Ted Ginn Jr. named Special Teams Player of the Week

December 27, 2010

Special Teams Player of the Week

Ted Ginn, PR, San Francisco.

The 49ers were their usual stumblebum selves midway through the second quarter at St. Louis: down 9-0, already having had Troy Smith trapped for a safety, five total passing yards. Ginn took a punt and weaved through traffic for 78 yards and a touchdown. That was all but eight points of the feeble 49ers offense for the day.

D3football.com Names Jones to All-America Team

Dominic Jones breaks a tackle on his way for an 81-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at Baldwin-Wallace Oct. 9.

By Ed Syguda

December 20, 2010

WESTERVILLE, OHIO— Defensive back Dominic Jones, a junior from Columbus (Brookhaven High School), was named to the D3football.com All-America first team as a defensive back and also as a return specialist.

“D.J. had a great year for us,” said Otterbein head football coach Joe Loth. “His leadership skills on and off the field are off the chart.”

Jones led Otterbein University in tackles for a loss with 13, including four pass sacks, this season. He finished second among teammates with 66 tackles. The junior also made two interceptions and broke up six passes.

In addition to his defensive prowess, Jones led the OAC in kick returns, averaging 31.1 yards, and ranked second in punt returns, averaging 8.4 yards a return. He finished second in NCAA Division III for kick returns.

"I think about all the trials and tribulations I have been through in my life and to bounce back after sitting out of football for three years and have the season I had is truly a blessing,” Jones said. "First and foremost I got to thank the man up above because without him none of this would be possible. I want to thank my family, Otterbein University, the coaching staff, and, most of all, my teammates.

"I'm humbled and excited about being named to the All-America team, but I'm not satisfied,” Jones continued. “I still believe I have room to improve and I look forward to an intense off- season training. I have gained a tremendous amount of respect for Division 3 football. It has been an overwhelming experience thus far and the passion that I've gained for the game is incredible."

The first D3football.com All-America team was awarded in 1999 and is, along with the American Football Coaches Association All-America team, the only ones recognized in the NCAA record book. Players are nominated by schools in November and December for the D3football.com All-Region team, and are then considered for the All-America teams.

The D3football.com All-America team honors 11 on offense and 11 on defense per team, plus three special-teamers, with four teams named, one of them honorable mention.

Coach Graham still at Tulsa, but it might not last for long

By Fred Lewis

December 21, 2010

It is little surprise that the University of Tulsa football team is 9-3, on the verge of a national ranking and playing in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Friday.

That the Golden Hurricane's head coach, Todd Graham, is still with them at this point is, however, quite remarkable.

History tells us that the 46-year-old Graham should be saying "aloha" -- as in good-bye -- to Tulsa about now. Tradition suggests that he should be doing it from a podium at Pittsburgh or some other Bowl Championship Series member school.

As much as the folks at TU like to be known as the Golden Hurricane, in coaching circles the place has long been known as Steppingstone U. It is a launching pad for upwardly mobile coaches, a trampoline to bigger bucks.

Four of the five head coaches before Graham who won seven or more games in a season eventually found their way to greener pastures. Average stay at TU was less than five seasons.

Tiny Tulsa was a springboard to Louisville for Steve Kragthorpe, Wisconsin for Don Morton, Arizona State and Ohio State for John Cooper and Texas Christian for F.A. Dry. Only Dave Rader, one of TU's own, stuck around to be a fixture at the Rib Crib.

It is a situation hardly confined to football at the school, either. At one time -- a brief moment, usually -- Nolan Richardson, Tubby Smith, Steve Robinson, Bill Self and Buzz Peterson all were head basketball coaches at TU before moving on to Arkansas, Georgia (and Kentucky), Florida State, Illinois (and Kansas), and Tennessee, respectively, among other stops.

If you can win at Tulsa -- which has the smallest Football Bowl Subdivision enrollment (3,084 undergraduates) and is hardly an owner of a big bankroll or eye-popping facilities -- experience suggests you can win at a number of places.

So it was hardly unexpected when, in the wake of TU's success this season -- and recent years -- that Graham's name became linked with any number of openings. Not overlooked was that he had fled Rice after one season to come to Tulsa.

At 35-17 in four seasons at Tulsa, including a victory at Notre Dame this year, Graham merited a look. Leading the nation in total offense twice made for a good, long look.

At an annual salary of $769,264, according to USA Today, that puts him midrange in Conference USA, how could Graham afford not to think about it, if asked?

Minnesota and Pittsburgh have since filled their pukas, but not before Tulsa fans had some all-too-familiar fears of here we go again.

Through it all, Graham has said all the right things. He's made a point of saying any consideration of him is a validation of TU's success and how he is concentrating on the job at hand.

The University of Hawaii and its much-coveted No. 24 ranking might well have his full attention this week.

But for how much longer the Golden Hurricane keep him is anybody's guess. And, as history reminds us, the odds are not in TU's favor.