I’m going to combine one college football release and tack to two college basketball-related releases from ESPN. I do this to save space and because I can.
First, let’s look at what ESPN has planned for its college football awards show. This is unrelated to the Heisman Trophy show later this week.
Seven College Football Hall of Famers among Presenters for The ESPNU College Football Awards
Show Live from Disney’s BoardWalk at 7 p.m. ET Dec. 10 on ESPN; ESPNU to Air Red Carpet Special Before and After Awards
Seven College Football Hall of Famers are among the presenters announced for The ESPNU College Football Awards – live on Thursday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The show will feature the live presentation of nine player awards, along with Disney’s Spirit Award; The Coach of the Year Award, the NCFAA (National College Football Awards Association) Contributions to College Football Award; and student-athletes selected to the Walter Camp All-America Team. Presenters include:
Biletnikoff Award (best receiver)
Chris Fowler
Chuck Bednarik Award (best defensive player) –
Pat Fitzgerald, 1995 & 1996 winner, Northwestern*
Lou Groza Award (best kicker)
Mike Reeder, 1995 winner, TCU
Ray Guy Award (best punter)
Ray Guy*
Maxwell Award (best all-around player)
Lou Holtz
Davey O’Brien Award (best quarterback)
Troy Aikman, 1988 winner, UCLA*
Outland Trophy (best interior lineman)
Mark May, 1980 winner, Pittsburgh*
Jim Thorpe Award (best defensive back)
Governor Bill Anoatubby, tribal leader of the Chickasaw Nation
Doak Walker Award (best running back)
Tony Dorsett*
Contributions to College Football
Steve Young (via tape)*
The Coach of the Year
Frank Bifulco, Sr. VP of Marketing & Chief Marketing Officer, The Home Depot
Walter Camp Player of the Year
Tim Brown, 1987 winner, Notre Dame*
Disney Spirit Award
Tim Tebow, 2008 winner, Florida; and Faron Kelley, Director of Sports Marketing, Disney
The show, hosted by ESPN’s Chris Fowler, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit, with Mike Gleason as theatre announcer, will originate from the Atlantic Dance Hall at Disney’s BoardWalk at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The ESPNU College Football Awards Red Carpet Show, hosted by Cara Capuano, Tom Luginbill, Lowell Galindo and Jenn Brown, will air at 6 p.m. on ESPNU and after the show at 9 p.m.
The NCFAA Contributions to College Football Award will be presented to legendary football coach LaVell Edwards. The 2009 season marks the 25th anniversary of Brigham Young University’s 1984 National Championship team. That season, Edwards led the Cougars to a perfect 13-0 record and was named the national coach of the year by the American Football Coaches Association and the Football Writers Association of America.
In addition, Disney Sports will award Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich the Disney Spirit Award given annually to college football’s most inspirational figure. Herzlich recently overcame a rare form of bone cancer and helped inspire more than $120,000 in donations for cancer-related causes.
Fans can visit the show’s dedicated Web site at www.espncollegefootballawards.com to find the latest college football awards news, including show details, previous winners, fan voting, a photo gallery and video highlights.
Now to the college basketball games that the networks of ESPN will air later this week.
Men’s College Basketball: Two Matchups between Ranked Teams
ESPN’s upcoming men’s college basketball coverage will be highlighted by two telecasts featuring matchups between ranked teams:
No. 6 Syracuse vs. No. 11 Florida in the third annual SEC/BIG EAST Invitational from Tampa Thursday, Dec. 10, at 9 p.m. on ESPN. No. 15 Ohio State at No. 20 Butler Saturday, Dec. 12, at noon on ESPN. Additional highlights for Saturday, Dec. 12 include:
- No. 1 Kansas vs. LaSalle from Kansas City at 2 p.m. on ESPN;
- No. 5 Purdue at Alabama at 9 p.m. ESPN2;
- No. 23 Wisconsin against Marquette at 5 p.m. on ESPN2.
Date Time (ET) Game Network Thu, Dec 10 6:30 p.m. SEC/BIG EAST Invitational: DePaul vs. Mississippi State (Tampa)
Brad Nessler, Jimmy Dykes & Jeannine EdwardsESPN2 / ESPN360.com 8:30 p.m. Miami (Ohio) at No. 19 Cincinnati
Bob Wischusen & Doug GottliebESPN2 / ESPN360.com 9 p.m. SEC/BIG EAST Invitational: No. 6 Syracuse vs. No. 11 Florida (Tampa)
Brad Nessler, Jimmy Dykes & Jeannine EdwardsESPN / ESPN360.com Sat, Dec 12 Noon No. 15 Ohio State at No. 20 Butler
Sean McDonough & Jay BilasESPN / ESPN360.com 2 p.m. LaSalle vs. No. 1 Kansas (Kansas City)
Ron Franklin & Fran FraschillaESPN / ESPN360.com 2 p.m. Kent State at Pittsburgh
Lou Canellis & Bob WenzelESPNU 5 p.m. Marquette at No. 23 Wisconsin
Dave O’Brien & Steve LavinESPN2 / ESPN360.com 7 p.m. Virginia Tech at Penn State
John Sciambi & Doug GottliebESPN2 / ESPN360.com 9 p.m. No. 5 Purdue at Alabama
Carter Blackburn & Jimmy DykesESPN2 / ESPN360.com Sun, Dec 13 7 p.m. No. 19 Cincinnati at Xavier
Jim Barbar & Fran FraschillaESPNU
The basketball version of College Gameday begins January 16 and this means the start of Saturday primetime basketball on ESPN. It kicks off with a women’s matchup between Notre Dame and UConn and the debut of Dick Vitale as an analyst for women’s basketball.
College GameDay and Saturday Primetime to Tip Off at Site of Women’s Basketball Matchup – No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 1 Connecticut on Jan. 16The sixth consecutive season of ESPN’s College GameDay and Saturday Primetime game-of-the-week series will begin Jan. 16 from Storrs, Conn. for the women’s BIG EAST showdown between No. 6 Notre Dame and defending National Champion No. 1 Connecticut. It will mark the first time the show has originated from a women’s game. Two one-hour segments of the show will air at 10 a.m. and at 8 p.m. The game will air on ESPN at 9 p.m.
The Jan.16 College GameDay crew will include Rece Davis, Jay Bilas, Digger Phelps and Hubert Davis, who will be joined by Doris Burke. The Saturday Primetime commentator team will feature Dan Shulman, Burke and Dick Vitale, who, in his 31st season with ESPN, will be calling his first women’s basketball telecast.
Following the Jan. 16 telecasts, College GameDay will regularly feature R. Davis, Bilas, Phelps, H. Davis and Bob Knight. The Saturday Primetime team will generally include Shulman, Vitale and Erin Andrews.
That concludes this post.
