In the late 1960s, when Astroturf was first installed at the Houston Astrodome, synthetic turf gained a reputation as being unsafe. Back then, it was completely understandable why people would feel nervous playing on the stuff; old-school astroturf was about as soft and forgiving as a pile of Brillo Pads.
But since then, synthetic turf has made some major technological strides. Modern turf systems are strikingly similar to natural grass in almost every way - in some ways, they're even better; synthetic fields don't turn to mud when it rains, they can stand up to several times the amount of usage, and they don't cost an arm and a leg to maintain.
Yet for some reason, the public perception that synthetic turf is less safe than natural grass has remained constant. And due to the relative lack of published research on the subject*, it's been a tough issue to overcome for synthetic turf companies.
But all that is about to change.
A recent report released by FIFA, the world's governing body for soccer, finds very little difference between artificial turf and natural grass in regard to injuries. Based on data collected at the FIFA U-17 Championship tournament in Peru, the report concludes that there was "very little difference in the incidence, nature and causes of injuries observed during games played on artificial turf compared with those played on grass."
The report also lauds artificial turf for its stellar performance under adverse climate conditions, and its simple, cost-effective maintenance.
* Penn State Researcher Andrew McNitt is currently executing a multi-year study of synthetic turf injuries across a wide range of surface brands and types. Read more about this study here .
A January 2007 report released by FIFA concerning artificial turf.
Harris Earns NFC Honor
The San Francisco 49ers, which practice on Sportexe synthetic turf systems, made news this week as cornerback Walt Harris was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week by the National Football League for his performance in the 49ers 26-23 victory over the Denver Broncos last Sunday.
Harris registered two interceptions, four passes defensed, four tackles and one fumble recovery in the 49ers victory. Harris finished the season with a career-high eight interceptions to lead the NFC. It is the most interceptions by a 49ers player since S Tony Parrish had nine in 2003.
It was his third multiple interception day of the 2006 season. Harris had two picks vs. Seattle (11-19) and a career-high three interceptions vs. Oakland (10-8). Harris also scored a touchdown on a 28-yard return in the third quarter off an interception from Denver QB Jay Cutler. It was his fifth NFL touchdown and the fourth time he had returned an interception for a score in his NFL career.
This is the second time Harris has received recognition from the NFL. He earned NFC Defensive Player for the month of November. It is the first Defensive Player of the Week honor for Harris. Harris joins LB Brandon Moore as 49ers players to win Defensive Player of the Week honors this season. Moore won the award following his performance during Week 9 of the 2006 season.
Nolan Named Coach of the Week
Head Coach Mike Nolan has been nominated for the Motorola Coach of the Week award.
Nolan joins Tom Coughlin of the New York Giants and Herm Edwards of the Kansas City Chiefs as nominees for Motorola NFL Coach of the Week honors for games played during the final weekend of the regular season.
Players Allocated to NFL Europe
The San Francisco 49ers announced today that they have allocated the following players to NFL Europe: WR C.J. Brewer, WR Marcus Maxwell, S Vickiel Vaughn and G Tavares Washington.
Brewer (6-2, 205), signed with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent from Wyoming (5-5-06) and spent the season on the practice squad.
Maxwell (6-4, 205), was a seventh round draft pick in 2005 from Oregon. He played in four games in 2005, primarily on special teams, and was inactive for three contests. He was released from the team during the 2006 training camp, but rejoined the team on the practice squad in 2006.
Vaughn (6-0, 204), a hard-hitting safety from Arkansas was a seventh round draft pick for the 49ers in 2006. He was placed on injured reserve (9-2-06) following an injury to his hand in preseason action.
Washington (6-3, 320), signed with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent from Florida (5-4-06) and spent the season on the practice squad.
The NFL Europe experience has been good to San Francisco. In 2006, the 49ers had eight players who had played in NFL Europe.
ROUND ROCK, Texas - Although the University of Houston, led by Sportexe NCAA Division I-A Coach of the Year winner Art Briles, fell short 44-36 to Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks in the Autozone Liberty Bowl on Friday, Dec. 29, the Cougars fought to wire in what was one of the most exciting games in the 2006 bowl season.
Briles has little time to reflect on the loss, before taking the helm in Honolulu as one of the coaches for the 61st annual Hula Bowl on Jan. 14. The Cougars head coach joins legendary UH head coach Bill Yeoman as Houston coaches in the prestigious all-star game. Briles joins Fresno State's Pat Hill, Georgia's Mark Richt, West Virginia's Rich Rodriquez and Florida A&M's Rubin Carter in this year's Hula Bowl.
