Today's Blue & White- July 22, 2011

Today’s Blue & White

The Citadel Brigadier Foundation’s Official Electronic Newsletter

Friday, July 22, 2011

Opening Kickoff!

The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame Board of Directors has released the induction Class of 2011, and what another great lineup  we have!  Baseball great Dallas McPherson, who is still playing professionally, leads the class that also includes two-sport athletes Tony Skole (baseball/football) and Phillip Florence (track/football), and basketball standout Randy Nesbit.  The honorary inductees are booster Tom McQueeney and former football coach Charlie Taaffe.

While it remains brutally hot in Charleston (it is late July, after all), basketball campers continue to fill McAlister Field House.  The department’s administrative staff is concluding their final days of vacation, and soon members of the Cadre will be returning and getting ready for fall semester.

We want all to be aware that the 2^nd Annual William Wilson Memorial 5K Run and Walk will be held on Saturday, August 20, at 8 am in Columbia.  The event was established to remember and honor the life of Will Wilson, a member of our track and field team, to promote the same healthy and active lifestyle that Will led. See our write-up on the event below.

As you’ve come to expect, we have another packed issue of news and notes, so enjoy and Go Bulldogs!!!

Dallas McPherson Leads Hall of Fame Class of 2011

Third baseman Dallas McPherson, a two-time All-Southern Conference performer who has been playing professional baseball since 2001, highlights a list of six individuals that will be inducted into The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday night, October 28, at the Holliday Alumni Center.

Also entering the Hall as members of the Class of 2011 are track and football speedster Phillip Florence ‘90, basketball standout Randy Nesbit ’80, and baseball and football star Tony Skole ’91, while former football coach Charlie Taaffe and supporter Tom McQueeney ‘74 enter as honorary members.

The six increases the membership of the Hall of Fame, which originated in 1977, to 161 individuals.  The Hall is located in the lobby of McAlister Field House on campus.

DallasMcPherson ’02 (Baseball)

A third baseman-pitcher from 1999-01, McPherson earned all-league honors in 2000 and ’01.  He was selected by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the second round (57th overall) of the 2001 First-Year Player Draft, becoming the college’s second-highest draft pick at the time.  A career .322 hitter, McPherson was tied for seventh on the school’s charts with 21 home runs and continues to rank among the top-10 in slugging percentage.  A well-rounded athlete, he won 17 games on the mound during his three-year career at The Citadel.  After garnering several minor league player of the year honors, McPherson was a September (2004) call-up by the Angels and made his Major League debut on September 10 against the Chicago White Sox. McPherson started 11 games down the stretch and was the Angels' starting third baseman in their playoff series against the Boston Red Sox.  He has since been a member of the Florida Marlins, San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics’ organizations, and is currently playing for the White Sox’s AAA affiliate in Charlotte.

Phillip Florence ’90 (Track & Football)

A six-time All-Southern Conference pick in outdoor and indoor track and field, Florence was the 1990 league champion in the 100m dash (10.61; outdoors).  Three times he earned all-league honors in the 55m indoors and twice captured all-conference honors in the 200m.  He remains among the school’s top 10 in the 55m and 200m (indoors), the 100m and 200m (outdoors) and is also a member of the sprint medley relay, 4x200 relay and 4x100 relay teams.  He continues to hold second place in the 55m indoors and 100m outdoors.  A Dean’s List student, Florence was a three-year member of the football team as a wide receiver where he twice led the team in receptions and once in kick returns and earned all-league honors.  At one point, he held the single-game school mark for 160 kickoff return yards and two of the college’s 21 times that a receiver caught 100+ yards in a game.  Coached by Charlie Taaffe, Florence was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 1990. He is currently an attorney in Charleston.

Randy Nesbit ’80 (Basketball)

A three-year starting point guard on Les Robinson-coached basketball teams, Nesbit was a key member of The Citadel’s 1979 team that won 20 games, a first for the college.  The captain of the ’80 team, Nesbit was selected to the 1979 and ’80 All-Southern Conference second team and paced the ’78 team with a 54.0 field goal percentage and a 92.5 free throw percentage in 1980, which was the second-best in the NCAA.  He tied a school mark with 13 assists in a 1979 game against Marshall, and established the school’s season record of 120 dishes that season.  Holding the school’s record for most career assists (324), Nesbit played only three years having transferred from Gulf Coast Community College.  He later served as an assistant to Robinson, and coached the Bulldogs from 1986-92.  Nesbit is currently the director of athletics and head basketball coach at Roane State Community College in Tennessee.

