2008 ACC Championship Game Program by Atlantic Coast Conference

PRODUCED BY DESTINATION MEDIA, INC. • GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA

DECEMBER 6, 2008 • RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM • TAMPA, FL • TheACC.com

Contents 2

Welcome from ACC Commissioner John Swofford

Welcome from Governor Charlie Crist

Meet John Swofford

Staff of the ACC

Traditions of Excellence

ACC Secures League-Record Nine Bowl Partnerships

Four Teams, 11 Individuals Win National Championships

ACC Players and Teams in the Community

ACC Tops in Graduation Success Rates

48-Hour Celebration

Stadium Information

Tampa Bay and the ACC

2008 Bowl Lineup

ACC Championship Recap

ACC Football: By the Numbers

ACC Officials: A Dedicated Fraternity In Stripes

Legends of the ACC

118

ACC and the NFL

120

Myron Rolle

121

The ACCIAC:

ATLANTIC DIVISION CHAMPION BOSTON COLLEGE SCHEDULE RESULTS 35 STATISTICS 36 COACHING STAFF 37 TEAM ROSTER 37

COASTAL DIVISION CHAMPION VIRGINIA TECH SCHEDULE RESULTS 41 STATISTICS 42 COACHING STAFF 43 TEAM ROSTER 43

A winning formula of Athletics and Academics THE ACC SCHOOLS 66

BOSTON COLLEGE

CLEMSON

DUKE

FLORIDA STATE

GEORGIA TECH

MARYLAND

MIAMI

NORTH CAROLINA

NC STATE

VIRGINIA

VIRGINIA TECH

WAKE FOREST

HOME FIELDS OF THE ACC

A WEEK BY WEEK REVIEW OF THE 2008 ACC FOOTBALL SEASON 46 FINAL REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS AND STATISTICS 52 OFFENSIVE/OVERALL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR 54 DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR 55 OFFENSIVE/OVERALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR 56 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR 57 COACH OF THE YEAR 58 JIM TATUM AWARD WINNER 59 THE PICCOLO AWARD WINNER 60 THE JACOBS BLOCKING AWARD 61 ALL-ACC TEAM 62 ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME RECORDS 64

LETTER FROM COMMISSIONER

Dear ACC Football Fans, On behalf of the Atlantic Coast Conference, welcome to Raymond James Stadium and the Fourth Annual Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game. Our conference and the Tampa Bay community have worked hard all year to make this a very special and exciting time for all of the players, coaches and fans. We sincerely hope you enjoy this weekend’s celebration of ACC Football and that you find your trip to the Tampa Bay area to be a pleasurable experience. As a league, our schools have compiled a rich football history that includes 10 national championships, five Heisman Trophy winners, 643 All-Americans, 145 bowl victories, 141 No. 1 rankings and 217 NFL first-round draft picks. We hope you will enjoy this year’s football championship game as you watch two of the league’s top teams showcase their talents and vie for the coveted bid to this year’s FedEx Orange Bowl. The ACC’s 12 member institutions have a tremendous tradition of academic and athletic balance. As a conference, we are extremely excited to shine the spotlight on what has made this league so strong throughout our history — our student-athletes, coaches and fans. It is our hope that all the dedicated followers of the ACC will continue to bring meaning to the ACC’s promise — A Tradition of Excellence … Then, Now and Always. Sincerely,

John D. Swofford Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

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COMMISSIONER JOHN D. SWOFFORD NOW IN HIS 12TH YEAR AS COMMISSIONER, John Swofford has made a dramatic impact on the Atlantic Coast Conference and college athletics during his career. He is regarded as one of the top administrators in the NCAA. Swofford assumed his role as the fourth full-time commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference in July of 1997. He follows James H. (Jim) Weaver, the league’s first Commissioner from 1954-1970, Robert (Bob) James, who served from 1971-1987 and Eugene F. (Gene) Corrigan, who held the position from 1987 to 1997. In addition to overseeing one of the nation’s largest athletic conferences, Swofford has been pivotal in positioning the Atlantic Coast Conference for the future. In 2003, on behalf of the nine league institutions and the ACC Council of Presidents, he introduced Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College as the newest members of the ACC. With the expansion, Swofford’s leadership and negotiating skills helped bring the conference extended and enhanced television contracts in both football and basketball. In May of 2004, the league extended its relationships with ABC, ESPN and Raycom Sports by renegotiating its football television agreements. Highlights included the rights to the Inaugural ACC Football Championship Game

During Swofford’s first 11 years as Commissioner, ACC teams have won 39 national team titles and 1,075 ACC teams have participated in various NCAA championships - an average of over 97 NCAA teams per year. and significant increases in the number of televised games through 2010. In May of 2000, Swofford negotiated one of the nation’s most lucrative basketball television contracts with Raycom Sports through the 201011 season. After the addition of the three new conference members, under Swofford’s guidance, Raycom increased its financial commitment to the ACC basketball package in May of 2004. During his tenure, the ACC has become the only conference to have television packages with two national cable networks - ESPN and Fox Sports Net. The results of these packages increased the television audience of ACC basketball by over 25 percent. In order to reach the expanding audience of ACC fans, Swofford also negotiated an agreement with XM Satellite Radio, to broadcast the league’s football, men’s and women’s basketball games nationally. In the sport of basketball, Swofford was a prime mover in the creation of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge that began in men’s basketball in 1999. This past year, the two conferences hosted the inaugural ACC/ Big Ten Women’s Basketball Challenge. Highly respected by his peers, Swofford was a force in the development and growth of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) to determine an annual national champion in Division I football. In addition

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

to being involved with the BCS since its inception, he is currently serving as the Coordinator of the BCS, a role in which he also served in 2000 and 2001. Since becoming Commissioner in 1997, Swofford has been responsible for securing increased bowl opportunities for the ACC. The past three seasons, a league-record eight teams earned bowl bids and in 2002, the conference set an NCAA record when seven of its nine teams (78%) participated in bowl play. This year, the ACC has agreements in place with nine bowls including the FedEx Orange Bowl, home to the ACC Champion since 2006. During Swofford’s first 11 years as Commissioner, ACC teams have won 39 national team titles and 1,075 ACC teams have participated in various NCAA championships - an average of over 97 NCAA teams per year. A long-time advocate of the importance of academics and student-athlete welfare, Swofford stimulated the formation of the league’s first-ever ACC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. This group of current ACC student-athletes gives the conference direct feedback on their experiences participating at the highest level of college athletics. Swofford placed an added emphasis on the development of women’s basketball in the ACC with the hiring of an Associate Commissioner for Women’s Basketball to oversee all aspects of the sport on both a conference and national level. The Director of Athletics at the University of North Carolina from 1980 to 1997, Swofford was instrumental in building North Carolina’s athletics department into one of the country’s most respected programs. He became the school’s athletic director on May 1, 1980 and at the age of 31, he was the youngest major college Athletics Director in the nation at the time. During his tenure, Tar Heel athletic teams claimed 123 ACC championships and 24 national collegiate titles, including two in men’s basketball and one in women’s basketball. During the 1993-94 year, the Tar Heels captured the inaugural Sears Directors’ Cup, emblematic of the collegiate all-sports champion and finished in the Top Six of the Sears Cup standings in each year of Swofford’s tenure that the award was given. Under his leadership, North Carolina enjoyed tremendous growth in its athletic facilities, including the construction of the Smith Center, a complex which includes a 21,572-seat basketball arena, the Koury Natatorium and the Frank H. Kenan Football Center. He initiated the idea and provided the impetus for the founding of North Carolina’s trademark licensing program. The University chose to recognize his many accomplishments by establishing the John D. Swofford women’s athletics scholarship and naming an auditorium in the school’s football complex in his honor. John and his wife Nora reside in Greensboro, N.C. Together they have three children, Autumn, who is married to Sherman Wooden; Chad Swofford; and Nora’s daughter, Amie, who is married to Keith Furr.

EDUCATION High School Wilkes Central High School North Wilkesboro, NC College University of North Carolina, 1971 Morehead Scholarship Recipient Graduate Ohio University, 1973 MEd. in Athletics Administration PLAYING EXPERIENCE 1969-71 North Carolina varsity football team quarterback and defensive back Peach Bowl, 1970 Gator Bowl, 1971 ACC Champions, 1971 ATHLETIC ADMINISTRATION EXPERIENCE 1973-76 Ticket Manager/Asst. to the Director of Athletic Facilities and Finance University of Virginia 1976-79 Assistant Athletics Director and Business Manager University of North Carolina 1979-80 Assistant Executive Vice-President of the Educational Foundation University of North Carolina 1980-97 Director of Athletics University of North Carolina 1997Commissioner Atlantic Coast Conference MEMBERSHIP ON BOARDS AND COMMITTEES • BCS Coordinator, 2000-01, 2008-present • IA Collegiate Commissioner’s Association (Chair), 2005-07 • NCAA Football Board of Directors (President), 2004-05 • NCAA Executive Committee, 1995-97 • NCAA Division I Championship Committee (Chair), 1995-97 • NCAA Special Committee to Study a Division I-A Football Championship, 1994-95 • President of NACDA, 1993-94 • NCAA Special Events Committee, 1987-91 • NCAA Communications Committee (Chair), 1987-89 • NCAA Football Television Committee (Chair), 1984 HONORS AND AWARDS • Homer Rice Award, 2005 (presented by the Division 1A Athletic Directors’ Association) • Horizon Award, 2004 (presented by the Atlanta Sports Council recognizing the National Sports Business Executive of the Year) • Chick-fil-A Bowl Hall of Fame, 2003 • Fifth most influential person in U.S. sports by the Sporting News, 2003 • Outstanding American Award for the Triangle Chapter of the College Football Hall of Fame, 2002 • North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s Hall of Fame, 2002 • Ohio University’s Charles R. Higgins Distinguished Alumnus Award, 1984

ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE STAFF COMMISSIONER

JOHN D. SWOFFORD

ASSOCIATE COMMISSIONER

BRIAN MORRISON MEDIA RELATIONS/MBB

DIRECTOR

LINDSEY BABCOCK COMPLIANCE & GOVERNANCE

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

KATHY HUNT MEN’S BASKETBALL OPERATIONS ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

SUSAN ANTHONY ADMINISTRATION/BUSINESS

INTERN

ERIN CRAWFORD CHAMPIONSHIPS

ASSOCIATE COMMISSIONER

JEFF ELLIOTT CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

ASSOCIATE COMMISSIONER

DAVIS WHITFIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

DIRECTOR

LYNNE HERNDON BUSINESS OPERATIONS

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

STEVE PHILLIPS MEDIA RELATIONS

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

JENNIE BARRETT CHAMPIONSHIPS

INTERN

A.J. HENDERSON MEDIA RELATIONS

ASSOCIATE COMMISSIONER

NORA LYNN FINCH WOMEN’S BASKETBALL/SWA

ASSOCIATE COMMISSIONER

AMY YAKOLA PUBLIC RELATIONS & MARKETING DIRECTOR

CHRISTINA TRACEY INFORMATION SYSTEMS

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

KRIS PIERCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

TRACEY HAITH COMPLIANCE/ STUDENT-ATHLETE WELFARE INTERN

DONALD MOORE ADMINISTRATION

ASSOCIATE COMMISSIONER

MIKE FINN FOOTBALL MEDIA RELATIONS

ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER

W. SCOTT MCBURNEY VIDEO SERVICES

DIRECTOR

ERIC WOOD STUDENT-ATHLETE PROGRAMS/COMPLIANCE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

BEN TARIO TECHNOLOGY/OPERATIONS

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

GEORGIA DAVIS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

ASSOCIATE COMMISSIONER

KARL HICKS MEN’S BASKETBALL OPERATIONS COORDINATOR OF OFFICIALS

JOHN CLOUGHERTY MEN’S BASKETBALL

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

LINDSEY ROGERS MEDIA RELATIONS

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

STEVE “SLIM” VOLLINGER VIDEO SERVICES

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

BARBARA J. DERY MEDIA RELATIONS/ VIDEO SERVICES

ASSOCIATE COMMISSIONER

MICHAEL KELLY FOOTBALL OPERATIONS

COORDINATOR OF OFFICIALS

CHARLENE CURTIS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

ALLISON DOUGHTY FOOTBALL OPERATIONS

EXEC. ASST. TO COMMISSIONER

CEL DIAMICO

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

KARRIE TILLEY MEN’S BASKETBALL OFFICIATING/ PR & MARKETING

ASSOCIATE COMMISSIONER

SHANE LYONS GOVERNANCE & COMPLIANCE

COORDINATOR OF OFFICIALS

DOUG RHOADS FOOTBALL

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

BRAD HECKER WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

WEBSITE COORDINATOR

HEATHER HIRSCHMAN

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

EMILY WATKINS RECEPTIONIST

INTERN

STUART SMITH WEBSITE

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T H E A T L A N T I C C O A S T C O N F E RE N C E

Traditions of Excellence THE TRADITION Consistency . It is the mark of true excellence in any endeavor. However, in today’s intercollegiate athletics, competition has become so balanced and so competitive that it is virtually impossible to maintain a high level of consistency. Yet the Atlantic Coast Conference has defied the odds. Now in its 56th year of competition, the ACC has long enjoyed the reputation as one of the strongest and most competitive intercollegiate conferences in the nation. And that is not mere conjecture, the numbers support it. Since the league’s inception in 1953, ACC schools have captured 109 national championships, including 57 in women’s

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 9

TRADITIONS OF EXCELLENCE

ACC Secures League-Record Nine Bowl Partnerships BY DAVID DROSCHAK THE WINNINGEST BCS CONFERENCE IN TERMS OF BOWL SUCCESS, the Atlantic Coast Conference will launch college football’s postseason by sending a team to the inaugural EagleBank Bowl in the nation’s capital, then help celebrate the 75th anniversary of the FedEx Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day. In between, ACC teams will travel to such places as Atlanta, Boise, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Nashville, Orlando and San Francisco with a record nine bowl tieins, meaning as many as 75 percent of the league’s teams have postseason opportunities. In 2007, 436,000 bowl fans watched eight ACC teams at various stadiums with millions more viewing across the nation on CBS, ESPN and Fox. This year’s combined bowl revenue is expected to exceed $9 million, and will be split between the 12 member institutions. “Never before has ACC football been afforded the exposure and bowl prestige that we enjoy today,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. “We are grateful our bowl partners see the immense value in our football product as we continue to build lasting relationships with each.” The EagleBank Bowl at RFK Stadium will host an ACC school and Navy, kicking off the bowl season on Dec. 20 at 11 a.m. “If you look at Washington, D.C, we are in the middle of the geographic footprint of the ACC, so for us it was a natural affiliation that will help our game grow and mature,” said Marie Rudolph, founding member of the EagleBank Bowl. “It’s a positive we’re the first bowl game because football fans will be a bit starved with the season having wound down.” Twenty-six bowl games later, the FedEx Orange Bowl, scheduled for 8:30 p.m. in Dolphin Stadium, will host the ACC champion as the last game played on New Year’s Day. “This game will be about our lineage, our history, and part of that history goes back to the 1950s when the Orange Bowl classic was tied to the ACC in its early years,” said FedEx Orange Bowl executive director Eric Poms. “To have an opportunity to come back together and partner with a conference that represents the best in academics and athletics is the perfect marriage, a perfect fit. The ACC is our No. 1 staple.” Nine of the 12 ACC schools have played in the FedEx Orange Bowl through the years, with Bobby Bowden winning his first national title there 15 years ago with an 18-16 victory over Nebraska. Florida State, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech have represented the ACC in the FedEx Orange Bowl the last three seasons. Maybe no bowl involving the ACC has been more hotly-contested over the last 15 years than the Chick-fil-A Bowl, where the second pick from the ACC battles an SEC selection on New Year’s Eve. North Carolina opened the Georgia Dome in 1992 with a victory over Mississippi State, and the two rival conferences are 8-8 in this game since the bowl tie-ins began with 12 straight sellouts. “The ACC has become one of the underpinnings as to why the game has grown to be one of the most successful in the country,” said Gary Stokan, president of the Chick-fil-A Bowl. “You put together the variables of two highlyranked teams, passionate fans with a sold-out atmosphere in the Georgia Dome and we have everything that the BCS has in our bowl game.” Some ACC programs with tremendous bowl success recently include Boston College, riding a nation’s best eight-game postseason winning streak, while Miami has won eight of its last 10 bowls and North Carolina five of six.

competition and 52 in men’s. In addition, NCAA individual titles have gone to ACC student-athletes 145 times in men’s competition and 92 times in women’s action. The conference had an immediate impact on the national college football scene in the fall of 1953 when the University of Maryland captured the first of what would eventually be five national football titles for the ACC. Clemson laid claim to the league’s second national title in 1981 while Georgia Tech followed suit in 1990. Florida State pocketed national titles No. 4 and 5 in 1993 and 1999, respectively. In addition, Miami has laid claim to five national gridiron titles over the past 22 seasons. Four of the Hurricanes’ five national titles (1983, 1987, 1989, 2001) were unanimous with both the sportswriters and coaches polls, while in 1991 Miami (AP) shared the national title with Washington (coaches). This past season 10 ACC players earned first team All-America recognition, while nine others garnered second or third team honors. The 12 institutions that take to the field this fall under the ACC banner have produced 533 first or second team gridiron All-Americans and 73 first team academic AllAmericans. Led by Virginia defensive end Chris Long, the second overall selection by the St. Louis Rams and Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, the third overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons, the ACC achieved a first for any conference in the NFL Draft, having two of the top four players selected in each of the past three seasons. Over the past three years, the ACC has had more players selected in the NFL Draft (115) than any other conference and, in that time, has had more players taken in the first round of the NFL Draft (25) than any other intercollegiate league. In 2006, the ACC set NFL draft records with 12 firstround selections and 51 players drafted overall. Long, who was the first defensive player chosen in the draft, became the third straight ACC player to achieve that feat joining NC State’s Mario Williams, the top overall selection in the 2006 NFL Draft, and Clemson defensive end Gaines Adams, who was the fourth overall pick in the 2007 Draft, as the first defensive players chosen. No other league has ever had the top defender chosen in the draft for three consecutive years. The ACC also had the most firstround selections in this past year with seven. The 12 current ACC schools have had 2,157 players selected in the annual professional football draft, including 217 first round selections. If success is best measured in terms of wins and losses, then the ACC over the years has proven itself to be among the elite in Division I-A football. CONTINUES ON PAGE 12

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

Four Teams, 11 Individuals Win National Championships BY DAVID DROSCHAK

Four Teams, 11 Individuals Win National Championships BY DAVID DROSCHAK FOUR TEAMS AND 11 INDIVIDUALS CAPTURED COLLEGE sport’s highest competitive honor, with several continuing impressive victorious trends for either their university or the ACC. For example, the Florida State men’s outdoor track and field team won its third straight national crown in 2008 and had a record 13 participants from the Tallahassee, Fla., school in the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, China. “We do feel like we’re representing the ACC and it’s certainly something we’re proud of doing, winning national championships for our league,” said Florida State track and field coach Bob Braman. “We want to get as many of these as we can. This doesn’t just reflect on Florida State, but our entire league.” Of the FSU athletes participating in the Olympics, Walter Dix was the most decorated, winning the NCAA men’s outdoor 200 meters for his 18th All-American honor and eighth individual national title this past spring. A few weeks later, Dix captured an Olympic bonze medal with a person-best time of 9.91 seconds in the 100-meter dash, and also won a bronze in the 200 meters. “Water was kind of our cornerstone of those three championships,” Braman said. “He was such an elite athlete. It was cool to see him back on campus this fall pursuing a master’s degree. We’ve got great coaches at our schools and when the athletes go on to the Olympics

they usually come back and train and use their university’s facilities. We as a league do as good a job as anybody welcoming back these athletes and providing them with a support base.” Braman also coached six other individual national champions last track and field season, including Gonazalo Barroilhet (indoor men’s heptathlon), Ngori Makusha (outdoor men’s long jump), Hannah England (outdoor women’s 1,500 meters, indoor one-mile run), Susan Kuijken (indoor women’s 3,000 meters) and Drew Brunson (indoor men’s 60-meter hurdles). Miami produced three national champions in Krista Simkins (indoor women’s 400 meters), Reuben Ross (3-meter diving) and Brittany Viola (platform diving), while Somdev Devvarman of Virginia won the men’s singles tennis title and Amanda McDowell of Georgia Tech captured the women’s singles crown. On the team front, the North Carolina field hockey team beat Penn State 3-0 to give the ACC its sixth straight national title in that sport and 13th in the last 21 seasons, while Boston College defeated Notre Dame 4-1 for the ice hockey crown and Wake Forest men’s soccer beat Ohio State 2-1 for the ACC’s 11th title since 1984. In addition, the North Carolina baseball team made its third straight trip to the College World Series, joining other ACC teams Florida State and Miami.

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 11

ACC Players, Teams Good Community Stewards By David Droschak PLAYERS BEGIN EACH SEASON WITH ASPIRATIONS OF All-American honors, a spot in the ACC Championship Game or a successful bowl trip. Such goals require hundreds of hours of practice time and steadfast teamwork. Few argue it requires a serious commitment from all involved to produce a winner. But ACC football isn’t just all about on-field accomplishments. Numerous times throughout the year ACC players, coaches and teams participated in “good works” in their local communities, giving back to fans and children who support and watch the college game, are in need of guidance or require a helping hand from a role model. “Being a good member of the community are life lessons players learn, see and feel,” said Duke coach David Cutcliffe, whose team participated in a campus beautification effort in the preseason, helping pick up litter around the Durham, N.C., campus with the grounds crew. “I still believe this and I’ll take it to my grave, that we’re more than just trying to win football games at the collegiate level, that it’s the development of the total person, so community service projects are very important.” A few examples of some of the ACC’s “good works” efforts in 2008 included: • During its off week in early October, Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer and more than 20 players crossed the state of Virginia, reading to elementary school students to help promote literacy as part of a program to honor Beamer’s late mother. • Almost half of the Virginia team participated in a service oriented outreach program called ACE, promoting academic success, character education and leadership skills at elementary and middle schools. • Various players at Georgia Tech visit children’s cancer centers at local hospitals and participated in Toys for Tots. • Each Friday before a home football game, North Carolina players and coaching staff visit the UNC Children’s Hospitals. In addition, players Garrett Reynolds, Chase Rice and Greg Little spearheaded autographed memorabilia sales to raise $10,000 for four Chapel Hill-based charities. • Duke’s Re’quan Boyette was named to the 22-member Allstate AFCA Good Works Team for his volunteer work as a Big Brother, at nursing homes and tutoring elementary school students. Maryland quarterback Jordan Steffy was also honored. • Florida State’s Myron Rolle talked to middle school students about making good choices and academics. “I am a believer that you benefit on the field because I do think community service and volunteer work is true team building, that’s investing in each other,” Cutcliffe said. “The more you invest in each other the more a team is willing to fight together.”

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

The ACC is the nation’s winningest bowl conference as the 12 current league teams are a combined 145129-5 (.529) in post season play. In 2002, the ACC set an NCAA record when seven of its nine teams (78%) received bowl bids. In each of the past three years, the ACC has had eight teams earn bowl invitations, a feat matched by only one other conference. The ACC features four of the Top 12 winningest bowl programs in the nation, including the winningest bowl team in the country in winning percentage with 15 or more bowl appearances in Boston College. The Eagles, who currently have a nation’s best eightgame winning streak in Bowl Games, are 13-6 with a .684 winning percentage. Georgia Tech (6th, 22-14, .611), Florida State (7th, 22-14-2, .605), and Miami (12th, 19-14, .576) all rank among the nation’s elite in terms of bowl winning percentage. In 2007, the ACC exceeded 4.1 million fans (4,141,540) for the second straight year and recorded its second-highest per game average in its history, and highest since 2004, drawing an average of 53,786 fans. In 2006, in eight more home games the Conference had recorded an all-time high in attendance, as ACC teams drew 4,485,625 fans, breaking the existing record of 3,835,260 set in 2005. 2007-08 IN REVIEW The 2007-08 academic year saw league teams capturing four national team titles and 12 individual NCAA crowns. In all, the ACC has won 43 national team titles over the last 12 years. The ACC has won two or more NCAA titles in 26 of the past 28 years. A total of 140 ACC teams placed in NCAA post-season competition in 2007-08. League teams compiled a 119-69 (.633) mark against nonconference opponents in NCAA championship competition. In addition, the ACC had 154 studentathletes earn first team All-America honors this past year. Overall, the league had 258 first, second or third team All-Americans. In addition, the ACC produced 10 national Players of the Year and five national Coach of the Year honorees. 2007-08 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Field Hockey ..................................North Carolina Ice Hockey ..................................... Boston College Men’s Soccer .......................................Wake Forest Men’s Track & Field .......................... Florida State

TRA D I TI O N S O F EXCE L L E N CE

THE CHAMPIONSHIPS The conference will conduct championship competition in 24 sports during the 2008-09 academic year - 12 for men and 13 for women. The fi rst ACC championship was held in swimming on February 25, 1954. The conference did not conduct championships in cross country, wrestling or tennis during the first year. The 12 sports for men include football, cross country, soccer, basketball, swimming, indoor and outdoor track, wrestling, baseball, tennis, golf and lacrosse. Fencing, which was started in 1971, was discontinued in 1981. Women’s sports were initiated in 1977 with the first championship meet being held in tennis at Wake Forest University. Championships for women are currently conducted in cross country, field hockey, soccer, basketball, swimming, indoor and outdoor track, tennis, golf, lacrosse, softball and rowing with volleyball deciding its champion by regular season play. A HISTORY The Atlantic Coast Conference was founded on May 8, 1953, at the Sedgefi eld Inn near Greensboro, N.C., with seven charter members - Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina and Wake Forest – drawing up the conference bylaws. The withdrawal of seven schools from the Southern Conference came early on the morning of May 8, 1953, during the Southern Conference’s annual spring meeting. On June 14, 1953, the seven members met in Raleigh, N.C., where a set of bylaws was adopted and the name became officially the Atlantic Coast Conference. Suggestions from fans for the name of the new conference appeared in the region’s newspapers prior to the meeting in Raleigh. Some of the names suggested were: Dixie, Mid South, Mid Atlantic, East Coast, Seaboard, Colonial, Tobacco, Blue-Gray, Piedmont, Southern Seven and the Shoreline. Duke’s Eddie Cameron recommended that the name of the conference be the Atlantic Coast Conference, and the motion was passed unanimously. The meeting concluded with each member institution assessed $200.00 to pay for conference expenses. On December 4, 1953, conference officials met again at Sedgefield and offi cially admitted the University of Virginia as the league’s eighth member. The first, and only, withdrawal of a school from the ACC came on June 30, 1971, when the University of South Carolina tendered its resignation. The ACC operated with seven members until April 3, 1978, when the Georgia Institute of Technology was admitted. The Atlanta school had withdrawn from the Southeastern Conference in January of 1964. The ACC expanded to nine members on July 1, 1991, with the addition of Florida State University. The conference expanded to 11 members on July 1, 2004, with the addition of the University of Miami and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. On October 17, 2003, Boston College accepted an invitation to become the league’s 12th member starting July 1, 2005.

