UMass 2010 Football Banquet

There was a good turnout for the UMass Football Banquet Friday. Click on the above images for a larger view.

I spoke personally with UMass AD John McCutcheon. He commented on the NCAA's committee's choice of Firsco, TX to host the FCS National Championship game. He stated that Frisco made an outstanding presentation and the committee felt the event needed to be re-energized.

In his speech to the gathering, McCutcheon stated that UMass Football was important to the athletic dept and to UMass. He stated that program was healthy, as were the remaining CAA teams. McCutcheon said he felt the state's financial support of the University was stable. He also said he expected to continue to work on improvements to McGuirk stadium. The stadium support buildings would receive some attention in 2010.

Brandon London attended and gave a rousing speech to the crowd.

Victor Cruz was not at the gathering, but Coach Morris announced that Victor had received his degree.

My notes have disappeared, so feel free to comment on the team honors. Tom Brandt received the outstanding defensive scout team award and Octavious Hawkins won the award on the offensive side.

UPDATE: From Jason Yellin (UMass Sports Information Office)

"AMHERST, Mass. - The UMass football team held its annual team banquet on Friday, Feb. 26 at the Campus Center. Senior wide receiver Victor Cruz was honored as a team MVP. Senior tackle Vladimir Ducasse was named the Outstanding Offensive Player while seniors Kyle Harrington and Jeromy Miles shared the top Defensive Player Award. Former star receiver Brandon London, who recently signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, spoke to the team as a guest speaker.

Here are the 2009 season award winners:

Outstanding Defensive Scout Team Player: Tom Brandt
Outstanding Offensive Scout Team Player: Octavious Hawkins
Vic Fusia Most Improved Offensive Player: Jared Chivers & Chris Zardas
Vic Fusia Most Improved Defensive Player: Anthony Monette & Tyler Holmes
Academic Achievement Award: David Ramsden & Jeff Strait
Marcel Shipp Iron Minuteman Award: Vladimir Ducasse & Jeromy Miles
Outstanding Special Teams Player: Armando Cuko
Outstanding Offensive Player: Vladimir Ducasse
Outstanding Defensive Player: Jeromy Miles & Kyle Harrington
Team Most Valuable Player: Victor Cruz"

Friday News---- February 26th, 2010

Former UMass Captain and assistant coach Jerry Gordon is in the news again. He's just been appointed HC at Woodgrove HS in VA. Well, we know one HS where UMass recruiters will always be welcome! Congrats to Jerry!

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FWTW, a Bleacher Report columnist says "UMass is clearly the best choice for Big East expansion".

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Chattanooga made its pitch and now awaits the decision on if it will host the National Championship game. They think it went well.

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Eastern Washington went through with it and is installing red turf.

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The Philadelphia Eagles have released Brian Westbrook. He was one of the best FCS/I-AA players I have ever seen. Mrs Blog and I went to the Villanova game in 2001 down on the Mainline and Westbrook was the whole Wildcat team in a 47-13 rout of the Minutemen.

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This year's FBS opponent Michigan may be in some major hot water with the NCAA due to "potentially serious' rules violations.

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Delaware basketball still sucks.

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This first came to my attention over at Draft Daddy. Learn "Combine football speak"

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Thursday News---February 25th,2010

Three more articles discussing Hurricane QB's including Spencer Whipple here and here and here.

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Another Blogger equates UMass with Delaware State.

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This Jaguar Blog mentions Vladimir Ducasse.

Eric Gallant of MassLive.com has an article on Ducasse.

The Big Blue (Giants) blog looks at Ducasse.

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From the NCAA rulebook: how many coaches can a FCS program have?

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The delegation from Frisco, TX leaves today to make their presentation to the NCAA about hosting the FCS Championship game.

The Chattanooga Times says the FCS Championship game is near and dear to them.

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Wednesday News --February 24th, 2010

Vladimir Ducasse is ranked #51 overall in this NFL Draft article by USA Today.

NFL Draft maven Mike Mayock says the Dallas Cowboys could pick Vlad.

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The last paragraph of this article about Colorado signing Passiac Tech running back Terrel Smith talks about Tech alum Marcel Shipp's signing with UMass.

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More on the quarterback mix at Miami and Spencer Whipple.

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There will be three new members on the NCAA FCS committee. I'm not sure if UMass AD John McCutcheon is keeping his seat.
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As snow buries New England, Appalachian State starts Spring Practice.

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University of Oregon is clearly in the lead for the 2010 edition of the Fulmer Cup.

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Do, Do, Do Lookin' out my back door.


Click on image for a larger view.

Tuesday News --- Feburary 23rd, 2010

The UMass Daily Collegian has another story about Vladimir Ducasse. Vlad is also mentioned in this Atlanta Journal article on players to watch from small/mid-major schools .

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Former UMass assistant coach Mike Cassano has been named running backs coach at the University of Miami.

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The Worcester Telegram has a story about Holy Cross' QB Dominic Randolph. Note that the article says UMass' Pro-Day is March 25th.

Maybe Matty Vautour will attend and give us some info on UMass players.

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The Richmond Spiders are in the process of having an unprecedented year in Football and Basketball.

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Bob Huggins says it's time for basketball to split into FBS and FCS divisions like football.

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Any Given Saturday has a new owner.

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The Weatherman is calling for back-to-back 12+ inch snow storms here Jaffrey over the next couple days...

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How loaded is loaded?

Tom Leonard's cellphone photo of the TU side of the field.

Belated EagleBank Bowl Thoughts
EBB was without a doubt the most memorable TUFB experience in my 18 or so years following the program. My wife and I arrived in DC the night before the game. Hotel was in an excellent downtown location, although under renovation. Spent the night bopping in and out of restaurants and bars.

Numbers of folks dressed in in TU garb and cherry and white climbed as the evening went on. Woke up on gameday with a slight case of the Irish flu, but nonetheless happily pushed on to the Metro station en route to the Armory, where I stepped into a zone of TU pre-game energy of historic proportions. The band, video footage, combination of familiar and new faces, and overall level of downright giddiness for TUFB was delightful. I spoke with TU faculty and administrators, alumni and students, folks with family ties to TU, and some who had no affiliation with TU whatsoever--which I found particularly pleasing. A couple guys behind me in line were from James Madison U. They travelled to DC simply to behold an easily accessible bowl game, and touted that JMU had FBS aspirations. The indoor tailgate was an exceptional experience. Zero regrets. I even got a photo (soon to be framed, with no spousal objection) with the UCLA cheerleaders (ok, technically dance team or pep team or something, but it worked for me).

As gametime neared, I strategically applied the lasted techno heating elements into shoes and pockets; checked that tickets were in hand, and hastily gulped down the final Absolute and Cranberry (scotch was unavailable) of the afternoon while working towards the exit. The throngs of fans channeling into RFK was a beauty to behold.

