Posts Tagged ‘Football Field’
Lina Smith asked:
Since its founding in 1933, the Southeastern Conference has been a powerhouse on the football field. Indeed, pigskin analysts are in near universal agreement that SEC football will remain a force to be reckoned with well into the future.
The reality is that throughout its history, SEC football has sported noteworthy and even championship teams from all of the schools in the conference. The fact is that the schools in the conference really are all household names across the country, in no small part due to the success of SEC football:
l Alabama
l Arkansas
l Auburn
l Florida
l Georgia
l Kentucky
l LSU
l Ole Miss
l Mississippi State
l South Carolina
l Tennessee – M
l Tennessee – W
l Vanderbilt
Within two years of the establishment of the conference, two SEC football teams were invited to bowl games. These early invitations set state for what would become a perennial presence of SEC football teams in major bowl games – a tradition that continues to this very day.
A mere nine years after the formation of the Southeastern Conference, Frank Sinkwich became the first SEC football player to receive the iconic Heisman Trophy. Yet again, this recognition and achievement during the early years of the conference was merely the beginning of a long line of SEC football players who would receive incomparable individual recognition.
Beginning in 1951, SEC football teams began a tradition of being named the Associated Press national champions. The first team to bring home that important designation was Tennessee. From that point in time onward, SEC football teams would continue to show a sense of dominance on the national stage. The talent of the players that were being field on teams throughout the conference drew a great deal of attention to the region.
The conference would have other teams designated by the Associated Press as the national champion throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Indeed, the tradition of success carried forward throughout the remainder of the 20th century and hard playing SEC football teams are being fielded into the 21st century as well.
From the ranks of all Southeastern Conference sports there have been designated over 20,000 All Americans since 1933. A good portion of those All Americans have arisen from the ranks of the SEC football teams. Moreover, since 1933, the Southeastern Conference has fielded about 170 national champions; as with the All Americans, the SEC football teams have played a significant role and have brought home more than their fair share of national championships. As has been noted previously in this article, this tradition of achievement shows no signs of abating in any way, shape or form.
Another aspect of SEC football that has garnered a great deal of national attention is fan support. Indeed, the fans of Southeastern Conference football teams are some of the most dedicated and committed in the country. The reality is that a person would be hard pressed to find any sports fans anywhere on the planet that exhibit the unbridled enthusiasm of those folks that back the Southeastern Conference football teams as well as other teams and individual athletes.
Since its founding in 1933, the Southeastern Conference has been a powerhouse on the football field. Indeed, pigskin analysts are in near universal agreement that SEC football will remain a force to be reckoned with well into the future.
The reality is that throughout its history, SEC football has sported noteworthy and even championship teams from all of the schools in the conference. The fact is that the schools in the conference really are all household names across the country, in no small part due to the success of SEC football:
l Alabama
l Arkansas
l Auburn
l Florida
l Georgia
l Kentucky
l LSU
l Ole Miss
l Mississippi State
l South Carolina
l Tennessee – M
l Tennessee – W
l Vanderbilt
Within two years of the establishment of the conference, two SEC football teams were invited to bowl games. These early invitations set state for what would become a perennial presence of SEC football teams in major bowl games – a tradition that continues to this very day.
A mere nine years after the formation of the Southeastern Conference, Frank Sinkwich became the first SEC football player to receive the iconic Heisman Trophy. Yet again, this recognition and achievement during the early years of the conference was merely the beginning of a long line of SEC football players who would receive incomparable individual recognition.
Beginning in 1951, SEC football teams began a tradition of being named the Associated Press national champions. The first team to bring home that important designation was Tennessee. From that point in time onward, SEC football teams would continue to show a sense of dominance on the national stage. The talent of the players that were being field on teams throughout the conference drew a great deal of attention to the region.
The conference would have other teams designated by the Associated Press as the national champion throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Indeed, the tradition of success carried forward throughout the remainder of the 20th century and hard playing SEC football teams are being fielded into the 21st century as well.
