Former Demon Marvin Byrdsong made 22 tackles in his last game for NSU in 2005.
But the hits keep on comin' for the Longview, Texas, native, and not just in his role as a linebacker for the Bossier-Shreveport Battle Wings in af2 (arena) football.
A profile in Friday's Shreveport Times by sportswriter Jimmy Watson focused on another role of Byrdsong's: as the featured athletic figure in a Gatorade TV commercial along with former NFL coach Bill Parcells.
Byrdsong is portrayed delivering a fierce tackle, in weight training and his steely face is shown on a school bus in the closing scene of the commercial, as Parcells intones, "Do you have what it takes to pay the toll?"
The toll paid nicely for "Byrd." The acting fee: $30,000. He did have to wear a bushy wig.
I'd dress up like Bigfoot for $30k. But I don't think Gatorade is targeting middle aged folks riding exercise bikes.
Byrdsong transferred to NSU in 2005 after three years at Mississippi State following a prep All-America career at Longview HS. He's in his second season with the Battle Wings, who recently began their season.
Doug Ireland, SID
Friday, April 11, 2008
Shreveport sightings
Another great NSU Alumni Association reception was held last evening, this time at Savoie's Catering Center in Shreveport, and there was a great turnout of Shreveport-Bossier supporters, including many former athletes. Someone recently asked me what part of my job I enjoyed the most and I responded that it was meeting student-athletes when they arrive on campus for the first time (or even on their recruiting trip) and watching them develop personally through their college career. Even more pleasing is meeting them at alumni functions like the one last night and learning about their job and family.
I sat at a table with former NSU football teammates Mike Pool and Tony Papa, along with Mike's wife, Sherri. Also joining us were Terry Moore, brother of "Top 100" Demon and former NFL player Robert Moore and Alumni Association Board member and avid Demon fan Leonard Endris. I still can remember Leonard, his wife, Robbie, and their two sons sitting on a bus as it traveled across I-20 to the NSU-Tech State Fair game in the mid-1980's. Those Endris boys have grown up, I might add, and made their parents proud.
Among other former NSU athletes - and with apologies if my memory omits some - were Wayne Earp, who stays in touch with former Demon and NFL Hall of Famer Jackie Smith in St. Louis; Steve Gaspard, whose brother Kim and father wore the purple and white; former NSU SID Pesky Hill and his wife, Carol; John McConathy and wife, Corene, who listened to another great message from their son, Mike, our outstanding head men's basketball coach; and Demon teammates from the early 1950's, Ty (and wife, Sue) Sibley and M.D. Ray.....allow me to clarify that I was not here for their recruiting visits! And, of course, the location for this alumni event is owned by none other than former Demon Gerald Savoie, always the gracious host.
And how remiss would I be for not mentioning Jeff and Karen Shideler, proud aunt and uncle of Jace Prescott, Demon offensive tackle from Haughton; and the representation from NSU's great College of Nursing, including Dr. Norann Planchock and her husband, Jerry, and Maxine Johnson and her husband, Smokey.
Finally, all of those from the NSU Athletic Department enjoyed seeing former Senior Woman's Administrator and Academic Advisor Julie Lessiter. A two-sport athlete herself at NSU, Julie is now living and working in Shreveport after dedicating nine years to our coaches and student-athletes.
Suffice it to say that with Savoie's catfish and crawfish in abundance, and the company that was kept, a good time was had by all!
Greg Burke, Athletic Director
I sat at a table with former NSU football teammates Mike Pool and Tony Papa, along with Mike's wife, Sherri. Also joining us were Terry Moore, brother of "Top 100" Demon and former NFL player Robert Moore and Alumni Association Board member and avid Demon fan Leonard Endris. I still can remember Leonard, his wife, Robbie, and their two sons sitting on a bus as it traveled across I-20 to the NSU-Tech State Fair game in the mid-1980's. Those Endris boys have grown up, I might add, and made their parents proud.
Among other former NSU athletes - and with apologies if my memory omits some - were Wayne Earp, who stays in touch with former Demon and NFL Hall of Famer Jackie Smith in St. Louis; Steve Gaspard, whose brother Kim and father wore the purple and white; former NSU SID Pesky Hill and his wife, Carol; John McConathy and wife, Corene, who listened to another great message from their son, Mike, our outstanding head men's basketball coach; and Demon teammates from the early 1950's, Ty (and wife, Sue) Sibley and M.D. Ray.....allow me to clarify that I was not here for their recruiting visits! And, of course, the location for this alumni event is owned by none other than former Demon Gerald Savoie, always the gracious host.