There were a lot of TUFB fans at RFK. A lot. I was especially pleased to see so many unfamiliar, aged faces. These weren't students or die hards, these were Temple folks who have perhaps exhibited sporadic interest here and there but hadn't previously been uniformily motivated. Folks around me were looking in their program for names and asking about "that #22" and posing questions about next year's QB, and such. Novice aside, they displayed the same excitement about TUFB as the rest of us. In a word, refreshing. Prior to the game, I was concerned that perhaps 6 or 7K faithful would show. AG referenced 16K. Not sure where got that figure, but he should know. 16K passes the test, at least my test. We have the coach and the talent, but I questioned the alumni. There is hope.

No reason to comment on the game. Nothing new to share. The experience, however, was novel. And worthy of comment.
Tom Leonard
long-time Temple football fan
"Hootsalotisme" on OwlsDaily.com

If you type in "how loaded is loaded" into a google search engine these days, the first result will be this very thoughtful and well-researched post by MH55 on Owlscoop.com.
Before this post goes into oblivion caused by Rivals.com's limited serving capacity, we thought we would store it here.

MH55 got the idea, I presume, from the night of the bowl party.
Three or four of the boosters who had a chance to speak to Golden that night said that Golden used the words "we're loaded" for next year and followed that up with big cat-eating-the-canary grin.
A knowledgeable Temple football fan knew that before Golden said so, but it's nice to get some affirmation from the top guy.
MH55 did one better, loading up on names and positions.
It was one of two great posts on Temple football this offseason that deserve to be preserved for posterity.
The other was written by Tom Leonard, Hootsalotisme, on the OwlsDaily.com board about the EagleBank Bowl experience.

Here's MH55's in its entirely (quotes around MH55's words):
"I still haven�t heard Al Golden actually say �We�re Loaded� but it sure looks that way when you consider experience, size and talent. Its still hard to believe the caliber of talent AG has amassed when one considers how desperate we were when he took the job and he's operating in a battlezone of BCS Schools. Here's the roster w games played in (XX)

Defensive Line:
Eli Joseph (36)
Kamara (35)
Robinson (25)
Blueford (24)
Wilkerson (24)
Morkeith Brown (21)
Custis (10)
Frenk (1)
Nwasike
Wise

Red Shirts

Levi Brown
Shahid Paulhill
Kamal Johnson
Geoffrey Prather
Tyreek Spain

Recruits
Caray wrestling, honors star, ARob heir
Daniels-keeping talent local
Hush-Sopranos 1st team all state
Newman-PaPreps Predicts Pro
Weaver-will play on TV in summer all star game


Linebackers
P Joseph (27)
Martin (25)
Whitehead (13)
Namude (12)
Q White (10)
M Green (12)
St Johnson

Red Shirts
Caponegro
Onukwuesi
Beatty
Van Norton
Zach Kane (U Mia X)

Recruits
Adewole-Chose Best MAC Offer
Benson-All SEPA LB
N Smith-NJ Friend says a future star

Defensive Backs
Jarrett (37)
Liverpool (37)
Griffin (23)
Gildea (12)
Kroboth (11)
Mo Jones (12)
Falcone (12)
K Johnson (8)
J Williams (2)

Red Shirts
Terrell (2)
Deonte Parker
Byron Parker
M Gould

Recruits
Burns _ Only had 2 BCS Offers
Goods _ Track Star
Robey _ Speed merchant begins the Norristown pipeline


Quarterbacks

Charlton (28)
Stewart (20)
Gerardi (1)

Red Shirts
Coyer
Bryan Morris

Recruits
Reilly-Baseball, Brains and Big Plays

Running Backs

Pierce (12)
Brown (11)

Red Shirts
A Smith (6)

Recruits
Myron Ross-Could be a stud

TE
Balasavage (20)
Rodriguez (13)
Pekarski (1)

Red Shirts
Booth
A Jackson
Parthemore
L Turner
Brookhart
Recruits

T Johnson-Probably lucky to be at Temple Since he didnt Receive any BCS Offers possibly because he committed to Temple or maybe he's just a mediocre player that we shouldn't even mention

Wide Receivers
D Green (37)
Crudup (33)
Campbell (31)
Nixon (25)
Jones (25)
Hutchinson (18)
Bynum (14)
Carraway (9)
Hammond (1)
Baker

Red Shirt
Anthony Parker Boyd (North Car X)
Ryan Alderman
R Streater JuCo

Recruits
Belt-our Andre Rison?
Coble-No to Tobacco Road
Miller-Superb Athlete
Shine-Cali Find
Silvera-BE Capable Temple Ready

Offensive Line
Morris (32)
Madison (28)
Dennis (27)
Tribue (25)
Sean Boyle (25)
Palumbo (22)
Caputo (19)
Brown (17)
Pat Boyle (17)
Schonnbruner (9)
Whittingham (4)
Yuan (1)

Red Shirts
Martin Wallace (Northeastern X) 6�6 295
Scott Roorda 6�3 318
Cody Bohler 6�7 305
Evan Regas 6�4 313
Sean Pearson 6�5 312
Daryl Pringle 6�6 315

Recruits
Centapiempo 6�7 315 Just started FB for Kicks
Grant 6�6 340-Fork Union Crusher
Metz 6�5 310-1st local OL/ BCS Talent to choose TU
Walton 6�4 320-One Bad Ass Chef"

It should be noted that the above words from the first quote to the last quote were all MH55's. He was speaking sacastically about TE recruit Tyler Johnson, a rebuff to a small minority of Temple fans who think anybody who doesn't have a boatload of BCS offers isn't any good.
EBB experience continues at the Linc:
Get your season tickets now

UMass Historical Scans--1985

Click on the image and Blogger displays a much large view. The 1985 UMass press guide depicted above has 80 pages and survived my basement flood although with some water stains.

I've added nine scans from four different 1985 UMass game programs to the UMass Football History section.

In 1985 UMass went 7-4 and 4-1 in the Yankee Conference (2nd place). That was Bob Stull's second and last season as head coach. Captains were Paul Platek and George Barnwell.

Dave Palazzi, Paul Platek, Todd Rundle and Bob Shelmire were All-Yankee Conference.

Al Neri led the team in rushing with 530 yards. Dave Palazzi went 84/157 1152 and 5 TD's. John McKeown had 80 UT 56 AT 136 TT to start on his way to becoming UMass all-time career leader in tackles.

I included a cover from the UMass-Northeastern game at Parsons Field. They were celebrating their 50th year of football.

Sunday News -- February 21st, 2010

The University of New Hampshire is considering a recommendation that athletics be considered a core function of the University. This is undoubtedly the de facto position of the top public universities.

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A Question-and-Answer session with Mike McLaughlin , whose father starred for UMass back in the 70's.

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In a link I first saw on the blog "Wiz of Odds' , favorites work harder than undogs.

