The University of Texas at Arlington Campus was echoing with the sounds of change, a change in school policy that would bring back football. The rally was organized by Sam DeBerry, who formed a group known as Mavericks for Football Now.
“The time for football is now,” he told a small crowd gathered in front of the Student Center. “It doesn't matter how good the teams basketball team is, it doesn't matter how good a schools baseball team is, in the State of Texas, its football.
Not all of the students listening to DeBerry agreed. Marcus Fisher, a Junior Criminal Justice major, said other sports already on campus, need their support now. “Who here has been to a basketball game? Who goes to campus traditions? How many campus traditions have you all been too?
DeBerry response was supportive. “If we already had a football team this discourse wouldn't happen.”
After a brief rally, it was off the Presidents office, to present a petition with 3-thousand signatures. Less than 50 students took part in the march, and that small group made a statement in itself.
“Once we get a football team here, people will be proud of UTA,” said DeBerry during the march. People will be proud of the tradition and prestige.” The small turnout said a lot about student support of sports on campus. “Yeah, exactly,” DeBerry explained.
UTA dropped football 22-years ago. At the time, University administration claimed the sport was costing the school 1-million dollars a year, attracting average attendance of only 5,600. They claimed football wasn’t worth the financial burden any longer.
UTA still has a football stadium but lately, it’s been home to nothing but track meets, soccer and high school football games. But if the students get their way, they'll have a club football team playing here next spring. The school hasn’t approved a club team yet, and DeBerry has yet to collect 15-thousand dollars that he projected it will take to start the program.
Once DeBerry and his followers arrived at the University offices, the school president had a representative meet them.
DeBerry told Frank Almas, Vice President of Student Affairs at UTA, “We understand the University's position on football, but we don't agree with it.”
“For us to be starting out from scratch, it would mean 400-to-500 dollar per student, per semester and that is what is really the frightening thing,” said Bob Wright, Director of Public Affairs at UTA.”
When asked about football on campus next year, Wright replied, “No football next year, it will be a long time before we can have an NCAA team. We would love to have one, the question is just who's going to pay for it.
In the end, it was a peaceful march, but the future of football on the UTA campus is at least 5 years away. That’s when the school will conduct a second feasibility study, to bring the sport back.
UTA has already received approval from students to raise tuition 2-dollars per semester credit to bring football back, but because of the low voter turn out in April 2004, administration officials chose to wait another five years.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Berkner Kicker Gets His Name Back
It’s hard to find Zach Olen in a crowd of students at Berkner High School in Richardson, Texas. He stands 5-10, average build, and before Saturday, it was even harder to hear him called by his real name.
"They called him freshman," says Berkner Linebacker Bryce Elam Ray. "Nobody knew his name, until they started asking."
Jim Ledford, the Head Football Coach at Berkner, knows kids will be kids. "Well the kids were just saying things, like 'hey kicker get over here,' those type of things," said Ledford. "Don't let anyone kid you, he's earned his stripes."
Olen's pressure kick came Saturday afternoon at Texas Stadium when he was called on to kick a 31-yard field goal to win the game, as time was running out. Olen, or "kicker" as his teammates call him, was perfect as Berkner beat Dallas Carter 31-29.
Olen every move he made. "I just kept my head down, kicked the ball, and it went in," he says. "It felt great." He laughs when he's questioned about his victory dance as he circled the field.
Not only did Olen win the game, but he quickly earned the respect of his teammates and his coaching staff.
"He's Zach now," says Ray. "I don't call him kicker anymore. Today we were having breakfast, and I said, is it okay if i still call you freshman? He was like, yeah that's cool. I'm just going to call him Zach from now on."
Ledford recognized Zach's ability during tryouts, and encouraged his parents to be trained by a professional place kicker. "I saw what he was doing, and I saw his mind set, i talked to his parents, and I told them i thought he could be a really good kicker one day. Our whole deal was to put him in the middle of the field, and let him kick, and I knew if they didn't block it, he was going to make the kick. He's money."
Says Zach, "When I first got on the team, everyone pretty much called me kicker and that's all I was known by. Now I'm hoping they'll call me Zach or something.
As a football player, Olen had two strikes against him, one, he was a kicker, two, he was a freshman, but with his game winning kick, he has made a "name" for himself.
"They called him freshman," says Berkner Linebacker Bryce Elam Ray. "Nobody knew his name, until they started asking."
Jim Ledford, the Head Football Coach at Berkner, knows kids will be kids. "Well the kids were just saying things, like 'hey kicker get over here,' those type of things," said Ledford. "Don't let anyone kid you, he's earned his stripes."
Olen's pressure kick came Saturday afternoon at Texas Stadium when he was called on to kick a 31-yard field goal to win the game, as time was running out. Olen, or "kicker" as his teammates call him, was perfect as Berkner beat Dallas Carter 31-29.
Olen every move he made. "I just kept my head down, kicked the ball, and it went in," he says. "It felt great." He laughs when he's questioned about his victory dance as he circled the field.
Not only did Olen win the game, but he quickly earned the respect of his teammates and his coaching staff.
"He's Zach now," says Ray. "I don't call him kicker anymore. Today we were having breakfast, and I said, is it okay if i still call you freshman? He was like, yeah that's cool. I'm just going to call him Zach from now on."
Ledford recognized Zach's ability during tryouts, and encouraged his parents to be trained by a professional place kicker. "I saw what he was doing, and I saw his mind set, i talked to his parents, and I told them i thought he could be a really good kicker one day. Our whole deal was to put him in the middle of the field, and let him kick, and I knew if they didn't block it, he was going to make the kick. He's money."
Says Zach, "When I first got on the team, everyone pretty much called me kicker and that's all I was known by. Now I'm hoping they'll call me Zach or something.
