Demon angle on UND-Idaho State game

You probably know that Notre Dame's head basketball coach, Mike Brey, was a standout player for Tynes Hildebrand's Demon basketball teams from 1977-80.

You may root for the Irish because of that.

Tonight, there's a former Demon on the visiting bench in South Bend.

Joe O'Brien was an assistant coach as a graduate student at NSU when Brey was playing here. He's now the head coach at Idaho State.

BTW - Coach Hildebrand was working last night's Demon game at Centenary in his role as an officials observer.

Now, here's the story from the Idaho State Journal in beautiful Pocatello:

http://tinyurl.com/ybpu5c8

Former Demon Surprises Team

The NSU Demon basketball team made a long road trip out of their first away game tonight at Texas Tech. The team left Natchitoches Tuesday night and stayed in Dallas before practicing on the Stage at Texas-Arlington on Friday.

The team would travel after practice to Lubbock and are getting ready to play the Red Raiders tonight at the United Spirit Arena.

But as practice was getting going, I spotted a tall, lanky guy in a pair of Memphis Grizzlies game shorts helping the bus driver put water into the bus outside. Sure enough, it was former Demon great Trey Gilder.

Gilder is a native of the east Texas area and was invited to practice by assistant coach Jeff Moore. He walked in, surprising head coach Mike McConathy as well as several of his former teammates who are still playing for the team.

Trey was on the opening-game roster of the Memphis Grizzlies this year, playing in two games, logging five minutes, scoring two points, grabbing a rebound and nabbing a steal. He was released by the Grizzlies when Allen Iverson was ready to rejoin the team.

I got a chance to talk to Trey a bit and he said he has some feelers out for game action this year and was going to talk to his agents and handlers today to see where he might be able to latch on. Coach McConathy quizzed him on his workouts, if he was staying in shape for the chance to play again. He said he was keeping his workouts up and was ready if the call came in.

Trey looks exactly the same...tall, thin, reserved. Several players came over and hugged him, asked how he was doing, chatted him up. And he continues to be one of the more gadget-minded guys around, as he sported an iPhone, Blackberry and some sort of slide phone. Three phones, all on his waist, leading point guard Michael McConathy to dub him "Radio Shack" for all his gadgetry.

Well Radio Shack is doing well, and let's hope he lands on another NBA roster very soon.

-- Patrick Netherton - Demon Sports Network

Special surprise Friday night

A very special Demon is back with his team, way before anybody thought it possible.

On August 28th, Dwayne Watkins was seriously injured in an automobile accident near Opelousas.

His injuries included two fractured vertebrae in his spinal column, but by the grace of God, he is on the way to a miraculous recovery.

Just before the start of Friday night's game, he surprised his teammates in the Demon locker room.

Maybe next year, we’ll see him back in uniform as a player, but Friday night, it was great to have him on the bench with the Demons.

No surprise D-Bell does something nice

The Homer Guardian Journal this week reports that the open date last weekend for the Buffalo Bills provided an opportunity for Demon great Demetrius Bell to share his good fortune with his hometown of Summerfield.

Bell, who hung out in Natchitoches with former Demon basketball teammate Keithan Hancock and friends last Friday and Saturday, came home for a visit last week and arranged to give a Thanksgiving turkey to every family with a child enrolled at the Summerfield school.

Totally in character.

The backstory on one Demon signee

Recruiting is always interesting, but the campus visit for new NSU basketball signee Patrick Robinson was more dramatic than coaches and recruit would have liked.

Robinson had an apparent appendicitis attack that struck during his visit for an October home football weekend.

He arrived on campus Friday afternoon, and all was well until the next morning when he told Coach McConathy he had an upset stomach. By early afternoon, after a visit to the training room, it was determined that Pepto Bismol was not the answer.

Assistant coach Jeff Moore sped Robinson back home to Baton Rouge, pausing at every opportunity to ask, "do you think you should go by a hospital, or are you OK to keep heading home?"

Robinson probably spent 16 waking hours of a planned two-day visit on the NSU campus, but still eventually felt good enough about the experience and the Demon program to accept the invitation, and the scholarship, to join the family.

McConathy, Moore and crew couldn't be happier.