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I watched the UMass Hockey team lose to Merrimac on NESN last night. As I have said several times, I totally lack the hockey gene----unusual for a native New Englander----so I don'tknow enough about the game to comment. For my hockey analysis I read the excellent UMass "Fear the Triangle" blog.

Another Northeastern transfer --Liam Krahe

UPDATE: It appears I don't have good information about where Krahe is.

I should not have done the blog post without getting confirmation. It's part of the pressure of trying to find something to write in February :)

My fault.

Friday News --February 19th, 2010

Former UMass QB Spencer Whipple gets a mention in this article about Miami's quarterbacks. More mentions of Whipple here and here.

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One potential UMass recruit that got away.

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Is there a college football superconference in the works?

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A college program with one of the best monikers in sports, the Stetson Hatters, are considering bringing back football. The Hatters had a pretty good hoops team at one time.

Get your own nickname here.

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Former Montana CB Jimmy Wilson's last game was against UMass in the 2006 playoffs. He was considered to be an NFL prospect. Then he killed a man.

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Thursday News --February 18th, 2010

SI.com looks at "small school" NFL prospects and rates Vladimir Ducasse as #1. The article has one of the better images of Vlad.

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UNH adds a tall WR to their recruiting class.

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More complaining about the proposed legislative bill to require the Terps to play an in-state (FCS) team.

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Wednesday News-- February 17,2010

The BC Lions have signed former UMass great Keron Williams. He joins CFL All-Star Anton McKenzie who also plays for the Lions.

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James Madison loses RB Corwin Aker .

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Washington State AD Jim Sterk will be appointed AD at San Diego State, which is the position current UMass AD John McCutcheon was interested in.

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Maryland lawmakers are skeptical about a proposed rule that forces the Terps to schedule in-state FCS teams.

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The South Jersey Courier-Post says football withdrawal sucks.

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Tuesday News--February 16th, 2010

Former UMass two time Captain and assistant coach Jerry Gordon has a new book out:"Coaching the Under Front Defense". Be sure to check out Gordon's bio on the Amazon link.

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Jacksonville.com has a long and interesting story about former UMass nose tackle and assistant coach Joe Cullen. Lots of UMass connections in the article.

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Another Michigan post on Bleacher Report predicts an easy win by the Wolverines over UMass.

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There will be some rule changes from the NCAA this year concerning taunting and eye black. Eye black?

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The University of Texas at San Antonio just signed their first recruiting class. The Roadrunners plan to play two years in FCS starting in 2011 and be in FBS by 2015.

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Monday News--February 15th, 2010

I ran a link to this story about Norwell, MA WR Dominic Wooten's signing with UMass on LOI day, but it has been updated lately.

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Some early bulletin board material for the UMass locker room. A Michigan fan reviews the Wolverines' OOC schedule for the Bleacher Report and predicts Michigan 63-10 over the Minutemen. "Think Delaware State", he says.

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The Southland Conference and Pizza Hut are joining forces to bring the FCS National Championship game to Frisco, TX. The decision should be made by the first week of March.

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The winningest coach in FCS history, Eddie G. Robinson, has just had a museum dedicated to his 57 years of coaching.

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Lawsuits may end video games based on college sports.

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The ABCs of Temple football recruiting

By Mike Gibson
If you listen to coach Al Golden, and I try to do that every chance I get, whether it's on signing day or Fan Fest or Cherry and White day, whenever, you will become conversant in what I call Goldenspeak.
"Core values" ... you'll hear that a lot.
"Going forward" ... that's another favorite catch phrase of his, so is "it's all part of the process."
There are a few more, but I won't write a Golden/English Dictionary here.
The point being that before all of that, Golden came up with a phrase he thought enough of to put on the wall at Edberg-Olson Hall.
"Hunting a MAC title with local talent."
It's become a core value, if you will, of the program, err, going forward. So much so that it has appeared in the school's football media guide the past few years.
What you won't hear Golden say is that he's going after this Holy Grail, this MAC title, with BCS-level talent.

"Let's face it, guys, Temple is a Big East team playing in the MAC. Their talent level made us look like a high school team."
_ Akron fan's post on ZipsNation.org
after Temple's 56-17 win last year

If Hunting for a Title with Local talent is the program's self-proclaimed headline, then "by the way, we're playing with BCS-level players in a non-BCS league" has to be some kind of subhead.
I know it's not as catchy, but it's true.
It's like the guy wrote on the Akron message board, ZipsNation.org, after Temple thumped Akron, 56-17, last year.
"Let's face it, guys," the long-time Akron fan said, "Temple is a Big East team playing in the MAC. Their talent level made us look like a high school team."
The implication was clear and so were the on-field results.
While Akron might beat out Kent State or a player, Temple is beating out Vanderbilt.
While Kent State might beat out Ohio for a player, Temple is beating out Maryland and Michigan State.
You only need to stop at the A's, B's and C's of the signing brochure to find that out.
I did a story for the Philadelphia Inquirer today on a couple of basketball players from Friends' Central, who received offers from Temple and other big-time schools. Before that goes into the paper, you have to fact-check those claims against the Scout.com database. Soout.com will say "yes' if a player has been offered and "no" if he has not. It's a pretty cut-and-dried system, the best there is.
I thought about that while thumbing through the pages of the 2010 signing class brochure the other day.
I followed the same routine Temple's football signees and the claims made in the brochure, with only one or two exceptions, were verified by Scout.com's system. That's pretty good when talking about 27 incoming freshmen.
Niyi Adewole, a linebacker from Upper Darby, had an offer from Vanderbilt, as did Myron Ross, a running back from Wissahickon.
Antonio Belt, a wide receiver from Forestville, Md., "selected Temple over Maryland and Michigan State."
Wyatt Benson, a linebacker from Haverford School, picked Temple over "Stanford and Pitt."
Brian Burns, a defensive back and former next-door neighor to Benson in Southwest Philly, "selected Temple over West Virginia and Rutgers."
Taray Carey, a defensive end from Whitehall, picked Temple over UConn and Boston College.
Those are just the A's, B's and C's. It's like that all the way down to defensive tackle Dante Weaver, who the brochure says picked Temple over Rutgers and Maryland.
Lsst year, the Owls signed a quarterback, Chris Coyer (pictured), on the night Ohio State extended him a conditional verbal offer (you visit us, we will offer). Temple was on Coyer for months and OSU arrived on the scene in the last day.
Coyer said, basically, "thanks, guys, but no thanks I made my mind up. I'm going to Temple."
Now, after a year of fine-tuning, the Coyer quarterback Stealth Fighter is shined and polished and ready to leave the E-O hanger to wreck havoc on the rest of the MAC.
He could have gone to Ohio State, much like many of his teammates could have gone to more recognized schools.
Good schools with good football programs.
They could have gone anywhere.
They chose Temple.
Bill Cosby, who made that commercial famous some 20 years ago, should be proud.
So should every Temple fan.