From the ranks of all Southeastern Conference sports there have been designated over 20,000 All Americans since 1933. A good portion of those All Americans have arisen from the ranks of the SEC football teams. Moreover, since 1933, the Southeastern Conference has fielded about 170 national champions; as with the All Americans, the SEC football teams have played a significant role and have brought home more than their fair share of national championships. As has been noted previously in this article, this tradition of achievement shows no signs of abating in any way, shape or form.
Another aspect of SEC football that has garnered a great deal of national attention is fan support. Indeed, the fans of Southeastern Conference football teams are some of the most dedicated and committed in the country. The reality is that a person would be hard pressed to find any sports fans anywhere on the planet that exhibit the unbridled enthusiasm of those folks that back the Southeastern Conference football teams as well as other teams and individual athletes.
Steve Hoogenakker asked:
I came across this article two weeks ago after hearing about it on KSTP AM Radio. Out of funding, South High School is in danger of injuring students. They want to make the High School experience a positive one, we think the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association MNLA along with it’s members can and will help.
School is out — of funds
Many Minneapolis high school athletes practice and play at inadequate facilities, and future budgets don’t provide for any quick fixes.
Dean Spiros, Star Tribune
Minneapolis South senior defensive end Zeke Shepherd plays on a football field with no lights, no electricity, no rest rooms, no ticket booth, no concession stand and no press box. He is not without shame.
“We went up to Cambridge [for the first game of the season] and the paper there pointed out we had never seen concession stands and things like that,” Shepherd said. “We have seen them — just not on our field.”
For the most part, Shepherd said, you learn to do without. But when singled out by others for lacking even standard amenities, you are drawn to re-evaluation.
“I didn’t realize how embarrassing it is,” Shepherd said.
Embarrassment, resentment, anger and resignation are among the emotions often packaged with the equipment handed out to athletes at Minneapolis public high schools. Those feelings fight for supremacy against the pride, commitment and determination that allows the athletes and administrators to rise above the failings.
The lack of quality facilities also can have an impact on a student’s decision to join a team or attend a certain school. In some cases, safety is an issue.
John Washington is in his 10th year as athletic director for Minneapolis’ seven public high schools. His experiences date back over 40 years to his days as a basketball player at North, continuing on as a coach and athletic director at Henry. The best moments of his job are spent watching young athletes perform. Too much of his time is spent saying no to coaches and ADs trying to give those athletes the type of experience they deserve.
Talk of the outdated, dilapidated, sometimes nonexistent athletic facilities of the Minneapolis public schools has long stopped qualifying as breaking news. But with each new freshman class come new sets of disbelieving eyes being introduced to the harsh reality.
“I’ve been working on [trying to improve] facilities for 10 years, which is how long I have been here,” South athletic director Mark Sanders said. “Every year we are asked to put together a needs list. Thus far, none of those needs have been met.”
Washington said enough money is allocated to the schools to keep equipment functional and the programs running each year, but there is no money for upgrading facilities. Booster clubs and fundraising events raise some revenue, but not enough to pay for “big-ticket items.”We realize Minneapolis is hurting for dollars,” Washington said, “but there has to be a way we can generate the monies necessary to rebuild the facilities.”
Taking a look around
Each of the seven schools has its own problem areas, and a recent tour of three schools offered some examples.
The biggest concerns of Edison athletic director Brandon Phillips involve the football/soccer field. The bleachers, which typically are on the outside of the track that rings the field, are on the inside of the track at Edison because surrounding buildings limit available space. Not only does the setup render the stands useless for track meets, the bleachers are dangerously close to the field.
To make matters worse, the ground along the sidelines drops off significantly toward field drains. Athletes — still inbounds — are forced to slow down to prevent slamming into the surrounding chain link fence.
“We have to put mats down [over the low areas] to prevent the kids from getting hurt,” Phillips said.
Henry athletic director Dave Wicker proudly shows off his school’s gym, which was updated with new lighting and a new scoreboard last year. The school also boasts a baseball field; all the other schools play on city fields.
Henry’s needs lie around the football field.
Portable toilets are brought in on gamedays because there are no permanent facilities. The concession stand is so decrepit the school rarely uses it, setting up folding tables instead.
But, by far, the worst conditions are found at South, which has the largest enrollment among the Minneapolis schools.
