Senior Bowl Gives Thanks!

The Senior Bowl staff would like to wish all of our fans a very Happy Thanksgiving! In the spirit of the holiday we thought we'd list all that we are thankful for--which is a lot. First and foremost--we are thankful for our fans. Without the 40,000 plus that turn out on Senior Bowl Saturday to support us plus the countless others that continue to party outside of the stadium during the game...we could not continue to put on a first class event year in and year out. We are also thankful for our committee. These 400 or so men and women are a vital part of our existence. Whether their business supports us through sponsorships or they serve on one of the several sub-committees to volunteer their time--or both--the Senior Bowl Committee is the heart and soul of the entire organization.

That leads us to our next reason to be thankful--our sponsors and Quarterback Club members. Like our committee members...our sponsors are the lifeline of the Senior Bowl. By making a financial commitment to the Senior Bowl, these businesses and organizations are helping carry on a Mobile tradition that has been in existence since 1951. Thank you to all of our sponsors and Quarterback Club members!!

Of course we are also thankful for the players. Although it would be easy for the top 100 senior college football players in the country to turn down a prestigious invite to our game--fearing a bad performance might hurt their draft status--quite the opposite happens. Players often jump at the chance to showcase themselves in front of the National Football League and national television audience. They are the reason we do what we do--so a big Thank You to them!!

Finally, we'd like to thank the National Football League. It is our strong relationship with the league that allows us to separate ourselves as the nation's premier senior showcase event. Each year, two complete coaching staffs coach the North and South squads--giving our players a glimpse of what life and football will be like at the next level.

We could go on and on about all that we are thankful for but that would just take time away from another highlight of Thanksgiving--Football and Food!! Enjoy both!!

Senior Bowlers Succeeding

One of the great things about the Under Armour Senior Bowl is the fact that for one week in late January the future of the NFL calls Mobile, Ala. home. We're reminded about the elite talent that visits the Port City each April during the NFL draft and then again in the fall when that talent shines each and every Sunday. This year there a few alums in particular that have really stood out to us here at the Senior Bowl. The first is Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews and the other is Tampa Bay running back LeGarrette Blount.

Matthews is on course to claim defensive MVP honors this season with an NFL leading 10.5 sacks heading into this weekend's (11/14) game. The former USC standout and 2009 Senior Bowler has quickly become one of the more feared pass rushers in the game today. We knew Matthews was special when he came to Mobile in January of 2009, but to be honest he was not even considered to be the best linebacker on his team. That honor went to Brian Cushing--another former Senior Bowl player--and the 15th pick of the 2009 NFL draft. Cushing, Matthews and Rey Maualuga all shined while in Mobile but it just seems that Matthews has gone to a whole new level in the pros. Sure, Cushing was named the NFL's defensive rookie of the year last year but in our opinion Matthews is on a clear path to becoming the best of the bunch.

Blount may be one of the great comeback stories of the year--and he's only a rookie! Nobody can forget that horrible scene in Boise, Idaho at the beginning of the 2009 college football season. Blount punching an opposing player and then having to be restrained as he was escorted off the field. To his credit Blount owned up to his mistake in countless interviews with scouts and media while in Mobile last January. He certainly seems to have put the incident behind him too. He's currently #2 among rookies in rushing with 268 yards and three touchdowns for the Bucs this year. Here's hoping he'll continue to be productive on the field and a shining example of making the most of a second chance.

Off and Running!

Wow...where has the time gone? We are literally off and running here at the Senior Bowl offices and apparently so busy that we haven't had time to update this blog (sorry about that!). A quick update for you though...since our last post we've been in full race mode. The 23rd annual Wells Fargo Senior Bowl Charity Run will take place this Saturday, Nov. 6th in downtown Mobile. We are expecting another strong turnout this year and the weather forecast looks like it is going to cooperate, which is always nice. There is still time to sign up and for $15 you can take part in the 10K or 5K! You receive the always popular long sleeve Charity Run t-shirt and admittance to the Family Fun Festival in Bienville Square. If the 1-mile fun run is more your speed...that will only cost you $12! It's a great event and one that we really believe offers a little something for everyone.

