I had the privilege of representing NCAA Division II sports information directors and Slippery Rock University last week at the Manheim Touchdown Club banquet in Lancaster.
One of the featured guests at the banquet was former Rock offensive center
Brandon Fusco, who was saluted as the 2010 winner of the Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year Award sponsored by the MTC.
Even though Brandon had been announced as the Upshaw Award winner back in December and was presented the trophy at halftime of the Under Armour Senior Bowl in late January, it was still exciting to see one of our own honored at the MTC banquet last week.
It was especially gratifying to hear
Don Harris, the MTC’s chair for the Upshaw Award, announce that Brandon was the first Upshaw Award winner to be picked in an NFL draft. That just confirmed what I had felt all along, that the voters had truly chosen a special individual as this year’s recipient of the award.
I plead guilt on two charges: 1) After watching him play for the past four seasons, I am more than a little biased in my belief Brandon was the best lineman in the nation this fall and 2) being part of the MTC banquet and sharing the stage with Brandon was doubly special for me since the MTC has entrusted Division II football SIDs to serve as the voters for the Upshaw Award and the SIDs, in turn, have allowed me to serve as the national chair of the selection committee.
A closing thought: I have had many moments to remember the past 35-plus years as a sports journalist and publicist, but I can honestly say last week’s Upshaw Award banquet ranks among the top ones.
Click here to view video interviews with Brandon and his parents, Debbie and Steve, prior to the banquet, which drew a crowd of approximately 400 high school football players, their parents, high school and college coaches and MTC members.
In other news and notes related to Rock athletics:
• Former Rock baseball standout
Billy Messer is Director of Baseball Operations at the University of Virginia, which earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championships. The Cavaliers, who won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship last weekend and own a 49-9 record, are ranked first in both the USA TODAY/ESPN Top 25 coaches' and National Collegiate Baseball Writers national polls;
• Former Rock women’s basketball student athlete
Nikki Presto was recently named as head girls basketball coach at Keystone Oaks High School;
• Former Rock men’s basketball student athlete
Aaron Epps was recently as the head girls basketball coach at Kiski Area High School. He was formerly an assistant coach on the Butler High School girls staff headed by his mother, Dorothea;
• Former Rock men’s graduate assistant
Eric Murphy has been hired as an assistant coach at perennial national junior college power Wabash Valley College in Illinois. He was previously an assistant coach at Vincennes College, another JUCO power in Illinois,
That’s all for now. Until next time …
GO ROCK!
Bob McComas
Sports Information Director
