Archive for June 2017

All-Time Prairie State Pigskin Pro Team: Offensive Line

All-Time Prairie State Pigskin Pro Team: Offensive Line
The following is the first in an eight-part series that profiles the All-Time Prairie State Pigskin Pro Team. Selections were based upon pro performance only. Players are listed alphabetically according to last name. Lionel Antoine, Southern Illinois                 Antoine was the third overall pick in the 1972 NFL... Read more »
By Dan Verdun,
June 29, 2017 at 9:00 am
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Illinois FCS Stadium Series: Saluki Stadium

Southern Illinois' lone fall game will be played Oct. 30, a week later than originally planned. (photo courtesy of siusalukis.com)
The following is the first in a photo gallery series of our state’s Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) stadiums. Today’s featured program is Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.
By Dan Verdun,
June 27, 2017 at 9:00 am
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Throwback Thursday: Frank Winters, WIU center

Throwback Thursday: Frank Winters, WIU center
Frank Winters sat down with Western Illinois head coach Randy Ball to discuss his possible future in football. “I had just completed my senior year and we were talking about things,” Winters recalled. “I mentioned my freshman year at Eastern Utah (Junior College). I didn’t play, but I did dress for five games.” Through their... Read more »
By Dan Verdun,
June 22, 2017 at 9:00 am
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Reaction to proposed changes in traditional box score

Reaction to proposed changes in traditional box score
The following is the second in a two-part series on ushering in a new football box score.  Last week Prairie State Pigskin introduced readers to football writer Bill Connelly and his ideas to update the traditional football box score. Here’s a quick recap. The ‘New’ Box Score:  What’s In Tempo and yardage (Connelly states, ” . .... Read more »
By Dan Verdun,
June 20, 2017 at 8:00 am
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ISU's Glenn set for 17th Canadian Football season

ISU's Glenn set for 17th Canadian Football season
  Each year Illinois State University waits on Kevin Glenn. Each year the wait continues. Should the Detroit native and former ISU star ever decide to retire from pro football, the Redbirds’ athletic department is more than ready to add the quarterback to its hall of fame. “We’d love to induct him, but every year... Read more »
By Dan Verdun,
June 19, 2017 at 8:30 am
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Throwback Thursday: Sam Silas, SIU defensive lineman

Throwback Thursday: Sam Silas, SIU defensive lineman
At a time when most Americans were mourning, Sam Silas had reason to celebrate. “President Kennedy had been shot and killed,” recalled the SIU defensive star of the early 1960s. Silas, a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, was in New York to play the Giants at Yankee Stadium. NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle had made... Read more »
By Dan Verdun,
June 15, 2017 at 9:00 am
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This is not your father's football box score (and probably not even yours)

This is not your father's football box score (and probably not even yours)
The following is the first in a two-part series on ushering in a new football box score. Part two will run next Tuesday. This isn’t your father’s box score. Then again, it’s not even the one you’ve been pouring over since you were a kid. Meet the box score for the metric age. The one... Read more »
By Dan Verdun,
June 13, 2017 at 8:00 am
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Throwback Thursday: Clarence Collins, ISU receiver

Throwback Thursday: Clarence Collins, ISU receiver
Like most high school football players who grew up in the Midwest during the 1970s, Clarence Collins dreamed of playing at a Big Ten university. “I ended up getting letters from everywhere. You name it, I had it,” said Collins of his recruitment. “Most of those letters came from the Big Ten.” Collins had prepped... Read more »
By Dan Verdun,
June 8, 2017 at 9:00 am
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NCAA bans two-a-day full-contact practices

NCAA bans two-a-day full-contact practices
The NCAA has banned traditional two-a-day practices during preseason camps following legislation passed in April. Thus, college teams can no longer practice full contact more than once a day. “The Council’s action reinforces our commitment to the health and safety of our student-athletes,” chair Jim Phillips, athletics director at Northwestern, told Richard Johnson of sbnation.com.... Read more »
By Dan Verdun,
June 6, 2017 at 9:00 am
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WIU's Taylor earns attention from preseason publications

WIU's Taylor earns attention from preseason publications
Despite the season being more than two months away, Western Illinois senior linebacker Brett Taylor is garnering plenty of attention. Taylor was named a first-team Football Championship Subdivision All-American by two preseason publications – Athlon Sports and Street & Smith’s – which hit stores late last month. As a junior, Taylor led the FCS with... Read more »
By Barry Bottino,
June 4, 2017 at 6:48 am
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