
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<p>Navy Women’s Track & Field: Kirsten Andrews Named Patriot League Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year</p>

<p>For Immediate Release
Monday, July 16, 2007
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771</p>

<p>Kirsten Andrews Named Patriot League’s Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year</p>

<p>CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – The honors have continued to rack up for recently graduated Navy women’s track & field competitor Kirsten Andrews (New Holland, Pa.), as she was named the 2006-07 Patriot League Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, it was announced by the league office on Monday morning.</p>

<p>The product of New Holland, Pa., is the first Navy women’s track & field member and third Navy female in school history to be selected Patriot League Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, preceded by Midshipmen women’s soccer players Nicole Aunapu (1998-99) and Kate Macfarlane (2001-02). Andrews is the third track & field competitor to earn the award in league history, as Fordham’s Lauren Gubicza (1991-93) and Bucknell’s Becki Marshall (2000-01) were each previously recognized.</p>

<p>Five days ago, Andrews became the first two-time Patriot League Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year selection in program history and the fourth in league history, as she first earned the honor during the 2006 campaign. She was also recognized as the 2007 Patriot League Women’s Indoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year during the winter and has been named to the league’s academic honor roll during each of her four years in Annapolis.</p>

<p>A two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American, Andrews maintained a 3.91 cumulative grade point average while majoring in quantitative economics. She posted a 4.00 grade point average during each of her final-four semesters and graduated 37th out of her class of 1046. She was named to the Superintendent’s List each of the last-four semesters and was honored on the Commandant’s List during all eight of her semesters on The Yard.</p>

<p>This past spring, she was one of 29 females in the country to earn a NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship, which she will use while doing graduate studies in the field of operations research at the University of Delaware. </p>

<p>Athletically, Andrews broke four school records during her senior campaign and graduated from the Academy holding six program records. The indoor team captain earned First-Team All-Patriot League honors in five events this year and was named the Patriot League Field Athlete of the Meet at both the indoor and outdoor championship in 2007. She earned All-East recognition six times during her career and became the first midshipman in program history to compete in two events at the NCAA East Region Championship last year. At the 2007 NCAA East Region Championship, she tied for eighth place in the pole vault, the highest finish by a Navy competitor in school history.</p>

<p>To be eligible for the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year, a student-athlete must have a 3.20 cumulative grade point average, been a starter or key reserve for her team and been selected the sport’s scholar-athlete of the year. This year’s other sport scholar-athletes include American’s Liz Hayes (women’s basketball) and Heidi Hershberger (field hockey), Army’s Lindsey Gerheim (softball), Bucknell’s Shannon Curd (women’s soccer), Colgate’s Kinsey Carlson (rowing), Holy Cross’ Christine Strawson (volleyball), Lehigh’s Christy Smith (women’s lacrosse), Jennifer Schappert (women’s cross country) and Gwen Dwyer (women’s tennis), and Navy’s Kelly Zahalka (women’s swimming & diving).</p>

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<p>The life of Steve Manson has undergone a sea change</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/outdoors/bal-sp.manson14jul14,1,5777825.story[/url]”>http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/outdoors/bal-sp.manson14jul14,1,5777825.story&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p><a href=“Examiner is back - Examiner.com”>Examiner is back - Examiner.com;

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<p>For: Immediate Release
Sent: July 16, 2007
Contact: Scott Strasemeier (410) 293-8775</p>

<p>CBS Sportsline Ranks Navy 49th In The Country</p>

<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md.-CBS Sportsline ranked the Navy football team 49th out of 119 teams in their preseason college football magazine. The magazine projects the Mids to go 9-3 and play Utah in the Poinsettia Bowl.</p>

<p>Rutgers (18th), Notre Dame (32nd) and Wake Forest (33rd) are all ranked ahead of Navy, while Pitt (53rd), Air Force (87th), Duke (93rd), Northern Illinois (97th), Ball State (99th), Army (109th), North Texas (112th) and Temple (116th) are all ranked behind the Mids.</p>

<p>The magazine also tabbed Navy as one of four teams that could have people talking during the 2007 season like Boise State, Wake Forest and Rutgers did in 2006. Navy was joined on the list by TCU, Hawaii and South Florida.</p>

