FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[gbpuckfan]

ST. NORBERT COLLEGE TO PLAY FOOTBALL GAME
IN  DUBLIN, IRELAND IN 2012


    DE PERE, WIS.: St. Norbert College will face John Carroll (Ohio) University in Dublin, Ireland, in its 2012 season opener as part of the Global Ireland Football Tournament (GIFT). The game, scheduled for August 31, 2012, will mark the first NCAA Division III game played in Europe since 1992.

    The game marks the first time St. Norbert will compete intercollegiately outside of North America, and only the second time any team will have played outside of the continental United States. The St. Norbert hockey team played at Alaska-Fairbanks in 1997. The trip will be financed through private funding and no college operating funds will be used.

    "St. Norbert College is extremely excited to partner with a fellow Catholic institution in John Carroll University in this event," St. Norbert president Thomas Kunkel said. "This is a great opportunity not only for our football program but for the college overall."

      The St. Norbert-John Carroll game, with the venue still to be determined, is the only college game played as part of GIFT. At least three American high school games will also be played that weekend at various locations around Dublin. All teams participating in GIFT will have an opportunity to attend the Notre Dame-Navy game on September 1, 2012 in Dublin.

      "This will be a wonderful educational opportunity for our student-athletes, and I am appreciative of our administration for supporting this endeavor," St. Norbert football coach Jim Purtill said. "This experience will be great for those who might not normally get a chance to travel abroad in not only an athletic setting but an educational one as well."

       Travel information for fans as well as other information about the trip is available at http://www.snc.edu/athletics/football/ireland2012.html.

      The Global Ireland Football Tournament is planned by Global Football, a Texas-based company which oversees several overseas trips for college football teams.

      "After a year of planning, GIFT 2012 is now becoming a reality, and is already much bigger than I had anticipated," Global Football president Patrick Steenberge said. "Through the help of American football leaders in Ireland, we have found a number of top quality stadiums which are eager to host our games. Since there currently are no high school or junior-level league teams there, it will be a chance for the American coaches and players who travel to Ireland to demonstrate their abilities to passionate Irish sports fans and media." 

     St. Norbert is 107-21 in 12 years under Purtill and has won 13 Midwest Conference championship since joining the league in 1984. The Green Knights have made nine NCAA Division III Playoff appearances.

     The only Norbertine college in the world, St. Norbert is a four-year, Catholic liberal arts college, devoted to the Norbertine traditions of community, prayer and service to others. Founded in 1898 by Abbot Bernard Pennings as a school to prepare men for the priesthood, St. Norbert College became coeducational in 1952. Today the residential campus serves about 2,200 undergraduate and graduate students hailing from throughout the United States and more than 30 countries, and offers study abroad opportunities in 37 countries.

                                                                                 

[reality check]

One of those high school games mentioned features two teams from where I am in Phoenix. 

Interesting that the release states the JCU/SNC game is the only college game as part of GIFT yet it's centered around the Notre Dame/Navy contest. 

[gbpuckfan]

Interesting that the release states the JCU/SNC game is the only college game as part of GIFT yet it's centered around the Notre Dame/Navy contest. 

Well, I'm guessing Notre Dame and Navy didn't need/use this Global Football organization in selling its game... so SNC/JCU becomes the only game in that event ... splitting hairs I guess, but it does seem odd, yes.

[seventiesraider]

Quite sad that John Carroll has been chose to demonstrate to the Irish how football is played. Someone needs to demonstrate it for JCU first

[Raider 68]

On one of the many 2011 Draft websites, Cecil Shorts is picked as being the #10th WR for the upcoming draft!

[reality check]

On one of the many 2011 Draft websites, Cecil Shorts is picked as being the #10th WR for the upcoming draft!

That mean's he's dropped because McShay or Kiper had him at #5 WR before the combine.

[Raider 68]

On one of the many 2011 Draft websites, Cecil Shorts is picked as being the #10th WR for the upcoming draft!

That mean's he's dropped because McShay or Kiper had him at #5 WR before the combine.

RC,

Saw another earlier one that had him 19th, so who knows. Good post on the AZ conference issue. No doubt it is quite a problem there. Are there any upsides at all?

[reality check]

The upside is that AZ places playoff participants based on power points. You get 50 points for a victory plus 5 points for a victory against a team in the division above you.  If you lose, you can get secondary points for opponent's record and tertiary points for opponent's opponent record.  We are potentially rewarded for strength of schedule.  So we might lose to the defending state runner-up in the bigger school division by 50 points but benefit from the fact that they should go 10-0 and earn us lots of secondary and tertiary points.  I guess a butt-whooping will have a silver lining.

[Blutarsky]

Sounds as though Coach Tressel should have read his own book.....

[labart96]

Sounds as though Coach Tressel should have read his own book.....

No kidding.  I was just in Columbus (thanks for the recommendations - I went with the Hype Park steak house due to it's being close to my hotel) and this hadn't broken yet.  Crazy.

[Raider 68]

Anyone heard of other draft eligible football players are coming to Mount on the 16th for Pro Day in addition to Cecil Shorts?

[Kira & Jaxon's Dad]

Anyone heard of other draft eligible football players are coming to Mount on the 16th for Pro Day in addition to Cecil Shorts?

Kyle Miller will probably work out.  He posted on Facebook today that he is also going to the OSU Pro Day tomorrow.

[reality check]

Just read the release that came out regarding Hamilton HS (Chandler, AZ) and their opponent in the GIFT extravanganza on a local website.

I am quoting directly because I'm not creative enough to make this up...

"Organizer Global Football announced this week that two top Division III American football programs will be part of the football bonanza when John Carroll University and St. Norbert College take the field.

Top Division III team now means a 12-9 combined record in 2010. 

[Raider 68]

Just read the release that came out regarding Hamilton HS (Chandler, AZ) and their opponent in the GIFT extravanganza on a local website.

I am quoting directly because I'm not creative enough to make this up...

"Organizer Global Football announced this week that two top Division III American football programs will be part of the football bonanza when John Carroll University and St. Norbert College take the field.

Top Division III team now means a 12-9 combined record in 2010.  

JCU was 8-12 for that last 2 years, great winning percentage! How about 24-26 over the last 5 years!

[BoBo]

Anyone heard of other draft eligible football players are coming to Mount on the 16th for Pro Day in addition to Cecil Shorts?

Kyle Miller will probably work out.  He posted on Facebook today that he is also going to the OSU Pro Day tomorrow.

Is this Pro Day actually a private workout for a few scouts for CSIII? Just my opinion, but it seems it wouldn't be that beneficial for NFL top personnel executives or head coaches to attend a "Pro Day" at a DIII school looking at potential NFL caliber players. No offense to Mount or DIII, but DIII schools just don't have that many players that the NFL are looking at.  Seems like being invited at OSU would be the better way to go.