Tony Skole ‘91 (Baseball & Football)

One of the most popular athletes on campus, Skole, who was considered the “ultimate teammate,” was a baseball player who also played defensive back on the football field.  A third baseman, Skole was a member of The Citadel’ 1990 World Series team and is remembered for recording the game-winning hit in the 12^th inning to score Anthony Jenkins in the Bulldogs’ win over Cal State Fullerton.  Skole also slammed a game-clinching home run in The Citadel’s second victory over Miami in Miami during the ’90 NCAA Regionals.  He twice earned second team All-Southern Conference honors (1991, ’92) at third base and when he graduated, he held the school record for most career games (206) and at bats (731).  On the gridiron, he started 35 consecutive games and helped lead the Bulldogs to the 1988 and ’90 I-AA playoffs.  A football team captain, he led the league in interceptions his senior season.  Skole is currently the head baseball coach at East Tennessee State.

Tom McQueeney ‘74 (Honorary)

One of six McQueeney brothers to graduate from The Citadel, this native Charlestonian served as chairman of the Johnson Hagood Stadium Revitalization Committee (2003-08) and worked very closely with governmental agencies to secure the college’s partnership with the South Carolina Army National Guard to complete the project.  A recipient of the Southern Conference Distinguish Service Award, McQueeney has served as chairman of the Charleston Metro Sports Council and was directly involved with his hometown hosting the Southern Conference Basketball Championships. Selected by the SC General Assembly to serve on The Citadel’s Board of Visitors, McQueeney is a 2009 recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian award presented by the SC governor.  A major donor to many, he was the sports editor of The Brigadier, the college’s student newspaper where he was recognized for his journalistic abilities.  He continues to live in Charleston and operates a successful State Farm Insurance agency.

Charlie Taaffe (Honorary)

The Citadel’s winningest football coach in terms of victories (55), Taaffe is credited with resurrecting the football program as he served as coach from 1987-95.  Twice named the Southern Conference Coach of the Year (1988, ’92), the Taaffe-led Bulldogs captured the 1992 SoCon Championship, only the second in school history.  That ’92 team finished with an 11-2 record and tied for No. 1 (with Northeast Louisiana) in the final I-AA national poll.  He was named 1992 I-AA National Coach of the Year by The Sports Network and by the American Football Coaches Association while receiving the Eddie Robinson Award (as the I-AA National Coach of the Year).  His teams defeated I-A programs a total of six times and include memorable victories over Army (twice), Navy (twice), Arkansas and South Carolina. He currently serves as the offensive coordinator at the University of Central Florida (UCF).

Hall of Famer Britt Reames Returns to The Citadel as Assistant Baseball Coach

Baseball coach Fred Jordan has announced the addition of former major league pitcher and Citadel Hall of Famer Britt Reames, who will serve as the pitching and catching coordinator while assisting in the recruiting process.  The Hanahan native spent the last three seasons as the recruiting coordinator and pitching coach at Furman.

A 1996 graduate of The Citadel, Reames spent six seasons in the major leagues from 2000-06 with the St. Louis Cardinals, Montreal Expos, Oakland A’s and Pittsburgh Pirates.  He also played three seasons of winter ball in the Dominican Republic.

While at The Citadel, he posted an 18-7 career record and 2.03 ERA over four seasons and twice earned All-Southern Conference honors while helping the Bulldogs to a pair of league tournament championship, a regular season championship and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances.  He was inducted into The Citadel's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008 and remains fifth on the all-time list with 296 career strikeouts.

Selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 17th round of the 1995 Major League Draft, he worked his way up through the minor leagues before making his major league debut with the Cardinals in 2000, going 2-1 with a 2.88 ERA over 40 2/3 innings of work.  He was a credited with the win in the Cardinals' game three series clinching playoff victory over the Atlanta Braves in the 2000 National League Division Series.