Outside of the run, we are also obviously scouting potential Senior Bowl players and putting together the preparations for the 2011 game. In case you haven't seen it, game day is scheduled for Saturday, January 29th at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Later this month we will announce a kickoff time--so be on the lookout for that. Tickets for the Under Armour Senior Bowl are on sale year-round and you can purchase yours by calling (251) 432-4109.

We promise to be more diligent in updating this blog and do a better job of keeping our fans informed on the goings on inside the Senior Bowl.

Welcoming Wells Fargo

In case you missed it...we announced some exciting news this week regarding our annual Senior Bowl Charity Run. Wells Fargo has signed on as the title sponsor of the 23 annual event to be held in downtown Mobile on November 6th. We are extremely excited about partnering with Wells Fargo and believe this year's run will be bigger and better than ever.

“We are proud to be the title sponsor of this year's Senior Bowl Charity Run,” said Chuck Harmon, Mobile Market President for Wachovia, a Wells Fargo Company.

“With Wachovia transitioning to Wells Fargo in just a few weeks, the timing is perfect for us to show our commitment to Mobile by putting the Wells Fargo brand on an event that is so significant to our local community.”

If you're interested in participating in this year's Charity Run you can sign up online at http://www.seniorbowl.com/run.asp or pick up a race brochure at the Senior Bowl office (151 Dauphin St.), Running Wild in Fairhope (241 Fairhope Ave) and Uncle Joe's Running Store in McCoy Outdoors (3498 Springhill Ave).

We also feel like we've got another great design to this year's Charity Run T-shirt. You can take a look at the art of this year's shirt on our website. The long-sleeve shirt has long been a favorite amongst area runners and we are confident the 2010 shirt will be a hit as well.

The Charity Run's school program forms have been distributed and we hope that area students, teachers and parents take advantage of a great way to give back to their respective schools. Remember--for every registered runner we donate $1 to your school, but for every participant that amount increases to $2! So mark your calendars for Saturday, November 6th and be apart of all the excitement. Whether you take part in the 10K, 5K or One-Mile Fun Run you will be treated to free food, drink, music and interactive games at the Family Fun Festival in historic Bienville Square. See you there!!

What a Weekend Ahead!

Week two of the college football season kicked off with a down-to-the-wire SEC opener between Auburn and Mississippi State last night in Starkville. If the rest of the weekend follows suit..we could be in for a great couple of days. Although we'll have our eyes on several different games this weekend, we'll be in Tuscaloosa Saturday for the showdown between top ranked Alabama and Penn State. Both teams have good senior talent and leadership with QB Greg McElroy calling the shots for the Tide and RB Evan Royster setting the tone for the Nittany Lions.

Other games of interest to us (and the rest of the college football nation) include Georgia at South Carolina, Miami at Ohio State, Michigan at Notre Dame and Florida State at Oklahoma. That last game will feature two of the more talented seniors in the country in FSU's Christian Ponder and Oklahoma's DeMarco Murray. Both are coming off monster weekends and it should be interesting to see what they can do in Week 2.

On another note...it's a shame to see this cloud of controversy over college football right now with player suspensions and NCAA violations. What makes it even more unfortunate is that a lot of the players in question are extremely talented and it's hard to evaluate these guys for our purposes when they aren't on the field.

Finally, lots of exciting happenings going on here at the Senior Bowl office. We are not only in full player evaluation mode but we are also gearing up for the Senior Bowl Charity Run in November. Stay tuned for an announcement on our new title sponsor for the run! In addition to the run we are also back on the airwaves this fall with the Senior Bowl Locker Room Show presented by the Blue Gill. You can tune in to 105.5 FM on Mondays from Noon to 1pm to listen to Senior Bowl President/CEO Steve Hale and other Senior Bowl staff members break down the previous weekend's games and talk all things Senior Bowl. We hope you'll join us!