ACC Tops All BCS Conferences With Graduation Success BY DAVID DROSCHAK THE CONSISTENCY, THE COMPETITION LEVEL from top to bottom, the record run of first-round NFL Draft picks, the unparalleled number of bowl tie-ins – all accomplishments the Atlantic Coast Conference can be proud of on the football field. The ACC’s gridiron programs also received some high marks academically in 2008 – once again proving the ACC is arguably the best collegiate conference when it comes to striking a strong academic-athletic balance. The ACC placed nine of its 12 schools (75 percent) above the national Graduation Success Rate average of 67 percent – by far the best among BCS leagues. “Our culture has long been based on a strong commitment to the balance of athletics, academics and integrity of our programs. I’m proud of our studentathletes for their achievements in the classroom and on the field,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. Duke (96 percent) and Boston College (96 percent) led the ACC, which was the only Football Bowl Subdivision conference to place two schools in the Graduation Success Rate top 10. Other ACC schools placing teams above the national GSR average for 2008 were Wake Forest, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Miami, Florida State, Clemson and Maryland. The GSR, a snapshot of a program’s academic success for a four-year class over a six-year period, was developed by the NCAA in response to college and university presidents who wanted graduation data that more accurately reflected the mobility among college students today. The GSR takes into account transfers and gives a student-athlete credit for graduating or leaving school as long as they are in “good academic standing” at the time of their departure. Meanwhile, six ACC schools were recognized by the American Football Coaches Association for graduating at least 70 percent of their football players. Duke was one of six schools and the lone ACC institution to post a rating of 90 percent or better. The Blue Devils have won annual AFCA graduation award a record 12 times since its inception in 1981. Boston College is tied with Northwestern for the third-most with five. In addition to Duke, the other ACC schools honored by the AFCA were Boston College, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 13

48 H

OF ACC FOOTBAL

ACC Coaches & Awards Luncheon 12:00pm-1:30pm *Special Ticketed Event Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina Presented by Tampa Bay & Company The ACC Coaches & Awards Luncheon officially kicks off the weekend with both participating coaches discussing their respective roads to Tampa Bay. The 2008 ACC Football Awards will also be presented at this time.

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

ACC Night of Legends 7:00pm-11:00pm *Special Ticketed Event Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay Presented by the Florida Sports Foundation The ACC Night of Legends is an exclusive party that will honor outstanding football legends from each ACC institution. Held at the ACC Headquarter Hotel, this event will celebrate the careers of the 2008 ACC Legends Class and feature food, beverage and entertainment indigenous to the Tampa Bay community.

Channelsideâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Toast to the Atlantic Coast 7:00pm-12:00am Free to the Public Channelside Bay Plaza Presented by EA Sports Come join in the spirit and excitement of the ACC Football Championship at the biggest downtown pep rally of the weekend. Make your way to Channelside Bay Plaza for a night of entertainment, including each participating schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s marching band and mascot.

Hours

ALL CELEBRATIONS

ACC FanFest Open to All Game Ticket Holders ACC Raymond James Stadium, Lot 6D, Presented by the Official Corporate Partners of the ACC 9:30am-1:00pm & 4:30pm-7:30pm The biggest party on Championship Weekend! ACC FanFest is over 200,000 square feet of interactive games, team mascots, pep rallies, food and beverage, autograph signings, game merchandise, jumbotrons, and general family fun! Post-game session will feature the FedEx Orange Bowl Official Invitation Presentation to the ACC Champion and country music star Blake Shelton, live in concert!

2008 Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game 1:00pm, ABC Raymond James Stadium

FedEx Orange Bowl OďŹ&#x192;cial Invitation Presentation 5:15pm, Raymond James Stadium, Lot 6D Presented by the Orange Bowl Committee

Blake Shelton Post-Game Concert 5:30pm , Raymond James Stadium, Lot 6D Presented by US 103.5 FM

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 15

RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM INFO

PROGRAMS To ensure an enjoyable experience, Raymond James Stadium offers a variety of services: Guest Services program to assist with directions, concerns, and problems anywhere in the stadium. Tele-Text - Have a problem/concern at your seat? Call (813) 350-6501 or text (813) 277-6501, report your location, section, row and seat. Designated Driver - One free soft drink to the designated driver of the group.

PLEASE CALL 813-350-6501 OR TEXT 813-277-6501 TO REPORT ANY FAN CONDUCT, FACILITIES OR CUSTOMER SERVICE ISSUES YOU MAY ENCOUNTER TODAY. CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES ARE STANDING BY TO ASSIST YOU THROUGHOUT THE GAME.

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

Safe Ride Home - Free taxi ride home within a 50-mile radius to fans who are intoxicated. GUEST SERVICES Guest Service booths are located outside on the plazas, near the entrance/exit ramps on the main concourse, and near the center of each upper concourse. Club ticket holders can use the concierge in the east and west club lobbies and at the top of the lobby escalator. FIRST AID First aid stations are near ramps B and D on the main and upper concourses. Paramedics are positioned on the east and west walkways of the main and upper levels and on the end zone concourse. LOST AND FOUND Lost and found is at the nearest information booth during an event or call the TSA office weekdays at (813) 350-6500. The TSA office is on the ground level between gates C and D accessed from outside the stadium. NEED CASH? Six ATMs are located on the main concourse, one on each upper deck, and two on the club level. There is also an ATM outside the stadium near the Box Office windows, between gates C and D.

IN GOOD COMPANY TAMPA BAY IS PROUD TO ADD THE ACC FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TO ITS LONG LIST OF MAJOR SPORTING EVENTS BY TOM MCEWEN

tylish announcer Pat Summerall concluded the telecast of a major sports telecast from Tampa Bay with: “If they liked you when they left, they’ll be back.’’ They always have, they always will. Floridians, overall, have the natural work-hard-and-have-fun combination that visitors can appreciate. Those seeking to spend leisure time can find it in Tampa — this neat, happy, complete place midway along the Gulf of Mexico. That’s especially true when it comes to major sporting events. The Tampa Bay area came awake to major sports a few decades ago and has never thought of cutting back. Now, these neat times later, this saleable place of Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Lakeland, Bradenton and Sarasota has its own major league baseball team, the Rays, who made it to the World Series, beaten there by the Philadelphia Phillies, who built their title team in their spring work place in Clearwater; have their own National Football League team, the Buccaneers, who won it all in 2002 at the Super Bowl in San Diego; have their own National Hockey League team that won the Stanley Cup in 2004. Tampa Bay is also home to the Outback Bowl, a January 1 match of top college teams at Raymond James Stadium, and is now about to host the 2008 and 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference football championship. Don’t forget that most of the major league baseball teams train in Florida, so many in the Tampa Bay area, where it all started, where Babe Ruth hit his longest homerun ever. Yes, there is a monument on the spot. Haven’t mentioned that the University of Tampa once played

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

intercollegiate football, and produced players like Freddie Solomon and John Matuszak. Well, Jim McVay assures the Outback Bowl is on schedule and will do well, and we know the Super Bowl coming February 1, 2009, will sell out. This will be the fourth Super Bowl held in Tampa, a favorite host city with the NFL. The first was in 1984. The most dramatic was played Jan. 27, 1991, the New York Giants and the Buffalo Bills. A Matt Bahr field goal gave New York a 20-19 lead. With virtually no time left, Buffalo kicker Scott Norwood had a 47-yard field goal to win it for Buffalo. He pushed it the right of the north post, ran off the field and may not have stopped running yet. The league loves cities the size of Tampa, because Tampa has it all despite its size. It is a 20-minute city (20 minutes anywhere), access is easy, the people are friendly and accommodating, the improved RJ Stadium as good as there is. The bigger pressbox is a jewel, the parking not bad, the police always helpful, as are city, county and state officials, the public still a bit starry-eyed and wanting to please, the committees and workfolk unspoiled. And, finally, the beaches and access to them and the shot at warm times for swims. Yet, no mention still of the wonderful sights and sounds of Busch Gardens, the glorious Gulf beaches, the golf courses, the absolute stunning lineup of restaurants, and non-sport place and of course, Disney World close by in Orlando. And, this is football country. Oh, yes. Pat Summerall has been back many times.

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DATE

BOWL

TIME

SITE

CONFERENCES

NETWORK

Dec. 20

EagleBank Bowl

11:00 a.m.

Washington, DC

ACC vs. Navy

ESPN

Dec. 20

New Mexico Bowl

2:30 p.m.

Albuquerque, NM

Mountain West vs. WAC

ESPN

Dec. 20

St. Petersburg Bowl

4:30 p.m.

St. Petersburg, FL

Big East vs. Conference USA

ESPN2

Dec. 20

Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl

8:00 p.m.

Las Vegas, NV

Mountain West vs. Pac-10

ESPN

Dec. 21

R & L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

8:00 p.m.

New Orleans, LA

Sun Belt vs. Conference USA

ESPN2

Dec. 23

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl

8:00 p.m.

San Diego, CA

Mountain West vs. Pac-10

ESPN

Dec. 24

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl

8:00 p.m.

Honolulu, HI

Pac-10 vs. WAC

ESPN

Dec. 26

Motor City Bowl

8:00 p.m.

Detroit, MI

MAC vs. Big Ten

ESPN

Dec. 27

Meineke Car Care Bowl

1:00 p.m.

Charlotte, NC

ACC vs. Big East

ESPN

Dec. 27

Champs Sports Bowl

4:30 p.m.

Orlando, FL

ACC vs. Big Ten

ESPN

Dec. 27

Emerald Bowl

8:00 p.m.

San Francisco, CA

ACC vs. Pac-10

ESPN

Dec. 28

PetroSun Independence Bowl

8:00 p.m.

Shreveport, LA

SEC vs. Big 12

ESPN

Dec. 29

Papajohns.com Bowl

3:00 p.m.

Birmingham, AL

Big East vs. SEC

ESPN

Dec. 29

Valero Alamo Bowl

8:00 p.m.

San Antonio, TX

Big 12 vs. Big Ten

ESPN

Dec. 30

Roadyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Humanitarian Bowl

4:30 p.m.

Boise, ID

ACC vs. WAC

ESPN

Dec. 30

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl

8:00 p.m.

San Diego,CA

Pac-10 vs. Big 12

ESPN

Dec. 30

Texas Bowl

8:00 p.m.

Houston, TX

Big 12 vs. Conference USA or Navy

NFL Network

Dec. 31

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl

12:00 p.m.

Fort Worth, TX

Mountain West vs. Conference USA

ESPN

Dec. 31

Brut Sun Bowl

2:00 p.m.

El Paso, TX

Pac-10 vs. Big 12/Big East/Notre Dame

CBS

Dec. 31

Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl

3:30 p.m.

Nashville, TN

ACC vs. SEC

ESPN

Dec. 31

Insight Bowl

5:30 p.m.

Tempe, AZ

Big 12 vs. Big Ten

NFL Network

Dec. 31

Chick-fil-A Bowl

7:30 p.m.

Atlanta, GA

ACC vs. SEC

ESPN

Jan. 1

Outback Bowl

11:00 a.m.

Tampa, FL

Big Ten vs. SEC

ESPN

Jan. 1

Capital One Bowl

1:00 p.m.

Orlando, FL

Big Ten vs. SEC

ABC

Jan. 1

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl

1:00 p.m.

Jacksonville, FL

ACC vs. Big 12/Big East/Notre Dame

CBS

Jan. 1

Rose Bowl presented by Citi

5:00 p.m.

Pasadena, CA

BCS vs. BCS

ABC

Jan. 1

FedEx Orange Bowl

8:30 p.m.

Miami, FL

BCS vs. BCS

FOX

Jan. 2

AT&T Cotton Bowl

2:00 p.m.

Dallas, TX

SEC vs. Big 12

FOX

Jan. 2

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

5:00 p.m.

Memphis, TN

Conference USA vs. SEC

ESPN

Jan. 2

Allstate Sugar Bowl

8:00 p.m.

New Orleans, LA

BCS vs. BCS

FOX

Jan. 3

International Bowl

12:00 p.m.

Toronto, Canada

Big East vs. MAC

ESPN2

Jan. 5

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl

8:00 p.m.

Glendale, AZ

BCS vs. BCS

FOX

Jan. 6

GMAC Bowl

8:00 p.m.

Mobile, AL

Conference USA vs. MAC/WAC

ESPN

Jan. 8

FedEx BCS National Championship Game

8:00 p.m.

Miami, FL

BCS No. 1 vs. BCS No. 2

FOX

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

THE POSTSEASON HAS JUST BEGUN. ACC-AFFILIATED BOWL GAMES, DECEMBER 20 - JANUARY 1.

EagleBank Bowl Dec. 20 at 11:00 a.m. RFK Stadium Washington, D.C. ESPN

Champs Sports Bowl Dec. 27 at 4:30 p.m. Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, FL ESPN

Roadyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Humanitarian Bowl Dec. 30 at 4:30 pm Bronco Stadium Boise, ID ESPN

Chick-fil-A Bowl Dec. 31 at 7:30 p.m. Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA ESPN FedEx Orange Bowl Jan. 1 at 8:00 p.m. Dolphin Stadium Miami, FL FOX

Meineke Car Care Bowl Dec. 27 at 1:00 p.m. Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC ESPN

Emerald Bowl Dec. 27 at 8:00 p.m. AT&T Park San Francisco, CA ESPN

Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl Dec. 31 at 3:30 p.m. LP Field Nashville, TN ESPN

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl Jan. 1 at 1:00 p.m. Jax. Municipal Stadium Jacksonville, FL CBS

A Tradition of Excellence ... Then, Now, and Always www.theACC.com

championship

recap THIS YEAR IS AS GOOD A TIME AS EVER TO TAKE A LOOK BACK AT THE FIRST THREE DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

[ 2005]

Florida State’s Willie Reid returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown and Drew Weatherford threw for 225 yards and one touchdown as the Seminoles upset No. 5 Virginia Tech 27-22 in the inaugural ACC title game ... the victory marked the Seminoles’ 12th ACC title in 14 years … Reid, who finished with 210 all-purpose yards, was named the game’s most valuable player … sparked by Reid’s return to open the second half, FSU scored 24 unanswered third quarter points, snapping a 3-3 halftime tie … Marcus Vick led the Hokies to three touchdowns in the fourth quarter that cut the Seminole lead to 27-22. MVP: Willie Reid, Florida State AWARDS WINNERS: PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Chris Barclay, Wake Forest DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: D’Qwell Jackson, Maryland ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: James Davis, Clemson COACH OF THE YEAR: Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech

2005 ACC Legends: Mike Ruth (Boston College), Jeff Davis (Clemson), Leo Hart (Duke), Marvin Jones (Florida State), Joe Hamilton (Georgia Tech), Jack Scarbath (Maryland), George Mira Sr. (Miami), Roman Gabriel (NC State), Don McCauley (North Carolina), William “Bill” Dudley (Virginia), Bruce Smith (Virginia Tech), Bill Armstrong (Wake Forest)

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 23

[ 2006]

Wake Forest’s Sam Swank kicked three field goals, including the game winner with 2:55 left to play as the 16th-ranked Demon Deacons claimed their first ACC title since 1970 with a 9-6 victory over No. 23 Georgia Tech ... Swank, who made good on three of four field goal attempts and punted seven times for a 42.6 yards per kick average, was named the game’s most valuable player ... freshman QB Riley Skinner completed 14of-25 passes for 201 yards including a 45-yard completion to Willie Idlette that set up Swank’s game-winning field goal ... Deacon LB Jon Abbate had a game-high 15 tackles and keyed a defense that limited the Yellow Jackets to a pair of field goals and 272 yards in total offense ... Tech WR Calvin Johnson finished with eight catches for 117 yards while Tashard Choice had his sixth-straight 100 yard effort, finishing with an even 100 yards on 21 carries. MVP: Sam Swank, Wake Forest 2006 ACC Legends: Doug Flutie (Boston College), Michael Dean Perry (Clemson), Art Gregory (Duke), William Floyd (Florida State), Marco Coleman (Georgia Tech), Randy White (Maryland), Gino Torretta (Miami), Jim Ritcher (NC State), William Fuller (North Carolina), Jim Dombrowski (Virginia), Carroll Dale (Virginia Tech), James McDougald (Wake Forest)

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

AWARDS WINNERS: PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Gaines Adams, Clemson ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Riley Skinner, Wake Forest COACH OF THE YEAR: Jim Grobe, Wake Forest

[ 2007]

Virginia Tech held the high-powered Boston College offense scoreless over the final 35 minutes of play, overcoming a nine-point first half deficit to claim their second ACC title since joining the league in 2004...Led by junior quarterback Sean Glennon, who was named the championship game MVP, the Hokies scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull out the 30-16 win...For the game, Glennon completed 18 of 27 pass attempts for 174 yards and three touchdowns...Hokie receivers Josh Morgan, Eddie Royal and Josh Hyman combined for nearly 150 yards and three touchdowns...The Hokie defense forced two turnovers, scoring one TD on an interception return, and the special teams unit blocked two kicks, including a PAT that was returned for two points...For BC, Matt Ryan passed for 305 yards and running back Andre Callender set a championship game record with 13 receptions in the losing effort. MVP: Sean Glennon, Virginia Tech AWARD WINNERS: PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Matt Ryan, Boston College DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Chris Long, Virginia ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Josh Adams, Wake Forest COACH OF THE YEAR: Al Groh, Virginia

2007 ACC Legends: Pete Mitchell (Boston College), Jerry Butler (Clemson), Clarkston Hines (Duke), LeRoy Butler (Florida State), George Morris (Georgia Tech), Dick Shiner (Maryland), Jim Kelly (Miami), Dennis Byrd (NC State), Harris Barton (North Carolina), Joe Palumbo (Virginia), Antonio Freeman (Virginia Tech), Norm Snead (Wake Forest)

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 25

Players in the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame

Coaches in National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame

AFCA Graduation Awards

Pro Football Hall of Famers

National Titles

Heisman Trophy Winners

ACC FOOTBALL BY THE NUMBERS

All-Americans

NFL First-Round Draft Picks

Bowl Victories

No. 1 National Rankings

as selected by CoSIDA

Academic All-Americans

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE ... THEN, NOW, AND ALWAYS.

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion

ACC Officials: A DEDICATED FRATERNITY IN STRIPES BY DAVID DROSCHAK

It’s the ultimate thankless job – and a part-time one at that. “What we like to do is get in and get out and have nobody realize we were there. That’s a successful game,” said Doug Rhoads, the ACC’s coordinator of officials. Easier said than done with college football stakes higher than ever, where countless post-game shows and instant replays from seemingly every camera angle dissect offi cial’s calls like frogs in high school biology class. But there is more interest than ever in becoming one of the chosen few ACC officials. Rhoads said he sifted through more than 300 applications in the offseason for just a few vacant positions to fill out his roster of 73 varsity officials, all of whom have full-time jobs — from university president to attorney — scattered across the footprint of the ACC. You can actually apply on www.theacc.org to become an official, but you must first have five years of high school experience and five more years of college work under your belt before Rhoads even looks at your application. And then don’t expect to immediately hit the field for a big ACC game. There is a supplemental roster of 33 officials Rhoads supervises, who are graded during scrimmages and smaller college games for several years. Of that group, maybe one or two of the most seasoned vets get promoted each season after a varsity official retires or moves out of the area. “There is just a mass of interest,” Rhoads said. While pay and the excitement of being a part of college football may seem enticing to many fans who believe they can do just as good a job in stripes, showing up for a Saturday game is about half the battle. With the help of the ACC’s high-tech Football Operations Center housed on the second fl oor of the league’s Greensboro, N.C., headquarters, Rhoads is able to compile a 20-minute weekly training video for his crew of offi cials, e-mail it to them, and then follow up with an occasional quiz. There are also weekly teleconferences to discuss particular themes Rhoads deems important, lengthy pregame and postgame duties, along with

staying in shape and knowing an ever-changing rulebook inside and out. Some ACC officials even work scrimmages during the season at various schools. There is also an extensive background check. “You can’t come in and learn at this level, you have to have experience,” Rhoads said. “To be good and to survive and remain an official you have to be good at the rules, be good at the mechanics, be good at common sense and be good at communicating. It’s an old Bear Bryant phrase, ‘Be good or be gone.’ That’s kind of the way we operate.” It’s fitting that Rhoads, a former FBI special agent for 26 years, would center his officiating philosophy around an acronym (CAPS), which stands for consistency, accountability, professionalism and standardization. A former ACC back judge for 30 years, Rhoads retired from the field in 2007 and was hired by commissioner John Swofford to replace Tommy Hunt as the coordinator of officials. The hiring of Rhoads coincided with the opening of the ACC Football Operations Center, where every penalty is logged and every instant replay tagged for Rhoads to sort through after returning from a Saturday game. “When I started in this game we only had five officials on the field and now we have seven, the ACC only had eight teams and now we have 12, we only played 10 regular-season games and now you play 12 plus the championship game, so the game itself has grown so much to where we’re so much more a visible part of the game,” Rhoads said of officials. “It’s just so popular every single weekend at a national level.” Rhoads travels to every school in the ACC at least once during the season, arriving in time for the mandatory 6 p.m. Friday meeting between the crew, where they review even more video and discuss certain trends in the game. On game day, the crew is expected at the field 110 minutes before kickoff for a meeting with

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 29

a variety of game-day operations personnel, including security, clock operators and replay officials. After the game, Rhoads returns to Greensboro to begin the process of compiling his weekly training video. He also fields as many as 100 plays per week, via the internet, from ACC coaches who are seeking further explanations on calls or non-calls. Rhoads answers those concerns and incorporates some of the plays into the training video. On Tuesday, Rhoads is in full production-day mode, putting together the video, with the help of Ben Tario, the league’s assitant director of technology and operations, narrating and using Maddentype graphics or spotlights to add some flair to the product. “Each week we try to make it a TV show, we try to make it so it is a half-hour video that’s entertaining and informative, something the officials look forward to and can learn from,” Tario said. “Doug has brought us into the 21st century with all the technology,” added Pat Ryan, a current ACC official. “We can look at plays within the hour.” Rhoads believes the fast turnaround keeps officials fresh and on their toes, allowing them to exercise good judgment, make good decisions and hone their communication skills. “I worked 262 ACC games in my career and the last one was as satisfying as the first one if you went out there and got it right – and it’s not just me, there are seven of us out there that we always refer to as the Third Team.” OPERATIONS CENTER Tario and a group of nine interns capture all the video and pertinent plays for Rhoads each Saturday in the ACC Football Operations Center. A lead official is also in the room filled with six flat-screen TVs and video equipment to offer officiating perspective as the interns log each penalty and replay, the time it occurred, along with the down-and-distance. If the game is just aired on the internet, Tario will log in and connect to one of the two larger TVs in the room. “We really are the eyes and ears of the football operation,” Tario said. “It’s pretty intense when the interns work these games, there’s a lot of data, so they are tired by the end of the day.” Tario and the observing official select certain plays as “keepers” for use in Rhoads’ weekly training video after the conclusion of each game. And then the process starts all over again as the next game starts. “It’s usually 10-12 plays from each game we select that will go into an hour-long tape of the good, the bad and the ugly from Saturday. We have everything we need in that one condensed file.” In addition, the lead replay official will call in following his game to review each replay, all of which are logged for Rhoads, who has a weekly conference call with all replay officials who log into computers and watch each replay together.

