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He was also a talented baseball player and was selected in the 1968 draft by the Chicago White Sox.RIP.
Former San Francisco 49ers Pro Bowl punter Tom Wittum, who was drafted by the Chicago White Sox but opted for a standout baseball and football career at Northern Illinois, has died. He was 60.
Wittum died of cancer Friday at his home in the northern Chicago suburb of Antioch, his son, Matt Wittum, said Tuesday.
A fifth-round pick of the Chicago White Sox in 1968, Wittum instead chose to attend Northern Illinois. He set 10 school kicking records as a place kicker and punter, including the career, single-season and single-game records for punts, punting yards and punting average.
Equally skilled as a third baseman, Wittum helped lead Northern Illinois to a 24-8 record in 1972 — the first year the Huskies were invited to the NCAA baseball tournament.
Wittum was drafted by the 49ers in 1972. The two-time Pro Bowler played in 70 games with San Francisco from 1973-77, kicking 380 punts for 15,494 yards with a 40.8-yard gross average, according to the team.
He retired from the NFL after a serious car accident left him with several broken bones in 1978, but went on to teach driver’s education and coach for more than 30 years, most of it at Grayslake High School in Grayslake, Ill.
No I’m not talking about some middle aged man propelling a ball at some objects at the end of a lane, but the games that climax every college football season. Bowl season officially starts this afternoon, here are the matchups for all the college football fanatics out there.
Note- I gave the shortened name version of all the upcoming games. Also I listed what broadcast network would be televising the game and what time they would be coming on the air. All times are Eastern Standard.
Dec 19
New Mexico- Fresno State vs. Wyoming 4:30 p.m. ESPN
St. Petersburg- Central Florida vs. Rutgers 8 p.m. ESPN
Dec 20
R+L Carriers New Orleans- Southern Miss vs. Middle Tennessee 8:30 p.m. ESPN
Dec 22
MAACO Las Vegas- Oregon State vs. BYU 8 p.m. ESPN
Dec 23
Poinsettia- Utah vs. Cal 8 p.m. ESPN
Dec 24
Sheraton Hawaii- Nevada vs. SMU 8 p.m. ESPN
Dec 26
Little Caesars- Marshall vs. Ohio 1 p.m. ESPN
Meineke- Pitt vs. North Carolina 4:30 p.m. ESPN
Emerald- Boston College vs. USC 8 p.m. ESPN
Dec 27
Music City- Kentucky vs. Clemson 8:30 p.m. ESPN
Dec 28
Independence- Texas A&M vs. Georgia 5 p.m. ESPN2
Dec 29
EagleBank- UCLA vs. Temple 4:30 p.m. ESPN
Champs Sports- Miami vs. Wisconsin 8 p.m. ESPN
Dec 30
Humanitarian- Bowling Green vs. Idaho 4:30 p.m. ESPN
Holiday- Arizona vs. Nebraska 8 p.m. ESPN
Dec 31
Armed Forces- Houston vs. Air Force Noon ESPN
Sun- Oklahoma vs. Stanford 2 p.m. CBS
Texas- Navy vs. Missouri 3:30 p.m. ESPN
Minnesota vs. Iowa State 6 p.m. NFL Network
Chick-fil-A- Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee 7:30 p.m. ESPN
Jan 1
Outback- Northwestern vs. Auburn 11 a.m. ESPN
Capital One- Penn State vs. LSU 1 p.m. ABC
Gator- West Virginia vs. Florida State 1 p.m. CBS
Rose Bowl- Ohio State vs. Oregon 4:30 p.m. ABC
Sugar- Cincinnati vs. Florida 8:30 p.m. FOX
Jan 2
International- South Florida vs. Northern Illinois Noon ESPN2
Papajohns.com- South Carolina vs. UConn 2 p.m. ESPN
Cotton- Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss 2 p.m. FOX
Liberty- Arkansas vs. East Carolina 5:30 p.m. ESPN
Valero Alamo- Michigan State vs. Texas Tech 9 p.m. ESPN
Jan 4
Fiesta- Boise State vs. TCU 8 p.m. FOX
Jan 5
FedEx Orange- Iowa vs. Georgia Tech 8 p.m. FOX
Jan 6th
GMAC- Central Michigan vs. Troy 7 p.m. ESPN
Jan 7th
BCS National Championship Game- Texas vs. Alabama Jan. 7 8 p.m.
Some random notes on the above 34 games
*- 19 of the 34 games are not scheduled till Dec. 31st or later. I guess college football fanatics are expected to flip channels very quickly on those 3 days(Dec 31-Jan 2) when 15 games are being aired.
*- What a downer must it be for Oregon State players and fans. A few weeks ago they were one win from a Rose Bowl trip. Instead they lost to Oregon and are playing in a minor bowl before Christmas.
*- The NFL network televises a college football game. I guess that’s the cable sports equivalent of the Sci-Fi channel showing wrestling….
*- The bowls are now set where now certain conference finishers are locked into the same bowl games every year. I understand why the current system is done, but I prefer the day when bowl games would have greater variance from year to year. The Peach bowl would usually invite a ACC or SEC school but they could be creative, like when they invited Army and Illinois. Wouldn’t a SEC team against BYU or Wyoming be nice for a change?
