Showing posts with label Football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Football. Show all posts

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Dave Christensen, Head Football Coach at University of Wyoming, Used to Be at University of Missouri

Dave Christensen became the head football coach for the University of Wyoming in 2009. Prior to joining the University of Wyoming Cowboys Christensen was an assistant football coach at the University of Washington (1989-1990), Idaho State University (1990-1991), University of Toledo (1992-2000), and most recently the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO (2001-2008).

university of arizona

Before Coach Christensen inherited the head coaching duties in Laramie, Wyoming, where the University of Wyoming is located, a man by the name of Joe Glenn served as the head football coach for six years from 2003-2008. Joe Glenn improved on the win-loss record of his predecessor Vic Koenning who had an abysmal record of 5-29 in three seasons as the head coach in Laramie from 2000-2002. Even though Coach Glenn moved the program in the right direction overall he was only able to post one winning season (7-5 in 2004) during his six years overseeing the organization. After going 9-15 in his final two seasons Joe Glenn was relieved of his post and the University of Wyoming brought in Dave Christensen, the accomplished University of Missouri offensive coordinator, to replace him.

University

As the offensive coordinator at the University of Missouri from 2001-2008 Dave made a name for himself as the architect of an explosive passing offensive that grew to be one of the top ranked offensives in Division-I football. The success that Christensen demonstrated at the University of Missouri made him a desirable head coaching candidate and a man that the Wyoming Cowboys were happy to hire. The spread offense that Dave employs has become a popular passing system by numerous teams that for the time being have found a way to confuse defenses by spreading the football around to lots of receivers running many different routes.

In his first season with the Cowboys Coach, Christensen posted a much improved 7-6 record for the 2009 football season. The successful first year campaign for the new head football coach was capped off with a thrilling 35-28 win in the 2009 New Mexico Bowl held on December 19, 2009 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The post season bowl victory was a significant feather in the cap of new head coach Dave Christensen because it marked only the second time since 1967 that the University of New Mexico was victorious in a post season bowl game.

Exactly what the future holds for Coach Dave Christensen at the University of Wyoming remains to be seen. Whether Christensen will have a long successful tenure in Laramie or simply use the position as a stepping stone towards greater career aspirations to lead a historically top ranked football program will only be revealed in time.

Dave Christensen, Head Football Coach at University of Wyoming, Used to Be at University of Missouri

University

Friday, July 1, 2011

Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy Football Game - Syracuse University (SU) & West Virginia University (WVU)

College football is unique in the aspect that there are so many historical rivalries involving opposing colleges that are in many instances simply a short drive away. Further adding to the interesting dynamic of the rivalry relationship is that in college football these adversaries only compete against each other once every calendar year, thus maximizing the anticipation and the taste of victory or the agony of the defeat that much more intense.

university of michigan

With regards to the Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy that is awarded annually to the winner of the Syracuse University (SU) Orange versus West Virginia Mountaineers (WVU) contest there is actually the memory of an influential man memorialized every time the game or trophy is discussed. The honoring of a specific individual in the naming of this traveling trophy is unique to other rivalries that often times name their trophies after goofy myths as is the case with the Battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe (played between the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin) and the Battle for the Golden Boot (played between the University of Arkansas and LSU). In other instances instead of chooses to honor an esteemed individual who has passed away colleges instead decide to name their traveling trophies after abstract concepts like the Founder's Cup (played between Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Chicago).

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Ben Schwartzwalder was a football player at West Virginia University (WVU) as a youth and an accomplished head football coach at Syracuse University (SU) as an adult. Mr. Schwartzwalder passed away in June of 1993 shortly after celebrating his 84th birthday. In remembrance of the late influential football personality West Virginia University and Syracuse University began recognizing the man who impacted both of the schools by honoring him through naming a traveling trophy after him. The trophy, which was sculpted by a former Syracuse football player who played eight years in the NFL (Jim Ridlon), weighs a stout 55 pounds which is ironic considering that Schwartzwalder was known for being an undersized player when he played center at WVU at only 146 pounds.

The inaugural Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy was won by the alma mater of the namesake when WVU dominated SU in a 43-0 thumping in 1993. Of the 17 contests that have been played for the Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy the West Virginia Mountaineers have a commanding series lead with eleven wins to six that the Syracuse Orange have.

Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy Football Game - Syracuse University (SU) & West Virginia University (WVU)

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Thursday, December 23, 2010

University of Florida (Uf) Gators Football Players Taken in the 2010 Nfl Draft - 9 premium

There were nine players from the University of Florida (Uf) Gators football schedule taken in the 2010 Nfl Draft that was held in April. The nine men that were led by Florida head coach Urban Meyer before entering the Nfl in 2010 are:

Joe Haden (cornerback) - number 7 unabridged option in the first round by the Cleveland Browns Maurkice Pouncey (center) - first round option by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 18th unabridged pick Tim Tebow (quarterback) - Denver Broncos first round pick up with the 25th pick of the draft Jermaine Cunningham (defensive end) -selected by the New England Patriots in the second round as the 53rd unabridged player taken Carlos Dunlap (defensive end) - taken in the second round by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 54th unabridged pick Brandon Spikes (linebacker) - New England Patriots option with the 62nd unabridged pick occurring in the second round Major Wright (safety) - chosen by the Chicago Bears with the 75th unabridged option in the third round Aaron Hernandez (tight end) - selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round as the 113th unabridged player taken Riley Cooper (wide receiver) - Philadelphia Eagles option in the fifth round as the 159th unabridged selection With nine selections the University of Florida Gators had more players from their school taken in the 2010 Nfl Draft that any other college. The next closest figure was seven players taken from a singular school and that mark was hit by the University of Alabama, University of Oklahoma, and the University of Southern California in a three way tie for second place. After the University of Florida and the University of Alabama the Southeastern consulation (Sec) college with the third most players taken in the 2010 Nfl Draft was the Lsu Tigers with six.

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To break it down by round selected the Uf football schedule had:

Three first round picks (Haden, Pouncey, and Tebow) Three second round selections (Cunningham, Dunlap, and Spikes) One third round player taken (Wright) One fourth round option (Hernandez) One fifth round pick (Cooper) In total five defensive players and four offensive players were selected to seven separate National Football League (Nfl) teams. Three Gators football players ended up on the same team with the New England Patriots. Defensive end Jermaine Cunningham, linebacker Brandon Spikes, and tight end Aaron Hernandez are all slated to be reunited as teammates for the Boston, Massachusetts area based Patriots team.

There is no doubt that Florida head coach Urban Meyer will be tracking the expert football careers of all of his former players. It is widely understood that both Meyer and Uf fans in general will be paying particularly close attention to how quarterback Tim Tebow does at the next level.

University of Florida (Uf) Gators Football Players Taken in the 2010 Nfl Draft - 9 premium