ROUND ROCK, Texas. Feb. 9, 2007 - Trey Henderson became the sixth straight Irish football player from Vancouver College, a prep school in British Columbia, to receive an NCAA Division I scholarship when he signed his national letter of intent with Southern California on Wednesday.
Henderson, coached by Sportexe Canadian High School Coach of the Year Todd Bernett, joins Peter Dyakowski, LSU (2002), Jon Conlin (2003) and Joe Eppele (2005), Washington State, and Shea Emry (2004) and Rob Nazarinia (2006), Eastern Washington.
"Trey has been a dedicated teammate and worker for our football program," said Bernett. "He will shine at the next level - physically and mentally. He is built for the college game."
Henderson will be the only Canadian on the Trojan roster, and no Canadian has ever played for USC previously. Henderson, a standout defensive lineman for the Irish during the past thee seasons, played on both sides of the ball at five different positions. As both a defensive tackle and defensive end, Henderson had 106 career tackles and 15 career sacks.
"He is a big and physical kid," said Nick Holt, Defensive Coordinator for USC. "He really caught our eye on film, and he proved he could play at our level with his performance at camp."
Former VC lineman Dyakowski, a senior offensive tackle for LSU, has been named to the ESPN.com All-Bowl Team, the website announced on Friday, Feb. 2.
Dyakowski played a key role in LSU's 41-14 win over the 11th-ranked Notre Dame in this season's Sugar Bowl. The Tigers rolled up a season-high 577 yards of total offense against the Irish. LSU had 245 yards rushing and 332 yards passing in the win.
Former Coach Named Sportexe Director of Lacrosse
Round Rock, TX, February 05, 2007 -- With more than four and a half years experience in the turf biz, Greensboro College's all-time winningest lacrosse head coach John Burke (1990-1995) has been named the Director of Lacrosse for Sportexe, a global leader in the synthetic turf industry.
Burke, the Western U.S. Sales Manager for Sportexe, will spearhead the lacrosse initiative after spending a majority of his career as both a player and coach within the sport. Burke followed his stint at Greensboro, where he captured two Deep South Lacrosse League titles, as an assistant coach at Ohio Wesleyan University (1998-2000) and head coach at his alma mater Guilford College (2002-2004). He led Ohio Wesleyan to the NCAA quarterfinals two years in a row, including spending the entire regular season in 1998 ranked No. 1.
"I am proud to represent Sportexe for the sport of lacrosse," said Burke. "I feel that my 20 years of experience will give me an edge in providing an honest insight into synthetic turf for the sport. There are some great initiatives line up for 2007"
As a student-athlete, Burke played both football and basketball at Guilford and was selected as Best Senior Athlete in 1988. He also played in the North-South Senior Lacrosse All-Star game hosted at Johns Hopkins University.
"Sportexe prides itself on staffing sport-specific experts to help further establish our hold as an industry leader," said Sportexe CEO and President Mark Nicholls. "John Burke is a perfect example of this philosophy. He brings more than two decades of lacrosse experience to Sportexe which provides our clients unsurpassed levels of customer satisfaction with every job. We feel confident that John will further our already strong relationship within the lacrosse community."
Sportexe turf systems are designed to enhance performance and meet the rigorous requirements for the sport of lacrosse. Clients include National Lacrosse League members Toronto Rock, Calgary Roughnecks, Rochester Knighthawks Arizona Sting, San Jose Stealth, Minnesota Swarm, Philadelphia Wings, Colorado Mammoth, Portland Jax and Edmonton Rush. Other clients include 2005 NCAA Champion Johns Hopkins, 2006 #1 ranked Boys' Latin School of Maryland and University of Maryland-Baltimore County.
ROUND ROCK, Texas. Feb. 5, 2007 - On March 3 at M&T Bank Stadium, in what could be a precursor to the 2007 NCAA national championship to be hosted at M&T during Memorial Day weekend, the top four teams in the nation will meet in the inaugural lacrosse Face-Off Classic and Sportexe will be right there.
Sportexe will not only be underfoot of the nation's elite lacrosse teams with its Momentum® synthetic turf system at M&T, but it will also be presenting the players of the game honors during both games. Sportexe's involvement with the Face-Off Classic is just one of many relationship-building initiatives spurred by the global turf leader.
What makes this event such a milestone is that every NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship since 1991 has been won by the four teams participating in this event. Virginia, Johns Hopkins, Syracuse and Princeton enter the season ranked 1-4 respectively with Virginia serving as not only the No. 1 seed, but also the defending national champion.
"Inside Lacrosse is excited to have Sportexe involved in the first-ever Face-Off Classic," said Andy Bilello, Director of Business Development. "This event is all about creating new opportunities for lacrosse players and fans to experience this great game on a larger stage. Thanks to partners like Sportexe, our vision will soon become reality."
On Feb. 2, Sportexe announced that former lacrosse standout John Burke, an award-winning player at Guilford College and Greensboro College's all-time winningest coach (1990-1995), was named its Director of Lacrosse.
"I am proud to represent Sportexe for the sport of lacrosse," said Burke, who will present the awards on behalf of Sportexe. "I feel that my 20 years of experience will give me an edge in providing an honest insight into synthetic turf for the sport. There is some exciting news surrounding Sportexe within the lacrosse community and our involvement with the Face-Off Classic is just one example of our commitment to furthering our already strong relationship."
Sportexe turf systems are designed to enhance performance and meet the rigorous requirements for the sport of lacrosse. Clients include National Lacrosse League members Toronto Rock, Calgary Roughnecks, Rochester Knighthawks, Arizona Sting, San Jose Stealth, Minnesota Swarm, Philadelphia Wings Colorado Mammoth, Portland Jax and Edmonton Rush. Other clients include 2005 national champion Johns Hopkins, 2006 No.1-ranked Boys' Latin School of Maryland and University of Maryland-Baltimore County.
Sportexe CEO Mark Nicholls recently appeared on American Public Radio's Marketplace program to discuss the Turf TV technology. Click here to listen!
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,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. Dec. 4, 2006 -Two facilities with Sportexe synthetic turf systems received 1-Star recommendations on Wednesday, Nov. 29 from world soccer governing body FIFA. CEGEP Stadium in Sept-Iles and the Dalbe Viau Secondary School in Lachine, both in Quebec, Canada, installed the innovative PowerBlade® synthetic turf system from Sportexe.
PowerBlade® is a monofilament synthetic turf system that delivers safety, durability, and maximum performance. Since there is no post fibrillation, of the fibers, your field will maintain its appearance and performance characteristics for years to come. PowerBlade is the premier choice for every level of competition.
According to the FIFA web site, FIFA 1 Star RECOMMENDED systems are designed for recreational, community and municipal use, and along with the higher rated 2-Star recommendation, both go through a series of stringent laboratory and field tests before the highly respected FIFA certificate is issued.
"This is another proud moment for the Sportexe family," said Sportexe president and CEO Mark Nicholls. "This is an example of our company's dedication to developing the most innovative synthetic turf systems in the world, and we are always excited to be involved with the sport of soccer and to receive quality and performance recognition from an outstanding organization such as FIFA."
FIFA 2 Star RECOMMENDED systems are designed to meet the specific playing characteristics of professional soccer. FIFA final round competitions and top UEFA competitions mention the FIFA 2 Star RECOMMENDED systems in their respective competition regulations.
Frank Clair Stadium at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, recently became the first FIFA 2-Star Recommended facility in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) with its BladeMaster® synthetic turf system, by Sportexe.
