N.C. gov't. leaders to Big East: Consider ECU

Time (in conference expansion mania) to pull out the big guns.

Three of the state's top elected officials are asking the rapidly changing Big East Conference to invite East Carolina University into the league, according to reports.

Gov. Beverly Perdue's office said Monday she and U.S. Sens. Richard Burr and Kay Hagan signed a letter dated Oct. 26 to presidents of Big East schools. The letter said ECU would strengthen the conference by bringing in a school with an ardent fan base, proven Sports record and growing academic reach.

East Carolina currently plays in Conference USA but applied to the Big East in September.

The Big East has been considering some teams for all Sports and others for football only to make up for the departures of Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the Atlantic Coast Conference and West Virginia to the Big 12.

Hardee's embraces N.C. college football

Yes, it has morphed into somewhat of a tacky, sexist company, but ya gotta hand it to Hardee's. The North Carolina-born restaurant is celebrating the just-started 2011 college football season across the state with a special promotion.

Every Tuesday this season, Hardee's restaurants statewide will offer a 5-piece Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders(TM) combo meal for the reduced price of $5, a savings of over $2.

More than 230 Hardee's restaurants statewide will participate in "Team Tender Tuesdays." The promotion begins Tuesday, Sept. 6 and runs the duration of the 2011 regular football season, according to a press release.

Fans throughout North Carolina are encouraged to take advantage of "Team Tender Tuesdays," whether cheering for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, the East Carolina University Pirates, the North Carolina State University Wolfpack or the Appalachian State University Mountaineers. (What? No Duke? No Wake Forest?)

In addition to "Team Tender Tuesdays," Hardee's will sponsor on-field promotions at three games during the season. At each game a fan will be given the chance to kick a field goal at halftime. If the kick is good, every fan in the stadium will receive a coupon for a free Hand-Breaded Chicken Tender(TM) Wrapper.

"Hardee's was born in North Carolina and we recognize the big role college sports play in the lives of many of our customers here," said Jerry Allsbrook, chief marketing officer for Boddie-Noell Enterprises, the largest Hardee's franchisee in North Carolina and the U.S. "We're looking forward to continuing our tradition of supporting North Carolina's love of football with our 'Team Tender Tuesdays' and on-field kick promotions."

Hardee's Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders are fresh, all-white-meat chicken tenders, hand-dipped in eggs and buttermilk and lightly breaded. The Tenders were added to the menu last year and were introduced to Hardee's by Boddie-Noell who first developed the menu item in the company's North Carolina test kitchens. The 5-piece Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders combo meal includes Natural-Cut French Fries and a beverage. ...

ASU looking to move up in the football world

Appalachian State is one of (if not the) most successful and consistent college football programs in the state. The Mountaineers may soon see how they can fare against the big boys on a full-time basis.

The school, known for its stunning upset of Michigan in 2007 and its three straight national titles last decade, announced Thursday it will evaluate shifting from the Football Championship Subdivision to the Bowl Subdivision [says the AP].

The feasibility study could take up to a year.

“With the changing Division I landscape and the unprecedented success that our football program has enjoyed on and off the field in recent years, the time is right to analyze all of our options as a Division I athletics department and football program,” athletic director Charlie Cobb said.

Appalachian State joins fellow Southern Conference member Georgia Southern and Montana in beginning discussions about moving to the FBS.

Quick hits: 49ers football close to happening, and Daughtry gives some love to a W-S theater

49ers football program needs one more signature

"UNC Charlotte’s first on-campus football stadium is now just a governor’s signature away from becoming a reality," according to reports.

"The N.C. General Assembly passed a bill last week that allows the school to borrow $40 million for the construction of a new 15,000-seat football stadium, field house and practice fields to house the Charlotte 49ers’ new football program, scheduled to start play in fall 2013.

"Gov. Beverly Perdue is expected to sign the bill as early as next week. The school plans to mark the event with a celebration among supporters sometime after Perdue gives final approval. ..."