As a football player, Olen had two strikes against him, one, he was a kicker, two, he was a freshman, but with his game winning kick, he has made a "name" for himself.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
The Chart
The decision for the Cowboys to go for a two point conversion early in the second quarter in Sunday's game against the Redskins wasn't a snap decision. It had to do with an age old formula, better known as "The Chart."
"That was on the chart," said Head Coach Bill Parcells. "When it was 5-to-0 Redskins, we said if we score, I asked the coaches, what's it say up there, and he said, it says two."
But because the play failed, the question remains, was it the right decision?
Gil Brandt, former Cowboys Director of Player Personnel, has written about the chart and its use by coaches for NFL.Com.
"The proof is do you win or do you lose. That's the whole proof. And if you win, you're a genius," Brandt says.
The Chart was initially created in the early 70's by two coaches at UCLA, Dick Vermeil and the late Tommy Prothro. Today, variations exist, but basically the chart exists to increase the probability of success when facing certain point differentials.
One week ago in Carolina, the chart also said to go for two after Dallas scored a touchdown with 9:47 left in the game. The Cowboys went up by 7-and eventually won, so going for two never became an issue.
Football has many examples of chart uses and omissions. An omission occurred in the fourth quarter last year in the game between Texas A&M and Clemson. An extra point gave the Aggies a two point lead, even though the chart said to go for two. The Aggies lost that game on a field goal.
The two-point conversion has been a rule in College Football since 1958, but the NFL didn't adopt it until 1994.
One thing the chart doesn't say is whether to wait until late in the game, or not.
Says Parcells, "Maybe someone's does, but the ones I know about, don't."
Brandt bases his use of the chart on the following, "If you feel it's a low scoring game, then I would put it in early. If I felt it was going to be a 41-38 shootout, I would probably wait until the 3rd quarter to use it."
Every since the NFL-AFL merger, Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt tried to get the two point conversion added, but it didn't pass until 1994. The main reason, it created just another opportunity to second guess the head coach.
Brandt says this is the chart that was orginally developed by Vermeil and Prothro:
THE CHART
LEAD BY...................TRAIL BY
1 point Go for 2..........1 point Go for 1
2 points Go for 1.........2 points Go for 2
3 points Go for 1.........3 points Go for 1
4 points Go for 2.........4 points Decision
5 points Go for 2.........5 points Go for 2
6 points Go for 1.........6 points Go for 1
7 points Go for 1.........7 points Go for 1
8 points Go for 1.........8 points Go for 1
9 points Go for 1.........9 points Go for 2
10 points Go for 1........10 points Go for 1
11 points Go for 1........11 points Go for 2
12 points Go for 2........12 points Go for 2
13 points Go for 1........13 points Go for 1
14 points Go for 1........14 points Go for 1
15 points Go for 2........15 points Go for 1
16 points Go for 1........16 points Go for 2
17 points Go for 1........17 points Go for 1
18 points Go for 1........18 points Go for 1
19 points Go for 2........19 points Go for 2
20 points Go for 1........20 points Go for 1
"That was on the chart," said Head Coach Bill Parcells. "When it was 5-to-0 Redskins, we said if we score, I asked the coaches, what's it say up there, and he said, it says two."
But because the play failed, the question remains, was it the right decision?
Gil Brandt, former Cowboys Director of Player Personnel, has written about the chart and its use by coaches for NFL.Com.
"The proof is do you win or do you lose. That's the whole proof. And if you win, you're a genius," Brandt says.
The Chart was initially created in the early 70's by two coaches at UCLA, Dick Vermeil and the late Tommy Prothro. Today, variations exist, but basically the chart exists to increase the probability of success when facing certain point differentials.
One week ago in Carolina, the chart also said to go for two after Dallas scored a touchdown with 9:47 left in the game. The Cowboys went up by 7-and eventually won, so going for two never became an issue.
Football has many examples of chart uses and omissions. An omission occurred in the fourth quarter last year in the game between Texas A&M and Clemson. An extra point gave the Aggies a two point lead, even though the chart said to go for two. The Aggies lost that game on a field goal.
The two-point conversion has been a rule in College Football since 1958, but the NFL didn't adopt it until 1994.
One thing the chart doesn't say is whether to wait until late in the game, or not.
Says Parcells, "Maybe someone's does, but the ones I know about, don't."
Brandt bases his use of the chart on the following, "If you feel it's a low scoring game, then I would put it in early. If I felt it was going to be a 41-38 shootout, I would probably wait until the 3rd quarter to use it."
Every since the NFL-AFL merger, Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt tried to get the two point conversion added, but it didn't pass until 1994. The main reason, it created just another opportunity to second guess the head coach.
Brandt says this is the chart that was orginally developed by Vermeil and Prothro:
THE CHART
LEAD BY...................TRAIL BY
1 point Go for 2..........1 point Go for 1
2 points Go for 1.........2 points Go for 2
3 points Go for 1.........3 points Go for 1
4 points Go for 2.........4 points Decision
5 points Go for 2.........5 points Go for 2
6 points Go for 1.........6 points Go for 1
7 points Go for 1.........7 points Go for 1
8 points Go for 1.........8 points Go for 1
9 points Go for 1.........9 points Go for 2
10 points Go for 1........10 points Go for 1
11 points Go for 1........11 points Go for 2
12 points Go for 2........12 points Go for 2
13 points Go for 1........13 points Go for 1
14 points Go for 1........14 points Go for 1
15 points Go for 2........15 points Go for 1
16 points Go for 1........16 points Go for 2
17 points Go for 1........17 points Go for 1
18 points Go for 1........18 points Go for 1
19 points Go for 2........19 points Go for 2
20 points Go for 1........20 points Go for 1
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