FB: Upper Midwest Athletic Conference

[Andras Bacia]

Huntingdon has 141 show up for camp.

Is Huntingdon the only D3 school in Alabama?

I would be interested to see what your attrition rate is from freshman to sophomore, sophs to juniors, etc.
With 30 returning letterman and 16 starters I'm guessing a lot of these guys won't ever see the field on game day.

[AF4]

hay

birmingham southern (scac) is in b'ham, lagrange (sliac) is in la grange, ga...and literally on the ga-bama line

montgomery has a second yr naia program in faulkner...and appears to compete for some ...not many...but some of our pool of kids

concordia is in selma (naia)..and a few of the kids who lift Huntingdon, have tranfered to concordia and faulkner... again not many

we play faulkner, but not concordia ..at least up till now

usually 1/2 -1/3 of the kids stay for thier soph yr...or so it appears... but i could be wrong

they have a good jv program

keep the faith

[Timewilltell]

I see MacMurry being much improved but inexperience will cost them some games they will win next year and the year after. Eureka has been able to keep the same coach and get some consistancy, so look for them to get some wins and pull an upset during the year.
Greenville will be very experinenced at the skilled positions and are two and three deep at the LB position on defense. Staff has been together for 4 years and are very good. Blackburn is on the same path as Eureka, able to keep the coaches and build some depth. they will win some games and get an upset. The other schools I just know what I read.

Put Greenville, Huntington and Lagrange in a hat and pick one, just depends on who comes to play each week. Greenville will start with a very tough non-Confrence schedule- Washington University, Agustana, and Rose Hulman with the last two on the road. They could start the conf. schedule 1-2 or 0-3. But don't judge by that...

[Andras Bacia]

hay

birmingham southern (scac) is in b'ham, lagrange (sliac) is in la grange, ga...and literally on the ga-bama line

montgomery has a second yr naia program in faulkner...and appears to compete for some ...not many...but some of our pool of kids

concordia is in selma (naia)..and a few of the kids who lift Huntingdon, have tranfered to concordia and faulkner... again not many

we play faulkner, but not concordia ..at least up till now

usually 1/2 -1/3 of the kids stay for thier soph yr...or so it appears... but i could be wrong

they have a good jv program

keep the faith

There are 20 D3 programs with in a 120 mile radius of Eureka, 21 including Eureka. Plus a couple of NAIA schools
So those kids who want to play but aren't D1 or D2 material have a lot of choices.  It keeps things interesting I suppose.

[AF4]

Andras

we have no where near the D3 competition yall do

alabama has 5 D-1, 4 D1fcs, 5 D2, 2 naia, and of course 2 relatively new D3 programs....2 of the D1's well in the SEC (Auburn and bama) and troy does well in the sunbelt, north alabama is THE Class of arguably the best D-2 conference (sunbelt- delta state, valdosta state, +.) UNA or north alabama although D2 has put ~60 folks into pro football over the yrs

this little poor  state has produced  2 naia, 14 D-1, 7 D-2 national champs in football, several swac champs...and a bunch of gulf south and sec champs

our d3 athletes do not have the choices yall have...but many of our kids would have been walkons in d2, d1, naia, and d1fcs (formerly 1aa) prior to huntingdon and b southern......or would have gone up up to sewanee-milsaps-miss coll. -rhoades....and some still do

but now some have the ability to stay near home ...and get a better chance of playing football


keep the faith

[Pat Coleman]

Our condolences to the Huntingdon football family on their loss today.

[Ralph Turner]

Our condolences to the Huntingdon football family on their loss today.

Ohhhh noooooooo!   

That is so sad!  Football coaches and players in the south know how to handle the heat.  It is just something that you are conditioned to do!  You have been doing the drill since junior high!

Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate! I wonder about something else as a co-morbidity.


I have found the weather in Montgomery on August 15th.  click here.

At noon, it was 84 degrees.  That is not hot for us in the South.  In fact, yesterday was cooler than normal.

[DBQ1965]

Thoughts and prayers from the IIAC to the family of Sam Collins and the Huntington College family on their great loss.

[Andras Bacia]

My condolences to the Collins family and to the Huntingdon football family.
I will keep them in my prayers.

[SaintsFAN]

I would like to add my condolences to the Collins family and to the Huntingdon College community. 

[Highlander]

I would like to send my condolences to the family of Sam Collins and to the whole Huntingdon College community. As we at Maryville found out in the fall, it is always tough to lose such a young man. I can only hope that no other school community has to deal with any more losses of those or are to young.

[Tex]

This is every parent's worst nightmare.  I pray for this young man's family.  Truly the worst thing I can imagine. 

