News and Notes from East Carolina, Conference USA and Beyond

PREVIOUS NUGGETS

12.18.06: — Former ECU aide Calloway takes helm at UAB ... Auburn suspends 3 from bowl game ... 17,000-plus watch Nebraska win volleyball title

12.17.06: Orange Bowl resets ECU-Wake hoops to Jan. 1 ... Spurrier's wife, Lawing commit infractions ... Rebs, Bulldogs shuffled on Memphis schedule

12.16.06: Appalachian State repeats as I-AA champ ... DeBerry announces retirement at Air Force ... Possible perp in Pata shooting held in Boston

12.15.06: Boone booming with football success ... All-America: Rice's Dillard and UTEP's Higgins ... Miami offensive coordinator moving to ASU

12.14.06: Grobe gets national recognition for coaching ... ECU soccer duo receives honors

12.13.06: Pirate baseball competes to get in shape ... Holy Toledo! Green Wave's search over ... Arizona State fills football coaching void

12.12.06: Garrard not complaining after Jags win ... Rutgers' Schiano named coach of year ... Wolfpack dominates Lady Pirates in Raleigh

12.11.06: Watson Brown heads home to Tennessee Tech ... Boston College names Spaziani interim coach ... Georgia Tech's Johnson wins Biletnikoff award

12.10.06: Junior Smith involved in Cox commitment ... WVU's Rodriguez says no to Bama's big bucks ... Boykin leaves Blue Devils hoops program

12.09.06: Garrard named AFC player of the week ... C-USA players of year: Kolb, Bunting, Higgins ,,, Miami elevates Shannon to head coach

12.08.06: Rivers tips off conclusion of coaching search ... Orioles' Roberts serving FCA baseball camps ... Hoops: Lady Pirates defeat UNC-Wilmington

12.07.06: Nine Pirates named to all-conference teams ... League honors four ECU freshman gridders ... Recruiting thumbnail: Rodney Cox ... ECU's Norris named to All-South 2nd team

12.06.06: UTEP's Higgins named AFCA All-American ... Memphis thumps Herd in C-USA hoops opener ... C-USA names top cross country performers

12.05.06: First-ever Gators- Buckeyes match-up a big one ... Boise State crashes BCS party in Fiesta ... Seminoles top Lady Pirates for tourney title

12.04.06: New recruiting thumbnail: Tyrell Worthington ... McFadden leads Independence into title game ... Bearcats bound for new bowl in Toronto

12.03.06: Paper: Hudson among Cincy coaching targets ... UAB ousted from NCAA volleyball by UCLA

12.02.06: Witter wins minor league baseball honor ... Millican in position in LPGA qualifying ... ECU announces challenging softball slate

12.01.06: C-USA announces football players of year ... Rice's Graham gets coach of year award ... ECU's Krug lands All-America honor

11.30.06: T.H. issues direct appeal to fans for ticket sales ... New recruiting thumbnail: Maurice Mercer ... Dougherty, Johnson first team All-Conference ... Five from ECU on C-USA All-Freshman team

11.29.06: C-USA bowl slate sends ECU to Birmingham ... SMU's Needham a finalist for Hermann Trophy ... Bearcats coach bolts for Michigan State

11.28.06: ECU's Roach on
C-USA academic team ... Wager on Clemson-South Carolina turns deadly ... Shula era comes to end at Alabama

11.27.06: C-USA title game features UH-USM rematch ... Bunting farewell to press a succinct one ... ECU announces swimming, diving signees

11.26.06: Pirates add Lugo to 2008 baseball class ... VCU prevails over ECU in women's hoops ... Tulsa gains momentum for postseason trip

11.25.06: ECU-bound Herlocker paces Charlotte Catholic ... Miami enters search mode for football coach ... BC out of ACC title contention

11.24.06: Herd takes ECU hopes to Hattiesburg ... Gonzaga has a Garden party in NIT semis ... Iowa State search eliminates two candidates

11.23.06: Yow taking leave of absence for treatment ... Marshall's Bradshaw nabs
C-USA weekly honor

