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Vinny Ciurciu
Vincenzo “Vinny” Ciurciu (born May 2, 1980) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at Boston College. Ciurciu has also been a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots and Detroit Lions. Early years Ciurciu played high school football at Saint Joseph Regional High School in Montvale, New Jersey after playing one season in Elmwood Park Memorial High School in Elmwood Park, New Jersey. He was garnished all-state honors at linebacker as a junior and senior. He rushed for 1,260 yards and 25 touchdowns his senior year. College career Ciurciu began his college career at Clemson University as a freshman fullback in 1998. He played in 23 games between 1998 and 1999, totaling 30 carries, four catches, and one touchdown. After head coach Tommy West was fired from Clemson, Tommy Bowden was hired as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, playing closer to the line of scrimmage than the defensive backs (secondary), but farther back than the defensive linemen. As such, linebackers play a hybrid role and are often the most versatile players on the defensive side of the ball; they can be asked to play roles similar to either a defensive lineman (such as stopping the runner on a running play) or a defensive back (such as dropping back into pass coverage). How a linebacker plays their position depends on the defensive alignment, the philosophy of the coaching staff, and the particular play the offense may call. Linebackers are divided into middle linebackers, sometimes called inside linebackers, and outside linebackers. The middle linebacker, often called "Mike", is frequently ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
College Football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most other sports in North America, no official minor league farm organizations exist in American or Canadian football. Therefore, college football is generally considered to be the second tier of American and Canadian football; one step ahead of high school competition, and one step below professional competition (the NFL). In some areas of the US, especially the South and the Midwest, college football is more popular than professional football, and for much of the 20th century college football was seen as more prestigious. A player's performance in college football directly impacts his chances of playing professional football. The best collegiate players will typically declare for the professional draft after three to four years of colleg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Will Witherspoon
William Cordell Witherspoon (born August 19, 1980) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia. Professionally, he played for the St. Louis Rams, Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans. Early years Witherspoon's father served in the US Air Force, and so Witherspoon moved around as a child. However, his family never lived on the military bases, instead deciding to live in the community so the children could experience the culture. In addition to speaking English, he knows how to speak German, and is learning both Arabic and Swedish. He attended Good Shepherd Lutheran School in middle school. He played running back for Rutherford High School in Panama City, Florida, but switched to linebacker before his senior year. He was chosen as the USA Today Florida Player of the Year for his efforts as a senior, where he posted 112 tackles, 3 sacks, and three intercept ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dan Morgan
Daniel Thomas Morgan, Jr. (born December 19, 1978) is an American football executive and former linebacker who is the assistant general manager for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the director of player personnel for the Buffalo Bills and as the director of pro personnel for the Seattle Seahawks. Morgan played in the NFL for seven seasons and played college football for the University of Miami, where he was recognized as an All-American, and won multiple national awards. Morgan was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft, and he earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2004. Early years Morgan was born in Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania. He grew up playing football for the Clifton Heights Rams of the Bert Bell Football League near Philadelphia. After playing freshman football at Upper Darby High School in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, Morgan attended J. P. Taravella High School in Coral Sprin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Carolina Panthers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2003 season. The Patriots defeated the Panthers by a score of 32–29. The game was played at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, on February 1, 2004. At the time, this was the most watched Super Bowl ever with 144.4 million viewers. The Panthers were making their first ever Super Bowl appearance after posting an 11–5 regular season record. They also made it the second straight year that a team from the NFC South division made the Super Bowl, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers winning Super Bowl XXXVII. The Patriots, led by head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, were seeking their second Super Bowl title in three years after posting a 14–2 record. NFL fans and sports writers widely consider this game ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
NFL Playoffs, 2003–04