New Daughtry music video highlights theater

"A refurbished former silent movie theater in North Carolina has a starring role in the newest music video from Daughtry," according to the AP.

"The video for the song 'September' was shot earlier this month at the Stevens Center of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. The center in Winston-Salem dates to 1929, when it was a silent movie theater. It's now the primary performance venue for the arts school.

"The video premiered online Friday on the music network VEVO. The song is from Daughtry's platinum-selling album, 'Leave This Town.' ..."

ACC Hall of Champions to open next year

I'm piecing this together, but from what I can tell (from here and here) construction is set to begin soon on the ACC's Hall of Champions in Greensboro.

The building will be more than 8,000 square feet in size and will be a "tribute to the Atlantic Coast Conference, its coaches and athletes."

The facility will be adjacent to the Greensboro Coliseum Complex.

Quick hits: Panthers like ASU's Edwards, and Gov. Perdue hits Hollywood

Panthers keen on ASU's Edwards
"Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards said Tuesday the Carolina Panthers seemed more interested in him than any of the NFL teams he's spoken with so far. But as much as he thinks they like him, he's not sure what they want to do with him," said Darrin Gant.

"Such is the problem with the celebrated Mountaineers passer, and the reason he was catching punts and running receiver drills at his pro day workout Tuesday.

"The Panthers were one of 10 teams watching, and they'll be back Thursday for a private session with the two-time Walter Payton Award winner (the FCS version of the Heisman). What they're going to ask to see is a mystery to the multi-talented Edwards, the only player in NCAA Division I history with over 10,000 passing yards and 4,000 rushing yards. ..."

N.C. Governor heads film recruiting trip to L.A.

"Gov. Beverly Perdue and economic recruiters are equipped with a more generous tax credit as they travel to Hollywood to try to attract more movies and television productions to film in North Carolina," says the AP.

"Perdue leads a group of 20 Commerce Department officials, film boosters and others arriving Wednesday in Los Angeles for a three-day trade mission. They’ll meet studio executives, hold a reception and also visit some recruiting prospects outside the film industry. ..."

UNCC one step closer to 49ers football

Charlotte is one step closer to having another football team for which to pull.

On Friday, the North Carolina Board of Governors unanimously approved the proposed funding plan for college football at UNC Charlotte. This followed a unanimous approval from the UNC Board of trustees earlier this year. The plan is now pending the approval of the General Assembly this summer.

The goal is to have a team in place by 2013.

“I think it’s important to this community and for the university to get people on campus to be able to see games and connect around something like football,” Tim Ernst, a UNC Charlotte graduate, told Fox Charlotte.

The addition of football is a $40 million plan. Part of that plan would be funded by an increase in student fees, starting with $120 this fall, and reaching $320 in 2014.

ECU picks alum to lead football program

East Carolina athletics director Terry Holland said he didn't want to go out and get a "retread" to lead the Pirate football program. The AD stuck by his guns.

The week-long search for a replacement for Skip Holtz has ended with Holland selected Texas Tech defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill -- an ECU alum -- to lead the Pirates, according to various reports.

“You’re always worried this late because you run into student-athlete recruitment and assistant coaches get taken, so the bowl becomes more shallow. But I had confidence we’d find the right person because I knew what Terry was doing and who he was evaluating,” ECU chancellor Dr. Steve Ballard said after the ECU Board of Trustees made the new hire official shortly after a 5 p.m. emergency meeting inside the Spilman Building on campus.

“I was a little concerned about the timing, but when I saw the people we were evaluating, I thought we’d be fine,” Ballard said. ...

“His human skills and his interpersonal skills are A-plus, and I think you’ll see that the minute you talk to him,” Ballard said of McNeill. “I had a great hour-and-a-half with him today. I did my own referencing on these people, and everybody who knows Ruffin says the same thing about him.”

Holland, who made the second football coach hire of his six-year tenure at the school, joined the trustees meeting via teleconference. Holland fired John Thompson toward the end of the 2004 season before hiring Holtz in December of that year.