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

“It’s how you build consistency with everybody seeing the same video, hearing the same language,” Rhoads said. At the end of a Saturday, Rhoads will have about an hour’s worth of video from Tario to shift through in compiling his 20-minute weekly training tape. By Tuesday afternoon, the video is ready to be e-mailed to ACC officials, who have a sensitive password to access the training tape. “The officials get immediate visual clarification on rule feedback,” Tario said. “Instead of waiting for five days and scouring through their boring game tape, they get a compilation of the officiating issues from the week before as laid out as the letter of the law by the coordinator of officials. It’s the immediacy is what makes this so important.” Included in the training tape are various video clips provided each week by schools, which shoot end zone and sideline angles that often aren’t available during a regular TV broadcast. “Everything is being watched and it’s a good thing,” Tario said. “The bottom line is the officials want to get better and this is the way to do it.” One neat tool at Tario’s disposal is an ability to pull up video of a particular penalty all season, let’s say pass interference, then sort it by officials while even adding the grading component. “What an incredible plethora of video library material we have,” Tario said. Coaches from every ACC school have been through the ACC Football Operations Center and has given a resounding thumb’s up to the concept. “All the coaches love it. They feel better knowing that each game is being watched, it’s being critiqued, there is an eye in the sky that is monitoring everything that’s going on,” Tario said.

“It’s fun in here on Saturday,” Tario added “You are in here for 14 hours in the same room and you don’t see the sun and you wonder what else is going on out there. It’s just football for a day for us. Every year, every week we get more efficient.” THE MEN IN STRIPES Rhoads supervises seven 10-men crews and a few reserve officials from all walks of life. Each work full-time jobs and then log countless hours behind the scenes to prepare for Saturdays on the field. Some have extra special stories, or are true American heroes, like back judge Pat Ryan, a fire captain in Arlington County, Virginia. Ryan was one of the first respondents to the 9-11 plane crashing into the Pentagon. He was set to work one of the bigger games of that 2001 ACC season with Georgia Tech at Florida State, but instead spent five straight days at the disaster site, shifting through rumble for survivors. “It was surreal,” said Ryan, who just completed his 13th season as an ACC official. “It was like a war zone, people were running everywhere. I remember a lady got up out of the rubble after we thought we had everybody. This lady stood up out of nowhere and she looked like the debris, she was all black and dirty and rubble was all over here. It was brutal.” A weekend later, Ryan worked the Clemson-Georgia Tech game. “Here I am right back in the hotbox again with this big game,” Ryan said. “I believe it went overtime and it was a heck of ball game. But I will never forget the national anthem playing, and it’s getting me a little bit emotional right now, the tears were just coming down my face because it was just so incredible. I’ve never felt more proud of our country.”

Ryan, 47, also worked NFL Europe games for three seasons, but decided he didn’t want to work overseas after 9-11 and began concentrating just on ACC games. “I didn’t want to go back to places like Berlin, and sure enough a few seasons later Miami and Virginia Tech and Boston College came into the league and it’s just great,” he said. “Being in the big game, I don’t care what anybody says, the first time when you’re in a big game, you have to be calm and sometimes for a new official it’s hard to be calm when 88,000 people at Florida State are going crazy and it’s your second year in the league. I have just gotten smarter with each passing season. It’s called experience.” Brad Allen, 39, has been an ACC referee for four seasons and lives in Lumberton, N.C., working as the president of a non-profit organization that promotes health services for senior citizens. Few log more time on the job, or should I say both jobs, than Allen. His non-profit operates programs in all of the state’s 100 counties; he makes presentations to the General Assembly and also volunteers a couple of times a month for the Meals on Wheels program. “It’s a great exhilaration to get out there and work a college football game, but to see the smile on an elderly person’s face who doesn’t get to see anybody, and you deliver them a meal, man that’s pretty strong, too.” As a referee, Allen is the head of his seven-man crew, which carries with it a few extra responsibilities. However, few are as intense about his on-field job than Allen, who tapes 12-15 non-ACC games per week to produce his own training tape for his crew in addition to Rhoads’ teaching tool. And it’s not unusual for Allen to respond to some of Rhoads’ weekly quizzes before Tario sends out an e-mail alerting officials of the test. “Our mandate is we’re all in the host city by 6 p.m. for our meeting,” Allen said. “I don’t think I’m a control freak, but if my guys can get there by 3 p.m. that makes me feel a whole lot better that I’m not worried about flights being delayed. You need to get focused and get ready to do what we have to do.” Allen and other referees treat their crews very much like an extended family. “If you had some kind of a guy who had seven fingers on one hand and you could stick those fingers into a glove that’s really what we’re all about,” Allen said. “We’re there for business, we’re there to communicate, we’re there to be professional.” Both Ryan and Allen hope to officiate in the ACC for decades. “It’s kind of a whirlwind. It just seems like I started doing high school games,” Allen said. “If you don’t have support from your family you’re never going to make it. You turn around and the whole season is gone, it goes so fast and it’s so intense, but it is so much fun. The people that you meet, that’s what it’s all about, the family of the ACC. The best friends that I have on the planet right now outside of my wife and family are people I have met as an official. It is a unique thing and it’s really cool.”

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 31

DECEMBER 6, 2008 • RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM • TAMPA, FL • TheACC.com 12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 33

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

ATLANTIC DIVISION CHAMPION / BOSTON COLLEGE

2008 SEASON RESULTS Aug. 30, 2008

vs. Kent State

21-0

Sept. 6, 2008

GEORGIA TECH

16-19

Sept. 20, 2008

UCF

34-7

Sept. 27, 2008

RHODE ISLAND

42-0

Oct. 4, 2008

NC State

38-31

Oct. 18, 2008

#17 VIRGINIA TECH

28-23

Oct. 25, 2008

North Carolina

24-45

Nov. 1, 2008

CLEMSON

21-27

Nov. 8, 2008

NOTRE DAME

17-0

Nov. 15, 2008

#19 Florida State

27-17

Nov. 22, 2008

Wake Forest

24-21

Nov. 29, 2008

MARYLAND

28-21

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 35

TEAM STATISTICS

SCORING

OPP

320

Points Per Game FIRST DOWNS Rushing

211

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING

Att Gain Loss

Net

Avg

Montel Harris

155

818

798

5.1

Long Avg/G 47

72.5

Josh Haden

103

450

439

4.3

39.9 20.5

26.7

17.6

225

183

Chris Crane

339

114

225

2.8

109

Jeff Smith

205

192

5.2

19.2

James McCluskey

3.7

10.5

Effic Cmp-Att-Int Pct

Passing

104

Penalty

PASSING

Yds

Lng

Avg/G

1820

1048

Chris Crane

104.42

169-307-13

55.0

1721

156.5

2075

1383

Dominique Davis

110.33

31-59-0

52.5

288

72.0

335

Billy Flutie

10 252.80

1-2-0

50.0

0.9

Brandon Robinson

0-1-0

0.0

RUSHING YARDAGE Yards gained rushing Yards lost rushing

255

Rushing Attempts

455

365

0.00

Average Per Rush

4.0

2.9

RECEIVING

No.

Yds

Avg

Average Per Game

151.7

87.3

Rich Gunnell

437

10.4

36.4

Brandon Robinson

581

15.7

48.4

Justin Jarvis

216

9.8

21.6

Ryan Purvis

147

7.3

13.4

James McCluskey

123

6.5

15.4

TDs Rushing

Att-Comp-Int

11 2272

369-201-13

396-223-25

5.5

5.7

Josh Haden

100

7.7

9.1

Montel Harris

5.6

6.6

Ifeanyi Momah

138

13.8

15.3

Clarence Megwa

7.3

11.0

Lars Anderson

9.4

10.7

Points

Average Per Pass Average Per Catch

10.0

10.2

Average Per Game

168.2

189.3

3838

3320

824

761

TDs Passing TOTAL OFFENSE Total Plays

|----PATs SCORING

Average Per Play Average Per Game KICK RETURNS: #-Yards PUNT RETURNS: #-Yards

4.7

4.4

319.8 42-811 17-196

INT RETURNS: #-Yards

Rcv

Pass

DXP

Saf

0-0

1-1

0-0

276.7

Chris raneC

0-0

57-1329

Montel Harris

0-0

Rich unnell G

0-0

Ifeanyi

Brandon obinson R Justin arvisJ

27-198

KICK RETURN AVERAGE

19.3

23.3

PUNT RETURN AVERAGE

11.5

7.3

INT RETURN AVERAGE

24.1

13.5

FUMBLES-LOST

25-13

18-8

omah M

----|

FGs Kick Rush

13-175

PUNTS-Yards

Steve ponavicius A

25-603

PENALTIES-Yards

Long Avg/G

2018

PASSING YARDAGE

13-20 38-38

Dominique avisD

0-0

Mark erzlich H

0-0

Jeff mithS

0-0

53-448

70-597

TOTAL OFFENSE

Plays

Rush

Pass

Total

Avg/G

60-2262

65-2354

Chris Crane

388

225

1721

1946

176.9

Montel Harris

155

798

72.5

Josh Haden

103

439

39.9

Dominique Davis

288

291

72.8

Jeff Smith

192

19.2

James McCluskey

10.5

Brian Toal

9.2

Razzie Smith

5.2

TIME OF POSSESSION/Game

31:31

28:29

3RD-DOWN Conversions

64/174

58/178

4TH-DOWN Conversions

15/21

11/21

SCORE BY QUARTERS

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Total

Boston College

320

Rich Gunnell

1.4

Opponents

211

Isaac Johnson

2.4

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

ATLANTIC DIVISION CHAMPION / BOSTON COLLEGE

Coaching Staff

Jeff Jagodzinski Head Coach

Jack Bicknell Jr. Offensive Line

Mike Siravo Defensive Backs

Frank Spaziani Defensive Coordinator

Ben Sirmans Running Backs

Steve Logan Offensive Coordinator

Don Yanowsky Tight Ends/Special Teams

Jeff Comissiong Defensive Line

Ryan Day Wide Receivers

Bill McGovern Linebackers

2008 Team Roster NO. NAME

POS.

HT.

WT.

CL.

HOMETOWN

5-8

182

Fr.

Ft. Washington, MD

Robinson, Brandon

5-10

198

Sr.

Momah, Ifeanyi

6-6

225

So.

Fletcher, Donnie

6-1

186

Smith, Jeff

5-9

198

Akins, Kevin

6-2

Tuggle, Justin

Bowman, Marcellus

Gause, DeLeon

5-11

Boek, Codi

Flutie, Billy

Davis, Dominique

18 19

Haden, Josh

2 3

NO. NAME

POS.

HT.

WT.

CL.

HOMETOWN

Thompson, Will

6-1

235

R-Fr.

Jersey City, NJ

Minneapolis, MN

Geiser, Jack

6-2

250

Jr.

Dallas, TX

Greenlawn, NY

Giles, Austin

6-3

283

Jr.

Marshfield, MA

Fr.

Cleveland, OH

Morrissey, Mike

6-2

210

So.

Lincolnshire, IL

Jr.

Plympton, MA

Scafe, Damik

6-3

293

So.

Windsor, CT

224

Sr.

Lansdale, PA

Flaherty, Sean

6-2

220

Fr.

Loveland, OH

6-3

208

Fr.

Alpharetta, GA

Brace, Ron

6-3

324

Sr.

Springfield, MA

6-2

217

Jr.

Girard, OH

Murphy, Bryan

6-3

285

Sr.

Olathe, KS

174

So.

Miami, FL

Rossi, Nick

6-6

290

Jr.

Walpole, MA Cincinnati, OH

6-3

221

So.

Fair Oaks, CA

Tennant, Matt

6-4

294

Jr.

6-2

186

So.

Natick, MA

Lapham, Rich

6-8

322

So.

Amherst, NH

6-4

198

R-Fr.

Lakeland, FL

Spinney, Mark

6-4

287

R-Fr.

Westford, MA

Gunnell, Rich

5-11

196

Jr.

East Windsor, NJ

Ramsey, Clif

6-6

311

Sr.

Loveland, OH

Anderson, Paul

6-1

211

Sr.

Staten Island, NY

Castonzo, Anthony

6-7

287

So.

Hawthorn Woods, IL

Rollins, Roderick

6-0

188

Jr.

Dallas, TX

Richman, Nathan

6-6

284

R-Fr.

N. Easton, MA

Smith, Razzie

5-10

177

Jr.

Winter Garden, FL

Sheil, Patrick

6-6

273

Jr.

Clifton, VA

Fox, Chris

5-11

201

So.

Hull, MA

Claiborne, Thomas

6-3

323

So.

Randolph, MA

LeGrande, Dominick

6-2

200

Fr.

Staten Island, NY

Purvis, Ryan

6-4

260

Sr.

Reinholds, PA

Williams, Dan

6-2

239

R-Fr.

Cambridge, MA

Pantale, Chris

6-5

238

Fr.

Wayne, NJ

McLaughlin, Mike

6-0

252

Jr.

Woburn, MA

Jarvis, Justin

6-5

196

Jr.

Bloomfield, CT

Francois, Robert

6-2

253

Sr.

Highlands, TX

Aponavicius, Steve

5-10

198

Sr.

Easton, PA

Walker, Jarick

6-0

213

So.

Boston, MA

Ramella, Jim

6-4

243

Jr.

Westlake, OH

Maglio, Mark

5-9

176

Jr.

Mequon, WI

Anderson, Lars

6-3

248

R-Fr.

Winter Springs, FL

Bagan, Darius

6-2

223

So.

Wallington, NJ

McMichael, Jordon

6-5

262

So.

Eden Prairie, MN

Harris, Montel

5-10

192

Fr.

Jacksonville, FL

Larmond Jr., Colin

6-3

196

Fr.

Whippany, NJ

Johnson, Isaac

6-0

179

Fr.

Everett, MA

Raji, B.J.

6-1

323

Sr.

Washington Twp., NJ

Davis, Wes

6-1

215

So.

El Cajon, CA

Herzlich, Mark

6-4

238

Jr.

Wayne, PA

Quigley, Ryan

6-3

180

Fr.

Little River, SC

Deska, Brendan

6-5

241

Jr.

Orlando, FL

Newman, Brad

6-2

250

So.

Brielle, NJ

Ramsey, Kaleb

6-3

256

Fr.

Uniontown, PA

Seeger, Garrett

6-0

213

Sr.

Barrington, IL

Willette, Jerry

6-5

281

Sr.

Mansfield, MA

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 37

Haden, Josh

Robinson, Brandon

Momah, Ifeanyi

Tuggle, Justin

Bowman, Marcellus

Gause, DeLeon

4 Fletcher, Donnie

Smith, Jeff

Akins, Kevin

Davis, Dominique

Boek, Codi

14 Flutie, Billy

Smith, Razzie

25 Fox, Chris

29 LeGrande, Dominick

18 Gunnell, Rich

19 Anderson, Paul

20 Rollins, Roderick

33 Williams, Dan

34 McLaughlin, Mike

35 Francois, Robert

37 Walker, Jarick

38 Maglio, Mark

39 Bagan, Darius

41 Harris, Montel

42 Johnson, Isaac

45 Davis, Wes

46 Quigley, Ryan

47 Newman, Brad

49 Seeger, Garrett

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

ATLANTIC DIVISION CHAMPION / BOSTON COLLEGE

52 Giles, Austin

53 Morrissey, Mike

55 Scafe, Damik

57 Flaherty, Sean

62 Murphy, Bryan

64 Rossi, Nick

65 Tennant, Matt

66 Lapham, Rich

69 Spinney, Mark

73 Ramsey, Clif

74 Castonzo, Anthony

75 Richman, Nathan

76 Sheil, Patrick

78 Claiborne, Thomas

80 Purvis, Ryan

81 Pantale, Chris

82 Jarvis, Justin

83 Aponavicius, Steve

86 Ramella, Jim

87 Anderson, Lars

88 McMichael, Jordon

89 Larmond Jr., Colin

90 Raji, B.J.

94 Herzlich, Mark

95 Deska, Brendan

96 Ramsey, Kaleb

99 Willette, Jerry

50 Thompson, Will

60 Brace, Ron

Geiser, Jack

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 39

COASTAL DIVISION CHAMPION / VIRGINIA TECH

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

2008 SEASON RESULTS Aug. 30, 2008

vs. East Carolina

22-27

Sept. 6, 2008

FURMAN

24-7

Sept. 13, 2008

GEORGIA TECH

20-17

Sept. 20, 2008

North Carolina

20-17

Sept. 27, 2008

Nebraska

35-30

Oct. 4, 2008

WESTERN KENTUCKY

27-13

Oct. 18, 2008

Boston College

23-28

Oct. 25, 2008

#23 Florida State

20-30

Nov. 6, 2008

#23 MARYLAND

23-13

Nov. 13, 2008

Miami

14-16

Nov. 22, 2008

DUKE

14-3

Nov. 29, 2008

VIRGINIA

17-14

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 41

COASTAL DIVISION CHAMPION / VIRGINIA TECH

TEAM STATISTICS

SCORING

259

Points Per Game FIRST DOWNS Rushing Passing

215

Penalty

Yards gained rushing

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING

Att Gain Loss

Net

Avg

Darren Evans

228 1018

998

4.4

Long Avg/G 50

Tyrod Taylor

121

772

111

661

5.5

66.1

269

241

3.8

40.2

83.2

21.6

17.9

205

165

Kenny Lewis

112

Josh Oglesby

1.9

6.4

Greg Boone

3.0

5.2

Effic Cmp-Att-Int Pct

Avg/G

RUSHING YARDAGE

PASSING

Yds

Lng

2033

1346

Tyrod Taylor

10 105.92

75-132-5

56.8

812

81.2

2352

1719

Sean Glennon

117.88

65-108-5

60.2

743

82.6

319

373

Cory Holt

144.20

3-6-0

50.0

7.0

Greg oone B

0.00

0-1-0

0.0

Yards lost rushing Rushing Attempts

537

406

Average Per Rush

3.8

3.3

RECEIVING

No.

Yds

Avg

Average Per Game

169.4

112.2

Danny Coale

352

11.0

29.3

Jarrett Boykin

407

15.1

33.9

Greg Boone

234

13.0

21.3

Darren Evans

7.5

Dyrell Roberts

171

15.5

14.2

Andre Smith

129

12.9

11.7

Victor Harris

7.9

5.7

Kenny Lewis

5.0

Josh Oglesby

2.3

1.6

Chris Drager

12.3

3.1

SCORING

Points

TDs Rushing

PASSING YARDAGE Att-Comp-Int

1583

1948

249-143-10

267-148-14

6.4

7.3

Average Per Pass Average Per Catch

11.1

Average Per Game

TOTAL OFFENSE

162.3

3616

3294

786

673

Total Plays Average Per Play Average Per Game KICK RETURNS: #-Yards PUNT RETURNS: #-Yards

13.2

131.9

TDs Passing

|----PATs

Rcv

Pass

DXP

Saf

0-0

4.9

Dustin eys K

301.3

274.5

Darren vansE

0-0

41-839

52-987

Kenny ewisL

Tyrod aylorT

Greg oone B

20-266

Long Avg/G

----|

FGs Kick Rush

4.6

22-216

INT RETURNS: #-Yards

20-25 27-28

14-286

10-61

Jarrett oykin B

0-0

KICK RETURN AVERAGE

20.5

19.0

Victor arrisH

0-0

PUNT RETURN AVERAGE

9.8

13.3

Stephan irgil V

0-0

Brett

arren W

0-0

Andre mithS

0-0

INT RETURN AVERAGE

20.4

6.1

FUMBLES-LOST

13-6

26-12

64-442

78-675

PENALTIES-Yards PUNTS-Yards

60-2324

TIME OF POSSESSION/Game

OPP

60-2468

TOTAL OFFENSE

Plays

Rush

Pass

Total

Avg/G

Tyrod Taylor

253

661

812

1473

147.3

Darren Evans

228

998

83.2

Sean Glennon

149

-48

743

695

77.2

241

40.2 6.4

32:12

27:47

3RD-DOWN Conversions

65/176

48/149

Kenny Lewis

4TH-DOWN Conversions

5/13

Josh Oglesby

Greg Boone

5.2

Victor Harris

4.4

SCORE BY QUARTERS

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Total

Jahre Cheeseman

2.1

Virginia Tech

259

Cory Holt

-11

4.2

Opponents

215

Dustin Pickle

1.4

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

Coaching Staff

Frank Beamer Head Coach

Billy Hite Associate Head Coach / Running Backs

Bryan Stinespring Offensive Coordinator / Tight Ends Coach

Bud Foster Defensive Coordinator / Inside Linebackers

Curt Newsome Offensive Line Coach

Kevin Sherman Wide Receivers Coach

Jim Cavanaugh Strong Safety, Outside Linebackers Coach

Mike Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Cain Quarterbacks Coach

Torrian Gray Defensive Backfield Coach

Charley Wiles Defensive Line Coach

2008 Team Roster NO. NAME

POS.

HT.

WT.

CL.

HOMETOWN

NO. NAME

POS.

HT.

WT.

CL.

Kwamaine Battle

6-0

271

r-Fr.

Spring Hope, N.C.

Justin Myer

6-1

200

Fr.

Manheim, Pa.

Jeff Beyer

6-4

221

Jr.

Fairfax, Va.

Greg Nosal

6-6

281

r-Fr.

Virginia Beach, Va.

HOMETOWN

Greg Boone

6-3

280

r-Jr.

Chesapeake, Va.

Quillie Odom

6-1

237

Fr.

Manassas, Va.

Brent Bowden

6-3

202

r-Jr.

Centreville, Va.

Josh Oglesby

5-11

211

r-Fr.

Garner, N.C.

Jarrett Boykin

6-2

201

Fr.

Matthews, N.C.

Prince Parker

6-5

236

r-So.

Norfolk, Va.

Jaymes Brooks

6-2

304

r-Fr.

Newport News, Va.

Devin Perez

5-8

239

r-Sr.

Sparta, N.J.

Nekos Brown

6-2

245

Jr.

Brandywine, Md.

Dustin Pickle

5-10

185

Sr.

Salem, Va.

Rashad Carmichael

5-10

190

r-So.

Clinton, Md.

Dorian Porch

ROV

5-11

210

r-Jr.

Calhoun, Ga. Gaithersburg, Md.

Collin Carroll

6-3

220

r-Fr.

Hopkins, Minn.

Matt Reidy

ROV

6-0

217

r-Jr.

Kam Chancellor

6-4

224

Jr.

Norfolk, Va.

Sergio Render

6-3

308

Jr.

Jahre Cheeseman

5-10

196

r-Jr.

Voorhees, N.J.

Barquell Rivers

5-11

229

r-Fr.

Newnan, Ga. Wadesboro, N.C.

Danny Coale

6-0

203

r-Fr.

Lexington, Va.

Dyrell Roberts

6-1

183

Fr.

Windsor, Va.

Blake DeChristopher

6-5

299

r-Fr.

Midlothian, Va.

Brian Saunders

6-0

206

r-So.

Roseland, Va.

Chris D rager

6-3

238

r-Fr.

Jefferson Hills, Pa.

Ryan Shuman

6-3

293

r-Sr.

Fork Union, Va.

Darren Evans

6-0

210

r-Fr.

Indianapolis, Ind.

Andre Smith

6-4

260

r-So.

Germantown, Md.

Steven Friday

6-4

240

r-So.

Hampton, Va.

Rob Stanton

6-4

240

r-So.

Richlands, Va.

Sean Glennon

6-4

224

r-Sr.

Centreville, Va.

Purnell Sturdivant

5-10

225

r-Sr.

Norfolk, Va.

Richard Graham

6-6

284

r-Jr.

Richmond, Va.

Jacob Sykes

6-0

189

r-Fr.

Goldsboro, N.C. Virginia Beach, Va.

John Graves

6-3

282

r-So.

Richmond, Va.

Demetrius Taylor

6-0

256

r-Jr.

Hivera Green

6-3

304

r-Jr.

Conway, S.C.

Tyrod Taylor

6-1

206

So.

Hampton, Va.

Cody Grimm

5-11

207

r-Jr.

Fairfax, Va.

Patrick Terry

5-11

189

r-Fr.

South Boston, Va.

Victor Harris

6-0

194

Sr.

Highland Springs, Va.

Cordarrow Thompson

6-2

303

r-Jr.

Stafford, Va.

Cris Hill

5-11

183

r-Fr.

Richmond, Va.

Matt Tuttle

6-0

228

r-Jr.

Chesapeake, Va.

Rocky Mount, N.C.

Cory Holt

6-4

215

r-Sr.

Lexington, N.C.

Stephan Virgil

5-11

186

Jr.

Jonas Houseright

6-0

224

r-Sr.

Gate City, Va.

Matt Waldron

5-11

186

r-So.

Oakfield, N.Y.

Kenny Jefferson

5-9

209

r-Jr.

Port Tobacco, Md.

