Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Drake alumnus Cundiff signs with NFL's Green Bay Packers

March 28, 2006 - Former Drake standout kicker Billy Cundiff signed with the Green Bay Packers Monday.

Cundiff was limited to just six games in 2005 with the Dallas Cowboys, but managed to kick a team record 56-yard field goal against the Detroit Lions. He then signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier in the offseason only to be released when the club re-signed Matt Bryant.

In 53 career games, all with the Cowboys from 2002-2005, Cundiff connected on 60 of 82 field- goal attempts (73.2 percent), and 100 of 101 point-after conversions. He tied a National Football League record by making seven field goals in a 2003 Monday Night Football game at the New York Giants, including a 52-yarder on the final play of regulation to send the game into overtime, followed by a 25-yard kick that gave the Cowboys a 35-32 victory. His kicking shoe from the record tying effort is on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Cundiff was named the National Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week Sept. 30, 2002 after kicking a 48-yard field goal on the game's final play to give the Dallas Cowboys a 13-10 victory against NFC defending champion St. Louis.

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Adams Receives Four-Year Contract Extension as Valpo Readies for Spring Practice

March 28, 2006 � Valparaiso University Director of Athletics Mark LaBarbera has announced that Crusader head football coach Stacy Adams has received a four-year contract extension through the 2009 season.

Adams took over the Valpo football program in late July, 2005 as the 15th head coach in Crusader history, and just the sixths since 1946. A long-time assistant prior to being named the head coach, Adams joined the Valpo staff prior to the 1991 season.

"Coach Adams has a first hand understanding of our football tradition and a wonderful vision for what is possible going forward,� LaBarbera said. �There have been a lot of positives within the football program over the past seven months and we are looking forward to seeing these play out as success on the field."

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Davidson's Kinsell Named to Lott Trophy Watch List

March 27, 2006 � Defensive lineman Kyle Kinsell of Davidson College is one of the 42 top defensive players in the nation who have been named to the 2006 Lott Trophy Watch List, it was announced today.

Named after Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, the Lott Trophy is awarded to college football�s Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. Now in its third year, the Lott Trophy is the first college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player.

Kinsell was a first-team Academic All-American last season with a 3.76 GPA in biology. He had 55 tackles and led the team with 10 tackles for losses, plus was an All-PFL South performer and I-AA Mid-Major All-American.

Sponsored by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, the award is given to a player who exhibits the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

David Pollack of Georgia and DeMeco Ryans of Alabama were the winners of the first two Lott Trophies. Both Georgia and Alabama received $25,000 for their general scholarship funds. In two years, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation has donated $170,000 to various charities, in addition to the two universities.

Voters for the award include selected members of the national media, previous finalists, the Board of Directors of the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation and master coaches, a distinguished group of former head college coaches. The winner will be announced at a gala black-tie banquet at The Pacific Club on Dec. 10.

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Bernardi Returns to Valpo Football Staff as Associate Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator
Jan. 6, 2005 � Valparaiso University head football coach Stacy Adams has announced that Sam Bernardi will be returning to the Crusader sidelines as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator.

Bernardi was on the sidelines for Valpo for 14 seasons from 1991 through 2004, including his role as the defensive coordinator for the last ten years. He was a member of the Brown and Gold�s coaching staff for both the 2000 and 2003 Pioneer Football League championships.

Bernardi replaces Stan Rettew who left the Valpo program at the end of December.

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Jim Harbaugh Agrees to Multi-Year Deal With USD Football
DEc. 27, 2005 � University of San Diego head football coach Jim Harbaugh has agreed to a new multi-year deal to remain at the helm of the Toreros� football program, it was announced today by Ky Snyder, Executive Director of Athletics. Terms of the contract will remain undisclosed.

This past season Harbaugh, the PFL North Coach of the Year and a candidate for the I-AA Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award, directed the Toreros to a program-best 11-1 record and its first-ever Pioneer Football League title. San Diego dealt Morehead State a 47-40 defeat in the PFL Championship game back on November 19th. USD was also the recipient of the 2005 Sports Network Cup, presented to the team that finished as the No. 1 ranked I-AA Mid-Major team in the nation. The Toreros held the No. 1 ranking over the final six weeks of the season. Harbaugh also guided the Toreros to the school�s first win over an Ivy League opponent, a 17-14 victory over Yale. USD is the first PFL team to accomplish that feat. The Toreros were also a perfect 8-0 at home this season and will take a 13-game home winning streak into the 2006 season. Four Toreros were named to the 2005 The Sports Network I-AA Mid-Major All-America Team, and two Toreros were recognized as ESPN The Magazine/District VIII Academic All-Americans.

During his two-year tenure Harbaugh has combined to go 18-5 overall. The 18 wins over a two-year period is also a new USD record. Last season the Toreros won their final five games to finish 7-4, and Harbaugh has now gone 16-1 over his last 17 contests. The lone loss over this 17 game run was a hard-fought 20-17 road decision at Princeton back on September 24th.