Building Teams --You see it everywhere

A college football team has it. A corporation has it. Even a growing family has it. These three organizations share a common desire to build their prospective teams. For example, a college football team continually needs to bring in new players to replace the graduating players. A corporation builds its team to help it grow and meet the needs of clients. A young married couple who are having children are building their own family team. Each of these results has a different outcome. In the end, the goal is to work together, help each other, and collectively reach a higher level of performance. Whatever team you are currently involved with, it is surprising at how much organization is needed to build a great team. Furthermore, the following teams have their own equally important approach as to how they successfully build their prospective teams.

A college football team has it. A corporation has it. Even a growing family has it. These three organizations share a common desire to build their prospective teams. For example, a college football team continually needs to bring in new players to replace the graduating players. A corporation builds its team to help it grow and meet the needs of clients. A young married couple who are having children are building their own family team. Each of these results has a different outcome. In the end, the goal is to work together, help each other, and collectively reach a higher level of performance. Whatever team you are currently involved with, it is surprising at how much organization is needed to build a great team. Furthermore, the following teams have their own equally important approach as to how they successfully build their prospective teams.
First of all, let’s focus on a college football team. Unlike professional sports, coaches have roughly a four-year time period to retain their players. After that period, an athlete’s eligibility is complete due to graduation. In order to fill the void left by graduated players, coaches rely heavily on recruiting new players to continue building the football team. Coaches look for the best athletes who have the capability to surpass those athletes before them, so that they can continue a winning team. Coaches face a challenging role to rebuild their program, depending on their previous team’s success. At the end of the football season, coaches must take the initiative to re-build their team each year to fill vacancies so their team can move forward again.
During college, I interned for a public relations firm, and on my first day, my supervisor welcomed me with an e-mail that read, Welcome to the team! At first, I felt that only organized athletics reserved the right to use the word team. On a mature level, I’ve realized companies stay healthy when they implement a team-like atmosphere in the workplace. Being on a team brings out motivation and competition in employees, and also helps them to unite, identify their roles on the team, and produce stronger results. I’ve attended many career sessions and with every employer I’ve met, they have emphasized their desire to hire college graduates to join their team. Like a college sports team, an employer needs to recruit prospective candidates to fulfill roles in their company.
Many companies utilize employees as team members because it is a fitting approach when they are competing in an industry. For example, popular competing organizations such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola use the team approach in the workplace. The work environment at Pepsi might have some teams who are directly competing against some rival teams at Coca-Cola. This competition and approach is healthy because it energizes employees to become active team members and promoters for their brand. As mentioned before, being on a team helps members to identify their individual roles in the company and along with motivating them in a competing industry.
You can apply team building skills in any organization. For example, universities that are accepting incoming freshmen will want candidates who will help maintain or even raise the academic standards for greater respect and reputation of their school. Those freshmen are building the university team to improve performance and image. Finally, a chairman will seek out candidates to fulfill his board to bring in fresh ideas and insight to his committee. The chairman is simply building his team for support. In any circumstance, building teams will build a foundation for any organization that wants to progress and move forward. With a purpose and vision to improve your organization, building your own team and improving team interaction will help you achieve outstanding results.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stephanie Tuia is a Client Account Specialist with 10x Marketing – More Visitors. More Buyers. More Revenue. For more information on building teams, visit CMOE.

10 Easy Tips to Enjoy Super Bowl Sunday (Even If You Are a Girl)

What’s a girl to do? Super Bowl Sunday has to be the most masculine day of the entire year. Julie Hunt, female extraordinaire, offers 10 totally awesome ideas to women planning and enjoying their Sunday, Feb. 6th Super Bowl Soiree. Because unless you want to plan an “Anti Super Bowl Party” where you can escape for a few hours, let the guys do their thing and paint the town red… the reality is most of us girls will end up at a Super Bowl Party (and you may even be the hostess of one). And that means hanging out with excitable boys who can’t be interrupted or ripped from the TV, eating almost as much food as we do on Thanksgiving Day and grinning and bearing the football nonsense to get through it all. Thank goodness we’ve got Bono this year as our halftime hunny! Why fight it? Might as well brighten up the day with a little feminine energy and make it a day for everyone, not just the boys. So, here are the top 10 ways to enjoy a Simply Superb Super Bowl Sunday. 1. Pre-game Role Reversal. Encourage the guys to perform a pre-game cheer and let the girls huddle up to devise a play and act it out. Make it an annual Super Bowl ritual and elaborate on it every year. 2. Battle of the Sexes. Start a football pool for the girls. Have each woman take exactly the opposite position of one of the guys. And at the end of the day see who really knows more about football. 3. MVP Awards. Keep a look out for the MVP party goers. Keep secret voting ballots for the girls to pick: Worst Joke Worst Behavior Best Behaved Heisman Trophy Snack Winner Fewest Party Fouls Worst Party Fumble 4. Open Up the NFL Shop. Get the girls together before hand and add a little football fun to your wardrobe. Make ‘NFL Champion’ baby doll tees with nick names or code names. Buy flashy Super Bowl rings as party favors. 5. Beer Blitz. Have the kids on clean up patrol all day long. Give them trash bags and let them know that every empty can they collect is money in their pocket. You’ll take them down to the ‘Recycle Center’ and turn the cans into cold hard cash. You might even match the money and then take them to a special spot so they can spend it! 6. Toilet Penalties and Seat Fouls. Every time the boys leave the seat up, girls get a 2 minute reprieve from the football talk. Feel free to bring up any non Super Bowl related topic for two whole minutes without being shushed! 7. Football Fun Trivia. Have a competition between the women and the kids at the party and see who is up on their football trivia. Send an email to julie@shesite.com with the subject line “Super Bowl Trivia” for a silly Super Bowl Trivia link that everyone (including women and kids) can play. When you get it, you can print the email, make copies and pass them out at halftime. Then when half time is over, rip it up and use it for confetti! 8. Ice Cube Interception. Feel playful, flirtatious and let your guy know it. Toss a cube his way with a wink and a wave instead of shooting him long disapproving stares that could create conflict later. 9. Get In The Game. Learn a few buzz words, game principles or plays so you can get in to it. Get the quick tips Girl’s Guide to Super Bowl Sunday at www.shesite.com with 10 of our favorite football phrases and 3 quick-witted questions so you can shoot the breeze and sound like a pro. 10. Footsie Fumble. Just in case the testosterone gets too thick. Have pedicure spa goodies on stand by and ask the girls to bring toe nail decals to trade and swap for a fun pedicure moment in the 4th quarter. WARNING: For party peace, this tip should only be used in case of an emergency. Retreat off to the side (or even another room completely) and never start it before halftime. And if that doesn’t get you excited, maybe you should plan an “Anti Super Bowl Party” after all. Forget the 10 tips and skip straight to the age old and totally reliable ‘Anti Super Bowl Standby.’ Go shopping! If you can get away with the girls, do it! Enjoy the ghost town you live in at its best! You’ll find that most places, activities and attractions are completely devoid of male human presence! Try something new, go somewhere different or see something you’ve been hoping to for a long time. Plan a Super Bowl fun shopping day, lunch or visit to a museum. For more simple happy fun essentials for every other day of the year, take a peek at www.shesite.com. And, enjoy the game!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julie Hunt is pure delight and motivation. She’s a free flowing source of hope, energy and inspiration. She tells it like it is and lovingly gives simple, straight forward tips and advice so you can live happier days and obliterate the monotony of life. She is on a self propelled mission to scream, skip, run, jump, shout, dance and sing with women all around the universe who want live a vivacious life busting at the seams!

