Wednesday football links: Kettani’s path to the Patriots, Big East speculation, Army Pinterest and more
May 23rd, 2012 | After Action Air Force Army Football Navy | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Eric Kettani, here scoring during the 2007 Poinsettia Bowl, took a unique road from the Naval Academy to the NFL. (Image of Sport photo by Kirby Lee via US Presswire)
From leaving the Navy to being honored by the Army to the never-ending offseason soap opera that is the Big East Conference, here’s some quick football hits while you pick your favorite “Anchorman” clip — sequel trailer or Tim Kennedy experience:
1. Kettani’s quest. The Boston Herald gives an extensive look at Naval Academy grad Lt. j.g. Eric Kettani’s struggle to secure an early release from service to play football for the New England Patriots, a release he was granted late last month. Kettani must pay back about $60,000 for his education and will continue to serve in the Navy Reserve. The Herald report outlines a complicated appeals process that involved Kettani, his brother/manager, a family friend in Jacksonville, Fla., who happened to be a retired Army colonel, and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, whose Annapolis ties are firmly established.
2. Army honors. Speaking of NFL coaches, Tom Coughlin of the New York Giants and John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens will receive the Army’s third-highest civilian honor today in Arlington, Va. Coughlin — who’ll get the honor from his friend, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno — will be honored for his work with military veterans and the USO; Harbaugh helped established Military Appreciation Day for the Ravens and has organized visits to military bases.
3. Big East blowout. Links for those who like to keep up with conference chaos: Two from Keith Pompey at the Philadelphia Inquirer — an overview of the league meetings so far in Florida and a look at proposed football divisions (Air Force fans: The second one includes the latest round of Falcons-to-the-Big East speculation). And Sports Illustrated’s Andy Staples offers his take here. Key quote: “When (if?) Navy joins the league for football in 2015 …”
4. Odds and ends. Navy makes the front page of ESPN’s “100 days till kickoff” section (No. 6 on the right-hand side). And are you up to speed on the photo-sharing site Pinterest? The folks at West Point are — here’s a page of pics from the spring game at Fort Benning, Ga.
Kennedy-Rockwell card takes shape; women’s champ Rousey may fight too
May 22nd, 2012 | Army Mixed martial arts | Posted by Phil Creed
Ronda Rousey used this nasty armbar to beat Miesha Tate at the Strikeforce Grand Prix final in March. (Greg Bartram-US PRESSWIRE)
When Army Staff Sgt. Tim Kennedy fights Luke Rockhold for the Strikeforce middleweight title July 14, it’s possible their battle will be the headliner on a card that features three championship bouts. While this is good news for fight fans, it isn’t necessarily a good sign for health of Strikeforce (now owned by Zuffa, the UFC’s parent company).
Rockhold vs. Kennedy will feature number of big-name MMA fighters, including a couple of UFC vets looking to rejuvenate their careers. Strikeforce has officially added a welterweight title matchup between Tyron Woodley and Nate Marquardt to the lineup, and now it appears women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey may defend her belt against Sarah Kaufman that night too, according to MMAJunkie.com.
Rousey, a two-time Olympian in Judo who took bronze in the 2008 Beijing games, is the big name in women’s MMA at the moment. She won her first five pro fights via first-round armbars, including her championship matchup with Miesha Tate in March. Kaufman is currently on a three-fight winning streak, including a decision win over former Marine Liz Carmouche in July 2011.
Strikeforce’s welterweight belt is currently vacant, and has been since Nick Diaz left the promotion in 2011 to compete in the UFC. Woodley, who is 10-0 as a pro, including eight wins in Strikeforce, will be the likely favorite to fill that spot. His last fight came in January, when he won a split decision against Jordan Mein.
Marquardt, a UFC vet making his Strikeforce debut, presents a somewhat odd choice for a title opponent. Marquardt hasn’t fought since a March 2011 win in the UFC. He was pulled from the card of his next UFC fight after a failed drug test and was subsequently released from the promotion by an irate Dana White. Since then he’s done a fightless stint in Britain’s BAMMA promotion before being brought back to the Zuffa/UFC/Strikeforce family in February.
If the “fight for a vacant Strikeforce title” scenario sounds familiar to Kennedy fans, it’s because Kennedy fought Jacare Souza for the vacant Strikeforce middleweight title in 2010 after Jake Shields left for the UFC. It’s a pattern that doesn’t bode well for the long-term prospects of Strikeforce, which has been losing fighters to the UFC at a faster clip since being bought out last year. This exodus has led Strikeforce to rely on using ex-UFC fighters on the downside of their careers, such as Keith Jardine and Marquardt, to fight for championships — rather than using talent developed within the promotion.
