Indiana University Football Coach Tom Allen and Players address media at Lucas Oil Stadium
Indiana University Football coach Tom Allen along Junior Tight End A.J. Barner, Senior Linebacker Cam Jones and Senior Cornerback Taiwan Mullen address the Media during the first of two Big Ten Football Media Days Tuesday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Allen Said during his opening statement ” The bottom line is things didn’t go the way we wanted to in 2021. When that’s the case you either feel sorry for yourself or you do a thorough evaluation of everything you do… That’s what we have done.” The Hoosiers finished 2-10 and 0-9 in the Big Ten last season. ” I understand sometimes things don’t go the way you want them to go. When you experience that you have a chance to find out who you are”. Allen Said.
Allen praised the three players that came with him to Media Days. So I really respect the young men that we brought with us today that have been a part of this team, were with us in 2019, were with us in 2020, were with us in 2021. A guy like Cam Jones, All Big Ten linebacker that’s going to be voted as a three-time captain this fall. That’s really special. Doesn’t happen very often. And he’s a young man that brings a lot of great qualities to our team and allows us to be the kind of program I want us to be on the field, off the field, and in the classroom. I think about Tiawan Mullen, first team All-American, first team All-Conference, cornerback, that came to Indiana with a vision and a mission to help us change our football program, and he joins us here today. Also, A.J. Barner, tight end, that’s been in the shadows of Peyton Hendershot All Big Ten tight end the last couple years, and now this is his opportunity to be able to show who he is on the football field. Love his leadership. That’s a big reason why he’s here today. All three of those young men are All Big Ten academically, in the classroom. They’re excellent human beings off the field, involved in community service and doing all they can do to help make our program really special. I’m very honored to have those three guys with us today and get an opportunity for you to talk with them, meet them, and see how special they really are.
Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren kicked off with press conference, Nebraska Coach Scott Frost, Maryland Coach Michael Locksley, Minnesota PJ Fleck, Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz, Northwestern Coach Pat Fitzgerald, Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh along with Allen addressed the media Tuesday. The Football players had a chance to be interviewed by the media in the podium sessions along with the coaches.
The Second Day will kick off at 11 am this morning with Purdue Head Coach Jeff Brohm, 11:15 am Illinois Head Coach Bret Bielema, 11:30 am, Michigan State Head Coach Mel Tucker, 11:45 am Rutgers Head Coach Greg Schiano, 12:00 pm Penn State Head coach James Franklin, 12:15 pm Wisconsin Head Coach Paul Chryst and at 12:30 pm Ohio State Head Coach Ryan Day. The podium interview session will run from 1:15 p.m. until 5 p.m. Coaches and student-athletes will be available at individual podiums which will include a microphone and mult-boxes. Big Ten Conference Special Advisor for Football Barry Alvarez will be available from 1:15 p.m. until 2:15 p.m.
Indiana University radio voice Don Fischer to be honored with Chris Schenkel Award
Entering his 50th season with the Indiana football program, the legendary “Voice of the Hoosiers” Don Fischer has been named the 2022 recipient of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame’s Chris Schenkel Award, which recognizes individuals who have had long, distinguished careers broadcasting college football with direct ties to a specific university.
First presented in 1996, the award recognizes individuals who have had long, distinguished careers broadcasting college football with direct ties to a specific university. The award is named in honor of its inaugural recipient Chris Schenkel, the longtime ABC Sports broadcaster who emceed the NFF Annual Awards Dinner for 28 consecutive years from 1968 to 1995. Schenkel was a native of Indiana and graduated from Purdue.
Fischer will be honored during the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 6 alongside the recipients of the other NFF Major Awards. In 2020, Fischer was named the Indiana Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association (NSMA) for the 27th time in his career. That marked the 31st time, between two organizations, that Fischer has been recognized as the state’s top sportscaster. In Fischer’s 49-year tenure as Indiana University’s football and men’s basketball radio play-by-play man, he has won numerous awards for best play-by-play performance. He received the inaugural Woody Durham College Voice Award from the NSMA, the University of North Carolina and Learfield Sports in June of 2018.
IU has honored Fischer with the J.W. Bill Orwig Medal, that goes to non-alumni for distinguished service to the University, and the Bicentennial Medal, that is awarded to organizations and individuals who, through their personal, professional, artistic, or philanthropic efforts, have broadened the reach of Indiana University around the state, nation, and world. He also is an honorary “I” Man. In October of 2010, Fischer was one of eight inductees into the Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Richard M. Fairbanks Hall of Fame. The Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association inducted Fischer into its Hall of Fame in 2004. Fischer has broadcast over 2,000 games, including four NCAA basketball championship games and 12 bowl games. He hosts the weekly Coaches show for both football and basketball and a daily radio show, “IU Sports Today,” which is syndicated throughout the state. Fischer also anchored the Indianapolis Colts preseason telecasts from 1995-2017.
Indiana University Basketball makes Top 10 For Indianapolis Cathedral big man Xavier Booker
Class of 2023 in-state forward Xavier Booker narrowed his recruiting field on Monday evening. The Cathedral H.S. (Indianapolis, Ind.) product said his top-10 schools are Oregon, Purdue, Cincinnati, Gonzaga, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Auburn, Michigan, Michigan State and Indiana. He has visited the IU Campus this summer and likes the coaching staff, the family atmosphere and how he fits in with the coaching staff and the good relationships he has.
A 6-foot-11 forward, Booker averaged 12.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots per game as a junior and helped lead Cathedral to a 26-6 record and the Class 4A state championship. Booker is currently ranked as a 4-star and the No. 58 overall player nationally according to the 247Sports Composite. Playing for independent George Hill All Indy in the spring and summer, Booker saw his stock soar over the last few months. He is rated as a 5-star prospect according to some outlets.
Indianapolis Colts Linebacker Darius Leonard wants to be called Shaquille instead of Darius
The name Darius Leonard has become synonymous with defensive playmaking in the NFL. But the Indianapolis Colts All-Pro linebacker no longer wants to be referred to by that name. When Leonard reported to training camp Tuesday, he asked reporters to call him Shaquille, which is his middle name and the name most people in his life use to refer to him.
“I went by Shaquille my whole life,” Leonard said. “My mom called me Shaquille, my family called me Shaquille, my friends and family called me Shaquille. I only went by Darius in school or if I was in trouble. Once I got to the NFL, that’s when people started calling me Darius. I hate it, but coming in as a rookie, I figured they didn’t want a rookie coming in saying to call him a different name. So, I just went with it.”
Even after winning Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2018, Leonard didn’t speak up about his wishes. Now, as he begins his fifth season, he finally is making his position known. Leonard begins camp on the physically unable to perform list after undergoing back surgery in June. He elaborated for the first time on his condition, explaining that two disks in his back were impinging on two nerves and, consequently, causing lower-leg pain. The team had been searching in vain for the source of that pain before ultimately discovering the nerve issue, Leonard said.
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