ARE YOU IN THE BIG LEAGUES?

In recent weeks I've watched quite a number of football games, both professional and college. Professional and college football games are played with basically the same rules. In fact, unless you're an "expert" in football, you may not be able to tell the difference.During one professional game, the announcer was commenting on the quality of play of one of the rookie players. The rookie had played college football the year before and had been drafted into the National Football League (NFL). The announcer said that it was time for the rookie to start playing like a professional. He needed to stop playing at the college level and start playing at the big league level since that's where he was now. This comment grabbed my attention, and I hope it grabs yours too.As I thought about that comment, I saw that at the college level, players are first and foremost college students working toward their degree. They do play football, but football is not the entire focus of their lives. In professional football, the players live, breathe, and eat football. That's what they do. That's what they get paid for.All of us have turned the calendar page over to 2002. All of us have the same 12 months in our calendars. All of us have 168 hours in a week, 24 hours in a day. How we use the time that is allotted to us will determine whether we are "college level" players or "big league" players. Which are you?1) Do you treat your online business like a hobby rather than a business? 2) Are you marketing using spamming techniques or are you learning how to effectively market your business through various forms of solid advertising?3) Are you putting your professional foot forward by having your own domain name, a professional e-mail address, and a professional looking website?4) Are you flitting from one opportunity to another trying to make that "million dollars in a day" or are you working steadily and slowly toward building your own strong business?I challenge you today to take a look at your business goals and what you want to accomplish. If you want to play in the "big leagues," then you will need to play at the big league level.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sharon Dalton Williams is a Christian freelance writer whose goal is to change the world one word at a time. Subscribe to her weekly column, *From Sharon’s Pen,* at http://www.sharondaltonwilliams.com.

Betting on the NFL Preseason Football Games

Many sports bettors don’t take advantage and decide to pass on betting in the NFL Preseason. More than likely, they've done battle with NFL Preseason games in the past and have started their football seasons in the hole. The number one reason why they failed is because they used the same handicapping methods in exhibition games that they use during the regular season games. As it turns out, the NFL Preseason is one of the best times to bet on football. Winning edges can be found in deciphering the available information heading into the game giving the edge to the astute handicapper over the books. Information is key in the NFL Preseason and it’s the only time of the year when coaches are willing to reveal their game plans. Among the items to look for when handicapping NFL Preseason games is to assess the intentions of the head coach. An established veteran head coach’s primary objective is to prepare his team to win during the regular season. If the coach is a veteran, look at his exhibition record in past seasons to gather clues as to how he prepares his team for preseason games and how seriously he takes the games. If a veteran coach is secure in his job and with stable personnel, it can reasonably be expected that he will not be looking to win at all costs, will rest his starters and key reserves to avoid unnecessary injuries, especially in the first two exhibition games. However, as the preseason wears on and the regular season looms, look for this type of team to step it up in their third preseason game.A veteran coach whose team is coming off an unsuccessful season whose job may be in jeopardy may go all out in preseason to win a few games and appease the ownership, media, and fans. This coach may play his starters longer in an attempt to get them ready for the regular season. Such a coach tends to be dangerous early in the preseason. A rookie coach almost always tries to impress and win games in the preseason, in order to build their own confidence, the confidence of the team, and the confidence of the ownership, media and fans that the right man was hired for the job. A new coach is often in a “honeymoon period” with his new team and they may play harder for him. The major decision that any coach must make is who is going to play quarterback and for how long. When handicapping NFL Preseason games, you must pay attention to how deep the quarterback position is with each team and how many snaps each quarterback will see. This has a huge bearing on how well a team will perform. If a team is embroiled in a quarterback controversy, possibly a situation where two veterans are competing for the starting job, one could expect both quarterbacks to play well. This situation could have a seasoned NFL quarterback playing against opponents second or third string defense in early preseason games – Advantage veteran quarterback. When a team is not deep at quarterback, or is hurt by injuries or hold outs, it might find itself in trouble playing young and inexperienced signal callers that may have trouble moving the ball when facing complex, speedy NFL defenses while directing an offensive scheme in which they might not be familiar with. Don’t concern yourself too much with each team’s starters. In most preseason games, the starters that are secure in their jobs are resting on the bench by the second quarter as the coach’s audition their back-ups. Preseason games are usually won or lost in the second half by the reserves and players who won’t make the team’s final cut. There is a definite difference in the quality of reserve players between teams. Weaker teams with more roster spots open will usually have stronger players in camp than last year’s top teams with less roster spots open. Top free agent signees out of college are more likely to want to play for a losing team where a stronger opportunity to make the team exists than trying to catch on with an established winning team. Handicapping the NFL Preseason requires the ability to recognize each team’s needs and what the coach wants to accomplish during the Preseason as he prepares his team for the regular season. Try to back head coaches who care about the outcome of the Preseason games and bet against those that don’t. Keep these factors in mind and you will be well on your way to building your bankroll for the 2004 Football Season.Need content? You may use this article at your website or in your newsletter. The only requirement is inclusion of the following sentence: Article by Ron Dyer of Dyer’s Sportsline at footballjunky.com – a leader in sports handicapping information supplying information to make your sports betting profitable.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ron is the founder of Dyer's Sportsline. With his strong aptitude in statistics, analysis of team strengths and weaknesses, his knowledge of human psychology, coupled with years of experience, he has developed a system of delivering consistent winners with his solid game analysis and observations.His goal has always been to inform and educate his Members about the world of sports gambling and to supply information that will make their sports betting profitable.