What serves as the football practice field would best be described as a vacant lot. It is South’s only practice field. The green patches are not grass but straggly tangles of weeds. “It’s not fun to get tackled on,” Shepherd said. “It’s dangerous, too. I find broken pieces of glass once in a while. It would be a lot more reassuring if we had actual grass.”
I came across this article two weeks ago after hearing about it on KSTP AM Radio. Out of funding, South High School is in danger of injuring students. They want to make the High School experience a positive one, we think the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association MNLA along with it’s members can and will help.
School is out — of funds
Many Minneapolis high school athletes practice and play at inadequate facilities, and future budgets don’t provide for any quick fixes.
Dean Spiros, Star Tribune
Minneapolis South senior defensive end Zeke Shepherd plays on a football field with no lights, no electricity, no rest rooms, no ticket booth, no concession stand and no press box. He is not without shame.
“We went up to Cambridge [for the first game of the season] and the paper there pointed out we had never seen concession stands and things like that,” Shepherd said. “We have seen them — just not on our field.”
For the most part, Shepherd said, you learn to do without. But when singled out by others for lacking even standard amenities, you are drawn to re-evaluation.
“I didn’t realize how embarrassing it is,” Shepherd said.
Embarrassment, resentment, anger and resignation are among the emotions often packaged with the equipment handed out to athletes at Minneapolis public high schools. Those feelings fight for supremacy against the pride, commitment and determination that allows the athletes and administrators to rise above the failings.
The lack of quality facilities also can have an impact on a student’s decision to join a team or attend a certain school. In some cases, safety is an issue.
John Washington is in his 10th year as athletic director for Minneapolis’ seven public high schools. His experiences date back over 40 years to his days as a basketball player at North, continuing on as a coach and athletic director at Henry. The best moments of his job are spent watching young athletes perform. Too much of his time is spent saying no to coaches and ADs trying to give those athletes the type of experience they deserve.
Talk of the outdated, dilapidated, sometimes nonexistent athletic facilities of the Minneapolis public schools has long stopped qualifying as breaking news. But with each new freshman class come new sets of disbelieving eyes being introduced to the harsh reality.
“I’ve been working on [trying to improve] facilities for 10 years, which is how long I have been here,” South athletic director Mark Sanders said. “Every year we are asked to put together a needs list. Thus far, none of those needs have been met.”
Washington said enough money is allocated to the schools to keep equipment functional and the programs running each year, but there is no money for upgrading facilities. Booster clubs and fundraising events raise some revenue, but not enough to pay for “big-ticket items.”We realize Minneapolis is hurting for dollars,” Washington said, “but there has to be a way we can generate the monies necessary to rebuild the facilities.”
Taking a look around
Each of the seven schools has its own problem areas, and a recent tour of three schools offered some examples.
The biggest concerns of Edison athletic director Brandon Phillips involve the football/soccer field. The bleachers, which typically are on the outside of the track that rings the field, are on the inside of the track at Edison because surrounding buildings limit available space. Not only does the setup render the stands useless for track meets, the bleachers are dangerously close to the field.
To make matters worse, the ground along the sidelines drops off significantly toward field drains. Athletes — still inbounds — are forced to slow down to prevent slamming into the surrounding chain link fence.
“We have to put mats down [over the low areas] to prevent the kids from getting hurt,” Phillips said.
Henry athletic director Dave Wicker proudly shows off his school’s gym, which was updated with new lighting and a new scoreboard last year. The school also boasts a baseball field; all the other schools play on city fields.
Henry’s needs lie around the football field.
Portable toilets are brought in on gamedays because there are no permanent facilities. The concession stand is so decrepit the school rarely uses it, setting up folding tables instead.
But, by far, the worst conditions are found at South, which has the largest enrollment among the Minneapolis schools.
What serves as the football practice field would best be described as a vacant lot. It is South’s only practice field. The green patches are not grass but straggly tangles of weeds. “It’s not fun to get tackled on,” Shepherd said. “It’s dangerous, too. I find broken pieces of glass once in a while. It would be a lot more reassuring if we had actual grass.”