Medal of Honor Bowl - South Carolina's Premier College Football Bowl Game
Charleston, South Carolina
January, 2018
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All posts in Player Commitment

December 8, 2014
The crowd stands as the South Carolina State University Marching 101 band performs during the 2014 Medal of Honor Bowl at Johnson Hagood Stadium in January. Paul Zoeller/Staff
Medal of Honor Bowl keeping player list top secret – for now

Courtesy of The Post and Courier

Austin Atkinson could tell you which high-profile college football players the Medal of Honor Bowl has lined up to play in Charleston’s second annual all-star game.

But then he’d have to ask you politely not to tell anyone else. At least, not yet.

Recruiting players for postseason all-star games is not quite as intense as the dog-eat-dog world of college football recruiting. But the battle for NFL Draft-eligible players among all-star games is competitive in its own way, which is one reason the Medal of Honor Bowl is keeping a close hold on its lists of player commitments.

“It can be tough out there,” said Atkinson, the Medal of Honor Bowls’ deputy director of player personnel. “Last year, some of our names got out there early and we lost some players who ended up getting drafted to other games. We don’t want that to happen again.”

Atkinson said the Medal of Honor Bowl has about 50 players committed for its second game, set for Jan. 10 at Johnson Hagood Stadium. But he doesn’t plan to begin rolling out the names until just before Christmas. All told, the Medal of Honor Bowl will have about 104 players divided between two teams, with most of the players coming from schools within a 500-mile radius of Charleston.

Atkinson and veteran coach Cal McCombs, the game’s director of player personnel and a former NFL scout himself, are competing mostly with the East-West Shrine (Jan. 17, St. Petersburg, Fla.) and the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl (Jan. 17, Carson, Calif.) for players. The Reese’s Senior Bowl (Jan. 24, Mobile, Ala.) is generally considered the top all-star game, and already has released the names of 63 committed players, including Clemson Tigers Corey Crawford, Stephone Anthony and Grady Jarrett.

Last year, the Medal of Honor Bowl had commitments from wide receivers Matt Hazel of Coastal Carolina, Ryan Clark of Tulane, Michael Campanaro of Wake Forest and Corey Washington of North Charleston and Newberry College. All ended up being drafted, and all ended up playing in other all-star games.

Still, last year’s Medal of Honor Bowl featured three players who were drafted, 73 who went to NFL camps and 28 who were on NFL rosters at the start of the season.

“I wouldn’t say we go after players who have committed to other games,” said Atkinson, who was not affiliated with the Medal of Honor Bowl last year. “But we are inviting players who also have received invitations to other games. We hope they see the light, and that coming to Charleston for a week is better than going to Tampa or to Carson, Calif.”

Toward that end, the Medal of Honor Bowls’ TV deal with NBC Sports Network this year has made a big difference on the recruiting trail, Atkinson said. Last year’s game was not televised, putting the Medal of Honor Bowl at a disadvantage in luring players.

“It’s been a great recruiting tool for us,” Atkinson said. “The players have been able to tell their family, friends and teammates that they will be able to watch them play. It puts us on an even footing with the East-West and NFLPA games.”

Uniquely among all-star games, McCombs and Atkinson have been on the road every weekend since the season started, casting a wide net that covers 21 football conferences around the nation, from the SEC, ACC and Big 12 to FCS and Division II leagues.

“Our approach was to find a 400 to 550-mile radius around Charleston and not miss any of those guys,” Atkinson said. “We’ve visited dozens of programs up and down the east coast, developing relationships with coaches and with NFL scouts. Now, those relationships are paying off. We’ve had SEC head coaches call us to recommend players, and that says a lot about how far we’ve come in stature.”

Atkinson attended the ACC championship game between Georgia Tech and Florida State on Saturday, hand-delivering invitations to players from those schools. He’s invited a “handful of players” from both Clemson and South Carolina, and at least one player from The Citadel is guaranteed a spot in the game.