<p>“It’s a real stretch for the Midshipmen to be anything but an eight- or nine-win team, but they would captivate the nation with an improbable run at 12 victories,” said writer J. Darin Darst. “Remember, this team was on the verge of beating one of the best teams in the ACC last season in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, but Boston College forced a fumble as the Midshipmen were trying to run out the clock. Two huge games are on the schedule-at Rutgers and at Notre Dame. With its quarterback and all three running backs returning, this could be the year that Navy finally beats the Fighting Irish.”</p>

<p>Quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada (Jr./Kapolei, Hawaii), fullback Adam Ballard (Sr./Lewisville, Texas), slot back Reggie Campbell (Sr./Sanford, Fla.), center Antron Harper (Sr./Eastman, Ga.), tackle Andrew McGinn (Jr./Marietta, Ga.), linebacker Clint Sovie (Jr./Jacksonville, Fla.) and defensive back Rashawn King (Jr./Raleigh, N.C.) were named to the All-Independent team. Campbell was named the best offensive player among all the Independents, while Paul Johnson was selected as the best head coach.</p>

<p>Navy fans can meet the players and coaches on Monday, July 30 from 2-4 p.m. at the Navy FanFest at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Navy’s first practice is Tuesday, July 31.</p>

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886

<p>Momentum Continues for Leading U.S Provider of All-Rubber Synthetic Playing Surfaces</p>

<p>PHILADELPHIA, PA - July 17, 2007 * Sprinturf (<a href=“http://www.sprinturf.com)%5B/url%5D”>www.sprinturf.com)</a>, the leading developer of synthetic turf systems, has installed an all-new practice football field on the main campus of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The project is worth an estimated $1.2 million.</p>

<p>“This project reflects our dedication to designing and installing state-of-the-art playing surfaces,” said Stanley H. Greene, president and CEO of Sprinturf. “We are committed to providing the safest high performance synthetic fields * and that¹s exactly what we built for the U.S. Naval Academy.” </p>

<p>The football practice field, known as Rip Miller Field, underwent a full removal of the old artificial turf and has been replaced with Sprinturf’s sand and rubber infill artificial turf system, achieving the highest standards of safety and durability. The company is also scheduled to install a new rugby field for the Academy featuring the all-rubber infill system designed to increase safety and reduce the rate of player injury.</p>

<p>“We are very pleased with the field Sprinturf designed and installed for our institution,” said Chet Gladchuk, Naval Academy director of athletics. “Their level of professionalism and commitment to quality and safety made this project a total success.”</p>

<p>After a strong first quarter, average monthly field installs has increased more than 150 percent to date for Sprinturf. The company secured and completed the U.S. Naval Academy project based on the merit of its patented all-rubber infill system, history of safety and performance, and experienced board of directors and management team.</p>

<p>About Sprinturf
Sprinturf (<a href=“http://www.sprinturf.com%5B/url%5D”>www.sprinturf.com</a>) is the leading U.S provider of synthetic turf systems for professional, private and municipal athletic fields. Founded in 1999, Sprinturf’s patented all-rubber infill and Ultrablade turf system has been rated as playing closest to a natural grass playing field in pristine condition but requires virtually none of the maintenance. Sprinturf has delivered over 350 athletic playing surfaces; notable customers include the Philadelphia Eagles, Ohio State University, UCLA, the University of Pennsylvania, Auburn University, D.C. United and F.C. Dallas. Sprinturf is based in Wayne, Pennsylvania.</p>

887

<p>For Immediate Release
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Contact: Jonathan Maggart (410) 293-8771</p>

<p>Chris Renninger Named Patriot League’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year</p>

<p>CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Navy golfer Chris Renninger (Darnestown, Md.) has added another honor to his trophy case, as he has been selected the 2006-07 Patriot League Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, it was released by the league office on Tuesday morning.</p>

<p>The product of Darnestown, Md., joins Navy’s Billy Hurley (2003-04) as the only other golfer to receive Patriot League Male Scholar-Athlete-of-the-Year kudos in league history. Renninger is the fourth Navy male student-athlete to earn the award in school history, alongside Hurley and former baseball players Toby Moore (1994-95) and Trevor Thompson (2004-05).</p>