Jardine (16-11-2), a popular veteran from his days in the UFC’s light heavyweight division, will be making his third Strikeforce appearance at Rockhold vs. Kennedy. He’ll look to bounce back from a KO loss to Rockhold in January when he takes on Roger Gracie (4-1), a member of the legendary Gracie family.
Middleweights Lorenz Larkin and Robbie Lawler — who lost a 2011 decision to Kennedy — will square off in the other officially announced fight on the Rockhold vs. Kennedy card.
Former WVU coach Bill Stewart had ties to Navy, Air Force
May 22nd, 2012 | Air Force Football Navy | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Bill Stewart, who died Monday at age 59, served as an assistant coach at Navy in 1984 and at Air Force in the early 1990s. (US Presswire photo by Mark Zerof)
The death of former West Virginia football coach Bill Stewart on Monday brought about many tributes and remembrances, many with a common theme — mourning the loss of “a true Mountaineer” and “a rock-solid West Virginian.”
Stewart was born in West Virginia and died on a golf course in that state nearly 60 years later of an apparent heart attack. But his coaching career — which ended in 2010 after a decade with WVU, including three years in the top job — took him all over the place, with stops in Arizona, Canada, North Carolina, and on the sidelines of both Air Force and Navy.
He coached the Mids in 1984 under Gary Tranquill, who Stewart called “the best football coach I ever worked with” in this 2011 profile. He also had kind words for Fisher DeBerry, his boss at Air Force from 1990-93, saying his “enthusiasm was second to none.”
He coached the defensive line at Air Force under DeBerry for four seasons, which resulted in three Liberty Bowl appearances and led to his first head coaching job in 1994 at Virginia Military Institute. He began his WVU head coaching career after Rich Rodriguez left the Mountaineers for Michigan before the 2008 Fiesta Bowl; this Denver Post piece from 2008 recounts that story and lets Stewart relay some fond memories of Colorado Springs before reinforcing the common theme: “Stewart … is a true blue (and gold) West Virginia mountain man.”
Reports say Stewart was recounting a story about DeBerry on the golf course when he passed away. Stewart was 59.
Monday football roundup: More on Air Force’s Asher Clark, big Big East meeting, All-Independent Team out
May 21st, 2012 | After Action Air Force Army Football Navy | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Air Force’s Asher Clark dives over Toledo’s Diauntae Morrow (5) to score during last year's Military Bowl -- Clark's last game with the Falcons. (Getty Images photo by Rob Carr)
Three quick hits for a Monday afternoon:
1. Clark’s dad: He didn’t know. The news broke Friday and The Associated Press picked it up Saturday: Senior Air Force running back Asher Clark, second on the Falcons’ all-time rushing list, is no longer at the school, reportedly after being part of an academy investigation into illegal drug use. Sunday, Frank Schwab at The (Colorado Springs, Colo.) Gazette gave the Clark family’s side of the story via Asher’s father, Mark, who said his son thought he was smoking tobacco at a March 2011 party when in fact he’d been given a pipe packed with “Colorado Chronic” — a type of synthetic marijuana.
That act, Mark Clark said, resulted in his son’s dismissal from school. Key quote: “I get it, they made an example out of him. There are 4,000 cadets and they said, ‘If we’ll kick Asher Clark out of this school, we’ll kick you out even faster.’”
Mark Clark said the next step — re-enrolling at another school, filing a lawsuit, etc. — is up to his son. Air Force Academy officials would only tell The Gazette that Clark no longer attends the school and have not said whether he’ll be asked to reimburse the school for the cost of his education, which would be well into six figures.
2. Conference powwow. Officials from the Big East — including future members, like Navy — will meet this week in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., and they’ve got plenty to talk about. ESPN blogger Andrea Adelson breaks down some of the issues here, and the Tampa Bay Times offers a good overview here. Major topics: Negotiating a new TV deal, finding a new commissioner, figuring out future division alignments and finding the league’s place in what’s become known as “BCS 2.0″ — the postseason setup that will begin after the 2014 season and could include a four-team playoff and radically different bowl affiliations. One piece of good news for the conference: It looks like Boise State’s still in the fold.
3. Independents’ day. Army junior running back Raymond Maples and Navy senior linebacker Matt Warrick were the only service academy representatives on Phil Steele’s All-Independent first team, which the college football guru released Friday. Eleven academy players — five Midshipmen and six Black Knights, including senior quarterback Trent Steelman — received second-team mentions. It’s a high honor, but the pool is limited — Army, Navy, Notre Dame and BYU are the only independent Football Bowl Subdivision programs this season.