“Every kid we invite is vetted through NFL scouts and college coaches,” he said. “No player gets an invitation without feedback from scouts and coaches.”

Atkinson also said he expects about 150 scouts and other NFL representatives to attend the week of practices leading up to the game, up from about 108 last year.

Player Commitment, Press Release MOH Bowl, Player List, Top Secret No Comments
December 9, 2013
Medal of Honor Bowl Releases First List of Player Commitments

Charleston, S.C. – Senior college football players from the Southeastern Conference, Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 10 and Notre Dame create the initial list, which totals more than 50 players in all as The Medal of Honor Bowl releases its initial list of player commitments.

Some of the names include TCU quarterback Casey Pachall, one of the top quarterbacks for the 2014 NFL Draft, and Raijon Neal a 1,000-yard rusher from the University of Tennessee. Pachall headlines an impressive list of quarterbacks that include Ohio University’s Tyler Tettleton, a Davey O’ Brien Award candidate and former Maryland and Wisconsin signal caller Danny O’Brien. O’Brien was named ACC Freshman of the Year before finishing his collegiate career at Division II Catawba. Neal rushed for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns in his senior campaign for the Vols.

“This is just the start of what is shaping up to be an outstanding class of future NFL talent coming to Charleston for the Inaugural Medal of Honor Bowl,” said Executive Director Brian Woods.

According to Woods, there will be a total of 92 players participating in the game and they will be divided equally into 46 per team.

Former Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys head coach Chan Gailey will serve as head coach for the National Team while Ralph Friedgen, former assistant coach for the San Diego Chargers, will lead the American Team. The premier all-star event expects to have around 200 NFL scouts, coaches and general managers in attendance when practices begin on January 6.

The all-star lineup also includes some the nation’s top small school prospects like defensive backs Malcolm Butler of West Alabama and L.J. McCray of Catwaba along with D.J. Adams, a running back from Portland State. Both McCray and Butler were on the Senior Bowl Watch List this year and Adams, a former Maryland Terrapin, was one of the top rushers in all divisions finishing his 2013 campaign with more than 1,600 yards.

Two of the most intriguing prospects could come from the wide receiver group as Nathan Slaughter from West Texas A&M and Gerald Ford from Valdosta State highlight the list. The speedy Slaughter has returned three kickoffs for touchdowns in 2013. Ford was a Harlan Hill Trophy finalist in 2012 before an academic issue kept him off the field in 2013.

Another impressive unit is the linebackers corps, which counts Iowa State’s Jeremiah George, Colorado State’s Shaquille Barrett and Xavius Boyd from Western Kentucky among its commitments. George finished the season sixth in the nation in total tackles with 133. Boyd was the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week on three separate occasions this year and led the conference in tackles for loss. Johnny Millard, a talented linebacker from Cal-Poly and the son of former NFL player Keith Millard, has also accepted an invite to play in the Inaugural Medal of Honor Bowl.

Highlighting the defensive backfield is Travis Carrie from Ohio University and Albany State’s Dexter Moody. Carrie, a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award (for the nation’s best defensive back) in 2012, returned two interceptions for touchdowns in his 2013 regular season finale. Moody enjoyed a stellar senior year to follow his 2012 campaign, which saw the safety finish third in the nation for all divisions with seven interceptions.

Also accepting an invitation was Wake Forest defensive lineman Nikita Whitlock. Whitlock, who is projected as a fullback in the NFL, will line up on the offensive side of the ball.

Local commitments include The Citadel cornerback Brandon McCladdie and Newberry wide receiver and former North Charleston High School product Corey Washington, Jr.

The Medal of Honor Bowl is scheduled for 2 pm on Saturday, January 11 at The Citadel’s Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, SC. Tickets may be secured at the Medal of Honor Bowl Game’s dedicated website www. MOHbowl.com. They will also be available at www.Etix.com and charge by phone at 800/514-ETIX (3849).