USC-Citadel Football Game to Kickoff at Noon

The Citadel's final regular season game of the 2011 football season at South Carolina on Nov. 19 has been set for 12 noon at Williams-Brice Stadium.

All of the game times for the upcoming season have now been set.  The contest with the Gamecocks will be televised on a pay-per-view basis throughout the state of South Carolina.

In a series that dates back to 1905, The Citadel and South Carolina have not met since 1990 when the Bulldogs stunned the Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium, 38-35. Hall of Fame quarterback Jack Douglas scored the game-winning touchdown with 22 seconds remaining in the game to hand The Citadel the memorable victory.

Keith Gamble, Greg Adams Named to Kickoff & Punt Returner Watch Lists

Keith Gamble has been named to the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) Kickoff Returner Watch List while Greg Adams was named to the punt returner list.

The CFPA releases a weekly watch list for all positions throughout the summer and Gamble and Adams became the second and third Bulldogs named to a watch list as Cass Couey was tabbed recently to the punter watch list.

Gamble, a redshirt junior from Sumter, had 20 kickoff returns for 499 yards and averaged 25.0 yards per return last season.  He had a career-long 87 yard return against Elon on Nov. 6, which was the second longest in the Southern Conference in 2010.

In 2010, Adams had 22 punt returns for 158 yards and averaged 7.2 yards per return.  The breakout performance for the junior from Gadsden came in a 26-14 victory over Presbyterian College, when he returned six punts for 70 yards, including a season-long 27-yard scamper.

Greg Adams, Terrell Dallas Named to Preseason All-Southern Team

Punt returner Greg Adams has been named to the Phil Steele College Football Preview Magazine’s preseason first team All-Southern Conference squad.  Running back Terrell Dallas earned second team honors.

Turtogtokh Luvsandorj Participates in Mongolian World Team Trials

The Citadel's Turtogtokh Luvsandorj went 4-1 en route to capturing the Mongolian World Team Trials earlier this month.

The reigning Southern Conference Wrestler of the Year will be attempting to represent his home country at the World Championships in Turkey in September.  Luvsandorj, who hails from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, will be bumping up to the 174-pound weight class in the upcoming season and is not guaranteed a spot on the national team despite winning the trials.

Unlike the American World Team Trials, winning the Mongolian tournament does not automatically earn one a spot on the national team as team officials now begin deliberations about who they think is the best representative for their country.

Luvsandorj is coming off a stellar sophomore season in which he went 38-10 and competed at the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year.  He was one win short of tying the single season school record for most victories and became the highest ranked wrestler in school history when he came in ranked in the top-10 in all four major wrestling polls.

Football Games Against Furman & Samford to be Televised

The Citadel's home football contests against Furman on Sept. 10 and against Samford on Nov. 12 will be televised.

The Southern Conference, in conjunction with its marketing partner CSE, recently announced that the league has agreed to a three-year plan with public television systems in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina to televise the conference's football package.  The distribution platform reaches nearly 11 million homes through 32 affiliates, making it the largest regional distribution option across both broadcast and cable.  The conference's football package for the 2011 season was also announced as part of the agreement.

This unique partnership provides each of the three state public television networks state-wide distribution of Southern Conference football games in 2011, 2012 and 2013, with coverage from Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB Media) also covering the Chattanooga, Tenn., market.  The league is exploring additional distribution outlets in Alabama and Tennessee.  The deal calls for an eight-game football package each fall.

The game against Furman on Sept. 10 will be carried on WMYA 40 in Greenville/Asheville through IMG College and feature Chuck Hussion on play-by-play, Corey Stewart on color commentary, and David Cobb with sideline reports. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m.

Meanwhile, The Citadel's game on Nov. 12 against Samford has been pushed back an hour and will now start at 3 pm at Johnson Hagood Stadium.

CFA Presents Women’s Football 101 & 102 on July 30

The Citadel Football Association will present the Second Annual Women’s Football Seminar on Saturday, July 30 at Johnson Hagood Stadium. 