What football managers know and we don’t

For many of us, amateur commentary and critique of ‘professional’ football is a national pastime. It’s a shame we don’t pay such close attention to our business. Take a moment to ponder this…….·How would you feel about investing £millions in a new player for your team without having seen him play beforehand? ·Once the player joined your team, how regularly would you want to see him play in order to assess his ability, strengths and weaknesses ? ·How personalised would his ongoing coaching be to ensure his fitness and skills continue to improve?I can take a fairly accurate educated guess on your answers. So I’m wondering why we don’t apply the same principal to our sales professionals?·Why is it that companies continue to invest millions in a sales team in order to grow their business without ever really seeing the sales people in action?·Why are salespeople are rarely assessed and coached in the field to improve their performance and thus maximise the organisation’s return on investment? ·Why is it that there is little emphasis on improving the skill and knowledge levels of salespeople other than, perhaps, a little ‘product’ training?I saw an advertisement last week, which read ‘Sales Director wanted £28 million’. Although this appeared to be the salary, it was of course, the estimated cost to the company were they to make the wrong selection.·Why are many senior management teams so cavalier about measuring the real return on investment achieved by their sales team other than tracking revenue? ·Why don’t they understand where, and what added-value help is necessary to increase sales performance? What do you know about the standards of performance of your salespeople and will this be enough to achieve your corporate goals? Surely it is sheer madness to ignore the part of your business that is potentially capable of generating such massive growth and profit both now and in the future?And so back to footballBefore purchasing a player you would study his track record. You would assess both his fitness and his, skills (such as passing, shooting, heading the ball and his ability to accurately position and read the game). Scouts and management would observe the person playing prior to making such a huge investment. Judgements in relation to their ability to blend into the team would be considered seriously, a thorough medical would take place and a contract negotiated.Now let’s see what often happens in many UK organisations when it comes to selecting, managing and growing a successful sales team…….New salespeople are often recruited from a steady stream of (often irrelevant) c.v’s from selected organisations which have a vested interest in placing their candidate. The interview process is often informal and based on ‘gut feel’ because the sales managers performing interviews are unprepared, under time pressure and inadequately experienced in selecting top sales performers. A manager often interviews a candidate without the ability (or recognition that it’s necessary) to match the Knowledge, Attitudes, Skills and Habits of the candidate with the requirements of the job. In addition, the candidate is rarely evaluated in a real life situation – we don’t get to see the ’player’ on the ‘pitch’. Joint interviews of candidates are decreasing due to time pressures. Proof of previous sales performance, P60 supporting evidence of past earnings and, perhaps most surprising, references, are seldom requested. Very often, the end result is the selection of the wrong candidate which then takes many months to become apparent. By which time of course, you’re stuck with the problem of reversing your expensive decision with employment law and numerous other ramifications to consider. The lynch-Pin PointIn this age of the internet isn’t it more cost effective to invest less cash on finding the candidate while investing more in the correct selection process?Recruiting the wrong salespeople is extremely expensive, time consuming and unproductive so why do we not insist on a professional selection process in the same way that football managers do?Your new salesperson joins the team………….Once on board, our football manager would insist on continued meticulous screening in training and during match play whilst an on-going personal programme of coaching and improvement was agreed. But our Managing Director………..Gives the new sales person a territory and a sales target based on the organisation’s requirements (i.e. top down quota). The person may be given an induction programme and perhaps even some product training if he’s lucky. However, he seldom receives ongoing job assessment and coaching and 6 months later has, in all likelihood, still not benefited from a visit with his manager. The company management adds to this folly by implicitly supporting the lack of standards of performance, systems and methodologies required to measure the necessary quality and quantity of sales effort.The boards of directors usually ignore these issues when markets are buoyant and business is going well. The reality is that in fact, they are missing £millions in lost opportunities. They then react in ‘panic mode’ when sales are decreasing which often results in new management appointments to allow the same problems to occur once more -- only dressed in a different wrapper.This is not the way to plan for success and it is certainly not the way you would run a football team!We call this ‘management by hope’.So why is the sales function not producing the return on the investment required?We couldn’t attempt to address all the reasons but listed below are some snapshots of what we have seen over recent years.·The detail of the sales function is seldom understood at board level. The belief that if you simply ‘do more’ you’ll get the result is frighteningly common. No attention is paid to the ‘doing more’ of ‘what’, or to ‘whom’. ·The direct sales plan is not integrated into the marketing and business plan and the disconnect is apparent. ·The sales management team is usually rewarded for achieving short-term revenue and profit goals with little measurement of the qualitative and quantitive parts of the job. ·Structured up-skilling and ‘leader & coaching’ programmes seldom exist.·Apathy and low work rate within the sales organisation. (The drumbeat is too slow.) “If Bill hits his targets and only works 4 days per week, why do I care if he plays golf every Friday?” No thought is given to how much more Bill could achieve, how this would effect his motivation and indeed, how his targets were set!·Lack of a ‘sales culture’ and excitement·Lack of recognition of true professional selling·The introduction of the internet and e-mail has given salespeople another excuse not to make contact with customers and cultivate their networkWe are in danger of seeing standards of sales performance reduce year by year unless we take action now. So what are our choices?It’s very simple really……………Organisations can continue in the same vein and leave sales results to chance, just hoping things improve……. or they can take action.How to change?It is not possible to cover the whole spectrum of sales issues regularly facing Managing Directors but here are a few checklist items that you could take action on now.·Ensure your sales propositions are articulated and clearly understood by the salespeople and your customers. Your customers must really understand the business deliverables of your products and services and the implications of choosing an alternative.·Ensure you have a leader of sales who really understands the sales function and allocates time to managing it properly. Forbid them to be in the office for more than a small portion of the working week.·Prepare open questions that establish the needs and wants of your customer and then relate their needs and wants back to your products and services.·Prepare a ‘person specification’ template to ensure the standards for existing and new people are met.·Be sure you know how you want the salespeople to spend their time.·Introduce a professional selection and retention programme for all new and existing salespeople.·Use outside expert resources where appropriate to plug the skill, knowledge and experience gaps within your own organisation.·Plan, manage and measure the quality and quantity of sales effort taking place and compare this with the pre-agreed required activity to achieve the result.·Immediately introduce ‘bottom up / top down’ planning to check the credibility of your revenue plan·Link forecasting systems to the quantity, direction and quality of activity required rather than just to historical sales results·Know and understand how your sales team stacks up against the competitionSo where do you start?·Start with a thorough review of your sales organisation. The people, procedures, processes and current performance and highlight the areas for immediate, medium and long-term improvement. This can be done very quickly and at quite low cost·Build a programme to manage change and improvement by introducing standards and key performance indicators and ensure salespeople and management ‘walk the talk’·Where necessary, for fast, expert advice, appoint an external organisation that has a proven track record of implementing change and improving sales performance.Do not think you can fix these issues by sending your people on a training course. You’d be better off taking your team for a ‘fun day’ and you’ll change no more. Remember the football manager who works with his team, shares his experience and improves their skills at the coaching ground? While training might be helpful in the short term, there is no substitute for getting ‘on the pitch’ to play and being observed in real live situations.It takes a brave executive, especially a Sales Director to admit they need outside help -- but all sportspeople have a coach who is continually improving performance so why should it be different for your sales professionals? ConclusionA 10% improvement in sales performance will make a vast improvement to the profitability of a company and in most companies this is very achievable. However, it does require an investment of time, and some money. It requires people to stop some of the unproductive things they are doing now, and, instead, spend their time focused on what is truly effective and productive. “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”.Benjamin Franklin At some point, whether you’re ready or not - things must change.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A Certified Accountant with 26 years experience of selling and marketing achievement in the IT industry. Having been on the board of many companies in the U.K. including Sperry, Unisys and Acorn Computers, the last three years sees Mike running O’RIORDAN LAWES, a business consultancy working with executives to address the issues of improving business performance. Mike is a Non Executive of Quantum a leading company of sales practitioners specialising in improving sales performance.