More Images of Gary Pearson and Coach Pickett

Click on the image and Blogger displays a much larger view. The article above is readable when enlarged.

The newspaper clipping is by legendary UMass beat reporter Milt Cole of the Hampshire Gazette. Before the internet, Milt was my primary news feed for Minutemen football.

The images were taken by me with God-knows-what type of camera. Some of them were none too good to begin with. I scanned the original prints and did a color correction and then ran an unsharp mask to tighten things up.

The images with UMass in their home Maroon & Whites are of the game against West Chester State in 1982. The images of the team in road whites were taken at Holy Cross the same year.

Newman: Largest object ever to fly under the radar

There's that old saying, "statistics are for losers."
That's grounded largely in truth, but not always.
I've always said there are two stats that will separate a winner from a loser:
1) Turnovers;
2) Sacks.
Win the second battle and that team is more likely to win the first.
That's why I am heartened most by two of the recent signees in the Temple recruiting class of 2010.
Aaron Hush of Piscataway, N.J. and Jaimen Newman of Matoaca, Va.
Hush you probably know about. He was the Bridgewater Courier-News' defensive player of the year, then took a prep year at Fork Union. His specialty is rushing the passer.
You've probably not heard so much about Newman, who flew under the recruiting radar far enough away from Virginia to glide into North Philadelphia.
It's usually impossible for someone 6-4, 254 to fly under a radar, but this could be a first.
In people like Newman, Hush and Taray Carey (Whitehall), I'm confident the Owls will find someone who can help MAC defensive player-of-the-year Adrian Robinson collapse the pocket. One of those guys will step in and free Amara Kamara to go back to his more natural position of linebacker.
Bring mayhem to the football in September, err, hem. That collapses the pocket, creates a nervous quarterback, who either fumbles or throws the ball up for grabs.
Then I'll be able to show you what kind of stats are for winners.

Friday News---February 12th, 2010

Former UMass Head Coach Bob Pickett's funeral Mass will be held this morning at 9:15 in Portland, ME.

Note the request by the family:"In lieu of flowers, the Pickett family requests that contributions be made to a scholarship fund they are establishing at UMass. Contributions can be made to Coach Bob Pickett Football Scholarship Fund, care of University of Massachusetts, 308 Mullins Center, Amherst, Mass. 01003 or telephone (413) 577-4290. "

Classy man and a classy family.

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In more sad news for UMass, Garry Pearson, former UMass Hall-of-Fame RB passed away Tuesday.

Articles by the Springfield Republican and the UMass Athletic Dept are here and here respectively. Matty Vautour has a short article here.

I have some material about Pearson that has not appeared in the Blog. My flatbed scanner is giving me problems, but I'll try to get the material up in a day or so.
Click on the image and Blogger displays a much larger view. The original scan from the 1982 program is in the Blog section sidebar on UMass Football History.

Thursday News---February 11, 2010

A story I had been meaning to tell you. Monday I was at the gym and one of the guys was wearing a Saints jersey. I went over and congratulated him on on New Orleans Super Bowl win.

He just lit up. He said "Thank You!" and related he had been a fan of the Saints for years and had gone through some lean times.

The moral of the story for football fans is that there are various joys in life, but there is nothing quite like your team winning the freakin' Big Game.

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UMass AD John McCutcheon has withdrawn his name from contention for the AD position at SDSU. Story form the San Diego News here and Springfield Republican here. Matty Vautour checks in with an article here.

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UMass opens its 2010 season on Sept 4th against William & Mary. The Tribe just lost two expected starters.

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Attention old football players. Scientists have made a breakthrough in regrowing cartilage.

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Southeastern Louisiana says they were #1 in recruiting in FCS.

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Wednesday News-- February 10, 2010

Special thanks to a reader who sent me an e-mail pointing out that the "Texas Vs The Nation" site finally has a game writeup and box score. Chris Zardas in mention in the writeup and he also tied for the most pass receptions by the Nation squad player.

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I've updated my previous post about traveling to see the Michigan game. I've added a link to the parking section of the Michigan website. The link page has parking lot maps and whole bunch of other relevant information. The site says there is a shuttle service that runs between local motels and the stadium on game days. It appears Michigan makes frequent changes to their game day traffic rules as they attempt to cope with 100,000 fans. I book marked the page and will check again as the game gets closer as there will probably be more parking changes in 2010.

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Yesterday in Matty Vautour's UMass Sports Blog, Matty pointed out that Brandon London had been signed to the Pittsburgh Steelers off-season squad. The official Steelers news of London's signing here.

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The Dolphins beat writer for the Sun-Sentinel says the fish are interested in Vladimir Ducasse.

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News-- February 9th, 2010

Former UMass running backs coach Mike Cassano has joined Mark Whipple in Miami.

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Pennsylvania teams Penn State, Villanova and California University of Pennsylvania won the Lambert Trophy, Lambert Cup and the DII Lambert cup respectively.

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A Maryland legislator wants the Terps to play more in-state FCS/I-AA teams.

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Holy Cross, one of our OOC opponents this year, adds a First Team All-State player from Pennsylvania. Note that Patriot League teams don't give scholarships. Then see this quote:

"Holland will receive a grant-in-aid package from Holy Cross that amounts to close to a full scholarship according to the Old Forge HS Guidance Department."

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While New England schools are dropping football, future CAA team Georgia State is going full ahead with its football facilities.

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UMass Football Banquet Friday, Feb 26,2010

The UMass Football Banquet is coming up in a couple of weeks. I'll be there. The food is excellent and it's fun talking with players and other fans.

If you don't have the contact information, call 413-545-2026 Ext 0 to reserve a seat. Cost is $40/person; kids 12 and under $20.

We're undefeated in 2010 :) Come out and support UMass football.

Andre Coble's Big Day

Nice to see Andre picked the best-looking hat.

Travel to the Big House

Wikipedia images. Click on the image and Blogger displays a larger view.

UMass will play at Michigan on Saturday, September 18,2010.

Seeing a game at the Big House is on the "Bucket List" for many college football fans.

The UMass Alumni Association and/or the Athletic Dept will probably has some sort of travel package. In the past, we've found the official packages to be pricey.

Mrs. Blog and I have made reservations at the Courtyard by Marriott on Boardwalk St. in Ann Arbor. According to the reservations center, it's about 2-3 miles from the stadium.

A list of Ann Arbor motels/hotels is here.

Note there is a "Event" that weekend and prices are on the high side.

UPDATE: I probably should have given parking/getting to the stadium information. The University of Michigan has multiple pages on parking, shuttle service from motels and other info here. Note that they have frequent changes in lots and procedures as they cope with 100,000 fans. I would bookmark the page and check as the game gets closer for 2010 updates.