<p>Renninger, an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American this spring, becomes just the third non-senior in Patriot League history to win the award, entering the select class of Colgate basketball player Adonal Foyle (So., 1995-96) and Colgate cross country/track runner Ray Appenheimer (Jr., 1992-93).</p>

<p>Navy is the third school in Patriot League history to sweep the league’s male and female scholar-athlete of the year award, as women’s track & field competitor Kirsten Andrews’ was recognized as the Patriot League Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Monday morning. Prior to the 2006-07 Midshipmen, only Colgate in 1993-94 and Bucknell in 1999-00 captured both honors in the same year.</p>

<p>Majoring in chemistry, Renninger stands No. 1 in his class of more than 1,000 students. He has earned a 4.00 GPA in seven-consecutive semesters, while being named to the Commandant’s List five times, the Dean’s List four times and the Superintendent’s List twice.</p>

<p>Renninger earned First-Team All-Patriot League honors last April after turning in a 3-over par 213 at the Patriot League Championship to finish second, just a stroke behind medalist Matt Czarnecki of Holy Cross. The two-time All-Patriot League selection finished the year with team’s low average, posting a 75.6 over 21 rounds. He finished among the top 20 in five of the 10 events in which he played, while posting three top-10 finishes and a pair of top-five marks. Renninger was Navy’s top finisher in four events, including his second-place finish at the Patriot League Championship and a fourth-place mark at the Navy Fall Invitational.</p>

<p>To be eligible for the Patriot League Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, a student-athlete must have a 3.20 cumulative grade point average, been a starter or key reserve for his team and been selected the sport’s scholar-athlete of the year. This year’s other sport scholar-athletes included American’s Conor Lanz (men’s cross country), Army’s Bill Watts (men’s soccer), Bucknell’s Joshua Kaehler (men’s outdoor track & field), Chris McNaughton (men’s basketball), David Mante (men’s indoor track & field) and Ira Reibeisen (men’s tennis), Lafayette’s James Conrad (baseball) and Brad Maurer (football), Lehigh’s Tom Gilbert (men’s swimming & diving), and Navy’s Colin Finnegan (men’s lacrosse).</p>

888

<p>For Immediate Release
Sent Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Contact Justin Kischefsky (410) 293-8772</p>

<p>Tiffany Coll Joins Navy Women’s Basketball Staff</p>

<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy women’s basketball head coach Tom Marryott has announced the addition of Tiffany Coll to his coaching staff for the upcoming season.</p>

<p>“Tiffany has a great background for being such a young coach,” said Marryott. “She immediately impressed us with her enthusiasm and desire to have an impact on our basketball program. She is a tremendous addition to our team.” </p>

<p>Coll arrives in Annapolis after a two-year stint as a graduate assistant at St. John’s (N.Y.). The Red Storm posted an overall record of 22-8 and a Big East Conference mark of 11-5 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament during her initial season with the program.</p>

<p>In addition to her many and varied duties with the Red Storm, Coll also attained a Master’s Degree in sociology from the school during her time in New York.</p>

<p>A native of the Philadelphia area, Coll was a four-year letterwinner at UMBC and captained the Retrievers during her junior and senior campaigns. She appeared in 101 games and averaged over 16 minutes of playing time a game during her career, which ended in the Northeast Conference Tournament title game in 2003.</p>

<p>After graduating from UMBC, Coll would go on to play overseas for two years with teams located in Wales, Holland, Germany and Portugal before beginning her coaching career during the summer of 2005 at St. John’s.</p>

<p>“The Naval Academy has an excellent reputation for strong academics and athletics,” said Coll. "When I played against Navy, the games were always intense and challenging. We came into the gym thinking we had to be ready to go, since the Navy girls were always strong, the post players were tall and physical and the guards could run till no end. We knew they were going to be in top shape physically and that we would have to play focused for the entire 40 minutes in order to win. I always enjoyed playing Navy and now am very excited to be a part of the program. </p>

<p>“My time at St. John’s was a great experience for me. I’d like to thank Kim Barnes Arico and her staff for the opportunity to be a part of a first class program in the Big East. I was able to receive my first taste of coaching and I truly enjoyed it.”</p>