Did you know?? - Arsenal Football Club

Everyone with an interest in English football knows that this season's UK Premiership winners were Arsenal Football Club but how many know how the club started or what it was first called? When it was originally formed in 1886, the club had very humble beginnings as a departmental team at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich. Most of the players were workers in a department at the Royal Arsenal called 'Dial Square' and so they decided on an appropriate name for themselves which was 'Dial Square FC'. They later changed their name to Royal Armoury and eventually, just before World War One, when they moved to their current home at Highbury, the name was changed simply to Arsenal which is how we know the great team of today. For anyone who is interested in learning more about the incredible history of The Gunners I would recommend a book called 'The Arsenal Collection' which is available direct from it's publisher Breedon Books at: http://www.breedonbooks.co.uk/publications/185983390X.html


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris is the webmaster of www.football-nut.co.uk where he challenges you to prove your football knowledge and win prizesin the free monthly football quiz and prize draw. The Football-Nut website also contains up-to-the-minute news for all of the major UK football clubs.

Top 25 College Football Rankings are Meaningless!

What is he talking about? If you think Top 25 Rankings are a great way to handicap football games, let me lend some friendly advice. I have to admit that I would be hard pressed to name more than 20 of the Top 25 teams going into this weekends games and putting them in their order of ranking is a completely different story.Sitting around watching football on Saturday with my Dad, who isn't a degenerate sports junky like most of us, he usually asks who's playing, what the spread is and who do I like. This past week, he asked me where each team was ranked and I couldn't tell him for sure, and that got me to thinking about this weeks handicapping tip. When it comes to handicapping NCAA football games, a teams ranking in the Top 25 poll (or omission) should have no bearing on your handicapping of the games at all. I liken the Top 25 Rankings to a popularity poll in high school similar to the most likely to succeed from your graduating class. Isn't it ironic when you go back to your class reunion and find out that your classmate who was supposed to be a huge success rarely is. The same thing happens in College Football Rankings.You are really limiting yourself if you handicap football based on a team's ranking, or include this in your decision making process of whether to play on a team or not. Teams in the Top 25 will obviously not lose as many games, but against the spread (ATS), over the course of a season, Top 25 teams will lose more games than they win because of the lack of line value with favorites. This is what you are concerned about in sports investing, finding winners.Key elements of handicapping football are line movement, situational handicapping, match-up information and line value.Line movement is tracking how a line moves throughout the week. College Football lines are up late Sunday afternoon. Movements early in the week are indicative of smart or sharp money. Line movements later in the week (Friday and Saturday morning) are caused in most cases by the Public.Situational handicapping involves a teams performance the prior week, who is looming on the schedule the next week, a teams history with their opponent from a prior year and home/away records. A team coming off an emotional win the prior week will have a tendency to be flat, especially if they play an inferior opponent. Teams with a rival on the schedule the following week may look past whom they are playing this Saturday. Also, a revenge angle might be in play from a meeting the prior year. Don't concern yourself with revenge angles from games played longer than a season ago. Also, don't discount home field advantage. Match-up handicapping involves comparing each teams strengths and weaknesses and taking into account any injuries.Line value is determined by your own set of power ratings to determine what the point spread should be. As a courtesy, below I have listed my take on what the spread should be as compared to the actual spread that Vegas has for this weeks upcoming Top 25 games. Remember, this is only one component of handicapping college football games. Just because there is line value, it doesn't automatically make it a play.Line Value - 9/23-9/25 Game, Vegas Home Line, Dyer Home Line, Value Miami (4) @ Houston +30 +20.5 Houston 9.5 BYU @ Boise St (21) -22 -14.5 BYU 7.5 Purdue (15) @ Illinois +20.5 +17.5 Illinois 3 Maryland (23) @ Duke NL +5.5 NAMississippi St @ LSU (13) -29.5 -21.5 Miss St 8 Louisville (22) @ N. Car. +8.5 +4 N. Car 4.5 Air Force @ Utah (14) -21 -21 NAClemson @ Florida St (11) -17 -17.5 Florida St .5 Syracuse @ Virginia (12) -25.5 -19 Syracuse 6.5 Iowa (24) @ Michigan (18) -13.5 -6.5 Iowa 7 Penn St @ Wisconsin (20) -3 -5.5 Wisconsin 2.5 Kentucky @ Florida (16) -19.5 -14.5 Kentucky 5 USC (1) @ Stanford 21.5 17.5 Stanford 4 Rice @ Texas (5) -33 -21.5 Rice 11.5 La Tech @ Tennessee (8) -23 -16 La Tech 7 N'western @ Minny (19) -15 -10.5 N'western 4.5 When you combine all four facets of handicapping, determining line value and playing on sides where there is value, not betting against smart money, playing on teams in favorable situations that have a definite matchup advantage, you will begin becoming more selective with your plays, avoid bad so-called "trap" games and see your winning percentage increase dramatically. You also will become a more sophisticated handicapper rather than concerning yourself with the Top 25 Popularity Poll!Ron Dyer is a documented professional handicapper. Jump on board and cash in with his other Clients. He has opened up his 2004 College Football season 12-5 (+1314 Units)! As always, I wish you only good luck this weekend!Ron DyerDyer's Sportslinewww.footballjunky.com

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 commissionerThe 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 playOnce 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 rulesSo 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 scheduleNext 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 teamsNow 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 gamesFinally, 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!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin Marshall is the founder of various fantasy sports sites including www.draftwizard.com and 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!

