Birmingham bowl

Welcome to Birmingham Home of the nation's third-largest pediatric medical facility

Student-athletes from Vanderbilt and Houston visiting with patients at Children’s last year.

Children’s of Alabama is proud of its longstanding partnership with the Birmingham Bowl. Each year players, coaches and cheerleaders from the two teams visit patients and families at Alabama’s only freestanding pediatric hospital to spread some joy and holiday cheer.

So enjoy the game, and know that some of the game's biggest fans are watching on television and cheering for both the teams.

1600 7T H AV E N U E S O U T H B I R M I N G H A M , A L 35233 (205) 638-9100 ChildrensAL.org

Table of Contents

Welcome from the City of Birmingham......................................2

American Athletic Conference.................................................. 36

Welcome from the CVB.................................................................4

East Carolina University.............................................................. 38

2014 Bowl Committee...................................................................6

East Carolina University Athletic Director.............................. 40

Southeastern Conference.......................................................... 10

East Carolina University Head Coach..................................... 42

University of Florida......................................................................12

East Carolina University Coaching Staff................................ 44

University of Florida Athletic Director.......................................14

East Carolina University Players............................................... 46

University of Florida Head Coach.............................................16

East Carolina University Season in Review........................... 52

University of Florida Coaching Staff........................................ 18

Bowl Trophy................................................................................... 54

University of Florida Players....................................................... 20

Today’s Game................................................................................ 56

University of Florida Season in Review................................... 26

Golden Flake Legend of Birmingham: Mike Fuller............... 58

University of Florida Depth Chart............................................. 30

Fred Sington and the History of the MVP Award................. 60

University of Florida Roster........................................................ 32

Bowl History.................................................................................. 61

East Carolina University Roster................................................ 33

Bowl Records................................................................................ 62

East Carolina University Depth Chart..................................... 34

Sponsors........................................................................................ 63

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OFFICE OF THE MAYOR CITY OF BIRMINGHAM WILLIAM A. BELL, SR. MAYOR

2015 Birmingham Bowl Florida Gators vs.

East Carolina Pirates Birmingham, Alabama Dear Participants and Fans:

It is with great enthusiasm and pleasure that I extend a cordial welcome to the 2015 Birmingham Bowl football game. This time of the year brings a sense of exhilaration to Birmingham, where two of the most talented and amazing teams will compete for the 2015 Birmingham Bowl Championship Trophy. We anticipate sheer fun and excitement when the University of Florida Gators and the East Carolina University Pirates football teams take to the field to showcase their undisputable talent and athleticism at historic Legion Field on January 3, 2015.

As mayor of Alabama’s largest city, I am committed to continually improving our educational process, and cognizant of the vital role that participation in athletics can play in the development of well-rounded young people. The dedication, hard work, team-building, and sense of achievement involved in reaching this athletic plateau should be viewed as an important event in pointing these athletes toward productive lives in their respective communities.

While visiting Birmingham, I hope you will find time to take advantage of the many other cultural, recreational, and educational amenities our city has to offer. Birmingham is a city on the move, as evidenced by the ongoing growth of our business and cultural districts and the sense of progress and civic spirit that makes the “Magic City” special to residents and visitors alike.

Again, welcome to Birmingham!

710 NORTH 20TH STREET BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA 35203 (205) 254-2277 FAX (205) 254-2926 2

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January 2015

To Our Bowl Game Visitors:

Welcome to the Birmingham Bowl game in one of the South’s great sports cities.

We’re delighted to have you as our guests for a few days.

Birmingham is a popular destination for sporting events of all sorts and for people attending those events. Dozens of attractions in the area keep visitors well entertained year ‘round. From the powerful Civil Rights District and the entertainment of McWane Science Center to nightclubbing in our entertainment districts, the assortment of activities is impressive. We hope you’ll have time during your stay to explore many area attractions and enjoy evenings filled with live music, Birmingham’s signature entertainment.

Birmingham is well known as the retail center of Alabama. Whether you spend the day at the Riverchase Galleria, shop the upscale stores of The Summit, or browse the gift shops and bookstores in the downtown area, you’ll likely find treasures you can’t live without.

The city has also established itself as a regional standout for dining and award-­‐ winning restaurants. Many of the area’s chef-­‐owned dining rooms are James Beard Foundation award winners and nominees. Sample the fare at dozens of restaurants serving Greek, Italian, Thai, French, Lebanese, Indian and of course American cuisine, and be sure to enjoy restaurants and barbeque joints around the city serving traditional Southern meals as well.

Have a good time during your visit here. Please visit us online for complete Birmingham tourist information at inbirmingham.com. And come back to see us again soon.

Best regards,

James H. Smither President Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau 4

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2015 Executive Committee

William Bell

2012-2015 City of Birmingham

Joe Dean

Alan Register

2006-2015 ESPN

Jesse Vogtle

Robbie Robertson

2011-2015 BBVA Compass

2006-2015 Colonnade Group

Zeke Smith

Terry Smiley 2015 Alagasco

2013-2015 Balch & Bingham

Brian Hilson

2012-2015 Birmingham Business Alliance

Tad Snider 2015 BJCC

2015 Blue Cross Blue Shield of AL

Kevin Kynerd

Brian Barr

Robert Smith

Gary Ivey

2012-2015 Alabama Power

Matt Moor

2012-2015 Bradford Building Co.

2015 Brasfield & Gorrie

2012-2015 Bright House Network

2013-2015 City of Hoover

Betsy McAtee

2013-2015 Dreamland Holding Co. LLC

David Walker

Daniel Samford

Mark McCutcheon

Charlie Regan

Jim Smither

Jamey McMahon

TJ Willings

2012-2015 Golden Bell Capital

2012-2015 Golden Flake Snack Foods

Shelley Stewart

2012-2015 Starwood Hotels & Resorts

2012-2015 Greater Birmingham CVB

Frank Sottosanti

2015 O’Neal Industries

Mark Noyes

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2012-2015 Gorrie Regan

Mike Rowland

2012-2015 o2 Ideas

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Mark Meadows

2008-2015 Birmingham-Southern College

Hatton Smith

2015 Protective Life

Sam Dean

2012-2015 Trinity Medical Center

2012-2015 Ligon Industries

Martin Newton

2012-2015 Royal Cup Coffee

Jacob Marsh

2015 Thompson Tractor

2015 Samford University

Brian Mackin 2012-2015 UAB

2015 EBSCO

2012-2015 Nextran

A game to remember Connect with friends and family at the Sheraton Birmingham centered in Uptown, the city’s vibrant dining and entertainment district. With our upscale accommodations, thoughtful amenities and warm and welcoming service, we have everything you need to stay on top of your game.

Find out more at sheraton.com/birmingham or call 205 307 3047

Š2014 Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Preferred Guest, SPG, Sheraton and their logos are the trademarks of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., or its affiliates.

Bowl Staff

Missy Betres

David Krakower

Senior Manager 2006-2015 ESPN

Starla Lewis

Events Supervisor 2012-2015 ESPN

Stan Adams

Special Events Assistant 2015 ESPN

Norm Reilly

Group Ticket Sales 2015

Matt Wildt

Media Relations Director 2006-2015 UAB

Game Day Manager 2008-2015 UAB

Development Committee

Vince Saia Jr.

Brett Taylor 2011-2015 Omega Capital

2014-2015 Digital Marketing Services

2011-2015 Streamline CXO

2014-2015 Knight Eady Sports

Diann Hayes

Mike Hamner

Miles Huffstutler

Brad Blair

John Turner

2011-2015 Ram, Inc.

2012-2015 CCCi

Hamp McWhorter

2012-2015 Benefield & Hamner CPA

2012-2015

Joe Daniel

2012-2015 Regions Bank

Chris Nix

2011-2015 The Colonnade Group

Bowl Committee

Laquin Taylor

Martice Wiley

Adam Kelley

Michael Hembree

Administration 2009-2015 Emagine

Team Hospital Visit 2013-2015 Children’s of Alabama

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Band Liaison 2008-2015 Wiley Graphics

Team Host 2008-2015 Red Lobster

Bill Jacka, Jr.

Bakari Miller

Team Host 2007-2015 Insurance Office of America

Charitable Outreach 2012-2015 United Way

Geoff Carlisle

Kit Waters

Street Fest and Pep Rally 2007-2015 JAMM Entertainment

Team Host 2008-2015 Fine Art Services

Jeanette Mizerany Spirit Squad Liaison 2008-2015

Thomasyne Hill

Game Day Hospitality 2009-2015

Bowl Committee

Sam Miller

Don Lupo

Michelle Banks

Alicia Rohan

Mike Oakley

Marc Curles

City of Birmingham Liaison 2012-2015 City of Birmingham

Bill Miller

Paul Dangel Team Host 2009-2015 Hyatt Regency

Medical Support 2009-2015 Champion Sports Medicine

Military & Veterans 2012-2015 Alabama Power

Game Officials 2008-2015 Bridgeworth Financial

Brian Davis

Joseph Habshey

Gary Brown

Lyn Scarbrough

Wayne Junghens

Media Relations 2006-2015 Alabama Sports Hall of Fame

Game Officials 2008-2015 City of Vestavia Hills

Team Luncheon 2008-2015 Monday Morning Quarterback Club

Kyndall Waters

Game Day Promotions 2011-2015 Burton Advertising

Jake Jordan

Photography 2006-2015 Habshey Properties

Ashley Lord Volunteers 2010-2015 Pangea Two

Kids Day Out 2008-2015 Birmingham-Southern College

Videography 2009-2015 Realworld Productions

Andrew Nevins

Volunteers 2012-2015 Country Club of Birmingham

Ladies Day Out 2008-2015 KC Projects

Publications 2012-2015 Lindy’s Sports Publications

Jay Roberson

VIP Meet & Greet 2006-2015 Birmingham Association of Realtors

Game Day Ops 2015 Primerica

Tonia Whatley

Transportation 2008-2015 Greater Birmingham CVB

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Southeastern Conference

S

Teams are voted on by the College Sports Inforince its formation in 1933, the SEC has directed and organized interscholastic athmation Directors of America (CoSIDA). The 46 letic competitions, conducted tournaments student-athletes represent 11 of the 14 SEC and prescribed eligibility rules for student-athletes. schools — seven schools had at least one person on the first-team. Since 2003, the SEC has had The Conference also facilitates and assists its 232 student-athletes earn first-team Capital One member institutions in maintaining intercollegiate Academic All-America status. athletic programs compatible with the highest standards of education and competitive sports.

• The SEC had two of its student-athletes earn The Southeastern Conference crowns champiCapital One Academic All-American of the Year in ons in 21 sports — 12 women’s sports and nine their respective sports — Alabama gymnast Kim men’s sports. They include baseball, men’s and Jacob (women’s at-large) and Tennessee softball women’s basketball, men’s and women’s crossplayer Ellen Renfroe. country, equestrian, football, men’s and women’s • The Southeastern Conference had 21 of its golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, men’s and womstudent-athletes earn NCAA Postgraduate ScholMike Slive en’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s tenarships in 2013-14. The scholarships are awarded Commissioner nis, men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track to student-athletes who excel academically and and field, and volleyball. athletically and who are at least in their final year In the fall of 2012, the University of Missouri and of intercollegiate athletic competition.

Texas A&M University became the 13th and 14th members of the Southeastern Conference. The • The SEC also had five of its student-athletes two institutions began play in the league during earn NCAA Ethnic Minority and Women’s the 2012-13 academic year. It was the first expanEnhancement Scholarships. sion for the SEC since 1991 and the second-ever • The SEC had two student-athletes awarded the increase for the league since its founding in 1933.

NCAA Today’s Top 10 — the only conference with multiple winThe SEC’s mission statement reflects the priorities of the ners. The award recognizes 10 current student-athletes who will league. “The purpose of the Southeastern Conference is to assist have completed their athletics eligibility for their successes on its member institutions in the maintenance of programs of intercolthe fields and courts, in the classroom and in the community. legiate athletics which are compatible with the highest standards • The SEC also had seven student-athletes earn the NCAA Elite of education and competitive sports.”

89 award, which is given to the student- athlete with the highThe Southeastern Conference has developed a database of est cumulative GPA at the finals site for each of the NCAA minority football coaches in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and championships. the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision since 2002. The 2012 database contained the names of 527 head and assistant • The SEC has had eight student-athletes win the William football coaches from all 124 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision V. Campbell Trophy given by the National Football Foundauniversities and 73 NCAA Football Championship Subdivision tion. Since the inaugural award in 1990, the SEC has had institutions. The SEC began the 2014 football season with two more recipients than any other conference. The award, nickminority head football coaches — Derek Mason (Vanderbilt) and named the “Academic Heisman” goes to college football’s top Kevin Sumlin (Texas A&M). scholar-athlete.

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS • The Southeastern Conference had 46 Capital One Academic All-Americans in 2013-14. The league had 17 student-athletes earn first-team honors. The Capital One Academic All-America

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• More than 2,400 student-athletes were named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2013-14. Members of the SEC Academic Honor Roll must have a 3.0 grade point average for either the previous academic year or his/her academic career at the SEC institution.

Barron Jefferson Varnons Crew Headquarters

POWER TO THE

LINEMEN

© 2014 Alabama Power Company

Linemen protect what’s important, whether it’s in the game of football or in the everyday delivery of electricity. At Alabama Power, our linemen are focused on keeping 1.5 million poles and towers up and running. It’s a job that has to be done for our state to thrive. We’re proud to support the Birmingham Bowl and the linemen who have a common dedication to protect the things that matter.

University of Florida

T

he University of Florida (UF) is a major, public, comprehensive, land-grant, research university. The state’s oldest and most comprehensive university, UF is among the nation’s most academically diverse public universities.

UF has a long history of established programs in international education, research and service. It is one of only 17 public, land-grant universities that belongs to the Association of American Universities.

With an enrollment of nearly 50,000 students annually, UF is home to 16 colleges and more than 150 research centers and institutes.

Florida’s leading university traces its beginnings to a small seminary in 1853. It opened its doors in Gainesville in 1906 with 102 students. Today, it is one of the most comprehensive and academically diverse universities in the nation.

Since 1985, UF has been a member of the Association of American Universities, the higher-education organization comprising the top 62 public and private institutions in North America.

History In 1853, the state-funded East Florida Seminary took over the Kingsbury Academy in Ocala. The seminary moved to Gainesville in the 1860s and later was consolidated with the state’s landgrant Florida Agricultural College, then in Lake City. In 1905, by legislative action, the college became a university and was moved to Gainesville. Classes first met with 102 students on the present site on Sept. 26, 1906. UF officially opened its doors to women in 1947. With more than 50,000 students, UF is now one of the largest universities in the nation.

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Facilities UF has a 2,000-acre campus and more than 900 buildings (including 170 with classrooms and laboratories). The northeast corner of campus is listed as a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. The UF residence halls have a total capacity of some 7,500 students and the five family housing villages house more than 1,000 married and graduate students.

