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05/27/2010 -
NEW YORK (AP) -Desmond Howard scored two of the most memorable touchdowns in the storied history of Michigan football and struck the pose that Heisman contenders have been mimicking since.
Barry Alvarez resurrected a Wisconsin program that looked hopeless on the field and off and went on to become the only Big Ten coach to win consecutive Rose Bowls.
The game-breaker and the program-builder are now Hall of Famers.
Howard, Alvarez and the late Pat Tillman were among the 14 newly elected members of the College Football Hall of Fame announced Thursday by the National Football Foundation at a news conference at the Nasdaq Stock Exchange in Manhattan.
The others included defensive lineman Dennis Byrd of North Carolina State; center Ronnie Caveness of Arkansas; defensive lineman Ray Childress of Texas A&M; guard Randy Cross of UCLA; running back Sam Cunningham of Southern California; quarterback Mark Herrmann of Purdue; receiver Clarkston Hines of Duke; defensive back Chet Moeller of Navy; halfback Jerry Stovall of LSU; and linebacker Alfred Williams of Colorado.
Gene Stallings, who led Alabama to a national title in 1992, was the other coach elected to the Hall of Fame.
Howard, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1991, found out from his mother he was elected.
``I just knew it was something special,'' he said recalling the phone call. ``Just to hear those words and the way she said them let me know it was something she was very proud of.''
The speedy and diminutive receiver dominated the Big Ten in 1991 for the Wolverines, scoring a school-record 23 touchdowns and 138 points.
But two plays stood out above all.
In September against Notre Dame, Howard's diving catch in the end zone on fourth-and-1 helped beat the Fighting Irish.
Then to put an exclamation mark on his spectacular season, Howard returned a punt 93 yards for a touchdown against rival Ohio State. As he was being mobbed by teammates in the end zone, Howard lifted a knee high to his chest and jabbed out a stiff arm. And just like that a college football tradition was born. The Heisman pose.
The details of those touchdowns might fade, and even the fact that Howard was a Super Bowl MVP for the Green Bay Packers in 1997 gets lost amid the memories of Brett Favre celebrating his only NFL title.
But no football fan forgets Howard's Heisman pose.
``That thing resonates with everyone,'' said Howard, who now works for ESPN. ``When we travel, all the college kids, they're chanting, 'Do the Heisman.'''
Howard was the fourth pick in the 1992 draft by the Washington Redskins, but never reached the same stardom as a receiver in the pros that he did at Michigan.
But his 5-foot-10 frame didn't hold him back when he arrived at Ann Arbor from Cleveland as a tailback. He switched to receiver early in his career and finished with 134 receptions for 2,146 yards.
Alvarez found out while he was at the Big Ten meetings in Chicago he was elected to the Hall of Fame.
``I was totally surprised - actually broke down,'' he said. ``The first thing you think about is all the people who have something to do with it.''
Three Hall of Fame coaches helped mold Alvarez.
He played at Nebraska under coach Bob Devaney, then worked as an assistant under Hayden Fry at Iowa and Lou Holtz at Notre Dame.
When he arrived in Madison in 1990, the Badgers hadn't been to a Rose Bowl since 1963 and the football program was losing money and games (36 over the previous four seasons) at an alarming rate.
The bar for the Badgers was set low when Alvarez took over.
``Pat Richter, our athletic director, said if you can ever win six games, these people will think you hung the moon,'' he said. ``We've been competitive since '92. So our people now, they expect you to be good.''
In 1994, Alvarez snapped Wisconsin's long Rose Bowl drought and led the Badgers to a 21-16 victory against UCLA. He added two more Rose Bowl victories in 1999 and 2000 and took on the role of athletic director in 2004. After two years of handling both duties, Alvarez stepped down as coach with a record of 118-73-4.
Tillman played linebacker for Arizona State from 1994-97 and gave up an NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals to enlist in the Army in 2002. He was killed while serving in Afghanistan in 2004.