We usually fly out of Manchester, NH Airport. Current round trip tickets on Southwest Airlines are currently running about $240-$240 for a leave-on-Friday-and-return-on-Sunday flight. What they will be this fall is anyone's guess.

Hope to see a lot of UMass fans there!

Sunday News---February 7th,2010

I've heard that Chris Zardas had a good run and a touchdown catch in the Texas Vs The Nation All-Star game yesterday. I haven't had a chance to watch my DVD version yet. I can't find a box score and he is not in the highlight reel on the game webpage. An image of his TD catch would be nice. Anyone have any links were he is mentioned?

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The Maine Black Bears release their 2010 schedule.

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News--February 6th, 2010

The latest iteration of Josh Buchanan's "Top 100 Small School NFL Draft List" is here. Vladimir Ducasse still leads the class.

NFL House has "Fifteen recruits you should know". Vlad is one of them.

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Chris Zardas will be in action today at the Texas Vs The Nation All-star game. Available on:

Catch the 2010 Hall of Fame Texas vs the Nation All Star Game on Feb, 6 2010 at 12 PM MT/2 PM ET on CBS College Sports.

DirecTV CH 613, Dish Network CH 152, Bell TV CH 413, and Sky Angel CH 323.

Set your DVD or VCR now.

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The Sports Network looks at the results of 2010 recruiting for the Division's top teams.

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The CAA website has a recruiting recap for all the League's teams here.

College Sporting News has a tour-de-force of cut and pasting to list all the recruits for FCS.

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This year's FBS opponent Michigan, picked up a controversial recruit.

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Friday News---February 5th, 2010

The SeaCoast OnLine remembers Bob Pickett's Maine roots.

Matty Vautour has more tributes to Bob Pickett.

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The Daily Collegian has more about former UMass Captain Sean Smalls' December arrest.

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The Foxboro reporter has an article on Mike Delaney signing a LOI with UMass football.

A Foxboro Reporter photo.

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Wicked Local Norwood has a story on Dom Wooten verbaling to UMass.

A Robin Chant/Wicked Local Norwood image







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The Sun Chronicle has an article on both Matt Campbell and Mike Delaney signing with UMass.




A Sun-Chronicle image.

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WEEI has a story on local college seniors (including Vladimir Ducasse and Mike McLaughlin), who were invited to the NFL combine.

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Former UMass standout and assistant coach Ben Albert has joined another UMass football alum Joe Cullen as an assistant coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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2010's OOC opponent Stony Brook has announced its schedule.

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Thursday after LOI Day News

Matty Vautour quotes Coach Morris that many UMass recruits had late FBS interest.

MassLive.com on UMass' signing day.

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Ron Chimelis has an article on the death of Coach Pickett.

Matty Vautour also does a story about Pickett. Both articles have some great quotes by Jimmy Reid and former UMass players.

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This article features QB Brandon Hill's signing with UMass.



Image by CourierPostOnLine.
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This story from the Sun-Sentinel has some quotes about Edward St. Vil signing with UMass.

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Matt Helig is featured in this story about his signing with UMass.


Image by John C. Whitehead/Patriot News




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Twenty three Northeastern players will be playing for other schools this year.

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One we lost to Syracuse.

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Other team's recruiting

• Boston College
• Delaware signs 16
• James Madison signs 19 (always the best as per Micky Matthews)
• Maine signs 14
• New Hampshire signs 17
• Rhode Island signs 13
• Richmond signs 17
• Towson signs 15 (including six from Florida)
• Villanova signs 14 (including 9 from New Jersey)
• William & Mary signs 13

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This article says the Maryland Terps recruited well in Florida because of Coach Brown.

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Now factor beats wow factor any day

By Mike Gibson
Just got back from the classy and informative signing day/press conference/fan/film session and I will say this.
There were fewer wows when the film machine was turned on this year than last year.

"I had a nice talk with [Temple coach] Al Golden. He said he knew, just from watching me, that I was a winner."

_ LaSalle quarterback Drew Loughery
... Drew, this is God. Come to Temple (and I don't mean switch religions)...

Since I think what I like to call the defined measureables (height, weight, speed, vertical leap, strength) are every bit as good this year as they were last, I can think of only three reasons for this:
1) We're getting used to viewing spectacular plays on this day every season;
2) The guys holding the camera weren't as good;
3) There wasn't any alcohol served this year (there was last).
I will say last year's biggest oos and ahhs came when the projection screen showed Oakton (Va.) quarterback Chris Coyer and a running back that you might have heard about from Glen Mills named Bernard Pierce.
One got on the field. One didn't.
Both will get on the field this year.
Let's hope both stay healthy and do well.
"Last year, my wife could have picked out Bernard Pierce (as being a player), we knew he was that special," Temple coach Al Golden said.
OK, I'll play Kelly Golden this year.
I can tell you that Rod Streater, a 6-foot-4 wide receiver from Burlington Township (N.J.) by way of Alfred (N.Y.) junior college, is a player.
Really, they all are.

If I had to put a couple of sheckles on it, and I don't (thank God), I would be willing to bet that, of this group, Streater makes an immediate impact.
He can go get the ball, he's a national high jump champion (junior college, 6-9), he's got great hands and he can run like crazy.
Other than that, he's just your normal everyday 6-4 wide receiver.
Yeah, right.
Just like Bernard Pierce is your normal everyday Heisman Trophy candidate.
It was great to see Bernard there, too, with a big smile on his face when assistant coach Ed Foley said of Connor Reilly, "once we get this kid on the field, Bernard won't be getting the ball."
Heck, I think that was a big smile on his face.
Anyway, Bernard looked fit, healthy and happy and that was great to see.
It was also great to hear by way of LaSalle state champion quarterback Drew Loughery that Golden has reached out to him as a preferred walk-on. I hope Temple finds room for Drew Loughery and he them. I've watched this kid for four years and he's every bit the special quarterback Adam DiMichele was and Adam, in my mind, was my favorite Temple quarterback ever.
Just get him on the field and let him compete. That's all I can ask and that's all Drew can ask. He deserves the chance to succeed at the highest level of football in the town that he loves.
That's my soapbox rant for today.
As for the film session, not a whole lot of wows, but there was a lot of talk of now.
Someone asked Al if there's any chance Temple will go to a bowl in a place where there are palm trees next season.
"Palm trees?" Al said, pausing. "I'll do my best."
Both the wow class of last year and the now class of this year should help him do just that.

2010 UMass football recruit list

OK, this isn't up yet on on the UMass website.

UPDATE: The UMass website now has the signing list up. If you want to print out the list, I recommend the UMass article. Blogger does not handle fonts very well (as you can see).

UMass Announces Football Signing Class Of 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE � Contact Jason Yellin 413-687-1756
Feb. 3, 2010

AMHERST, Mass. - UMass football coach Kevin Morris has announced the signing of 11 future Minuteman football players to National Letters of Intent. These 11 incoming freshmen join the six mid-year transfers and will be eligible to play this fall for the 2010 season. The class of 17 players is one of the tops in the nation.