“Coach McNeill’s interview revealed his strong commitment to doing things the right way and his love of coaching young men to grow in every part of their lives,” Holland said. “His excitement for what ECU football can become in the future was contagious and his deep and abiding appreciation for what East Carolina University has meant to him and his family was truly moving.” ...

Johnson, Wilson are NFL All-Pro selections

"Chris Johnson didn't get any votes for MVP. He didn't miss any for The Associated Press 2009 NFL All-Pro team," says the AP.

The 2,000-yard rusher from the Tennessee Titans (who played at East Carolina) was the only unanimous choice for the squad, which was announced Thursday. He's joined in the backfield by Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, who won an unprecedented fourth Most Valuable Player Award last week, when only quarterbacks received votes.

"That'd be a good thing," said Johnson, who won the Offensive Player of the Year award Wednesday. "Because I feel like if you put a season out there, out of those dudes who got votes or the dudes who won, I wouldn't feel they had a better season than I had, and broke as many records in one season that I had."

Also named to the All-Pro team was former N.C. State player (and High Point native) and current Arizona Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson.

This is the first time that Wilson has been named to the NFL All-Pro team, and the first NC State player to be selected since Torry Holt in 2003. Wilson is the only member of the Cardinals represented on the first team [said GoPack.com].

During the 2009 season Wilson started all 16 games, while recording 74 tackles and a career-high five interceptions and 13 pass deflections. Wilson has been with the Cardinals for nine years since being drafted in the third round in 2001.

While having solid contributions as a rookie, Wilson took over the starting strong safety spot in his second year and has never relinquished it. Since coming into the league Wilson has recorded 686 tackles, 20.5 sacks and 23 interceptions.

Former Pirate Johnson named NFL Offensive Player of the Year

"That blur speeding away from opposing defenses and running off with The Associated Press 2009 NFL Offensive Player of the Year award is Chris Johnson," writes the AP's Barry Wilner.

Considered the fastest man in pro football, Johnson was uncatchable in setting a league mark for yards from scrimmage (2,509) and becoming the sixth player with a 2,000-yard rushing season. Johnson played in college at East Carolina.

He is the first NFL player to finish with at least 2,000 yards rushing and 500 receiving (503).

That earned the second-year pro 38 1/2 votes Wednesday from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL. Johnson easily beat New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees, who received nine votes.

"I kind of realize what I did and I feel like I had a dream season," said Johnson, who scored 16 touchdowns (14 rushing), second to Minnesota's Adrian Peterson, and tied the NFL mark with six consecutive games rushing for at least 125 yards.

Also in the running was League MVP Peyton Manning, who received 1.5 votes, and former N.C. State and current San Diego Charger QB Philip Rivers, who got a vote.

New members of the N.C. Sports Hall announced

The N.C. Sports Hall of Fame -- based at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh -- has announced its newest members.

Among them is Don McCauley, an All-American running back at UNC in the '60s; former multi-sport star at State and future college football coach Jim Donnan; former State and NFL wide receiver Mike Quick; and current Duke assistant women's soccer coach and UNC legend Carla Overbeck, among others.

"You're always happy for the other guy, hoping one day you'll get the call," McCauley told the News & Observer in Raleigh.

The newest members are:

-Herb Appenzeller, who played football for Wake Forest in the 1940s and was Guilford College athletic director.

-Donnan, a former quarterback for N.C. State who went on to a successful coaching career at Georgia.

-Overbeck, an assistant women's soccer coach at Duke who was a three-time All-American for UNC.

-Quick, a former N.C. State wide receiver who had a Pro Bowl career with the Philadelphia Eagles.

-Karen Shelton, coach of UNC's field hockey squad, which has won seven national titles under her watch.

-Paul Simson, a Raleigh resident who has won two British Amateur Senior Open championships in golf.

"It's nice when people remember you," Quick told the paper.

Quick hits: Some football news

Edwards leaves Boone an ASU graduate
"Last weekend was a very significant couple of days for Appalachian State quarterback Armanti Edwards," says the Citizen-Times' Keith Jarrett.