11.22.06: Pirates face Houston if Marshall wins ... Former teammates push Raye for MSU coach ... SMU's Wideman named academic player of year

11.21.06: Duke, Wake athletes named Rhodes scholars ... UAB captures Conference USA volleyball ... Old Dominion stuns Georgetown on the road

11.20.06: Ohio State-Michigan rematch possible ... Video helps inspire Tar Heels to beat State ... Cords stepping down as AD at Marquette

11.19.06: Cougars to host USM or ECU in C-USA title game ... ECU falls in women's hoops to Vermont ... Pirate swimming teams in seventh place

11.18.06: ECU baseball bringing in 10-man class ... UTEP edges Pirates in C-USA volleyball ... West Virginia steamrolls Pitt

11.17.06: Pirates reschedule hoops contest with NCCU ... ECU volleyball places 3 on all- league team ... Top-ranked SMU goes down in NCAA soccer

11.16.06: Paterno's hall of fame induction postponed ... Tressel downplays his dominance vs. Michigan ... ECU softball announces pair of signees

11.15.06: Pirates control their fate in East Division ... Pinkney in star game, playing for Buddy Ryan ... ECU's Lee named special teams player of week

11.14.06: ECU-NCSU kickoff moved to 7 p.m. for TV ... Butch will succeed Bunting at UNC- Chapel Hill ... Conference USA coaches make debuts ... Pirates seeded sixth in C-USA volleyball ... Lady Pirates drop hoops opener to JMU

11.13.06: Houston clinches
C-USA championship berth ... ECU volleyball slips in regular season finale ... Grad rates: Athletes outperform student body

11.12.06: ECU announces women's hoops signees ... Miners extinguish Blazers' bowl hopes ... Mustang duo in contention for Hermann Trophy

11.11.06: Rutgers kicks Cards out of title picture ... Roach selected for district academic honor ... Krug getting it done on court, in classroom

11.10.06: Pirates prepare for Saturday hoops opener ... Houston's Kolb makes cut on O'Brien award list ... UNC-CH officials mum on Davis' status

11.09.06: Former star QB to represent N.C. in Congress ... Homicide unit probing death of Miami player ... Krog's 73 puts her in top five at Augusta

11.08.06: UK's win over Payne's charges not flawless ... SMU, UAB gain NCAA men's soccer berths ... Three C-USA women's teams get NCAA slots

11.07.06: Two Marshall players get C-USA honors ... UAB women capture C-USA soccer title ... Punter faces attempted murder charge

11.06.06: Pirate volleyball takes down Memphis ... Denny O'Brien's Harris Poll ballot ... ECU swimmers, divers perform well ... Paterno recovering from fractured leg

11.05.06: Promotions aplenty for ECU-Marshall game ...
Ex-Tulsa great Largent gets humanitarian honor

11.04.06: Dougherty a semifinalist for Ray Guy Award ... Butch Davis deal with Tar Heels imminent? ... Cardinals talking national title, again ... Honors abound for ECU women's soccer team

11.03.06: Boise State rolls past Bulldogs ... Reale, Pirates earn seconds at Kitty Hawk ... ECU softball's Kozlowski promoted

11.02.06: Mustangs a win away from bowl eligibility ... Hunt, Icenhower lead East Carolina divers ... ECU's Moore earns academic honor with 4.0

11.01.06: Kragthorpe curtails Tar Heel speculation ... Pirates in C-USA women's soccer tourney ... Backup QB Lee to start for FSU against Cavs

Compiled from staff and electronic reports
©Bonesville.net. All rights reserved.

East Carolina senior wide receiver Aundrae Allison has been selected to participate in the 2007 Senior Bowl, to be played Jan. 27 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, AL. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. and the game will be aired on the NFL Network.

In just two years, the Kannapolis native has established himself as one of the best receivers in Pirate history. In 21 games — all starts — Allison has 142 career receptions, second on the school's all-time list. He is fourth on the school's all-time receiving yardage charts (1,708) after collecting 72 yards against N.C. State.