Ed Wang

6-5

310

r-Jr.

Ashburn, Va.

Jake Johnson

6-1

238

Fr.

Falmouth, Va.

Beau Warren

6-3

281

r-So.

Clifton, Va.

Dustin Keys

6-2

212

r-Sr.

Stafford, Va.

Brett Warren

6-1

237

r-Sr.

Clifton, Va. Blacksburg, Va.

Andrew Lanier

6-5

268

r-Fr.

Moore, S.C.

Sam Wheeler

6-3

266

r-Jr.

Nick Marshman

6-5

339

r-Sr.

Harrisonburg, Va.

Eddie Whitley

6-0

179

Fr.

Matthews, N.C.

Cam Martin

6-1

214

r-Jr.

Martinsville, Va.

Lorenzo Williams

6-2

200

Fr.

Fayetteville, N.C.

Orion Martin

6-2

255

r-Sr.

Martinsville, Va.

Jason Worilds

6-2

254

r-So.

Carteret, N.J.

Dylan McGreevy

5-11

212

Sr.

Front Royal, Va.

Justin Young

6-3

280

r-Fr.

Germantown, Md.

Mark Muncey

5-11

231

r-Jr.

Tazewell, Va.

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 43

COASTAL DIVISION CHAMPION / VIRGINIA TECH

93 Kwamaine Battle

16 Jeff Beyer

47 Nekos Brown

97 Brent Bowden

81 Jarrett Boykin

68 Jaymes Brooks

50 Collin Carroll

27 Jahre Cheeseman

19 Danny Coale

62 Blake DeChristopher

86 Chris Drager

32 Darren Evans

82 Steven Friday

Sean Glennon

64 Richard Graham

91 John Graves

69 Hivera Green

26 Cody Grimm

Cris Hill

89 Jonas Houseright

42 Kenny Jefferson

36 Jake Johnson

29 Dustin Keys

72 Andrew Lanier

67 Nick Marshman

41 Cam Martin

90 Orion Martin

46 Dylan McGreevy

94 Mark Muncey

48 Justin Myer

75 Greg Nosal

Rashad Carmichael

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

Greg Boone

Kam Chancellor

Victor Harris

Cory Holt

38 Quillie Odom

25 Josh Oglesby

87 Prince Parker

44 Devin Perez

35 Dustin Pickle

24 Dorian Porch

23 Matt Reidy

70 Sergio Render

52 Barquell Rivers

30 Brian Saunders

58 Ryan Shuman

88 Andre Smith

98 Rob Stanton

45 Purnell Sturdivant

37 Jacob Sykes

56 Demetrius Taylor

83 Patrick Terry

95 Cordarrow Thompson

63 Matt Tuttle

22 Stephan Virgil

80 Matt Waldron

77 Ed Wang

60 Beau Warren

33 Brett Warren

18 Sam Wheeler

14 Lorenzo Williams

Dyrell Roberts

Eddie Whitley

Tyrod Taylor

Jason Worilds

96 Justin Young

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 45

THE ROAD TO TAMPA BAY

WEEK TWO

WEEK ONE

THURSDAY, AUGUST 28 Jacksonville State 14 Charleston Southern 7 NC State 0 Wake Forest 41

Georgia Tech Miami South Carolina Baylor

SATURDAY, AUGUST 30 Virginia Tech 22 Southern California 52 Delaware 7 McNeese State 27 James Madison 7 Boston College 21 Clemson 10

East Carolina 27 Virginia 7 Maryland 14 North Carolina 35 Duke 31 Kent State 0 Alabama 34

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Riley Skinner, QB, Wake Forest Offensive Back Andrew Gardner, T, Georgia Tech Offensive Line Spencer Adkins, UM & E.J. Wilson, UNC Defensive Line Stephan Virgil, CB, Virginia Tech Defensive Back Brandon Tate, WR-KR, North Carolina Specialist Jacory Harris, QB, Miami, Rookie

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

41 52 34 13

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 Georgia Tech 19 Boston College Furman 7 Virginia Tech Mississippi 28 Wake Forest The Citadel 17 Clemson Richmond 0 Virginia Western Carolina 0 Florida State William & Mary 24 NC State Northwestern 24 Duke Maryland 14 Middle Tenn. St Miami 3 Florida PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Riley Skinner, QB, Wake Forest Offensive Back Rodney Hudson, G, Florida State Offensive Line Daryl Richard, DT, Georgia Tech Defensive Line Nate Irving, OLB, NC State Defensive Back Sam Swank, PK, Wake Forest Specialist Johnny Williams, WR, Duke Rookie

16 24 30 45 16 69 34 20 24 26

WEEK FOUR

WEEK THRE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 North Carolina 44 Rutgers

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 NC State 9 Clemson California 27 Maryland Navy 31 Duke Georgia Tech 17 Virginia Tech Chattanooga 7 Florida State Virginia 10 Connecticut

27 35 41 20 46 45

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Thaddeus Lewis, QB, Duke Offensive Back Thomas Austin, C, Clemson Offensive Line Brett Warren, LB, Virginia Tech Defensive Line Vincent Rey, OLB, Duke Defensive Back Jay Wooten, PK, North Carolina Specialist Darren Evans, TB, Virginia Tech Rookie

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 Mississippi State 7 Georgia Tech East Carolina 24 NC State UCF 7 Boston College South Carolina State 0 Clemson Eastern Michigan 24 Maryland Virginia Tech 20 North Carolina Miami 41 Texas A&M Wake Forest 12 Florida State PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Russell Wilson, QB, NC State Offensive Back Andrew Gardner, T, Georgia Tech Offensive Line Glenn Cook, LB, Miami Defensive Line Kevin Patterson, S, Wake Forest Defensive Back Sam Swank, PK, Wake Forest Specialist Robert Marve, QB, Miami Rookie

WEEK FIVE

38 30 34 54 51 17 23 3

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 Maryland 20 Clemson North Carolina 28 Miami Virginia 3 Duke Rhode Island 0 Boston College Colorado 21 Florida State Navy 24 Wake Forest South Florida 41 NC State Virginia Tech 35 Nebraska

17 24 31 42 39 17 10 30

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Cameron Sexton, QB, North Carolina Offensive Back Ryan Shuman, C, Virginia Tech Offensive Line Michael Tauiliili, LB, Duke Defensive Line Trimane Goddard, S, North Carolina Defensive Back Michael Ray Garvin, KR, FSU & Travis Baltz, P, MD Specialist Travis Baltz, P, Maryland Specialist Montel Harris, RB, Boston College Rookie

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 47

THE ROAD TO TAMPA BAY

WEEK SIX SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4 Boston College 38 Western Kentucky 13 Duke 0 Florida State 41 Maryland 0 Connecticut 12

WEEK SEVEN

NC State Virginia Tech Georgia Tech Miami Virginia North Carolina

31 27 27 39 31 38

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Chris Crane, QB, Boston College Offensive Back Rodney Hudson, G, Florida State Offensive Line Clint Sintim, OLB, Virginia Defensive Line Tony Carter, CB, Florida State Defensive Back Bruce Carter, LB, North Carolina Specialist Jaybo Shaw, QB, Georgia Tech Rookie

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

WEEK EIGHT

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9 Clemson 7 Wake Forest

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11 East Carolina 20 Notre Dame 2 4 Gardner-Webb 7 UCF 14

35 29 10 20

Virginia North Carolina Georgia Tech Miami

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Eric Peerman, RB, Virginia Offensive Back Eugene Monroe, T, Virginia Offensive Line Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech Defensive Line Quan Sturdivant, OLB, North Carolina Defensive Back Casey Barth, PK, North Carolina Specialist Matt Conrath, DE, Virginia Rookie

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 Florida State 26 NC State

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18 Wake Forest 0 Georgia Tech 21 North Carolina 13 Miami 4 9 Virginia Tech 23

26 17 16 31 28

Maryland Clemson Virginia Duke Boston College

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Chris Turner, QB, Maryland Offensive Back Bruce Campbell, T, Maryland Offensive Line Jon Copper, ILB, Virginia Defensive Line Mark Herzlich, OLB, Boston College Defensive Back Graham Gano, PK, Florida State Specialist Jacory Harris, QB, Miami Rookie

WEEK NINE SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25 Boston College 24 Wake Forest 10 Duke 10 Virginia Tech 20 Virginia 24 NC State 24

WEEK TEN

North Carolina 45 Miami 16 Vanderbilt 7 Florida State 30 Georgia Tech 17 Maryland 27

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina Offensive Back Will Barker, T, Virginia Offensive Line Everette Brown, DE, Florida State Defensive Line Kendric Burney, CB, North Carolina Defensive Back Graham Gano, PK, Florida State Specialist Robert Marve, QB, Miami Rookie

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1 Miami 24 Virginia Clemson 27 Boston College Duke 30 Wake Forest Florida State 28 Georgia Tech PLAYERS OF THE WEEK C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson Offensive Back Thomas Austin, C, Clemson Offensive Line Boo Robinson, DT, WF &Michael Johnson, DE, GT Defensive Line Alphonso Smith, CB, Wake Forest Defensive Back Shane Popham, PK-P, Wake Forest Specialist Jacory Harris, QB, Miami Rookie

WEEK ELEVEN

17 21 33 31

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6 Maryland 13 Virginia Tech

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8 Georgia Tech 7 North Carolina Clemson 27 Florida State Virginia 17 Wake Forest NC State 27 Duke Notre Dame 0 Boston College

28 41 28 17 17

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Darren Evans, RB, Virginia Tech Offensive Back Rodney Hudson, G-T, Florida State Offensive Line Neefy Moffett, DT, FSU & Mark Herzlich, LB, BC Defensive Line Paul Anderson, S, Boston College Defensive Back Graham Gano, PK, Florida State Specialist Brandon Pendergrass, TB, Wake Forest Rookie

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 49

THE ROAD TO TAMPA BAY

WEEK TWELV

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13 Virginia Tech 14 Miami SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15 Duke 7 Clemson North Carolina 15 Maryland Wake Forest 17 NC State 21 Boston College 27 Florida State

WEEK THIRTEEN

31 17 17

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson Offensive Back Edwin Williams, C, Maryland Offensive Line Marcus Robinson, DE, Miami Defensive Line Marcellus Bowman, SS, Boston College Defensive Back Matt Bosher, PK-P, Miami Specialist Russell Wilson, QB, NC State Rookie

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

WEEK FOURTEEN

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20 Miami 23 Georgia Tech

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22 Clemson 13 Virginia NC State 41 North Carolina Boston College 24 Wake Forest Duke 3 Virginia Tech Florida State 37 Maryland

3 10 21 14 3

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Jonathan Dwyer, BB, Georgia Tech Offensive Back Russell Wilson, QB, NC State Offensive Back Thomas Austin, G, Clemson Offensive Line Meares Green, T, NC State Offensive Line Everette Brown, DE, Florida State Defensive Line Mark Herzlich, OLB, Boston College Defensive Back Graham Gano, PK-P, Florida State Specialist Dominique Davis, QB, Boston College Rookie

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29 Maryland 21 Boston College South Carolina 14 Clemson North Carolina 28 Duke Florida 45 Florida State Georgia Tech 45 Georgia Miami 28 NC State Virginia 14 Virginia Tech Vanderbilt 10 Wake Forest PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Roddy Jones, A-Back, Georgia Tech Offensive Back Ryan Shuman, Center, Virginia Tech Offensive Lineman Michael Tauiliili, MLB, Duke Defensive Lineman Robert Francois, LB, Boston College Defensive Back Billy Flutie, QB/H, Boston College Specialist Russell Wilson, QB, NC State Rookie

28 31 20 15 42 38 17 23

09/06/08 L

16-19

09/13/08 W 20-17

10/04/08 W

38-31

9/20/08

W 20-17

10/18/08

w 28-23

10/18/08

10/25/08

L 24-45

10/25/08

L 20-30

11/01/08

21-27

11/06/08

23-13

11/15/08

27-17

11/13/08

14-16

11/22/08

24-21

11/22/08

24-21

11/29/08

W 28-21

11/29/08

17-14

TheRoadToTampaBay.com

23-28

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 51

STATISTICS

2008 RECAP FINAL REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS AND STATISTICS

ATLANTIC DIVISION

CONFERENCE

OVERALL

COASTAL DIVISION

CONFERENCE

OVERALL

BOSTON COLLEGE

5-3

9-3

VIRGINIA TECH

5-3

8-4

FLORIDA STATE

5-3

8-4

GEORGIA TECH

5-3

9-3

CLEMSON

4-4

7-5

NORTH CAROLINA

4-4

8-4

MARYLAND

4-4

7-5

MIAMI

4-4

7-5

WAKE FOREST

4-4

7-5

VIRGINIA

3-5

5-7

NC STATE

4-4

6-6

DUKE

1-7

4-8

TEAM STATISTICS SCORING OFFENSE 1. Florida State 2. Miami 3. North Carolina 4. Boston College 5. Georgia Tech 6. Clemson 7. NC State 8. Virginia Tech 9. Wake Forest 10. Maryland Duke 12. Virginia

G 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12

TD 45 40 41 40 40 37 34 28 27 28 29 24

TOTAL OFFENSE 1. Georgia Tech 2. Florida State 3. Maryland 4. Clemson 5. Miami 6. NC State 7. Boston College 8. North Carolina 9. Duke 10. VirginiaT ech 11. Wake Forest 12. Virginia

G 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12

Rush 3388 2194 1614 1446 1561 1506 1820 1501 1274 2033 1339 1159

TURNOVER MARGIN 1. Wake Forest 2. NC State 3. Virginia Tech 4. Boston College 5. North Carolina 6. Duke Georgia Tech 8. Clemson 9. Florida State 10. Virginia 11. Maryland 12. Miami

G 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12

XP 41 38 40 39 33 37 31 27 24 28 28 22

2XP 1 1 0 1 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 0

Pass 1140 2230 2489 2626 2364 2410 2018 2307 2372 1583 2264 2438

Gained Fum Int 18 17 10 17 12 14 8 25 8 19 11 15 11 18 7 18 14 9 12 11 6 8 10 4

DXP 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

Plays 740 795 768 768 764 768 824 716 829 786 826 778

Tot 35 27 26 33 27 26 29 25 23 23 14 14

Saf 2 2 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0

Pts 392 335 330 320 314 306 282 259 244 241 241 193

Avg 32.7 27.9 27.5 26.7 26.2 25.5 23.5 21.6 20.3 20.1 20.1 16.1

SCORING DEFENSE 1. Clemson 2. Boston College 3. Virginia Tech 4. Wake Forest 5. Georgia Tech 6. North Carolina 7. Florida State 8. Maryland 9. Virginia 10. Duke 11. Miami 12. NC S tate

G 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12

TD 23 26 25 25 28 29 28 30 32 35 36 36

Yards 4528 4424 4103 4072 3925 3916 3838 3808 3646 3616 3603 3597

Avg/P 6.1 5.6 5.3 5.3 5.1 5.1 4.7 5.3 4.4 4.6 4.4 4.6

TD 37 41 28 35 37 31 32 35 26 24 24 23

Yds/G 377.3 368.7 341.9 339.3 327.1 326.3 319.8 317.3 303.8 301.3 300.2 299.8

TOTAL DEFENSE 1. Virginia Tech 2. Boston College 3. Florida State 4. Clemson 5. Wake Forest 6. Georgia Tech 7. Miami 8. Virginia 9. Maryland 10. Duke 11. North Carolina 12. NC S tate

G 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12

Rush 1346 1048 1522 1531 1393 1403 1757 1795 1793 1818 1689 1731

Lost Fum Int 12 7 5 11 6 10 13 13 10 11 9 12 18 6 13 14 10 16 10 20 10 12 4 19

Tot 19 16 16 26 21 21 24 27 26 30 22 23

Mar +16 +11 +10 +7 +6 +5 +5 -2 -3 -7 -8 -9

Per/G 1.33 0.92 0.83 0.58 0.50 0.42 0.42 -0.17 -0.25 -0.58 -0.67 -0.75

KICKOFF RETURNS 1. Florida State 2. NC State 3. Clemson 4. Maryland 5. Duke 6. North Carolina 7. Virginia 8. Virginia Tech 9. Wake Forest 10. Miami 11. Georgia Tech 12. Boston C ollege

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

FG 25 17 14 13 11 15 15 20 18 15 13 9

G 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12

XP 20 26 21 22 26 25 28 30 32 34 34 36

2XP 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0

Pass 1948 2272 1979 2007 2211 2349 2032 2204 2467 2465 2606 2914

Ret 49 53 37 50 41 45 49 41 43 51 41 42

DXP 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Plays 673 761 738 800 785 785 778 821 832 790 876 818

Yds 1209 1227 822 1086 887 973 1013 839 854 991 796 811

FG 13 9 14 15 10 15 17 15 12 11 12 19

Saf 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 2

Pts 199 211 215 219 226 244 249 257 260 281 290 313

Avg 16.6 17.6 17.9 18.2 18.8 20.3 20.8 21.4 21.7 23.4 24.2 26.1

Yards 3294 3320 3501 3538 3604 3752 3789 3999 4260 4283 4295 4645

Avg/P 4.9 4.4 4.7 4.4 4.6 4.8 4.9 4.9 5.1 5.4 4.9 5.7

TD 22 20 26 19 24 28 33 30 28 33 26 34

Yds/G 274.5 276.7 291.8 294.8 300.3 312.7 315.8 333.2 355.0 356.9 357.9 387.1

TD 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Avg 24.7 23.2 22.2 21.7 21.6 21.6 20.7 20.5 19.9 19.4 19.4 19.3

STATISTICS

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICAL LEADERS RUSHING Team 1. Jonathan Dwyer GT 2. Daâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Rel Scott MD 3. Darren Evans VT 4. Montel Harris BC 5. Cedric Peerman VA 6. Shaun Draughn NC 7. Tyrod Taylor VT 8. Graig Cooper UM 9. Josh Nesbitt GT 10. AntoneS mith FS

INTERCEPTIONS 1. Trimane Goddard Morgan Burnett 3. Victor Harris 4. Mark Herzlich Michael Hamlin Alphonso Smith 7. Nate Irving 8. Paul Anderson 9. Marcellus Bowman Kevin Patterson

G 12 11 12 11 11 12 10 12 10 12

Att 190 195 228 155 153 181 121 159 156 161

Team NC GT VT BC CU WF ST BC BC WF

Yds 1328 959 998 798 774 801 661 778 631 753

G 12 12 11 12 12 12 9 12 9 12

Avg 7.0 4.9 4.4 5.1 5.1 4.4 5.5 4.9 4.0 4.7

Int 7 7 6 6 6 6 4 5 3 4

Yds 156 95 142 121 111 34 83 134 157 107

TD 12 6 9 5 7 3 4 4 7 14

Long 88 63 50 47 79 39 73 51 54 60

Yds/G 110.7 87.2 83.2 72.5 70.4 66.8 66.1 64.8 63.1 62.8

TOTAL OFFENSE 1. Russell Wilson 2. Thaddeus Lewis 3. Cullen Harper 4. Riley Skinner 5. Christian Ponder 6. Chris Turner 7. Marc Verica 8. Chris Crane 9. Tyrod Taylor 10. JoshN esbitt

Team ST DU CU WF FS MD VA BC VT GT

G 10 11 12 12 12 12 11 11 10 10

Rush 342 96 -98 115 404 -140 -71 225 661 631

Pass 1769 2171 2395 2181 1807 2318 2037 1721 812 658

Plays 360 430 371 449 397 388 386 388 253 255

Total 2111 2267 2297 2296 2211 2178 1966 1946 1473 1289

Yds/G 211.1 206.1 191.4 191.3 184.2 181.5 178.7 176.9 147.3 128.9

PUNT RETURN AVG 1. Travis Benjamin 2. Victor Harris 3. C.J. Spiller 4. Vic Hall 5. Tyler Melton 6. Danny Oquendo 7. Alphonso Smith

Team UM VT CU VA GT MD WF

G 11 11 11 12 9 12 12

Ret 15 20 14 16 15 20 21

Yds 173 207 127 102 86 104 108

TD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Long 44 32 29 16 16 15 20

Avg 11.5 10.4 9.1 6.4 5.7 5.2 5.1

TD 1 1 2 2 0 0 1 1 1 1

Long 51 47 55 60 37 18 40 76 87 53

Int/G 0.58 0.58 0.55 0.50 0.50 0.50 0.44 0.42 0.33 0.33

PASSING AVG/GAME Team G 1. Cullen Harper CU 12 2. Thaddeus ewis L DU 11 3. Chris Turner MD 12 4. Marc Verica VA 11 5. Riley Skinner WF 12 6. Russell Wilson ST 10 7. Chris Crane BC 11 8. Christian Ponder FS 12 9. Robert Marve UM 11 10. Jacory Harris UM 12

Att 323 361 347 354 352 252 307 287 213 153

Cmp 204 224 201 226 221 139 169 159 116 93

Int 12 6 10 16 7 1 13 13 13 6

Pct. 63.2 62.0 57.9 63.8 62.8 55.2 55.0 55.4 54.5 60.8

Yds 2395 2171 2318 2037 2181 1769 1721 1807 1293 1001

TD 11 15 11 8 12 16 10 12 9 10

Avg/G 199.6 197.4 193.2 185.2 181.8 176.9 156.5 150.6 117.5 83.4

PASS EFFICIENCY Team G 1. Russell Wilson ST 10 2. Cullen Harper CU 12 3. Thaddeus ewis L DU 11 4. Riley Skinner WF 12 5. Chris Turner MD 12 6. Christian Ponder FS 12 7. Marc Verica VA 11 8. Robert Marve UM 11 9. Chris Crane BC 11

Att 252 323 361 352 347 287 354 213 307

Cmp 139 204 224 221 201 159 226 116 169

Int 1 12 6 7 10 13 16 13 13

Pct. 55.2 63.2 62.0 62.8 57.9 55.4 63.8 54.5 55.0

Yds 1769 2395 2171 2181 2318 1807 2037 1293 1721

TD 16 11 15 12 11 12 8 9 10

Eff. 134.3 129.3 123.0 122.1 118.7 113.0 110.6 107.2 104.4

RECEIVE YDS/GAME Team 1. Hakeem Nicks NC 2. D.J. Boldin WF 3. Kevin Ogletree VA 4. Eron Riley DU 5. Demaryius Thomas GT 6. Aaron Kelly CU 7. Owen Spencer ST 8. Darrius Heyward-Bey MD 9. Jacoby Ford CU 10. BrandonR obinson BC

G 12 12 12 12 11 12 12 11 12 12

Rec 60 77 58 61 36 61 29 38 50 37

Yds 1005 782 723 693 595 648 626 561 598 581

TD 9 3 5 8 3 3 4 5 3 3

Long Avg/C Yds/G 74 16.8 83.8 45 10.2 65.2 51 12.5 60.2 52 11.4 57.8 88 16.5 54.1 42 10.6 54.0 67 21.6 52.2 80 14.8 51.0 50 12.0 49.8 48 15.7 48.4

SCORING 1. Graham Gano 2. Antone mith S 3. Matt Bosher 4. Dustin Keys 5. Mark Buchholz 6. Jonathan Dwyer 7. Casey Barth 8. Steve Aponavicius 9. Josh Czajkowski 10. ObiE gekeze

G 10 12 12 12 12 12 9 12 12 12

TD 0 15 0 0 0 13 0 0 0 0

XPT 27 0 38 27 37 0 29 38 31 28

FG 24 0 17 20 15 0 10 13 15 15

2XP 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0

Team FS FS UM VT CU GT NC BC ST MD

Pts 99 90 89 87 82 80 59 77 76 73

Pts/G 9.9 7.5 7.4 7.2 6.8 6.7 6.6 6.4 6.3 6.1

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 53

AWARD WINNERS

OVERALL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Russell Wilson N C S TAT E

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

AWARD WINNERS

DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Sean Spence MIAMI

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 55

AWARD WINNERS

O V E R A L L P L AY E R O F T H E Y E A R O F F E N S I V E P L AY E R O F T H E Y E A R

Jonathan Dwyer GEORGIA TECH

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

AWARD WINNERS

D E F E N S I V E P L AY E R O F T H E Y E A R

Mark Herzlich BOSTON COLLEGE

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 57

AWARD WINNERS

COACH OF THE YEAR

Paul Johnson GEORGIA TECH

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

AWARD WINNERS

T H E J I M TAT U M AWA R D

Darryl Richard GEORGIA TECH

Richard, a native of Destrehan, La., has started 41 games at defensive tackle for the Yellow Jackets. A member of the 2007 ACC All-Academic Football Team, he also earned 2nd-team Academic All-America honors. He graduated in the summer of 2007 with an undergraduate GPA of 3.52 in his major of Management and is currently close to completing his MBA degree. The Tatum Award is given annually in memory of the late Jim Tatum to the top senior (in athletic eligibility) student-athlete among the leagueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s football players. Tatum, a two-time ACC Coach of the Year, coached in the fifties at both Maryland and North Carolina and believed strongly in the concept of the student-athlete.