Olympic shooting update: 2 more soldiers qualify for London games
May 21st, 2012 | Army | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Sgt. Vincent Hancock waits his turn during men's skeet Olympic qualifications Saturday in Tucson, Ariz. (US Presswire photo by Chris Morrison)
Sgts. Glenn Eller and Vincent Hancock are officially gunning for more gold.
Both soldiers qualified for the 2012 Olympics by taking top honors in double trap and skeet, respectively, at the Team USA trials in Tucson, Ariz., last week and will attempt to repeat as Olympic champions. Get the full write-up here and some more about Eller’s win here.
It’s the fourth Olympic trip for Eller, whose double-trap teammate, Staff Sgt. Josh Richmond, earned his spot on Team USA last year. Hancock almost had a soldier at his side, too — Staff Sgt. Mark Weeks tied for second with two other shooters, forcing a three-man playoff for the Olympic berth won by Frank Thompson.
Other soldiers on the Olympic shooting team members include Sgts. 1st Class Eric Uptagrafft (prone rifle) and Daryl Szarenski (10-meter air pistol).
Opening ceremonies for the London games are July 27; shooting events begin the next day and run through Aug. 6, according to the official schedule.
Junior defends the Pentagon’s NASCAR sponsorships
May 18th, 2012 | After Action | Posted by Phil Creed
Dale Jr. wears the National Guard logo proudly, but military sponsorships of NASCAR might soon be a thing of the past. (Andrew Weber/US PRESSWIRE)
NASCAR is under fire in Congress, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. ain’t having it.
The House passed its version of the 2013 Defense Authorization Bill on Friday, and it includes a provision that would ban Pentagon sponsorship of NASCAR drivers. This development caused Earnhardt, driver of the National Guard Chevrolet, to trade some paint with Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., one of the lawmakers who sponsored the amendment.
Junior sounded particular miffed that a fellow Southerner would be one of the leading advocates for the measure.
“The Republican from Georgia, he hasn’t even been to a NASCAR race,” Earnhardt told The Sporting News on Friday. “… [H]e’s a Republican from Georgia. He ought to have seen a NASCAR race by now.”
Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., tried to add the provision to the authorization bill last year, but all she got for troubles were some death threats. This year, however, Kingston signed on as a co-sponsor with McCollum and the measure — which bans military sponsorship of all sports, not just NASCAR — passed.
“The old question always in politics is, ‘If not here, where, if not now, when, if not us, who?’” Kingston said of his efforts, apparently with a straight face. “I am a conservative Republican. I’m very pro-military, but at some point, we have to get in the habit of cutting programs that are less efficient, less effective.”
Ryan Newman’s Army Chevrolet is the other high-profile military sponsorship in NASCAR, which in the past has also had cars sponsored by the Navy and Marine Corps. Earnhardt, whose car is primarily sponsored by the Guard in 16 races (the Guard is an associate sponsor for 20 other races) is adamant that there is recruiting value in the Pentagon’s sponsorships.
“My experience with the Guard has been incredible,” Earnhardt told The Sporting News. “You feel like you are a part of it and meet a lot of people who have served and people that have recently enlisted, and that is an incredible experience for me that I am really proud of. … With what we’ve been through the last 10 or 15 years, that’s really important to me and has opened my eyes about the military and what is going on and how important that is to the country. It has been awesome for me, and I have been able to see how the marketing works and how beneficial that is to recruiting.”
Thursday football update: Concussion notes, more on Hall-of-Famer Thomas, SEALs and the NFL
May 17th, 2012 | After Action Air Force Football Navy | Posted by Kevin Lilley
A few football items for a Thursday, while we try to come up with some more sports that can be played on an aircraft carrier:
Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Michael Soto reads a concussion evaluation guide Jan. 25 while his convoy travels through Helmand province, Afghanistan. A new study shows a link between brain injuries suffered in the war zone and on a football field. (Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Bryan Nygaard)
1. New concussion study: A must-read here, and it’s not good — scientists studying the autopsied brains of four combat veterans found “evidence of a progressive degenerative brain disorder known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease found in recent years among deceased professional football players who had suffered multiple concussions.” CTE symptoms include memory loss and suicidal thoughts, and the disorder can lead to dementia, according to the report. Researchers have said CTE likely stems from multiple concussions, but according to this report, a single war-zone “blast exposure” could do a similar amount of damage.
Football fans are familiar with the headlines but don’t always make the connection between gridiron injuries and the “invisible wounds” that have drawn the military’s attention throughout the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This study may strengthen that connection and gives yet another reason for military-NFL cooperation in battling brain injuries.
(Off-topic, but not really: The fall youth sports season is approaching — it starts earlier every year. Many military families have players and/or coaches involved, especially in the youth football ranks. Be prepared.)