"On Saturday, the senior lefthander completed one of the greatest college football careers in the history of the sport in a 24-17 loss at Montana in the semifinals of the FCS playoffs.

"And Sunday he walked through the graduation line at Boone, earning a degree in graphic arts and imaging technology in 3 1/2 years.

"The team returned from Montana around 6 a.m. Sunday, and Edwards made it to the 2 p.m. graduation ceremony.

"Just 2.8 percent of ASU's latest graduating class received degrees in less than four years. ...

"He finished with 14,753 yards of offense in 51 career games, averaging 289 yards of offense per game. That career total is second all-time in FCS history, behind only Steve McNair (16,823 yards at Alcorn State from 1991-94). ..."

Applaud UNCC for seizing opportunity

"A lot of reasonable people are telling UNCC that this is not the time to commit to football.

"So when is that time?" asks Tom Sorensen.

"There never has been a good time to start football.

"There never will be a good time. ...

"Football is not official yet. Charlotte still has to meet next month with the UNC system's Board of Governors, who will approve or decline the football initiative in February. Charlotte also has to get approval from the Legislature.

"But the 49ers are closer than they have ever been, and instead of approaching prospective ticket buyers with a concept, they can go with confidence.

"I understand that student fees will jump. I understand that ticket sales - the school has sold 3,207 - have been disappointing. I understand that football isn't as essential as business or English, and that only in the SEC can students major in Gridiron.

"But college is more than academics. Football offers students a reason to stay on campus and alumni a reason to return. The 49ers are Charlotte's school, and some of us will be moved to drive there for the first time and perhaps realize why. ..."

Quick hits: Bob Barker stumps for bears and App State favored yet again

Bob Barker asks Cherokee chief to end bear pits
"Former game show host and longtime animal rights activist Bob Barker asked the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to stop using bear pits as tourist attractions and turn the animals over to a sanctuary in California," says the AP.

"The Asheville Citizen-Times reported that Barker met Tuesday with Principal Chief Michell Hicks and five members of the Tribal Council. He called the bears' conditions inhumane in a public meeting moderated by Hicks and attended by some business owners.

" 'To think that with as advanced as our civilization is now that there is any place in the United States were bears are kept in pits is just unbelievable,' said Barker, who is part American Indian and grew up on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. 'Just picture yourself, if your life, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, month after month, was in a pit.' ..."

Appalachian State picked to win SoCon for fifth straight time
"Whether he's talking about a title contender or a cellar resident, Appalachian State football coach Jerry Moore has consistently spoken in reverent tones when referring to Southern Conference opponents over the years.

"That didn't change Tuesday during the league's preseason teleconference, which replaced the annual 'Rouser' gathering that typically takes place at a plush South Carolina hotel," according to the Citizen-Times.

"When asked about the prospect of winning a fifth consecutive SoCon title, something that only one other active league member has done (Georgia Southern won six from 1997-2002), Moore remained humble.

" 'Every year, I want us to be as good as we possibly can be,' said Moore, who's starting his 21st season in Boone. 'That's been my guideline here, not to settle for just showing up, but to be the very best we can be. If we're good enough to win a championship, then so be it.' ...

Quick hits: Law to protect wild horses and 49ers football moves along

Law gives horses some space
"Visitors to North Carolina's Outer Banks now are required to stay away from the famous wild horses in the Corolla area," says the AP.

"The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk reports that the Currituck County Board of Commissioners adopted a new ordinance last week that orders visitors to stay 50 feet away from the wild horses.

"A law adopted in 1989 made it illegal to be within 50 feet of a horse if trying to feed it. The new law bans any intentional contact.

"County Attorney Donald McRee says there have been complaints this year about people putting children on the horses and posing with them for photos. Officials also said a woman walked with a herd and ignored repeated warning to move away. ..."

49ers football campaign kicks into high gear

According to the Charlotte Observer, if "college football is to become a reality for the Charlotte 49ers, it has to happen in the next two months.