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 59

AWARD WINNERS

THE PICCOLO AWARD

Robert Quinn NORTH CAROLINA

Quinn, in his senior year in high school, was diagnosed with a brain tumor after collapsing in his family bathroom. A CT scan revealed a tumor that was blocking his spinal cavity. Fortunately, the tumor was determined to be benign. Quinn then underwent a five-hour emergency surgery that included having a stent placed in his brain to relieve fluid buildup. He entered UNC this fall as a true freshman and is a candidate for ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year after starting 10 of 11 games at defensive end. He has made 29 tackles, including 18 primary hits, 5.5 tackles for loss and quarterback sack and three hurries. He has forced two fumbles and has one pass breakup. The Piccolo Award has been given annually since 1972 in memory of the late Brian Piccolo to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;most courageousâ&#x20AC;? football player in the ACC. Piccolo was the ACC Athlete of the Year in 1965 and played for the Chicago Bears before his career was cut short when he was stricken with cancer. His courageous fight against that disease was an inspiration to the Bears and the entire football community.

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

AWARD WINNERS

THE JACOB S BLOCKING AWARD

Eugene Monroe VIRGINIA

A first-team pre-season All-ACC selection this season, Monroe, a 6-6, 315-pound senior, was an Honorable Mention All-ACC selection at tackle in 2007. A two-year starter at tackle for the Cavaliers, he was the leader of a young offensive line which has given up an ACC-low 14 sacks this year. Monroe has started 29 games in his career for the Cavaliers, and this year earned the highest blocking grade in 7 of Virginia’s games. The South Plainfield, N.J., native was named ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week following the North Carolina game on Oct. 18 for his play in Virginia’s overtime upset win over then 18thranked North Carolina as both of Virginia’s scores—including the game winner in the first overtime period, came behind his blocks. The Jacobs Blocking Trophy has been awarded annually since 1953 to the player voted the most outstanding blocker in the ACC by a poll of the league’s head coaches and defensive coordinators. The trophy is given in memory of William P. Jacobs, who served as president of Presbyterian College from 1935 to 1945.

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 61

All-ACC Football Team

THE 2008 A SS OCIATED PRE SS ALL-ACC FOOTBALL TEAM AS VOTED ON BY 67 MEMBERS OF THE ATLANTIC COAST SPORTS MEDIA ASSOCIATION. AN ASTERISK DENOTE S UNANIMOUS SELECTION. (TOTAL POINTS) MAXIMUM 134 POINTS.

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

DEFENSE FIRST TEAM Defensive End

OFFENSE FIRST TEAM Quarterback

Everette Brown, Florida State, Jr. (131) Michael Johnson, Georgia Tech, Sr. (99)

Defensive Tackle

B.J. Raji, Boston College, Sr. (103) Vance Walker, Georgia Tech, Sr. (62)

Linebacker

Mark Herzlich, Boston College, Jr. (118) Michael Tauiliili, Duke, Sr. (110) Aaron Curry, Wake Forest, Sr. (106)

Cornerback

Alphonso Smith, Wake Forest, Sr. (134)* Victor Harris, Virginia Tech, Sr. (125)

Safety

Trimane Goddard, North Carolina, Sr. (105) Michael Hamlin, Clemson, Gr. (89)

Russell Wilson, NC State, Fr. (106)

Running Back

Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech, So. (134)* Daâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Rel Scott, Maryland, So. (76)

Wide Receiver

Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina, Jr. (130) D.J. Boldin, Wake Forest, Sr. (76)

Tight End

John Phillips, Virginia, Sr. (88)

Defensive Tackle

Ron Brace, Boston College, Sr. (52) Darryl Richard, Georgia Tech, Sr. (50)

Tackle

Eugene Monroe, Virginia, Sr. (117) Andrew Gardner, Georgia Tech, Sr. (107)

Linebacker

Clint Sintim, Virginia, Sr. (79) Alex Wujciak, Maryland, So. (43) Mark Paschal, North Carolina, Sr. (40)

Cornerback

Ras-I Dowling, Virginia, So. (49) Tony Carter, Florida State, Sr. (34) tie Kendric Burney, North Carolina, So. (34)

Safety

Morgan Burnett, Georgia Tech, So. (85) Myron Rolle, Florida State, Jr. (55)

Guard

Rodney Hudson, Florida State, So. (99) Clif Ramsey, Boston College, Sr. (78)

Center

Edwin Williams, Maryland, Sr. (62)

SECOND TEAM Quarterback

Thaddeus Lewis, Duke, Jr. (28)

Running Back

Darren Evans, Virginia Tech, Fr. (58) C.J. Spiller, Clemson, Jr. (50)

Wide Receiver

Eron Riley, Duke, Sr. (57) Aaron Kelly, Clemson, Sr. (56)

Tight End

Ryan Purvis, Boston College, Sr. (45)

Tackle

Garrett Reynolds, North Carolina, Sr. (42) Anthony Castonzo, Boston College, So. (41)

Guard

Sergio Render, Virginia Tech, Jr. (48) Cord Howard, Georgia Tech, Jr. (45)

Center

Thomas Austin, Clemson, Jr. (48)

HONORABLE MENTION (20 points or more) Quarterback Riley Skinner, Wake Forest, Jr. (26) Running Back Antone Smith, Florida State, Sr. (33) Cedric Peerman, Virginia, Sr. (30) Wide Receiver Darius Heyward-Bey, Maryland, Jr. (34) Kevin Ogletree, Virginia, Jr. (32) Tight End Dan Gronkowski, Maryland, Sr. (41) Tackle Scott Burley, Maryland, Sr. (34) Guard Thomas Claiborne, Boston College, So. (38) Calvin Darity, North Carolina, Sr. (34) Jaimie Thomas, Maryland, Sr. (33) Nick Marshman, Virginia Tech, Sr. (24) Center Ryan McMahon, Florida State, Sr. (35) Matt Tennant, Boston College, Jr. (33) Ryan Shuman, Virginia Tech, Sr. (23)

SECOND TEAM Defensive End

Orion Martin, Virginia Tech, Sr. (61) Jason Worilds, Virginia Tech, So. (39)

HONORABLE MENTION (20 points or more) Defensive End Derrick Morgan, Georgia Tech, So. (26) Willie Young, NC State, Jr. (25) Defensive Tackle Vince Oghobaase, Duke, Jr. (40) Boo Robinson, Wake Forest, Jr. (31) Jeremy Navarre, Maryland, Sr. (29) Linebacker Nate Irving, NC State, So. (28) Safety Paul Anderson, Boston College, Sr. (35) Anthony Reddick, Miami, Sr. (23)

SPECIAL TEAMS FIRST TEAM Placekicker Punter Specialist

Graham Gano, Florida State, Sr. (127) Travis Baltz, Maryland, So. (105) C.J. Spiller, Clemson, Jr. (66)

SECOND TEAM Placekicker Punter

Matt Bosher, Miami, So. (34) Matt Bosher, Miami, So. (60)

Specialist

Michael Ray Garvin, Florida State, Sr. (41)

HONORABLE MENTION (20 points or more) Placekicker Dustin Keys, Virginia Tech, Sr. (25) Specialist Brandon Tate, North Carolina, Sr. (33) T.J. Graham, NC State, Fr. (31)

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 63

ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME RECORDS Individual Championship Game Records Total Offense Plays ...................... 69 Marcus Vick, VT (52 pass, 17 rush) vs. FSU, 2005 Yards ...................346 Marcus Vick, VT (335 pass, 11 rush) vs. FSU, 2005 Avg/Play ............. 6.0 Drew Weatherford, FSU (37 for 222) vs. VT, 2005 (minimum 10 plays) TDR (Tie) .................3 Sean Glennon, VT (3 pass) vs. BC, 2007 Marcus Vick, VT (2 rush, 1 pass) vs. FSU, 2005 Rushing Carries ....................21 Yards ...................100 Avg ......................4.95 Team Championship Game Records Total Offense Plays .......................83 Virginia Tech vs. Florida State (376 yards), 2005 Yards ...................389 Boston College vs. Virginia Tech (77 atts.), 2007 Avg. ......................... 5.1 Boston College vs. Virginia Tech (77 for 389), 2007 Rushing Carries ...................43 Yards ....................164 TDs .............................2 Passing Attemps ................52

All-Purpose Yards ....................210

Willie Reid, FSU (79 rec., 98 PR, 33 KR) vs. VT, 2006

Passing Attempts ..............52 Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech (137 yards), 2006 Georgia Tech vs. Wake Forest (38 atts.), 2006 Virginia Tech vs. Florida State, 2005

Completions. .....33 ........................................ Comp. Perc. ....63.6 Yards ................... 335 TD ...............................3

Boston College vs. Va. Tech (33 comp., 305 yards), 2007; Virginia Tech vs. Florida State (26 comp., 335 yards), 2005 Boston College vs. Va. Tech (52 atts., 305 yards), 2007 Virginia Tech vs. Boston College (21 of 33), 2007 Virginia Tech vs. Florida State (26 of 52), 2005 Virginia Tech vs. Boston College, 2007

First Downs Total .......................24 Rushing................... 9 Passing.................. 16

Boston College vs. Virginia Tech, 2007 Virginia Tech vs. Boston College, 2007 Boston College vs. Virginia Tech, 2007

Punting Punts ........................ 8 Yards .................. 340 Average ........... 50.0

Florida State vs. Virginia Tech (340 yards), 2005 Florida State vs. Virginia tech (8 punts), 2005 Georgia Tech vs. Wake Forest (5 for 250), 2006

Punt Returns Yards ..................... 98 Average ............ 32.7

Florida State vs. Virginia Tech (3 atts.), 2005 Florida State vs. Virginia Tech (3 for 98), 2005

Kickoff Returns Yards ......................85 Average ............26.0

Virginia Tech vs. Florida State (4 atts.), 2005 Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech (3 for 78), 2006

Scoring Most Points........ 30 Most TDs ................ 4 Most FGs .................3

Virginia Tech vs. Boston College, 2007 Virginia Tech vs. Boston College, 2007 Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech, 2006

Defense Least Pts Allowed ........................6 Least Rush Yds All. ....................41 Least Pass Yds All. .................. 129 Least Total Yds All. ................272 Most Interceptions .....................2 Most Turnovers Forced............2

Most Penalties ............................ 17 Most Penalty Yds .................... 143 Time of Possession ..........35:09 Attendance ......................... 72,749

Long Run ..............31

Tashard Choice, GT (100 yards) vs. WF, 2006 Tashard Choice, GT (21 rushes) vs. WF, 2006 Tashard Choice, GT (21 for 100) vs. WF, 2006 (minimum 10 carries) Tyrod Taylor, VT vs. BC, 2007

Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech, 2006 Florida State vs. Virginia Tech, 2005 Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech, 2006 Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech, 2006 Virginia Tech vs. Boston College, 2007 Florida State vs. Virginia Tech, 2005; Wake Forest vs. Georgia Tech, 2006, Virginia Tech vs. Boston College, 2007; Boston College vs. Virginia Tech, 2007 Virginia Tech vs. Florida State, 2005 Virginia Tech vs. Florida State (17), 2005 Virginia Tech vs. Florida State, 2005 Virginia Tech vs. Florida State, 2005

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

Comp .....................33 Consec. Comp. ........ 8 Comp% .............66.6 Yards ................... 335 TD Passes ...............3 Interceptions ........2 ........................................ Long Pass ........... 50 Ps Eff. ............ 150.06

Matt Ryan, BC (33 comp., 305 yards) vs. VT, 2007 Marcus Vick, VT (26 comp., 335 yards) vs. FSU, 2006 Matt Ryan, BC (52 attempts, 305 yards) vs. VT, 2007 Matt Ryan, BC (4th quarter) vs. VT, 2007 Sean Glennon, VT (18 of 27) vs. BC, 2007 Marcus Vick, VT (26 of 52) vs. FSU, 2005 Sean Glennon, VT vs. BC, 2007 Matt Ryan, BC vs. VT, 2007 Reggie Ball, GT vs. WF, 2006 Marcus Vick to Josh Morgan, VT vs. FSU, 2005 Sean Glennon, VT vs. BC, 2007 (Min. 20 Att.)

Receiving Rec. ..........................13 Yards ....................128 Avg. ..................... 24.3 TDs ............................. 1 ........................................ ........................................ ........................................

Andre Callender, BC (92 yards) vs. VT, 2007 Josh Morgan, VT (7 recpt) vs. FSU, 2005 Willie Idelette, WF (3 catches, 73 yards) vs. GT, 2006 Chris Davis, FSU vs. VT, 2005; Josh Morgan, VT vs. FSU, 2005; Josh Morgan, VT vs. BC, 2007; Eddie Royal, VT vs. BC, 2007; Josh Hyman, VT vs. BC, 2007

Scoring Points ......................12 Marcus Vick, VT (2 TDs), vs. FSU, 2005 TD ...............................2 Marcus Vick, VT vs. FSU, 2005 FGA ........................... 4 Sam Swank, WF (3 made) vs. GT,2006 FGM ...........................3 Sam Swank, WF (4 attempts) vs. GT, 2006 Long FG ................45 Brandon Pace, VT vs. FSU, 2005; Sam Swank, WF vs. GT, 2006 PAT Att. ................... 4 Jud Dunlevy, VT (4 made) vs. BC, 2007 PAT Md. .................. 4 Jud Dunlevy, VT (4 attempted) vs. BC, 2007 Pts/Kicking ........... 9 Gary Cismesia, FSU (2 FGs, 3 PATs) vs. VT, 2005; Sam Swank, WF (3 FGs) vs. GT, 2006 Punting Punts ........................ 8 Yards .................. 340 Punt Avg.......... 50.0 punts) Lg Punt...................61

Chris Hall, FSU (340 yards) vs. VT, 2005 Chris Hall, FSU (8 punts) vs. VT, 2005 Durant Brooks, GT (5 punts, 250 yards) vs. WF,2006 (min. 5 Durant Brooks, GT vs. WF, 2006

Punt Returns PR............................... 4 Yards ..................... 98 Avg. ..................... 32.7 Long .......................83

Eddie Royal, VT (23 yards) vs. FSU, 2005 Willie Reid, FSU (3 returns) vs. VT, 2005 Willie Reid, FSU (3 ret., 98 yards) vs. VT, 2006 Willie Reid, FSU vs. VT, 2005

Kickoff Returns KR .............................. 4 Yards ......................85 Avg. ....................... 0.5 ........................................ Long ........................31

Eddie Royal, VT (85 yards) vs. FSU, 2005 Eddie Royal, VT (4 returns) vs. FSU, 2005 Alphonso Smith, WF (2 returns, 61 yards) vs. GT, 2006 Eddie Royal, VT vs. FSU, 2005

The Atlantic Coast Conference and United Way, a partnership that shows how our student-athletes Live United all across the ACC!

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE â&#x20AC;Ś THEN, NOW AND ALWAYS.

SCHOOLS OF THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

BOSTON COLLEGE ATLANTIC DIVISION

BOSTON COLLEGE was founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus to serve the sons of Bostonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Irish immigrants and was the first institution of higher education to be founded in the city of Boston. Originally located on Harrison Avenue in the South End of Boston, the College outgrew its urban setting toward the end of its first 50 years. A new location was selected in Chestnut Hill and ground for the new campus was broken on June 19, 1909. During the 1940s, new purchases doubled the size of the main campus. In 1974, Boston College acquired Newton College of the Sacred Heart, 1.5 miles away. With 15 buildings on 40 acres, it is now the site of the Law School and residence halls. In 2004, Boston College purchased 43 acres of land from the archdiocese of Boston; this now forms the Brighton campus.

REV. WILLIAM P. LEAHY PRESIDENT

ROBERT A. TAGGART, JR FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

GENE DEFILIPPO ATHLETICS DIRECTOR

JEFF JAGODZINSKI HEAD FOOTBALL COACH

UNDER ARMOUR® IS THIS GENERATION’S ATHLETIC BRAND OF CHOICE. UA PION E E R E D TH E PE R FOR MANCE APPAR E L I N D USTRY, AN D WE CONTI N U E TO D E LIVE R U N D E N IAB LE ADVANTAG E S TO ATH LETE S–FROM TRAI N I NG TO GAM E DAY.

SCHOOLS OF THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

CLEMSON

ATLANTIC DIVISION

CLEMSON UNIVERSITY is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in South Carolina near the Georgia border, and the tiger paws painted on the roads make the return to I-85 easier. The school is built around Fort Hill, the plantation home of John C. Calhoun, Vice President to Andrew Jackson. His son-in-law, Tom Clemson, left the land to be used as an agricultural school, and in 1893 Clemson opened its doors as a landgrant school, thanks to the efforts of Ben Tillman.

JAMES F. BARKER PRESIDENT

LARRY LAFORGE FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

TERRY DON PHILLIPS ATHLETICS DIRECTOR

DABO SWINNEY INTERIM HEAD FOOTBALL COACH

SCHOOLS OF THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

DUKE UNIVERSITY COASTAL DIVISION

DUKE UNIVERSITY was founded in 1924 by tobacco magnate James B. Duke as a memorial to his father, Washington Duke. Originally the school was called Trinity College, a Methodist institution, started in 1859. In 1892, Trinity moved to west Durham where the east campus with its Georgian architecture now stands. Nearby are Sarah P. Duke gardens, and further west the Gothic spires of Duke chapel overlook the west campus.

RICHARD H. BRODHEAD PRESIDENT

MARTHA PUTALLAZ FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

KEVIN WHITE ATHLETICS DIRECTOR

DAVID CUTCLIFFE HEAD FOOTBALL COACH

Success never comes easy. In the Atlantic Coast Conference, we believe success is the result of hard work, character and commitment to doing things right. Please join us in saluting the OfďŹ cial Corporate Partners of the Atlantic Coast Conference: Alltel, Chrysler Jeep, Food Lion, Gatorade, Geico, Pepsi, Progress Energy, and RBC Bank. These partnerships support 25 ACC Championship events, provide over 3,500 student-athletes with scholarship assistance and help ACC outreach programs impact local communities. Together, the Atlantic Coast Conference and its OfďŹ cial Corporate Partners are succeeding at the highest level.

A Tradition of Excellence... Then, Now and Always.

SCHOOLS OF THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

FLORIDA STATE ATLANTIC DIVISION

FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY is one of 11 universities of the State University System of Florida. It was established as the Seminary West of the Suwannee by an act of the Florida Legislature in 1851, and first offered instruction at the post-secondary level in 1857. Its Tallahassee campus has been the site of an institution of higher education longer than any other site in the state. In 1905, the Buckman Act reorganized higher education in the state and designated the Tallahassee school as the Florida Female College. In 1909, it was renamed Florida State College for Women. In 1947, the school returned to a co-educational status, and the name was changed to Florida State University.

T.K. WETHERELL PRESIDENT

JOSEPH C. BECKHAM FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

RANDY SPETMAN ATHLETICS DIRECTOR

BOBBY BOWDEN HEAD FOOTBALL COACH

LEGALLY ENHANCING PERFORMANCE IN THESE ACC CITIES:

CLEMSON, DURHAM, TALLAHASSEE, ATLANTA, RALEIGH, CHARLOTTESVILLE, WINSTON-SALEM AND TWO STORES IN TAMPA: CITRUS PARK . 11955 SHELDON RD . 813-926-3600 AND BRANDON . 10959 CAUSEWAY BLVD . 813-685-1122

SCHOOLS OF THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

GEORGIA TECH COASTAL DIVISION

Next to I-85 in downtown Atlanta stands GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, founded in 1885. Its first students came to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering, the only one offered at the time. Tech’s strength is not only the red clay of Georgia, but a restored gold and white 1930 model A Ford Cabriolet, the official mascot. The old Ford was first used in 1961, but a Ramblin’ Wreck had been around for over three decades. The Ramblin’ Wreck fight song appeared almost as soon as the school opened, and it is not only American boys that grow up singing its rollicking tune, for Richard Nixon and Nikita Krushchev sang it when they met in Moscow in 1959.

GARY SCHUSTER PRESIDENT

DANIEL P. SCHRAGE FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

DAN RADAKOVICH ATHLETICS DIRECTOR

PAUL JOHNSON HEAD FOOTBALL COACH

After all, we’re an investment company. MFS Investment Management® is proud of the ACC and its strong performance year after year. We appreciate what it takes to achieve that reputation because we have it, too. For more than 80 years, we have supported ﬁnancial advisors and their clients. So that together, they can choose what ﬁts each client’s goals. Learn more at mfs.com. MFS Investment Management

15100.1

SCHOOLS OF THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

MARYLAND

ATLANTIC DIVISION

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND opened in 1856 as an agricultural school nine miles north of Washington, D.C., on land belonging to Charles Calvert, a descendant of Lord Baltimore, the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s founding father. The school colors are the same as the state flag: black and gold for George Calvert (Lord Baltimore) and red and white for his mother, Alice Crossland. Maryland has been called the school that Curley Byrd built, for he was its quarterback, then football coach, athletic director, assistant to the president, vice-president, and finally its president. Byrd also designed the football stadium and the campus layout, and suggested the nickname Terrapin, a local turtle known for its bite, when students wanted to replace the nickname Old Liners with a new one for the school.

C.D. MOTE, JR. PRESIDENT

CHARLES WELLFORD FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

DEBORAH A. YOW ATHLETICS DIRECTOR

RALPH FRIEDGEN HEAD FOOTBALL COACH

SCHOOLS OF THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

MIAMI

COASTAL DIVISION

THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI was chartered in 1925 by a group of citizens who felt an institution of higher learning was needed for the development of their young and growing community. Since the first class of 560 students enrolled in the fall of 1926, the University has expanded to more than 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students from every state and more than 114 nations from around the world. The schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s colors, representive of the Florida orange tree, were selected in 1926. Orange symbolizes the fruit of the tree, green represents the leaves and white, the blossoms.

DONNA E. SHALALA PRESIDENT

CLYDE B. MCCOY FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

KIRBY HOCUTT ATHLETICS DIRECTOR

RANDY SHANNON HEAD FOOTBALL COACH

SCHOOLS OF THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

NORTH CAROLINA COASTAL DIVISION

THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, located in Chapel Hill, has been called “the perfect college town,” making its tree-lined streets and balmy atmosphere what a college should look and feel like. Its inception in 1795 makes it one of the oldest schools in the nation, and its nickname of Tar Heels stems from the tar pitch and turpentine that were the state’s principal industry. The nickname is as old as the school, for it was born during the Revolutionary War when tar was dumped into the streams to impede the advance of British forces.

HOLDEN THORP CHANCELLOR

JACK EVANS FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

DICK BADDOUR ATHLETICS DIRECTOR

BUTCH DAVIS HEAD FOOTBALL COACH

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SCHOOLS OF THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

NC STATE

ATLANTIC DIVISION

NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY is located in the state capital of Raleigh. It opened in 1889 as a land-grant agricultural and mechanical school and was known as A&M or Aggies or Farmers for over a quarter-century. The school’s colors of pink and blue were gone by 1895, brown and white were tried for a year, but the students finally chose red and white to represent the school. An unhappy fan in 1922 said NC State football players behaved like a pack of wolves, and the term that was coined in derision became a badge of honor.

JAMES L. OBLINGER PRESIDENT

DONN R. WARD FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

LEE FOWLER ATHLETICS DIRECTOR

TOM O’BRIEN HEAD FOOTBALL COACH

SCHOOLS OF THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

VIRGINIA

COASTAL DIVISION

THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and is one of three things on his tombstone for which he wanted to be remembered. James Madison and James Monroe were on the board of governors in the early years. The Rotunda, a half-scale version of the Pantheon which faces the Lawn, is the focal point of “the Grounds” as the campus is called. Jefferson wanted his school to educate leaders in practical affairs and public service, not just to train teachers.

JOHN T. CASTEEN, III PRESIDENT

CAROLYN M. CALLAHAN FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

CRAIG K. LITTLEPAGE ATHLETICS DIRECTOR

AL GROH HEAD FOOTBALL COACH

A Tradition of Excellence ... Then, Now, and Always www.theACC.com

SCHOOLS OF THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

VIRGINIA TECH COASTAL DIVISION

VIRGINIA TECH was established in 1872 as an all-male military school dedicated to the original land-grant mission of teaching agriculture and engineering. The University has grown from a small college of 132 students into the largest institution of higher education in the state during its 132-year history. Located in Southwest Virginia on a plateau between the Blue Ridge and Alleghany Mountains, the campus consists of 334 buildings and 20 miles of sidewalks over 2,600 acres. The official school colors — Chicago maroon and burnt orange — were selected in 1896 because they made a “unique combination” not worn elsewhere at the time.

CHARLES W. STEGER PRESIDENT

LARRY KILLOUGH FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

JIM WEAVER ATHLETICS DIRECTOR

FRANK BEAMER HEAD FOOTBALL COACH

THE ACC RECOGNIZES THE FOLLOWING DEALERSHIPS FOR THEIR SUPPORT OF THE CONFERENCE OFFICE. Capital of Cary Cary, NC

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Mercedes Benz of Winston-Salem Winston-Salem, NC Reidsville Nissan Reidsville, NC Terry LaBonte Chevrolet Greensboro, NC Wray Automotive Group Columbia, SC

SCHOOLS OF THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

WAKE FOREST ATLANTIC DIVISION

WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY was started on Calvin Jones’ plantation amid the stately pine forest of Wake County in 1834. The Baptist seminary is still there, but the school was moved to Winston-Salem in 1956 on a site donated by Charles H. and Mary Reynolds Babcock. President Harry S. Truman attended the ground-breaking ceremonies that brought a picturesque campus of Georgian architecture and painted roofs. Wake’s colors have been black and gold since 1895, thanks to a badge designed by student John Heck who died before he graduated.