And how remiss would I be for not mentioning Jeff and Karen Shideler, proud aunt and uncle of Jace Prescott, Demon offensive tackle from Haughton; and the representation from NSU's great College of Nursing, including Dr. Norann Planchock and her husband, Jerry, and Maxine Johnson and her husband, Smokey.
Finally, all of those from the NSU Athletic Department enjoyed seeing former Senior Woman's Administrator and Academic Advisor Julie Lessiter. A two-sport athlete herself at NSU, Julie is now living and working in Shreveport after dedicating nine years to our coaches and student-athletes.
Suffice it to say that with Savoie's catfish and crawfish in abundance, and the company that was kept, a good time was had by all!
Greg Burke, Athletic Director
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
New bookstore run by former Demon catcher
Eric Gilmore swung a big bat in two seasons as a Demon baseball player in 1995-96, and now he's trying to swing good deals for NSU students in the book business.
Now open across from the NSU campus is "The Demon Bookstore," owned and operated by Gilmore.
It's the lead story in this week's Current Sauce, the student newspaper.
Gilmore cracked 13 home runs as an outfielder and first baseman, nine when he started every game on the 1995 Southland Conference championship team. He was also part of a 1996 team that, despite a relatively pedestrian (by recent NSU baseball standards) 34-27 record, swept a two-game series at Alex Box Stadium over the eventual national champion LSU Tigers. That '96 team went 14-8 over the final 22 regular-season games and reached the SLC Tournament finals, losing an extra-innings 8-7 decision in the championship game.
Gilmore started 74 games in two seasons, playing in 93, and had 53 RBI as an outfielder and first baseman.
Since getting his NSU degree in business, Gilmore has been in the textbook sales business covering a territory from Texarkana to Houston as a representative for Pearson Prentice Hall, a leading textbook publisher, according to the Current Sauce report by Jim Mustian.
The new bookstore is located in the Days Inn building, in the space once occupied by the hotel restaurant and Old Fashioned Hamburgers, a dining favorite during Gilmore's days as a Demon baseballer. He plans to decorate his store with lots of NSU gear including his old NSU jerseys.
Now open across from the NSU campus is "The Demon Bookstore," owned and operated by Gilmore.
It's the lead story in this week's Current Sauce, the student newspaper.
Gilmore cracked 13 home runs as an outfielder and first baseman, nine when he started every game on the 1995 Southland Conference championship team. He was also part of a 1996 team that, despite a relatively pedestrian (by recent NSU baseball standards) 34-27 record, swept a two-game series at Alex Box Stadium over the eventual national champion LSU Tigers. That '96 team went 14-8 over the final 22 regular-season games and reached the SLC Tournament finals, losing an extra-innings 8-7 decision in the championship game.
Gilmore started 74 games in two seasons, playing in 93, and had 53 RBI as an outfielder and first baseman.
Since getting his NSU degree in business, Gilmore has been in the textbook sales business covering a territory from Texarkana to Houston as a representative for Pearson Prentice Hall, a leading textbook publisher, according to the Current Sauce report by Jim Mustian.
The new bookstore is located in the Days Inn building, in the space once occupied by the hotel restaurant and Old Fashioned Hamburgers, a dining favorite during Gilmore's days as a Demon baseballer. He plans to decorate his store with lots of NSU gear including his old NSU jerseys.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Didn't take long for Buzz
Former Demon basketball assistant coach Buzz Williams (1999-2000) was hired Monday night as the new head coach at Marquette.
Williams, 35, got a six-year contract and will be officially introduced at a press conference this afternoon. He was recommended by his two most recent bosses, departed Marquette and new Indiana coach Tom Crean, and Kentucky and rumored Oklahoma State candidate Billy Gillespie. Williams worked for Gillespie for two seasons at Texas A&M, including their Sweet 16 season in 2006.
Marquette interviewed nobody else. That says they were mightily impressed by what Williams had to say.
Congrats to Buzz - a relentless worker who stays in touch with friends in the community and the NSU family.
ALSO - Demon baseball coach J.P. Davis was rooting hard for Memphis last night in the NCAA basketball championship game. Davis grew up in Memphis and was a baseball player for the Tigers.
Williams, 35, got a six-year contract and will be officially introduced at a press conference this afternoon. He was recommended by his two most recent bosses, departed Marquette and new Indiana coach Tom Crean, and Kentucky and rumored Oklahoma State candidate Billy Gillespie. Williams worked for Gillespie for two seasons at Texas A&M, including their Sweet 16 season in 2006.