Another Successful NFL Draft

The 75th annual NFL Draft has come and gone and it was yet another productive year for the Under Armour Senior Bowl. After seven rounds and 255 picks, 84 former Senior Bowlers were selected in this year's draft. That's a number that we are very proud of and when you factor in undrafted free agents, all but three players off of the 2010 rosters landed with an NFL team.

Under the NFL's new format, the draft spanned three days this year and took place in prime time for the first time ever. By all accounts it was a major success and was well received by the fans. Thursday night's first round featured 10 Senior Bowlers being selected, marking the ninth straight year we've had 10 or more players chosen in the first round. The Senior Bowl also extended their streak of having a top-ten pick to 14 straight years. California defensive tackle Tyson Alualu kept that streak alive when he was chosen tenth overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The ten first round selections is even more impressive when you consider that half of the first round (16) consisited of underclassmen. Furthermore, the Senior Bowl also had the first senior player chosen at seven different positions (DE,OG, QB, S, CB, LB, C).

Interestingly, the Philadelphia Eagles chose the most players off of our rosters this year. The Eagles selected eight Senior Bowlers, including 2010 MVP Brandon Graham. The Miami Dolphins, who coached the South squad in Mobile this year, used their first four picks of the draft on Senior Bowlers.

Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland had this to say about his time in Mobile: "Just being able to be around as much as we were you really get to be able to find out a lot more about the kids and we really felt it was a competitive advantage for us over other teams to get to know these kids the way we did."

Ireland's statements provide further proof of the strong relationship that exists between the National Football League and the Senior Bowl. It's a relationship that makes us unique and one that we deeply value.

The Tebow Effect

Wow...what a couple of days we've had here at the Senior Bowl offices. Since word leaked out Saturday morning that former Florida great Tim Tebow had accepted an invitation to play in teh 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl...the phone lines lit up (or perhaps more appropriately--exploded!). The former Heisman trophy winner and two time National Champion certainly has a huge following along the Gulf Coast and beyond. Tebow fans have been calling non-stop...grabbing any available ticket they can find---and setting records in the process. On Saturday (when the announcement was made), we sold a single-day record 1,200 tickets. That record was smashed on Sunday when 1,800 tickets were sold. Monday brought more calls, more tickets sold, and another record---more than 2,200 tickets sold. This goes to show that Tebow sets records off the field as well. Moral of the story--get your tickets now, because they are going fast! Call 251-432-4109 or visit www.seniorbowl.com for more information on Senior Bowl tickets.

South Backfield is Loaded with (SEC) Talent

I hope all of you had a happy holiday season! The 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl is right around the corner and its shaping up to be one of the best yet. Consider this for you SEC fans out there...the South backfield is loaded with talent. Charles Scott (LSU), Anthony Dixon (Miss St), Ben Tate (Auburn) and Montario Hardesty (Tenn) have all accepted invitations to this year's game. All of those players rushed for 1,000 or more yards this season with the exception of Scott and he missed several games with a broken collarbone. (he did break the 1,000 yard mark his junior year). Throw in Ole Miss' Dexter McCluster, who can play both running back and wide receiver (1,169 yards rushing this year) and you've got a pretty elite group! Can't wait to see how those guys perform down here in late January. Oh and of course I can't forget to mention USC running back Stafon Johnson who will also be in the South backfield. Johnson--if you remember--suffered that horrific weight-lifting accident in late September where he crushed his larynx when the bar slipped from his hands and landed on his throat. He has been cleared to play and will return to the field in Mobile. It's a tremendous comeback story and one that deserves a blog entry of its own. So with that said...until next time! Don't forget to buy your tickets!! Call 251-432-4109 or stop by 151 Dauphin Street or our ticket office in Bel Air Mall!