"That was the call to arms Monday night when school and local officials gathered at the Quail Hollow Club to kick off an aggressive program designed to sell the 5,000 football seat licenses necessary for the planned program to proceed.

"As of Monday, deposits had been taken on 1,850 seat licenses, far short of the goal of 5,000 set by Chancellor Phil Dubois. Organizers hope to reach the goal before a scheduled Sept.17 meeting of the school's board of trustees, when a decision on whether to continue with the football plan is expected. ..."

Quick hits: Hurricane names, 49er gridiron, EC in photos and longleaf pine art?

Hurricane names released
My "grandparents" could cause havoc this year. After all, two of the latest round of hurricane names include a "Bill" and an "Ida."

Those wacky weather people. They've also included a "Joaquin" and a "Peter" to be followed by "Rose."

Click here for the full list.


UNCC remains on track for football
"A tough economy and some disappointment in the number of prospective buyers who have followed through with a commitment to buy football seat licenses is not slowing the Charlotte 49ers' efforts to start a football program in time for the 2013 season," says the Charlotte Observer.

"Although circumstances have changed since September, when the school's board of trustees first approved moving ahead on football, athletics director Judy Rose said Tuesday that the 49ers remain on track for a program that would begin in a temporary on-campus stadium and eventually move to a new, on-campus facility.

"Any of Charlotte's football goals are contingent on the selling of at least 5,000 FSLs. As of Tuesday, just over 1,700 had been purchased. ..."

Old photo collection preserves Elizabeth City's history
"For 84 years, Cecil Richardson Jr. has lived in the area and amassed a local photo and newspaper clipping collection that fills more than 75 three-ring binders.

"Some of the photos he’s taken himself, including his shots of the night the wooden blimp hangar burned in Weeksville in the 1990s," says the Daily Advance. "Others he has collected from various residents and labeled with the address or names of those pictured. He knows most of the people in the photographs and can give background stories to places that recent Elizabeth City residents don’t even know existed.

"Cindy Williams, an owner of MMT Printers, wants to help Richardson preserve this knowledge and is collaborating with Richardson to make a photo book that would be available for sale. ..."



Craftswoman makes art from longleaf pine needles
"What can you do with pine straw? Well, there's mulch. And then there's ... mulch.

"Melanie Walter has another use: She makes baskets out of pine needles," says the Star-News.

"She has baskets on the display at the Asheville Art Museum. Her baskets won a third-place ribbon at the Orange Street ArtsFest on May 23. And she has received an invitation to show her work at the prestigious Ann Arbor Street Art Fair in Michigan.

"Most of her sales come through Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts, a crafts cooperative with a store in the Cotton Exchange. Her baskets are also available at the Sunset River Marketplace in Calabash and at the Cameron Art Museum. ..."

Six more inducted into N.C. Sports Hall of Fame

The N.C. Sports Hall of Fame (based at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh) recently added a half-dozen new deserving members.

"John Swofford, ACC commissioner since 1997 and a former quarterback at North Carolina, is in the class. Also in the class are Appalachian State head football coach Jerry Moore, North Carolina women's basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell and former East Carolina and Wake Forest men's basketball coach Dave Odom," said WRAL.

"Former North Carolina State running back and Canadian Football League star Willie Burden, and veteran golfer Roger Watson are also inductees."

The News & Observer's Caulton Tudor writes today that it's only a matter of time before Carolina Hurricanes legends Ron Francis and Glenn Wesley are added.

"Nowhere to be found is anyone with a hockey background. That should change soon," writes Tudor. "Under the 10-year state residency rule for non-North Carolina natives, former Carolina Hurricanes stars and current employees Ron Francis and Glen Wesley will be eligible for consideration in the 2010 voting."

State-Carolina will meet at the end of the season

Duke and North Carolina will play for the Victory Bell once again. But this year, the Blue Devils and Tar Heels will meet on Nov. 7 -- almost a month before the end of the ACC football season. The Heels will instead meet N.C. State in its last regular-season game, not Duke. State and Carolina meet on Nov. 28 in Raleigh.

The ACC's schedule was released today.