Marquette interviewed nobody else. That says they were mightily impressed by what Williams had to say.
Congrats to Buzz - a relentless worker who stays in touch with friends in the community and the NSU family.
ALSO - Demon baseball coach J.P. Davis was rooting hard for Memphis last night in the NCAA basketball championship game. Davis grew up in Memphis and was a baseball player for the Tigers.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Buzz on former Demons in college hoops
Former Demon assistant coach Buzz Williams is reportedly the likely pick to succeed Tom Crean as head coach at Marquette.
Former Demon point guard Mike Brey, the veteran head coach at Notre Dame, is said to be on the short list of new LSU athletics director Joe Alleva to take over the Tigers' basketball team. They worked together while Brey was an assistant coach more than a decade ago at Duke.
The Williams story has a lot more traction. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel is reporting Williams is the only person who has interviewed for the job, although he's been at Marquette only since last summer.
Buzz, a native Texan, joined Dave Simmons on coach Mike McConathy's first NSU staff in 1999-2000, then moved to Colorado State a year later. Williams was a relentless recruiter whose sweater vests and bizarre handwriting were trademarks. Any prospect who got a note written by Williams remembered it, that's for sure. His penmanship may have held him back a year in elementary school.
He moved from Colorado State to join Billy Gillespie's staff at Texas A&M for a couple of years, helping the Aggies to the 2006 NCAA Sweet 16, then took the post of head coach at New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He recruited well and had a commendable 14-17 record in 2006-07, but headed north last summer to Marquette to take a position on Crean's staff.
The Journal-Sentinel's Marquette beat writer said Williams is viewed as the candidate who can hold together a talented recruiting class with some signees who have indicated they will look elsewhere if he is not hired as head coach. Another source indicated Crean has told friends Williams will get the job. Hope so - and if so, wouldn't at all be surprising to see the Demons heading back to Milwaukee in the near future.
As for Brey, it would be very surprising for him to leave Notre Dame to come back south to LSU. He is a lifelong Catholic who considered Notre Dame his dream job and he's done wonderfully there. He's highly regarded on campus and last year received a very prestigious award from the university's alumni association which has been presented selectively through the years to figures such as Regis Philbin.
Last year, he signed a two-year contract extension through 2012-13. Brey stays in touch with friends like Jim Wells, Mike Greene, Jim Hoops and Tom Brassel from his days (1977-80) at NSU, along with his head coach with the Demons, Tynes Hildebrand.
Doug Ireland, SID
Former Demon point guard Mike Brey, the veteran head coach at Notre Dame, is said to be on the short list of new LSU athletics director Joe Alleva to take over the Tigers' basketball team. They worked together while Brey was an assistant coach more than a decade ago at Duke.
The Williams story has a lot more traction. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel is reporting Williams is the only person who has interviewed for the job, although he's been at Marquette only since last summer.
Buzz, a native Texan, joined Dave Simmons on coach Mike McConathy's first NSU staff in 1999-2000, then moved to Colorado State a year later. Williams was a relentless recruiter whose sweater vests and bizarre handwriting were trademarks. Any prospect who got a note written by Williams remembered it, that's for sure. His penmanship may have held him back a year in elementary school.
He moved from Colorado State to join Billy Gillespie's staff at Texas A&M for a couple of years, helping the Aggies to the 2006 NCAA Sweet 16, then took the post of head coach at New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He recruited well and had a commendable 14-17 record in 2006-07, but headed north last summer to Marquette to take a position on Crean's staff.
The Journal-Sentinel's Marquette beat writer said Williams is viewed as the candidate who can hold together a talented recruiting class with some signees who have indicated they will look elsewhere if he is not hired as head coach. Another source indicated Crean has told friends Williams will get the job. Hope so - and if so, wouldn't at all be surprising to see the Demons heading back to Milwaukee in the near future.
As for Brey, it would be very surprising for him to leave Notre Dame to come back south to LSU. He is a lifelong Catholic who considered Notre Dame his dream job and he's done wonderfully there. He's highly regarded on campus and last year received a very prestigious award from the university's alumni association which has been presented selectively through the years to figures such as Regis Philbin.
Last year, he signed a two-year contract extension through 2012-13. Brey stays in touch with friends like Jim Wells, Mike Greene, Jim Hoops and Tom Brassel from his days (1977-80) at NSU, along with his head coach with the Demons, Tynes Hildebrand.
Doug Ireland, SID
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