UF’s extensive capital improvement program has resulted in facilities ideal for 21st century academics and research, including the Health Professions, Nursing and Pharmacy Building; the Cancer and Genetics Research Center; the new Biomedical Sciences Building; and William R. Hough Hall, which houses the Hough Graduate School of Business.

Overall, the university’s current facilities have a book value of more than $1 billion and a replacement value of $2 billion.

Educational Excellence UF is consistently ranked among the nation’s top universities: No. 14 in U.S. News & World Report “Top Public Universities” (August 2013); No. 3 in Kiplinger’s “Best Values in Public Colleges” (2013); No. 3 in the Fiske Guide to Colleges list of Best Buys Among Publics (2014); No. 15 on the Forbes list of best public universities (2013); and No. 1 on Washington Monthly magazine’s list of national universities that offer the best bang for the buck (2013.)

Job recruiters ranked UF ninth on the list of places where corporations prefer to recruit new employees (2010) and No. 2 on SmartMoney magazine’s list of universities whose graduates get the highest salary return for their tuition dollars (2012).

SINCE

1896

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University of Florida Director of Athletics

J

eremy N. Foley, who has handled virtually for 31-straight years (1983-84 — 2013-14) every aspect of the University of Florida’s and among the top five for 15 of the last 22 $103.3 million athletic program during his years, according to national all-sport rankathletic administrative career — which began ings. Florida was among the nation’s top four with an internship in the Gator Ticket Office in schools in each of the last six years, including 1976 — was named UF’s Director of Athletics taking runner-up in the last three. Florida has in March of 1992. He is the second-longest also won the men’s Capital One Cup in 2011 tenured athletic director among The Power 5 and 2012, while the women’s program claimed Conference Schools. its first Capital One Cup in 2014.

Foley, 61, brings a passionate, top-toUF became the first program in collegiate bottom team approach to the top athletic post history to own both the men’s basketball and at the University of Florida. football national titles in the same calendar Foley’s philosophy involves the continued year, after capturing crowns in 2006. The building of a comprehensive athletic program, men’s basketball team then became the first with the goal of having the overall UF program repeat champions in their sport in 15 years ranked as the top athletic program in the after cutting the nets down again in 2007.

Jeremy N. Foley nation.

Foley is the only athletic director in Division I Directory of Athletics As chief financial officer for the University history to supervise a program that has won Athletic Association (UAA), Foley has multiple national titles in football (1996, 2006, spearheaded a number of capital improvement projects in the 2008) and men’s basketball (2006, 2007). athletic department. The project lists includes two major expanOverall, 24 Gator teams have been crowned national sions of the football stadium, a multipurpose athletic fieldhouse, champions under his watch, the second highest total in the new facilities for tennis, track & field, soccer, baseball, golf, gym­ nation among sitting Athletic Directors. Florida has won 15 nastics, softball and swimming. national championships since 2006, tied for the second best Foley’s commitment to the overall athletic program includes total nationally and 11 since 2009, the second best total in the a plan of increased opportunities for women, as three women’s nation. Florida is one of only two schools in the nation who have sports have been added under his tenure — soccer, softball captured multiple national championships in each of the last five and, most recently, lacrosse. Also, in an era when the NCAA years and is also one of only two schools to have six different estimates 90 percent of Division I schools are losing money sports win national championships in the last five years. on intercollegiate athletics, the University of Florida Athletic The Gator athletic coaching family, which Foley had a large Association has contributed more than $77.4 million since 1992 part in assembling, has collected 100 conference Coach of-theto help fund University of Florida academic endeavors.

Year awards during the last 24 years. The Gators had an amazing Florida has been equally successful on the field of play and 10 coaches earn the league coach of the year honors during the in the classroom during Foley’s administrative tenure. The 2012-13 year. Equally impressive is that 10 UF student athletes Florida athletic program has ranked among the nation’s top 10 won their respective conference player of the year in 2012-13.

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University of Florida Interim Head Coach

T

he Interim Head Coach, D. J. Durkin, has been a part of the Gators staff since 2007.

His coaching experience includes:

• Florida’s special teams shined once again in 2012. UF ranked seventh nationally in kickoff coverage, allowing just 18 yards per return, and ranked 11th in punt returns, averaging 13.8 yards per return.

2013-14 Florida (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers)

• UF blocked six kicks in 2012, ranking fifth nationally and tied for first in the SEC, marking the sixth time in seven seasons and all three of Durkin’s seasons that the Gators led the SEC in blocks.

2010-12 Florida (Linebackers/Special Teams Coordinator)

• Florida scored a touchdown on a punt return for the eighth-straight year and also had a kickoff return touchdown for the fourth-straight season.

Andre Debose set the career record with his fourth kickoff return for a touchdown.

2007-09 Stanford (Defensive Ends/Special Teams Coordinator) 2006 Bowling Green (Linebackers/Special Teams Coordinator) 2005 Bowling Green (Defensive Ends)

• Florida’s 2011 special teams unit blocked six kicks, which ranked sixth in the nation.

D. J. Durkin Interim Head Coach

2003-04 Notre Dame (Graduate Assistant/Defense) 2001-02 Bowling Green (Graduate Assistant/Defense)

COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS • Led the Florida defense to its fourth-straight top-10 national rank in 2014, allowing just 311.0 yards per game to rank ninth in the country. UF allowed just 4.45 yards per play, fifth-fewest in the country.

• Promoted to defensive coordinator prior to the 2013 season after spending three seasons as the special teams’ coordinator and linebackers coach.

• In his first season as defensive coordinator, UF finished second in the SEC in total defense and eighth in the country (allowing 314.2 yards per game).

• The defense held half of its opponents to 275 total yards or less in 2013 and allowed just 27 touchdowns, the sixth-fewest total in the nation.

• The UF defense allowed just 192 first downs, third-fewest in the nation, and forced 36 three-and-outs in 137 opponent drives (26%).

• Florida’s pass defense ranked first in the SEC and seventh nationally (171.8 ypg).

• In 2012, with a veteran linebacker group, the Gators’ defense finished ranked fifth in the country in total defense, allowing 287.5 yards per game, and fourth nat ionally in rush defense (94.9 yards per game).

• Senior Jon Bostic earned second-team All-SEC honors, while freshman Antonio Morrison was selected to the SEC All-Freshman team.

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• As the Florida linebackers coach, Durkin was responsible for a unit which ranked ninth in the nation in total defense and 10th in pass defense.

Linebacker Jon Bostic led the team with 94 tackles while fellow linebacker Jelani Jenkins was third with 75 total tackles.

• Helped punter Chas Henry win the 2010 Ray Guy Award, as Henry became the first Gator to bring home that honor, and earn consensus All-American recognition. Florida finished the season second in net punting (40.9) and tied for 14th in punt average (44.2) nationally.

• In his first season at the University of Florida, his linebacker unit helped the Gators post the 31st-ranked run defense in the nation (130.6 yards per game).

• UF led the SEC in kickoff return average (26.3) as well as kickoff return touchdowns (2), sparked by redshirt freshman Andre Debose, who ranked 14th in the country in kickoff return average (28.0) and tied for second in kickoff return touchdowns (2).

Debose’s two kickoff return scores also set a single-season UF record.

• Florida’s punt coverage unit allowed just 109 return yards on 51 punts and led the nation in net punting average during the regular season (second overall including bowl games).

• One of two assistant coaches, along with Brian White, hired by Will Muschamp from Urban Meyer’s 2010 staff.

• Spent three seasons at Stanford University, where he worked with the defensive ends and coordinated the special teams’ units.

Under Durkin’s guidance, Stanford’s defensive ends helped the Cardinal rank 11th nationally in sacks per game in 2007 and 2009.

• In 2009, guided Stanford’s kickoff return unit which averaged 27.5 yards per return, leading the Pac-10 and ranking No. 3 nationally, and scored three touchdowns. In addition, coverage units both ranked top-three in the Pac-10, as kickoff coverage allowed just 19.8 yards per return and punt coverage limited opponents to a 6.8-yard average.

-

University of Florida Coaching Staff

D. J. Durkin

Coleman Hutzler

Chris Leak

Travaris Robinson

Interim Head Coach/ Defensive Coordinator

Wide Receivers

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Special Teams Coordinator

Defensive Backs

Brad Lawing

Derek Lewis

Kurt Roper

Mike Summers

Assistant Head Coach/ Defensive Line

Offensive Coordinator/ Quarterbacks

Tight Ends

Offensive Line

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University of Florida Players

97

25

86

34

89

11

99

57

33

74

93

90

88

4

54

94

43

55

40

69

7

4

84

54

18

52

6

1

46

6

38

79

5

76

30

2

75

7

9

16

1

53

Brooks Abbott K 6-1 180 R So.

Caleb Brantley DL 6-2 295 R Fr.

Khairi Clark DL 6-2 308 Fr.

Andre Debose WR 6-0 195 R Sr.

Drew Ferris LS 6-0 212 R Sr.

Jabari Gorman DB 5-10 185 Sr. 20

Gideon Ajagbe TE 6-2 240 R Sr.

Mack Brown RB 5-11 215 R Sr.

Bryan Cox, Jr. DL 6-3 260 R So.

Bair Diamond TE 6-4 228 R So.

Dante Fowler, Jr. DL 6-3 260 Jr.

Chaz Green OL 6-5 300 R Sr.

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Raphael Andrades WR 6-0 198 Jr.

Trenton Brown OL 6-8 360 Sr.

Kyle Crofoot LS 6-3 216 R Jr.

Cameron Dillard OL 6-4 297 R Fr.

Kerolin Francois DB 5-11 192 R Fr.

Will Grier QB 6-2 200 Fr.

Alex Anzalone LB 6-3 230 So.

Taven Bryan DL 6-5 260 Fr.

Alvin Bailey WR 5-11 185 R Fr.

Jonathan Bullard Clay Burton DL 6-3 270 TE 6-4 250 Jr. Sr.

Darious Cummings Jarrad Davis DL 6-1 305 LB 6-2 225 Sr. So.

Roger Dixon WR 5-10 185 Jr.

Matthew Fuchs DL 6-2 248 R So.

Guy Jacob QB 6-5 209 R So.

Neiron Ball Jay-nard Bostwick LB 6-3 235 DL 6-3 305 R Sr. R Fr.

Travaris Dorsey OL 6-2 333 Fr.

Ahmad Fulwood WR 6-4 200 So.

Austin Hardin K 5-10 197 R So.

Nick Davis OL 6-3 251 R Fr.

Jeff Driskel QB 6-4 230 R Jr.

Max Garcia OL 6-5 310 R Sr.

Kyle Christy P 6-2 202 Sr.

Duke Dawson DB 5-11 195 Fr.

Quinton Dunbar WR 6-2 200 R Sr.

DeAndre Goolsby TE 6-4 230 Fr.

Vernon Hargreaves, III Kavaris Harkless DB 5-11 195 OL 6-5 282 So. Fr.

University of Florida Players

26

3

81

37

56

70

35

91

23

55

24

41

22

80

20

20

14

83

19

13

31

77

49

73

8

3

42

15

27

9

24

21

15

32

28

98

13

45

18

46

51

11

Marcell Harris DB 6-1 210 R Fr.

Joey Ivie, IV DL 6-3 285 So.

Darius Masline RB 5-8 176 R So.

Andrew Mike OL 6-6 276 Fr.

Ben Peacock DB 5-8 160 R Jr.

Jorge Powell K 5-10 150 Fr. 22

Treon Harris QB 5-11 190 Fr.

J. C. Jackson DB 5-10 195 Fr.

Marcus Maye DB 6-0 200 R So.

A. J. Mobley RB 5-11 235 R Sr.

Latroy Pittman, Jr. WR 6-0 210 Jr.

Case Harrison WR 6-0 191 R Fr.

Roderick Johnson, Jr. Matt Jones RB 6-2 235 OL 6-5 310 Jr. R Fr.

Alex McCalister DL 6-6 245 R So.

Tyler Moore OL 6-5 325 R Jr.

Brian Poole DB 5-10 205 Jr.

Christian Provancha R. J. Raymond QB 6-6 219 LB 6-2 215 R Sr. Fr.

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Mark Herndon RB 5-9 195 Jr.

Jake McGee TE 6-6 245 R Sr.

Thomas Holley DL 6-3 312 Fr.

Hunter Joyer TE 5-11 230 Sr.

Ryan McGriff QB 6-0 190 R Jr.

Skyler Mornhinweg Antonio Morrison QB 6-3 212 LB 6-1 225 R So. Jr.

Deiondre Porter DB 6-0 165 Fr.

Justus Reed DL 6-3 213 Fr.

Brandon Powell RB 5-9 177 Fr.

LeAndre Rembert LB 5-8 236 R Fr.

D. J. Humphries OL 6-5 295 Jr.

Adam Lane, Jr. RB 5-7 222 R Fr.

Daniel McMillian LB 6-1 220 So.

Keanu Neal DB 6-1 205 So.

DL Powell WR 6-0 183 R Fr.

Antonio Riles, Jr. OL 6-4 295 R Fr.

Michael Iorio DB 5-10 179 R Fr.

C’yontai Lewis TE 6-4 224 Fr.

Michael McNeely WR 5-8 176 R Sr.

Ryan Parrish WR 6-2 205 R Sr.

Jeremi Powell LB 6-0 215 R So.

Demarcus Robinson WR 6-1 200 So.

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University of Florida Players

9

29

78

17

60

10

2

25

82

52

5

21

51

85

63

19

95

22

87

92

59

12

14

Matt Rolin LB 6-3 223 R Fr.

Garrett Stephens DB 5-9 188 R Fr.

Evan Schroeder WR 5-11 184 R Jr.

Moral Stephens TE 6-3 247 Fr.

Trip Thurman Johnny Townsend OL 6-5 310 P 6-1 196 R Jr. So.

Quincy Wilson C. J. Worton DB 6-1 200 WR 6-0 190 Fr. Fr.

24

2 015 B I R M I N G H A M B O W L

David Sharpe OL 6-6 330 Fr.

Steven Stipe LB 5-11 210 R Fr.

Francisco Velez K 5-9 178 R Sr.

Jordan Sherit DL 6-4 247 R Fr.

Jalen Tabor DB 6-0 195 Fr.

Zachary Shinn OL 6-2 283 Fr.

Kelvin Taylor RB 5-10 210 So.

Nick Washington Tevin Westbrook DB 6-0 195 TE 6-5 257 R Fr. Sr.

Valdez Showers WR 6-0 195 R Jr.

Michael Taylor LB 6-0 230 R Sr.

Gerald Wills DL 6-3 255 Fr.

Ryan Sousa WR 6-0 189 Fr.

Chris Thompson WR 6-0 170 So.

Dakota Wilson DL 6-0 260 R Jr.