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<p>Athletic director debunks rumors of Mids joining Big East</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2007/07_18-05/NAS[/url]”>Real Estate – Capital Gazette;

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<p>GA do you know when they post the sprint football roster? I have been watching for to no avail. Thanks for any insight you may have.</p>

891

<p>^^^^^
Unfortunately, you’ll have to keep checking <a href=“http://www.navysports.com%5B/url%5D”>www.navysports.com</a>.</p>

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<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Naval Academy Athletic Association (NAAA) has announced that season tickets for men’s and women’s soccer will go on sale on Monday, July 23, in preparation for the upcoming seasons. The women’s home schedule features 10 home games, while the men’s team will play eight games at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility. </p>

<p>Navy soccer season tickets are just $60 for adults and $30 for senior citizens and youths (17 & younger). Season tickets include all regular-season men’s and women’s home games at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility, including the annual Star Games against Army. The women’s team will host Army on Oct. 26 at 7:00 pm, while the men’s team hosts the Black Knights on Nov. 10, also at 7:00 pm. The men’s team will also host Air Force for the first time in over 20 years as the Falcons visit for a Sunday afternoon showdown on Sept. 2 at 3:00 pm.</p>

<p>The NAAA also has several promotions on tap as well. On the men’s side, Meet the Mids is scheduled for Sept. 2, following the Air Force contest. This is a chance to meet the team after the game and get autographs from your favorite players. For the Sept. 29 and Oct. 20 games against Bucknell and Holy Cross, respectively, a football ticket stub from that afternoon’s Navy football game will get you free admission for the soccer game that night. The women’s team will host Meet the Mids on Sept. 9, following its 3:00 pm game against Towson. The team will also host a free youth clinic following its game against Holy Cross on Oct. 28.</p>

<p>More information on all of Navy’s men’s and women’s soccer promotions can be found on the respective sport pages at <a href=“http://www.navysports.com%5B/url%5D”>www.navysports.com</a>, on the left hand side titled promotions.</p>

<p>The women’s team is coming off a record-breaking 2006 campaign, that saw the Mids record a 21-2-1 overall record and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Carin Gabarra welcomes back eight starters and 15 letterwinners for the upcoming season. </p>

<p>The men’s team recorded a 5-9-2 record in a season decimated by injuries. Head coach Rich Miranda welcomes back 17 letterwinners from last year’s squad.</p>

<p>Tickets may be purchased online at the ticketing section of <a href=“http://www.navysports.com%5B/url%5D”>www.navysports.com</a> or by calling 1-800-US4-NAVY. In addition, fans may mail in a printable season-ticket form also found on <a href=“http://www.navysports.com%5B/url%5D”>www.navysports.com</a>.</p>

893

<p>For: Immediate Release
Sent: July 24, 2007
Contact: Scott Strasemeier (410) 293-8775</p>

<p>2007 Navy Football Single Game Parking Passes Available Today</p>

<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md.–The Navy Ticket Office will begin offering single game parking passes for the 2007 football season today at 9:00 a.m. Orders will be taken by calling 1-800-US4-NAVY or in person at the Navy Ticket Office in Ricketts Hall. Single game passes are not available online.</p>

<p>Those wishing to purchase parking passes must also have purchased separate game tickets and are limited to 1 pass per customer.</p>

<p>Navy kicks off the 2007 season on Friday, August 31 at Temple in a 7 p.m. contest that will be broadcast nationally by ESPNU. The home opener is Saturday, Sept. 15 at 5 p.m. against Ball State. Every Navy home game will be televised by CSTV.</p>

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<p><a href=“http://www.al.com/birminghamnews/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1185094285135940.xml&coll=2[/url]”>http://www.al.com/birminghamnews/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports/1185094285135940.xml&coll=2&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p><a href=“MidsDaily.com Football Recruiting”>MidsDaily.com Football Recruiting;

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<p>Navy Women’s Soccer - '97 grad Amy McGrath featured in new book about women at war in Iraq</p>

<p>Former Navy women’s soccer player Amy McGrath is featured in Band of Sisters: American Women at War in Iraq, a book that hit bookshelves in early July. McGrath’s story is told in chapter 4 of the book.</p>