*- Bobby Bowden’s farewell game is against the same school(West Virginia) that he left before coming to Florida State. I do know FSU and WV have played at least twice previously in bowls during the Bowden-Florida State era.
He moved up the draft boards in the last few weeks.
ESPN writes- There’s nothing eye-popping about English’s measureables. He’s 6-foot-2, weighs 255 pounds and ran the 40 in 4.88 seconds. However, he’s a far better football player than athlete. His first-step quickness really jumps out when you break down film on him. He’s absolutely relentless rushing the passer. He’s going to struggle against the run early on, but his excellent upper-body strength and toughness make this weakness less of a concern.
No I’m not talking about some middle aged man propelling a ball at some objects at the end of a lane, but the games that climax every college football season. Bowl season officially starts this Saturday, here are the matchups for all the college football fanatics out there.
Dec 20
Eaglebank Bowl- Wake Forest vs Navy
New Mexico Bowl- Colorado State vs Fresno St
MAGICJACK ST. PETERSBURG BOWL- Memphis vs. South Florida
PIONEER LAS VEGAS BOWL- Brigham Young vs Arizona
Dec 21
R+L CARRIERS NEW ORLEANS BOWL- Southern Miss vs. Troy
Dec 23
SAN DIEGO COUNTY CREDIT UNION POINSETTIA BOWL- Boise St vs TCU
Dec 24
SHERATON HAWAII BOWL- Hawaii vs Notre Dame
Dec 26
MOTOR CITY BOWL- Florida Atlantic vs. Central Michigan
Saturday, December 27
MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL- West Virginia vs. North Carolina
Champs Sports Bowl- Wisconsin vs. Florida State
Emerald Bowl- Miami (FL) vs. California
December 28
Independence Bowl- Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech
PAPAJOHNS.COM BOWL- North Carolina State vs. Rutgers
Valero Alamo Bowl- Missouri vs. No. 23 Northwestern
Tuesday, December 30
ROADY’S HUMANITARIAN BOWL- Maryland vs. Nevada
PACIFIC LIFE HOLIDAY BOWL- Oklahoma State vs. No. 17 Oregon
Texas Bowl- Western Michigan vs. Rice
Wednesday, December 31
BELL HELICOPTER ARMED FORCES BOWL- Houston vs. Air Force
Sun Bowl- Oregon State vs. Pittsburgh
GAYLORD HOTELS MUSIC CITY BOWL- Boston College vs. Vanderbilt
Insight Bowl- Kansas vs. Minnesota
CHICK-FIL-A BOWL- LSU vs. Georgia Tech
Thursday, January 1
OUTBACK BOWL- South Carolina vs. Iowa
CAPITAL ONE BOWL- Georgia vs. Michigan State
Gator Bowl- Nebraska vs. Clemson
Rose Bowl- Penn State vs. USC
Fedex Orange Bowl- Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech
Friday, January 2
Cotton Bowl- Mississippi vs. Texas Tech
AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL- Kentucky vs. East Carolina
ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL- Utah vs. Alabama
January 3
INTERNATIONAL BOWL- Buffalo vs. Connecticut
January 5
TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL- Ohio State vs. Texas
January 6
GMAC Bowl- Ball State vs. Tulsa*
January 8
FEDEX BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME- Florida vs. Oklahoma
That’s 34 games, 68 schools spread over a period of 20 days for those of you keeping score at home. An ample supply of college football for any fanatics out there.
A few notes
*- There are a few bowl games remaining without corporate names in their title. Gator, Sun, Texas, Independence. Were these games unable to find sponsors?
*- Will Oklahoma St. and Oregon combine for 70 pts or more in the Holiday Bowl? This annually has been of the most high scoring affairs.
*- Oh how has the Orange Bowl dropped. A game that featured early triumphs of Joe Paterno led Penn State, Nebraska and Oklahoma in their glory days, the first major bowl appearance of Florida State, and the all time classic 84 battle between Nebraska and Miami, has Cincinnati and Virginia Tech playing this year. I’m sure they are talented football teams, but how many people are drooling to see them play in a prime-time network slot?
*- Arizona and BYU meet in a bowl 30 years after the former left the WAC conference for the higher profile Pac Eight(Now Ten, Arizona State joined also)
*- Vanderbilt makes a rare bowl appearance. Congratulations to Commodore fans, but this is a sign of how bowls are grown way out of proportion. 6-6 college teams get bids. When I was growing up I could remember Florida State going without a bowl in 1978 even though they finished the season 8-3.
It is my humble opinion that bowl season has gotten out of hand. Someone may say what’s the big deal? If someone wants to start a bowl game and there are two schools willing to play in it, does their records matter. A good football isn’t only a contest between stars at big name schools.
All true, but how much public money is spent on these affairs? Many of the teams are state universities who get funded by taxpayers. Then there is the game itself where police have to be taken from other tasks to work the day or night of the game or paid over-time.