The newest class will be inducted in December in New York and enshrined at the Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., in the summer of 2011.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Friday return for Borel at Churchill Downs
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kentucky Derby winning jockey Calvin Borel
will return to the races on Friday at Churchill Downs after being off his
mounts with an eye infection. The condition has kept the Louisiana native away
from ri
<< Red Wings sign 2007 first-round pick Smith
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings on Thursday signed
defenseman Brendan Smith to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Smith, taken 27th overall by Detroit in the 2007 draft, was a finalist for the
Hobey Baker Award l
<< Suns try to deal Lakers another blow in LA
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Suns climbed off the canvas to punch the Los
Angeles Lakers right in the mouth but if Alvin Gentry's club hopes to make it
to the NBA Finals, they will have to find a way to win in Los Angeles.
The Suns take an
<< Report: T'Wolves' Jefferson pleads guilty to DWI charge
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Al
Jefferson pleaded guilty Thursday to fourth-degree driving while impaired,
according to the Star Tribune.
Jefferson was arrested February 28 near downtown Mi
Jankovic, Dementieva advance at soggy French Open >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - On a Thursday dominated by rain, former
top-ranked star Jelena Jankovic and former runner-up Elena Dementieva managed
to sneak in second-round victories at the French Open.
The fourth-seeded Jankovic was te
Murray, Roddick win second-rounders in rainy Paris >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Australian Open runner-up Andy Murray and
last year's Wimbledon runner-up Andy Roddick each managed to reach the third
round on a day when rain was the big winner at the 2010 French Open.
The fourth-seeded
New York fillies stakes gain sponsor >>
Elmont, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NYRA stakes series, known as the Triple
Tiara, for three-year-old fillies has gained the sponsorship of Betfair TVG.
The series is comprised of the Acorn Stakes, Coaching Club American Oaks, and
Alabama
Dodgers purchase contract of P Miller, designate Ortiz >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers purchased the contract
of right-handed relief pitcher Justin Miller from Triple-A Albuquerque and
designated veteran pitcher Ramon Ortiz for assignment Thursday.
The 32-year-old Mil
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Sportsbook betting odds favor Europe in Ryder Cup
September 19, – Despite holding a decided edge in the all-time series, with 24 wins, 2 ties and 10 losses, Team USA is the underdog again heading into the Ryder Cup in Kidare, Ireland this weekend, according to MySportsbook.com. The Europeans have captured four of the past five editions, including their largest victory ever, an 18 ½ to 9 ½ thumping in Michigan in 2004. Current Ryder Cup betting odds favor the Europeans to continue their winning ways; they are a 4-5 bet to take the title, compared to 6-5 for the Americans.
Despite being knocked out in the first round of World Match play by Shaun Micheel, Tiger Woods is predicted to lead the US charge and be their highest point scorer for the week, with odds listed at 9-4 that he outpoints all other American players, including Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco to name a few. Team USA has four relatively unknown players on the roster but all four are 2007 tournament winners and have posted some of season’s best performances, each earning over $1.5 million on the PGA TOUR. They include Zach Johnson, Vaughan Taylor, JJ Henry and Brett Wetterich.
The experienced European squad includes the likes of Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Jose Maria Olazabal and Darren Clarke, who’s emotions will be tested after the passing of his wife to a battle with cancer. Donald and Garcia are in particularly good form and each is a 5-1 bet to lead the European squad in the points race. Donald has proven he can go head to head with Woods at a major event after a run for the $1.2 million purse at the PGA Championship. Garcia’s Ryder Cup credentials prove he’s ready for battle too.
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Ryder Cup Odds| Europe Tie USA |
4-5 10-1 6-5 |
| Tiger Woods Jim Furyk Phil Mickelson Chris DiMarco David Toms Stewart Cink Chad Campbell Scott Verplank Zach Johnson Vaughan Taylor JJ Henry Brett Wetterich |
9-4 4-1 5-1 7-1 8-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 25-1 30-1 30-1 50-1 |
| Sergio Garcia Luke Donald Padraig Harrington Colin Montgomerie Darren Clarke David Howell Lee Westwood Paul Casey Henrik Stenson Jose Maria Olazabal Paul McGinley Robert Karlsson |
5-1 5-1 6-1 13-2 8-1 9-1 9-1 11-1 12-1 12-1 20-1 25-1 |
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