|
Main
| September 2004 »
News Archive: August 2004
FUMA Prep Team Wins at Fluvanna
FUMA's Prep Football Team rolled into Fluvanna High School's stadium Friday night, August 27, 2004, and rolled over their football team at a score of 31-6. Photos available...
Posted by CPT Dan Thompson, Friday, August 27, 2004 11:57 PM
Athletics
Leadership Training at Fort Lee
Thirty-four of FUMA's finest Upper School students made the trip to Fort Lee for officer's training on Tuesday, August 24, 2004, a fourteen-year tradition for the Academy. There they participated in training with the drill sergeants and personnel from L Company, 266th Quartermaster Battalion, 23rd Quartermaster Brigade and members of Fort Lee Fire and Emergency Services.
Jeff Kelley of the Richmond Times-Dispatch was there with a photographer and provide details in this excellent article on FUMA's officer training.
Posted by CPT Dan Thompson, Thursday, August 26, 2004 06:53 PM
General News
FUMA Alum Brian Kozlowski starts for the NFL Washington Redskins
FUMA Alumnus Brian Kozlowski has moved to the NFL's Washington Redskins and is doing well in the competition for starting H-back.
From article in the Daily Press:
H-BACK SPOT COMPETITIVE
Besides the competition for the No. 2 running back spot, the most competitive spot in Redskins camp as been the starting H-back position. Mike Sellers started the first two preseason games, and Brian Kozlowski started against Miami and is currently listed first on the team's unofficial depth chart.
"That's a very close, hard-fought deal there," Gibbs said. "(Tight ends/H-back coach) Rennie (Simmons) has worked hard with those guys, and we've got a really good group there. It's going to be a tough decision."
Most likely, Kozlowski, Sellers and rookie Chris Cooley will see significant playing time during the season. Cooley leads the trio with three catches for 48 yards. Kozlowski has two catches and Sellers one.
Gibbs wouldn't speculate on how many tight ends/H-backs the team would keep.
"I won't get into the numbers because then everybody panics," he said. "We have some idea, but discussing them won't be good."
A guess: The definites will be Sellers, Kozlowski and Cooley as H-backs and Walter Rasby and Robert Royal as tight ends.
Posted by CPT Dan Thompson, Thursday, August 26, 2004 02:16 PM
Alumni
Purdue happy to get second chance with Dorien Bryant ('04 PG)
"Prep school was the best thing that ever happened to me," Dorien Bryant ('04 PG) tells Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star. The year at FUMA gave Bryant time to re-think his college choices, and Purdue is very happy with the outcome.
"He's extremely fast and he's extremely talented as a return guy and as a receiver," Purdue coach Joe Tiller said. "Probably the best thing that happened in the recruitment of him is that when he signed with BC, we didn't burn any bridges."
Out of high school, Bryant had originally chosen to attend Boston College, but changed his mind after his year at Fork Union.
The Indianapolis Star reports that "Bryant is second on the depth chart at slot receiver behind Taylor Stubblefield, but plans call for him to be on the field a lot."
"He will be one of the first options when Purdue goes to four- or five-receiver sets. He's been impressive enough that the coaching staff is looking for ways to get him and Stubblefield on the field at the same time."
"'He's pretty fast and he's got good quicks,' Purdue receivers coach Bob DeBesse said. 'Sometimes you've got fast guys that aren't quick, but he's got both and he's pretty smooth, too.'"
Read more about Bryant in the IndyStar online.
Posted by Administrator, Thursday, August 26, 2004 12:12 PM
Alumni
Varsity Football teams scrimmages at Ferrum College
FUMA's Varsity (PG) football team travelled to Ferrum College in Ferrum, Virginia Wednesday, August 25, 2004, to scrimmage with the Ferrum team.
For almost three hours, the two teams tested their players and plays in game situations. FUMA players had their first opportunity to meet an opponent as a team, and more than a few players admitted to feeling a few butterflies as they stepped onto the field.
While most football teams have a mix of new and returning players, the FUMA Varsity team, composed of postgraduates, is a brand new team each year. Players have a limited number of practices to forge a team before meeting their first game day opponent. Scrimmages such as this one against Ferrum and the upcoming August 29th scrimmage at Methodist College are important preparation days, and coaches and players worked hard to use every available minute.