NATHAN O. HATCH PRESIDENT

RICHARD CARMICHAEL FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

RON WELLMAN ATHLETICS DIRECTOR

JIM GROBE HEAD FOOTBALL COACH

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Home Fields BOSTON COLLEGE: ALUMNI STADIUM Built originally for $275,000, Alumni Stadium opened on September 26, 1957, with an original seating capacity of 26,000. In 2008, the stadium accommodates 44,500 fans. Alumni Stadium is unique in that it connects with Conte Forum, home of the BC basketball and ice hockey teams.

CLEMSON: MEMORIAL STADIUM Memorial Stadium opened in 1942 and is currently the 14th largest on-campus facility in the country. It was built originally for $125,000 with a seating capacity of 20,000. Known as one of the loudest stadiums in the world, more than 80,000 fans attending a 2005 Miami Hurricanes-Clemson matchup hit 126 decibels, louder than a jet engine at takeoff.

DUKE: WALLACE WADE STADIUM Known as Duke Stadium when it opened on October 5, 1929, it was renamed Wallace Wade Stadium in 1967 for its legendary coach. The stadium is a part of college football lore—it’s the only facility outside of Pasadena, Calif., to host the Rose Bowl. The stadium’s current capacity is nearly 34,000.

FLORIDA STATE: BOBBY BOWDEN FIELD AT DOAK S. CAMPBELL STADIUM Opened on October 7, 1950, the stadium is named for the former FSU president; the playing field is named for the legendary coach Bobby Bowden. Original capacity of the stadium was 15,000. Fourteen expansions later, Campbell Stadium holds more than 83,000 fans.

GEORGIA TECH: BOBBY DODD STADIUM AT HISTORIC GRANT FIELD Built in 1913 by members of the student body, it was named Grant Field after a gift from a member of the Board of Trustees. In April 1988, it was officially named Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field in honor of the legendary coach. It is the oldest on-campus facility in Division I-A. In 2003, a $75 million expansion project at the stadium increased the seating capacity to 55,000.

MARYLAND: CHEVY CHASE BANK FIELD AT BYRD STADIUM Named for Dr. H.C. Byrd, a multi-sport athlete then head football coach and eventually university president at UM, the stadium was constructed with an initial seating capacity of 34,680. In 2006, Chevy Chase Bank partnered with the university for naming rights of the field. Another expansion project is currently underway at Byrd Stadium.

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

of the ACC MIAMI: DOLPHIN STADIUM This year Dolphin Stadium became the new home of the University of Miami Football. Dolphin Stadium also hosts the Florida Marlins, FedEx Orange Bowl, 2009 BCS National Championship game, and 2010 Super Bowl. Dolphin Stadium boasts the largest hi-definition video boards in professional sports and the world’s longest LED ribbon display. It was opened in 1987 and currently has a 74,916 seating capacity.

NORTH CAROLINA: KENAN STADIUM Named for Carolina alumnus and benefactor Frank H. Kenan, the circa 1927 Kenan Stadium is considered one of the most beautiful college football stadiums in the country. The original seating capacity of 24,000 has grown to 60,000 over the last 80 years. The most recent improvement was a $2 million investment in a new scoreboard and audio-video system.

NC STATE: CARTER-FINLEY STADIUM Jointly named for textiles executives Harry and Nick Carter, along with Raleigh philanthropist A.E. Finley, the stadium was built for $3.7 million and opened in 1966 on land donated by the N.C. Department of Agriculture. Today, Carter-Finley boasts a seating capacity of 55,571 and continues to invest in the facility, including the recent opening of Vaughn Towers.

VIRGINIA: SCOTT STADIUM Built in 1931 with an original capacity of 25,000, The Carl Smith Center and David A. Harrison, III, Field at Scott Stadium is the oldest Division 1 football stadium in the state. Its name reflects the three major benefactors behind its construction. A donation in 1995 for grass to be reinstalled on the field allowed the team’s Cavalier mascot to once again ride into the stadium.

VIRGINIA TECH: LANE STADIUM / WORSHAM FIELD Lane Stadium & Worsham Field is named for university benefactors Edward H. Lane and Wes and Janet Worsham. It took four years of construction and a $3.5 million investment before the stadium opened in full in 1965. More than $85 million has been spent on improvements and expansions to Lane Stadium in the last eight years.

WAKE FOREST: BB&T FIELD AT GROVES STADIUM Groves Stadium took a new name—BB&T Field—in the fall of 2007, only months after the Demon Deacons became the smallest school to participate in the Bowl Championship Series. Groves Stadium opened in 1968 after a $1.5 million investment in its construction. Deacon Tower houses a new press box and luxury suites as well as an improved grandstand.

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T O 1 T P

THE GROUP OF 12 FORMER ACC GRIDIRON STANDOUTS INCLUDES AN OUTLAND TROPHY WINNER, THREE FORMER ACC PLAYERS OF THE YEAR, 10 FORMER ALL-AMERICANS AND 10 PLAYERS WHO COMBINED FOR A TOTAL OF 106 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE. PROFILES BY SCOTT CARTER

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AL FEATHERSTON

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MIKE SHALIN

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At BC, the Eagles were 29-16-1 during Steve DeOssieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stay, finishing in the AP Top 25 for the first time in 40 years at the end of the 1983 season.

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion

BOSTON COLLEGE

Steve DeOssie IN HIS BOOK, “Tales from the Boston College Sideline,” former BC sports information director and resident athletic historian Reid Oslin has two great anecdotes concerning Steve DeOssie, this year’s Eagles’ Legend. Talking about the game that saw Doug Flutie throw for a career-best 520 yards, Oslin writes: “BC linebacker Steve DeOssie remembers that Penn State game well. “On the first play from scrimmage, I broke my thumb on Curt Warner’s helmet. I was so hyped up that I thought I just bruised it. We stopped them, and they turned around and stopped our offense on a three-and-out. It was the only time that happened all day. “I came out to long snap the ball for our first punt. I reached down to grab the ball, and my thumb just bent back – so far that my thumbnail was touching my wrist,” DeOssie laughs today. I’m so fired up that I still can’t feel it. I called a timeout. “(Jack) Bicknell comes out on the field and he’s yelling at me, ‘What the hell are you doing calling a timeout?’ I said, ‘Watch this, Coach, and start moving my thumb back and forth. He turned white and said, ‘Oh my God.’ “At halftime when I finally got the chance to sit down, the pain kicked in. I’m screaming at [trainer] Randy Shrout, ‘You’ve got do something.’ I think he gave me a couple of aspirin and taped it up.” Oslin wrote: “DeOssie played the rest of the game. His hand was placed in a cast later that night. He got married the next day.” Wait, there’s more. This guy, who went on to a long NFL career and won a Super Bowl, was just plain tough. BC was playing Alabama in Foxboro on a freezing, miserable day. Oslin: “On game day, it was freezing cold with gale-force winds, sleet and snow. The Alabama team didn’t care for the conditions at all. They were amazed when BC linebacker DeOssie took the field in a cutoff shirt, rubbing snow on his bare midsection and arms.” “The Alabama players kept shaking their heads and looking over their shoulder at me,” DeOssie said chuckling. “Later, when I was with the Dallas Cowboys, I was teammates with a couple of the guys who played that day. They told me not one of them wanted to mention what I was doing until they got into the locker room and they looked at each other and said, ‘You’ve … got … to … be… kidding!’ They were all dressed up like Michelin men out there.” The legend that day was what the ‘Bama players could be

heard in the huddle yelling, “That No. 99’s crazy.” Crazy? Let’s just use the word competitive. And now, even though BC wasn’t part of the ACC in those days, we can use the word, in this conference, Legendary. DeOssie was a two-time all-ECAC player and a one-time second-team All-American. He made 246 tackles over the 1982 and ’83 seasons and then went on to a 12-year career with the Cowboys, Giants and Patriots. He won the Super Bowl with the Giants in 1991 at Tampa Stadium. In 1982, he helped lead BC to its first bowl game in 41 years, the Tangerine, and the Eagles and DeOssie went to the Liberty Bowl the following season. Funny thing is – DeOssie, a local kid with high SAT scores, almost went to Harvard. Word is he opted for BC because then-coach Ed Chlebak told him he could pick his position. He wound up at linebacker and long snapper and would boast years later: “I never had a bad snap in the pros, ever.” DeOssie is now a radio and television personality in Boston, where he also works as a motivational speaker. He opened a restaurant with fellow BC alum (and former NFL star Fred Smerlas), rides motorcycles and ran in the Boston Marathon. “He’s a real renaissance man,” says Oslin. Talking about the Marathon, DeOssie said, in the Boston Globe, “Every marathoner I talked to wanted me to tell them it was harder than football but I couldn’t do it … the recovery was a lot easier than from a football game.” Last winter, DeOssie watched as his son, Zak, and Ivy Leaguer who played at Brown, played for the Giants when they upset the previously-undefeated Patriots to win Super Bowl XLII. Steve and Zak DeOssie are the first father-son team to win Super Bowls for the same franchise. Zak is a linebacker/long snapper/special teams player. At BC, the Eagles were 29-16-1 during Steve DeOssie’s stay, finishing in the AP Top 25 for the first time in 40 years at the end of the 1983 season. In the NFL, DeOssie delivered the snap that produced Matt Bahr’s winning field goal in the NFC title game and then started in the Super Bowl. He made 53 tackles for the 1990 Giants, 43 for the ’92 team. He played in 175 NFL games and then settled into a productive life after football. “I’ve never gone out and asked for a job,” he told the Worcester Telegram. “I’ve always had it come to me. It just sort of evolved with something I had fun with.” And now he’s a Legend. —Mike Shalin

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CLEMSON

Levon Kirkland MORE THAN 20 YEARS AGO WHEN LEVON KIRKLAND was a young and impressionable high school football star in the tiny town of Lamar, S.C., he often dreamed of going off somewhere and making a name for himself. Kirkland not only became a household name around the Atlantic Coast Conference shortly after leaving Lamar, he earned All-American honors as a linebacker at Clemson University and played 11 seasons in the NFL, including a memorable performance in Super Bowl XXX for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Kirkland now spends most of his time trying to spread the same message of hope to young minority student-athletes around his home state of South Carolina and other parts of the country. “It’s a passion I’ve always had,’’ Kirkland said recently. “The last couple of years I’ve been able to discover myself in the transition after doing something for 20 years. When I was coming up, we didn’t have many people who played the game giving back, not only from an athletic standpoint, but from a social, educational and a mental standpoint. “I want to make the athletic world a better place.’’ To help in that quest, Kirkland is back at Clemson, the place where he developed into one of the nation’s top defensive players as a hard-hitting linebacker for the Tigers from 1987-91. In his first stint at Clemson, Kirkland harassed opposing quarterbacks and running backs to the point where they tried to avoid him if at all possible. In the 1989 Gator Bowl, West Virginia quarterback Major Harris couldn’t escape from Kirkland’s constant pressure that night in Jacksonville, Fla. Kirkland finished the game with nine tackles, a sack and three quarterback pressures as Clemson rolled to a 27-7 victory over the Mountaineers. Kirkland earned Gator Bowl MVP honors for his outstanding performance, one that put him on the radar of NFL scouts. After finishing his playing career at Clemson, Kirkland was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1992, spending nine seasons roaming the field as a middle linebacker in a No. 99 black-andyellow jersey. In his fourth season, the Steelers made it all the way to the Super Bowl before losing to the Dallas Cowboys. Kirkland said that game is probably the most memorable of his two decades playing football. “That stands alone,’’ he said. “We had been to bowl games [at Clemson], and I won the MVP of the Gator Bowl, and that was very nice,’’ he said. “But playing in [the Super Bowl] probably

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

trumps anything I did as an athlete. It’s a global event. From the day you get there until the time you play the game, everybody is focused on you.’’ Once his NFL career ended, Kirkland’s mission became to discover what would be next in his life. Ironically, he ended up back at Clemson, finishing his sociology degree in and embarking on a career in sports administration. He is currently Clemson’s Coordinator of Minority Recruitment, a job he says he enjoys as much as chasing down quarterbacks. “I go around trying to increase our minority freshman enrollment,’’ Kirkland said. “It is important to have people who understand what you are going through, who understands what you’ll be going through in the future.’’ Kirkland is a legend at Clemson, where he said his most memorable moments came “running down ‘The Hill’ at every home game. It was always special.’’ Kirkland left Clemson ranked ninth in school history in sacks (19) and 11th in tackles-for-loss (40). He later played in the NFL Pro Bowl in 1996 and ’97, and was inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 2001. “I have good memories there,’’ he said. “The people have always been incredible to me at Clemson. They are still the same way, and a lot of them remind me of what happened as far as the gridiron is concerned.’’ Kirkland, 39, has worked at his current job for four years. He and his wife, Kiesha, have a 5-year-old daughter named Kennedy, another factor in his desire to help young people reach some of the same goals he had when he was their age. “For me to have a little girl is a lot of fun,’’ he said. “It definitely puts things in perspective.’’ Being named an ACC Football Legend is just the latest award bestowed upon Kirkland, one of the most likeable players of his era. He was known as “Captain Kirk’’ and “The People’s Linebacker’’ during his days with the Steelers. Earlier this year, Kirkland was inducted into the South Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, further proof that he really did “make it big’’ after leaving Lamar more than 20 years ago. Now he is focused on helping others make their dreams come true the way he did his. “I know it’s kind of lofty, but hopefully it is something that will come to light and help a whole lot of people,’’ he said. “I think I can relate to the students because of my experience there and what I had to do.’’ — Scott Carter

Kirkland earned All-American honors as a linebacker at Clemson University and played 11 seasons in the NFL, including a memorable performance in Super Bowl XXX for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Moorman caught a school record 11 passes in a 31-0 victory game over the Gamecocks. He finished the 1960 season with a school record 54 receptions. He won first-team AllAmerica honors as Duke earned a trip to the Cotton Bowl and a No. 10 national ranking in the final AP poll.

2008 DR PEPPER ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion

DUKE UNIVERSITY

Claude “T” Moorman, II CLAUDE “T” MOORMAN II NEARLY PLAYED HIS collegiate career in obscurity. The former Miami prep star was a pass catching specialist at a school that almost never threw the ball. That was evident when future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Sonny Jurgensen attempted just 59 passes as a senior at Duke in 1956. But veteran coach Bill Murray, who won or shared ACC titles with his conservative style in 1954, 1955 and 1956, was ready to make a change. “My first years at Duke [1957-58] were the last of Coach Murray’s Woody Hayes type teams – you know, three yards and a cloud of dust,” Moorman said. “It was a transition period. It was pretty obvious that the Delaware Wing T that he had run his entire career was getting stale. We started experimenting with different formations.” Murray eventually settled on a variation of Army’s Lonesome End formation – an offense that featured one end split so wide that he held his position between plays and didn’t return to the huddle. “I was way out there,” Moorman said. “I ran patterns based on hand signals. That’s one reason it worked so well. I never knew when a pass was called, so I ran every pattern 100 percent.” Duke unveiled the new offense in the 1960 opener at South Carolina. Murray didn’t try to keep his new scheme a secret, but his reputation as a conservative, ball-control coach invited skepticism. “The papers all said, ‘Coach Murray says he’s going to throw it more ... The Preacher is just putting us on.’ Well, South Carolina didn’t believe us either. They had everybody up near the line on defense. I’d give anything to have played my whole career against that formation.” Moorman caught a school record 11 passes that night in a 31-0 victory over the Gamecocks. He continued to catch passes at an unprecedented rate, finishing the season with a school record 54 receptions. He won first-team All-America honors as Duke earned a trip to the Cotton Bowl and a No. 10 national ranking in the final AP poll. “That was at a time when we played both ways,” Moorman explained. “I also played defensive end [on a six-man front]. The reason I got to play [Lonesome End] is that I was the fastest guy we had who could also play defense.” Moorman teamed up with quarterback Don Altman, an allaround athlete who pitched Duke to the College World Series and was also, in Moorman’s words, “a heck of a safety.” The 1960 season was important to Duke after two mediocre

years, capped by a 50-0 thrashing at the hands of rival North Carolina to end the 1959 season. Moorman missed that game with a knee injury. “I was still hobbled that spring,” he said. “It’s funny, but my son [Tee Moorman III, who played center for Duke in the early 1980s] had the same injury and he was back playing three weeks.” Duke’s Lonesome End proved he was back full speed with his stellar performance at South Carolina in the 1960 opener. He continued to shine as Duke won seven of its first eight games, including a stunning upset of No. 4 ranked Navy. That victory earned the Blue Devils an invitation to the Cotton Bowl. However, Duke entered its Jan. 2 matchup with No. 7 Arkansas as a big underdog after losing season-ending games to UNC and UCLA. “We were bound and determined to prove we belonged,” Moorman said. “We held pre-game practices in San Antonio on a field that was like a parched desert. Our workouts were brutal.” The toughened Blue Devils hung with the favored Razorbacks until All-American Lance Alworth returned a punt 49-yards for the go-ahead touchdown. Duke still trailed 6-0 when the Devils took over the ball at their own 27 with just under three minutes left. Moorman was a key part of what proved to be the gamewinning touchdown drive, catching five passes – including a nineyard scoring toss from Altman to give the Devils a 7-6 victory. “That was a big weight off our shoulders,” Moorman said. “In those days, playing in a bowl really meant something.” It could have meant a pro career for Duke’s Lonesome End, but Moorman was determined to go into medicine. Drafted by the Dallas Texans of the AFL, he met with owner Lamar Hunt and coach Hank Stram about a scheme that would let him play pro ball in the fall and attend medical school the rest of the year. But the timing didn’t work out and Moorman became a doctor instead, specializing in anesthesiology. Moorman served in the Army Medical Corps during the Vietnam War and practiced for many years in Savannah, Ga. He’s currently living on a farm near Plymouth, N.C. His son, who both followed him as a football player at Duke and into the medical profession, is currently the head of Sports Medicine at Duke. His grandson, Tommy Beecher, is at quarterback for Steve Spurrier at South Carolina. That’s a pretty good legacy for Duke’s Lonesome End — a member of the Class of 2008 Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game Legends. —Al Featherstom

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FLORIDA STATE

Danny Kanell RARELY A WEEK PASSES WITHOUT FORMER FLORIDA State quarterback Danny Kanell escaping this rush. Sometimes he’ll be working out at the gym, or in line at the grocery story, or working as a broadcaster for South Florida radio station WQAM covering Dolphins games. Wherever he is, Kanell is usually asked at least a few times each week about the “Choke at Doak,’’ FSU’s landmark comeback in a 31-31 tie against rival Florida on Nov. 26, 1994. “That’s definitely the one everybody remembers, Seminoles and Gators alike,’’ Kanell said recently. Kanell’s performance in the Seminoles’ comeback from a 31-3 deficit at the start of the fourth quarter on a chilly and overcast day at Doak Campbell Stadium happened 14 years ago, five days after Kanell’s 21st birthday. Working from the shotgun, Kanell engineered four scoring drives in the final quarter, the last one capped by Rock Preston’s 4-yard touchdown run with 1:45 remaining. There was no overtime back then, so FSU coach Bobby Bowden elected to kick the extra point so the comeback wouldn’t “feel like a loss’’ if a two-point conversion failed. As FSU clawed its way back behind Kanell’s pinpoint passing, Seminoles radio broadcaster Gene Deckerhoff pronounced on the air, “For those of you who left early, sorry.’’ By the time FSU started its climb back, thousands of empty seats dotted Doak Campbell Stadium. “It’s just one of those games where everything fell into the right place at the right time,’’ said Kanell, now 35 and living back in his hometown of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “If there had been one dropped pass, or one play where I missed a pass, we wouldn’t have come back. Everything had to be perfect, and it was.’’ While the “Choke at Doak’’ is the signature game of Kanell’s FSU career, he left with his name all over FSU’s record books. Kanell’s 10 300-yard passing games rank second in school history behind 1999 Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke, and his 213-1 record as a starter is the fourth-best winning percentage of any quarterback in school history. He also ranks third in FSU history with 57 career touchdown passes. “He was a football player that was very gifted, very smart,’’ FSU coach Bobby Bowden said. “He did an excellent job while he was here.’’

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Kanell arrived at FSU in 1992 from tiny Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, a private Christian school where Kanell says he “played in front of about 90 people.’’ In his first game at FSU, Kanell was called on to replace Charlie Ward at Clemson in the second game of the 1992 season, FSU’s first as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Kanell still remembers that day like it was yesterday. “I went to Florida State fully anticipating a redshirt year as a freshman,’’ Kanell said. “But one quarterback got hurt, and another one left to play baseball, so there I was 18 years old playing in front of 90,000 fans. I remember thinking about how nervous I was. I just wanted to make sure I got the snap OK.’’ After leaving FSU, Kanell was a fourth-round pick of the New York Giants in the 1996 NFL Draft. Kanell spent parts of six seasons in the NFL, playing for the Giants, Falcons and Broncos.

Kanell’s 10 300-yard passing games rank second in school history and his 21-3-1 record as a starter is the fourth-best winning percentage of any quarterback in school history. He also ranks third in FSU history with 57 career touchdown passes.

He last played in 2003 with the Broncos and is now executive vice president of LOOK Capital, a private investment first. Kanell is honored to be recognized by the Atlantic Coast Conference as an ACC Football Legend. He said playing with talented players such as running back Warrick Dunn and learning from Coach Bowden and former FSU offensive coordinator Mark Richt made a big impact on his career and his life. “I’m humbled by it,’’ he said. “When I look back, I think a lot about the accomplishments we had. We finished No. 3 and No. 4 my last two years. I remember the friendships that I made and playing for Coach Bowden and Mark Richt. Coach Bowden is the real legend. It’s nice to be mentioned as a legend in the ACC, but when you mention the legends of college football, Coach Bowden is always mentioned. He is just a great man.’’

Kanell still keeps up with FSU football and is excited about the program’s direction as Bowden winds down his Hall of Fame coaching career. He is also excited about his new job as a radio broadcaster for WQAM now that his playing days are done. “I love the fact that it keeps me involved in the game,’’ he said. “I’m watching games every Sunday and being part of it every Sunday. I do feel like I have a lot of knowledge to share.’’ In his free time, Kanell does most of his playing these days with 16-month-old daughter, Camryn, and hanging out with his wife, Courtnay, also a FSU graduate. And of course, answering questions from all those fans wanting to talk about the “Choke at Doak.’’ “I was surrounded by such a talented group of play-makers,’’ Kanell said. “I always felt it was my job to get them the ball and the rest was easy.’’ — Scott Carter

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GEORGIA TECH

Pat Swilling PAT SWILLING WAS A HEAVILY RECRUITED LINEBACKER/ defensive end coming out of Stephens County (Ga.) High in the early 1980s, but when Swilling accepted a scholarship to play at Georgia Tech, he did so with his long-term future in mind more than the opportunity to play for the Yellow Jackets. “I had tons of offers, plenty of opportunities, but the biggest thing I liked about Georgia Tech was the educational part, the engineering, and the chance to stay in Georgia. Georgia Tech graduates always seem to be very successful. “I wasn’t thinking about going to the pros. I was thinking about starting my own company.’’ While Swilling went to class and worked toward earning a business degree, he also developed into one of the most dangerous pass rushers in Atlantic Coast Conference history. He still holds the ACC record for most sacks in a game, dropping NC State quarterbacks a mind-boggling seven times in Georgia Tech’s 2818 win to open the 1985 season. Swilling finished his senior season with 15 sacks, still Georgia Tech’s single-season school record. He finished his career with 23 sacks, a skill that quickly translated from college to the NFL. During an NFL career that started in New Orleans in 1986, Swilling recorded 107.5 sacks over 11 seasons, establishing himself as one of the NFL’s most feared pass rushers in the 1990s. As he postponed that business career for a successful NFL career, Swilling reached a personal milestone in 1991 when he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press. Playing on a Saints defense known as the “Dome Patrol,’’ Swilling and fellow linebackers Rickey Jackson and Sam Mills provided the backbone of one of the NFL’s top defenses. Swilling was the star attraction. “I’ve never been a guy big on individual honors,’’ Swilling said recently. “But to be named the best defensive player that year out of all the great players that played in the NFL, it’s a great honor. I don’t really know how to put it into words.’’ During his seven seasons in New Orleans – Swilling also played for Detroit and Oakland – he fell in love with the city and the Bourbon Street faithful fell in love with Swilling. He returned to New Orleans permanently once his playing days ended in 1998, and sticking to his original plan when he arrived at Georgia Tech, Swilling went into private business and politics. He was a local representative for four years, and during that

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time, he also ran a successful real estate development company that has blossomed over the years. Swilling’s career outlook and the history of New Orleans changed directions in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina swept through the city, leaving one of America’s most unique cities under water and devastated. As thousands fled the city seeking a better place to live once the storm passed, Swilling remained behind intent on helping rebuild a place he began calling home during his time with the Saints. “After the storm, I had the first apartment complex to open in New Orleans East,’’ Swilling said. “It housed firefighters and policemen. It meant a lot to me, because they needed somewhere to stay during that time when everyone was kind of down.’’ In the three years since Katrina nearly washed New Orleans off the map, Swilling has remained involved in several projects to rebuild the city and some of its poorest neighborhoods. The satisfaction is similar, if not greater, than he once knew for sacking a quarterback or making a big tackle at the Louisiana Superdome in front of 80,000 screaming fans. “I’ve tried to play an integral role in trying to help New Orleans and the surrounding region get back on their feet,’’ he said. “Every day, I basically go out to sites with my guys and build buildings. I enjoy it. “There is nothing that I’ve done in my career that has been as challenging as being a part of this rebirth. I don’t think people around the country realize how daunting a task we had. We literally started over in New Orleans. It’s a slow process.’’ Swilling, 44, lives in New Orleans with his wife, Robin, and their three kids, Patrick Jr., daughter Star, and youngest son Trey. He appreciates what he has even more after Hurricane Katrina struck, and tries to give back to the community to show his support and loyalty. As he drives around the city with his work crew trying to help rebuild parts of the city, Swilling relies on many of the lessons he learned at Georgia Tech. “It helped me mature,’’ he said of his time playing for the Yellow Jackets under Coach Bill Curry. “I was a four-year starter. Having the opportunity to play with the older guys when I first got there, I matured fast. It put me in a good position for my pro career, and it turned out well.’’ Swilling is now working toward a similar ending for New Orleans. — Scott Carter

Swilling started four seasons at outside linebacker for Georgia Tech and as a senior was one of the leaders of Tech’s famed “Black Watch Defense” which led Tech to a 9-2-1 record and a No. 18 national ranking.