Seattle Seahawks in the Superbowl

by: Mark Daoust
Season
The Seahawks are a good team though, without Alexander, not a superbowl team even though he didnt do much. Shaun Alexander is the first player in NFL history to score 15 or more touchdowns during the regular season for four consecutive years.
Seattle's defense thrives despite distractions. The Seahawks had to deal with adversity and defensive personnel changes all season, but were never thrown off course. Each NFL team receives one week without a game, known as a bye, during the football season.
Pittsburgh set an NFL record with its ninth road win of the season and ended the Broncos' 11-game home winning streak. The Broncos had been second in the NFL in turnover margin during the regular season. "Big Ben", 26-4 as a starter, has matured into a seasoned leader in his second NFL season, one who can handle pressure.
Jurevicius is in his eighth season in the NFL and also has had an outstanding year. Seattle led the NFL with 50 sacks during the regular season and has four in the playoffs. His two playoff touchdowns tied him for second in the NFL last season. In terms of NFL ranks, this defense was #5 against the run and #7 in fewest points scored during the regular season.
Team
The Seahawks are the only NFL team to switch conferences twice in the post-merger era. These will be 60 hard-fought, difficult minutes against the hottest, most physical team in the NFL. Seattle has the experience and talent to compete with any team in the NFL. They have clearly established themselves as a the elite team in the NFL. We're the most hated team in the NFL and we're going to prove why in the Superbowl.
Check the NFL football schedules and your favorite NFL team below and purchase your football tickets on online 24 hours a day. Every April the NFL conducts its amateur draft, in which each team obtains the rights to the professional services of the best college players. The move was killed by NFL owners and a $3 billion state lawsuit was filed against the team for reneging on their Kingdome lease.
Game
The officials are the best in the NFL for this game. The "Phantom Touchdown" game was decided by a legendary officiating error that became a primary factor in the NFL's reinstatement of instant replay. Everybody but the officials, who the NFL said called the best game of the decade. In the end, though, history will remember this game as one of the greatest playoff collapses in NFL history.
History
Thirty years into franchise history, Seattle is playing for the NFL championship for the first time. When you have running, passing and the best defensive back in the history of the NFL, you are going to be tough to beat.
About The Author
Mark Daoust is the owner and administrator for NFL Forums. Discuss the NFL Draft, post your rants about the NFL, or just simply talk about NFL News.
nfl-forums.com
nfl@nfl-forums.com

A Quick Introduction to Fantasy Professional Football

by: Kevin T. Fairbanks
Football has become a gigantic sport in the United States. Heroes are being made each weekend and the number of people watching football on TV is at an all-time high. With this popularity, more and more people want to get more from their experience with football. With computers and gaming on computers also gaining popularity, Fantasy Football is gaining popularity, also. Have you caught the bug yet and started participating in a Fantasy Football League? Now would be a great time!
Whether you already know every professional football team and player like the back of your hand, or you just want to learn enough to look less blank when conversing with friends, family or coworkers, fantasy football can enhance your NFL viewing experience.
As a lottery commercial says, "you have to be in it to win it". In order to join the fun, you have to pick a "host", select your preferred NFL players, and join or start a league.
You have a ton of options when considering where to host a fantasy football team. Some of the most commonly played "hosts" include CBS Sportsline.com, SportingNews.com, YahooSports Fantasy Football and CDM Fantasy Sports.
Depending on the host and league, you'll play one of several formats. One requires an upfront payment to enter your league, but doesn't charge you for players you pick up during the season from a free agent or "waiver" pool. Generally, the higher you pay as your upfront fee, the larger your prize if you win your league for the season.
The second format is free to join, but will cost you for most or all players you claim off waivers or as free agents after the initial draft period ends. Generally, trades with other players are free of charge. Be careful, though! Those trades can be costly in another way to you if you give away too much to get that must-have player.
The most common formats allow you a team made up of one or more quarterbacks, one or more running backs, one or more wide receivers, one or more tight ends and one or more defense/special teams (DST) units. Depending on the league, you may play all of your players at once or pick some players as "starters" and assign others as "reserves". Only your active players (starters} earn you points for that week. You get points for their league-defined accomplishments each week. What and how much your team will score will vary from league to league.
Now you need players on your team, so it is time for you to "draft" some football players. Using your basic understanding of football, and drawing on your NFL savvy, or some free or paid information sources to review, you'll rank real NFL players before your league draft. You may also be able to use the players as "pre-ranked" by your host.
You'll also need to decide whether you want the excitement and time commitment of a live draft, or the relative ease and less time offered by an automated draft. If you are a beginner, the automated draft is highly recommended.
During the season, there are "BYE" weeks, during which an NFL team and its players get the week off to recharge. Real players also can be injured, so you lose their productivity. On the other hand, you and your team don't get any time off, so you'll probably have to make trades and perform waiver wire moves to ensure that you have a full, strong team playing every week.
Those are the basics. Now, it is up to you to apply your special knowledge, instinct or hunches, and "Win one for the Gipper". Before your draft, you might want to challenge friends, family members or co-workers who have similar skills to yours to join your league. Some healthy competition can make your fantasy football experience even more enjoyable.
As with any game, keep in mind that it is only a game. You will not become rich or popular dependent upon how well you play. It is mostly purely entertainment. If you keep this in mind and don't take yourself or the game too seriously, you will have a great time. It is a great game and you should have no trouble finding others with your passion and skill level. Have fun and good luck!
About The Author
Kevin T. Fairbanks is the husband of Becky and the father of 2, Nicholas and Kirsten. He is an avid sports fan and over-all good guy. He has taken his love of sports and developed web sites that offer that love of sports to others.
http://CollectibleSport.com
http://www.Collectible-Sports-Memorabilia.com
http://www.GolfClubsHome.com