"On the ball! On the ball! Let's go," shouted coach J.C. Harmon from the sidelines at the conclusion of each offensive play. These players would not get a moment to huddle or rest between plays. The players sprinted to their new formation as Coach Harmon shouted out the next play to run.
The defense got even less rest, it appeared, as the Ferrum team hammered them for much of the afternoon. Head Coach John Shuman watched intently from his position on the field directly behind the defensive secondary, giving guidance and feedback to his defensive players after each play.
FUMA's varsity next scrimmage against Methodist College will be held on Sunday, August 29, 2004 at 2:30pm in Fayetteville, NC.
Posted by Administrator, Thursday, August 26, 2004 11:50 AM
Athletics
Spencer Tatum ('02 PG) selected to NCAA Committee
Spencer Tatum ('02 PG), a linebacker with Ohio University, has been selected to serve on the prestigious NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for a two-year term.
Tatum becomes one of 31 members on the committee, one from each of the Division I leagues, and he will represent all athletes participating in the Mid-American Conference.
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is part of the governance structure of the NCAA and works with other committees on issues such as rules, eligibility policies, safety, and any other matter pertaining to collegiate athletics. In recent months, the committee has dealt with issues such as Native American mascots, student-athlete pregnancies, and NCAA transfer rules.
"I am thrilled to be selected to represent all athletes of the Mid-American Conference," Tatum said in a report published online at ohiobobcats.com. "I want to have a role in making things better at the national level"
Posted by Administrator, Thursday, August 26, 2004 11:33 AM
Alumni
Prep and Jr Prep Scrimmages against Amherst HS
The Prep and Jr. Prep Football teams travelled to Amherst High School in Amherst, Virginia on Saturday, August 21st, for the first football scrimmage of the year.
Posted by Administrator, Saturday, August 21, 2004 02:40 PM
Athletics
James Terry ('03) makes impression at Youngstown State
James Terry ('03) joins Youngstown State University as a redshirt freshman, transferring from University of Virginia.
In his first day in camp, Terry "opened a few eyes in camp" with his great speed reports Pete Mollica in this article in The Vindicator.
One of the conditioning drills requires players to run from one sideline to the other sideline and back. Terry was one of only three players to complete this drill in 13 seconds or less.
Posted by Administrator, Monday, August 16, 2004 05:40 PM
Alumni
, Athletics
Marques Hagans ('00) is UVa's Little Big Man
Marques Hagans ('00) is getting his shot at starting quarterback for the University of Virginia Cavaliers this season. Used primarily as a punt returner last season, Hagans is the top contender to replace Matt Shaub, now in the NFL.
Hagans "has a very strong arm," says Coach Al Groh. "He's had the strongest arm on the team for three years."
What Hagans doesn't have is height. At 5'10" Hagans is seven inches shorter than two of the quarterbacks Groh worked with in the NFL - Vinny Testaverde (FUMA '82) and Drew Bledsoe are both 6'5", as is Matt Shaub.
"It's the same discussion that's been going on for 20 years with Doug Flutie," Groh said. "To see some of the things that Matt could see, Marques is going to need a periscope."
Read more about Hagans in this article in the Washington Post.
Posted by Administrator, Thursday, August 12, 2004 09:25 AM
Alumni
, Athletics
Almondo Curry ('00) honored by Canadian Football League
Almondo Curry ('00), the rookie cornerback for the Canadian Football League team Montreal Alouettes, was named the CFL Defensive Player of the Month for July, 2004.
Almondo "Muffin" Curry attended FUMA as a postgraduate in 2000 prior to going to the University of Virginia where he was a starter for three years, despite his somewhat small size. At 5' 8" tall and 175 pounds, he was apparently considered too small to interest the NFL scouts. Curry instead has found a home with the undefeated Alouettes, and after only six games has already established himself as a top player in the league.
You can read more about Curry in this Virginian-Pilot article.
Posted by Administrator, Wednesday, August 11, 2004 12:31 PM
Alumni
, Athletics
Josh Hyman ('03 PG) called "Unsung star on the rise"
Josh Hyman, a redshirt freshman on the Virginia Tech team this year was identified in a story running on FOX Sports as the "Unsung star on the rise" of the Tech team.