With the economic downturn right now, you have to wonder if there will be less bowls in the near future. That would depend on how long a deal a corporate sponsor signed on for. I wonder how many fans of some schools plan to make a bowl trip. Are there 1,000 or more FAU Owls willing to journey from Florida to Michigan in December to watch the team play? Even if I were a Owl fan and had money, I’d stay home.
Enjoy the games.
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| Sunday, April 29, 2007 |
  The Dallas Cowboys selected North Illinois offensive tackle Doug Free with their 2nd pick in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft (#122 overall). He’s the second offensive tackle taken by the team with their first four picks.
The Scouts, Inc. profile:
Doug Free | OT | (6’6″, 324, 5.19) | NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Scouts Grade: 76
 Strengths: A tall offensive tackle with adequate bulk and even more room on his frame to get bigger. He does a good job with his first step and blocking angles in the running game. He shows outstanding quickness and mobility for his size. Is an agile offensive lineman with the ability to consistently reach the second-level and hit the moving target in the running game. He gives a great effort on every play and will impress you with his motor. He shows good quickness in his set and rarely will get beat by speed off the edge. He also plays with good balance and body control, which allows him to shuffle laterally versus double moves. Displays good awareness in pass pro, as well. He has great experience and has been a durable player throughout his career. He also has dominated the mid-major DI-A level for the last two seasons.
Weaknesses: Lacks ideal bulk and will struggle to anchor versus bigger, more powerful bull rushers. Base is somewhat narrow and he must learn to play with more consistent leverage. He has adequate-to-good overall strength but lacks explosive upper body power. Has not played against top competition on a weekly basis at the collegiate level. Will have a little bit of a bigger transition to the NFL as a mid-major player than some of the other top OT prospects from powerhouse DI-A programs.
Overall: Free made 12 starts as a true freshman in 2003 at left tackle (including two at tight end). In 2004, Free played in and started all 12 games for the Huskies at tackle. Free became an All-MAC First Team performer after the 2005 season when he once again started all 12 games, giving him 36 consecutive starts over the past three seasons. In 2006 Free started all 13 games at left tackle, ending his career with 49 straight starts.
Free suffered a stress fracture in his foot in the season opener (Ohio State) that lingered throughout most of his senior year. As a result, he did not look as agile as he did on film from the previous season. Even when at full strength, Free has never been an overpowering blocker and he will need to improve his strength in order to sustain blocks longer in the NFL. With all that said, Free is still worthy of first-day consideration because of his impressive combination of size and mobility. He draws many comparisons to former Northern Illinois OT Ryan Diem, who currently starts at right tackle for the Colts, but Free is a significantly better prospect now than Diem was in 2001.
Tim MacMahon entitles his first post on this “The best things in life are Free.” He notes, “He’s 6-7, 318 pounds and agile, so he might be a better fit at left tackle than third-round pick James Marten, who played on both sides at Boston College.” He snarks, “Wonder how Pat McQuistan feels about the Cowboys’ draft so far.”
In his second post, he asks, “Will this be Flozell’s final season in Dallas?” He observes, “The Cowboys might not be running Adams out of town, but they sure are preparing in case he does leave. And they’re positioning themselves so that Adams won’t be able to hold them hostage in contract negotiations.” Quite right. And a good deal.
Free is on The Ticket, talking to Norm Hitzges, Goose Gosselin, and others. Hitzges asks Free why he thinks he fell so far, since he was considered a 2nd or 3rd round possibility. Hitzges notes that the Cowboys “took about 9 seconds” to make this pick and were high-fiving themselves that Free fell this far.
Indeed, Free was the #77 prospect on Gosselin’s board. That’s pretty good value at #122. Interestingly, James Marten, picked by the Cowboys in the third round yesterday (#67), was ranked 85th.
Here’s Free’s SI profile:
POSITIVES: Smart, alert lineman who stands out in pass protection. Displays a lot of quickness, recognizes blitzes and is an outstanding position blocker who makes effective use of angles. Stays square, keeps defenders in front of him and fights with his hands.
NEGATIVES: Not a dominant run blocker nor a true finisher. More of a finesse lineman than an outright mauler. Suffered a stress fracture in his foot early last season that hampered his play all year.
ANALYSIS: Formerly a tight end, Free has grown into a terrific offensive tackle. Offers a lot of upside for the next level yet may be incorrectly evaluated because of his injury last season. Possesses starting potential and is a bargain outside of the first round.
PROJECTION: Late Fourth Round
Tim MacMahon has yet more good news on this pick:
Cowboys fourth-round pick Doug Free is often compared to fellow former Northern Illinois tackle Ryan Diem, who starts at RT for the Colts.
Northern Illinois coach Joe Novak says Free has more potential than Diem. An excerpt of Novak’s quote from Free’s NFL.com scouting report: “Doug Free’s a lot better athlete than Ryan Diem. (Free) can run! You just don’t see many offensive linemen that can run at that size like he can. What’s impressive is he’ll sit back in pass protection and then we’ll throw the ball down the field and he’ll run down field and block a safety. I mean, get downfield! You just don’t see kids who can do that. He’s special. Our kids call him ‘Doug Freak’ because he runs so well.”
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