�We are very excited about this class,� said Morris, who enters his second year as head coach of the Minutemen. �I am really confident in the character of these student-athletes. We hand-picked these players and were able to yield all of our top recruits. I am looking forward to coaching them when they get here and having them compete right away.�

The six transfers are be eligible to practice with the Minutemen starting in Spring Football, which begins on March 23, and will be able to play in games for the Minutemen in the Fall of 2010.

2010 UMASS FOOTBALL NEWCOMERS
Signee Players Pos. Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School/Previous School
Stanley Andre LB Fr. 6-1 250 Dorchester, Mass./Reading H.S.
Matt Campbell LB Fr. 6-1 230 Attleboro, Mass./Attleboro H.S.
Shawn Campbell WR Fr. 6-2 205 Woodstock, Conn./Hartford Public H.S./Hyde School
Mike Delaney RB Fr. 6-3 220 Foxborough, Mass./Foxborough H.S.
Matt Heilig DL Fr. 6-4 210 Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin H.S.
Brandon Hill QB Fr. 6-5 210 Audubon, N.J./Audubon H.S.
Kirkland Nelms DB Fr. 5-10 180 Spotsylvania, Va./Riverbend H.S.
Edward Saint-Vil DB Fr. 5-11 175 Mirmar, Fla./Hollywood Hills H.S.
Antoine Tharpe DB Fr. 5-10 175 North Lauderdale, Fla./Coral Springs Charter School
Dominic Wooten WR Fr. 6-5 220 Norwell, Mass./Norwell H.S.
Ryan Young OL Fr. 6-5 280 Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley H.S.

Transfers Players Pos. Yr. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School/Previous School
Galen Clemons DL R-Fr. 6-2 255 Danielsville, Pa./Northampton Area H.S./Central Michigan
Anthony Dima OL R-Fr. 6-7 271 Centereach,N.Y./Centereach H.S./Hofstra
John Griffin TB Sr. 6-0 208 Westminster, Mass./Oakmont Regional H.S./Northeastern
Chad Hunte LB So. 6-0 205 Brookline, Mass./Brookline H.S./Northeastern
Anthony Nelson WR Sr. 5-10 180 Wellington, Fla./Glades Day School/Hofstra
Greg Niland OL R-Sr. 6-5 305 East Bridgewater, Mass./Coyle Cassidy H.S./Northeastern

NATIONAL LETTER OF INTENT SIGNEE PROFILES
Stanley Andre
Freshman � Linebacker
6-1 � 250
Dorchester, Mass./Reading H.S.

Before College: Starting linebacker at Reading High School ... Named to 2009 Massachusetts All-State Super 26 ... Boston Herald All-Scholastic Team ... Daily Times Chronicle Offensive Player of the Year ... Middlesex League All-Star as junior and senior at quarterback ... Became the first quarterback in school history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season (1,108) ... Also passed for 883 yards as a senior ... Piled up 85 tackles on defense ... Served as team captain as a senior ... Led team to 13-0 record and the Middlesex League Championship and Division 2 Super Bowl in 2009 ... Led Rockets to a 26-1 record as the starting quarterback ... Started as a sophomore in six games at linebacker and three at quarterback. Personal: Andre M. Stanley ... Born May 16, 1992 ... Son of Roberta Carnes.

Matt Campbell
Freshman � Linebacker
6-1 � 230
Attleboro, Mass./Attleboro H.S.

Before College: Three-sport team captain at Attleboro High School in Massachusetts, lettering in football, basketball and baseball ... Named to the Boston Herald Super 26 All-State Team ... Two-time Boston Globe All-Scholastic selection ... Named an Eastern Mass Division I All-Star as a junior and senior ... Three-time Old Colony and Sun Chronicle All-Star ... Three-time football team MVP ... As a senior, gained 1,336 yards and scored 22 touchdowns ... Rushed for 3,200 yards and 51 touchdowns in career ... Also had 36 receptions for 615 yards ... On defense, racked up more than 350 tackles ... Also forced seven fumbles, had interceptions and three sacks. Personal: Matthew Campbell ... Born Sept. 4, 1991 ... Son of Peter and Susan Campbell.

SHAWN Campbell
Freshman � Wide Receiver
6-2 � 205
Woodstock, Conn./Hartford Public H.S./Hyde School

Before College: Prepped for a year at the Hyde School in Woodstck, Conn. ... Gained 659 all-purpose yards and scored five touchdowns ... Also had 22 catches in just four games ... Missed rest of season with a high ankle sprain ... Two-year letterwinner at Hartford Public High School in Connecticut ... Named All First-Team Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) ... Honorable Mention Hartford Courant All-State as a senior ... Had 28 receptions for 16.7 average as a senior along with six touchdowns ... Grabbed 46 catches and 10 touchdowns in his career ... Two-year All-CCC selection in track and field in the 100-meter dash and 4X100 relay ... Posted a 10.89 100-meter time as a senior. Personal: Shawn Campbell ... Born May 7, 1991 ... Son of Victoria Cruse.

Mike Delaney
Freshman � Running Back
6-3 � 220
Foxborough, Mass./Foxborough H.S.

Before College: Played at Foxborough High School as a senior after transferring from high school in New Jersey during junior season ... Named a senior team captain ... Named to Boston Herald Super 26 All-Star Team ... Boston Globe All-Scholastic as senior ... All-Hockamock and Eastern Mass All-Star running back ... Started for four years at running back throughout high school career ... Gained 4,703 yards and scored 65 touchdowns on the ground ... As a senior, ran for 1,694 yards and 22 touchdowns ... Finished as the 13th all-time leading rusher in Massachusetts. Personal: Michael T. Delaney ... Born Sept. 6, 1991 ... Son of Thomas and Daphne Delaney.

Matt Heilig
Freshman � Defensive Line
6-4 � 210
Harrisburg, Va./Central Dauphin H.S.

Before College: Three-year starter on defense (defensive end and outside linebacker) at Central Dauphin High School in Harrisburg, Pa. ... Team captain as a senior ... Honorable mention All-Conference in the Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division at defensive end ... Racked up 61 tackles along with five sacks as a senior ... Also started for two years at tight end ... Averaged 22.6 yards on 10 catches (226 yards) ... Also served as team�s long snapper. Personal: Matthew J. Heilig ... Born on Nov. 19, 1991 ... Son of Sherrie Heilig.

Brandon Hill
Freshman � Quarterback
6-5 � 210
Audubon, N.J./Audubon H.S.