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University of Florida 2014 Season in Review

T

he University of Florida football team entered 2014 with high hopes in head coach Will Muschamp’s fourth season. Coming off its worst campaign in over 30 years, the Gators were looking forward to the return of several injured players and the new-look offense under Kurt Roper, who took the reins in January after six seasons at Duke.

Perhaps the opening weekend of the season was a sign of things to come, as weather played havoc with the Gators’ opener and eventually forced a ‘no contest’ between UF and Idaho. That meant Gator Nation would have to wait another week for the debut of the 2014 team.

It appeared to be worth the wait, as Florida manhandled Eastern Michigan 65-0 as the offense showed promise and the defense continued its strong play from the past several years.

In Week 2, the Gators would be taken to the brink by a feisty Kentucky team, but eventually held on for a 36-30 overtime win in The Swamp. With a high-profile matchup at Alabama looming, Florida was looking forward to testing its mettle against the best to see where it measured up.

Heading to Tuscaloosa, the Gators had averaged 50 points and 593 yards in its first two contests. Reality quickly came crashing down, as the Tide limited the UF offense just 200 yards in a 42-21 loss.

The next few weeks saw the struggles continue, as the offense struggled to move the ball and put up points. On the road at Tennessee, freshman quarterback Treon Harris saw his first significant action and brought the Gators from behind to beat the Vols 10-9, despite having just 232 yards of offense.

The following week at home, UF failed to capitalize on its opportunities and LSU hit a game-winning field goal for a 30-27 win.

The low point of the season came on homecoming, when Florida hosted Missouri. The tone was set early, when the Tigers returned the opening kickoff for a score. It only got worse from there, as Missouri returned a punt, an interception and a fumble for scores in the game. The 42-13 loss was humbling, but fortunately for the Gators they had a bye week to rest up and set a new course for the rest of the season.

The coaching staff decided to turn the page and insert Harris as the starter for the next game, in Jacksonville against No. 9 Georgia. It wouldn’t matter however, as he spent most of the day handing the ball off to running backs Matt Jones and Kelvin Taylor — who each rushed for over 190 yards and a pair of scores. The Gators racked up 418 rushing yards against the Bulldogs defense and UF won 38-20, keeping the SEC East race alive for Florida.

The momentum continued on the road at Vanderbilt, as the offense opened up the passing game and Harris threw for 215 yards and the Gators defense held the Commodores to just 10 points.

Returning home to face South Carolina in the conference finale, Florida needed a win to keep any chance of an SEC East title alive. Once again, the Gators failed to take advantage of their opportunities. Holding a 17-10 lead late in the fourth quarter, the Gamecocks blocked a field goal and a punt on back-toback possessions, then scored a game-tying touchdown with 12 seconds remaining.

South Carolina then won the game 23-20 in overtime after holding the UF offense to a field goal, ending any chance of Florida making a trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship.

Following the loss to South Carolina, athletics director Jeremy Foley announced that Muschamp would not return for the 2015 season — a move that Gator Nation felt was inevitable.

Muschamp remained as head coach for the final two regular season games.

Florida earned its bowl eligibility with a 52-3 win over Eastern Kentucky, a dominating performance from start to finish. continued on page 28

26

2 015 B I R M I N G H A M B O W L

University of Florida Season in Review

Heading into the season finale, there were no shortage of storylines. Muschamp would be coaching his final game for the Gators at Florida State, much the same way that Ron Zook ended his tenure in 2004.

In addition, UF could play the role of spoiler if they pulled the upset, preventing the Seminoles from reaching the first College Football Playoff.

Early on, it appeared that perhaps Muschamp and his team would write a storybook ending. UF jumped out to a 9-0 lead and had three first-half interceptions of Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jameis Winston. The momentum turned in one play, however, toward the end of the first quarter. After the third interception of the game, the UF offense was set up inside the red zone. On first down, Harris threw a pass that bounced off the hands of his receiver and into the arms of FSU linebacker Terrance Smith, who raced 94 yards the other way for a touchdown.

The Seminoles proceeded to march down the field for touchdowns on their next two possessions, taking a 21-9 lead. Florida got a score back just before the half but couldn’t muster any offense in the second half and fell 24-19, ending the Muschamp era.

Less than a week after the season finale, Foley’s search for a new head coach was over before it really even began. Colorado State’s Jim McElwain, targeted from the beginning by Foley, became the program’s 25th head coach on Thursday, Dec. 4.

McElwain resurrected a CSU program that had totaled just nine wins in the three seasons prior to his arrival. After winning four games in his first season, he proceeded to win eight games in year two and had a 10-2 record at the end of the 2014 regular season.

Before the McElwain era begins however, interim head coach D.J. Durkin will lead the Gators against East Carolina in the 2015 Birmingham Bowl. Durkin has served as defensive coordinator the previous two seasons, leading a unit consistently among the best in the nation. His current unit ranks ninth nationally, allowing 311 yards per game.

Led by All-SEC selections Dante Fowler, Vernon Hargreaves and Antonio Morrison, the Gator defense gave up just 4.45 yards per play in the regular season, fifth best in the nation and tops in the SEC. Morrison is the team’s leading tackler, racking up 98 tackles in 11 games. Fowler had a team-leading 12.0 tackles-for-loss and 15 quarterback hurries, while Hargreaves led the SEC with 13 pass breakups on the year.

The Florida offense relies on its offensive line and rushing attack, led by All-SEC selection center Max Garcia and running backs Matt Jones and Kelvin Taylor. Garcia earned SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors twice on the season.

Jones leads the team with 817 rushing yards and six scores, while Taylor has 565 yards and six touchdowns. Harris, the true freshman signal caller, has averaged 17.9 yards per completion, totaling 896 passing yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. Wide receiver Demarcus Robinson has been the Gators’ star in the passing game, with 774 yards and seven touchdowns.

28

2 015 B I R M I N G H A M B O W L

We’ve got great things in store for you.

At its heart, travel is about one thing: getting from here to there. But at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, our heart is in ensuring that your experience here is the best it can possibly be. That’s why our newly modernized terminal is home to passenger favorites like the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Store and Museum and the Ebony Newsstand. Because while you may be focused on your destination, we’re making sure you enjoy the journey.

FLYBIRMINGHAM.COM 2 015 B I R M I N G H A M B O W L

29

University of Florida Depth Chart

OFFENSE

DEFENSE

SPECIALISTS

WIDE RECEIVER

DEFENSIVE END

KICKOFF

11 4 1 5

94 Bryan Cox, Jr., 6-3, 260, R-So. 92 Gerald Willis, 6-3, 270, Fr.

16 Austin Hardin, 5-10, 208, R-So. –or– 95 Frankie Velez, 5-9, 182, R-Sr.

Demarcus Robinson, 6-2, 200, So. Andre Debose, 6-0, 195, R-Sr. Quinton Dunbar, 6-2, 200, R-Sr. Ahmad Fulwood, 6-5, 200, So.

TACKLE 70 78 75 55

D.J. Humphries, 6-5, 295, Jr. David Sharpe, 6-6, 330, Fr. Chaz Green, 6-5, 300 R-Sr. Rod Johnson, 6-6, 310, R-Fr.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE 90 Jon Bullard, 6-3, 270, Jr. 91 Joey Ivie, 6-3, 285, So.

NOSE TACKLE 55 Darious Cummings, 6-1, 305, Sr. 57 Caleb Brantley, 6-3, 313, R-Fr.

RUNNING BACK

BUCK

24 21 15 33

6 Dante Fowler, Jr., 6-3, 260, Jr. 14 Alex McCalister, 6-6, 245, R-So.

Matt Jones, 6-2, 235, Jr. Kelvin Taylor, 5-10, 210, So. Brandon Powell, 5-9, 175, Fr. Mack Brown, 5-11, 215, R-Sr.

CB

HOLDER 43 Kyle Crofoot, 6-4, 220, R-Jr. 6 Jeff Driskel, 6-4, 230, R-Jr.

LONGSNAPPER 46 Drew Ferris, 6-0, 205, R-Sr. 43 Kyle Crofoot, 6-4, 220, R. Jr.

KICKOFF RETURN

41 Hunter Joyer, 5-11, 230, Sr. 25 Gideon Ajagbe, 6-2, 240, R-Sr.

TIGHT END

NICKEL

PUNT RETURN

88 Clay Burton, 6-4, 250, Sr. 87 Tevin Westbrook, 6-5, 257, Sr. 30 DeAndre Goolsby, 6-4, 230, Fr.

24 Brian Poole, 5-10, 205, Jr. 20 Marcus Maye, 6-0, 200, R-So.

4 Andre Debose, 6-0, 195, R-Sr. –or– 11 Demarcus Robinson, 6-2, 200, So. –or– 1 Vernon Hargreaves III, 5-11, 195, So.

QUARTERBACK 3 6

Treon Harris, 5-11, 190, Fr. Jeff Driskel, 6-4, 230, R-Jr.

CENTER 76 Max Garcia, 6-4, 310, R-Sr. 63 Trip Thurman, 6-5, 310, R-Jr.

OFFENSIVE GUARD 73 Tyler Moore, 6-5, 325, R-Jr. 74 Trenton Brown, 6-8, 360, Sr.

SAM 34 Alex Anzalone, 6-3, 230, So. 28 Jeremi Powell, 6-1, 210, R-So.

MIKE 51 Michael Taylor, 6-0, 230, R-Sr. 3 Antonio Morrison, 6-1, 225, Jr.

WILL 3 Antonio Morrison, 6-1, 225, Jr. 13 Daniel McMillian, 6-1, 220, So.

SAFETY 20 Marcus Maye, 6-0, 200, R-So. 7 Duke Dawson, 5-10, 195, Fr. 42 Keanu Neal, 6-1, 205, So. –or– 2 Jabari Gorman, 5-10, 185, Sr.

30

4 Kyle Christy, 6-3, 198, Sr. 19 Johnny Townsend, 6-1, 191, So.

1 24 5 12

FULLBACK

Vernon Hargreaves III, 5-11, 195, So. Brian Poole, 5-10, 205, Jr. Jalen Tabor, 6-1, 195, Fr. Quincy Wilson, 6-1, 200, Fr.

PLACEKICKER

2 015 B I R M I N G H A M B O W L

4 Andre Debose, 6-0, 195, R-Sr. 1 Quinton Dunbar, 6-2, 200, R-Sr. 85 Chris Thompson, 6-0, 170, So.

2 015 B I R M I N G H A M B O W L

31

University of Florida Roster

32

No. Name

Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown/HS/Previous

No. Name

1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 9 9 9 10 11 11 12 13 13 14 14 15 15 16 17 18 18 19 19 20 20 21 21 22 22 23 24 24 25 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

WR DB DB WR QB LB P WR WR DB QB DL DB QB QB QB WR LB WR LB WR DB LB QB DL WR WR RB K DL WR DL QB P RB DB DB RB RB DB DB RB DB TE DB DB DB LB WR TE WR WR RB LB

35 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 45 46 46 49 51 51 52 52 53 54 54 55 55 56 57 59 60 61 63 69 70 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 97 98 99

Quinton Dunbar Vernon Hargreaves III Jabari Gorman Ryan Sousa Treon Harris Antonio Morrison Kyle Christy Andre Debose Ahmad Fulwood Jalen Tabor Jeff Driskel Dante Fowler, Jr. Duke Dawson Will Grier Skyler Mornhinweg Jacob Guy Latroy Pittman, Jr. Matt Rolin Valdez Showers Neiron Ball Demarcus Robinson Quincy Wilson Daniel McMillian Christian Provancha Alex McCalister C.J. Worton Ryan Parrish Brandon Powell Austin Hardin Jordan Sherit Roger Dixon Justus Reed Ryan McGriff Johnny Townsend Darius Masline Marcus Maye Deiondre Porter Kelvin Taylor Adam Lane, Jr. Nick Washington J.C. Jackson Matt Jones Brian Poole Gideon Ajagbe Garrett Stephens Marcell Harris Ben Peacock Jeremi Powell Evan Schroeder DeAndre Goolsby Michael McNeely DL Powell Mack Brown Alex Anzalone

6-2 5-11 5-10 6-0 5-11 6-1 6-2 6-0 6-4 6-0 6-4 6-3 5-11 6-2 6-3 6-5 6-0 6-3 6-0 6-3 6-1 6-1 6-1 6-6 6-6 6-0 6-2 5-9 5-10 6-4 5-10 6-3 6-0 6-1 5-8 6-0 6-0 5-10 5-7 6-0 5-10 6-2 5-10 6-2 5-9 6-1 5-8 6-0 5-11 6-4 5-8 6-0 5-11 6-3

2 015 B I R M I N G H A M B O W L

200 195 185 189 190 225 202 195 200 195 230 260 195 200 212 209 210 223 195 235 200 200 220 219 245 190 205 177 197 247 185 213 190 196 176 200 165 210 222 195 195 235 205 240 188 210 160 215 184 230 176 183 215 230

RSR SO SR FR FR JR SR RSR SO FR RJR JR FR FR RSO RSO JR RFR RJR RSR SO FR SO RSR RSO FR RSR FR RSO RFR JR FR RJR SO RSO RSO FR SO RFR RFR FR JR JR RSR RFR RFR RJR RSO RJR FR RSR RFR RSR SO

Miami/Booker T. Washington Tampa/Wharton Miami/Monsignor Pace Orlando/Lake Nona Miami/Booker T. Washington Bellwood, Ill./Bolingbrook Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg Sanford/Seminole Jacksonville/Bishop Kenny Washington, D.C./Friendship Academy Oviedo/Hagerty St. Petersburg/Lakewood Senior Cross City/Dixie County Davidson, N.C./Davidson Day Philadelphia, Pa./St. Joseph’s Prep Dade City/Pasco Citra/North Marion Ashburn, Va./Briar Woods Detroit, Mich./Madison Jackson, Ga./Jackson Fort Valley, Ga./Peach County Ft. Lauderdale/Univ. School of Nova South Jacksonville/First Coast Cocoa/Cocoa Beach Clemmons, N.C./West Forsyth Homestead/South Dade Lakeland/Lakeland Christian Deerfield Beach/Deerfield Beach Atlanta, Ga./Marist Tampa/Hillsborough Sanford/Seminole Clearwater/Clearwater Central Catholic Gainesville/Gainesville Orlando/Boone Jacksonville/Raines Melbourne/Holy Trinity Episcopal School Tampa/Jefferson Belle Glade/Glades Day Winter Haven/Winter Haven Jacksonville/Trinity Christian Academy Immokalee/Immokalee Seffner/Armwood Bradenton/Southeast Coconut Grove/Ransom Everglades Louisville, Ky./Saint Xavier Orlando/Dr. Phillips Bradenton/Braden River Largo/Pinellas Park New Smyrna Beach/New Smyrna Beach Derby, Kan./Derby Clearwater/Palm Harbor University Alachua/Santa Fe Lithonia, Ga./King Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing Area

Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown/HS/Previous

Michael Iorio Mark Herndon Kerolin Francois Ryan Ferguson Jarrad Davis Hunter Joyer Keanu Neal Kyle Crofoot R.J. Raymond Drew Ferris LeAndre Rembert A.J. Mobley Antonio Riles, Jr. Michael Taylor Travaris Dorsey Steven Stipe Kavaris Harkless Khairi Clark Cameron Dillard Darious Cummings Roderick Johnson, Jr. Thomas Holley Caleb Brantley Dakota Wilson Zachary Shinn Matthew Bowden Trip Thurman Nick Davis D.J. Humphries Tyler Moore Trenton Brown Chaz Green Max Garcia Andrew Mike David Sharpe Matthew Fuchs C’yontai Lewis Case Harrison Moral Stephens Jake McGee Bair Diamond Chris Thompson Raphael Andrades Tevin Westbrook Clay Burton Alvin Bailey Jonathan Bullard Joey Ivie IV Gerald Willis Taven Bryan Bryan Cox, Jr. Francisco Velez Brooks Abbott Jorge Powell Jay-nard Bostwick

DB 5-10 179 RFR Nokomis/Venice RB 5-9 195 JR Ocala/Forest DB 5-11 192 RFR Lake Worth/Forest Hill TE 6-3 210 FR Largo/Indian Rocks LB 6-2 225 SO Kingsland, Ga./Camden County TE 5-11 230 SR Wesley Chapel/Wesley Chapel DB 6-1 205 SO Bushnell/South Sumter LS 6-3 216 RJR Windermere/The First Academy LB 6-2 215 FR Atlantic Beach/Fletcher LS 6-0 212 RSR Carlsbad, Calif./San Diego Jewish Acad.