Score At Least 5 More Points Per Game By Coaching Football Kicking Properly

by: Matt Zavadil
I'll bet you're frustrated that your team's football kicking skills are leaving at least five points on the field every game you coach. Think about it, how often have you been in a fourth and three situation on the opposition's fifteen yard line with no confidence in hitting the field goal?
You go for it instead of trying the kick and don't make it. Instead of a three point lead, your opponent takes over and drives down for a touchdown . If you could improve your team's kicking skills to the point of making just one field goal and two extra points per game, what would those five points do for your football coaching record?
Let's discuss five simple tips for football kicking to help your kicker eliminate bad technique and have more success.
1) Instill in your football kicker the need to invest consistent practice time on developing his kicking skills. This may sound obvious, but too many youth football teams spend so little time working on their kicking game, it's no wonder they can't get the football through the uprights.
2) Here's another obvious one, but worth mentioning. Teach your kicker to kick with the side of the foot ("soccer style") as opposed to the "straight on" method. Your kicker will automatically become more accurate using this style of kicking.
3) The plant foot is critical. Teach your kicker to place his plant foot alongside the ball, not behind it and not ahead of it. As contact is made with the ball, the bottom of the shoe should be about parallel to the field.
4) Pay close attention to the follow-through. Your kicker's head should stay down and remain focused on seeing his foot make contact with the bottom third of the football. Help your kicker avoid a common football kicking mistake by teaching him to keep his head down as long as possible on the follow-through. Make sure the follow-through is aimed straight toward the target.
5) Lastly, many young football kickers have a tendancy to alter their approach mechanics on longer field goal tries. Help them be aware of this and teach them to keep their approach consistent no matter the length of the attempted kick.
By applying these five simple tips to your team's football kicking skills, you can add at least five points to each game's total. Many football coaches seem willing to avoid working on the kicking aspect and leave these points on the field.
If you work on this aspect of your game and invest the time to study other finer points of successful football coaching, you'll quickly and easily begin to overtake those other coaches.
About The Author
Matt Zavadil
Matt and Dave run http://www.football-plays-and-drills.com/kick and have written the free coaching report, "5 Keys to Discovering the Successful Coach Inside You". Pick up your free copy along with one additional free report by sending a blank email to footballtips@aweber.com.
We give full permission for you to use this kicking tip article in your newsletter or on your site as long as you include our Resource Box with our website link and email link included.

Football Technique AFT 01

by: John Blenkin
The very youngest of us throw toys and toddlers soon kick balls. Kicking a football is a natural thing and provides justification for the joy found in physical exercise.
From the basic urge by youngsters to kick a ball the game of Football has developed into a worldwide industry now dependent on the highest level of skills needed to promote dynamic competitions to attract every class of spectators.
This series of articles is intended to make basic technique available to those whose circumstances prevent them from going to a recognized football academy. It is hoped by highlighting the technique of football for these newcomers to the game they too will become proficient at an earlier age to avoid later mistakes.
The football is usually struck by the top part of the foot to propel it to a specific point in space. Note the word ‘point.’ The ball should not be kicked vaguely in the general direction of the target but kicked to a specific point in space where the next player will be best placed to proceed further.
Ball kickers are either right or left footed. This refers to the foot they prefer to use when kicking a football. Some players kick equally well with either foot.
A football can be either still or moving when kicked. A still ball is a ‘dead ball.’ A moving ball can be moving in any direction or at any speed when kicked. A moving ball may be coming towards the kicker or moving away while it is actually being kicked.
A right-footed player may be on either the left or right side of the playing field [pitch] still or moving and be passing to a player who is either moving or stationary and who will also be either a left or right-footed player. A left-footed player will be faced by a similar set of opposite or handed variables.
A ball kicked with the right foot by a right footed player is likely to be more accurate and have greater power than if on the left hand side of the pitch. A right footed player on the left side of the pitch will be forced to move round behind the ball more to the left to bring his right foot into full use to make the pass. This takes time.
A player who is targeted for a pass may be still or either moving away or coming forward in relation to the kicker.
A dead-ball is always on the pitch when struck. A moving ball may be a low pass in contact with the pitch along the whole length of its moving path. A moving ball may be bouncing low or skimming the pitch or at any body height between pitch and head or above head to a considerable height.
The speed of a moving ball may be passive – losing momentum or be traveling at great velocity rising or falling.
The kicker creates each of these variables and the ball has to be dealt with successfully by the receiving player before becoming the next kicker.
A player will approach a dead ball to take a free kick awarded by the referee. The kicker’s angle of approach to the ball will depend on where the spot is in relation to the centerline of the pitch how far it is away from the goalmouth and the disposition of all the other players on the pitch.
The kicker will have to take into account the power and direction of wind and the angle of sunlight. There may be poor visibility from mist fog rain snow season of the year or time of day. The pitch may be bone hard when dry damp following rain or muddy after heavy use. The turf may be frozen slippery covered with ice or swept snow.
The ball must be kicked to arrive low or head high or high but dipping late or on a bending curve. A free kicker born to the game may not even appear to take these factors into account yet somehow will always place the ball exactly in the right spot for the next player to make his best move. An experienced player will calculate the effect of these variables also automatically but not with the same degree of style confidence or artistry displayed by the top hundred or so players in the game. The run-of-mill player may take more trouble but be more likely to hesitate allowing the importance of the kick to play into his fears causing the free kick to be wasted. Plus a kicker may be fit off form or recovering from injury and perhaps not fully match fit.
It is usual to place the support non-kicking foot immediately to the side of the ball next to the nearer face of the ball while the kicking foot swings down and through on the other front quarter face of the ball. The kicking foot toe should point to the target destination point achieve both direction and speed.
The ball can be hit by the underside toe of the boot – that is chipped – lofted by kicking with the top of the boot curved round the underside of the ball or hit at a point above the ball’s center of gravity line to put top spin on it and so keep it low.
The most accurate way to kick a ball is along the ground because the ball then moves in only a plane and has only two variables. A targeted kicked ball must be accurate in both direction speed and height. By kicking along the ground the height variable is eliminated and only the direction and speed have to be accurate.
This ground pass has the advantage of being the shortest distance between kicker and receiver. This means the pass arrives quicker at its destination. If the pass is short the time allowed for the opposition to intercept it is almost eliminated who have to adopt close marking to break up possession. If there are sufficient players in unmarked positions available to receive short passes ball possession will be difficult to break up by the opposition. In addition the defense will be forced into constant running especially in the attack area in front of goal. Players who can rest momentarily between each kick receive fewer injuries and always have time and energy in reserve to see where every player is on the field. Such possession inspires confidence in the team and may even result in spectator ridicule directed at the defense.
In dead ball situations these matters are not important but they become relevant after the kick is made. Goal scoring free kick right or left foot specialists from wherever outside the penalty area use the foot they prefer.
About The Author
John Blenkin is a retired architect and is now a watercolor painter and article writer. His interests are wide covering both technical and philosophical subjects. He also writes online articles on the technique of watercolor painting.
http://www.freefolios.com/
foka@spidernet.com.cy

