Columbia Football News: Miami Linebacker Heading North

Cypress Bay High School in Broward County, FL

I thought talking about a player from the Miami area might warm us up on this snowy day here in the Northeast.

The Miami Herald's sports blog reports that Cypress Bay linebacker Joe Nathan is coming to Columbia.

The 6'2", 215-pound Nathan was a part of what many pundits considered to be the best linebacking corps in high school football.

Bring us a Rally, Dianne!

Columbia Athletic Director Dr. Dianne Murphy will be in Times Square this afternoon to ring the closing bell at the NASDAQ exchange along with 2008 College Football Hall of Fame inductee Don McPherson.

Dr. Murphy will be there representing the National Football Foundation, as she is the chairperson of the NFF Gridiron Club.

Here's a bit of background on the NFF.

Founded in 1947 with leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 121 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., Play It Smart, the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Alumni Association, the NFF Gridiron Clubs of New York City, Dallas, and Los Angeles, and scholarships of over $1 million for college and high school scholar-athletes. The NFF presents the MacArthur Trophy, the Draddy Trophy, presented by HealthSouth, and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings.




Talk about Good Timing!

The "Buffer" in the News!!

How's this for an eerie coincidence? Just a few days after I posted my brief biography of former Columbia head coach Aldo "Buff" Donelli, the Buffer's name was injected back into sports headlines all over the world because of something that happened on a soccer pitch in Southern California.

Saha Kljestan's debut goals with the U.S. national team were the most since Donelli scored four in a 4-2 win over Mexico on May 24, 1934, in a World Cup qualifying match against Mexico.

A more detailed look at the new connection between Kljestan and Donelli can be read here.