<p>McGrath is a captain in the Marine Corps who serves as an F-18 Naval Flight Officer (NFO). She recently became the first female F-18 NFO in combat in Marine Corps history, dropping 500-pound bombs on targets in Iraq and Afghanistan.</p>

<p>A 1997 graduate of the Naval Academy, McGrath was one of 24 women who played on the Academy’s first varsity women’s soccer team in 1993. She was a three-year letterwinner for the Midshipmen who garnered academic recognition from the Patriot League in 1995.</p>

<p>The following appeared in the July 1 edition of the Wilmington Star News. More information about the book can be found at the Band of Sisters web site - <a href=“http://www.bandofsistersbook.com(%5B/url%5D.)”>www.bandofsistersbook.com(.)</a></p>

<p>‘Band of Sisters’ shares experiences of women soldiers on the front lines</p>

<p>Courtesy of the Wilmington Star News
By Ben SteelmanStaff <a href="mailto:Writerben.steelman@starnewsonline.com">Writerben.steelman@starnewsonline.com</a></p>

<p>Forget the debate about women in combat. The women won.</p>

<p>That’s the message implied in Band of Sisters: American Women at War in Iraq, a new book by Jacksonville resident Kirsten Holmstedt, due for release Wednesday from Stackpole Books.</p>

<p>According to Pentagon figures, some 167,000 women have served with the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. To date, 85 women have been killed in action and more than 500 have been wounded."</p>

<p>This is the first war in which women have formally seen combat," Holmstedt said. “A lot of the news stories have focused on things like sexual harassment in the military or military women getting pregnant. I really wanted to get their stories, not just the short sound clips.”</p>

<p>Holmstedt’s book follows the wartime service of a dozen women from each of the armed forces in the Mideast, including the National Guard. Among them are Marine Capt. Vernice Armour, the military’s first female combat pilot, who flew Cobra gunships in close support of Marine infantry; Lt. Col. Polly Montgomery of Pope Air Force Base in Fayetteville, who became the first woman to command an Air Force combat squadron; Petty Officer 3rd Class Marcia Lillie, who ran the flight-deck elevators on the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman; Cpl. Chrissy DeCaprio, a Marine MP who manned a .50-caliber machine gun turret on convoys through the dangerous Iraqi countryside; and Army medic Rochelle Spors, who tended the wounded in convoy avalanches.</p>

<p>Technically, military policy still bans women from front-line combat assignments. They are, however, eligible for more than 90 percent of the career fields in the armed forces. And, as Marine Capt. Amy McGrath told Holmstedt, however, “There are no front lines out there. Let me repeat. There are no front lines out there.”</p>

<p>Women like Army Sgt. Angela Jarboe drive long-haul supply trucks and Humvees - the vehicles often targeted by Iraqi insurgents with improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Others, like Marine Sgt. Priscilla Kispetik, accompany armed patrols since Iraqi cultural norms dictate that women suspects can be searched only by another woman.</p>

<p>Even in “secure” rear areas, they may be vulnerable to attack, such as Marine Gunnery Sgt. Rosie Noel, who was wounded by shrapnel from a rocket-propelled grenade while riding her bike to a base armory.</p>

<p>Holmstedt, 43, never served in the military, but became fascinated with these women’s stories soon after the Iraq war broke out in 2003. “They could have been me, 20 years ago,” she said. “I couldn’t help thinking, in the same place, I could have enlisted.”</p>

<p>A writer with the public affairs office at Coastal Carolina Community College, Holmstedt interviewed Iraq veterans in the Jacksonville area, such as Marine 1st Sgt. Yolanda Mayo, who helped escort “embedded” news reporters during the early days of the conflict.Later she traveled to meet other veterans, such as Jarboe, who has been undergoing rehabilitation for painful leg injuries back home in Kentucky with her husband and three young children. She also spent time learning the intricacies of military aircraft (“I couldn’t even tell a Cobra from a Kiowa from a C-130”) and even rode through an arrested cable landing and catapult launch aboard an aircraft carrier cruising off Virginia.</p>