BTW, Robinson's coach is Carlo Maggio, who arrived at Christian Life Academy in Baton Rouge late this summer after a successful run at Plainview near Lake Charles. And yes, there is a family tie between Carlo and cousin Dr. Chris (Dean of Students, former NSU athlete and track coach) Maggio.

Checking in with Chelsea Orton

It was great to see the delightful smile of former Lady Demon soccer graduate assistant coach Chelsea Orton at the Lady Demon Soccer Complex Sunday, even if we had to look 40 feet up to see her.

Orton was the rookie color analyst for the SLC TV live telecast of the 2009 Southland Conference Soccer Championship final won by Southeastern Louisiana 2-0 over Texas State. She and play by play man Doug Anderson worked on a scissor lift raised about 40 feet above the concession stand on the east side of the pitch.

The midfield cameras were mounted on the same platform, providing a great view of the new press box on the west side along with the benches for both teams. The Lady Demon Soccer Complex looked great on TV - across the nation on Fox College Sports as well as throughout the Southland TV network footprint. Former NSU assistant Mike Baker watched in Tennessee.

After leaving NSU, Orton did an internship at the Southland Conference office in metropolitan Dallas as one of the last steps in completing her master's degree in sport administration from Northwestern.

She is working in sales and marketing for AT&T in Irving. She's also an avid runner who has competed across the country.

Chelsea was her own worst critic on her television analyst's debut, but people watching who know soccer thought she was quite good - no surprise to us!

Saturday morning special

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes' "Game Day Rally" Saturday for the NSU-SLU game is shaping up to be quite the event.

There have been 150 RSVP's - 80 from Many alone.

The students will enjoy lunch provided in the Demon Alley Tailgating Area, where they will hear from Demon linebacker Isaiah Greenhouse and other players when the football team does the "Demon Walk" at 11:30.

Posey's Sports Center has donated 150 orange T-shirts for the students.

Gilder gets waived, won't be idle long

Memphis has waived Trey Gilder, the rookie forward from NSU (2006-08), so his first stint in the NBA was brief. He played in 2 of the first 4 games for the Grizzlies before getting waived Wednesday.

The Maine Crab Claws in the NBA Developmental League have his rights - their season doesn't begin for a while, so we'll see how things unfold. There was some backchannel gossip that the Denver Nuggets had interest in preseason, but their hands were tied since Memphis had Gilder under contract.

He played in the D-League for Denver's 14ers last year when that team won the league title, so the Denver speculation fits. Time will tell. Good luck to Trey and congrats on getting to the NBA - it can and probably will happen again soon.

Knowing what you're eating

It's good.

That's my No. 1 point of identification for what I eat. If it tastes great, I really don't need to know what's in it. Or even what it is. That's a good rule of thumb in these parts, considering sometimes what goes into dishes.

But even I should be able to tell the difference between chili and taco soup.

But it was good, and that was enough for me.

That cooking contest written about below - the dish of dispute was taco soup.

I want more now.

I just saw my buddy Coach Black enjoying more, so contrary to reports, not ALL of the taco soup was consumed at the pot luck supper Sunday evening. Just all of the soup that was brought TO the supper was wiped out ...

So, an appeal ... to taco soup queen April Offutt, and to runner-up finishers Lisa Cooley (wife of offensive coordinator Todd) and Leslie Larose (girlfriend of defensive line assistant Carey Melvin) ... if you have leftovers, the Daily Demon ain't too proud to beg!

PS - I split my vote 1/3, 1/3 and 1/3. It was ALL great!

Coaches' wives competitive too

OK, this isn't a news flash - goes to figure if you're the spouse or significant other of a coach, you probably are more than a little competitive.

So, to "spice" up the weekly Sunday evening football coaches' family pot luck supper, the women decided to have a chili cooking contest. I'm not sure about the ground rules, but everybody showed up with corn in their chili, well received. And each crock pot was emptied quickly.

There were four entries - one, Megan Quinn, withdrew when her pot of sauce for her chili went tumbling in the car heading to the fieldhouse. She still had enough to serve, but not to challenge.

The winner in a nail-biter - April Offutt. The vote went 6-5-5. There were really no losers.