LB 5-8 236 RFR Alachua/Santa Fe RB 5-11 235 RSR Fayetteville, Ga./Starr’s Mill/Santa Fe OL 6-4 295 RFR Lawrenceville, Ga./Archer LB 6-0 230 RSR Atlanta, Ga./Westlake OL 6-2 333 FR Jacksonville/Raines LB 5-11 210 RFR Waycross, Ga./Pierce County OL 6-5 282 FR Jacksonville/Trinity Christian Academy DL 6-2 308 FR Hollywood/Chaminade-Madonna College Prep OL 6-4 297 RFR Canton, Mich./Plymouth Canton DL 6-1 305 SR Titusville/Florida St./East Miss. C.C. OL 6-5 310 RFR Delray Beach/American Heritage DL 6-3 312 FR Brooklyn, N.Y./Lincoln DL 6-2 295 RFR Crescent City/Crescent City DL 6-0 260 RJR Bradenton/Braden River OL 6-2 283 FR Plant City/Kathleen Senior OL 6-1 288 RSO Lakeland/Lakeland Christian/Santa Fe OL 6-5 310 RJR Dover, Del./Dover OL 6-3 251 RFR Salt Lake City, Utah/Buchholz (Gainesville) OL 6-5 295 JR Union, N.C./Mallard Creek OL 6-5 325 RJR Clearwater/Countryside/Nebraska OL 6-8 360 SR Albany, Ga./Westover/Ga. Military College OL 6-5 300 RSR Tampa/Tampa Catholic OL 6-5 310 RSR Norcross, Ga./Norcross/Maryland OL 6-6 276 FR Tucson, AZ/Sabino OL 6-6 330 FR Jacksonville/Providence School DL 6-2 248 RSO Gainesville/Buchholz TE 6-4 224 FR Tuscaloosa, AL/Northridge WR 6-0 191 RFR Gainesville/Gainesville TE 6-3 247 FR Perry/Taylor County TE 6-6 245 RSR Richmond, Va./Collegiate School/Va. TE 6-4 228 RSO Fort Myers/Bishop Verot WR 6-0 170 SO Gainesville/Gainesville WR 6-0 198 JR Tallahassee/Lincoln TE 6-5 257 SR Coconut Creek/North Broward Prep TE 6-4 250 SR Venice/Venice Senior WR 5-11 185 RFR Seffner/Armwood DL 6-3 270 JR Shelby, N.C./Crest Senior DL 6-3 285 SO Dade City/Pasco DL 6-3 255 FR New Orleans, LA/Edna Karr DL 6-5 260 FR Casper, Wyo./Natrona County DL 6-3 260 RSO Fort Lauderdale/St. Thomas Aquinas K 5-9 178 RSR Ocala/Trinity Catholic K 6-1 180 RSO Jacksonville/Bolles K 5-10 150 FR Coral Gables/Belen Jesuit Prep DL 6-3 305 RFR Port Saint Lucie/West Centennial

East Carolina University Roster No. Name

Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown/HS/Previous

No. Name

1 2 2 3 3 4 5 6 6 7 7 8 9 9 10 12 13 13 14 14 15 19 20 20 21 22 22 23 24 24 25 26 27 28 30 30 31 32 34 35 35 38 39

OLB 6-4 IWR 6-0 DB 6-2 RB 5-9 DB 5-10 DB 6-0 QB 6-2 QB 6-3 DB 6-0 DB 6-1 IWR 6-1 IWR 5-9 DL 6-1 OWR 6-3 DB 5-11 DB 5-11 OLB 6-2 QB 6-0 PK 5-11 DB 5-11 OWR 5-11 PK 5-10 IWR 5-10 DB 6-0 ILB 6-1 RB 6-0 DB 6-0 DB 5-10 RB 5-9 ILB 6-1 RB 5-8 RB 5-10 RB 6-1 DB 5-10 ILB 6-2 DB 5-11 DB 6-2 DB 5-11 ILB 6-1 DB 6-4 DB 5-11 PK/P 5-10 DB 6-1

40

Worth Gregory

42

Jordan Williams

ILB 6-0 212 Fr-TR Fayetteville (Jack Britt/Shaw)

43

Drayvon Fairley

ILB 6-3 217 So-SQ Red Springs (Red Springs)

44

Zeek Bigger

ILB 6-2 228 Jr-2L Gastonia (Ashbrook)

45

Jake Geary

OLB 6-3 250 Sr-3L Hillsborough (Cedar Ridge)

47

Jeton Beavers

OLB 6-5 263 Jr-SQ Virginia Beach, Va. (Bayside)

48

Maurice Falls

50

C.J. Struyk

51

Montese Overton

OLB 6-3 220 Jr-2L Greenville (South Central)

52

Kirk Donaldson

OLB 6-3 255 Fr-RS Charlotte (Vance)

54

Terry Williams

NT 6-1 353 Sr-3L Loganville, Ga. (Grayson)

55

Cameron White

ILB 5-11 213 So-SQ Apex (Middle Creek)

55

Larry Williams

56

Demetri McGill

Dayon Pratt Justin Hardy Xavier Smith Anthony Scott Travon Simmons Detric Allen Shane Carden Kurt Benkert DaShawn Benton Lamar Ivey Isaiah Jones Cedric Thompson K’Hadree Hooker Cam Worthy Rocco Scarfone Cody Purdie Pat Green Jonathon Weymann Warren Harvey Travis Phillips Brandon Bishop Connor Torruella Quay Johnson Austin Teague Ray Tillman Chris Hairston Terrell Richardson Chris Love Jamal Tillman Brandon Williams Breon Allen Cory Hunter Marquez Grayson Josh Hawkins Joe Carter Trevian Hicks Domonique Lennon Christian Simmons Devaris Brunson Bobby Fulp Greg Robinson Davis Plowman DaShaun Amos

230 188 195 180 185 200 221 220 189 196 188 183 300 220 182 189 218 210 225 180 187 169 170 178 193 197 210 178 193 230 190 201 200 186 220 198 205 176 230 195 202 185 182

So-1L Washington, D.C. (Calvin Coolidge) Sr-3L Vanceboro (West Craven) Fr-RS Raleigh (Wakefield) Fr-HS Virginia Beach, Va. (Green Run) Fr-RS Marietta, Ga. (Hillgrove) Sr-2L Norwood (South Stanly) Sr-2L Houston, Texas (Episcopal) Fr-RS Cape Coral, Fla. (Island Coast) So-1L Atlanta, Ga. (Grady) Sr-3L Mebane (Eastern Alamance) So-1L Austin, Texas (Stephen F. Austin) Jr-1L Kings Mountain (Kings Mountain) So-SQ Kinston (NC State) Sr-1L Blair, S.C. (Yuba CC) Jr-1L Greensboro (Northern Guilford) Fr-HS New Bern (New Bern) Fr-RS Winston-Salem (North Forsyth) Jr-1L Charlotte (Myers Park) Sr-2L Greenville (J.H. Rose) Fr-RS Montpelier, Va. (Patrick Henry) So-1L Snow Hill (Greene Central) So-SQ Garner (Garner) Fr-HS Knightdale (Knightdale) Fr-RS Lexington (West Davidson) Fr-HS Lithonia, Ga. (Miller Grove) Jr-2L Winston-Salem (Parkland) So-1L Raleigh (Southeast Raleigh) Fr-RS Wake Forest (Wake Forest-Rolesville) So-SQ Charlotte (West Charlotte) Sr-3L Rock Hill, S.C. (Hargrave Military) Sr-1L Daytona Beach, Fla. (Snow College) Jr-1L Fuquay-Varina (Fuquay-Varina) Fr-RS Lexington (Lexington) Jr-2L Winston-Salem (Glenn) Fr-HS Ponte Vedra, Fla. (Ponte Vedra) Fr-RS Ayden (South Central) Jr-1L Suffolk, Va. (Nansemond-Suffolk Acad.)

Jr-1L Winston-Salem (Glenn) So-1L Lake City, S.C. (Lake City) Fr-RS Midlothian, Va. (Clover Hill) Sr-SQ Fayetteville (Seventy-First) So-1L Roswell, Ga. (Texas A&M) So-1L Midlothian, Va. (Manchester)

Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown/HS/Previous P

6-3 215 So-TR Fort Mill, S.C. (Alabama)

OLB 6-3 247 Sr-3L Belmont (South Point) OL/DS 6-2 296 Jr-2L Morehead City (West Carteret)

OL 6-4 337 Fr-RS Wilmington (Laney) NT/DE 6-1 310 So-1L Virginia Beach, Va. (Ocean Lakes)

57

Joe Allely

OLB 6-1 239 Fr-RS Vienna, Va. (Oakton)

59

Reece Speight

OLB 6-3 236 So-1L Wilson (Beddingfield)

60

Charlie Coggins

DS 6-3 200 Sr-2L Albemarle (Albemarle)

61

Colton Oliver

DS 6-3 271 Fr-HS Charlotte (Independence)

62

Brandon Smith

OL 6-8 336 Fr-RS Kernersville (East Forsyth)

65

J.T. Boyd

OL 6-4 302 So-1L Fort Mill, S.C. (Nation Ford)

67

Will Foxx

OL 6-2 313 Jr-SQ Greensboro (Oak Ridge Military)

68

Tre Robertson

OL 6-5 310 Jr-1L Roxboro (Person)

69

Ike Harris

OL 6-7 304 Jr-2L Irmo, S.C. (Dutch Fork)

71

Dontae Levingston

OL 6-4 293 Jr-TR Los Angeles, Calif. (Santa Monica Coll.)

72

Quincy McKinney

OL 6-4 311 Jr-TR Columbus, Ga. (Hutchinson CC)

74

Taylor Hudson

OL 6-5 285 Sr-3L Greenville, S.C. (Mauldin)

76

Stewart Hinson

80

Bryce Williams

81

Jimmy Williams

IWR 5-11 180 So-SQ Washington (Washington)

82

DaQuan Barnes

OWR 6-1 190 So-1L Wilmington (New Hanover)

83

Jacen Murphy

IWR 5-10 180 Fr-RS Wilmington (New Hanover)

85

Davon Grayson

OWR 6-2 196 So-1L Suffolk, Va. (Kings Fork)

OL 6-7 296 Jr-1L Monroe (Piedmont) IWR/TE 6-6 250 Jr-1L Winston-Salem (Marshall)

86

Steve Baggett

TE 6-5 225 Fr-HS Beaufort, S.C. (Beaufort)

87

Terrell Green

OWR 6-4 190 Fr-HS Charleston, S.C. (Hanahan)

88

Trevon Brown

OWR 6-2 206 Fr-HS Wilmington (New Hanover)

90

Randall Anderson

DE 6-4 254 Fr-RS New Castle, Del. (Fork Union)

92

Mike Myers

NT 6-0 288 Fr-RS Goose Creek, S.C. (Goose Creek)

93

Chrishon Rose

94

Johnathon White

DE 6-4 292 Jr-2L High Point (Central)

95

Terry Biles

DE 6-2 278 Sr-SQ High Point (Andrews)

97

Demage Bailey

99

Fred Presley

NT/DE 6-4 303 Sr-3L Washington, D.C. (Bishop McNamara)

DL 6-5 250 Fr-RS Clayton (Clayton) DE/NT 6-3 300 So-1L Snow Hill (Greene Central)

2 015 B I R M I N G H A M B O W L

33

East Carolina University Depth Chart

OFFENSE

DEFENSE

SPECIALISTS

OUTSIDE RECEIVER (X)

DEFENSIVE END

9 Cam Worthy, 6-3, 220, Sr-1L 87 Terrell Green, 6-4, 190, Fr-HS 88 Trevon Brown, 6-2, 206, Fr-HS

94 Johnathon White, 6-4, 292, Jr-2L 95 Terry Biles, 6-2, 278, Sr-SQ

PLACEKICKER (PLACEMENTS AND KICKOFFS)

INSIDE RECEIVER (H)