Before College: Highly-rated quarterback started at Audubon High School in New Jersey ... Earned a three-star rating from Rivals.com as a pro-style quarterback ... Rated the second pro-style quarterback in New Jersey behind only Wisconsin commit Joe Brennan ... Two-time First-Team All-Colonial Conference quarterback ... As a senior, threw for 1,739 yards, completing 113-of-178 for 15 touchdowns and just two interceptions ... Had three games where he threw for 300 yards ... Rushed for 286 yards and two touchdowns ... Also starred on the basketball team, averaging 16 points per game ... Expected to score his 1,000th career point during his senior season. Personal: Richard Brandon Hill ... Son of Nov. 7, 1990 ... Son of Richard and Kelly Hill.
Kirkland Nelms
Freshman � Defensive Back
5-10 � 180
Spotsylvania, Va./Riverbend H.S.

Before College: Played at Riverbend High School in Fredericksburg, Va. ... Named AAA Commonwealth District Co-Defensive Player of the Year First-Team All-District ... First-Team All-Area ... Second-Team All-Region ... Versatile player who saw action on both sides of the ball and special teams ... Racked up 40 tackles and picked off six interceptions, returning two for touchdowns ... Rushed for 436 yards and seven touchdowns, 7.3 yards per rush ... Had 19 receptions for 320 yards and three touchdowns ... On special teams, returned 10 kickoffs for 215 yards (21.5 yard per return) and 13 punts for 311 yards (23.9 yards) and two touchdowns. Personal: Kirkland J. Nelms ... Born Aug. 12, 1991 ... Son of Michael Nelms.


Edward Saint-Vil
Freshman � Defensive Back
5-11 � 175
Miramar, Fla./Hollywood Hills H.S.

Before College: Played at Hollywood Hills H.S., for coach Scott Barnwell ... Played in the Public vs. Private All-Star Game ... Named Hollywood Hills Special Teams Player of the Year ... Racked up 54 tackles, including six tackles for loss along with 18 pass break-ups ... Also forced three fumbles and recovered two fumbles. Personal: Edward J. Saint-Vil ... Born May 7, 1992 ... Son of Marguerite Henriquez.


Antoine Tharpe
Freshman � Defensive Back
5-10 � 175
North Lauderdale, Fla./Coral Springs Charter School

Before College: Lettered at the City of Coral Springs Charter School in Florida, playing for coach Mike Higgins ... First-Team All-Broward County ... Named a Broward County Athletic Association All-StarStar ... Honored as an Independent Private School All-Star ... Made 22 tackles and had 12 pass break-ups as a senior ... Also forced two fumbles ... On offense, gained 690 yards of total offense and scored nine touchdowns. Personal: Antoine J. Tharpe ... Born July 16, 1992 ... Son of Jonathan Tharpe.


Dominic Wooten
Freshman � Wide Receiver
6-5 � 220
Norwell, Mass./Norwell H.S.

Before College: Two-year starter at Norwell High School in Massachusets ... Played both wide receiver and tight end racking up 79 receptions and 1255 yards over the last two years ... Also hauled in seven touchdowns ... Named a South Shore All-Star wide receiver ... Also started at center for the Norwell basketball team, averaging 11 points and 10 rebounds. Personal: Dominic Christian Wooten ... Born Oct. 25, 1991 ... Son of Darryl and Deborah Wooten.


Ryan Young
Freshman � Defensive Line
6-5 � 280
Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley H.S.

Before College: Played both offensive tackle and on defensive line at Wayne Valley High School in New Jersey ... Named All-Conference and All-County as a senior ... Graded out at 86 percent on the year on the offensive line ... Had 12 pancake blocks ... On defense, had 33 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and three sacks. Personal: Ryan Young ... Born Jan. 14, 1992 ... Son of Robert Young.
TRANSFER PLAYER PROFILES

Galen Clemons
R-Freshman � Defensive Line
6-2 � 255
Danielsville, Pa./Northampton Area H.S./Central Michigan

General: Joins UMass with four years of eligibility remaining ... Attended Central Michigan as a freshman in 2009, but did not appear in any games.

Before College: Four-year starter at Northampton High School in Northampton, Pa. ... 2008 team captain ... all-conference first team selection as an offensive and defensive lineman in 2008 ... earned all-area first team honors from both the Express-Times and the Morning Call ... credited with 87 tackles in 2008 ... made 83 stops in 2007, 102 tackles in 2006 and 71 in 2005 ... helped lead team to 4A Eastern Conference championships in 2006 and 2008 ... Northampton finished 10-3 overall in 2008 ... two-year letterman in track and field.

Personal: Born June 3, 1990 ... ... Son of Steve and Wendy Clemons Uncle Don Clemons spent 24 years as a coach with the Detroit Lions.

Anthony Dima
R-Freshman � Offensive Line
6-7 � 271
Centereach, N.Y./Centereach H.S./Hofstra

General: Retains four years of eligibility after a redshirt season as a true freshman at Hofstra ... Part of scout team with the Pride.

Before College: Played football and ran on the track and field team at Centereach High School...Was named to All-Suffolk County and all-league teams as a senior...

Personal: Born October 21, 1990...Has one brother and one sister ...Enjoys working out in his free time...Favorite athlete is Jumbo Elliott...Aspires to a career in business.

John Griffin
Senior � Tailback
6-0 � 208
Westminster, Mass./Oakmont Regional H.S./Northeastern

General: Will play his senior season at UMass after three seasons at Northeastern ... Honored as an All-CAA First-Team selection as well as the New England Writers All-Star Team.

As a Junior in 2009 at Northeastern: Ran for 1,009 yards on 207 carries with five touchdowns, while catching 25 passes for 178 yards during the 2009 campaign ... Was named First Team All-CAA, Northeastern�s Most Valuable Player and Most Improved Player ... Was named to the 2009 New England Football Writers Football Championship Subdivision All-Star team ... Became the fifth Huskie to eclipse the 1000 yard mark with 158 rushing yards and two scores against Rhode Island (11/21) ... Ran for 128 yards on 28 carries and one touchdown against Hofstra (11/14) ... Accounted for 95 percent of team�s offense against Massachusetts with 52 yards on nine carries (11/7) ... Rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown against New Hampshire (10/31) ... Named CAA Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts against Towson ... Rushed for a career-high 200 yards, including a 70 yard touchdown run in a 27-7 win over Towson (10/24) ... Rushed for 75 yards against William & Mary, including a 43-yard rush (10/10) ... Had a 41-yard rush and had 87 total yards against Holy Cross (10/3) ... Tallied 75 yards on 15 attempts against Youngstown State (9/19) ... Ran for 92 yards on 18 carries against Maine (9/12)

As a Sophomore in 2008 at Northeastern: Played in 10 games as a backup tailback ... Rushed for 207 yards and two touchdowns on the year ... Rushed for a career-high 110 yards and a touchdown and also caught an 11-yard touchdown pass against Rhode Island (11/ 22) ... Scored his first touchdown and had 66 rushing yards in 35-17 win at Towson (10/ 4).

