Old acquaintances are not forgotten – just ask anyone who sings on New Years Eve. And when UNC faces Pitt, Saturday December 26 at Bank of America Stadium a reunion, of sorts, will take place between the head coaches and two of their players. Braden Hanson, quarterback for the Tar Heels and Max Gruder, linebacker for the Panthers, played against each other in high school. Hanson played at Charlotte Latin School and Gruder played for Charlotte Country Day School and the rivalry between the two CISAA powerhouses is as intense as any you’ll find in the Charlotte area. As for the coaches, Pitt skipper Dave Wannstedt and North Carolina’s Butch Davis have history, as well. Both are protégé’s of Jimmie Johnson dating back to assistant coaching days at Oklahoma State starting in 1979.

State championships have been plentiful for the two independent high school programs, as Charlotte Latin has won the trophy four times in the last five years and Country Day won it in 2004. Almost every time they meet, a conference crown is in the equation. In fact, in 2006, Gruder’s Country Day bunch won the regular season match-up at home, 28-21 but lost in OT in the state finals, 28-25, to the Latin squad piloted by Hanson. The QB threw for 81 TD’s in high school in two years as a starter and was named NC Gatorade Player of the Year in 2007. He led the Hawks to two consecutive independent school state crowns as a junior and senior. A lefty red-shirted in 2008, he’s listed at 6’5” 200 lbs. and sits in the #2 spot on the depth chart behind starter, T.J. Yates for UNC.  His favorite player is Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts and his main team (besides the Heels) is the Kansas City Chiefs.

Gruder, a three-year starter, registered 132 tackles his junior season and was named All-State and All-Conference that same year posting a 4.5 forty-yard dash. His senior stats in 2006 are just as impressive compiling 111 tackles, 17 tackles for losses, two interceptions (one returned for a TD) and two fumble recoveries. Although he was recruited by other Division I schools, Gruder settled on Pitt early as Coach Wannstedt assured him he’d see lots of action at middle linebacker. In addition, he was a two-year track and field letterman and also played hockey.

The common ground shared by the head coaches even includes their wives who have stayed in touch through the years. The mentors were together four seasons in Stillwater (1979-82); three years with the Miami Hurricanes (1986-88) and four years with the Dallas Cowboys (1989-92). Additionally, both schools have previously appeared in the Charlotte Bowl. Pitt lost to Virginia 23-16 in the 2003 Continental Tire Bowl and North Carolina lost to Boston College in the 2004 Continental Tire Bowl, 37-24, and last year to West Virginia in a thriller 31-30 in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Davis was at the helm for last year’s contest but this will be Wannstedt’s first try at capturing the post-season trophy in Charlotte. Since neither coach has tasted bowl-success in Bank of America Stadium, the Meineke Car Care Bowl should be a good show.

In addition to these coaches and high school rivals, there are seven players on the UNC roster who played high school ball in Charlotte:

Hawatha Bell, LB– Butler High

Josh Bridges, LB – West Charlotte

Steven Hatley, RB – Providence

Ryan Houston, TB – Butler

Josh Hunter, DB – Mallard Creek

Vince Jacobs, TE – Providence Day

Trey Strickland, OL – South Mecklenburg

More memories to share – more friends to reconnect with! See you at the game.

The 2008 Meineke Car Care Bowl Most Valuable Player was awarded to quarterback Pat White from The University of West Virginia and was he special. The 4-year starter finished with a career-high 332 yards and 3 TD’s on 26 of 32 attempts and rushed 25 times for 55 yards in the 31-30 dramatic win over UNC before a record crowd of 73,712 in the 7th edition at Bank of America Stadium.

White is a passionate and focused play-maker on a mission since his high school days in Daphne, Alabama. The son of a fire chief, he was highly recruited to play football but was equally sought after on the baseball diamond as the Anaheim Angels offered him $400,000 to sign in 2004. White said no. He had a goal. The 6′1″, 190-lb young man was determined to play quarterback but more importantly, he wanted to get a college degree. “Getting that degree is the best success I’ve had since I’ve been here (WVa),” adds White. “That’s why my parents sent me here. If I don’t graduate, it’s a failed mission.”

Making the spectacular look routine, White remains humble and appreciative. The list of awards and records are too numerous to itemize but among the most significant are two milestones: Pat White is the first QB in major college football history to win four bowl starts being named MVP for the 3rd consecutive bowl game and his 4,480 career rushing yards are the most among any QB in NCAA history. He was the MVP of the 2009 Senior Bowl and was taken 44th overall in the NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins where he appears to be a perfect fit for its “wildcat” offensive scheme.