ACCNow has a look at the N.C. teams' respective schedules.

-N.C. State
-UNC
-Duke
-Wake Forest
-East Carolina

UNCC WILL get football

UNC Charlotte will field a football team. The school's board of trustees voted 8-0, with one abstention, today to adopt a Chancellor Phil Dubois plan that could add a football program at the school, according to the Charlotte Observer.

In September, Dubois recommended the school suit up a team by 2013, if boosters and football fans demonstrated support by raising $5 million in six months to help build a $45.3 million stadium complex.

"The cold stark financial reality we face is that those who say they want football are going to have to help pay for football," Dubois told trustees in Spetember. "We need to see support demonstrated now."

He suggested selling 5,000 personal seat licenses - or "Forty-Niner Seat Licenses" - for $1,000 each, just for the right to buy tickets, within six months of the BOT's vote.

That vote, of the 13-member BOT, came Thursday. There were nine members voting, and eight voted in favor with one abstention. There were no votes against. The other four members didn't vote. Three had previously expressed support for the initiative.

At the close of business on Wednesday, the Charlotte 49ers had received reservations for 4,167 of those FSLs. At a price of $1,000 each, that could translate into more than $4.1 million for the creation of a football program.

No money has yet been accepted by the ticket office, which was awaiting today's vote. ...

Interested fans and corporations can add their names to the reservation list by calling the 49ers ticket office at (704) 687-4949 or the 49ers Athletic Foundation at (704) 687-4950.

The biggest obstacle to football is a place to play. Dubois recommended building an expandable 12,000-seat stadium on campus, or playing at a renovated Memorial Stadium in uptown Charlotte.

School officials are talking to Mecklenburg County officials about Memorial Stadium. If the school invests significant money in renovating that facility, it would play there for several seasons, Dubois said.

Good news: A game that should be played

It's not Georgia-Florida, Ohio State-Michigan or even N.C. State-North Carolina. Nonetheless, the news that East Carolina and Appalachian State will face on the gridiron next year is great news for college football in the state.

"The Sept. 5 game at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville will mark ECU's first matchup against a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, opponent since 2001.The Mountaineers own a 19-10 lead in the Appalachian series that dates back to 1932 but the two programs haven't met since the Pirates won 38-21 in Boone on Nov. 3, 1979.

" 'Although this is a single-game contract with Appalachian State for the 2009 season only, it is my hope that this game will be a springboard for a great in-state rivalry in the future,' ECU Director of Athletics Terry Holland said. 'The Mountaineers have proven their ability to compete against the very best programs in the area and in the nation.'"

This matchup presents a nice east-versus-west rivalry that both sets of fans can get behind. Hopefully it is a game that will be played quite regularly. It's a game that should be played on a consistent basis, along with N.C. State-Duke (whacky ACC division scheduling has screwed that up), N.C. State/UNC-South Carolina, along with the other border schools (Tennessee and Georgia come to mind), as well as NCSU/UNC-ECU. Of course, if/when UNC Charlotte adds football, the idea of scheduling like this might go out the door.

UNC Charlotte to (possibly) add football

Just what North Carolina needs: another Division I football program.

UNC Charlotte will add football to its athletics department IF boosters ante up, says the school's chancellor.

UNCC Chancellor Phil Dubois "recommended Thursday the school field a football team by 2013, but with one lofty condition to measure support: Fans need to raise $5million in six months to help build a $45.3 million stadium complex. The clock would start running if trustees approve Dubois' proposal at their November meeting," writes the Observer.

"Dubois announced his decision to the school's 13 trustees, suggesting the $5 million be raised by selling 5,000 personal seat licenses – much like the ones the Carolina Panthers sold to build Bank of America Stadium.

"The licenses – Dubois called them 'Forty-Niner Seat Licenses' – would sell for $1,000 each, just for the right to buy season tickets.

" 'The cold stark financial reality we face is that those who say they want football are going to have to help pay for football,' Dubois told trustees. 'We need to see support demonstrated now.' ..."