HOLDER

7 Isaiah Jones, 6-1, 188, So-1L 20 Quay Johnson, 5-10, 170, Fr-HS 8 Cedric Thompson, 5-9, 183, Jr-1L

54 Terry Williams, 6-1, 353, Sr-3L 56 Demetri McGill, 6-1, 310, So-1L –or– 9 K’Hadree Hooker, 6-1, 300, So-TR

LEFT TACKLE

DEFENSIVE END

69 Ike Harris, 6-7, 304, Jr-2L 76 Stewart Hinson, 6-7, 296, Jr-1L

LEFT GUARD

93 Chrishon Rose, 6-4, 303, Sr-3L 99 Fred Presley, 6-3, 300, So-1L –or– 9 K’Hadree Hooker, 6-1, 300, So-TR

72 Quincy McKinney, 6-4, 311, Jr-TR 68 Tre Robertson, 6-5, 310, Jr-1L

OUTSIDE (SAM) LINEBACKER

60 Charlie Coggins (LS), 6-3, 200, Sr-2L –and– 61 Colton Oliver (SS) , 6-3, 271, Fr-HS

CENTER

51 Montese Overton, 6-3, 220, Jr-2L 1 Dayon Pratt, 6-4, 230, So-1L

PUNT RETURNS

74 Taylor Hudson, 6-5, 285, Sr-3L 50 C.J. Struyk , 6-2, 296, Jr-2L

INSIDE (MIKE) LINEBACKER

2 Justin Hardy, 6-0, 188, Sr-3L 20 Quay Johnson, 5-10, 170, Fr-HS

RIGHT GUARD

44 Zeek Bigger , 6-2, 228, Jr-2L 55 Cameron White, 5-11, 213, So-SQ

KICKOFF RETURNS

65 J.T. Boyd, 6-4, 302, So-1L 68 Tre Robertson, 6-5, 310, Jr-1L

INSIDE (BUCK) LINEBACKER

7 Isaiah Jones, 6-1, 188, So-1L 85 Davon Grayson, 6-2, 196, So-1L

RIGHT TACKLE

24 Brandon Williams, 6-1, 230, Sr-3L 21 Ray Tillman, 6-1, 193, Fr-HS

71 Dontae Levingston, 6-4, 280, Jr-TR 68 Tre Robertson, 6-5, 310, Jr-1L

OUTSIDE (WILL) LINEBACKER

QUARTERBACK

48 Maurice Falls, 6-3, 247, Sr-3L 57 Joe Allely, 6-1, 239, Fr-RS 45 Jake Geary, 6-3, 250, Sr-3L

5 6

Shane Carden, 6-2, 221, Sr-2L Kurt Benkert, 6-3, 220, Fr-RS

RUNNING BACK 25 Breon Allen, 5-8, 190, Sr-1L 22 Chris Hairston, 6-0, 197, Jr-2L 27 Marquez Grayson, 6-1, 200, Fr-RS

34

NOSE TACKLE

14 Warren Harvey, 5-11, 225, Sr-2L 38 Davis Plowman, 5-10, 185, So-1L

FIELD CORNERBACK 28 Josh Hawkins, 5-10, 186, Jr-2L 39 DaShaun Amos, 6-1, 182, So-1L

STRONG SAFETY

INSIDE RECEIVER (Y)

22 Terrell Richardson, 6-0, 210, So-1L 35 Bobby Fulp, 6-4, 195, Fr-RS

2 Justin Hardy, 6-0, 188, Sr-3L 80 Bryce Williams, 6-6, 250, Jr-1L

FREE SAFETY

OUTSIDE RECEIVER (Z)

31 Domonique Lennon, 6-2, 205, Jr-1L 3 Travon Simmons, 5-10, 185, Fr-RS

85 Davon Grayson, 6-2, 196, So-1L 81 Jimmy Williams, 5-11, 180, So-SQ 15 Brandon Bishop, 5-11, 187, So-1L

BOUNDARY CORNERBACK

2 015 B I R M I N G H A M B O W L

4 6

Detric Allen, 6-0, 200, Sr-2L DaShawn Benton, 6-0, 189, So-1L

40 Worth Gregory, 6-3, 215, So-TR 7 Isaiah Jones, 6-1, 186, So-1L

PUNTER 40 Worth Gregory, 6-3, 215, So-TR 38 Davis Plowman, 5-10, 185, So-1L

SNAPPER

速

American Athletic Conference

N

ot entirely unlike the nation that provides chosen when he was taken No. 3 overall by the its namesake, the American Athletic Jacksonville Jaguars.

Conference was born from an ideal in The success of The American in year one was which members with ambitious goals are pronot limited to the gridiron. UConn won NCAA vided with the means to succeed in their quests titles in both men’s and women’s basketball. The for excellence. conference had the best postseason winning With roots that extend to three conferences, percentage of any league in men’s basketball, the American Athletic Conference memberwhile The American produced top-10 teams ship in 2014-15 consists of 11 institutions: the in baseball, men’s soccer and men’s golf and University of Central Florida, the University of sent half of its participating teams to the NCAA Cincinnati, the University of Connecticut, East Softball Championship.

Carolina University, the University of Houston, The American Athletic Conference holds telethe University of Memphis, the University of vision partnerships with ESPN and CBS Sports South Florida, Southern Methodist University, which will give the conference unprecedented Mike Aresco Temple University, Tulane University and the national exposure. The football portion of the Commissioner University of Tulsa. contract, which began in the 2014 season, calls The 2015-16 season sees the U.S. Naval for nearly 90 percent of conference-controlled Academy join the ranks in football only. games on national broadcast or national Under the leadership of commissioner Mike cable platforms. The first American Athletic Aresco, The American, which operated as the Conference Football Championship, which will Big East Conference from 1979 to 2013, has be played in 2015, will be carried either on ABC immediately taken a place at the forefront of or ESPN on Championship Saturday.

Division I athletics, with schools that have played American Athletic Conference teams will in four Bowl Championship Series games, won have access to the pinnacle of college football’s four NCAA men’s basketball titles since 1999, postseason structure. An American representaand won nine NCAA women’s basketball chamtive would be chosen for the College Football pionships since 1995.

Playoff semifinals if it is among the top four Two American Athletic Conference football teams were teams following the regular season. Otherwise, the league ranked in the top 15 of the final 2013 Associated Press poll. would place its champion in either the Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Five were selected for bowl games, including UCF, which won Bowl or Peach Bowl if it is ranked higher than the champions of the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and finished the season ranked No. 10 Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain nationally. The conference produced 14 players who received West Conference and the Sun Belt Conference.

All-America recognition by a major outlet.

Additionally, The American has announced primary or secThe American had four players chosen in the first round of ondary partnerships with 12 bowls for the next six-year cycle, the 2014 NFL Draft, trailing only the SEC and the ACC among ensuring multiple annual matchups against the nation’s top FBS conferences. UCF quarterback Blake Bortles highconferences and providing desirable postseason destinations lighted a group of 12 American Athletic Conference players to member institutions and their fans.

36

2 015 B I R M I N G H A M B O W L

1,269 stores to shop.

291 great restaurants.

855 acres of parks.

22 high achieving schools.

1 great place to live.

The city of Hoover was just voted one of the best places to live in the U.S. by the respected online site, 24/7 Wall Street. Out of 550 cities, Hoover landed in the top 30 because of our low crime rates and unemployment, outstanding schools, affordable housing, and an incredible array of leisure choices. Get the whole story at hooveralabama.gov. Hoover. Yours to enjoy.

East Carolina University

E

ast Carolina University is a 107-year-old public university nationally recognized for preparing teachers and primary care physicians and for its cultural and performing arts programs.

It enrolls more than 27,000 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students and is North Carolina’s larger producer of education and primary care professionals. It operates the Brody School of Medicine, a new School of Dental Medicine and a growing undergraduate Honors College in Greenville, N.C. Our motto is “Servire,” or service.

Quick Facts • Military ties: ECU is located near four major military bases, including Camp Lejeune and Fort Bragg, and in 2010 won the Freedom Award from the United States Department of Defense for its support of military families and servicemen and women.

• Primary Care: The Brody School of Medicine was named the top producer of family physicians in the nation by percentage for the past three years by the American Academy of Family Physicians.

The school is a national model for producing family physicians that practice in underserved communities, exceeding its state-set goal for the number of graduates who practice family medicine in North Carolina.

• Dental Medicine: The innovative approach of our new School of Dental Medicine has also drawn nationwide note. Instead of a traditional fourth year, our dental students will learn in Community Service Learning Centers located in underserved areas statewide to prepare them to practice and be successful in those communities.

• Economic Muscle: East Carolina’s economic impact is estimated at $3 billion statewide, with more than $1.8 billion in eastern North Carolina.

• Leader in Preparing Teachers: Our Partnership East program, funded by a private sector grant, helps fill an urgent need for teachers in North Carolina’s rural classrooms by providing scholarships allowing residents of rural communities to complete senior year teaching internships without leaving home. Seventy-five percent of Partnership East graduates are teaching in North Carolina and 95 percent of those are teaching in eastern North Carolina.

• National Recognition: East Carolina received the prestigious C. Peter Magrath Award for University/Community Engagement in 2012 from the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities for its partnership with and service to the citizens of West Greenville through the Lucille W. Gorham Intergenerational Center.

• Improving Lives: Dr. Sam Sears, a psychologist and researcher who is the world’s authority on cardiac psychology, performs ground-breaking work to help cardiac patients improve their quality of life. His work toward the welfare of the human race won him the highest faculty honor in the UNC system, the O. Max Gardner Award, in 2013.

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2 015 B I R M I N G H A M B O W L

Other facts the public should know about us: • East Carolina nurtures a culture of high academic achievement on campus, growing the Honors College from 90 to nearly 400 students in three years. In addition, we integrate public service into the custom learning experience of our highest performing students, immersing them in leadership and learning that requires service projects as part of the Honors College curriculum.

• We are a highly diverse campus, with minorities making up 23 percent of our undergraduate and graduate students and 26 percent of our medical and dental students.

• Our students are engaged and give back. Some 7,300 East Carolina students contributed 110,300 hours of volunteer service to more than 300 community agencies during the previous academic year.

• Notable East Carolina alumni include Pulitzer Prize winners Rick Atkinson and Dan Neil; Emmy Award-winning composer Velton Ray Bunch; actresses Sandra Bullock, Beth Grant, and Emily Procter; BB&T chief operating officer Kelly King; former North Carolina secretary of state Janice Faulkner; Kevin Williamson, creator of Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer and Dawson’s Creek; former U.S. senator Robert Morgan; Broadway star Manley Pope; and Golden Corral restaurant chain founder James Maynard.

National Collegiate Athletic Association Official Football Signals 1

2

3

Ball ready for play *Untimed down

9

Loss of down

17

11

Incomplete forw ard pass Penalty declined No play, no scor e Toss option delayed

Offside defense or free kick team Encroachment (NF)

28

Illegal participation

37

46

22

Illegal shift - 2 hands Illegal motion - 1 hand

Delay of game

Substitution infraction

30

31

32

Sideline interference

Running into or roughing kicker or holder

Illegal batting Illegal kicking (followed by pointing toward toe for kicking)

Illegal fair catch signal (NF) Invalid fair catch signal (NF)

39

Personal foul

40

Clipping

Blocking below waist Illegal block

24

Failure to wear required equipment

27

Illegal helmet contact

34

Forward pass interference Kick-catching interference

42

Chop block

Illegal touching or 30-second timeout First touching (NF)

Sideline warning

33

41

16

23

21

First down

15

End of period

20

29

38

Ineligible downfield on pass

False start Illegal formation Encroachment offense

Ball dead Touchback (move side to side)

Safety

14

Disregard flag

8

7

Touchdown Field goal Point(s) after touchdown

13

Inadvertent whistle (Face Press Box)

19

6

5

TV/Radio time-out

12

Legal touching of forward pass or scrimmage kick

18

Uncatchable forw ard pass

Time-out Discretionary or injury time-out (follow by tapping hands on chest)

Start clock

10

4

Holding/obstructing Illegal use of hands/arms

35

36

Illegal pass Illegal forward handling

Roughing passer

43

Unsportsmanlike conduct Noncontact foul

44

Intentional grounding

45

Illegal block in the back Helping runner Interlocked blocking

Grasping face mask or helmet opening

47 (NF) High School Note: Signal numbers 25 and 26 are for future expansion.

Tripping

Player disqualification

www.ncaa.org 2 015 B I R M I N G H A M B O W L

39

East Carolina University Athletic Director

J

eff Compher, a veteran collegiate athletics goals and objectives for each unit. administrator with a documented history of His administrative efforts were recently recogdeveloping champions in the classroom, in nized with his selection as one of four FBS Athletcompetition and in life, is now instilling that vision ics Director-of-the-Year by the National Associaof unparalleled broad-based success in a leadertion of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) ship role at East Carolina University. in the summer of 2013.

Beginning with his first day on campus as ECU’s Compher arrived at NIU after nearly four years Director of Athletics in April, 2013, Compher has at the University of Washington, where he served engaged student-athletes, coaches, staff and as executive associate athletic director and was the Pirate Nation to embrace the role of moving responsible for the general management and daily forward and proactively plan for the challenges of operations of the department. Prior to his move to the future. His return to the state of North Carothe Pacific Northwest, Compher led the athletics lina promises a foundation centered around the program at Southern Conference member Weststudent-athlete experience, a deliberate focus on ern Carolina University from 2000 to 2004. winning with integrity and an aggressive plan to While he put his own distinct fingerprint on capipromote the ECU Pirate brand and its values. tal projects, facility renovations and fundraising Jeff Compher Compher’s appointment at East Carolina, which East Carolina University at NIU with the construction of the school’s new was officially announced March 6, ended a fiveDirector of Athletics indoor training center and record-breaking annual year tenure as associate vice president and direcgift levels, Compher was directly involved with suctor of athletics at Northern Illinois University. cessful similar entities at both UW and WCU. Under Compher’s direction, Huskie student-athletes excelled As associate and then senior associate athletic director at Vanderacademically as all 17 of NIU’s intercollegiate programs surpassed bilt University for four years, Compher directed nearly every area of the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate every year during his stay at the department, including external affairs from 1998 to 2000. Prior the DeKalb school that featured an enrollment of 22,000. Northern to that, he oversaw NCAA compliance, academic support, strength Illinois’ football team ranked among the Top 12 nationally in APR and conditioning, equipment and CHAMPS/Life Skills areas for the in each of his last four years, while the department also had seven Commodores.

Academic All-America selections, two National Football FoundaCompher spent 13 years in several different positions at North tion Scholar-Athletes, an NCAA Woman-of-the-Year finalist and an Carolina State University. As the Wolfpack’s assistant athletic direcNCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winner in the last three years. tor from 1986 to 1992, he managed the student-athlete support NIU’s success in the arenas of competition mirrored those in the services units, established the first life skills program and handled classroom as the Huskies captured a school-record four Mid-Amerscheduling for the football and men’s basketball teams. He was the ican Conference Championships in 2011-12 with football, men’s assistant to the chancellor at NC State before moving back into soccer and volleyball bringing home titles in the fall, and men’s tenathletics administration after relocating to Nashville. nis securing the league crown in the spring.

His first position in collegiate administration was at NC State, His football program won its second-straight MAC crown in 2012 where he was the assistant director of Housing and Residence Life and, after posting 12 consecutive triumphs following a seasonfrom 1982 to 1986. opening loss, became the first Mid-American Conference team to Throughout his career, Compher has continued his education, play in the Bowl Championship Series by earning a berth in the Disparticipating in the NACDA Management Institute (1998), the cover Orange Bowl. The New Year’s Day matchup against Florida Sports Management Institute Executive Program (1998-99) and State marked NIU’s fifth-straight bowl appearance and capped a the Division I-A Athletic Directors’ Institute (2005 and 2006). three-year run of campaigns that featured 11 or more victories.