<p>“That was awesome,” she said. “You land at 150 miles per hour and come to a complete stop in about one second, then you take off from zero to 150 miles per hour in about three seconds.”</p>

<p>The women’s experiences were hard to generalize, Holmstedt said, but they had much in common. At least half of them had male role models - fathers, uncles or grandfathers - who had served in the military. Many were athletic in high school, like McGrath, who played soccer against boys, and many had grown up as tomboys in households with brothers.</p>

<p>“They were used to bantering and playing with boys on their own fields,” Holmstedt said. “That’s important, since knowing how to interact with men is a big part of the military. It’s still a male institution.”</p>

<p>A native of Mystic, Conn., Holmstedt graduated from Drake University with a journalism degree and worked for newspapers and magazines around the country.</p>

<p>She moved to Jacksonville about 12 years ago with her husband at the time, a Navy chaplain. The marriage didn’t last, but she liked the area and stayed on. Band of Sisters began as Holmstedt’s master’s thesis in the creative writing department at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. (She earned her MFA degree in 2006.)</p>

<p>Her thesis advisor, Philip Gerard, was key to the book’s success, she said.“People like Amy McGrath, who flies F-18s, made it all sound like a day at the office - which, for her, it was,” Holmstedt said. “Philip really worked with me on how to take her monotone descriptions and elevate them until they showed how remarkable she really was.”</p>

<p>Holmstedt said she was gratified by e-mails from military women, thanking her for telling their stories. She also hopes they can serve as role models.“It’s sort of like Amy McGrath said,” she added. “Who would you like your daughter to be, Paris Hilton or an F-18 pilot?”</p>

897

<p>Escaping college football’s basement easier said than done</p>

<p>By Pat Forde
ESPN.com</p>

<p>Boise State joined the college football big time in 1996, hoisting itself up to what was, in simpler times, called Division I-A from what was then Division I-AA.</p>

<p>It is not good when you’re better known for a brawl than anything you’ve accomplished on the field.</p>

<p>On Jan. 1, 2007, the Broncos upset Oklahoma 43-42 in a Fiesta Bowl game that ranks among the most thrilling in the history of the sport.</p>

<p>That established Boise as the fruition of smaller schools’ wildest dreams about upward mobility in college football. The colder and more common reality can be found at the bottom of our rankings of 119 Division I-A teams over the past 10 years.</p>

<p>The basement is where we find most of Boise’s peers from the 1990s land rush from I-AA to I-A: dead last at No. 119 we have Buffalo (moved up in 1999); at No. 113 is Louisiana-Monroe (moved up in '94); at No. 107 is Arkansas State (moved up in '92); and at No. 106 is Idaho (moved up in '97).</p>

<p>And don’t forget the most recent additions, No. 117 Florida International (started football in 2002 and currently owns the worst winning percentage of them all) and No. 105 Florida Atlantic (started football in 2000).</p>

<p>Look at the have-nots and you can see that Boise is the ultimate exception to a hard-and-fast football rule: Upgrading is an incredibly painful, slow and humbling process. Ambition comes with a heavy price tag.</p>

<p>Nouveau riche strivers tend to get their brains beaten in by the old-money bullies. They lose games and lose money, oftentimes stretching former I-AA budgets to the breaking point in the upgrade effort. Stadiums must be expanded to meet I-A specs, and other facilities must be built or refurbished to recruit against the established powers.</p>

<p>When the red ink flows, they take on “guarantee” games against power programs, accepting six-figure checks in exchange for fearful whippings on the road. That’s the college football version of the poverty cycle, making the road from I-AA to BCS glory and riches a boulevard of broken dreams.</p>

<p>Yet more and more schools want a piece of it, with I-A membership growing from 111 a decade ago to 119 today, and 120 tomorrow. Western Kentucky will be the newest member, giving up habitual I-AA success to join the downtrodden Sun Belt Conference in football.</p>

<p>But the bottom of the barrel is not strictly lined with newbies whose reach has exceeded their grasp. There are a few other categories of schools represented.</p>

<p>There are square pegs in a round-hole sport, such as Army (111), Baylor (101) and Duke (115). Baylor and Duke are academically oriented private schools in meat-grinder conferences full of enormous state universities. Army is a completely different animal – although, for some reason, fellow military schools Air Force and Navy have had some immense success the past decade.</p>

