First undrafted quarterback to be elected into the Hall of Fame

by Cathy Jones

Warren Moon kept himself a busy schedule after high school he played at a junior college in Los Angeles and in the Canadian Football League before reaching the NFL. Based on his history, Moon knew better than to expect selection into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

For the first time since 2001, the maximum number of candidates was chosen, reinforcing the strength of the 15 finalists. Among those who didn't make it are Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin, former Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Gary Zimmerman, Buffalo Bills running back Thurman Thomas, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Thomas and Washington Redskins receiver Art Monk.

The former quarterback received a very nice surprise when he was elected along with five others last Saturday. He is the first African-American quarterback in the Hall of Fame. Among the others were New York Giants linebacker Harry Carson, Coach John Madden, Troy Aikman, Rayfield Wright, and late Reggie White.

If we compare, they've had very similar careers Aikman was the NFL's top draft pick in 1989. and Moon was undrafted out of the University of Washington after leading the Huskies to an upset victory in the 1978 Rose Bowl. Aikman retired after 12 seasons because of concussions. Moon, even after playing his first six professional seasons in the CFL, played 17 seasons in the NFL. And Aikman won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys in four seasons, while Moon was unable to reach the Super Bowl.

While he lamented the final fact, Moon said his unusual career path made his selection all the more meaningful. Moon is the first undrafted quarterback to be elected into the Hall of Fame.

About the Author

Cathy Jones writes on sports betting and gambling one of the fastest growing online industries and she is one of the top senior article writersfor www.envivosports.com Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety on your site, make sure to leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.

2006 NFL Draft: The Reggie Bush sweepstakes

by John Onan

While it's still quite a few months before the NFL Draft, with the regular season winding down, it's a good time as any to take a glance at the teams who are "competing' for the league's worst record and the right to draft the lone "can't miss" college player, USC running back/receiver/kick return specialist Reggie Bush.

If you weren't convinced of this kid's potential at the beginning of the college football year, after watching him blow by defenses in 2004, after watching his last two games against Fresno State and UCLA, you have to be convinced now, right??

Current favorite: The Houston Texans

They'll be a few changes here, especially in the coaching department, as Dom Capers and his staff will either be shown the door at the end of the season, or sooner. David Carr was supposed to develop into the franchise QB by now, but we really don't know how good he is because of the lack of talent around him. The Texans management still believe he has potential, so they won't be drafting his replacement in 2006.

Bush would give the team at least a watch-able player, something they don't have at the moment. Not sure about you, but Domanick Davis doesn't exactly get the juices flowing.

The San Francisco 49ers

This may be the best scenario for the the San Diego native, since the hometown Chargers won't pick til late in the 1st round. Also, he and last year's #1 pick Alex Smith were teammates at Helix High. near San Diego.

The 49ers were once a proud organization, and with a underrated coach like Mike Nolan at the helm, all he needs are a few difference-makers, which Bush definitely is. Interesting enough, the Niners face the Texans in week 17, possibly with the USC star as the prize for the loser.

I knew Direct TV offered Sunday Ticket for some reason.

New York Jets

With the team having so much uncertainty about thir current quarterback situation, namely the health of Chad Pennington, Matt Leinart may be the more helpful choice. The Jets still have Curtis Martin in the backfield, and he can still run despite his age by evidenced by his rushing title in 2004.

And with Eli Manning starring for the cross-town Giants, the Jets would also love to have a marquee signal-caller. But could they really pass on Bush??

Green Bay Packers

Brett Favre probably won't allow the Pack to finish with the league's worst record, especially with the Lions and Ravens remaining on the schedule. Who even knows yet if he'll be back next year, as it's pretty much assured that head coach Mike Sherman is a goner.

And the team certainly won't draft another QB, since Aaron Rodgers is the future, I guess? If Favre returns for another year or two, he may never see the field.

The health of Ahman Green is also an issue, so Bush would be the perfect fit for GB. He'd also give Favre a dump-off guy, so hopefully he won't continue to throw into coverage. But old habits are hard to break, especially 14 year old habits.

About the Author

John Onan (ego74) is a sports writer and handicapper. He runs Ego Sports Consulting, where he offers winning sports picks for a very reasonable price.

His website is http://ego42420.tripod.com and he can be reached at nay7201@mail.com

First African-American head football coach in the sec - Speaking Of People - Brief Article - Biography

SYLVESTER CROOM, a former All-American center at the University of Alabama in the '70s, had his name etched into the history books when he was recently named head football coach at Mississippi State University, making him the first Black coach to take the reins of a football team in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), which has had a history of racial polarization. The selection of the 49-year-old, who had a brief career in the NFL as a player, came after he was passed over a few months ago for the top job at Alabama in favor of Mike Shula, who is White. Croom has been an assistant coach for five NFL teams, with his last assignment as running backs coach for the Green Bay Packers. His hiring at the Starkville, Miss., university makes him the fifth active African-American head football coach among the 117 schools in NCAA Division 1-A. "I am, in a lot of ways, the recipient of the sacrifices that other people made," Croom says. "I realize that it [the hiring] is not my doing. I'm just the one who's reaping the benefits." The Bulldogs' new coach earned a bachelor's degree in history at Alabama and later received a master's in educational administration. He and his wife, Jearline, have one daughter, Jennifer.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group

What is fantasy football and how do you play?

