Record-setting Antwan Harris – Mount Ida College Football Captain

Contact: Mike Raposo
Sports Information Director
( 617) 928-7202

Antwan Harris – Mount Ida College Football Captain

NEWTON, Mass. (Oct. 17, 2006) – Every time he bursts for another gain on the football field, Mount Ida College senior running back Antwan Harris of Hartford, Conn. adds to his school rushing record. At mid-season, Harris was on track to become just the ninth Division III college player in New England to gain at least 4,000 yards.

But it is the strides he has made off the field that have transformed Harris from an initially uninvolved freshman just trying to adapt to a new position on the football team into the consummate student-athlete, an individual who strives to make the most of his potential.

``Antwan is an exceptional young man who takes pride in everything he does,’’ said Mount Ida head football coach Ed Sweeney. ``Antwan’s work ethic is what sets him apart. He embraces challenge both in the classroom and on the field. He cares about his teammates and works extremely hard not to let them down. I have coached for 36 years and Antwan prepares himself on a daily basis as thoroughly as any player I have ever been around.’’

A defensive end/lineman in high school, Harris didn’t mind hitting and getting hit in that role. But he relished the opportunity to carry the football once Sweeney and his staff converted him to offense early in his freshman season. Now, as the team’s premier ball-carrier, he prides himself as being as fresh in the final quarter and he was in the first.

``It’s not the records that are important,’’ said Harris, ``it’s how you leave your mark on the game through your presence and the key plays you make. Numbers don’t describe character. Pushing myself to the limit is a big part of me.’’

Harris’ efforts to improve on and off the field were in evidence last summer when he stayed on campus and put himself through a grueling self-designed training program to improve his conditioning and quickness. He also met weekly with Mount Ida professor Ronald Greenwald to hone his language and communication skills.

``I’d like to go for a Masters Degree once football is over for me,’’ said Harris, who was captain of the football and indoor and outdoor track teams at Weaver High School in Hartford, Conn. and who has a special interest in history and American Studies. A student-teacher at West Roxbury High School, Harris would like to be a teacher-coach someday and he has invited some of the West Roxbury students and staff to attend Mount Ida’s home football games.

``It’s a lot of fun listening to what high school students have on their minds,’’ said Harris.

Aside from delivering on the football field, Harris works five days a week in the mail room delivering packages. He is also vice president of the Black Student Achievement Coalition, is active on the Student Government Committee and is a member of the college’s Learning Circle Program that provides resources and services through academic coaches.

``I take the same approach whether it’s for football or school work – that prior preparation is crucial,’’ said Harris, the first 3,000 yard rusher in Mount Ida football history whose 377 yards against Becker College in the 2005 season set a New England Division III single game record and were the most yards gained in a single game the entire season by any player in the nation.

This season, his 243 rushing yards versus Becker ranked second amongst DIII players for a single game at the time, a feat that earned Harris recognition on the D3Football.com Team of the Week and selection to the Football Gazette’s National Player of the Week list for his division.

In addition, Harris’ 99-yard touchdown run at the Norwich Academy tied an NCAA record and his 31-yard scoring rush late in the Homecoming Day Game on September 30 enabled the Mustangs to come back and defeat Husson College, the tenth-ranked team in New England.

``He’s everything you could want in a football player,’’ said Mount Ida athletic director Jackie Palmer, ``and as a citizen of the Mount Ida community. Wherever he goes on campus, Antwan Harris is a contributor.’’



Antwan Harris Career Highlights



*676 yards and 5 TD’s on 129 carries in 2006



*First 3,000 yard rusher in Mount Ida College football program history



*3,875 career rushing yards – 12th best in New England Division III history

(Note: There are only eight players in the history of New England DIII with 4,000 career rushing yards)



*Rushed for 377 yards versus Becker College on September 24, 2005

-Most in the history of New England Division III

-Most in all of NCAA Division III in 2005

-10th Most in the history of Division III

-25th Most in history of NCAA (all divisions)