<p>There are schools languishing because of apathy and/or bad management, like UNLV (104) and Temple (118). Neither has a particularly good excuse for habitual lousiness, beyond a general lack of urgency from the fan base to do a whole lot better. (Duke could fit into this category as well, because basketball completely dwarfs football.)</p>

<p>There are the chronic poor, schools that have been around awhile with precious little to show for it. Most of them toil in the shadow of larger programs and continually dwell in the bottom half of their conferences. Some of them have been conference gypsies, migrating from one non-power league to another in search of a home. The roll call: Eastern Michigan (116), Ball State (108) and Kent State (109) from the Mid-American Conference; San Jose State (102), New Mexico State (110) and Utah State (114) from the WAC; and Louisiana-Lafayette (112) from the Sun Belt.</p>

<p>And then there is the rogue element: SMU (103), still crawling out of the smoking crater left by the NCAA’s first (and undoubtedly last) football death penalty. Twenty years later, the Mustangs remain a shadow of their shadowy former selves.</p>

<p>All told, they make up a bottom 20 teams that almost never play on television and almost never shock the world. Fans give away their tickets to friends and co-workers when these teams come to town – except when they’re scheduled for homecoming. Recruits ignore their text messages. Reporters never call.</p>

<p>The strivers are all dreaming of becoming The Next Boise. But the strivers also know the reality of big-time football is a good deal less glorious.</p>

<p>Pat Forde is a national columnist for ESPN.com. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:ESPN4D@aol.com">ESPN4D@aol.com</a>.</p>

898

<p>For: Immediate Release
Sent: July 25, 2007
Contact: Scott Strasemeier (410) 293-8775</p>

<p>Navy Football Media Day Press Conference To Be Aired Live On Navy All-Access</p>

<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md.‹Navy head football coach Paul Johnson¹s media day press conference will air live on Navy All-Access at navysports.com Monday, July 30 at 2 p.m. </p>

<p>Following Coach Johnson¹s press conference, Pete Medhurst , the voice of Navy football for CSTV, will interview various players exclusively for subscribers of Navy All-Access. Expected player interviews include Adam Ballard, Ketric Buffin, Reggie Campbell, Jeff Deliz, Antron Harper, Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, Clint Sovie and Irv Spencer.</p>

<p>Subscribers to Navy All-Access will have the ability to view numerous events including every home basketball game (men¹s and women¹s) and the football post-game press conferences (live after home games, taped delayed on the road).</p>

<p>The price for Navy All-Access is $6.95 per month, $49.95 for a 12-month package and 99.95 for CSTV All-Access XXL, which will provide you access to every CSTV.com school. For best results you should have broadband and high-speed cable access to the internet. Fans can sign up for the package on the front page of navysports.com by clicking on the Navy All-Access button.</p>

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<p>For: Immediate Release
Sent: July 26, 2007
Contact: Scott Strasemeier (410) 293-8775</p>

<p>Navy Football Players To Sign Autographs At Camden Yards Saturday Night</p>

<p>ANNAPOLIS, Md.-The Naval Academy Athletic Association will have a Navy Football information table set up on Eutaw Street (in front of the warehouse) from 5-7 p.m. on Saturday night before the Baltimore Oriole-New York Yankees game.</p>

<p>Fans can stop by and enter a raffle to win two tickets to the Army-Navy game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, a football autographed by head coach Paul Johnson and a Navy apparel package. Information will also be available on season and single-game tickets, The Blue & Gold Club and the Kids Club. Free posters and schedule cards will be available at the table and there will be special appearances by Bill the Goat at both contests.</p>

<p>Senior linebacker Jonathan Alvarado, junior fullback Eric Kettani and sophomore quarterback Greg Zingler will be on hand to sign autographs.</p>

<p>Navy kicks off the 2007 campaign Aug. 31 at Temple, while the home opener is Saturday, Sept. 15 against Ball State. Season tickets are still available by calling 1-800-US4-NAVY or by logging on to <a href=“http://www.navysports.com%5B/url%5D”>www.navysports.com</a></p>

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