2. On a positive note: We told you about Air Force Academy safety Scott Thomas’ induction into the College Football Hall of Fame earlier this week. We could bury you in stats and superlatives, but if you want a real look what makes Thomas an all-time great, visit The Air Force Academy Sports Blog over at The (Colorado Springs, Colo.) Gazette. Frank Schwab talks to Thomas’ wingman and has posted must-hear audio of the defender-turned-fighter pilot, cool as can be, discussing a developing engine fire. On his F-16. That he’s flying over Iraq. Key quote: “Bummer.”
3. Searching for SEALs: We missed this from a few weeks back — Gidget Fuentes of Navy Times outlined the Navy SEALs’ diversity efforts in a recent story and mentioned that the Navy had partnered with the NFL Regional Combines to help attract candidates of all backgrounds, especially minorities. A quick look at the regional combine website confirms that partnership. According to the report, nearly 100 prospective football players spoke with Navy folks about becoming prospective special operators. Here’s a good look at the regional program, which the league took over last year.
USS Yorktown to host minor league home run derby
May 17th, 2012 | Baseball Navy | Posted by Phil Creed
First we had college basketball on aircraft carriers. Now you can get the chance to see baseball — well, sort of — on a massive flattop.
It’s not an actual game, but ten minor leaguers will be crushing balls off the flightdeck of the USS Yorktown as part of a home run derby prior to the South Atlantic League’s All-Star Game in June. The S.A.L. has decided to have the first round of the derby on the ship prior to holding the finals in an actual stadium the following day.
The Essex-class carrier, which served in the fleet from 1943 to 1970, has been a museum in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina since 1975. During its time in the fleet, Yorktown served in the Pacific in World War II, with its aircraft helping to sink the legendary Japanese battleship Yamato in 1945. Yorktown was modernized multiple times after WWII and served off of Vietnam in the 1960s, and it also was one of the recovery ships for Apollo 8 in December 1968.
Ensign’s made a splash
May 16th, 2012 | After Action Coast Guard | Posted by Sean Smyth
Cadet 1st Class Orlando Morel is shown above the Coast Guard cutter Eagle in 2011. (Coast Guard photo via AP)
The story’s been making the rounds for the past few days, about how a young boy rescued by Coast Guard crews walked across the stage at today’s commencement ceremonies at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn.
What you may not know is that Ensign Orlando Morel, that rescued boy, was a big contributor to Coast Guard’s swimming team.
Morel was one of the Bears’ top divers, regularly capturing wins in the 1- and 2-meter dives.
Nearly 20 years have passed since Morel’s rescue, but the story still resonates. “I don’t think that anything I can do will be enough as payback,” Morel said.
If you’ve missed the story, we suggest giving it a read.
Olympic-champion Army marksmen lead field entering 2012 Team USA trials
May 16th, 2012 | Army | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Sgt. Vincent Hancock, here on the Beijing range where he won Olympic gold in skeet shooting, leads a handful of Army marksmen into this week's Olympic trials. (Pekin/Presse Sport photo via US Presswire)
When it comes to Olympic shooting, champs don’t get a free pass.
Sgts. Vincent Hancock and Glenn Eller, reigning gold medalists in skeet and double trap, respectively, will have to qualify for the 2012 team this week in Tucson, Ariz. USA Shooting has previews of the skeet and trap events, which will run through the weekend.
Staff. Sgt. Josh Richmond, the 2012 World Cup double trap champ, already has a spot locked up for London (read more about the World Cup win here). Sgt. Jeff Holguin, another 2008 Olympic team member and the 2011 national double trap champion, will compete for a spot in London alongside Eller, while Hancock (who may also compete in double trap, per the release) will be joined on the skeet side by Staff Sgt. Mark Weeks, formerly the national shotgun coach for USA Shooting, who recently competed in a World Cup event in Tucson.
Well, “compete” might be an understatement. This USA Shooting article on his performance in the March event must be read to be believed: Weeks suffered second-degree burns on his legs after a jet-ski explosion, withdrew from the event, then shot anyway when a spot opened up as an extra filler. He wore bandages down both legs, sported Crocs on his feet and had to walk around the range, according to the article, to keep blood from building up in the wounds.
To recap: Jet-ski explosion, blood, shotguns and Crocs. Weeks barely missed qualifying for the Beijing games, but he might be a sentimental favorite this year just to see whether Hollywood picks up this movie script waiting to happen.
Want more on the marksmen? USA Shooting’s news site is a great place to start. The Army Marksmanship Unit’s website provides some competition updates, and The Outdoor Wire has this piece on the USAMU’s 2011 exploits.
And if you can sit through a short advertisement, there’s this trick shot from Eller. Because sometimes, one shotgun just isn’t enough.