Fantasy football is growing more and more popular by the second. It seems like everywhere you look you see another ad for a fantasy football related product or service and everyone is talking about this great game. But what is fantasy football, and more importantly, how do you play?
At the most basic level, fantasy football is a statistic-based game. You select real-world NFL players that will make up your fantasy team roster and score points based on how they perform in real-world NFL games. If your fantasy team scores more points than other fantasy teams in your league, you win.

With just this basic idea, there's an unlimited amount of variations on how to play fantasy football, and many fanatics have spent countless hours creating their own specific and detailed rules.

Sound interesting? Then here are some general steps and advice to starting your own fantasy football league.

Pick a commissioner

The first and most important step in starting your own fantasy football league is to pick a league commissioner. The commissioner will be the leader of your league. They'll be responsible for defining and enforcing your league rules. The commissioner is also in charge of organizing league events, calculating team scores, and keeping all teams informed and involved throughout the season.

As you can see, this is a very important decision. A good commissioner can make for a great fantasy football experience but a weak commissioner will quickly sap all the fun out of your league. Make sure to select someone who is willing to put in the required work, who is diplomatic and fair with others, and who is detailed oriented.

Note: For more information about selecting a commissioner and what's involved in the job I recommend you read the article The Army had Patton ... You Have a Fantasy League Commissioner by Joseph Legler at http://www.draftwizard.com/ .
Get a group of people to play

Once you've got a quality commissioner in place, your next step is to get a group of people together who want to play. Most leagues are made up of 12 teams, but with a little creativity in your scheduling, you can play with just about any number of people.

Fantasy football may be a statistic-based game, but the real addiction behind the game is the community that it's played around so try to find other players that enjoy football at or around the same level that you do. Statistic lovers will enjoy fantasy football more if they are playing against other statistic lovers, casual NFL fans will enjoy playing with other casual NFL fans more than any other level of player. If you're a hardcore NFL fan that knows everything there is to know about football, you can easily crush the casual NFL fan in a fantasy football league, but chances are you won't have much fun doing it.

Set up your rules

So you've got a commissioner and a group of players, now it's time to set up your rules. It's important to set up strict and well-defined rules for your league, but try not to sap all the fun out of the game with restricting rules. Your rules should be used more as guidelines than as laws. Be flexible enough to allow for change when a rule is shown to be inaccurate or the majority of your league demands such. Your rules are there to add structure to the game play. Remember that in the end, the game is supposed to be about fun.
Some general rules that you'll want to cover include what your roster limitations are, how trades will work, how free agency works, what your scoring rules are, and how team disputes will be handled.

Set up your league schedule

Next up, you'll need to put together a schedule for your league. Because your fantasy teams are made up of real-world NFL players and your points are based on their performance in real-world games, your schedule should be set within the course of the NFL regular season. It's recommended that the final game of your fantasy season be no later than the second to last game of the NFL regular season. This is because many real-world NFL teams rest their stars once they have qualified for the playoffs. These stars are almost certainly the same players that some of the teams in your league rely on. Additionally if your schedule goes into the playoffs, there is a strong chance that many of the real-world NFL players on various fantasy teams won't have any active games left.

Whenever possible, you should try to create a schedule which allows each team to play every other team in the league at least once.

Note: Draftwizard.com has a great tool to help you Create your fantasy league schedule.
Draft your teams

Now that you've got your commissioner, set up your rules, and put together your fantasy schedule you're ready to have your fantasy draft. The point of your draft is to let all the teams in your league fill out their rosters in as fair and simple a way as possible.
Try to schedule the draft for a time when everyone can attend and participate. In general live drafts make for a more community filled and fun league, but, especially at first, a live draft can be a slow and drawn out process. The more organized and structured you can make your draft, the more fun each team should have and the quicker the whole process should go.
Note: Draftwizard.com has a great tool to set up and run your draft.

Play your games

Finally, you're ready to play your games! Submit your starting lineup, keep an eye out for possible trades or free agent pickups, gloat about your success, and trash talk to your league mates when they fail.

Most important of all, remember that fantasy football is a game and the basic idea, whether you're winning or losing, should be to have fun. So enjoy!