Pro Football’s NFL – The Largest American Pro Football League Has Significant Rivalries

by: Larry Woods
The National Football League or the NFL is the biggest professional football league in the United States. The NFL has thirty-two teams that are based in a variety of cities across the country. Originally known as the American Professional Football Association when it was formed in 1920, the Association assumed the name “National Football League” in 1922.
At first, the most popular way people enjoyed their football was by watching their favorite college team play but the focus of the country changed in 1958. That NFL game went into overtime and captured a number of new fans who found that they enjoyed the professional football league just as much as if not more than their college football teams. Due to the rising popularity of professional football, the NFL merged with the American Football League in the 1960’s to form what is now the National Football League.
Over the years, some friendly and some not-so-friendly rivalries have come about due to a number of circumstances. These rivalries can be categorized into three separate groups. The first is the ‘intradivisional’, which is a rivalry between teams in the same NFL division. The second is interdivisional, which is a rivalry between teams in the different divisions but in the same conference. The third is the ‘interconference’, which is a rivalry between teams in different conferences. Many times fans will hear sportscasters refer to team rivalries as “divisional rivals”, “division rival” or “conference rival” instead of including the appropriate prefix.
For example, in the AFC North, there is a rivalry between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns based on the when the team’s owner, Art Modell, moved the Cleveland Browns franchise to Baltimore. Fortunately for Cleveland Browns fans, the “Dawg Pound” and its colors remained in Cleveland. The Cleveland Browns were reactivated as a NFL team in 1999. The “Dawg Pound” fans waited for their revenge and got a taste in 2001 when the Browns won against the Ravens after only four games.
Another famous rivalry began in the AFC East when the Buffalo Bills owner, Ralph Wilson, wasn’t allowed to base an AFL team in Miami and went on to establish the Buffalo Bills as a charter member of the AFL. The Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins have maintained a rivalry based on this history since 1967. This particular rivalry has had a number of key moments that continued to fuel their contention over the years including playing against each other in the ultimate game of the football season- the Super Bowl.
About The Author
Larry Woods is a sports writer for http://www.pro-college-football-jerseys.com.

The Football Association medical research programme: an audit of injuries in academy youth football

R J Price, R D Hawkins, M A Hulse and A Hodson
The Football Association, Lilleshall, UK
Correspondence: Correspondence to: R J Price The Football Association, Lilleshall Hall National Sports Centre, Lilleshall, Near Newport, Shropshire TF10 9AT, UK; rob.price@thefa.com
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Objectives: To undertake a prospective epidemiological study of the injuries sustained in English youth academy football over two competitive seasons.
Methods: Player injuries were annotated by medical staff at 38 English football club youth academies. A specific injury audit questionnaire was used together with a weekly return form that documented each club’s current injury status.
Results: A total of 3805 injuries were reported over two complete seasons (June to May) with an average injury rate of 0.40 per player per season. The mean (SD) number of days absent for each injury was 21.9 (33.63), with an average of 2.31 (3.66) games missed per injury. The total amount of time absent through injury equated to about 6% of the player’s development time. Players in the higher age groups (17–19 years) were more likely to receive an injury than those in the younger age groups (9–16 years). Injury incidence varied throughout the season, with training injuries peaking in January (p<0.05) and competition injuries peaking in October (p<0.05). Competition injuries accounted for 50.4% of the total, with 36% of these occurring in the last third of each half. Strains (31%) and sprains (20%) were the main injury types, predominantly affecting the lower limb, with a similar proportion of injuries affecting the thigh (19%), ankle (19%), and knee (18%). Growth related conditions, including Sever’s disease and Osgood-Schlatter’s disease, accounted for 5% of total injuries, peaking in the under 13 age group for Osgood-Schlatter’s disease and the under 11 age group for Sever’s disease. The rate of re-injury of exactly the same anatomical structure was 3%.
Conclusions: Footballers are at high risk of injury and there is a need to investigate ways of reducing this risk. Injury incidence at academy level is approximately half that of the professional game. Academy players probably have much less exposure to injury than their full time counterparts. Areas that warrant further attention include the link between musculoskeletal development and the onset of youth related conditions such as Sever’s disease and Osgood-Schlatter’s disease, the significant number of non-contact injuries that occur in academy football, and the increased rates of injury during preseason training and after the mid season break. This study has highlighted the nature and severity of injuries that occur at academy level, and the third part of the audit process now needs to be undertaken: the implementation of strategies to reduce the number of injuries encountered at this level.

Long term health impact of playing professional football in the United Kingdom

Andy P Turner, Julie H Barlow and Christian Heathcote-Elliott
Psychosocial Research Centre, School of Health and Social Sciences, Coventry University, United Kingdom
Correspondence: Correspondence to:A Turner, Psychosocial Research Centre, School of Health and Social Sciences, Coventry University, Priory St, Coventry CV1 5FB, United Kingdom email: a.turner@coventry.ac.uk
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Objective—To describe the long term impact of football on the health related quality of life (HRQL) of former professional footballers in the United Kingdom.
Method—A cross sectional survey gathered data from 284 former professional players. Respondents reported medical treatments, osteoarthritis (OA) diagnosis, other morbidity, disability status, and work related disability since their football career. The EuroQol (EQ-5D) and global health rating scales were selected to assess HRQL.
Results—Medical treatment for football related injuries was a common feature, as was OA, with the knee being the most commonly affected joint. Respondents with OA reported poorer HRQL compared with those without OA. As with medical treatments and problems on each of the five EQ-5D dimensions (pain, mobility, usual activities, anxiety/depression, self care), frequency of disability and work related disability were higher among respondents with OA than those without.
Conclusion—This exploratory study suggests that playing professional football can impact on the health of United Kingdom footballers in later life. The development of OA was associated with poorer outcomes on all aspects of HRQL.

The 2005 Ford HBCU football classics guide

The Ford 'Roadies'

On the road again! After a successful tour last year, the Ford "Roadies" are back to participate in numerous activities associated with Ford-sponsored HBCU football classics. For 12 weeks, two recent HBCU graduates--with a background in communications, marketing or related degrees--are selected as Ford ambassadors. In that capacity, they perform duties that will focus on uplifting the community, including discussing the importance of a college education with inner-city children, delivering food to the elderly through the "Meals on Wheels" program and assisting the homeless.