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and the highest professional level of American football in the world. Each NFL season begins with a three-week preseason in August, followed by the 18-week regular season which runs from early September to early January, with each team playing 17 games and having one bye week. Following the conclusion of the regular season, seven teams from each conference (four division winners and three wild card teams) advance to the playoffs, a single-elimination tournament that culminates in the Super Bowl, which is contested in February and is played between the AFC and NFC conference champions. The league is headquartered in New York City. The NFL was formed in 1920 as the America ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Practice Squad
In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scout team by emulating an upcoming opponent's play style. Because the players on the practice squad are familiar with the team's plays and formations, the practice squad serves as a way to develop inexperienced players for promotion to the main roster. This is particularly important for professional gridiron football teams, which do not have formal minor league farm team affiliates to train players. In addition, it provides replacement players for the main roster when players are needed as the result of injuries or other roster moves, such as bereavement leave. National Football League History During the 1940s, Cleveland Browns coach Paul Brown invented the "taxi squad," a group of promising scouted players who did ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936 NFL Draft, 1936. The NFL draft, draft was held April 26–27, 2003 NFL season, 2003 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York (state), New York. The league also held a NFL draft#Supplemental, supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season. The draft was broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2 beginning at noon on Saturday, April 26 and beginning at 11:00 am on Sunday, April 27. The draft consisted of seven rounds, with teams selecting in the reverse order of the finish the 2002 NFL season, previous season. There were 32 NFL draft#Compensatory picks, compensatory picks distributed among 15 teams, with five teams each receiving four additional selections. In addition, the 2003 Houston Texans season, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boston College
Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classified as an R1 research university, it still uses the word "college" in its name to reflect its historical position as a small liberal arts college. Its main campus is a historic district and features some of the earliest examples of collegiate gothic architecture in North America. In accordance with its Jesuit heritage, the university offers a liberal arts curriculum with a distinct emphasis on formative education and service to others. Boston College is ranked among the top universities in the United States and undergraduate admission is highly selective. The university offers bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees through its eight colleges and schools: Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences, Carroll School of Manage ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tommy Bowden
Tommy Pearce Bowden (; born July 10, 1954) is a former American football coach. He served as the head coach at Clemson University from 1999 until October 13, 2008. He is a son of Bobby Bowden, former head football coach of Florida State University, against whom he coached in games nicknamed the "Bowden Bowl." He is also a brother of Terry Bowden, who served as the head coach of Auburn. Coaching career Before coming to Clemson, Bowden was the head coach at Tulane University, and an assistant at the University of Alabama, Auburn University, Duke University, the University of Kentucky, East Carolina University and, with his father, at Florida State. His 1998 Tulane squad went 12–0 and achieved a top-10 final ranking in both polls. Despite being one of only two undefeated teams in the regular season, Tulane was not even considered for a bid in a Bowl Championship Series game because it was believed they had not played a difficult schedule. Bowden was hired as Clemson's head c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tommy West (American Football)
Thomas Cleveland West (born July 31, 1954) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the defensive line coach at Middle Tennessee State University. West served as head football coach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (1993), Clemson University (1993–1998) and the University of Memphis (2001–2009), compiling a career college football record of 84–96. West was fired as head coach at Memphis on November 9, 2009 after beginning the season 2–7. ''The Commercial Appeal'', November 9, 2009 West finished the season with Memphis. West attended Gainesville High School (Georgia), Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Georgia, from which he graduated in 1972. There he was a let ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fullback (American Football)
A fullback (FB) is a position in the offensive backfield in gridiron football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback. Fullbacks are typically larger than halfbacks and in most offensive schemes the fullback's duties are split among power running, pass catching, and blocking for both the quarterback and the other running back. Many great runners in the history of American football have been fullbacks, including Jim Brown, Marion Motley, Bronko Nagurski, Jim Taylor, Franco Harris, Larry Csonka, John Riggins, Christian Okoye, and Levi Jackson. However, many of these runners would retroactively be labeled as halfbacks, due to their position as the primary ball carrier; they were primarily listed as fullbacks due to their size and did not often perform the run-blocking duties expected of modern fullbacks. Examples of players who have excelled at the hybrid running–blocking–pass-catching role include Vonta Leach, Mike Alstott, William Henderson, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
