News and Notes from East Carolina, Conference USA and Beyond

PREVIOUS NUGGETS

07.26.06: "Meet the Pirates" shin-dig set for Aug. 19 ... Leukemia claims former UAB football star ... ACC honors Dukie Redick, Terp Infante

07.25.06: ECU last in poll; Allison, Graham get respect ... Former Pirate Ward joins Bulls baseball staff ... NCAA's impact lucrative for Indianapolis

07.24.06: Miami football player shot at off-campus residence ... 'Star-crossed' defensive back leaving Auburn ... Admission denied for Gamecock hoops signee

07.23.06: Accident claims life of Georgia hoops player ...
Ex-Navy quarterback Owens spared jail time ... Former Gamecock suing university

07.22.06: Blue Devils name new lacrosse coach ... Former Duke back issues $1 million challenge ... Current Duke back Harris gets tube time

07.21.06: Hoops recruiting thumbnail: Jontae Sherrod ... Tiger recruit says Irish used negative tactics ... Duke football hit by suspension, dismissals ... UK to report self over Internet shenanigans

07.20.06: ECU to hold public "celebration" of LeClair's life ... LeClair rites to be broadcast and live-streamed ... Future Pirate Fields tallies 8 points in East loss ... C-USA announces staff additions, promotions ... UCF uses buyout; Vols host Wolfpack in 2008

07.19.06: Irish fill baseball coaching vacancy ... Fork Union, Oak Hill getting review by NCAA ... Alabama cager denied fifth year of eligibility

07.18.06: ECU's Krog, Hauser recognized for academics ... UCF golfer fires record round of 60 ... Rutgers drops six sports to trim athletic budget

07.17.06: LSU paying baseball coach $450K per year ... Kruger uses rule change to play for dad ... MAAC adopts new hoops tourney format

07.16.06: UTEP track athletes achieve in classroom ... Former George Mason cager gives up on NFL ... Jury hears tape of Navy quarterback's call

07.15.06: GMAC Bowl in Mobile moves to January ... Louisville ponies up to lock down Petrino ... Tulsa names McCombs women's golf coach

07.14.06: N.C. prep hoops star re-routes to Memphis ... ECU's Flye, Ray land in CPL All-Star Game ... UNC-CH's Miller receives Clemens Award

07.13.06: Logan to have daily show on "The Bull" ... Marshall hires former Blue Devil as hoops aide ... Redick 'backs' out of Team USA workouts

07.12.06: C-USA unveils 2005-06 athletes of the year ... Rape trial underway for former Navy QB ... Clemson gridder on jet ski that killed coach

07.11.06: ECU recruiting thumbnail: D.J. McFadden ... Uggla poised to make history in All-Star game ... COSIDA recognizes former president Ford ... Houston associate AD Sparks succumbs

07.10.06: ECU alum Godwin to wear LSU's purple & gold ... Tulane resumes baseball stadium renovation ... Kelly rejoins O'Leary at Central Florida

07.09.06: Fitzgerald takes bittersweet promotion ... Paper defuses report on Mayo to USC ... More national acclaim for Houston's Lincoln ... SMU golfer wins Greater Cincy title

07.08.06: Former ECU slugger Hastings joins BC staff ... Tar Heel baseball stars transition to pros ... Rice's Britton packing to play in Philippines

07.07.06: Report: No. 1 prep hoops star choosing USC ... Motorcycle wreck claims Georgia Southern star ... NBA exhibition games coming to Dean Dome

07.06.06: Owls' St. Clair chosen for Team USA baseball ... Houston, Rice rookies make all-frosh team ... Case-era Pack hoops legend Dickey passes

07.05.06: National honors piling up for Houston's Lincoln ... Wade's wallet now packs a wallop ... Duke gets QB from prestigious prep program

07.04.06: Howard joins ECU media relations staff ... Bertman leads college baseball hall's first class ... Temple gets prized hometown grid recruit

07.03.06: Paper: C of C and Cremins come to agreement ... Four depart Oregon in search of playing time ... Gator recruit wins national prep QB award

07.02.06: College of Charleston hires Bobby Cremins ... Duke gets pair of football commitments ... Georgia Tech baseball coach gets extra year ... Big Sky Conference expands by one

07.01.06: SI.com columnist rates O'Leary among best ... Bogdan, Floyd get top awards in C-USA track ... Northwestern mourns passing of Walker

06.30.06: NCAA gives new life to Houston bowl game ... Memphis duo makes school history in NBA draft ... LSU selects Mainieri to direct baseball program ... Marshall backpedals back to Winthrop

06.29.06: BCS to tweak timing of weekly poll ... Louisville to push two players for Heisman ... Redick fares well in draft despite impediments

06.28.06: Postgraduate scholarship goes to ECU's Davenport ... UCF center foregoes final year of eligibility ... Sinclair named women's athlete of the year

06.27.06: Beavers beat Heels to win College World Series ... Irish baseball coach to interview for LSU job ... Cal quarterback suspended after assault charge