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His Hall of Fame plaque reads, “Big, quick, disciplined, intelligent, durable,” listed his pro honors and even said, “First to rely on weight lifting to attain football readiness.”

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MARYLAND

Stan Jones STAN JONES HAD A MESSAGE TO DELIVER AT HIS PRO Football Hall of Fame induction in 1991. The message? It’s about time offensive guards got some credit for what they did in the NFL. Jones and John Hannah were inducted in Canton that day, joining Jim Parker as the only guards in the Hall. Then, anyway. He said he and others of his ilk “had gotten together and had decided to possibly move our Hall of Fame to Buffalo, N.Y. There we would hold a bowling tournament during the February months, which is sort of an offseason there; and as true guards we would use pins but we wouldn’t use balls. We would just run down the lane and go head-first into the pins. And then they’d have Rodney Dangerfield be the master of ceremonies.” You get the point. This job often gets no respect. Stan Jones helped change all that. “But fortunately the Loyal Brotherhood of the Offensive Guards is back into the fold here and we now have three pure guards into the Hall of Fame,” he said. “And that’s a tremendous pleasure.” A guy with a keen sense of humor, he said, upon his selection to the Hall, “I hadn’t played for so long I had to do some research on myself. I was surprised at some of the things I found.” More about what he found later. He has also been quoted as saying: “No one seems to know what the guards are doing. They don’t keep a record of our blocks. I did have one advantage in those days; we used to do a lot of pulling. People could see more of what we were doing.” He had a “tremendous” football career. But this year’s Maryland Legend calling himself a “pure guard” isn’t 100 percent accurate. Check the resume. This guy was so much more than a oneposition player. Jones, an Altoona, Pa. product, was a star two-way tackle at Maryland, where he led the 1953 team to the national championship – the team allowing 31 points in 11 games. The Chicago Bears had made him a future draft choice prior to that season, and he entered the NFL as an offensive tackle in 1954. He then became a guard from 1955-62 and in ’62 shifted back to the other side of the line. “He began to play both ways,” teammate Bob Kilcullen said as he presented Jones in Canton. “We had been depleted by injuries and Stan found himself starting at left defensive tackle. Jones was a full-timer on defense in ’63. “The defensive team in 1963 was first in 10 categories and second in eight others out of a total of 19, said Kilcullen, who

played alongside. Jones. That team won the NFL championship. Speaking of playing defense, Jones said, “On offense you are limited. On defense, you can dish it out for a change.” Jones, who currently resides in Broomfield, Colorado, was an All-NFL guard in 1955, ’56, ’59 and ’60, making the second team in 1957 and ‘61. He went to seven straight Pro Bowls from 1956-62. In addition to be an outstanding player on both sides of the ball, he is also credited as being the first lineman to concentrate on lifting weights. He was also into vitamins and other things healthy, like tiger’s milk. In 22 years of football, he never missed a game because of injury. His Hall of Fame plaque reads, “Big, quick, disciplined, intelligent, durable,” listed his pro honors and even said, “First to rely on weight lifting to attain football readiness.” Jones, quoted on the Bears’ website, said, “If I hadn’t lifted weights, I probably wouldn’t have become a pro football player. It really helped me recover from the bruises of every game.” Of going head-first into those bowling pins. Jones was a consensus All-American in 1953, when he was also named the College Lineman of the Year by the College Football Coaching Board. The Terps, in the first year of the ACC (they had come from the Southern Conference), were 11-1 and won the national title that year. In his three years in College Park, Jones’ Maryland teams were 34-5-1, playing in the Sugar Bowl in 1951 and the Orange Bowl in 1953. He got to the Bears in 1954, and would stay there until George Halas did him a favor and traded him to Washington, so he could finish his career close to home. He became a guard because, at 6-1, he really wasn’t tall enough to be an offensive tackle. Tough? You want tough? And strong? “He was a leader, somebody you look up to,” defensive linemate Fred Williams said of the former captain. “I’ll tell you on thing, he could lift the side of a house. He was one strong son of a gun.” And don’t think the defensive linemen weren’t happy to see Jones comes their way for that ’64 season. Doug Atkins, also quoted on that Bears’ website, said, “Boy, he was a load. His stature made it difficult for anyone who played against him. To put it mildly, he was a hard guy to move around. “I never really had to play against him but I remember one time in a scrimmage, I was going against him. That was tough. He was just as strong as he could be.” —Mike Shalin

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MIAMI

Russell Maryland THE PATH TO BECOMING THE NO. 1 OVERALL PICK IN THE 1991 NFL Draft was rarely a clear one for 1990 Outland Trophy winner Russell Maryland. Maryland grew up in Chicago, drawing interest from some of the top programs in the nation as a high school senior, but he considered himself a more talented student than football player. Still, when it was time to go off to college, Maryland chose to escape the Windy City for the Sunshine State and the University of Miami, home to some of the greatest college football players of the past two decades during Maryland’s stint there. At practice, Maryland often looked around and wondered what he was doing there. He practiced daily with teammates such as Michael Irvin, Bennie Blades, Steve Walsh, Cleveland Gary, Cortez Kennedy and other future NFL players. “I never did see myself being in that class of athlete those guys were in,’’ Maryland said recently. “Growing up, I never really aspired to be in the NFL. Even though I was at the University of Miami, people had to tell me I was going to play in the NFL.’’ After a solid junior season, Maryland opted to return to Miami as a fifth-year senior in 1990. Some told him to go pro, but Maryland insisted it wasn’t the right time. Since he already had his undergraduate degree, Maryland began work on a master’s degree in psychology to remain part of the team. His roommates — Mike Sullivan, Luke Cristobal and current Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski – nicknamed Maryland “The Conscience’’ because he always made thoughtful decisions on and off the field. “Those guys were always kind of ribbing me about going to the library after practice and dinner,’’ Maryland said. Maryland capped his career at Miami by winning the Outland Trophy, the first Hurricane to be named the nation’s top interior lineman. Despite dominating opposing offensive linemen that season, Maryland says he really didn’t believe he would play in the NFL until about midway through his senior season. Maryland became a true believer after having the kind of game on a national stage that every player dreams about. In the late 1980s and early ‘90s, the Miami-Notre Dame rivalry was considered college football’s best. In the 1990 game between the schools, Maryland had the best game of his career in Miami’s 29-20 loss to the Fighting Irish. Maryland finished with 20 tackles – 15 of them unassisted – three tackles-for-loss and one sack. Suddenly, the stocky kid from the south side of Chicago –

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fittingly, Maryland said he grew up a huge fan of Refrigerator Perry of the Chicago Bears – became a household name like his football hero. “What truly sticks out about my college career is how lucky I was to be in that particular place at that particular time,’’ Maryland said. “Coming from the south side of Chicago, you didn’t really know big-time athletes at that level. Looking back, it was amazing how much talent we had. To be forced to be at your best every day, that was really a blessing.’’ After finishing his college career, Maryland rejoined his first coach at Miami, Jimmy Johnson, as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. Maryland won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys over the next five seasons, and then moved on to play his final five seasons in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers. Overall, Maryland won five championships during his career, three with the Cowboys and two (1987 and 1989) national titles with the Hurricanes. “I played on great teams,’’ he said. “I feel very fortunate. There are a lot of great players who never get to play on a great team.’’ Maryland returned to Dallas when he retired from football and is now in private business with Webb Electronics, a technology firm that creates video and other services for high school, college and professional sports teams. Life in Dallas can be pretty good if you’re a former Cowboy. “It’s a great experience,’’ Maryland said. “The younger kids, if you’re Emmitt [Smith], Troy [Aikman] or Michael [Irvin], they forget about you. The older fans, they show me a lot of love.’’ And at least once a year, Maryland tries to return to Miami to watched his beloved Hurricanes play, now coached by his former teammate, Randy Shannon. He recently returned to Miami and felt strange going to Dolphin Stadium instead of the Orange Bowl to watch the Hurricanes. “I was sad to see it go,’’ Maryland said. While the Notre Dame game his senior year made Maryland a star, the 39-year-old Maryland said his most memorable game was his final game at the Orange Bowl, a 33-7 win over Syracuse his senior season. With his parents and family in the stands, Maryland dominated highly-touted Syracuse offensive lineman John Flannery, recording three sacks. If he needed any further validation of his pro prospects, Maryland answered them that game. ’ — Scott Carter

Maryland played on Miami teams which were National Champions in 1987 and 1989 and helped UM to a four-year record of 44-4. He finished his Miami career with 270 tackles and 20.5 quarterback sacks.

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Jones finished his career with an 11-1 record against North Carolina’s Big Four rivals – losing only in his freshman year to NC State. As a starter, Jones never lost to State, Duke or Wake Forest.

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12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion

NORTH CAROLINA

Marcus Jones MARCUS JONES, ONE OF THE BEST DEFENSIVE linemen in ACC football history, has found a new outlet for his physical gifts. Retiring after seven seasons in the NFL, the former North Carolina All-America is trying to jump-start his career in Mixed Martial Arts at age 35. “You’re only as old as you think you are,” Jones said recently. “The MMA is very rewarding. I’m still learning – a year and a half ago, I had never thrown a punch. I was lucky enough to train with [former UFC world heavyweight champion] Tim Sylva. He killed me. But I’m learning.” If Jones learns his new sport as well as he learned his old one, he’ll do very well indeed. A four-year letterman at UNC, he earned second-team All-ACC honors as a sophomore defensive end in 1993; was a first-team All-ACC choice at defensive tackle in 1994; and was ACC defensive player of the year after returning to defensive end for his senior season in 1995. He also won consensus first-team All-America honors in his final season. “My strength was that I liked physical contact,” Jones said. “When I saw the sweep coming and I had to crush the leading guard or tackle, I didn’t turn away ... I looked forward to it.” Jones began his career in Jacksonville, N.C., playing at a school that was almost too small to field a team. “When I first started, we only had 16 players – 11 on the field and five on the sidelines,” he said. “I got to play a lot of different roles. I played offense, defense, special teams ...” Jones attracted a lot of attention from recruiters, but there was no contest once Mack Brown came calling. “His [recruiting] reputation is well earned,” Jones said. “The biggest thing he had to sell was the promise that if you committed, North Carolina would stand behind you. He recruited really heavily in the state of North Carolina. When you are from the state and you play for the state university, you end up not only fighting for yourself and for your school, but also for your state.” When Jones arrived, Brown was just starting to get the UNC program off the ground after back-to-back 1-10 seasons in 1988 and 1989. The 1992 Tar Heels – with 227-pound freshman defensive end Marcus Jones seeing considerable action – earned a trip to the Peach Bowl and a victory over Mississippi State. A year later, Jones, up to 240 pounds, started at defensive end, and helping UNC to 10 wins and a final top 20 ranking.

Jones shifted to defensive tackle as a junior, earned All-ACC honors for an eight-win team that played Texas in the Sun Bowl. “It was a big change [moving to tackle],” Jones said. “We lost some big guys early and they needed me to move inside. Defensive end is easier, because you have more time to watch the play develop. At tackle, everything happens so fast, there’s no time to do anything but react.” Jones’ Sun Bowl trip was memorable because he returned from El Paso, Texas, in the team’s equipment truck rather than fly back to Chapel Hill. “I still have a problem flying,” he said. “It’s a problem of control. I have to be in control. The first time we flew when I was a freshman, I had to be sedated. Even today, my wife hates to fly with me because every time the plane dips, I let out a scream.” But Jones feared nothing on the football field. He proved that in 1995, when he returned to defensive end – weighing over 280-pounds — and helped lead UNC to a victory overt Arkansas in the Carquest Bowl. More importantly, the Tar Heel star finished his career with an 11-1 record against North Carolina’s Big Four rivals – losing only in his freshman year to N.C. State. As a starter, Jones never lost to State, Duke or Wake Forest. “There was a sense of pride in those games,” Jones said. “They are the ones I remember. The schools are so close ... if you lose you might hear about it from family, friends or your next door neighbor.” Jones didn’t have as much luck with Florida State, which joined the ACC in his freshman season. The Tar Heels were 0-4 against the Seminoles during his tenure. “Florida State had a mystique about them in those days,” he said. “They were a powerhouse in college football. Getting them gave ACC football credibility.” UNC’s Marcus Jones was the first ACC player taken in the 1996 NFL draft, going to Tampa Bay in the first round. He played seven solid seasons for the Bucs before his retirement in 2003. Now, at a time when most players his age are taking up golf, Jones is living just outside Tampa and looking for new challenges in the field of hand-to-hand combat. That competitiveness is one of the reasons that Marcus Jones is a Class of 2008 Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game Legend. — Al Featherston

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NC STATE

Bill Yoest BILL YOEST STILL HAS VIVID MEMORIES OF THE FIRST time he met Lou Holtz. The unknown William and Mary coach had just been hired to revive the NC State football program after three straight three-win seasons. “The team had been losing,” Yoest recalled. “We had a lot of talent, but we were not putting it together. And losing breeds a bad attitude. That was a team with a lot of bad attitudes. “They called us together for a 7 p.m. meeting at the Case Dining Hall to meet our new coach. Nobody knew anything about Coach Holtz or William and Mary. He comes in and locks the door behind him – it you were a minute late you weren’t getting in. We saw this little guy – about 5-8, skinny, wearing glasses ... he didn’t look very impressive. “Then he started talking to us, telling us what was going to happen. He was such a high energy guy and he had so much enthusiasm that by the time he was through talking, there were no more bad attitudes. He just had that charisma.” The arrival of Lou Holtz would prove to be a decisive moment in Bill Yoest’s collegiate career. It’s not that Holtz and his staff transformed Yoest into a great player. That process was already underway – even before the Pittsburgh product arrived in Raleigh. He was one of the Northeast’s top line prospects as a senior at Pittsburgh’s North Catholic High School, drawing recruiting interest from a long list of prominent programs, including local powers Pitt and Penn State. But NC State had an edge with the prep standout. “My coach at North Catholic, Joe Bushofsky, had played at NC State,” Yoest said. “And Ernie Driscoll, who had played at North Catholic, was on the staff there. They kind of steered me to NC State. I thought it was an advantage to know what I was getting into and since my coach had had a good experience at State, I felt I would be comfortable there.” Yoest, like all players in that era, was forced to play freshman football for a year before joining the varsity. But he started at offensive guard for the Wolfpack as a true sophomore in 1970 – more evidence of his special talent. “Coach Earl Edwards redshirted everybody at that time – and I mean everybody,” Yoest said. “I was not redshirted.” That decision turned out to be a lucky break for Yoest, since he endured a back injury that sidelined him in 1971, when Al Michaels coached the Pack for a year. By not redshirting in 1970, the injury didn’t cost him a season of eligibility. He still

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had two years left when Holtz arrived in the late fall of 1971 to revive the NC State program. And, Yoest reaped the benefit of that revival. “Attention comes to the guys on a winning team,” he said. “I could have been the same player, but on a three-win team, who would have noticed?” The voters noticed in 1972, when Yoest blasted holes for Holtz’s veer offense – leading NC State to an 8-3-1 record and a victory in the Peach Bowl. “For an offensive lineman, the veer was pure fun,” Yoest said. “Offensive linemen don’t like to pass block. That’s too passive. When you run a lot, it’s really fun. You get to be aggressive. You get to hit people.” That suited Yoest just fine. “I had it in my head that whoever I was blocking was not going to make the tackle,” he said. “God gave me ability. Growing up in the rough and tumble neighborhood that I did in north Pittsburgh gave me attitude.” Together, those two qualities made Yoest the best offensive lineman in the ACC. As a senior, he not only repeated as firstteam All-ACC, but won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, awarded annually to the league’s best blocker. He also picked up consensus All-America honors for NC State’s 9-3 Liberty Bowl champs. The 1973 Wolfpack won the ACC title and finished No. 16 nationally in the final AP poll. Unfortunately, Yoest’s collegiate greatness didn’t translate into NFL success, despite strong showings in both the Hula Bowl and the East-West Shrine Game. “They basically determined that at 6-foot tall, I was not tall enough to play [in the NFL].” he recalled. “It was all about pass blocking and they thought I needed more height for better leverage.” Yoest did play a season in the World Football League, just before the league folded. But he injured his knee – he later learned it was an ACL tear – and that hampered him as he made a second bid to play in the NFL Instead, he returned to Raleigh and found success as a financial planner, opening his own finance company. Bill Yoest remains one of the ACC’s greatest offensive linemen – honored this season as a member of the Class of 2008 Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game Legends. — Al Featherston

Yoest lettered four times for the Wolfpack playing for coaches Earl Edwards, Al Michaels and Lou Holtz. A two-time first-team AllACC choice as a guard, he earned consensus AllAmerica honors as a senior in 1973.

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Barber lettered three times for Virginia, helping lead the Cavaliers to a 25-12 record and three consecutive bowl trips and the 1995 ACC Co-Championship.

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12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion

VIRGINIA

Tiki Barber TIKI BARBER HAS ALWAYS DONE IT HIS WAY. THESE DAYS, he’s doing it on the Today Show, on NBC’s Football Night In America, as an author, and in other ventures – years before most people thought he would be doing it anywhere but on the football field. This year’s Virginia Legend walked away from the NFL, on his terms, on his still-functioning legs and still with a world of ability, at age 32. He left a lot of money and fame on the table, but stuff like that isn’t what this guy is all about. “I’m a diverse person,” told ESPN.com during the 2006 season, which he announced would be his last – and was. “I have a lot of interests and at some point it’s time to execute a plan that’s been in place for me for about 7 ½ to eight years. “I have a lot of interests and I’ve never wanted to be solely defined as a football player. I wasn’t that way in high school, I wasn’t that was in college and I won’t compromise my ideals to be that way in the National Football League.” He played his way. He went out his way. “I’ve been talking about retirement for four years now, and it has nothing to do with being physical or making money or the Hall of Fame,” he said in the face of criticism for making the announcement before the season and thus being what some felt would be a potential distraction for his Giants’ teammates. Barber ran for a career-high 1,662 yards in his final season. Some distraction. He capped a marvelous college and pro career that saw him earn ACC Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year honors in the ACC in 1996, leave Virginia as it’s all-time leading rusher (he was quickly passed by Thomas Jones) and then run for 10,449 yards and score 55 touchdowns in the NFL, where he also had 586 catches. Atiim Kiambu Hakeem-ah Barber – Tiki – retired as the Giants’ all-time leading rusher and also caught more passes than anyone in team history. He played in a Super Bowl and three Pro Bowls. Born in Roanoke as the identical twin of Ronde (they were born seven minutes apart), also a standout NFL player now in his 12th season with the Bucs, Barber, also a long jumper in high school, wound up at Virginia (with his brother). He set a school record with 19 career 100-yard rushing games (one better than Jones), including nine in a row during that 1996 season; finished 10th in ACC history with 3,389 rushing

yards, eighth in the conference in all-purpose yards, 13th in punt returns. He was the third player in conference history to post two years of 1,200 yards rushing. Barber, a candidate for the 1995 Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top runner, was named All-ACC in 1995 and ’96, got some All-American mention on the field and was first team CoSIDA Academic All-American both years and was the 1995 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete. He had an 81-yard run against Michigan in 1995 and an 80-yarder against Virginia Tech in ’96. Barber’s jersey was retired in Charlottesville in 2007. He was the first player to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons for the Cavaliers and his 1,397 and 1,360 yards in ’95 and 96 were the two top single-season rushing totals in the history of the program. Jones shattered those marks in 1999. After receiving a degree in finance, Barber was a secondround pick of the Giants and settled in as one of those situational third-down backs. That all changed when he became the focal point of the Giants offense. Barber ran for 1,000 yards in six of his 10 NFL seasons, five of the last six, going for 1,387, 1,216, 1,518, 1,860 and 1,662. He had five career 200-yard rushing games. Then he walked away. “It’s all about my desires, and for me to change them would compromise my integrity and would compromise who I am as a person and what I’ve always stood for,” he said. There was some controversy over comments he made after he left, but that was done his way, too. The Giants won the Super Bowl without him, but he was content in his new life. Oh, and he’s good on the air, as well. He published his memoir, “My Life in the Game and Beyond,” in 2007. Doing a publicity video for the book, he said, “Everybody asks me if I’m going to miss football. Training camp is currently underway and my brother is sweating in Florida, my former teammates are toiling away up in Albany, N.Y. and I’m having a great time with my kids and going out and doing my new job, which is corresponding and telling stories for the Today Show on NBC. “I know that there are many great things in front of me, whether it be in broadcasting at NBC or starting different business ventures. Those things will come and they will be in my next memoir.” He’ll do that his way, too. —Mike Shalin

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VIRGINIA TECH

Don Strock HE STILL HOLDS THE VIRGINIA TECH SINGLE SEASON records for pass attempts and completions and passing yards and also has single-game records in all three. He was a thirdteam All-American, a fifth-round draft pick in the NFL who played 15 years in the league and was part of two Super Bowls in a career that produced 45 touchdown passes. He even punted nine times. He coached in college and the pros. Yet the one thing Virginia Tech Legend Don Strock is known for, in the eyes of most sports fans, anyway, was one play – the Hook and Lateral in the 1982 playoffs against San Diego. The play took place almost 27 years ago. It’s still a big thing today. If you visit YouTube.com, you’ll find a commercial Strock did for Dolphins ticket sales, one where kids come up to him and ask him about the “Hook and Ladder” play. He insists it was the “Hook and Lateral” and one kid sticks to his guns, claiming “Hook and Ladder.” Finally, Strock “calls” his old coach, Don Shula, who informs the kid it was indeed the Hook and Lateral. For those of you too young to remember it, or haven’t seen it on videos that are run to this day over a quarter of a century later, the play went like this — Strock to wide receiver Duriel Harris for 15 yards; Harris then lateraled to running back Tony Nathan (trailing the play as the back end of a hook and ladder if you want to call it that) for 25 more (rather easy) and the touchdown on the final play of the half. The Dolphins rallied from a 24-0 deficit and eventually lost the game, but Strock, who only made 22 starts in the NFL (he went 16-6), had his niche in history – something to be remembered for; even though he had so much else on his football resume. “Everybody has (the play), grade schools have it, high schools have it, colleges have it, the pros have it, that just happened to work,” Strock said recently. “It’s a play that everybody remembers, though, and to be part of it was kinda cool.” Quoted in the past on the play, Strock said, “When that play worked – which is hard to believe because every high school team has that play – obviously we were pumped up.” Strock, born in Pottstown, Pa., played 14 years with Miami and finished his pro career with a year each in Cleveland and Indianapolis. He coached in the Arena and World Leagues and then did three years with the Browns as quarterbacks coach

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before becoming the first head coach tat Florida International. These days, Strock, who led the nation in passing for the Hokies in 1972, is the director of the Miccosukee Championship event on the PGA tour, in Miami. “I love to play golf,” he said via cell phone from the course. “Working with the PGA has been great. It’s quite a learning experience.” Strock, who now resides in Weston, Fla., has also raised over $2 million over the 25-year run of the annual Don Strock Diabetes Classic, which attracts a heavy celebrity play list – Dan Marino, George Mira, Dwight Stephenson, Kim Bokamper, Nat Moore and Larry Little among the former football stars who took part in the 25th anniversary event. But he will never forget his time in Blacksburg, where he was inducted into the Hokie Sports Hall of Fame in 1985 after a star career when Tech was a member of the Southern Conference. “They say college is supposed to be the best four years of your life and all that and it was all that for me. I think I picked the right place,” he says. “The University is a terrific academic institution and I was honored to be a part of it. “The University wasn’t as big at the time, somewhere around 9,000 (students). What it is now is absolutely amazing, to be honest with you.” Asked what stands out from his college playing days, Strock, who was Tech’s all-time passing yardage leader until Bryan Randall passed him in 2004, said, “The opportunity to play a major schedule. Playing the Florida States and the Oklahoma States and the Houstons … time on an airplane flying all around. It was a great experience for me.” Strock’s school-record-setting game in college took place Oct. 7, 1972, against Houston. All he did that day was go 34-for-53 for 527 yards, part of the 6,009 yards he passed for at Virginia Tech (Randall finished his career with the record, 6,508 yards). He finished his career 440-for-829 and still holds the school season mark of 427 attempts, 228 completions and 3,243 yards. He is also the Hokies’ all-time leader in average yards per game for a season (294.8 in 1972) and a career (207.2). And now, 35 years after he finished playing in Blacksburg, he’s an ACC Legend. — Mike Shalin

Strock still holds Tech single-season records for most passes attempted (427) and completed (228) and passing yardage (3,243) as well as single-game marks in all three categories.