For more information, please refer to www.mohbowl.com, Twitter: @MOHbowl and Facebook.com/MOHbowl

Medal of Honor Bowl Player Commitments (55 as of 12/9/13)

OFFENSE
Quarterbacks
Danny O’Brien – Catawba
Casey Pachall – TCU
Cory Robinson – Troy
Tyler Tettleton – Ohio University

Running Backs
D.J. Adams – Portland State
Raijon Neal – Tennessee

Fullback/H-Back
Nikita Whitlock – Wake Forest

Wide Receivers
D.J. Coles – Virginia Tech
Gerald Ford – Valdosta State
Taylor Gabriel – Abilene Christian
JaVontee Herndon – Arkansas
Keenan Holman – SMU
Ronrei Lloyd – Central Missouri
Colin Lockett – San Diego State
Quinton Payton – North Carolina State
Alex Neutz – Buffalo
Nathan Slaughter – West Texas A&M
Eric Thomas – Troy
Corey Washington, Jr. – Newberry

Tight Ends
Jacob Maxwell – Louisiana-Lafayette
Scott Simonson – Assumption

Offensive Line
Jimmy Bennett – Connecticut
Pat Eger – West Virginia
Curtis Feight – West Virginia

DEFENSE
Defensive Line
Justin Ellis – Louisiana Tech
Antonio Gillespie – Troy
Kona Schwenke – Notre Dame

Defensive Ends
Denico Autry – Mississippi State
Cody Bauer – Rice
Euclid Cummings – Georgia Tech
Cory Henry – Florida Atlantic
Chris Redding – Wake Forest
Daniel Riley – Harding
Robert Simpson – Mississippi Valley State

Linebackers
Justin Anderson – Louisiana-Lafayette
Shaquille Barrett – Colorado State
Xavius Boyd – Western Kentucky
DeRonn Furr – Fort Valley State
Jeremiah George – Iowa State
Adarius Glanton – Florida Atlantic
Johnny Millard – Cal Poly
Roosevelt Nix – Kent State
Deontae Skinner – Mississippi State

Cornerbacks
Malcolm Butler – West Alabama
Travis Carrie – Ohio University
Quadavius Cox – Jackson State
Brandon Dixon – NW Missouri
Brian Dixon – NW Missouri
Brandon McCladdie – The Citadel

Safeties
Deon Broomfield – Iowa State
L.J. McCray – Catawba
Dexter Moody – Albany State
Parker Orms – Colorado
Mycal Swaim – Eastern Michigan

Punter/Kicker
Michael Pallardy – Tennessee

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Shelly Nuttall Gardner

Shelly Nuttall Gardner is the owner/director of WheelHouse Concepts Inc., a firm specializing in strategic sales and events as well as creative project management.
Shelly Nuttall Gardner
Her current projects include:

* The Medal of Honor Bowl, director of Sales and Marketing. Gardner leads the sponsorship team, oversees the production of events as well as generates community and regional awareness and excitement about The Medal of Honor Bowl through advertising and marketing campaigns.

*Taste of Atlanta, director of Restaurants. Gardner works closely with Atlanta area chefs to produce and coordinate the restaurant participation in this festival, which draws 50,000 attendees annually over the 3 day schedule of culinary events.

*The Stray Dog Society, executive director. This member based social organization is for supporters (both graduate or non-graduate) of The Citadel. Gardner runs the membership and sponsorship campaign, as well as plans and executes the Society’s many events including the tailgate parties before each home game and the Annual Homecoming Jamboree to the sell-out crowd of 1500.

Gardner is originally from Charlotte, and is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill. Before starting WheelHouse Inc , she was a surgical sales representative for Medtronic’s neurosurgery division.