Some Mountaineer faithful think the Liberal Arts major is the greatest player in school history yet White downplays the attention, as usual. “Everybody’s entitled to their opinion and I’m grateful to those that think so.” Ask the UNC defense if it respects White – it lined-up with eight men on the line of scrimmage all game trying to stop his running. So what does he do – he throws completing the game-winning toss midway through the 4th quarter. After receiving the MVP trophy, White paid tribute to his absent teammate, Brandon Hogan #22, who was ill and unable to play rather than celebrate his personal achievement. That’s not his way.

White explains that his three best qualities are honesty, passion and caring and he believes a person succeeds through hard work, focus and honesty. West Virginia Head Coach Bill Stewart says of White: “I hope my son grows up to be just like him – and I’m not talking about at quarterback – I’m talking about as a man.” Quite a compliment and I’d say Mission Accomplished.

 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Meineke-Car-Care-Bowl/96404457304?ref=nf
 

Hope you enjoyed it The finished product will be airing on TV throughout the month of November. I hope all of you have purchased tickets for the game! This year’s game will be on December 26^th at 4:30pm at Bank of America Stadium – a perfect opportunity to get out of the house and enjoy the Holiday with family and friends. Bowl week here in Charlotte is so fun, we have a lot to look forward to – hope to see yall there!

Other exclusive areas we toured were the press box (which is not a box at all, and actually pretty big—its also where the Panthers’ players and BoA stadium staff members eat lunch 2-3 times a week) and the coaches/player interview areas. My favorite rooms were Suite 87 and the Gridiron Club! The Gridiron Club had these cool gel floor tiles so when you stepped on them you could see your footprint (Megan really liked those lol) as well as a mini-movie theatre. Suite 87 (which is named after Panthers’ owner Jerry Richardson’s Baltimore Colts jersey number) is where we will host the 2009 MCCB Coaches Reception. The room has a great view of the field and its own billiards area! Our tour ended by seeing each of the outside gates (since there was so much ground to cover, we used a golf cart to get around outside)…Side note: there is no “West Gate” at Bank of America Stadium. There’s only a North Gate (which the ACC team will enter through), a South Gate (which the Big East team will enter through), and an East Gate (which both teams’ bands and cheerleaders will use). I never realized how big a place the stadium was! It was great to get an idea of where all the action will occur (both on and off the field!). Lots to do before December 26^th…Until next time!

Stadium View from Club Level

Media Room

Gridiron Private Seating

Suite 87 (where Coaches Reception will be)

Suite 87

September 26 

 Florida state vs. USF

Maryland vs. Rutgers

NC State vs. Pitt  

November 28

Miami @ USF  

Jason Colson is ready to get involved. As a new Board member of The Meineke Car Care Bowl, Jason brings a unique set of skills. Not only has he excelled in his academic and career pursuits (undergraduate degree in Agribusiness Management and Rural Developments, Master’s Degree in Agriculture – presently an account manager with AGDATA) but he played running back from 2002-2006 at West Virginia University.

Colson, 25, from Rochester, New York actually played in The Continental Tire Bowl (the predecessor to The Meineke Car Care Bowl) in 2002. “Bowl games are one of the most memorable parts of being an athlete,” Jason explains. “They have a bigger impact on athletes than you might think. It’s the main goal during winter, spring and summer workouts heading into fall camp.”

Achieving goals is what Jason Colson is all about. Among his many achievements are: 1,000 yard career rusher, Coaches Contribution Award winner, semi-pro football (West Virginia Gladiators) while pursuing his graduate degree and First Team All-League USFA.  He moved to Charlotte three months ago and has eagerly embraced his new job, the community and now The Meineke Car Care Bowl.

Jason plans to serve on the Hospitality and Game Day Committees. “I chose those two because I’ll be more connected with the players and coaches. Being an athlete is one thing but being a part of the planning and preparation is another. Not many ex-athletes get an opportunity to see what I hope to experience.” When he’s not working Jason enjoys working-out, fishing, traveling and reading. He’s currently reading Red and Me a book about Bill Russell and his coach Red Auerbach. The West Virginia Alumni Association has recommended Jason for a Young Alumni Spotlight. The purpose is to record, via video camera, a day in their life mainly focusing on their career but also any outside activities or organizations. The clips will give prospective students and their families a chance to take a peek at some successful WVa alums.