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Mills is Wakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all-time leading receiver among tight ends having caught 142 passes for 1,652 yards.

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12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion

WAKE FOREST

John Henry Mills WHEN FORMER WAKE FOREST COACH BILL DOOLEY came up with the idea of converting running back John Henry Mills to tight end, there were a lot of skeptics. Including John Henry Mills. “I was concerned at first,” Mills said in a recent interview. “I thought I was too small to play tight end. I sat down with our new tight end coach, Skip Stress, and we had a heart-to-heart. I told him if he’d give me a fair shot, I’d give him 100 percent.” Mills made good on that promise. Although he stood a bare 6-foot tall and weighed just 212 pounds at the time of the switch, he went to work in the weight room, eventually raising his bench press to over 400 pounds and his body weight to 226 pounds. He made the adjustment so quickly that he not only started the 1990 home opener against Appalachian State, but also caught the goahead touchdown pass from quarterback Phil Barnhill. It was the start of a brilliant three-year run for one of the ACC’s all-time great tight ends. Mills, teaming with three different quarterbacks, caught 142 passes for 1,652 yards in his career. As a sophomore in 1990, he caught 46 receptions, including 12 for 230 yards (still the second-highest single-game total in school history) in a loss to Duke. Mills led the ACC in receiving as a junior with 51 catches. “He could catch the football, he could run and he could block,” Dooley recalls. “Most of the time, you cover the tight end with a safety. You could not cover John Henry Mills with a safety.” Despite his value as a pass receiver, Mills was a legitimate tight end – not a wide receiver masquerading as a quasi-lineman. “I did the dirty work as a blocker,” Mills said. “I was able to hold my own blocking guys like [Virginia’s] Chris Slade and [Clemson’s] Levon Kirkland. I might have been small, but I was one of the strongest tight ends.” Dooley didn’t know what he was getting when he lured Mills from Jacksonville, Fla., to Winston-Salem. The future standout tight end was a modestly recruited running back who first drew interest from Dooley’s older brother Vince at Georgia. “But he was recruiting two or three other running backs, so he called his brother and suggested that Wake recruit me,” Mills said. “I played running back as a freshman, but missed the next season with an injury. When I came back that spring, that’s when

they told me I was moving to tight end.” Mills actually saw little action as a freshman running back. He excelled on special teams and played tailback on the scout team, but he never carried the ball or caught a pass in a game. That would change in 1990 after he switched to tight end. The timing of the switch couldn’t have been better for the young Florida product. He became a receiver just as Dooley was making the transition from a “three-yards and a cloud of dust offense” [in Mills’ words] to a more balanced attack. “We had lost some outstanding running backs,” Dooley explained. “It just made sense to spread things out a little more.” As Wake Forest learned the new offense, the Deacons improved – from 3-8 Mills’ sophomore season to 8-4 in his senior season of 1992. That Wake Forest team beat Oregon in the Independence Bowl for the school’s first bowl victory in 45 years. Mills was a great part of that success. “He was an outstanding tight end,” Dooley said. “He was quick, fast, strong ... he was a heck of a player. He was not that big, but he was strong. And he was so quick – he’d get on you in a hurry.” Somehow, the undersized collegiate tight end managed to play seven seasons in the NFL. The former Wake Forest star found himself cast in a number of roles during his stints with the Oilers, Raiders and Vikings. “It was difficult,” Mills said. “Every year I didn’t know what position I would play. I’d come into camp and find out what role I was playing.” Mills played some fullback, some tight end, some H-back and a lot of special teams in the NFL. In fact, he made the 1996 Pro Bowl and was picked as captain of the AFC’s Special Teams. When Mills’ pro career came to an end, he turned to coaching. He currently teaches American History and coaches the football team at a middle school in Houston. His first team won its league championship. “It’s something I enjoy doing, teaching the kids,” he said. If he’s as good a teacher and a coach as he was a tight end at Wake Forest, his students are lucky indeed. John Henry Mills was one of the best tight ends in ACC history – and will now be remembered as a member of the Class of 2008 Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game Legends. — Al Featherston

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Is it Drafty in Here? ACC top talent fills the NFL BY JACK WILKINSON

he evidence is everywhere. It’s in the off-the-edge whoooosh of Mario Williams. Initially the object of draftnik ridicule, the now-super Mario is one of the fiercest pass-rushers in the National Football League. It’s in the grace and speed, the leaping ability and sure hands of Calvin Johnson. Oh, to be young, gifted and a 6-foot-5 game-changing receiver, even if such a precocious talent is stuck in the NFL Dead Zone of Detroit. And it’s in the face of Matt Ryan, the most recognizable of the NFL’s New Faces of ’08. The Atlanta Falcons’ rookie quarterback who doesn’t play like one is wise beyond his years, not wet behind the ears. And he wins. Ask the Bears what Matty Ice can do in 11 seconds. All three players, and dozens and dozens of more young twentysomethings, are evidence of the abundant talent the Atlantic Coast Conference has sent to the NFL in the last three years. All you have to do is turn on the TV on any given Sunday. Or, you could just ask Ronde Barber. “High picks. Stellar players. And great competition,” said Barber, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12-year veteran who was once an All-ACC cornerback at Virginia and is now a four-time Pro Bowler with the Bucs. “The ACC’s a complete conference. “The talent is spread out, and that says more about the conference to me,” said Barber, who’s working with the Tampa Bay Sports Commission to help promote the 2008 ACC Championship Game in Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium. “ACC teams beat up on each other. There’s no dominant team. When I was

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in school, FSU and Miami were dominant. Now, the talent’s more spread out.” Over the last three years, the ACC became the first conference to have two of the top four players selected in three consecutive drafts. In those three years, the ACC also had the top defender chosen– and in four of the last seven drafts, with North Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers the No. 2 pick by Carolina in 2002. Consider the ACC’s recent draft goldrush: • In 2006, Williams – and not the people’s and pundits’ choice, Southern Cal’s Reggie Bush – was the No. 1 overall selection by Houston, leaving North Carolina State after his junior season. D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Virginia’s offensive tackle, went No. 4 to the New York Jets. Williams and Ferguson were two of a record 12 ACC first-round draft picks that year, the most ever from a single conference. Four came from Florida State, the most ever off one team. Only one other conference had more first-rounders than FSU that year. A record 51 ACC players (including four more Seminoles) were drafted in ’06, the most ever from one conference. • In 2007, Johnson – the Fred Biletnikoff Award winner and two-time All-American wideout from Georgia Tech – was the No. 2 overall choice by Detroit. Tampa Bay made Clemson defensive end Gaines Adams the fourth pick and first defensive player chosen. Johnson, the 2006 ACC Player of the Year, and Adams were two of six ACC first-round picks. • And last spring, after teams considered

trading up and draft analysts projected each as the No. 1 pick, Virginia defensive end Chris Long and Ryan were the Nos. 2 and 3 selections. Long went to St. Louis. Atlanta picked Boston College’s babyfaced Ryan as the much-needed new face of a fractured franchise. They were two of seven ACC first-round picks (four of the top 17 selections), the most of any conference for the second time in three years. “All those guys went high, and have been productive already in their careers,” Barber said. “Chris Long is starting. Gaines Adams? Oh my God, he’s as good a young player as I’ve seen.”Barber spoke two days after Tampa Bay’s 13-9 loss Oct. 26 at Dallas. Adams had two of the Bucs’ three sacks in Dallas to take over the team lead with four. Adams is one of 10 ex-ACC players on the Bucs’ active roster. As for Calvin Johnson, “He just has to find a quarterback,” Barber said. “He’s a rare talent.” A swift, 6-foot-5, 235-pound receiver who, despite a back injury as a

“High picks. Stellar players. And great competition, The ACC’s a complete conference.”— RONDE BARBER

JAMES LANG-US PRESSWIRE(RYAN AND LONG) ; TOMASSO DEROSA-US PRESSWIRE (JOHNSON); LEON HALIP-US PRESSWIRE (ADAMS)

rookie, caught 48 passes for 756 yards and four touchdowns. Johnson led all rookies in yards per catch with a 15.8 average. He opened this season with seven catches in Atlanta for 107 yards, then six more for 129 yards and two TD’s against Green Bay. In winless Detroit’s 28-21 loss at Houston, Johnson had two receptions: A 58-yard Hail Mary on the last play of the first half, and a 96-yard touchdown in the third quarter (the Lions’ longest reception in 10 years). Johnson had only two other passes thrown to him that day. Of all those ex-ACC players, Barber said, “More importantly, none of these guys are busts. All these guys have proven to be what they’re worth. That just shows the quality of the ACC.” No NFL rookie has a higher profile this year than Ryan. As a senior, he led BC to an 11-3 record and the Atlantic Division title. He threw for 4,508 yards and 31 touchdowns, with an ACC-record 59.3 completion percentage. The ACC Player of the

Year, he was seventh in the Heisman voting and signed a six-year, $48 million contract. Despite his pre-draft vow and remarkable immediate success, Ryan’s remained grounded. Confident, not arrogant. A rare talent, one already highly respected by his teammates, coaches and general manager. “I think for me, it’s just been about just trying to stay consistent,” Ryan said. “Not to really get blown away by anything, or carried away with anything.” This, after engineering an astounding comeback. On Oct. 12, Chicago scored for a 20-19 lead with 11 seconds left, then made the mistake of squib kicking. The Falcons got the ball at their 44. Time for one play. Despite a fierce rush, Ryan threw a perfect deep out to Michael Jenkins for 26 yards. Ryan never saw the catch, but heard the roar when Jenkins got out of bounds with one second left. When Jason Elam kicked a 48yard field goal, the Georgia Dome erupted. “Every time we go out there with him under center we have a chance to win,” safety Lawyer Milloy, who played most of his 13 seasons with New England, gushed about Ryan. “…You want to put the ball in his hands and give him as many chances as possible because, more than likely, he can help you win a ball game. Todd McClure, Atlanta’s veteran center: “The guy’s unbelievable. He’s got ice water going through his veins. He’s not playing like a rookie.” Receiver Roddy White: “I don’t know how to explain it. He just goes out there, does his thing. He stays mentally tough. We’re going to win a lot of games with this guy.” When the Atlanta Journal-Constitution ran a “ROOKIE BOY WONDER” headline, Thomas Dimitroff grimaced. “At first, my feeling was, ‘Oh my God, no. We don’t want to see this. This isn’t fair to him,” the Falcons’ first-year GM said. “But if there’s a young quarterback who could handle that and dismiss that and understands it’s [just]

six games and he has a lot of learning to do, I felt comfortable Matt was that type of guy.” “I’m not trying to pay too much attention to that stuff,” Ryan said of the praise and hype. “I’m just trying to do my best and work as hard as I possibly can, keep getting better and help this team win…It’s been a good start.” In the AFC, Eddie Royal, the All-ACC receiver and kick returner from Virginia Tech, is the first rookie wideout to start for Denver since 1985. The team’s No. 2 pick, he set a Broncos rookie record in the opener with nine catches, for a league-best 146 yards. The next week, Royal caught a last-minute 4-yard TD, then a two-point conversion to beat San Diego 38-37. By mid-season, he’d had two more nine-reception games. When Houston picked Mario Williams No. 1 in 2006, Texans fans howled. The media questioned then-GM Charlie Casserly’s sanity. Len Pasquarelli, the respected NFL writer for ESPN.com, wrote that Houston’s front office was “suffering from astigmatism.” Bill Simmons, ESPN’s “The Sports Guy,” said every pro franchise should hire a vice-president of common sense. But Houston needed defense. “I have the size and the speed and the athleticism, and to find that in a defensive end is rare,” the 66, 292-pound Williams, who ran a 4.73 40, said before the draft. “I think the last time was Julius Peppers, and you know what kind of player he is.” In his second season, Williams made a franchise-record 14 sacks, was second-team All-Pro and Pasquarelli’s “most prominent” Pro Bowl snub. Since Oct. 1, 2007 through October ‘08, Williams had the most sacks in the league. Who’s next in the ACC’s talent pipeline to the NFL? Who knows? Or, as Barber asks in a TV commercial that’s featured on the ACC Championship Game website: “Who’s year is it?”

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On a Rolle

One Seminole exemplifies the term ‘student-athlete’ BY JERRY RATCLIFFE

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eton, N.J., a notion confirmed by the 57 scholarship offers he received. He was also a brilliant student, having accumulated 22 advanced placement credits prior to entering college. When he chose Florida State many observers were somewhat surprised that he rejected offers from other institutions that seemed to be a better fit for his profile. “It certainly did surprise some people,” Rolle chuckled. “My mother wanted me to go to Princeton University because my high school is right across the street from Princeton. People questioned why I didn’t go to Stanford, Duke, Notre Dame, Northwestern. But to me, it’s how you apply yourself in college. “No matter if you go to Harvard or Florida State, if you get the most out of your college experience by using the resources around you, get involved in the community, focus in school, and challenge yourself with

JOHN DAVID MERCER-US PRESSWIRE

shining example of how academics and athletics have worked handin-hand in the ACC is Florida State defensive back and pre-med honor student Myron Rolle, who graduated prior to this, his junior season with the Seminoles. Rolle, who was awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, was also the secondleading tackler on FSU’s football team as a graduate student. Sports Illustrated documented Rolle’s six-week international academic jaunt to London, Morocco and the Czech Republic with a photo gallery of his study abroad experience in the spring of 2007. “Myron is a very special young man, very unique,” Pitts said. “Certainly he exemplifi es what is meant by the term student-athlete.” Various publications ranked Rolle as the top-rated football prospect in the nation when he attended The Hun School in Princ-

hard classes, you can be successful,” Rolle said. “I’m a story about someone who chose a school that fit him and made the most of the choice and succeeded. I encourage any other prospective student-athletes to go where they feel they will be comfortable and enjoy it and not choose only because of the reputation of the school.” Florida State certainly was wise in its recruitment of the blue-chipper. On his official visit, he not only met with legendary coach Bobby Bowden, but spent the entire first day of the trip focused on the academic opportunities. Rolle toured the medical school, with the provost, spoke with FSU shot-putter Garrett Johnson (a 2006 Rhodes Scholar), and school president T.K. Wetherell, who has since developed a close relationship with the standout student-athlete. Wetherell told Sports Illustrated of Rolle: “Myron’s special, there’s no doubt about it. To listen to him talk about everything from football to organic chemistry, you think you’re talking to a faculty member sometimes.” Rolle realizes how fortunate he has been to have such access to FSU’s president, which has included dinner at Wetherell’s home, a relationship that Rolle terms “a wonderful thing, a true blessing.” “I think that it’s more of a testament to the person that our president is and Florida State’s commitment to me growing as a student first,” Rolle said. “When I came here on a visit, they promised my parents that they would do everything in their power to help me succeed academically and be the best student I could be. They have been with me every step of the way.” That included an NCAA-approved specially arranged trip in late November that allowed Rolle to be in Birmingham, Ala., for his official interview with the Rhodes Scholarship committee before being whisked away by a private charter jet to College Park, Md., for the Seminoles’ big game against Maryland that evening. He was required to be in Birmingham for the interview that ended at 5 p.m. Central Time. Game time in College Park was 7:45 p.m. Eastern. Rolle confessed that he was much more nervous about the interview than the game, which he had become accustomed to as a

third-year starter. To help him prepare for the interview, Rolle was mentored by Johnson, a finalist for the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials. Johnson, who has since returned to Tallahassee, threw mock interview questions at Rolle. Meanwhile, Maryland threw passes his way. Bowden, while concerned with trying to get his team into the ACC Championship game, also understood the importance of Rolle’s desire to excel academically. “That’s putting your priorities in the right place, which is your education first and everything that comes with it,” said Bowden, who has coached two Heisman Trophy winners, but admitted coaching a Rhodes Scholar would be special. “Wouldn’t it be something? That would be the highest of all really. Mighty good.” The academic demands of an athlete are often a strain that doesn’t end up well, but Rolle has taken it to an even higher challenge. He has been involved in many outside activities including church and a project that involved the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s charter school on the tribe’s reservation in Florida. How does he do it? “I tend to study and get my schoolwork done during the day and not procrastinate,” Rolle said about his time management skills. “That works out with football. I put in 100 percent effort into football on the field and off the field in preparation with game tapes. After practice I involve myself with community work, church services. I try to maximize my time. “I think a lot of times student-athletes do feel bogged down by the time constraints of football and school, but if you get rid of the distractions and unproductive time you can get it done,” he explained. Often that means blowing off friends who want to go out for an evening of entertainment, a temptation that’s difficult to resist for most. Not Rolle.

“I have no problem telling friends, ‘Hey man, I’m studying.’ Once I say that, it’s over. No more pressure,” he said. Ever since attending a 10-day, National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine in New Orleans, he has been driven to become a leading physician in this country. “I really enjoyed studying about cells and had read a book by a doctor from Johns Hopkins, a pediatric neurosurgeon named Ben Carson,” Rolle remembered. “That book inspired me. Dr. Carson came from a rough upbringing in Detroit and realized his potential around middle school and high school age, then became one of the leading physicians in our country.” While he has never met Carson, those 10 days in New Orleans had a profound effect on his goal in life. “From that point on, I knew what I wanted to do,” Rolle said. He is driven to reach his goals of becoming a doctor but intends to use that skill to help others around the world. That is where the trip to London and Europe kicked in, exposing the youngster to another culture, which is one important purpose of the ACC/IAC and its trickle down effect to other programs throughout the conference. Rolle was inspired by the history of the various stops on his excursion, the opportunity to learn about other cultures, to experience a different lifestyle and the possibilities that lie ahead. “It was a refreshing experience,” he said. “Things sure were different from Tallahassee or New Jersey.” While Rolle’s story is unique, there are so many other athletes at ACC schools who are realizing their dreams thanks to the work of the ACC/IAC program and the conference’s desire to fuel those dreams with funding from today’s football championship. Athletics and academics. No one does it better than the ACC.

“I’m a story about someone who chose a school that ﬁt him and made the most of the choice and succeeded.”

ACC IAC Bringing Academics and Athletics Together Give the ACC an “A” for maintaining its strong reputation for a balance of athletics and academics. A significant portion of the championship game’s revenue is annually presented to the ACC/IAC to nurture a cooperative academic effort among the conference’s 12 colleges and universities. If you haven’t heard of the ACC/IAC, it is the ACC’s Inter-Institutional Academic Collaborative, an academic sharing venture that has many missions including that of a global focus. While ACC expansion was fueled by athletics a few years ago, the academic opportunities were a major incentive among the original nine league presidents as well as the leaders of the incoming schools. For the ACC, it was the best of both worlds. “I think that the ACC/IAC speaks to our conference in the fact that we do recognize that we are 12 universities wishing to have a global impact and a global perspective,” said Dr. James Pitts, director of Florida State’s international programs and chair of the ACC/IAC’s management committee. “While it’s true that the initial purpose of the conference was and is athletics, we are also universities very committed to helping all our students gain an international perspective and prepare to be global citizens.” While the ACC/IAC is comprised of three major programs, including conferences for administrators with similar job responsibilities and student conferences centered on global service learning, leadership, and undergraduate research, perhaps the most eye-catching is the array of international programs that take ACC students and faculty around the world. Previous destinations for this academic mission have included Vietnam, China, Africa, Eastern Europe and many others. This coming summer the organization has scheduled a major conference in Istanbul, Turkey, where regional universities from Eurasian countries will participate in the ACC’s academic sharing. “The idea of more connectedness academically began shortly before the expansion talks started,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. “This was something our presidents were very committed to and definitely was a factor in expansion, not only from the original nine presidents, but also the presidents of the schools joining the conference.”— Jerry Ratcliffe

Visit www.acciac.org for more information.

12 Teams. 2 Divisions. 1 Champion. 121

The ACC Tournament Returns to Atlanta BY TONY BARNHART

The Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament will return to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on March 12-15. Just that statement alone is enough to make Mike Krzyzewski and the rest of the ACC coaches smile. That’s because they have such fond memories of 2001, the first time the Georgia Dome hosted the premier conference tournament in all of college basketball. “Terrific. Simply terrific,” the veteran Duke coach said of the city and the venue. “Anybody who was there will never forget it. I know I won’t. It was big time.” The sheer numbers prove that the ACC Tournament’s initial trip to the Georgia Dome was an unqualified success: • The total attendance for the four days was 182,525, an NCAA record. • Its average attendance per session was 36,505, also an NCAA record. • The Saturday semifinals (Duke vs. Maryland, North Carolina vs. Georgia Tech) drew an unprecedented 40,083.

But the numbers alone don’t begin to tell the full story of the 2001 ACC Tournament and the impact that playing the Dome had on The Tournament. “I remember trying to get to the Dome on the day of the semifinals and getting stuck in traffic,” said Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt. “I could not believe the excitement and the anticipation for the games that day. It felt like we were at the Final Four.” And once those Saturday games began the atmosphere and the action inside the Georgia Dome was as good as any Final Four you’ll ever see. North Carolina, the No. 1 seed, had to fight fifth-seeded Georgia Tech to the end before winning 70-63. The other semifinal between Duke and Maryland was a game for the ages with the Blue Devils coming out on top 84-82. Nate James tipped in a missed runner from Jason Williams with 1.3 seconds left to give Duke the lead. Juan Dixon’s half court shot at the buzzer bounced off the rim. “It was one of the best games I’ve ever been a part of in this tournament,” Krzyzewski said after the game. “We were fortunate to win. Maryland is just really good.” It was the third time the two teams had met during the season but would not be the last. Such is the magic of Atlanta for the ACC. Both Duke and Maryland would go on to show their mettle in the NCAA Tournament. Three weeks after their classic battle in the ACC semifinals, Duke and Maryland met in the semifinals of the Final Four in Minneapolis. Duke prevailed 95-84 and went on to beat Arizona 82-72 in the NCAA championship game, giving Coach K his third national title. “That was a special year and a special team,” Krzyzewski said. “And for many ways it started for us in Atlanta.” While losing to Duke in the ACC and NCAA semifinals was disappointing, Gary Williams and the Maryland Terrapins would eventually have their One Shining Moment. The following season Maryland was upset by N.C. State in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament in Charlotte, but the Terps came back in the NCAA Tournament and rolled all the way to the national championship in—you guessed it—Atlanta. “Good things seem to happen to our teams when we play in Atlanta,” ACC Commissioner John Swofford said. “Let’s hope that trend continues this season.”

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THE ACC’S SWEET HOME? IT’S ATLANTA!

“Good things seem to happen to our teams when we play in Atlanta.”

Here is just a little of the basketball success that the ACC has tasted in the city of Atlanta.

— ACC COMMISSIONER JOHN D. SWOFFORD 1977 North Carolina reaches NCAA championship game at The Omni 1981 Virginia beats BYU in East Regional Final at The Omni 1983 N.C. State wins ACC championship at The Omni; the Wolfpack goes on to win the national championship in Albuquerque, N.M. 1984 Virginia beats Syracuse in East Regional Final at The Omni to advance to the Final Four. 1985 Georgia Tech wins its first ever ACC championship at The Omni; three ACC teams reach the NCAA regional finals 1989 North Carolina wins the ACC championship at The Omni; Duke reaches the Final Four. 1990 Duke begins its march to the Final Four by beating Richmond and St. John’s in the first two rounds at The Omni. 2001 The ACC Tournament goes to the Georgia Dome for the first time; Duke and Maryland meet in the semifinals in Atlanta and then meet again in the Final Four semifinals in Minneapolis. Duke wins the national championship. 2002 Maryland beats Indiana in the NCAA championship game at the Georgia Dome. 2004 Duke beats Illinois and Xavier in the Atlanta Regional to advance to the Final Four.

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THE REASON FOR THE SEASON.

A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE THEN, NOW, AND ALWAYS ... theACC.com

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