By John Antonik for MSNsportsNET.com
June 17, 2004
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Big East Conference is endorsing a plan by the New York City Sports Commission, the New York Jets, the National Football Foundation and the College Hall of Fame to create the Big Apple Bowl.
This planned college football game will be played at the proposed New York Sports and Convention Center to be located in New York City. The Jets have offered $800 million of private investment to build a retractable dome stadium with a price tag of about $1.4 billion. The stadium would be linked to the expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and would also be used as the home for the Jets and a potential venue for the 2012 Olympics if New York City is chosen.
“The Big Apple Bowl will be a great showcase for Big East Conference football,” said Big East commissioner MICHAEL TRANGHESE. “New York City and Madison Square Garden are already home to the Big East Conference men’s basketball championship. I know Big East fans would love to make New York a postseason destination for football, too.”
However, the stadium has yet to be approved and it faces opposition from community groups. New York City last served as host for a college football bowl game in 1962. If plans go forward the stadium would be completed by 2009. A bowl game would then have to be certified by the NCAA.
News and Notes
Former WVU quarterback CHAD JOHNSTON was one of 72 graduates who recently earned their Doctor of Osteopathy degrees from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. WVSOM, one of 20 osteopathic medical schools in the country today, is nationally recognized for its work in rural and family medicine. The college has been ranked as one of the nation’s best medical schools by U.S. News & World Report magazine for six consecutive years.
Dr. Johnston earned his bachelor degree in business administration from WVU and was a three-year starter for the Mountaineers, leading WVU to a Gator Bowl appearance against North Carolina in 1996.
When Johnston left WVU he was tied with Oliver Luck for the school record with 43 touchdown passes and was second with 5,954 career passing yards. His best game came against Purdue in the 1995 season opener when he completed 25 of 35 passes for 390 yards with no interceptions. Johnston also passed for 354 yards and two touchdowns in a win as a senior against Boston College.
Dr. Johnston, a native of Peterstown, W.Va., and his wife Stephane have two sons: Isaac, 6; and Grant, 3.
Ex-WVU basketball assistant coach RON BROWN’s wife PATRICIA BOSWELL is making a name for herself as a successful businesswoman. While her husband was coaching at WVU and splitting time between Morgantown and New York City, Boswell came up with the idea for Safonique, which she first imagined as a powder detergent aimed for babies. She found a manufacturer in Carnegie, Pa., trademarked the name Safonique, and created a business entity. After several setbacks her idea has finally prospered and Safonique, now in liquid form, can be found in 27 Chicago-area CUBS/Supervalu stores and in East Coast Wal-Mart’s. She is currently in negotiations with other chains.
Earlier this spring, Safonique won a new product award in the health and beauty category at the Food Marketing Institute tradeshow in Chicago.
She has degrees in nursing and business, a certificate in financial planning and an MBA in marketing.
Brown was a member of Gale Catlett’s basketball staff from 1986-93.
Even though the priority seating deadline has passed, season ticket sales for the 2004 Mountaineer football season are still going strong. Fans can purchase season tickets by calling the ticket office toll-free at 1-800-WVU GAME or by logging onto WVUGAME.com. Single-game tickets are set to go on sale Tuesday, July 6.
Word has been received that former Mountaineer women’s basketball player CHRISTIE AMMONS and her husband Todd Galeota are expecting their first child in mid-August. Christie is the oldest daughter of LISA AMMONS, long-time administrative assistant in the WVU Sports Communications office. The couple resides in Lake Wiley, S.C.
Speaking of babies, Jenny Lilly presented her husband Bill Lilly with their second son, Landon Michael, earlier Thursday. Lilly joined Coach John Beilein's WVU staff as director of basketball operations prior to the 2002-03 season after serving a 15-year assistant coaching stint at Radford. Lilly is a native of Glenville, W.Va., and is a graduate of Glenville State College.
Delaware-area Mountaineer fans can take part in a picnic on Saturday, July 10, at the estate of BUD and EDNA PIERCE on 1201 Snuff Mill Road near Centreville, Del. The picnic is being sponsored by the West Virginia University Alumni Association-Delaware Chapter and an auction of autographed WVU items and collectibles will benefit the Mountaineer Athletic Club.