Compher, 56, earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology in An emphasis on long-range planning and the ability to work 1980 from James Madison (Va.) University, where he was a football with constituencies within and outside the university community student-athlete, and graduated with a master’s degree in counseling have become well-known staples of Compher’s administrative and and student personnel services from Shippensburg (Pa.) University leadership skills over the past 14 years. Upon his arrival at NIU in in 1982.

2008, he led the development of a strategic plan which defined the mission, vision and values of the department while establishing He and his wife Cathy have two sons — C.J. and David.

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2 015 B I R M I N G H A M B O W L

East Carolina University Head Coach

W

hen former Pirate defensive back and McNeill’s 2012 edition, young by most standards assistant coach Ruffin McNeill came with 17 juniors and nine sophomores who made home five years ago, the return offered starts throughout the season, posted an 8-5 record a promise of renewed Purple and Gold passion. and owned a share of the C-USA East Division title Not to mention, plenty of excitement with a by matching a program best with a 7-1 league slate. plethora of points on offense, a resurgency on the His success and leadership abilities at ECU defense side of the ball and more bowl destinations have enabled McNeill to be a three-time recipient as well. of the Fritz Pollard Alliance Foundation’s Johnnie McNeill, who starred as a four-year letterman in L. Cochran, Jr. Salute to Excellence Award for the late 1970s, was appointed East Carolina’s 20th college head coaches, earning the honor in 2011, head football coach on January 21, 2010 after 2013 and 2014. completing a 10-year stay at Texas Tech.

Before returning to his alma mater, McNeill The Lumberton native has delivered on those concluded the 2009 season as the Red Raiders’ pledges during his initial five campaigns, which also interim head coach by rallying No. 21 Texas Tech marked his 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th overall to a 41-31 victory over Michigan State at the Valero seasons coaching at the collegiate level.

Alamo Bowl Jan. 2 after the dismissal of Mike Ruffin McNeill After initially rewriting the school’s offensive Leach.

East Carolina University record books in 2010 and consistently adding more The 2009 campaign was his 10th season as a Head Coach entries each following season, McNeill’s efforts on member of Leach’s staff and second full year as the recruiting trail, dedicated off-season commitment and family the defensive coordinator. He served the final nine games of 2007 approach resulted in a competitive balance that allowed the Pirates in that role on an interim basis, before taking over officially in 2008. to post 26 victories in a recent three-year span that included the McNeill, who also coached the linebackers, was regarded as one program’s second-highest single-season win total in school history of the most versatile coaches on the staff and also one of the most in 2013. beloved by the Red Raider football team.

East Carolina’s first campaign in the American Athletic ConferMcNeill began his coaching career as a defensive coach at Lumence in 2014 was memorable as McNeill’s squad raced out of the berton (N.C.) High School from 1980-84, before taking his first gate with a 6-1 record and resided in the Associated Press Top collegiate position as a graduate assistant coaching linebackers at 25 polls for six weeks after jumping back in the rankings followClemson during the 1985-86 seasons. The Tigers won the Atlantic ing consecutive triumphs over Atlantic Coast Conference members Coast Conference title in 1986 and advanced to the Gator Bowl, a Virginia Tech (28-21) and North Carolina (70-41) in late September. year after appearing in the Independence Bowl.

The Pirates used an explosive offensive unit that rated among the Following one-year stints at Austin Peay State and North Alabama as linebackers coach, McNeill spent three seasons on the nation’s Top 5 in passing (second), first downs (third) and total yards mountain at Appalachian State, where the team won the Southern (fifth), while on defense, only seven teams at the FBS level were Conference title in 1991. In his first tour of duty at ASU, the school better against the run than the Pirates who allowed just 107.1 yards appeared in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs each season. per game.

He returned to the Boone, N.C., program after a year as defensive Seniors Shane Carden and Justin Hardy, who were part of line coach at East Carolina, in 1992. As defensive coordinator at McNeill’s first ECU freshman class, shattered every passing and Appalachian State from 1993-96, the team won the 1995 Southern receiving record, respectively, to help guide the Pirates to their thirdConference title and competed in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs straight bowl appearance (and fourth in McNeill’s five years) after at the conclusion of the 1994 and 1995 regular seasons. an 8-4 regular season finish.

McNeill tapped the professional ranks for experience, working Almost as impressive as ECU’s 10-3 overall mark and bowl victory in 2013 was the Pirates’ first-ever same-season sweep of inas a summer intern with the Miami Dolphins in 1996. From there state ACC opponents UNC and NC State. McNeill’s squad broke or he went to UNLV in 1997 and 1998 as defensive coordinator both matched 52 individual and team single-game, single-season and seasons and assistant head coach in 1998. career standards, while both sides of the ball ranked among the Top A four-year letterwinner at ECU from 1976-80 under the legendary Pat Dye, McNeill was a three-year starter at defensive back and 15 nationally in 12 statistical categories. was the team captain for two seasons. He helped lead the Pirates to During his initial season in 2010, the self-described football the Southern Conference Championship in 1976 and an Indepen“lifer” guided East Carolina to six wins and qualification for a bowl dence Bowl berth in 1978 — the school’s first in what is recognized game, despite inheriting a program which lost 34 lettermen off the as the modern era. previous year’s squad - the most of any FBS program in America.

He graduated from East Carolina in 1980 with a bachelor’s Capacity crowds at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium were also treated to a degree in education and later earned a master’s degree in secondthrilling, high-scoring and prolific spread offensive scheme which ary counseling from Clemson in 1987. literally enjoyed a record-breaking campaign - shattering or at least McNeill, 56, and his wife, Erlene, have two daughters and a grandmatching 29 team or individual standards. daughter. Renata McNeill Petrekin (34) and son-in-law Lincoln McNeill orchestrated an impressive defensive turnaround with a Petrekin reside in Coral Gables, Fla., with their daughter Isabella (2), newly-implemented 3-4 scheme a year later as ECU allowed 102.5 while Olivia McNeill (24) is a teacher at West Forsyth High School fewer yards per game in 2011 to improve 64 places on the statistical rankings to finish among the top half of all FBS programs. who currently lives in Winston-Salem, N.C. 42

2 015 B I R M I N G H A M B O W L

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Proudly Supports The 2014-2015 Birmingham Bowl 520 Sixteenth Street North • Birmimgham, AL 35203 • 1-888-328-9696 • www.bcri.org

East Carolina University Coaching Staff

Ruffin McNeill Head Coach

Donnie Kirkpatrick

Brandon Jones

Rick Smith

Defensive Coordinator/ Secondary

Dave Nichol

Lincoln Riley

Assistant Head Coach/ Offensive Coordinator/ Quarterbacks

Duane Price

Kirk Doll

Special Teams Coordinator/ Running Backs Coach

Marc Yellock

Recruiting Coordinator/ Inside Receivers Coach

Offensive Line Coach

Outside Receivers Coach

Outside Linebackers Coach

Defensive Line Coach

Kyle Chase

Ryan Dougherty

Bobby Harward

John Harward

Garrett Riley

Staff Assistant/ Secondary

Jeff Connors

Assistant Athletic Director/Strength and Conditioning 44

John Wiley

Associate Head Coach/ Inside Linebackers

2 015 B I R M I N G H A M B O W L

Staff Assistant/ Special Teams

Dale Steele

Director of Football Administration

Staff Assistant/ Defense

Brian Overton

Director of Football Operations/ Player Personnel

Staff Assistant/ Administrative

Alex Folken

Assistant Director of Football Operations

Staff Assistant/ Offense

Harold Robinson

Director of High School Relations

2 015 B I R M I N G H A M B O W L

45

East Carolina University Players

57

25

4

39

90

86

97

82

47

6

6

44

95

15

65

88

34

5

30

60

52

43

48

67

35

45

27

85

13

87

Joe Allely OLB 6-1 R Fr.

239

Demage Bailey DL 6-5 250 R Fr.

Terry Biles DE 6-2 278 Sr.

Joe Carter ILB 6-2 220 Fr.

Bobby Fulp DB 6-4 195 R Fr.

40

Worth Gregory P 6-3 215 So. 46

Breon Allen RB 5-8 190 Sr.

DaQuan Barnes OWR 6-1 190 So.

Brandon Bishop OWR 5-11 187 So.

Charlie Coggins DS 6-3 200 Sr.

Jake Geary OLB 6-3 250 Sr.

22

Chris Hairston RB 6-0 197 Jr.

2 015 B I R M I N G H A M B O W L

Detric Allen DB 6-0 200 Sr.

Jeton Beavers OLB 6-5 263 Jr.

J. T. Boyd OL 6-4 302 So.

Kirk Donaldson OLB 6-3 255 R Fr.

Marquez Grayson RB 6-1 200 R Fr.

2

Justin Hardy IWR 6-0 188 Sr.

DaShaun Amos DB 6-1 182 So.

Kurt Benkert QB 6-3 220 R Fr.

Trevon Brown OWR 6-2 206 Fr.

Drayvon Fairley ILB 6-3 217 So.

Davon Grayson OWR 6-2 196 So.

69

Ike Harris OL 6-7 304 Jr.

Randall Anderson DE 6-4 254 R Fr.

DaShawn Benton DB 6-0 189 So.

Devaris Brunson ILB 6-1 230 So.

Maurice Falls OLB 6-3 247 Sr.

Pat Green OLB 6-2 R Fr.

14

218

Warren Harvey PK 5-11 225 Sr.

Steve Baggett TE 6-5 225 Fr.

Zeek Bigger ILB 6-2 228 Jr.

Shane Carden QB 6-2 221 Sr.

Will Foxx OL 6-2 313 Jr.

Terrell Green OWR 6-4 190 Fr.

28

Josh Hawkins DB 5-10 186 Jr.

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East Carolina University Players

76

9

74

26

7

20

7

31

71

23

56

72

83

92

61

51

14

38

1

99

12

22

68

35

93

10

3

32

3

62

2

59

50

8

24

21

Stewart Hinson OL 6-7 296 Jr.

Isaiah Jones IWR 6-1 188 So.

Jacen Murphy IWR 5-10 180 Fr.

Dayon Pratt OLB 6-4 230 So.

Chrishon Rose NT/DE 6-4 303 Sr.

Xavier Smith DB 6-2 195 R Fr. 48

K’Hadree Hooker DL 6-1 300 So.

Domonique Lennon DB 6-2 205 Jr.

Mike Myers NT 6-0 288 R Fr.

Fred Presley DE/NT 6-3 300 So.

Rocco Scarfone DB 5-11 182 Jr.

Reece Speight OLB 6-3 236 So.

2 015 B I R M I N G H A M B O W L

Taylor Hudson OL 6-5 285 Sr.

Dontae Levingston OL 6-4 293 Jr.

Colton Oliver DS 6-3 271 Fr.

Cody Purdie DB 5-11 189 Fr.

Anthony Scott RB 5-9 180 Fr.

C. J. Struyk OL/DS 6-2 296 Jr.

Cory Hunter RB 5-10 201 Jr.

Chris Love DB 5-10 178 R Fr.

Montese Overton OLB 6-3 220 Jr.

Terrell Richardson DB 6-0 210 So

Christian Simmons DB 5-11 176 Jr.

Cedric Thompson IWR 5-9 183 Jr.

Lamar Ivey DB 6-1 196 Sr.

Demetri McGill NT/DE 6-1 310 So.

Travis Phillips DB 5-11 180 R Fr.

Tre Robertson OL 6-5 310 Jr.

Travon Simmons DB 5-10 185 Fr.

Jamal Tillman RB 5-9 193 So.

Quay Johnson IWR 5-10 170 Fr.

Quincy McKinney OL 6-4 311 Jr.

Davis Plowman PK/P 5-10 180 So.

Greg Robinson DB 5-11 202 Sr.

Brandon Smith OL 6-8 336 R Fr.

Ray Tillman ILB 6-1 193 Fr.

2 015 B I R M I N G H A M B O W L

49

East Carolina University Players

13

Jonathon Weymann QB 6-0 210 Jr.

55

Cameron White ILB 5-11 213 So.

55

94

Johnathon White DE 6-4 292 Jr.

Larry Williams OL 6-4 337 R Fr.

50

2 015 B I R M I N G H A M B O W L

41

24

Brandon Williams ILB 6-1 230 Sr.

Terry Williams NT 6-1 353 Sr.

9

80

Bryce Williams IWR/TE 6-6 250 Jr.

Cam Worthy OWR 6-3 220 Sr.

81

Jimmy Wiliams IWR 5-11 180 So.

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East Carolina University 2014 Season in Review

E

ast Carolina’s 2014 campaign, the Pirates’ first in the American Athletic Conference, was memorable as Ruffin McNeill’s squad raced out of the gate with a 6-1 record and resided in the Associated Press Top 25 polls for six weeks after jumping back in the rankings following consecutive triumphs over Atlantic Coast Conference members Virginia Tech (28-21) and North Carolina (70-41) in late September.

East Carolina 52, North Carolina Central 7 (Aug. 30) Senior receiver Justin Hardy caught two touchdown passes and threw for another to lead East Carolina to a 52-7 win over N.C. Central in the season opener at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

Hardy, who finished the night with eight catches for 87 yards, also became the Pirates’ all-time receptions leader with a 17-yarder from Shane Carden in the second quarter that marked his 269th grab.

The Pirates used an explosive offensive unit that rated among the nation’s Top 5 in passing (second), first downs (third) and total yards (fifth), while on defense, only seven teams at the FBS level were better against the run as ECU allowed just a paltry 107.1 yards per game.

South Carolina 33, East Carolina 23 (Sept. 6) Mike Davis rushed for 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns to help No. 21 South Carolina rebound from a pair of first-half deficits and lift the Gamecocks to a 33-23 victory over ECU at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Pirates successfully moved the ball, picking up 453 yards of total offense, but were victimized by a pair of interceptions and a blocked field goal that South Carolina cashed into 13 points.

East Carolina got to within seven, 30-23, with 12:03 left in the contest, but South Carolina ended any hope of a Pirate comeback with an 18-play, 86-yard drive that ate 10:33 off the clock.

Seniors Shane Carden and Justin Hardy, who were part of McNeill’s first ECU freshman class in 2010, shattered every passing and receiving record, respectively, to help guide the Pirates to their 20th overall bowl appearance (and fourth in McNeill’s five years) after an 8-4 regular season finish.

East Carolina made history as the first Group of Five member to earn a place in the College Football Playoff Top 25 on Oct. 28 with a No. 23 standing. The Pirates also topped all G5 conference members in attendance for the third-straight season, averaging 44,786 fans per game at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

East Carolina 28, Virginia Tech 21 (Sept. 13) Carden accounted for all four East Carolina touchdowns, including a game-winning one-yard run with 16 seconds remaining to help the Pirates to a 28-21 win over No. 17 Virginia Tech at Lane Stadium. The victory was ECU’s first against a ranked opponent on the road since defeating No. 12 Miami in 1996. Carden completed 23-of-47 passes for 427 yards and three touchdowns as the Pirates jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter.