Perhaps Jason Colson will include some “Board moments” in his feature. Regardless, The Meineke Car Care Bowl is fortunate to have this outstanding and energetic individual ready to contribute his time and talents. Jason adds, “I hope by giving my opinions to other committee members we can improve The Meineke Car Care Bowl – make it one of the best in the country.”  Please join us in welcoming Jason Colson.

Experienced professionals required on-site include a director, announcers, technicians (ex: camera, audio, replay, video), statisticians, cable-pullers and many more. 15-20,000 feet of cable is needed along with a satellite truck, 8-10 cameras and 8 slow motion techs. Once the competing teams are announced in early December, implementation begins in earnest. Announcers are assigned and statisticians and video personnel begin compiling data, clips, sound bites and the like. By December 24 or 25, the team in the booth will be announced and a full production staff will be in Charlotte.

The best way to describe game day is frenetic. A live telecast begins with weeks of advance preparation but once you go “on-the-air” anything can happen and the production people must be ready and flexible in case of the unexpected. Lastly, as the broadcast is moments from being aired, a final check to the master control room with ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut is done ensuring that the signals are good to go and the feed can be distributed nationwide. “Live from Charlotte, North Carolina – welcome to the 2008 Meineke Car Care Bowl,” that’s what you’ll see and hear but we know there’s a lot more to it than that!

What an unpredictable year in the Big East! Starting with WVa, the Mountaineers remained unbeaten in conference play after taking UConn 35-13. Cincinnati surprised #24 USF Thursday night 24-10 with a stellar performance by QB Tony Pike who played with a cast on his non-throwing hand. Syracuse picked up its first conference win beating Louisville 28-21 to snap the Cardinals’ 3-game winning streak. Facing a halftime deficit of 17-3 Pitt battled-back against a gritty Notre Dame finally winning 36-33 in the fourth OT. Panther kicker Connor Lee nailed 5 field goals in the victory. Rutgers had an open date.

ACC

In a heartbreaker for the host Cavaliers, UVA lost to Miami 24-17 in OT. Clemson bested Boston College for the first time in six tries since 1958. The final was 27-21 for the Tigers at home. Wake Forest squeaked by Duke Saturday night 33-30 in yet another OT game in the conference. #16 Florida State had their comeback hopes squashed by GaTech 31-28 as Seminole Marcus Sims fumbled into the end zone as time expired. The Yellowjackets win was their first over FSU since 1975. Maryland, NCState, UNC and VaTech were idle.

Will Webb, Executive Director, and his staff carefully consider items that are of good quality, useful and popular with student athletes. The “Flip”, for example, is the latest electronic gizmo catching fire with all ages. New York Times coined it as “one of the most significant electronics products of the year!” The NCAA mandates a $500 limit per player so great care is given to making good choices within that budget.

At the outset of bowl week, the gifts are imprinted, packaged and delivered to the team hotels to be distributed at the discretion of the schools. Within a month following the Meineke Car Care Bowl, Athletic Directors, coaches and 5 players chosen from each school are asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their overall experience and opinions on the gifts. To date, the results have been overwhelmingly positive. In fact two years ago The Meineke Car Care Bowl was rated in the top five out of 32 bowls. We expect those sentiments will continue on December 27, 2008 and beyond

UNC rolled over #23 Boston College 45-24 in Chapel Hill in large part via the efforts of wide-out Hakeem Nicks and his 4 TD’s. A stiffened 2nd half defensive show helped lift Miami over Wake Forest 16-10. In an ugly game Duke prevailed over Vanderbilt of the mighty SEC 10-7 in Nashville despite missing field goals and fumbles. #24 Florida State rallied from a 10-pt deficit to beat VaTech 30-20 and put them atop the Atlantic Division. Surprising UVA upset #21 GaTech 24-17 behind bruising running back Cedric Peerman. In a rain-soaked contest, Maryland outlasted NC State 27-24 in College Park leaving the Wolfpack winless in ACC play. Clemson had an open date.

Big East Update

It was shake-up Saturday this weekend leaving preseason favorite West Virginia as the only unbeaten team in conference play. UCONN broke-out in the second half against Cincinnati 40-16 after trailing by three points at the midway point. At Heinz Field Rutgers put away #17 Pitt 54-34 exposing a previously stellar Panther’s defense. Louisville surprised #14 USF 24-20 in a game penalty-plagued by the Bulls. Scoring 31 straight points, WVA surged past Auburn Thursday night 34-17. Syracuse was idle.