-Boston Globe Gold Helmet Award Winner

-ECAC Northeast Offensive Player of the Week

-D3Football.com Team of the Week



*Rushed for 243 yards versus Becker College on September 23, 2006

-2nd Most in all of NCAA Division III this season

- D3Football.com Team of the Week

-Don Hansen’s Football Gazette Players of the Week



*Broke off a 99-yard touchdown run at Norwich University on September 2, 2006

-Best in NCAA Division III history



*1,370 rushing yards in 2005 were 23rd best single-season total in New England Division III History



*2005 Final NCAA Rankings

-178.6 all purpose yards per game ranked fifth nationally

-137.0 rushing yards per contest were tenth best

*1,128 rushing yards in 2004 were 69th best single-season total in New England Division III history.



*2004 Final NCAA Rankings

-146.6 all purpose yards per game ranked 37th nationally

-141.0 rushing yards per contest were 15th best

-8.5 points per game were 35th best



Mike Raposo
Sports Information Director/Assistant Athletic Director
Mount Ida College
777 Dedham Street
Newton, MA 02459
Phone: 617-928-7202
FAX: 617-928-7299

News and Notes From Around College Football

Monday’s Chalktalk


for October 16, 2006

Four On-Campus Salutes Slated for This Weekend


Coach Bobby Bowden, Thomas Everett, Mike Rozier and Charlie Ward will celebrate their 2006 induction into the College Football Hall of Fame with an On-Campus Salute this Saturday, Oct. 21.

Coach Bowden and his former quarterback Charlie Ward will be honored together this Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium on the FSU campus. Bowden, the winningest I-A coach in history, has led the ‘Noles to 12 ACC conference championships and two national titles. Ward, perhaps the most highly decorated player of all-time, set seven ACC records and 19 school records en route to winning the 1993 Heisman Trophy.

Baylor will honor its 1986 Jim Thorpe Award recipient, Thomas Everett, during the Bears’ Homecoming game against Kansas. Everett was a two-time Southwest Conference MVP and ranks in the top 10 for several Baylor records, including interceptions, tackles, punt returns and punt return yardage.

Nebraska’s Mike Rozier returns to Norman on Saturday as the Huskers take on conference rival Texas. Rozier won the 1983 Heisman Trophy and led Nebraska to a perfect 21-0 conference record. He ranks fifth in NCAA history in single-season rushing yardage.



Two-Minute Drill


Tulsa's 5-1 start is the team’s best since 1982... Williams (Mass.) received its eighth consecutive Division III U.S. Sports Academy Directors Cup for overall excellence on Saturday during halftime of their game against Middlebury (Vt.). The football team moved to 4-0 Saturday... Wisconsin won “Paul Bunyan’s Axe” with its win over Minnesota... Louisville is 6-0 for the first time since 1972 when Lee Corso was the coach. Corso and the rest of the College GameDay crew will be honored with the NFF’s Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football award, Dec. 5 in New York City... Pittsburg State RB Germaine Race (school-record 6,011 yards – ninth in NCAA Division II history) set an NCAA Division II career scoring record with 580 points... Of the top five NCAA Division I-A teams in total blocked kicks since the 2000 season, two are from the Atlantic Coast Conference. The five best at blocked kicks over the last seven seasons include Texas (46), N.C. State (41), Virginia Tech (36), Air Force (31), and Syracuse (30)... Pittsburgh (6-1) is off to their best start since 1982... West Texas A&M claimed the coveted Wagon Wheel Trophy with their win over Eastern New Mexico... Virginia Tech is now 12-2 on Thursday nights after losing to Boston College... Miami’s win over Florida International featured Hurricane defensive coordinator Randy Shannon coaching against his son, FIU center Xavier Shannon... Alabama wore commemorative jerseys versus Ole Miss to honor the 25th anniversary of Hall of Fame coach Bear Bryant’s 315th win and his final SEC championship team... Nebraska won their 800th game on Saturday, joining Michigan, Notre Dame and Texas... Rutgers, now 6-0, is ranked in the top 20 for the first time since 1977.