East Carolina 70, North Carolina 41 (Sept. 20) ECU amassed a school-record 789 offensive yards and tallied its highest point total since 1959 in a 70-41 rout of No. 25 North Carolina at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Trailing 20-14 early in the second quarter, the Pirates rolled off 28-straight points to take a commanding 42-20 lead after linebacker Zeek Bigger opened the third period with a 46-yard interception return for a score to complement a 17-tackle outing. Carden accounted for six TDs, throwing for four in a 438-yard passing effort, while running back Breon Allen racked up a career-high 211 ground yards and reached paydirt twice.

East Carolina 45, SMU 24 (Oct. 4) Carden became East Carolina’s career passing yardage leader with his third-straight 400-yard outing to lift the No. 22 Pirates past SMU 45-24 in their inaugural American Athletic Conference contest at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Carden finished the day with 410 yards and four touchdowns on a 31-of-41 throwing effort.

East Carolina 28, USF 17 (Oct. 11) The Pirates overcame a slow offensive start by opening the second half with three-straight scoring possessions to eventually earn a 28-17 AAC victory over USF at Raymond James Stadium. ECU trailed 10-7 at intermission but turned in consecutive 12-play touchdown drives to establish a 21-17 edge with 11:42 left.

East Carolina 31, Connecticut 21 (Oct. 23) Warren Harvey’s 31-yard field goal with 6:15 remaining broke a 21-21 deadlock and Breon Allen delivered a knockout punch with a nine-yard scoring scamper less than five minutes later to lift East Carolina to a 31-21 AAC win over Connecticut at Dowdy-Ficklen

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East Carolina University 2014 Season in Review

Stadium. The Pirate defense was finally able to silence the big-play minded Huskies in the final quarter, allowing only 76 total yards after surrendering 321 in the first three periods of play.

Temple 20, East Carolina 10 (Nov. 1) A punishing Temple defense forced five Pirate turnovers, netted 11 tackles for lost yardage and booked four sacks to fuel the Owls’ 20-10 AAC victory over East Carolina on a chilly and damp day at wind-swept Lincoln Financial Field. In all, Temple caused eight fumbles and recovered a handful - three in first half alone to build a 14-3 lead. The setback ruined a career-best 153-yard rushing performance by Chris Hairston.

Cincinnati 54, East Carolina 46 (Nov. 13) Andrew Gantz drilled a 47-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining to spoil a valiant East Carolina comeback effort and give Cincinnati the lead for good in an eventual 54-46 AAC triumph over the Pirates on a frosty night at Paul Brown Stadium. The two teams combined for 100 points and 1,158 yards of offense during the game which featured two ECU leads, the last at 46-45 with 1:02 left to play when Carden’s two-yard TD plunge followed a fourth-and-two stop by the Pirate defense at the UC 27-yard line.

The Bearcats regrouped and quickly drove to the ECU 30 to set up Gantz’ game-winner.

East Carolina 34, Tulane 6 (Nov. 22) Hardy set the NCAA FBS record for career receptions and Carden accounted for a pair of touchdowns to lift East Carolina past Tulane 34-6 in an AAC matchup at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Hardy’s pursuit of former Oklahoma pass catcher Ryan Broyles’ (2008-11)

mark of 349 ended with an eight-yard grab on a second-and-five play from the Green Wave 38-yard line with six minutes remaining in the second quarter. Needing just four catches to surpass the standard, he finished the contest with a game-high nine receptions for 104 yards to post his 15th career triple-digit performance. Carden completed 31-of-44 passes for 358 yards.

East Carolina 49, Tulsa 32 (Nov. 28) Carden accounted for five of East Carolina’s seven touchdowns during the Pirates’ 49-32 AAC win over Tulsa at Chapman Stadium.

Carden, who also reached the endzone on an early fourth quarter two-yard run to break open a 10-point lead, completed 28-of-41 passes for 338 yards and four TDs. He found tight end Bryce Williams twice for scores and also connected with receivers Justin Hardy and Jimmy Williams.

UCF 32, East Carolina 30 (Dec. 4) A time-expiring 51-yard Hail Mary pass play from UCF’s Justin Holman to Breshad Perriman silenced an epic East Carolina rally and handed the Knights a 32-30 AAC victory over the Pirates at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. ECU began to mount its comeback after a lackluster effort during the first three quarters produced a 26-9 deficit. Carden, playing his final home game, sparked the near-heroics with a 14-of-15, 170-yard, three-touchdown passing performance in the final 15 minutes. His 13-yard scoring strike to Justin Hardy with 2:17 left capped a 21-0 run that gave the Pirates a 30-26 lead.

After stopping UCF on its next possession, the Pirates were unable to run out the final 1:47 and turned the ball over on downs at the Knights’ 35 with 10 seconds left.

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Heavy Metal

At more than 50 pounds, the Birmingham Bowl championship trophy honors the city’s steel-making origins

BY CARY ESTES

T

he winner of the Birmingham Bowl will have a piece of oversized luggage to take back home. That’s because the championship trophy, which pays tribute to Birmingham’s history as a steel-producing city, weighs in at more than 50 pounds.

The trophy is made out of a large sheet of half-inch thick steel that is cut, shaped and sand-blasted, then bolted to a piece of marble. A metal-cutting saw is used to create a series of artistic marks at the top and bottom of the trophy. The entire process of creating the championship trophy takes more than a month to complete.

“We wanted something that represents the steel industry, something that represents where we came from as a city,” says Terry Damsky, owner of United Trophy & Specialties, a 50-yearold Birmingham-based company that produces the trophy each year.

The city of Birmingham did not even exist until 1871. That is when the Elyton Land Company realized the potential in establishing a city at the junction of two major railroad lines that intersected along the base of Red Mountain. The area was rich with iron ore, coal and limestone, which were the primary minerals needed for making steel. That’s why the city was named after the industrial, steel-producing town of Birmingham, England.

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Steel and iron ore were the reasons that Birmingham grew so quickly in the 1870s and 1880s. The city’s population more than tripled in the first two years, increasing from 1,200 in 1871 to 4,000 in 1873. Birmingham then expanded more than six-fold over the next dozen years, reaching a population of 25,000 by 1885.

The city’s rapid emergence from nothing prompted James Powell, the president of the Elyton Land Company, to call Birmingham “this magic little city of ours.” Soon, Birmingham had acquired the nickname “The Magic City,” a moniker that is still used today.

Evidence of Birmingham’s steel-making history abound throughout the city. The 56-foot-tall Vulcan statue — the largest cast-iron statue in the world — has stood atop Red Mountain since 1936, a constantly looming symbol of Birmingham’s origins. Just to the east of downtown is Sloss Furnaces, an ironproducing blast furnace that operated for nearly 100 years and is now a National Historic Landmark.

Add the Birmingham Bowl championship trophy to this list.

Members of the winning team — call them the men of steel — will be able to take home a piece of what created this city. And a very heavy piece at that.

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Today’s Game

Florida vs. East Carolina East Carolina’s Offense Against Florida’s Defense Should Make for a Classic Bowl Game

BY BEN COOK |

Lindy’s Sports

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Courtesy of Alabama Media Group

T

oday’s game marks the beginning of a new era in Florida Gator football.

The Gators named Colorado State head coach Jim McElwain as their new football coach replacing Will Muschamp, a coach who was wildly popular with his players, but not so much with the Florida fans who feel their program should be competing for championships every season.

“Coach McElwain was someone we targeted from the beginning of the search,” Florida Athletic Director Jeremy Foley said.

“The more we worked through the process and did our due diligence, coupled with our meeting and conversations with him and those around him, it was obvious he is the right person to lead the Florida Gator football program.”

At his introductory press conference in Gainesville last month, McElwain was asked what he planned to tell his new players.

“Embrace what they’re doing,” he said. “You’re Gators. Let’s go win a bowl game.”

Even though today marks the first game of the McElwain era, the new Florida coach will not be coaching this game. He will be an interested spectator while interim head coach and defensive coordinator D. J. Durkin leads the Gators into today’s game. It will be his job to “win a bowl game.”

“Any challenge is good. You welcome it. It’s something to learn from, a good experience,” Durkin said. “It’s a challenge, embrace it, see what we can do.”

Durkin’s task is not an easy one. East Carolina brings in a potent offense to challenge Durkin’s defense. The Gators offense struggled much of the season, but the defense improved as the season progressed and Florida finished the regular season ranked second in the Southeastern Conference in total defense, giving up just 311 yards of total offense per game. The Gators gave up just 80 points in going 3-2 over their final five games. High-scoring Florida State managed just 24 points against the Gators.

The Gators defense was led by Will linebacker Antonio Morrison, Buck defensive lineman Dante Fowler Jr. and cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III. Morrison led the team with 98 tackles, while Fowler was the team’s leading pass-rusher with 12 tackles for losses of 56 yards and 5.5 sacks. Hargreaves topped the Gators with 13 passes broken up. He also intercepted two.

On the other side of the football, offensive coordinator Kurt Roper has struggled all season trying to find the right combina-

tion. He has used two quarterbacks. Redshirt junior Jeff Driskel was the starter early in the season but was replaced as the starter for the final month of the season by true freshman Treon Harris.

“I think he enjoys playing so much that he doesn’t feel the outside pressures,’’ Roper said of Harris when the freshman moved into the starting job. “Obviously, he understands the role, but I think he just goes and plays and doesn’t let the other things influence him.”

Harris also gives Florida a threat running the football, rushing for 291 yards and three touchdowns during the season.

Harris threw for 896 yards and seven touchdowns with only three interceptions. Driskel threw for 1,092 yards and nine touchdowns, but he was intercepted 10 times.

Junior Matt Jones was the Gators’ leading rusher with 817 yards and six touchdowns. Sophomore Kelvin Taylor added 595 yards and six scores. Demarcus Robinson was the leading receiver with 47 catches for 774 yards and seven touchdowns.

Florida will have its hands full with the East Carolina Pirates.

This is a team that went 8-4, including wins over Virginia Tech and North Carolina. The Pirates hung 70 points on the Tar Heels in a 29-point victory. Their passing combo of senior quarterback

Shane Carden and senior wide receiver Justin Hardy present a real challenge for defenses.

Carden finished second in the nation in passing yards with 4,309 yards and 28 touchdowns against eight interceptions. He now has 84 career touchdown passes and 11,564 yards and has thrown a touchdown pass in 32 of his last 34 games.

Hardy was fifth nationally in receiving with 110 catches for 1,334 yards and nine touchdowns. The winner of the Burlsworth Trophy given to a former walk-on who excelled on the field, he set the NCAA record for career receptions with 355. He also owns East Carolina career records for receiving yards with 4,153 and 32 touchdown catches. Hardy had at least two catches in all 46 of his career games.

When Hardy was not on the receiving end of Carden’s passes, others picked up the slack. Sophomore Isaiah Jones grabbed 75 passes for 766 yards and five touchdowns, while senior Cam Worthy pulled in 47 passes for 886 yards and three scores.

But the Pirates are not just an air show. They also have two outstanding running backs in senior Breon Allen, the leading rusher with 869 yards and eight touchdowns, and junior Chris Hairston, who added 455 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, junior Zeek Bigger led the team with 134 tackles, while senior Brandon Williams had 113 tackles, including 10.5 tackles for losses. Junior Josh Hawkins led the Pirates with four interceptions, 11 passes broken up and 15 passes defended.

“We’re looking forward to the challenge of playing Florida,” said East Carolina coach Ruffin McNeill. “They have a very talented defense and there’s a lot of speed on this team. I had a chance to get some of their film in and was able to watch some of it.

“It’s our eighth bowl game here at East Carolina (in last nine years), fourth in five years since I’ve been here. It’s an exciting time for all of us. The players were excited to hear the news when we told them.”

East Carolina has been looking for national respect and playing Florida, a team from the Southeastern Conference, can go a long way toward getting college football fans to recognize what the Pirates have accomplished.

“I think it’s a very big opportunity,” McNeill said. “First, going to bowls is big for us. I’ve said this before, but I’ve been in this for so long that when you don’t go, you miss them. You’ve got to practice them when it’s cold. When you practice when it’s cold, you know you’ve had a good year.

“My mom, my angel, would ask if I was coming home for Christmas and I’d say, ‘Mom, if I’m coming home, that’s not a good year for me.’ She asked, ‘What do you mean?’ I said, ‘That means I’m not in a bowl game.’ But, I’m excited about not just going to a bowl game, but getting a chance to play another Power 5 team.”

The 2015 Birmingham Bowl could turn out to be a big step for McNeill and the Pirates. But for the Gators, it will be a chance to welcome their new football era.

“When you practice when it’s cold, you know you’ve had a good year.”

—East Carolina Head Coach Ruffin McNeill

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Golden Flake Legend of Birmingham

MIKE FULLER Player and Businessman — Big Impact in Birmingham

BY LYN SCARBROUGH |

M

Lindy’s Sports

ike Fuller is no stranger to Birmingham.

He wasn’t born here. That happened in Jackson, Miss. in April, 1953.

He wasn’t raised here. That happened in Mobile, Ala., where his family moved when he was only two years old.

He wasn’t a college student here. That happened at Auburn University, where he was an All-American on some outstanding Tiger football teams.

But, Mike Fuller chose to reside in Birmingham after his professional football days ended. His contributions to the community have been as significant as his extraordinary Southeastern Conference and National Football League playing career.

In recognition of his achievements, Fuller is the recipient of the ninth Golden Flake Legend of Birmingham Award, given annually to honor a Birmingham resident, past or present, for accomplishments which have brought recognition to the Magic City.

Past winners include former Auburn All-American, Heisman Trophy winner, and Samford head coach Pat Sullivan (2006); former Alabama All-American and NFL running back Johnny Musso (2007); former Auburn and Miami Dolphins linebacker Mike Kolen (2008); former Alabama and Denver Broncos running back Bobby Humphrey (2009); former Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden (2010); former Auburn and NFL placekicker, and radio sports broadcaster Al Del Greco (2011); former Jacksonville State head coach Jack Crowe (2012); and former Alabama and Miami Dolphins running back Tony Nathan (2013).

“I have met or know well all of the past recipients,” Fuller said.

“I am deeply honored to be included in such a group.”

The undersized football star — 5-10, 188 pounds in his playing days — became a business leader in the Birmingham community. Having his name added to the prestigious list of Legend of Birmingham Award recipients is recognition well earned, on and off the field.

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Fuller’s football skills were developed at John Shaw High School in Mobile. In junior high, as well as at Shaw, he played on both sides of the ball and returned kicks. (Remember that kick returning ability.) After a senior season when his team defeated all other city schools, Fuller signed to play under Coach Ralph “Shug” Jordan at Auburn.