Kevin Marshall is the founder of various fantasy sports sites including http://www.draftwizard.com/ and http://www.supermug.com./ When he's not deep into coding new and improved features for one of these sites, he's generally doing research which has helped him to win his league championship two years in a row!This article courtesy of http://bestfootballsource.com.You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact.

Bowling for Greatness:

MF asks a top pigskin professor about the three best college football bowl games of all time

HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT THERE WAS ONCE A TIME when college bowl games were played purely for exhibition. They didn't carry the same do-or-die significance that they do now. But that went out of fashion just like leather helmets. Today, bowl games can define a team's entire season and legacy. Here are my picks for the top three, each of which had the national title at stake and involved legendary personalities on and off the field.

1 ORANGE BOWL 1984, Miami 31 Nebraska 30

Heavy underdog Miami blows out in front, while Nebraska, considered the "team of the century," rallies back. The momentum shifts back and forth until it all comes down to one decision and one play. Still one of the most talked-about coaching decisions in the sport's history: Nebraska coach Tom Osborne goes for the two-point conversion and the win, but Miami safety Ken Calhoun deflects the pass. Had Nebraska gained those last three yards, they would have been remembered as one of the greatest teams ever. Instead, it's Miami that arrives as a major program on that electric night.

2 FIESTA BOWL 2003, Ohie State 31 Miami 24, Double OT

The game was over. Fireworks went off. There was a premature ... celebration. Ohio State, the heavy underdog, was going down. Then the official calls pass interference on Miami on a fourth-down play at the end of the first overtime and gives the Buckeyes another chance to tie. We'd never had a championship game go into one overtime, let alone two. Ohio State didn't waste the opportunity: Their defense held the Hurricanes out of the end zone, and they ended Miami's 34-game winning streak.

3 SUGAR BOWL 1979, Alabama 14 Penn State 7

You don't need points to have excitement. Every yard was precious; every first down was a crusade. It all came down to a goal-line stand, and Alabama had to defend the last 10 inches of the football field in the Superdome. Being a Penn State fan, I cried over the loss for days.

THE NUMBER GAME

Age of Seattle Mariners pitching sensation Felix Hernandez.

Seat width, in inches, at the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

Number of days it took Swiss men Brian Jones and Bertrand Piccard to circumnavigate the globe in 1999, nonstop, in the Breitling-Orbiter 3.

Number, in millions, of sports-related injuries occurring each year in England and Wales.

Recommended speed, in mph, at which you should release a ball when bowling.

CHRIS FOWLER OF ESPN'S COLLEGE GAMEDAY

COPYRIGHT 2005 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

Choosing A Football According To Your Needsby Keith Kingston

If your child likes to play football then choosing a football for them, is relatively easy but should not be treated with contempt. After all, you want to make sure you buy a football that will play well, will last several years and can produce a good, fun game on a regular basis.

Depending on your child's age, different types of footballs should be bought and used. Just as there are different types of balls you can buy to use for a game of baseball like a regulation major league baseball, a soft covered baseball or a wiffle ball, footballs too come in different styles, shapes and sizes depending upon the skill level of the football competition, the age and size of the player. Essentially choosing a football should be done on the basis of how the football is to be used and who will be using it.

If you are buying a football for a small child or a young child who is new to the new game of football then you should opt for a soft covered, foam football as opposed to the hard style, regulation football. The most popular brand of this kind of ball is the Nerf football. The Nerf ball is soft and is ideal for young children because if it accidentally hits someone it just bounces rather than causing any injury. A Nerf ball is usually very cheap and you can usually pick one up from your local sports store for under ten dollars.

For young people and teenagers who just want to have a bit of fun, you can always opt for a mini football. Mini footballs are smaller versions of the regular sized footballs but are made of the same materials as the regulation footballs. Mini footballs are easy to grip and throw which makes them ideal for kids and also ideal for family picnics.

However when it comes to choosing a football that is regulation and standard then there are a number of different sizes and styles available for you to choose from. You can choose from a college football, an official National Football League football or a replica Superbowl finals football. The main difference between footballs is the shape with some being more rounded for catching and others being more pointed for throwing. The choice is really up to you, but you best bet is to see what is available and make your choice from those options.

About the Author

You can avail of free football gear online, by participating in our promotional offers. Check out how you can acquire free football equipment right now.

It's SuperBowl Time!! by Gena Biem

It's that time of the year again: SuperBowl Time!!!

People will be getting together all over the U.S. to celebrate this game day. Of course, for many people, getting together with family and friends to watch the games is an every week thing.
Because of this, I decided to create a website with a few of our favorite football recipes. If you'd like to try something new for the SuperBowl just take a peak and see if anything gets your taste buds going.

http://www.webspawner.com/users/footballrecipes/

About the Author
Gena Biem is a stay-at-home-mom who makes money creating FREE informational guides. For more information visit this site: http://www.webspawner.com/users/genambiem/