The two-time Fred Biletnikoff Award candidate and two-time All-Conference USA selection holds the single-season record for receiving yards (1,024) while becoming ECU's first 1,000-yard receiver in 2005. His 83 receptions as a junior ranks second in the single-season record book.

In 2006, Allison's 59 receptions, 684 receiving yards, four touchdowns and two 100-yard receiving performances (138 vs. Southern Methodist, 124 vs. Memphis) leads all Pirate receivers. He needs just 47 more yards to move into second place on the school's all-time list, trailing only Troy Smith (1995-98).

The Senior Bowl bills itself as the nation's most unique football game and football's premier pre-draft event. The game annually features the country's best senior collegiate football stars and top NFL draft prospects on teams representing the North and South, which are coached by the entire coaching staffs from two National Football League teams.

The Senior Bowl is also attended annually by over 700 NFL coaches, scouts and other front office personnel each year.

Over 560 former Senior Bowl players are currently active in the NFL, and the 2006 NFL Pro Bowl rosters featured 26 former Senior Bowl players. In 2006, 15 players from 2006 Senior Bowl were selected in the first round of the NFL draft.

Allison, the second Pirate to accept a post-season all-star game invitation (James Pinkney, All-American Classic), is the eleventh ECU player to participate in the Senior Bowl and the first since Brian Rimpf in 2004.

After a week-long interview process and a weekend of discussing staffing and other issues, Boston College has chosen Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski as its next football coach, according to sources at the school.

The 43-year old Jagodzinski will be introduced at a press conference on Wednesday, according to a Boston Globe report.

Jagodzinski was tight ends coach at East Carolina from 1988 to 1990 and was offensive line coach for the Pirates from 1991 to 1996.

BC officials had emphasized that the next coach must have either a familiarity or a connection with BC. Jagodzinski has both, serving as O’Brien’s offensive coordinator in 1997-98 before moving to the NFL, first with the Atlanta Falcons and then in 1999 with the Packers. This is his first season as the Packers' offensive coordinator.

Jagodzinski was selected over Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks coach and former University of Massachusetts coach Mark Whipple and several other candidates, including BC defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani.

Part of the attraction of Jagodzinski was the continuity factor, with several member of O’Brien’s coaching staff expected to join the new staff. Another possibility could be the return of Jack Bicknell, III, son of former BC coach Jack Bicknell, as a member of the Jagodzinski’s staff.

Recent reports from ESPN on ABC, ESPN and CBS show continued strength and growth in regular season ratings for college football, according to the National Football Foundation.

Highlights included the debut season for ESPN on ABC’s Saturday Night Football producing a 24 percent increase in viewership for the same time slot over the previous year with an average 5.0 rating and 7.9 million total viewers. The program claimed the most watched show in all of television on six nights.

ESPN saw the coverage of Florida State at Miami game become its most-watched regular season game ever on Sept. 4, with 6.33 million households tuning in, while ESPN’s College Game Day, which claimed the 2006 NFF Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award, garnered its most-viewed and highest-rated season ever, averaging 1.6 million households and a 1.7 rating.

CBS reported its household rating had a three percent increase from last year. The Dec. 2 SEC championship game between Florida and Arkansas produced a 13 percent increase over last year’s game between Georgia and LSU.

“These numbers show that the interest in college football continues to grow and that the sport is truly America’s passion,” said NFF president Steve Hatchell. “We applaud the broadcasting industry for their efforts and creativity in promoting the great game of college football and making it accessible to millions of viewers during the season.”

ESPN on ABC’s coverage of the Nov. 18 Michigan at Ohio State game attracted 21 million viewers, drawing the largest TV audience for a regular season game since the 1993 Florida State at Notre Dame game, which had 22 million viewers.

ESPN’s weekly Thursday night series produced its two most-viewed games ever (Nov. 2 West Virginia vs. Louisville and Nov. 9 Louisville vs. Rutgers,) averaging 4.6 million households en route to its most-viewed season with an average of 2.5 million households.

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 electronic services and other sources. Copyright 2006 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.