Minnesota will launch a grassroots fundraising program this spring to help raise the school's portion of the cost for its new football stadium. The campaign will include the sale of personalized bricks for the stadium. The school has already raised nearly half of the necessary funding... Western Kentucky's Smith Stadium is currently undergoing a $37 million renovation which will increase capacity form 17,500 to 24,000 by March 2008... Appalachian State is considering an expansion of its 18,000-seat Kidd- Brewer Stadium. The Mountaineers are averaging a standing-room-only 24,927, highest in Division I-AA... The official website for UCF now offers a web-cam that allows fans to follow the progress of the construction of the Knights’ new stadium on-line.

Texas-San Antonio has begun an aggressive marketing campaign in hopes of adding a football program to the university... The Buc Football and Friends Foundation has been established to support the reinstatement of college football at East Tennessee State University.

Penn State football will be part of the breaking news feature that sports fans will be able to receive via the Philadelphia Inquirer's recently launched information service for mobile phones... Ohio State's scarlet and gray colors are The Home Depot's No. 1 selling collegiate paint scheme in its Team Colors Program. Forty- four schools are involved in the program, and the rest of Top Five includes: Georgia, Michigan, Florida, and Notre Dame... First-year Bethany College (W.Va.) head coach Tim Weaver and three of his student-athletes recently traveled to a nearby preschool recently to kick off their new “Boomer and Books” program... The Western Athletic Conference recently unveiled a 479-page document entitled Strategic Plan 2006, outlining the conference's plan to become a premiere Division I-A conference... Arizona State just hosted the Fitbones Festival to raise funds and in recognition of the Arizona Osteoporosis Coalition... Georgia Tech athletics director Dan Radakovich was the guest speaker at a recent Columbus (Ga.) Quarterback Club gathering... Oklahoma and Hall of Fame coach Barry Switzer will deliver the keynote address at the upcoming Inside Self- Storage Las Vegas Expo at the Mandalay Bay Resort on February 21, 2007... Michigan State placekicker Morton Anderson became the second-oldest player in NFL history when the Atlanta Falcons signed him for the remainder of the season... Former Tennessee QB Heath Shuler, a Heisman Trophy runner-up in 1993, is running as a Democrat for North Carolina's 11th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives... Princeton announced that it will be working with Nike on a collaborative sponsorship effort to outfit all of the Tigers varsity sports... South Carolina will have a pep rally in Nashville’s entertainment district the night prior to the Gamecocks’ game versus Vanderbilt this weekend... New England Patriot head coach Bill Belichick moved his family’s historic football book collection to Navy’s Ricketts Hall. Bill’s late father Steve was part of the Naval Academy family for 33 years as an assistant football coach and associate professor in the P.E. Department... Pittsburgh and Duquesne Light are asking fans to donate a bag of groceries to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. In return, contributors will receive $10 off their ticket for the Panthers game versus Rutgers on Saturday... East Carolina has announced the Tickets for Troops campaign which encourages fans to purchase specially priced tickets to be donated directly to active service members and their families.

2006 College Football Hall of Fame inductee Bobby Anderson was inducted into the Colorado University Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, alongside former sports information director Fred “The Count” Casotti, former CU coach Bill McCartney and former Buff athletics director Bill Marolt. CU painted the number “11” on the field, and commemorative postcards with Anderson’s picture and stats were also passed out to fans. A parade was also held in his honor.

College Football Hall of Famer and former Nebraska NG Rich Glover was inducted into the Jersey City Recreation Foundation Hall of Fame... Washington LB Dan Howell is the latest nominee for the FedEx Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award to be announced at the end of the 2006 season... Louisville Vice President and Director of Athletics Tom Jurich was inducted into the Kentucky Hall of Fame... Former Baylor All-America quarterback Don Trull was named to his school's Hall of Fame recently. Trull, who also was a quarterback for the Houston Oilers, is on the Board of Directors for the NFF Touchdown Club of Houston Chapter... The Davey O'Brien Foundation has named football great and College Hall of Fame member Paul Hornung of Notre Dame as the recipient of its 2006 Davey O’Brien Legends Award.

The Orange Bowl named Jeff Purinton director of media relations and communications... The Columbus Destoyers of the Arena Football League named former Ohio State lineman Jim Lachey senior vice president of football operations.