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Andy Solomon

Native Charlestonian Andy Solomon, who handles the media relations for the Medal of Honor Bowl Game, is concluding his 39th year in athletic administration and his 23rd year as an associate athletics director at The Citadel.
Andy Solomon
Having served in marketing, promotions and sports information capacities since joining The Citadel, Solomon now devotes his efforts on special events and coordinating the school’s licensing program. He also produces The Blue & White, the official publication of The Citadel Brigadier Foundation, and Today’s Blue & White, a weekly electronic newsletter. 

He is also a Visiting Professor in the school’s Health, Exercise and Sport Science Department and teaches Sports Management courses. He has served as the NCAA representative and tournament director at baseball regionals every year since 2003. Solomon also served a term as president of the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame and remains active as a member of the Board of Directors.

Solomon was selected as the inaugural Marketer of the Year (1999-2000) for NCAA Division I-AA and I-AAA institutions by the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) and was named National SID of the Year in 1983 by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), becoming the youngest ever to win the award.

In March 2004, Solomon was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame and became the third native Charlestonian to be enshrined in a national sports hall of fame, joining Art Shell (NFL) and Beth Daniel (LPGA). In 2009, he was inducted into Winthrop’s Hall of Fame.

Prior to his arrival at The Citadel, Solomon served in athletic administrative positions at College of Charleston (1973-77), Charleston Southern (1977-78), Winthrop (1978-84) and Limestone (1984-88).  He was the public relations manager at Wild Dunes Resort in 1988-89, and serves as a media relations consultant for the Charleston RiverDogs, the Class A affiliate of the New York Yankees.

Solomon earned his bachelor’s degree from College of Charleston in 1977 and a master’s from Winthrop.  He and his wife, Amy, have two daughters, Anna and Addie.

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Tommy McQueeney

W. Thomas ‘Tommy’ McQueeney is the Chairman and Founder of The Medal of Honor Bowl Game, and works closely with our beneficiaries, The National Medal of Honor Museum and the Wounded Warrior Project.
Tommy McQueeny
A native Charleston area businessman with a background in sports development he chaired the Southern Conference Basketball Championships and the Charleston Area Sports Commission twice. McQueeney also chaired the $44.5 million Johnson Hagood Stadium Revitalization, has served on The Citadel’s Board of Visitors, the MUSC Children’s Hospital Board, and the Patriot’s Point Maritime Museum Foundation.

A 2009 recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, he is a local columnist and author.

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Thomas J O'Rourke

Tom O’Rourke is the Executive Director of the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission. Tom’s Agency has been nationally recognized for operating an ever-expanding park system without using tax increases to fund growth.
Tom O'Rourke

Tom has the direct oversight responsibility for over 10,000 acres of parkland consisting of a very diverse offering of parks, programs and services.

Prior to joining Charleston County PRC, Tom was the Director of the Mt. Pleasant Recreation Department in Mt. Pleasant South Carolina, and also worked as Manager of the Sports and Recreation Division for Seamon Whiteside and Associates a Landscape Architect and Engineering firm. Tom’s first job was as a high school Athletic Director and Coach.

Currently Tom spends a significant amount of time educating park and recreation professionals. In the past three years he has spoken at 13 different State Association Conferences and has presented sessions at the NRPA Congress for the past 12 years. He is on the Board of Regents at the NRPA Revenue School, The NRPA Directors School and a past member of the Supervisors Managements School Board.

Tom is the Chair of the Clemson University Parks Recreation and Tourism Management Advisory Board, and the Chair of the Charleston Area Sports Commission Board of Directors.

Recreation is his profession, but his passion has always been coaching. Tom currently is the Pole Vault Coach at Hanahan High School.

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Hoyt "Rusty" Holt, Jr.

Hoyt “Rusty” Holt, Jr. serves as the Medal of Honor Bowl’s Operations Director.

Rusty Holt

Having recently retired from a successful insurance career at New York Life, Holt is an active member of Savannah’s Sports Council, and a charter board member of the Savannah Hockey Committee. Holt was the presiding force behind Savannah’s Inaugural Rock n Roll Marathon in 2011.