From week to week, the "Roadies" travel to a different HBCU Classic football city, this year driving in the all-new 2006 Ford Fusion to participate in the games' ancillary events, including hosting step-shows, driving the Fusion in the official parade and handing out information from a booth setup at each football game. Additionally, they participate in a series of national and local media interviews to share their experiences. Further, they chronicle their adventures through video, which airs on the syndicated TV show, Inside the Game, and in an online diary, which can be followed on www.fordroadtrip.com.

The Ford 'Roadies' Schedule

* Ford Detroit Football Classic, September 3

* Southern Heritage Classic, September 10

* Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic, September 24

* Circle City Classic, October 1

* Southern University's homecoming, October 8

* North Carolina A&T State University's homecoming, October 15

* Howard University's homecoming, October 22

* Magic City Classic, October 29

* Walt Disney World Florida Classic, November 19

* State Farm Bayou Classic, November 26.

The Ford Detroit Football Classic

The third annual Ford Detroit Football classic on September 3, at Ford Field, features Hampton University against Jackson State University. The previous two Classic games have attracted more than 110,000 fans, making it one of the largest-attended historically Black college classics in the country.

The game is the centerpiece of a series of family-oriented events and activities designed to celebrate and showcase the pageantry of the African-American collegiate experience. At the same time, the weekend increases awareness and exposure of youth and adults to HBCUs. During the past two contests, thousands of fans have attended one of the primary ancillary events held during the football classic weekend--a charity gala, a Greek step-show and an empowerment fair/pre-game tailgate party. Another highlight is the halftime "battle of the bands" competition.

During the weekend, fans will have a chance to acquaint themselves with Ford's newest vehicle lineup, and Ford will conduct a Ford Field Goal Challenge, where two fans will have a chance to kick a field goal for a Ford Mustang. There also will be a Fantastic Trip Giveaway, where 10 fans will win a trip to the game and tickets to all of the football classic-related events via an online contest. Visit www.detroitfootballclassic.com for more information and to enter to win.

The Southern Heritage Classic

The 16th annual Southern Heritage Classic on September 10 in Memphis, Tenn., pits the Tennessee State University Tigers against the Jackson State University Tigers at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. The game has been described as "the largest annual, single-day event in Memphis." "The great thing about this matchup," says Fred Jones Jr., founder and producer of the Southern Heritage Classic, "is how intensely these two teams go at each other."

At this year's classic, Ford will host the ultimate tailgate party, and fans will have a chance to meet the Ford "Roadies," play games for prizes and marvel at some of Ford's hottest vehicles at the Ford Experience Tour--a mini auto show that will be conducted from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on game day. Visit www.southernheritageclassic.com for more information.

Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic

The Bank of America Atlanta Football Classic on September 24 in Atlanta's Georgia Dome features Florida A& M University against Tennessee State University, two institutions that traditionally produce ranked football and world-renowned marching bands. This year, Ford continues its support of the 100 Black Men of Atlanta and its signature program, Project Success, which provides mentoring and outreach activities to African-American students. Proceeds generated from the game go toward Project Success.

One of the game-related highlights will be the Parade of Excellence, which will include a collection of Ford Mustangs. Fans can also check out Ford's sponsor corner on game day outside the Georgia Dome and inspect some of Ford's hottest new vehicles at the Ford Experience Tour. Visit www.theatlantafootballclassic.com for more information.

The Walt Disney World Florida Classic

On November 19, when Florida A&M University and Bethune-Cookman College clash at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando, it will represent the 26th anniversary of one of the most intense rivalries among HBCU competitors. The festivities will kickoff with the presidents' scholarship gala, considered by many to be the weekend's premier social event.

Ford is the title sponsor of the Florida Classic Experience, which includes a golf challenge, coaches luncheon and the FanFare--featuring an all-day concert and product specialists who will discuss the capabilities of the Ford vehicles that will be showcased. There also will be interactive games, and opportunities to interact with the Ford "Roadies." For more information, visit www.flclassic.com.

The State Farm Bayou Classic

The State Farm Bayou Classic, perhaps the best-known HBCU classic because it's nationally televised on NBC-TV, will once again attract 70,000-plus fans to the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans on November 26 when Grambling State University meets Southern University. As part of the activities associated with this in-state rivalry, Ford, which will operate a fan festival booth, will conduct a Ford Field Goal Challenge, where one fan will have a chance to kick a field goal to win a new Ford Fusion. In addition, three fans will win a Fantastic Trip Giveaway, which will include an all-expenses-paid trip to the Bayou Classic. Visit www.fordroadtrip.com for more information.

Ford MEAC/SWAC Challenge

The inaugural matchup of the Ford MEAC/SWAC Challenge will feature South Carolina State University (2004 MEAC co-champion) against Alabama State University (defending SWAC champion) on September 3 at Legion Field in Birmingham, and will be televised on ESPN2. The Challenge renews a rivalry that has been dormant since both teams competed in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association nearly 35 years ago.

Ford & The CIAA 60th Anniversary

Ford's involvement in the HBCU sports arena is not limited to football. At the 60th anniversary of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association's (CIAA) men's basketball tournament last February and March at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C., Ford hosted the 60th anniversary team, which included former CIAA players and coaches--Rick Mahorn, Charles Oakley, Ben Wallace, Earl (The Pearl) Monroe, Earl Lloyd, Carlos Terry, Cleo Hill, Al Attles, Dave Robbins, John McClendon, Sam Jones, Bobby Dandridge and Clarence (Big House) Gaines. (The tournament also represented the 30th anniversary of the women's teams.)

The Ford HBCU Business Classic Competition

Ford Motor Company continues to strengthen its track record in creating opportunities for Black entrepreneurs with the implementation of the Ford HBCU Business Classic, the entrepreneurial business plan competition designed for students from historically Black colleges and universities.

And the first winners of the competition were Texas Southern University ($50,000 grand prize), Florida A&M University ($30,000 first-place award) and North Carolina A&T State University ($20,000 second-place award).

The concept encourages students to apply their classroom knowledge to a real-world entrepreneurial business plan. The competition is a continuation of Ford's support of the first-ever academic program to focus on Black entrepreneurship with Babson College and various HBCU schools. "This competition encourages HBCU students to discover what it takes to become an entrepreneur," says Tony Brown, senior vice president, Global Purchasing, Ford Motor Company. "They will all walk away with a tremendous learning experience."

COPYRIGHT 2005 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group