Former FWAA president Ivan Maisel and his wife, Meg, are focusing on their special memories of their son, Max, a student at the Rochester Institute of Technology who disappeared Feb. 22 and is presumed dead.
Click here to read the entire story from the Fairfield Citizen.
We are having a memorial service and a celebration of Max’s life on Friday, March 27 at Congregation Bnai Israel in Bridgeport, CT. If anyone is interested in attending, please contact me at Ivan.Maisel@gmail.com.
Thanks,
Ivan Maisel
Bob Mancuso is the main reason the FWAA’s Outland Trophy Dinner has been in Omaha since 1996. His sons, Bob Jr., Mike and Joe, now run it each January. Tom Shatel, FWAA President in 2000, writes a column about Bob Sr”s legacy in Omaha.
In the March CoSIDA Digest, FWAA Executive Director Steve Richardson offered 10 tips that can help Sports Information Directors have better relations with beat writers.
Click here to read the CoSIDA Digest. Richardson’s tips are on Pages 20-21.
Steve Boda was a giant of a man in the relatively mundane world of sports number-gathering and statistic-crunching. He never sought the spotlight, but in a lot of ways, he created it.
For 40 years, Boda, a long-time FWAA member, was a statistician and researcher at the NCAA. On the side, during evenings at home, he created what may be the most extensive Notre Dame football history ever assembled.
Boda, who died with little public notice at age 90 last Nov. 14, had one wish — that those files, now locked up in a Stilwell, Kan., storage park — go to Notre Dame.
Click here to read the entire story by Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com.
There’s a saying in sports: “You can’t tell the players without a scorecard.” With the uniforms being worn by some NCAA teams these days, you can’t tell the players even with the scorecard.
College sports’ never ending uniform craze had included a number of jerseys with unreadable numbers, which have in turn created competitive concerns. It’s a small but increasing minority of schools with numbers on their jerseys that are tough to read. In the grand scheme of NCAA problems these days, this one hardly rises to the top.
But there are enough concerns being raised about deciphering jersey numbers that the NCAA is taking efforts to clean up what’s apparently becoming a gamesmanship issue. Some coaches want the confusion to gain an edge so future opponents have trouble scouting their team.
To read this entire commentary by FWAA member Jon Solomon at CBSSports.com, CLICK HERE.
Thoughts and prayers from the FWAA go out to member Ivan Maisel and his family during a difficult time following the disappearance of Ivan and Meg’s son Max in Rochester, N.Y. Max was a student at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and we hope for his safe return.
Click here to read the original story in the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle.
Click here for an update from USA Today on Friday.
Click here for a Sunday update.
OMAHA — Now that college football’s minuscule catch-your-breath season is upon us — the short break between national signing day and the start of spring practice — it’s time to introduce myself as your new president of the Football Writers Association of America.
And I do mean “your’’ president because I view this as a service position.
FWAA 2015 President Lee Barfknecht.
This sport we find so fascinating/maddening/energizing gets bigger and (mostly) better every year. Coming off the first College Football Playoff, attention and interest is as high as I can recall in my 35 years with this product.
(Don’t forget a hearty round of applause for Bill Hancock, Gine Lehe and all those from CFP who made “North Texas 2015” a rousing success.)
The FWAA, under the strong guidance of executive director Steve Richardson, is set up to honor those who deserve a pat on the back, talk discreetly to those we think could do things better and in general pay attention to this sport’s operations in a way to help all members do their best.
I’m a newspaper guy — who in the next two weeks has “continuing education’’ meetings on video streaming, Twitter and Internet radio — but am well aware our membership includes all types of folks associated with college football.
We will look at issues that arise without fear or favor, but with respect.
The relationship between beat people and coaches is a two-way street. The relationship between news gatherers and athletic departments is a two-way street. Sometimes, swords are crossed. It’s the nature of the business. Our goal, though, is to find common-sense solutions for any problems that come up.
We need input from both sides of the fence, and accurate information on which to pursue any necessary conflict resolution. And don’t forget to include good news and “atta-boys,’’ too. The celebration of good work is something our business too often neglects.
These pictures were taken at the Outland Trophy presentation banquet on Jan. 15 at the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Omaha. Brandon Scherff became the fourth Iowa player to win the award and the second under Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz. Ross Browner, the 1976 winner at Notre Dame, received his trophy, and former Nebraska offensive line coach Milt Tenopir was honored with the inaugural Tom Osborne Legacy Award for contributions to line play.
There photos by Melissa Macatee were shot at the FWAA’s annual meeting and breakfast on Tuesday Jan. 13, 2015, in Dallas.
The Fifth Down 