"We are disappointed with the loss," said Briles. "We wanted to end the season with a bowl win, but our guys played hard and that is all we can ask. Now I am looking forward to coaching some of the best talent in the nation at the Hula Bowl before heading home to hit the recruiting trail. There is a lot of excitement surrounding the Houston Cougars football program and we are looking forward to seeing the benefits by attracting a talented group of kids."
This season Briles led Houston to its third bowl appearance in the past four years, a feat that has not been duplicated since the 1979-82 Cougar era. Under the guidance of Briles the Cougars are the Conference USA Champions, a title the team has not held since the 1996 season. Houston's high potency attack offense finished the season 11th in the nation in scoring.
ROUND ROCK,TX- Good things are certainly coming to the New Orleans Saints after years of inconsistency, turmoil and - most recently - uncertainty.
The Saints, victims of Hurricane Katrina, went 3-13 in 2005 after being forced to evacuate the city and play the entire season with no home crowd, no home practice facility, and no home stadium and - in some instances - no home period.
Only 11 months have passed since replacing six-year head coach Jim Haslett, and already first time head coach Sean Payton has guided the New Orleans Saints to a 10-6 record and its first playoff berth in six years - only its sixth appearance in franchise history.
Now, the Saints with only one playoff victory in its 40-season existence are looking to climb out of the NFL cellar and symbolically lift the City of New Orleans out of the turbulent shadow caused by the destructive aftermath of two vicious hurricanes in the fall of 2005.
On Dec. 21, Sportexe announced Payton as its NFL winner of its inaugural Sportexe Football Coach of the Year award for 2006. As one of the global leaders in the synthetic turf system industry, Sportexe thoroughly reviewed candidates nationwide to find coaches from high school, collegiate and professional levels that demonstrate the same quality, integrity and performance that has become synonymous with the Sportexe brand.
"We are in the trenches working hand-in-hand with these guys every day," said Sportexe CEO and President Mark Nicholls. "One would be hard-pressed to find people more in tune with the football-coaching industry than us. We keep a close eye on what's going on and we are excited to be able to acknowledge just a few of the game's many outstanding achievers."
Payton, a protégé of Bill Parcells while serving as assistant head coach with the Dallas Cowboys in 2003-05, has never wavered from the task nor shirked his responsibility of his role in the rebirth of New Orleans and its football team.
With the help of former San Diego Charger quarterback Drew Brees, who signed as a free agent this season after undergoing career-threatening shoulder surgery in January, and Heisman winner Reggie Bush, the second overall pick in the 2006 draft, Payton's Saints are no longer the nation's "feel good" story and are now a "real good" story with realistic Super Bowl aspirations.
"As I have stated, if we work to reach our goals, awards will come," said Payton. "It is an honor for me and the Saints organization for Sportexe to recognize me for this award, but more importantly to recognize the success of our entire team this year."
Other Sportexe Coach of the Year winners included: Art Briles, University of Houston (NCAA Division I-A); Dave Bennett, Coastal Carolina (NCAA Division I-AA); Bill O'Boyle, Chadron State (NCAA Division II); Frank Miriello, Washington & Lee (NCAA Division III); Dino Kaklis, Bethel College (Tenn.) (NAIA); and Brad Franchione, Blinn College (Junior College).
ROUND ROCK,TX-The Baltimore Ravens capped off the 2006 NFL regular season with a 19-7 win over the Buffalo Bills Sunday on Sportexe-carpeted M&T Bank Stadium in front of 70,913 screaming fans.
Chris McAlister's 31-yard interception return for a touchdown highlighted the Raven's scoring opportunities, while kicker Matt Stover's four field goals helped guarantee a first-round playoff bye for Baltimore. San Diego also received a bye in the AFC.
The Ravens, who had already locked up the AFC North championship, possess the league's top defensive unit and an offense led by veteran quarterback Steve McNair. Currently 26 players on Baltimore's active 53-man roster have postseason experience.
The Ravens entered the playoffs in fourth place in 2000, winning four straight games en route to the franchise's first Super Bowl trophy. The following year, Baltimore was a fifth seed before losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round, and then earned another fourth seed in 2003.