The Tigers played some significant games at Legion Field during Fuller’s varsity career, including the famous 1972 “Punt, Bama, Punt” Iron Bowl win during his sophomore season.

“I remember my first game at Legion Field,” Fuller said, recalling Auburn’s game against No. 4 Tennessee in late September, 1972.

“The biggest concern was about the artificial turf and what shoe to wear. It was my first game to play on turf and it made the game play much faster.

“Of course, I loved the speed that the new surface gave me. And, I also remember the game because I caught my first collegiate pass in that one.”

Fuller came to Auburn as a defensive back and wingback. As a sophomore, he caught 11 passes and ran four times for 61 yards.

But, it was in the secondary and as a punt returner that he made his greatest impact.

During his junior year in 1973, Fuller was second in the nation in punt returns, averaging 19.1 yards. As a senior, he returned 30 punts for 502 yards and three touchdowns, which ranked fourth in the nation. The two-time All-American was drafted in the third round of the 1975 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers.

“I never thought I would last in the NFL due to my smallish size,” he admitted. “I just hoped for four years to get a pension.”

Fuller did that … and much more.

In eight NFL seasons — six with San Diego and two with the Cincinnati Bengals — he gained 1,701 yards returning kickoffs and 2,660 yards returning punts, with two touchdowns and a 10.6-yards per return career average. In 1975, he averaged

13.2 yards per punt return, good for fourth in the league.

As a safety, he had 17 career interceptions which he returned for 176 yards and a touchdown, and recovered 14 fumbles.

At Cincinnati, he had a 27-yard punt return in a 1981 AFC divisional playoff game against the Buffalo Bills and had a 17-yard punt return in Super Bowl XVI against the San Francisco 49ers.

“The Super Bowl was surreal,” he said. “More incredible was having to beat my former team (San Diego) to get there.

We had played them during the season and won, 42-17. I was able to give our coaching staff tons of inside information on the Chargers’ team tendencies, player habits and strategy. The Chargers’ defensive signals were the same ones when I was there, so I was able to pick them up. I told the Chargers what had happened, and they could not believe it.

When we played in the AFC Championship Game, they ran every play in with a substitute player.”

Fuller had the unique distinction of scoring in the NFL in five different ways … on a faked field goal, a faked extra point, a thrown pass, an interception return and a punt return.

After his NFL career ended, football and business brought him to Birmingham.

“I was developing office projects in San Diego and Birmingham-based Daniel Corporation was part of the operation,” he recalled. “They (Daniel) offered me a job just two weeks after Rollie Dotsch had asked me to play two more seasons for the Birmingham Stallions.”

The United States Football League (USFL) team was coached

by Dotsch, who had been a Pittsburgh Steelers coach when Fuller had big games against his team. So, when he asked Fuller to join the Stallions, it was a good match for both parties.

“So, back to Birmingham, we go,” Fuller said.

Unfortunately, his career with the Stallions didn’t last two seasons.

“In 1984, Legion Field was where I played my last pro game,” he said. “Against San Antonio, I was returning a punt and got

a direct hit on the ball and it cracked my wrist. Dr. Jim Andrews told me this would be a good time to retire.”

Fuller took that advice and started on a new path, one that allowed him to make significant contributions to the Birmingham community.

He joined Daniel Corporation as Director of Real Estate Development. In 1995, he formed his own company and continued large scale development in the Highway 280 area.

Two years later, he started a company that collected and treated wastewater in the Chelsea area. And, in 2005, he was one of six founding directors of ServisFirst Bank.

Through his business and personal contacts, Fuller was instrumental in the creation of some significant local area sports initiatives. One was the Bruno’s Memorial Golf Classic.

“My next door neighbor was Angelo Bruno and I approached him about bringing a PGA Senior Tour event to Greystone Country Club,” Fuller said. “He agreed with the idea, so the bid was submitted and we won. Unfortunately, Angelo was killed a few months later in a plane crash, so the name was changed to the Bruno’s Memorial Classic.”

Along with Larry Stripling and Bill Legg, he helped found the Bryant/Jordan Scholarship Awards, named after his former Auburn coach and former Alabama head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.

“I must give Larry Stripling credit for the idea,” he said. “We visited Gene Gwaltney, Russell Athletic CEO, and asked for a financial commitment for exclusive sponsorship. He agreed and we had the first awards banquet around 1988.”

According to the scholarship web site, since its inception over $7 million in scholarships have been presented to about 2,400 student-athletes statewide.

Since his first game on Legion Field’s artificial turf, Mike Fuller has never slowed down, representing his teams and serving his community. His record of achievement is what the Golden Flake Legend of Birmingham Award is all about.

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Courtesy of Alabama Media Group

L

ong before there was Bo Jackson, the premier two-sport star from the state of Alabama was Birmingham native Fred Sington. He was an All-American tackle for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team from 1928-30, then went on to play professional baseball for both the Washington Senators and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

But the reason the Birmingham Bowl’s Most Valuable Player Award is named in honor of Sington goes far beyond his accomplishments on the playing fields. After rising to the rank of Lt. Commander during World War II, Sington returned to his hometown and became a well-known businessman and civic leader.

In fact, he eventually acquired the nickname “Mr. Birmingham” because of his abundant contributions to the city.

Sington had the vision to propose bringing a college football bowl game to Birmingham back in the 1970s, when there were still only a handful of such games throughout the country. The inaugural Hall of Fame Bowl — with Sington as the bowl chairman — was held at Legion Field in 1977. The game was later renamed the All-American Bowl and was played through the 1990 season, when city officials decided to replace the bowl game with the inaugural Southeastern Conference Championship Game.

Born Feb. 24, 1910, Sington was a star at the University of Alabama in both the classroom (he was a Phi Beta Kappa) and on the football field. During his senior season in 1930, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Sington helped lead Alabama to a 10-0 record that included a 24-0 victory over Washington State in the Rose Bowl.

The Crimson Tide was named national champions that year, and legendary Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne proclaimed Sington to be “the greatest lineman in the country.”

Sington also was an All-American baseball player at Alabama and decided to pursue that sport professionally. He was an outfielder for the Washington Senators through 1937, and then spent two seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He retired from

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Fred Sington and the History of the MVP Award

BY CARY ESTES baseball with a .271 career batting average.

As a businessman, he founded Sington Sporting Goods. He also worked as a football official in the SEC and in some professional games. But Sington was probably best known for his civic work, which led to him receiving numerous honors over the years.

Sington was given the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Alabama in 1967, and was chosen Birmingham’s Man of the Year in 1970. In 1991, the press box at Legion Field was named for Sington, and the state’s annual award for male and female college athletes of the year is called the Fred Sington Trophy. He was inducted into the Alabama Business Hall of Fame in 2000, two years after he had passed away at the age of 88.

Bowl History

2014 — January 4, 2014 Vanderbilt 41, Houston 24 MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Jordan Matthews, WR, Vanderbilt ATTENDANCE 42,717

2013 — January 5, 2013 Ole Miss 38, Pittsburgh 17 MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Bo Wallace, Ole Miss Quarterback ATTENDANCE 55,099

2012 — January 7, 2012 SMU 28, Pittsburgh 6 MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

Darius Johnson, SMU Wide

Receiver ATTENDANCE

29,726

2011 — January 8, 2011 Pittsburgh 27, Kentucky 10 MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Dion Lewis, Pittsburgh Running Back ATTENDANCE 41,207

2010 — January 2, 2010 Connecticut 20, South Carolina 7 MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Andre Dixon, Connecticut Running Back ATTENDANCE 42,610

2008 — December 29, 2008 Rutgers 29, North Carolina State 23 MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Mike Teel, Rutgers Quarterback ATTENDANCE 36,387

2007 — December 22, 2007 Cincinnati 31, Southern Mississippi 21 MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Ben Mauk, Cincinnati Quarterback ATTENDANCE 32,959

2006 — December 23, 2006 South Florida 24, East Carolina 7 MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Benjamin Williams, South Florida Running Back, and Bobby Good, East Carolina Wide Receiver ATTENDANCE 28,527

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Bowl Records

TEAM RECORDS Most Points: 41 by Vanderbilt vs. Houston, 1/4/14 Fewest Points: 6 by Pittsburgh vs. SMU, 1/7/12 Most First Downs: 23 by Ole Miss vs.

Pittsburgh, 1/5/13 Fewest First Downs: (tied) 12 by Houston vs. Vanderbilt, 1/4/14; Pittsburgh vs. SMU, 2/7/12; USF vs. East Carolina, 12/23/06; South Carolina vs. Connecticut, 1/2/10 Most Yards Rushing: 261 by Pittsburgh vs.

Kentucky, 1/8/11 Fewest Rushing Yards: 10 by Pittsburgh vs.

SMU, 1/7/12 Most Rushing Attempts: 52 by Vanderbilt vs.

Houston, 1/4/14 Most Rushing Touchdowns: 3 by Vanderbilt vs.

Houston, 1/4/14 Most Passing Yards: 334 by Cincinnati vs.

Southern Miss, 12/22/07 Fewest Passing Yards: 96 by Pittsburgh vs.

Kentucky, 1/8/11 Most Pass Completions: 30 by Cincinnati vs.

Southern Miss, 12/22/07 Most Pass Attempts: 52 by Cincinnati vs.

Southern Miss, 12/22/07

Fewest Points Allowed: 6 by SMU vs.

Pittsburgh, 1/7/12 Most Kickoff Returns: 7 by NC State vs.

Rutgers, 12/29/08 Most Kickoff Return Yards: 143 by Houston vs.

Vanderbilt, 1/4/14 Most Punt Returns: 6 by Connecticut, 1/2/10 Most Field Goals: 3 by Rutgers vs. NC State, 12/29/08 Most Field Goal Attempts: 4 by Rutgers vs. NC State, 12/29/08 Most Fumbles Lost: 2 by East Carolina vs. USF, 12/23/06 Most Points Combined: 65 by Vanderbilt and Houston, 1/4/14 INDIVIDUAL RECORDS Longest Completed Pass: 67 yards by John O’Korn to Deontay Greenberry, Houston vs.

Vanderbilt, 1/4/14 Longest Touchdown Pass: 67 yards by John O’Korn to Deontay Greenberry, Houston vs.

Vanderbilt, 1/4/14 Most Times Intercepted: 3 by Jeremy Young, Southern Miss vs. Cincinnati, 12/22/07; by Ben Mauk, Cincinnati vs. Southern Miss, 12/22/07 RUSHING

Most Touchdown Passes: 4 by Cincinnati vs.

Southern Miss, 12/22/07

Most Yards: 155 by Damion Fletcher (29 att.), Southern Miss vs. Cincinnati, 12/22/07

Most Points Scored in a Quarter: 24 by Houston vs. Vanderbilt, 1/4/14

Most Attempts: 33 by Andre Dixon, Connecticut vs. South Carolina, 1/2/10

Most Points Scored in a Half: (tied) 24 by Vanderbilt and Houston, 1/4/14; Ole Miss vs. Pittsburgh, 1/5/13; and by USF vs. East Carolina, 12/23/06 (first half)

Longest Rush From Scrimmage: 62 by I’Tavius Mathers, Ole Miss vs. Pittsburgh, 1/5/13

Most Offensive Yards: 437 by Rutgers vs. NC State, 12/29/08 Fewest Offensive Yards: 205 by Pittsburgh vs.

SMU, 1/7/12; South Carolina vs. Connecticut, 1/2/10 Most Punts: 10 by both Vanderbilt and Houston, 1/4/14

Longest TD Rush From Scrimmage: 62 by I’Tavius Mathers, Ole Miss vs. Pittsburgh, 1/5/13 Most Rushing Touchdowns: 2 by Rishaad Wimbley, SMU vs. Pittsburgh, 1/7/12; Benjamin Williams, USF vs. East Carolina, 12/23/06 PASSING Most Yards Gained Passing: 334 by Ben Mauk, Cincinnati vs. Southern Miss, 12/22/07 Most Pass Completions: 30 by Ben Mauk (52 att.), Cincinnati vs. Southern Miss, 12/22/07 Most Pass Attempts: 52 by Ben Mauk (30 comp.), Cincinnati vs. Southern Miss, 12/22/07

RECEIVING Most Yards Gained Receiving: 143 by Jordan Matthews, Vanderbilt vs. Houston, 1/4/14 Most Receptions: (tied) 7 by Devin Street, Pittsburgh vs. Ole Miss, 1/5/13; by Darius Johnson, SMU vs. Pittsburgh, and Cole Beasley, SMU vs. Pittsburgh, 1/7/12; Damion Fletcher, Southern Miss vs. Cincinnati, 12/22/07; by Dominick Goodman, Cincinnati vs. Southern Miss, 12/22/07; by Jarvis Williams, NC State vs.

Rutgers, 12/29/08 Most Touchdown Receptions: (tied) 2 by Jordan Matthews, Vanderbilt vs. Houston, 1/4/14; Dominick Goodman, Cincinnati vs. Southern Miss, 12/22/07 RETURNS Longest Kickoff Return: 62 yards by DeMarcus Ayers, Houston vs.Vanderbilt, 1/4/14 Longest Punt Return: 28 by Ean Randolph, USF vs. East Carolina, 12/23/06 PUNTING Best Individual Punting Average: 48.3 by Matt Yoklic, Pittsburgh vs. Ole Miss, 1/5/13 Longest Punt From Scrimmage: 60 yards, Ryan Dougherty, East Carolina vs. USF, 12/23/06 Most Punts: 10 by Colby Cooke, Vanderbilt and Richie Leone, Houston, 1/4/14 KICKING Most Field Goals: 3 by San San Te, Rutgers vs.

NC State, 12/29/08 Most Field Goal Attempts: 4 by San San Te, Rutgers vs. NC State, 12/29/08 Longest Field Goal: 50 by Craig McIntosh, Kentucky vs. Pittsburgh, 1/8/11 Most Points After a Touchdown: (tied) 5 by Casey Spear, Vanderbilt vs. Houston, 1/4/14; Bryson Rose, Ole Miss vs. Pittsburgh, 1/5/13 POINTS Most Points: (tied) 12 by Jordan Matthews, Vanderbilt vs. Houston, 1/4/14; Rishaad Wimbley, SMU vs. Pittsburgh, 1/7/12; Dominick Goodman, Cincinnati vs. Southern Miss, 12/22/07; by Benjamin Williams, USF vs. East Carolina, 12/23/06 Most Points by Kicking: (tied) 11 by Casey Spear, Vanderbilt vs. Houston, 1/4/14; San San Te, Rutgers vs. NC State, 12/29/08 OTHER Most Yards of Total Offense: 375 by Ben Mauk, Cincinnati vs. Southern Miss, 12/22/07 Most Offensive Plays: 64 by Ben Mauk, Cincinnati vs. Southern Miss, 12/22/07 Most All-Purpose Yards: 205 by Damion Fletcher, Southern Miss vs. Cincinnati, 12/22/07

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