As a Freshman in 2007 at Northeastern: Appeared in nine games as a true freshman ... Caught three passes for 18 yards ... Caught two passes for 13 yards at Northwestern ... Had one kick return on the season and returned it 23 yards at Rhode Island ... Was a top sprinter and long jumper on the track & field team.

Before College: Played one season of varsity football at Oakmont Regional High School for head coach Dave LaRoche ... Broke the school record for touchdowns in a single season with 25 and also amassed the highest single-season point total in school history while running for 1,239 yards ... Named team MVP and conference Co-MVP ... Led the Spartans to a conference title and the 2006 Div. III Super Bowl, scoring three touchdowns in the 28-0 win over Frontier ... Also excelled in track & field, winning the 100 and the long jump and earning Most Valuable Athlete honors at the 2007 Central Mass. Championship ... Set the school record in the 100 ... Played three seasons of basketball, captaining the team as a senior.

Personal: Born Dec. 17, 1988 ... Father, Tony, played football at Texas ... Majoring in Sociology.

Chad Hunte
Sophomore � Linebacker
6-0 � 205
Brookline, Mass./Brookline H.S./Northeastern

General: Eligible to play three seasons at UMass after a true freshman campaign at Northeastern.

As a Freshman in 2009 at Northeastern: Appeared in all 11 games for Northeastern in 2009, totaling 32 tackles (18 solo) ... Had two solo tackles in a win at Rhode Island (11/21) ... Returned his first career interception 51 yards for a touchdown against Massachusetts (11/7) ... Tallied two tackles against Holy Cross (10/2) ... Recorded four tackles against Villanova (9/26).

Before College: Played three years of varsity football at Brookline High under head coach and former Northeastern football letterman Laz Mitjans (1979-82) ... Captained the team his senior season ... Named All-Bay State first team, team MVP and defensive team MVP ... Also wrestled and played basketball for one season.

Personal: Born Feb. 14, 1991 ... Father, Alan, lettered in football at Northeastern from 1978-81 ... Has two brothers, Kyle, who was also a member of the Northeastern football team and AJ, who wrestles at Pittsburgh ... Was a member of the African American Scholars program at Brookline High.

Anthony Nelson
Senior � Wide Receiver
5-10 � 180
Wellington, Fla./Glades Day School/Hofstra

General: Will play his senior season at UMass after three seasons at Hofstra.

As a Junior in 2009 at Hofstra: Caught 40 passes for 520 yards and four touchdowns during the 2009 season ... Returned four punts for 25 yards and eight kick-offs for 121 yards ... Brought in five balls for 71 yards and a score against UMass (11/21) ... Caught three passes for 32 yards against Delaware (11/7) ... Caught four balls for 117 yards, highlighted by an 89 yard grab and a touchdown against Rhode Island (10/17) ... Brought in six balls for 60 yards against Maine (10/10) ... Caught six passes for 80 yards and a touchdown against Bryant (9/12).

As a Sophomore in 2008: CAA Academic All-Conference and Hofstra Athletics Academic Honor Roll selection ... Played and started in eight games as a sophomore ... Missed the final four games of the season with an injury ... Was second on the team in receptions with 35 for 314 yards and one touchdown ... Hauled in nine passes for 92 yards against Rhode Island and nine for 85 yards against Albany ... Posted four receptions for 69 yards, including a season-long of 30 yards, and a touchdown at Stony Brook ... Returned nine punts for 31 yards ... Recorded one return for a season-best 22 yards at James Madison ... Also returned five kickoffs for 94 yards on the season ... Tallied two kickoff returns for 43 yards at Connecticut ... Recorded his longest kickoff return of the year, 29 yards, at Maine ... Made 10 solo tackles on special teams, including four at Bucknell and three against URI.

As a Freshman in 2007: All-CAA first team selection as a punt returner ... Played in all 11 games as a true freshman ... Second on the team, 12th in the CAA and 97th in the FCS in receptions with 44 ... Posted the second-most receptions by a freshman in school history, behind all-time record-holder Charles Sullivan�s 68 in 2004 ... Recorded 543 receiving yards, which was second on the Pride and 15th in the CAA ... Posted two 100-yard receiving games ... Tallied 10 receptions for 128 yards against New Hampshire and six catches for 105 yards at Northeastern ... Posted seven receptions for 92 yards in his college debut against Furman ... Recorded his only receiving touchdown of the season on a 24-yard pass from Bryan Savage at Villanova ... Led the CAA and was sixth in the CAA in punt returns with 20 returns and 312 yards for a 15.6 average ... Tallied three punt returns for 83 yards at Rhode Island, including a third-quarter 77-yard runback that helped spark the Pride�s come-from-behind victory ... Posted four punt returns for 39 yards at Villanova and had a 67-yard punt return at Northeastern ... Recorded three rushing attempts for 17 yards and had one kickoff return for 6 yards.

Before College: Earned four letters in football and baseball, and one in basketball at Glades Day School in Belle Glade, Florida ... Helped lead team to a 12-2 record and the Florida IA state championship in 2006 ... Named to All-Florida honorable mention team as a senior ... Named first team all-area by the Sun-Sentinel and second team all-area by the Palm Beach Post ... Posted 32 catches for 550 yards and nine touchdowns in 2006 ... Also returned three punts and one kickoff for scores ... Special Teams Player of the Year as a junior.

Personal: Born August 29, 1989 ... Has one sister ... Boys and Girls Club volunteer ... Entrepreneurship major at Hofstra.

Greg Niland
R-Senior � Offensive Line
6-5 � 305
East Bridgewater, Mass./Coyle-Cassidy H.S./Northeastern

As a Redshirt Junior in 2009 at Northeastern: Blocked for a team that averaged 130.8 rushing yards per game, including John Griffin who became the fifth Husky to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season.

As a Redshirt Sophomore in 2008 at Northeastern: Started all 12 games at left tackle for the Huskies ... Named to the CAA Football Academic All-Conference team.

As a Redshirt Freshman in 2007 at Northeastern: Started 10 games at left tackle.

As a Freshman in 2006 at Northeastern: Redshirted season.

Before College: Lettered in football, hockey and track at Coyle-Cassidy High School in Taunton, Mass. ... Captained the football team his senior year ... Was named Eastern Athletic League MVP in 2005 ... Also named a Brockton Enterprise & Taunton Gazette All-Scholastic ... Was a member of the Gridiron Club of Boston Super 26 All-State team ... Helped football team to No. 1 ranking in Division 2 in 2004 ... Led hockey team to No. 1 ranking in Division 2 in 2005-06.

Personal: Born Oct. 5, 1988 ... Uncle, Joe Lipinski, was captain of football team at Maine ... Majored in Finance & Insurance at Northeastern.

--
Jason Yellin
Associate Athletic Director/Media Relations
UMass Athletics
250 Boyden Gym
Amherst, Mass 01003
Office: 413-577-3061
Cell: 413-687-1756
Fax: 413-545-1556
www.UMassAthletics.com

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