We recently wrote about the inspirational story of Carl Joseph, who as a high school athlete in Florida earned eight varsity letters in three different sports while playing on one leg. He went on to be a key member of the Bethune-Cookman College football team and receive a degree in physical education.Tonight, Joseph will talk about his athletic exploits and nomination to Florida's High School Athletic Hall of Fame in two segments of FSN's "Best Damn Sports Show." Now 47, Joseph teaches special-needs children and is the defensive coordinator for the Jefferson County High School football team in his hometown of Tallahassee.Film footage from Joseph's high school football days is about to surpass 100,000 views since being put up on YouTube last month. … [Read more...]

The email I received from Carl Joseph on Monday was nothing short of a revelation. I was not familiar with his story but when you see him in action you quickly learn it is one of courage, fortitude and faith.Joseph is a nominee for Florida's High School Athletic Hall of Fame. The selections will be announced in February. If Joseph makes it into the Hall it would add yet another historic chapter to an already amazing life. What the man nicknamed "Sugarfoot" did in the early 1980s is unprecedented in high school athletics: He earned eight varsity letters while playing on one leg. Whether it was on the track, basketball court or gridiron, Joseph persevered. He went on to play varsity football at Bethune-Cookman College and received his degree in physical education in 1987.Now 47, Joseph teaches special-needs children and is the defensive coordinator for the Jefferson County … [Read more...]

The Bowl Championship Series is moving to ESPN starting in January 2011.The deal announced Tuesday includes exclusive television, radio, digital, international and marketing rights for the Fiesta, Orange and Sugar Bowls from 2011-2014 and the BCS title game from 2011 to 2013.Meanwhile, the Rose Bowl will continue to be televised on ABC through 2014 under a separate, previous contract. The Rose Bowl is on schedule to host the 2014 title game.The current BCS deal with Fox Sports expires after the 2010 games. … [Read more...]

Fox has decided to withdraw its bid for college football's Bowl Championship Series and a new TV deal is said to be imminent with ABC/ESPN.According to a report in SportsBusiness Daily, ESPN bid $125 million per year over four years to get the games, while Fox's top bid was $100 million per year. Fox's current deal with the BCS expires after 2009."Even with today's vast economic uncertainties, Fox Sports made a very competitive bid to keep broadcasting BCS games free to every home in America, one that included a substantial rights fee increase, and certainly as much as any over-the-air network could responsibly risk," a Fox statement said. "Unfortunately, the University presidents and BCS commissioners were not satisfied and they've decided to take their jewel events to pay television."If ESPN and the BCS do reach a deal it will mark the first time … [Read more...]

The eyes of the sports media world are focused this week on Fox as the network decides whether to accept a proposal from college football's Bowl Championship Series that would dramatically increase its rights fee.John Ourand of Sports Business Daily reported Tuesday that ABC/ESPN is ready to step in if Fox passes with a proposal of its own that calls for all BCS bowls to migrate to cable for the first time, including the championship game.According to the report, the BCS is seeking about a 50% annual increase over the current $82.5 million annual fee. A four-year, $500 million deal would put the average annual outlay at about $125 million.Fox has reportedly proposed a 25% increase, which would average a little more than $102 million per year. Though Fox still has the rest of the week to accept the BCS' proposal, insiders told Sports Business Daily it is unlikely it will.If … [Read more...]

Big news for University of Miami alums such as the Spud, as reported by Barry Jackson in the Miami Herald: ESPN is making a documentary on the University of Miami football program to air sometime next year, the network said in a statement. Alfred Spelman and Billy Corbin, who will spearhead the project, also crafted the documentary "Cocaine Cowboys," which chronicled the illegal drug trade in Miami during the 1970s and '80s. The documentary will be part of ESPN's ''30 for 30'' project — 30 films covering sports events of the past 30 years to commemorate ESPN's 30th anniversary. … [Read more...]

NBC appears to be banking that Charlie Weis is going to get the Fighting Irish back on the winning track. The University of Notre Dame and the peacock announced Thursday they have agreed to a five-year deal that runs through the 2015 season. NBC has broadcast Irish football since 1991. The new deal includes seven homes games per season. It allows for the first time an eighth off-site home game played at a neutral stadium. … [Read more...]

Bill Curry probably thought he'd done everything in the game of football. He played 10 years as a center in the NFL and participated in Super Bowls with the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Colts. After he retired he was an assistant coach with the Packers before becoming the head man at major college programs at Georgia Tech, Alabama and Kentucky. Then Curry transitioned to the broadcast booth and was a college football analyst for 11 seasons with ESPN. Now, Curry has been charged with creating a football program from scratch as the first coach at Georgia State University in Atlanta. The 65-year-old Atlanta native and Georgia Tech grad recently signed a five-year deal to lead the Panthers as they prepare to begin play in 2010 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The team will play its home games in the Georgia Dome.Georgia State must build a practice facility, weight room and offices … [Read more...]

He's a member of Florida State University's Sports Hall of Fame and helped the Seminoles win 10 games as their quarterback in 1989. Now, Peter Tom Willis is the school's former radio analyst, fired apparently for being too critical of the of the school's recent lackluster play on the gridiron. Willis had teamed in the FSU radio booth with Gene Deckerhoff for the past 10 seasons. "They felt like I was too critical of the program and the team the last few years," Willis told the Palm Beach Post. "I hate that. That was not my intent. My intent was to call it like I see it for 10 years. But if people are upset with me because I was telling the truth, if that's going to upset people, maybe I shouldn't be there." Willis said that he probably "stepped over the line" when he said the Seminoles resembled a "high school offense" during the 2005 game at … [Read more...]