This weekend's AFC wildcard action includes Kansas City at Indianapolis on Saturday and the New York Jets at New England on Sunday. The NFC wildcard games include Dallas at Seattle and on Saturday and New York at Philadelphia on Sunday. Both New Orleans and Chicago received first-round byes.
ROUND ROCK, Texas - The Sugar Bowl Classic is back in New Orleans after relocating to Atlanta, Ga., last year due to Hurricane Katrina and the significant damage caused to the Louisiana Superdome, and returns with a new title sponsor and broadcast television partner.
The LSU Tigers will face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the sold out, 73rd edition of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic on Wednesday, Jan. 3 with kickoff scheduled for 7:25 p.m. CST. The game will be televised on Fox and aired on ESPN Radio.
LSU and Notre Dame have faced each other on nine different occasions, but never against each other in the Sugar Bowl. The Fighting Irish hold a 5-4 edge and defeated the Fighting Tigers 39-36 in their last meeting in 1998.
LSU (10-2, 6-2 SEC) is ranked No.4 in the BCS rankings and finished the season on a sixth-game winning streak including a win over eventual SEC West Champion Arkansas on the last game of the season. Notre Dame (10-2) winners of eight of its last nine games became BCS bowl eligible by tallying nine or more wins in their season. They hold a BCS ranking of No. 11.
LSU will be making its Sugar Bowl record 13th appearance. Not only will the bowl game seem familiar to the Tigers, but so will the Sportexe synthetic turf system used in the Superdome. LSU recently installed the same Sportexe Momentum turf system in its indoor practice facility as New Orleans installed during the post-hurricane makeover.
The Tigers currently hold a 5-7 record in the Classic with last meeting being a special one for the Bayou Bengals as they beat Oklahoma, 21-14, to win the BCS National Championship.
Notre Dame will be making its fourth visit to the Classic. The Fighting Irish have a 2-1 Sugar Bowl record with its last meeting, a 39-28 win over Florida, in the 1991 Classic. Both teams have won national titles in the Sugar Bowl as Notre Dame defeated Alabama in the December 31, 1973 game for the crown.
ROUND ROCK, Texas - Sportexe National High School Coach of the Year Bill Redell, head coach of Oaks Christian in Westlake Village, Calif., will participate on the Army All-American Bowl coaching staff on Saturday, Jan. 6, in San Antonio for the annual high school all-star game. The Bowl features the nation's top 80 high school football players, in an East versus West showdown. The game will be nationally televised on NBC.
Joining Redell on the West team, will be Oaks Christian quarterback Jimmy Clausen and defensive back Marshall Jones. Clausen is a U.S. Army Player of the Year finalist and has verbally committed to Notre Dame.
The U.S. Army All-American Bowl sets out each year to recognize some of the nation's most outstanding high school coaches. Every High School coach is eligible to coach in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl as coaches from around the country are nominated for the Bowl. With the assistance of the Selection Committee the list of nominees is narrowed down to the top 14 coaches in the country. The selection criteria are based on a coach's dedication to his student athletes, his leadership qualities, sportsmanship, and coaching performance.
Redell extended the winning streak to 46 games as the USA TODAY No. 6-ranked Lions won the first "official" California state high school football championship in 79 years by defeating Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa 27-20 in overtime in the California Interscholastic Federation's Division III title game Saturday, Dec. 16.
Oaks Christian (15-0) became the first team to win the state championship since Kern County Union High, now Bakersfield High, won in 1927, and only the second team in state history to finish the season 15-0. The Lions also produced the second-highest point total (797) in state history, trailing Bloomington's 880 points in 14 games in 1994.
Thanks to Canyon's 27-13 Division I state championship victory over Concord's De La Salle, which entered the game ranked No. 1 nationally, Oaks Christian was recognized by Cal-Hi Sports as State Team of the Year.
"I am looking forward to going to San Antonio and coaching some of the best talent in the nation," said Redell. "It will be nice to coach Jimmy and Marshall one more time. The Army All-American Bowl is a great opportunity for people to take a look at players they will be hearing about on Saturdays for the next four years."
Other winners of the Sportexe Coach of the Year award include: Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints (NFL); Art Biles, University of Houston (NCAA Division I-A); Dave Bennett, Coastal Carolina (NCAA Division I-AA); Bill O'Boyle, Chadron State (NCAA Division II); Frank Miriello, Washington & Lee (NCAA Division III); Dino Kaklis, Bethel College (Tenn.) (NAIA); and Brad Franchione, Blinn College (Junior College).