The experience is open to ladies and teenage girls only.  Registration begins at 7:30 am and the event runs from 8:30 am to 3 pm.  Cost is $50 per person.

First-time attendees to Football 101 will spend the morning going behind-the-scenes with tours of the team’s meeting room, weight room, training and equipment rooms.  Citadel coaches will provide instruction on the basics of the game as well as the option offense that is currently being utilized by the Bulldogs.

Football 102 is only for those who attended the inaugural event last year.  Their morning will be spent getting more in-depth instruction in player positions, walking through plays in addition to offensive and defensive strategies.

A catered lunch for all attendees will be held in the Altman Athletic Center at the stadium and will feature a tailgate-type menu.  A special program will follow with Kay Higgins, wife of the Bulldogs’ head coach Kevin Higgins. 

New this year will be a “Fall Tailgating Fashion Show” and will feature designs during lunch with stylings from local shops Cache, Coldwater Creek and Palmetto Moon of Towne Center.  After lunch, the group will “hit” the stadium field for a practice that includes running plays, passing and receiving, tackling dummies and the all-important “fun run to the end zone” where one can perform individual touchdown dances.

Goody bags for all attendees contain a T-shirt, a complete football information notebook, a 2011 souvenir schedule poster and two tickets ($50 value) to a Citadel home football game.  At this game, highlights for the seminar will be featured on the stadium’s videoboard.

Last year 54 women enjoyed a memorable time and learned enough about football to impress even their husbands and/or male friends. 

A portion of the seminar is tax deductible as proceeds benefit The Citadel Football Association’s Scholarship through The Citadel Brigadier Foundation.

To register, please refer to www.thecitadelfootballassociation.com or call 843/953-5123. 

Summer Camp Information

The summer camping season is nearing conclusion, and if you have an interest in any of the camps listed below, please call us at 843/953-5070 and we’ll put you in touch with the respective coach:

Basketball:      Aug. 5-7

Soccer:                        July 20-23

13^th Annual Bulldog Kickoff Classic Set for Aug. 18

The 13^th Annual Bulldog Kickoff Classic Presented by Wells Fargo sells out every year and it will again this year.

Set for Aug. 18 at Wild Dunes Resort’s Links and Harbor courses, the event serves as the unofficial start of the football season.  And following the golf, participants are able to take part in The Citadel Club of Charleston’s annual Shrimp and Beer Night that takes place at the Beach House.

There are 36 Class Sponsorships available ($2,000/minimum per class) and each class will receive signage on both courses as well as listing in the game program.  The top donor class will be awarded a catered tailgate party on the Club Level Terrace during a home football game and the class may direct $12,500 to a Memorial Fund Scholarship of their choice or have one created in their class name.

Corporate sponsorships are also available ($500) and they include exclusive ownership of the hole of your choice (first come; first served) that may be staffed.  Also included are one golfing spot and two tickets to the Shrimp & Beer Night.

All proceeds benefit athletic scholarships.

For more information – including sponsorship opportunities – please contact Rod Moseley ’74 at 843/708-1053 or Jimmy Bagwell ’74 at 843/270-0591.  Additional information may also be secured by referring to http://www.citadelsports.com/information/2011_Kickoff_Classic.pdf.  Don’t be left out; sign up today!

Will Wilson Memorial 5K Run and Walk Benefits TBCF

Registration is open for the 2nd Annual William Wilson 5K Run/Walk that will be held on Saturday, August 20, at the Maxcy Gregg Park in Columbia.

William Wilson ‘07 was tragically killed while riding his bicycle through the Shandon neighborhood in September 2008.  William was an avid athlete, competitor and member of The Citadel cross country and track teams from 2003-07.

To commemorate his life and all that he stood for, the 2nd Annual William Wilson 5K Run/Walk benefits the Palmetto Cycling Coalition and the William Wilson Scholarship fund at The Citadel.  Please join The Citadel family and the Columbia Community as we celebrate William Wilson and benefit two great charities.

The race is on a sanctioned USATF course.