06.26.06: Mustangs lead
C-USA teams in Director's Cup ... Tulane AD receives prestigious service award ... Calipari racking up some broadcast work

06.25.06: Coal industry to sponsor Marshall-WVU series ... Mountaineers extend Rodriguez deal to 2012 ... Vols add non-league challenges

06.24.06: Del Conte takes reins as AD at Rice ... Contact at combine means fine for Emory ... UNCW aligns with adidas for shoes, uniforms

06.23.06: Witter starts professional ball with a flourish ... Big Ben's little sister commits to Sooners ... Wake Forest football recruit faces felony charges

06.22.06: Big Ten scores momentous television deals ... Former ECU diver Derr to coach at JMU ... Grizzlies turn to Tinkle on hardwood

06.21.06: Troth returns to the fold as ECU assistant ... College of Charleston, Herrion settle on buyout ... Another national award for Houston's Lincoln

06.20.06: ECU announces long-term pact with Nike ... Pirates release women's soccer schedule ... Three C-USA linemen on Outland Trophy list

DEVON WALLACE (6-2, 195) WR/DB, Southern Alamance ... Committed to the Pirates on July 25, taking advantage of his first offer after receiving recruiting attention from North Carolina, N.C. State and Wake Forest. ... A versatile performer for coach Tony Perrou, Wallace ran for 400 yards as a back and made 22 catches for 300 yards as a receiver. ... He also played quarterback and defensive end for the Patriots last season. ... projected to play wide receiver and defensive back as a senior. ... began high school at New Bern but did not play in 2004. ... Return a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown against Burlington Cummings in his first game at Southern Alamance. ... Perrou said Wallace is the program's first Division I player in almost three decades. ... credited with a 4.5-second time for 40 yards. [Posted 07.27.06]

Southern Mississippi redshirt sophomore tight end Shawn Nelson has been named to the John Mackey Award watch list, according to an announcement on the Conference USA website.

Nelson was one of three sophomores named to the list and the only tight end from Conference USA to be selected.

The John Mackey Award is given annually to the best collegiate tight end. The award recipient is selected by vote of the John Mackey Award selection committee and announced in mid-December.

Nelson already has been tabbed preseason All-Conference USA by Athlon's, the C-USA coaches, Street and Smith's and The Sporting News.

In 2005, Nelson had the best season by a Golden Eagle tight end in school history, earning freshman All-American honors from The Sporting News and collegefootballnews.com. He was named third-team All-Conference USA and selected to the league's All-Freshman team, as he led the team with 35 catches for 540 yards, averaging 15.4 yards per catch and recording five touchdowns.

Nelson was named the MVP in the New Orleans Bowl after he finished with six catches for 121 yards and scored two touchdowns.

NFL Hall of Fame member John Mackey is considered to be the best to have played the tight end position. A tight end by whom all others are measured, Mackey was a role model on and off the field as demonstrated by his Super Bowl Championship, his commitment to community and his place in history as the first President of the National Football League Players Association.

Presented since 2001, the John Mackey Award lists five NFL players as alumni: Dallas Clark ('01) of the Indianapolis Colts, Daniel Graham ('02) of the New England Patriots, Kellen Winslow, Jr. ('03) of the Cleveland Browns, Heath Miller ('04) of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Marcedes Lewis ('05) of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Media attending the 2006 ACC football kickoff in Jacksonville, FL, picked Florida State and Miami to win the league's Atlantic and Coastal Divisions, respectively, according to an announcement on theacc.com.

The Seminoles were the media favorite a year ago and tied Boston College for the regular season title. Florida State went on to win the inaugural ACC football championship game 27-22 over Virginia Tech.

The Hurricanes were picked by the media to win the Coastal Division this season ahead of the 2005 Coastal Division champion Virginia Tech.

Miami also edged Florida State as the favorite to win the 2006 ACC football championship game in Jacksonville, FL, on December 2.

In other voting at the ACC kickoff, the media overwhelmingly voted for Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson as the 2006 preseason player of the year. The junior All-American from Tyrone, Ga., leads all returning ACC receivers with 1,725 yards on 102 career receptions. He received 50 of the possible 65 votes in the preseason balloting.

Steve Wieberg has reported that a group of former college officials headed by former NCAA President Cedric Dempsey will start a new spring minor league with a twist — the eight teams will use colleges as their bases, and feature players from those schools and their affiliated conferences and surrounding regions.

They'll play their games in the schools' stadiums or in bowl facilities. All 44-48 players per team must have graduated from college and exhausted their college eligibility.

"When you look at some of the minor leagues that failed, this is a different model," says Dempsey, chairman of the All-American Football League's managing board. "I think it'll have a lot of interest from a fan standpoint."

The league will start play in 2007, with each team probably playing a 14-game schedule from the second week of April to the end of June. Beyond tying them to the Big Ten, Southeastern and Atlantic Coast conferences, Dempsey declined to specify which schools will be affiliated.

The AAFL will start stocking rosters after the NFL's April draft. Players employed by the league earn about $100,000, according to the USA Today report.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from other sources. Copyright 2006 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.