[AF4]

thank all of yall for your concern...here is the latest statement from Huntingdon

August 16, 2008
Huntingdon Copes With Death of Student-Athlete
Statement Attributed to:
J. Cameron West
President, Huntingdon College
Montgomery, Alabama


"The Huntingdon College community continues to grieve today after the death of freshman defensive lineman and pre-dentistry student Sam Collins, Friday, August 15. Sam was a 2008 graduate of Flomaton High School in Flomaton, Alabama. He was an All-State football athlete in high school. Sam fell ill following the Huntingdon football team's morning practice and died later in the evening at Jackson Hospital.

"Yesterday was the team's second official practice of the season after checking in on Wednesday, August 13. This week we have been running one-a-day practices from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. The team has worn shorts, shirts, and helmets, but no pads. A brief team meeting followed the morning work-out, and the team left the field at 11:40 a.m. The high temperature during practice was 85 degrees, with relative humidity at 68%.

"Sam experienced cramping during the latter stages of practice, for which he received hydration. After practice, he became ill and was taken to the Athletic Training Room. He was assessed by our Certified Athletic Trainers, who called paramedics. Emergency personnel arrived on the scene and transported Sam to Jackson Hospital, where he arrived at approximately 12:30 p.m. Head Coach Mike Turk contacted Sam's mother, who traveled to Montgomery.

"The medical team at Jackson Hospital cared for Sam until his death at about 7:30 p.m. Mrs. Collins was at Jackson Hospital when her son passed away. An official cause of death has not been determined, and we understand an autopsy will be performed.

"We ask for your thoughts and prayers to surround the Collins family in this time of grief. Funeral arrangements are pending in Flomaton, Alabama.

"Coach Turk altered practice this morning in order to meet with players and to begin the healing process. Counselors are being made available for the players on the team.

"The Huntingdon community is devastated by the death of this bright and promising young man. We are planning a gathering on campus to remember him and to honor his life. A memorial fund has been established to assist the family with final arrangements. Donations may be sent to the Office of External Affairs, Huntingdon College, 1500 E. Fairview Avenue, Montgomery, Alabama, 36109. Checks may be made payable to Huntingdon College and designated to the Sam Collins Memorial Fund.

"At this time, these are all of the facts that we know. As new information is learned, we will release further statements."


----keep Sams family and all of the Huntingdon family in your prayers

keep the faith

[Alfredeneumann]

Latest Huntingdon release concerning Sam Collins death.

Huntingdon Mourns Death of Student-Athlete Sam Collins

    * Huntingdon Community in Shock After Tragedy: With heavy hearts, the Huntingdon community is continuing its progress toward the opening of the academic year August 25, while our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Sam Collins. Sam, a freshman from Flomaton, Alabama, became ill following the Huntingdon football team's Friday morning practice, August 15. He was taken by ambulance to Jackson Hospital, where he died at approximately 7:30 Friday evening. Sam was a pre-dentistry student at Huntingdon and was named to the All-State Football Team following his final high school season. An official cause of death has not been determined, and an autopsy is being conducted.
    * Funeral Arrangements Pending: This morning, we learned that a funeral service for Sam is planned, tentatively, for Saturday, August 23, at 10:00 a.m. at Flomaton High School in Flomaton. The Reverend John Evangelista, pastor of First UMC Flomaton, will officiate.
    * Memorial Fund Established: The Sam Collins Memorial Fund has been established to honor Sam's life. To contribute, checks may be made payable to Huntingdon College with Sam Collins Memorial Fund designated on the check and mailed to the Office of External Affairs at the College's address (see below).
    * Chapel Service Dedicated to Sam's Memory: The first Huntingdon Chapel service of the year, Wednesday, September 3, will be conducted in honor of Sam Collins, according to Dr. Mark La Branche, Dean of Ligon Chapel and Senior Vice President for External Affairs. The service will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Ligon Chapel, Flowers Hall. All Chapel services are open to the public.
    * Hawks Football Practice Resumes: The Huntingdon Hawks football team resumed practice Sunday, August 17, only the fourth official practice day of the season. On Saturday, Director of Athletics Buzz Phillips said, "You could tell that our young men had Sam and his family on their minds today. He had a youthful enthusiasm that really made others around him better. Today's practice may not have accomplished what the football staff would have liked, but for a few minutes of a difficult last couple of days, I think it helped our student-athletes and coaches think about something other than the tragedy that occurred. And I think Sam would have wanted that."
    * For More on the Death of Sam Collins: www.huntingdon.edu/news/archive/2008/aug/08_16_08_statement; www.huntingdon.edu/news/archive/2008/aug/08_15_08_collins

[Alfredeneumann]

HUNTINGDON is posting daily football reports.
http://www.huntingdon.edu/athletics/athletic_news