The picnic will go from 2 to 7 pm and dinner will be served at 4:30 pm, according to chapter member EVAN MOODY. For those interesting in attending, RSVPs must be made no later than Monday, July 5. Contact D.J. GIBSON at (302) 478-3646 for more information. The cost is $6 for adults and $1 for children under 12.
The Mat.com has ranked West Virginia University’s wrestling recruiting class seventh in the country. Coach Craig Turnbull and associate head coach Zeke Zones signed eight prospects this year.
Three current West Virginia University wrestlers recently joined Team USA assistant coach ZEKE JONES in Florida to help the U.S. freestyle team train for the 2004 Olympic Games. Representing WVU were JARED VILLERS, ZAC FRYLING and recent graduate CASEY BREWSTER.
Villers worked out 2003 world silver medalist Cael Sanderson, Fryling trained with former Iowa assistant coach and 2001 world bronze medalist Joe Williams, while Brewster trained with 2003 Pan Am Games winner Stephen Abas.
“It was an unbelievable opportunity for WVU wrestlers to train with the best in the world. That experience in unmatched and Jared, Zac and Casey all benefited from it. This was also a good mentorship opportunity between Olympic athletes and collegiate athletes,” said Jones.
Two of the three drafted Mountaineer baseball players have signed professional contracts, according to Coach GREG VAN ZANT. Shortstop GRANT PSOMAS has signed with the New York Mets and left-handed pitcher ZAC CLINE has signed with the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Anaheim Angles have signed 18 of their draft picks including sixth rounder Josh LeBlanc. Anaheim hasn’t given up on fourth round pick PAT WHITE, who has signed to play football for the Mountaineers and turned down their first contract offer last week. According to the Daily News, Angels scouting director Eddie Bane was in Alabama Wednesday meeting with White and his family.
Anaheim has already convinced 20th round draft pick Dontavious McDowell to pass up on a football scholarship with Troy State to sign.
However, Anaheim’s main target remains first round pick Jered Weaver, a pitcher from Long Beach State and the younger brother of major league pitcher Jeff Weaver. Jered is considered by some to be the top player in this year’s draft but fell all the way to the 12th position because of his reported high price tag.
Don’t forget, the Angels are also pursing WVU’s STAN POSLUSZNY as well. Posluszny was taken in the 21st round and has two years of college eligibility remaining.
ESPN Page 2 columnist Ralph Wiley died last Sunday night in his Orlando home of heart failure. West Virginia football fans might remember Wiley as one of the ‘advisors’ recommending that MAJOR HARRIS leave school a year early to pursue a career in professional football. Of course, Harris was drafted in the 12th round by the Raiders and never played a down in the league, instead spending a year in the CFL and several seasons in the Arena League. Wiley developed a relationship with Harris after doing a Sports Illustrated piece on him prior to the 1989 Fiesta Bowl.
Our sincere condolences to WVU Associate Sports Information Director BRYAN MESSERLY, whose father CHUCK MESSERLY passed away Wednesday evening. Bryan, a Weirton native, returned to his alma mater in 2000 to handle basketball publicity after serving a three-year stint as assistant sports information director at Virginia Tech.
The West Virginia University sports marketing department earned three prestigious awards last weekend at the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA).
Assistant Athletic Director BRAD HOWE’s department captured three gold medal awards signifying “best in the nation status” in the area of Best Online Promotion (Mountaineer DeskMate), Best Sponsor Activation (Caught Red-handed promotion with Coca-Cola) and Best Single-Game Promotion (100-Year Mountaineer basketball celebration in conjunction with WVU Parent’s Day).
It is believed that the three gold medals won by WVU are the most of any school this year.
Incidentally, the Mountaineer DeskMate was featured in this month’s Cyber Spotlight Section of Team Marketing Report. The DeskMate was launched last spring and currently has more than 5,000 registered users. The DeskMate, created by BlaineTurner Advertising in Morgantown, sends website material directly to a user’s desktop.
And finally, we bid farewell to RANCE BERRY, our star student worker in the Sports Communications office who is heading back home to Poca to begin work on a master’s degree. Rance is on everybody’s first team!
Have a great weekend!