The 26th Annual Orlando Citrus Parade presented by Delta Air Lines will be held on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2006, at 11 a.m. (EST) in downtown Orlando and will be seen on syndicated television in 149 markets... The Texas vs. the Nation All-Star Bowl announced that former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan will coach the National squad in the inaugural game set to take place Feb. 2 in El Paso, Texas. UTEP coach Mike Price will lead the Texas squad. Ryan is 1-1 as a head coach in college all-star games, leading Team USA's efforts in the 2000-01 Gridiron Classics in Orlando. The bowl also announced that CSTV will provide live television coverage... The Hula Bowl announced that Georgia’s Mark Richt will be one of four co-head coaches for the Jan. 14 game in Honolulu. He joins West Virginia’s Rich Rodriguez, Houston’s Art Briles, and Fresno State’s Pat Hill... Don Shula and Dan Reeves were named head coaches for the 2007 East-West Shrine Game Jan. 20 in Houston, Texas.

The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) recently announced a new marketing agreement with Host Communications Inc. of Lexington, Ky. that will allow Host to expand and manage the NFF’s corporate sponsorship program... Fox College Sports signed a one year agreement with the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference to carry games on a tape- delayed basis this season... Notre Dame head football coach Charlie Weis recently appeared on ESPN2’s “Quite Frankly” with Stephen A. Smith... “Tillman’s Final Mission,” the story of the Pat Tillman tragedy as told by soldiers who were there, aired for the first time on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines,” Sunday, Oct 15. Tillman will be honored posthumously with the NFF’s Distinguished American award, Dec. 5 in New York City... A recent Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal poll found that most people would rather see a game at Notre Dame Stadium over Lambeau Field in Green Bay... AT&T plans to announce that it will carry the Big Ten Channel when it launches its U- Verse Digital Video Service next August... The Boston Globe has begun a new feature called "One Fall Day,” which captures the scene and pageantry around college football at nationwide venues. Last week’s offerings were at Georgia, Howard, Abilene Christian, Williams, and San Mateo College. For additional coverage, please visit www.Boston.com.

The new book Career in Crisis: Paul "Bear" Bryant and the 1971 Season of Change by John David Briley delves into Alabama’s switch to the Wishbone offense, social change and the rejuvenation of the UA program... The Missing Ring by Keith Dunnavant covers the close race for the 1966 mythical national championship, the Crimson Tide’s near-miss for the college crown and the social climate of the mid-1960s in America... Author Gene Duffey has released 60 Years of the Outland Trophy, a 320-page book covering the winners of the coveted lineman trophy back to 1946.

The NFF announced that Jonathan Jackson, a senior RB-DB at Dunbar Vocational Academy in Chicago, Ill., has been selected as the September Student-Athlete of the Month for Play It Smart - the NFF’s highly successful mentoring program targeted at student-athletes in underserved communities. Jackson was selected from the more than 12,000 participants and 20 finalists from across the country.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Pittsburgh mayor Luke Ravenstahl served as honorary co-captains for Washington & Jefferson's homecoming game versus Westminster. Goodell was recruited to play defensive back for the Presidents but suffered a knee injury before his freshman year. Ravenstahl, 26, was the Presidents' starting placekicker for three years and still holds school records for career field goals and consecutive extra points made.

Former Arizona State athletics director Donn Kinzie has died... Former Purdue athletics director George King passed away at age 78... Former McNeese State All-American running back Darrell Lester passed away at age 65... Sam Mrvos, a former Georgia football player and coach, died at age 76.

Bevo XIII, mascot for the Texas Longhorns for a school-record 16 seasons, died Oct. 11 at an Austin ranch. He was 22.

With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, a non-profit educational organization, runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. The NFF presents the MacArthur Trophy, the Draddy Trophy presented by HealthSouth and releases the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Standings. NFF programs include the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., Play It Smart, the NFF Center for Youth Development Through Sport at Springfield College (Mass.), the NFL-NFF Coaching Academy, and scholarships of over $1 million for college and high school scholar-athletes.


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