The writer projects Hyman as a starter for the team and says, "Hyman joined the team from Fork Union Military Academy spending last year tearing up the scout team. He's a big-time deep threat and needs to quickly develop into a go-to receiver at flanker."
Hyman is joined on the Tech roster by FUMA alums Josh Morgan, Jim Davis, Maurice Reevey, Jimmy Martin, and Ryan Shuman.
Posted by Administrator, Tuesday, August 10, 2004 09:04 AM
Alumni
, Athletics
Highly-rated football prospect to FUMA
Jamal Schulters, a versatile running back for Brooklyn's Canarsie High School has signed on to play for FUMA this year. Rushing for over 1,000 yards as a sophomore last year, Schulters is expected be a valuable addition to the team.
His brother, Lance Schulters, is currently with the Tennessee Titans and learned of FUMA from his friendship with teammate Eddie George, a FUMA alum now with the Dallas Cowboys.
Read more about Schulters in this article in the New York Post.
Posted by Administrator, Monday, August 2, 2004 04:09 PM
Athletics
The Cowboy Connection
Now that Eddie George has been signed to the Dallas Cowboys along with veteran quarterback Vinny Testaverde, it raises an interesting coincidence. What do new teammates Eddie George and Vinny Testaverde have in common in their football careers?
Yes, both men won college football's coveted Heisman trophy and went on to be franchise players in the National Football League, but that's not the only thing their careers have in common. In fact, Eddie George, Vinny Testaverde and the Cowboys' outstanding linebacker Dexter Coakley all three have this very same thing in common.
All three of these current Cowboys came up through the football program of Fork Union Military Academy, in Fork Union, Virginia, wearing the grey uniform of a FUMA cadet.
Fork Union is the only secondary/prep school in the nation to boast two Heisman winners in the past sixty years, and Fork Union came close to producing a third winner when Cincinnati Bengals first-round draft pick Chris Perry, another former FUMA cadet, was named a Heisman finalist last year. Only one other high school in history has produced two Heisman winners; Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas, Texas was the starting place for Tim Brown (winner in 1987) and Davey O'Brien (winner in 1938).
 Testaverde entered Fork Union in 1981 to play football on their postgraduate team while preparing athletically and academically for a Division I college to offer up a scholarship. After an outstanding season playing in the prep league, Testaverde was signed by the University of Miami. He won the Heisman in 1986.
George came to Fork Union in 1989, playing two years of high school football. When college recruiters paid little attention to him (he received only one scholarship offer from a small school in Pennsylvania) Eddie decided to stay at Fork Union for another postgraduate year, running circles around his Prep League competitors until Ohio State signed him in 1992. George won the Heisman Trophy in 1995.
Coakley played on Fork Union's postgraduate team in 1992-93, the year after George left. Coakley went on to Appalachian State in 1993. He signed with the Cowboys in 1997 and has played in three Pro Bowl games during his eight seasons there.
Fork Union Military Academy may have produced more NFL football players than any other secondary/prep school in the nation. Dating back to Steve Meilinger, the Redskins first-round draft pick in 1954, on through Sonny Randle of the Cardinals who caught more touchdown passes than any other NFL player in the 1960s, and familiar names like Don Majkowski of the Packers and Mike Quick of the Eagles, Fork Union has been a starting point for dozens of pro players. Last season alone, more than 25 active NFL players could find their photo in Fork Union's high school yearbooks.
Fork Union sends more than two dozen athletes to Division I colleges each year from its football and basketball programs. Student athletes who need an additional year to prepare physically or academically for top college programs will often come to Fork Union for a prep or postgraduate year, earning college credit while improving high school grades and test scores.
Founded in 1898, Fork Union Military Academy is a leading college preparatory boarding school for young men in grades 6 through 12 as well as postgraduate. Located on 650 wooded acres in rural central Virginia, the school has long been a place where study and hard work have been ingrained in young men looking to succeed in college.
Eddie George often credits the structure and discipline of his military school experience with changing his life. "I don't know where I'd be, to be honest with you," George has said, if not for his mother sending him to Fork Union.
For photos of these three Cowboys during their days at Fork Union Military Academy go online to The Cowboy Connection on this site.
Posted by Administrator, Sunday, August 1, 2004 04:20 PM
Alumni
, Athletics
|