Holt is a proud graduate of The Citadel’s class of 1973, earning his B.S. in Business Administration and lettering in both football and track. In 1988, Holt was inducted into The Citadel’s Athletic Hall of Fame for his excellence in both sports – football and track .

Originally from Mullins, SC , he currently shares his time between Savannah and Charleston with Mignon, his wife of 39 years. They are the proud parents of 3 children and 7 grandchildren whom they delight in spending time with.

In addition to his love of sports, and his involvement in The Medal of Honor Bowl, Holt is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys boating, fishing, hunting and riding his Harley Davidson.

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Rick Raybon

Rick Raybon Director of Finance

Senior Financial Executive with more than 35 years of achievement improving corporate financial performance through financial leadership in banking relations, operations, mergers and acquisitions, organizational development and global systems integration.

Raybon has served in senior financial leadership roles with both Northrop Grumman and Litton Industries. Additionally, he has served as an interim CFO in several smaller equity backed businesses.

A 1974 graduate of The Citadel he has also attended executive level leadership courses at both Harvard Business School and Wharton. He is a licensed CPA, a retired Commander, Supply Corps. USNR and resides in Mt. Pleasant, SC with his wife Vicki.

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Samuel Rivers

Samuel Rivers

Bio Coming Soon…

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Cal McCombs

McCombs1200mugCal McCombs enjoyed a standout career as a track and football athlete at The Citadel, graduating in 1967.
His coaching career included stints at The Citadel, the United States Air Force Academy and as Head Football Coach at VMI, where he was named both State of Virginia Coach of the Year and Southern Conference Coach of the Year.

McCombs also spent five years as a top player development scout for the Denver Broncos of the American football League. Through these experiences, he gained a solid reputation for assessing draft-level NFL talent.

His skills in the area of quantifying NCAA football talent brings an enormous asset to the Medal of Honor Bowl.
He coached on the winning American Team in the inaugural Medal of Honor Bowl in January of 2014.

McCombs is a native of Belton, SC, and lives on the Isle of Palms with wife Lynn. They have three children and six grandchildren.

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Austin B. Atkinson, J.D.

Austin B. Atkinson, J.D. Austin B. Atkinson, J.D. is an NFLPA Certified Contract Advisor and is a registered Athlete Agent in the State of South Carolina. Austin earned a B.A. in Political Science from The Citadel in 1999, and a Juris Doctor degree from the Charleston School of Law in 2011.

As an NFL agent, Austin was able to put players from the FBS, FCS, and Division II levels of college football into NFL camps in recent years. His eye for talent at all levels of football is invaluable in his personnel role for the Medal of Honor Bowl.

Active in the community, Austin has served as the Vice-Chairman of the Town of Mount Pleasant Board of Zoning Appeals, member of the Town of Mount Pleasant Historical Commission, Past-President of the Mount Pleasant Sertoma Club, assistant coach of the Wando High School boys lacrosse team, and is a member of the Theta Commission of Kappa Alpha Order. Austin lives in Mount Pleasant with his wife and children.

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Roy Hamlin Jr.

roy_hamlinMr. Hamlin’s strong success in video and television projects for the nation’s leading nonprofit and sports organizations has helped him network across a broad range of corporate, celebrity and charitable leaders to achieve important goals. He founded AdCraft Associates, which became recognized as a national leader through innovative marketing. After selling AdCraft Associates to Host Communications, Roy’s next venture, NorthStar Visions, took an innovative approach to a marriage between the sports and entertainment worlds. His Fairway Productions Group has been a leader in television concepts and production.
Mr. Hamlin has produced numerous sports publications and live television broadcast programming, while developing many of today’s accepted sports traditions, including the National Championship Trophy Program, Director’s Cut (Div. I, Div IAA, Div III), Basketball Poll, Women’s Basketball Poll, Football Coaches Poll, Baseball Coaches Poll, Baseball National Championship Trophy, Mohamed Ali Museum and the PGA of America Library.

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