Strictly Running, a running and walking shop in Columbia, will be assisting in the race. To register for your spot today, please refer to http://www.strictlyrunning.com/index8.asp and for more information – including sponsorship opportunities – please contact The Brigadier Foundation (843/053-6277), email williamwilson5k@gmail.com or refer to http://www.williamwilson5k.com.

Voting Deadline Is Today for Charleston Baseball Hall of Fame

Time is running out for fans who wish to vote for the Charleston Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2011.

On-line voting continues through today (Friday, July 22), with the top three vote-getters being enshrined prior to the Charleston RiverDogs - Savannah Sand Gnats game on Friday, August 5 at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.

The finalists for the Class of 2011 as determined by the Hall of Fame's advisory committee, in alphabetical order, are Bill Ackerman, Roberto Alomar, Tim Cook, Kiki Cuyler, Irish Abney Danehay, Robert Drose, Mike Kimbrell, Britt Reames and Alfred von Kolnitz.

Reames, who earlier this month joined the Bulldogs’ coaching staff, is a member of The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame.

To view the biographies of each candidate and to vote (once per person), refer to www.riverdogs.com.

Want to Keep Up With Citadel Athletics?

Fans have the opportunity to follow all the action of The Citadel Bulldogs by joining Twitter and Facebook for your round-the-clock news on Citadel athletics.

To join other loyal fans on Twitter, visit: http://twitter.com/CitadelSports and to become a devotee of the Bulldogs on Facebook, visit: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Citadel-Sports/108617202526805?ref=ts.  And, as always, we’re updated on www.CitadelSports.com.

Bulldog Business Partners

The Citadel Brigadier Foundation has started the “Bulldog Business Partners” for the 2010-11 academic year and the first to sign up are:

• Charleston Comfort Inn
• Charleston Crab House/Palmetto Ale House
• Tommy Condon’s Irish Pub
• Hawthorne Suites
• Lutheran Hospice
• Piggly Wiggly
• Kevin Shealy, Allstate Insurance
• Sleep-Inn / Mt. Pleasant
• South Carolina Federal Credit Union

We encourage you to please stop by and thank our supporters.  If you want more information on how your business can partner with The Citadel Brigadier Foundation, please call us at 843/953-5277.

They Said It:

"It is an honor to be coming back to my alma mater.  Getting a chance to be alongside Coach (Fred) Jordan and Coach (David) Beckley, two people I have tremendous respect for, really is something special. I look forward to being part of championships teams in the near future."

• Hall of Famer Britt Reames, on his return to The Citadel as assistant baseball coach.

July Birthdays

July 23             Damien Price                           Basketball

Upcoming Events

July 30                         CFA’s 2^nd Annual Football 101 & 102 Seminar @Johnson Hagood

Aug. 18                       13^th Annual Bulldog Kickoff Golf Classic @Wild Dunes

Aug. 20                       “Meet the Bulldogs (Football)” @Maybank Triplets Facility

William Wilson 5K Walk/Run @Columbia

Nov. 11                       21^st Annual Homecoming Golf Tournament @Shadowmoss

Have a Friend Who Might Be Interested?

Today’s Blue & White is the sister publication of the The Blue & White, the official publication of The Citadel Brigadier Foundation that is printed monthly.  In order to receive the printed version, one has to be a member of TCBF.  However, we’ve opened Today’s Blue & White to anyone and everyone who has a computer and who is interested in activities of TCBF and, of course, The Citadel’s Department of Athletics.  Today’s Blue & White is free.  All one has to do is sign up is to click on this link:  http://www.nmnathletics.com/main/NewsMailSetup.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9700&DB_OEM_ID=9700&DB_LANG=&IN_SUBSCRIBER_CONTENT=&DB_OEM_ID=9700&DB_LANG=&IN_SUBSCRIBER_CONTENT=&KEY=&DB_OEM_ID=9700&DB_LANG=&IN_SUBSCRIBER_CONTENT=

Today’s Blue & White is the official electronic publication of The Citadel Brigadier Foundation, Inc. with its office located at The Citadel, McAlister Field House, 171 Moultrie Street, Charleston, SC  29409 (office 843/953-5277).

Publishers……………...Jerry Baker & Larry Leckonby

Editor…………………Andy Solomon

Layout…………………Mike Petrini