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January, 2018
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All posts tagged Tony Romo

January 8, 2015
Frank Wooten Columnist
Win one for the Medal of Honor Bowl

Courtesy of The Post and Courier

Charleston is a big-time player in tourism, fine dining and epic history.

It’s just not a big-time sports town.

Not that’s there anything wrong with that.

Sure, Daniel Island has the Family Circle Cup, a high-profile event on the women’s pro tennis circuit. And Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course had the 2012 PGA Championship and the 1991 Ryder Cup. (More on our local athletic-mecca victories later in this column.)

But when the eyes of the nation’s sports fans turn to our state, it’s usually to watch telecasts of college football or basketball games in Clemson or Columbia.

At 2:30 p.m. Saturday, though, NBC Sports Network will carry a football game live from Johnson Hagood Stadium.

And if you’re already mourning the season’s looming end, why not get a final in-person dose of America’s most popular sport at the Medal of Honor Bowl?

After all, that second annual all-star spectacle will feature the best array of football talent at Johnson Hagood since Sept. 2, 1967.

That’s where and when I saw Miami linebacker Wahoo McDaniel kick a 27-yard field goal to lift the Dolphins to a 20-17 NFL exhibition victory over the New Orleans Saints. McDaniel also was a widely beloved pro wrestler who long and frequently graced Charleston’s County Hall with his devastating “Tomahawk Chop,”

No, there aren’t any likely high-round draft choices (or rasslers?) on Saturday’s American (under head coach Willie Jeffries of S.C. State fame) and National (under head coach Chan Gailey of Dallas Cowboys, Georgia Tech and Buffalo Bills fame) teams.

Yet the talent level significantly exceeds last year’s Medal of Honor Bowl. And that inaugural edition included three players who were drafted four months later – and 73 more who were invited to NFL camps as undrafted free agents.

Lest you underrate undrafted free agents and/or players from non-big-time football schools, consider that “America’s Team” (aka the Dallas Cowboys, aka Chris Christie’s Team) signed Tony Romo in 2003 as an undrafted free agent from Eastern Illinois.

Lest you underrate the in-state appeal of Saturday’s game, consider that while it will spotlight pro prospects from across the land, the rosters also include players from The Citadel, Charleston Southern, S.C. State, Furman, Coastal Carolina, Clemson and South Carolina.

And as a decorated (Bronze Star, Purple Heart) combat veteran, Clemson wide receiver Daniel Rodriguez is a particularly fitting participant.

More good reasons to attend the game: It benefits the Medal of Honor Museum and the Wounded Warriors of S.C. – and 15 recipients of our nation’s highest military honor are expected to attend.

But he wasn’t small

Back to Johnson Hagood:

Among the players who have competed there in my lifetime as Citadel Bulldogs before moving up to the NFL: John Small (Atlanta picked him as the school’s only first-round draft choice ever), Stump Mitchell, Travis Jervey (ex-Wando High star and one of the American team’s assistant coaches this week), Andre Roberts (now with the hapless Washington Redskins) and Cortez Allen (now with the playoff-ousted Pittsburgh Steelers).

Among the players who have competed there against The Citadel before moving up to the NFL: Terrell Owens of Chattanooga and the Dallas Cowboys; Dexter Coakley of Wando, Appalachian State and the Dallas Cowboys; Stanford Jennings of Summerville High and Furman; and J.J. Wilcox of Georgia Southern and now the Dallas Cowboys.

Among the high school seniors in the 2010 NUC (National Underclassman Combines) All-World Gridiron Classic at Johnson Hagood: 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel (aka “Johnny Football”) and 2014 Heisman winner Marcus Mariota.

Among the coaches who have trod the Johnson Hagood sidelines …

Frank Howard (Clemson); Tom Nugent (VMI before going to Florida State and Maryland); Billy Murphy (Memphis State); Marvin Bass (South Carolina); Red Parker (The Citadel before Clemson); Thad “Pie” Vann (Southern Mississippi); Jim Carlen (West Virginia before Texas Tech and South Carolina); Lou Holtz (William & Mary before N.C. State, the New York Jets, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame and South Carolina); Bobby Ross (The Citadel before Maryland, Georgia Tech, the San Diego Chargers and Army); and Dick Sheridan (Furman before N.C. State).

A man-to-man tradition

Beyond football, John Kresse’s triumphant 1979-2002 tenure at the College of Charleston rates a special spot in local sports lore. His Cougars won nearly 80 percent of their games, the 1983 NAIA title and reached four NCAA tournaments with consistently tenacious defense.

In baseball, The Citadel won 1990 College World Series game, and the College of Charleston almost made it to the 2014 College World Series.

And the Charleston RiverDogs (pro baseball), Charleston Battery (pro soccer) and South Carolina Stingrays (pro hockey) all make this a much livelier sports town.

So show TV viewers Saturday that folks around here will show up to see future NFL players, help worthy causes and honor true heroes.

So what if it’s supposed be a bit chilly (near 50) by our spoiled standards?

That’s a lot warmer than it will be in Green Bay on Sunday when Romo leads “America’s Team” to a playoff victory over the Packers.

And you can count on S.C. State’s “Marching 101″ band to heat up Johnson Hagood on Saturday.

Frank Wooten is assistant editor of The Post and Courier. His email is wooten@postandcourier.com.

News, Press Release Bobby Ross, Lou Holtz, Medal of Honor Bowl Game, SC State Marching 101 Band, Tony Romo No Comments
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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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