There to watch Trey play in the NBA

Memphis is 8 hours away, but the drive flew by Wednesday for NSU basketball coaches Mike McConathy, Mark Slessinger and Jeff Moore.

They made the 16-hour round trip to be there as their former player Trey Gilder broke the glass ceiling and made his first steps into the NBA.

Gilder played more than 4 minutes, made his only shot (about a 17-footer on the left wing), had a rebound and a steal. It came at the end of a thumping of the home team by the Detroit Pistons, but the Grizzlies announcers on Fox Sports South were very complementary of Gilder and his emergence from the NBA Developmental League.

Trey shot 63 percent for the Grizzlies' Vegas Summer League team, turning heads, and he didn't disappoint in preseason camp to make the team's 12-man active roster. NBA teams now keep 15 players overall during the season; three are inactive.

Hall of Fame Vignette

Of the many functions that I attend throughout the year as Athletic Director, one of my favorites is the NSU Athletics/Graduate N-Club Hall of Fame ceremony. To hear the inductees so humbly acknowledge the impact that NSU has had on their lives, not to mention the coaches, family members, and others whose influence they also credit for putting them in a position to be so successful, is wonderful. Also, as a true sports enthusiast, I really enjoy hearing the "war stories" that inevitably are told as part of the ceremony. Perhaps my favorite this past Saturday was the one baseball/football inductee Steve Graf told about a practice tackling drill in which each player was to select a partner. He talked about looking for the skinniest teammate he could find and thus chose a defensive back named Darrell Toussaint. As Steve recalled, it took one tackle for him to realize that he made a bad decision and that he quickly learned why Toussaint, who was inducted into the NSU Hall of Fame a few years ago, was commonly known as "The Blade." "He just cut right through me," recalled Graf. Track/football standout Al Edwards' touching tribute to his grandmother, softball great Kellie Shotwell's enduring regret - with a chuckle - that Coach Rickey McCalister never let her hit because she was too valuable as a pitcher (NSU only gave four total scholarships for softball at that time and she was the recipient of one of them), and golf All-American Bob Konsdorf's comments about his business career and about how it has seems as if every phase of his business life has in some way been tied back to golf are among the highlights that stand out in my mind. One final thought - I encourage all Demon and Lady Demon fans to put this event on their calendars in the future - it will be well worth your time!

Greg Burke, Athletic Director

Former Demons Support

After catching up with one former Demon, current McNeese AD Tommy McClelland (he tongue in cheek wanted to know if we had found a long snapper as good as him since he graduated), during pre-game warm-ups prior to the NSU-McNeese game,I was pleased to run into several other ex-Demons, as well. The pride of Orange, TX, #56 Roy Locks, was the first former player I greeted, shortly before seeing former Demons Charlie Brooks, Chris "Booger" Brown, and Ed Queen (told Ed I still remember him running down McNeese great B.J. Sams on a reverse back in '03 down there). Finally, good friend and supporter Gant Gremillion was on the sidelines with a seven-year old buddy from Covington. Gant was the winning bidder for a sideline pass for two to a Demon game at Coach Bradley Dale Peveto's auction fund raiser last spring. Gant's wife, Jenny, and one-and-a-half year old daughter were sitting out the game....in the future when that happens, Gant will have to worry about where the two of them are shopping and how much damage they are doing!

Greg Burke, Athletic Director

Back In Black

I picked up the general Athletic Department phone late yesterday afternoon (that's what you do when your wonderful secretary retires and there is no replacement yet)and much to my delight, former Demon wide receive standout Nathan Black was on the other end of the line. Nathan is living in his hometown of Baton Rouge and is in the "Performance Enhancement" business (aka "Personal Training"). He was calling to fill one of the most valuable roles that an alumnus can undertake for their alma mater....that of referring a young person to NSU. Specifically, he wanted to talk with women's track coach Mike Heimerman about a young lady he thought would be a great fit for our program.

Nathan also took a minute to talk about his excitment over the fact that Bradley Dale Peveto, who was on staff early in Nathan's career at NSU (wonder if Nathan was one of the offensive guys who used to sneak into the defensive position meetings to hear Peveto's fire 'em up speeches), was now head coach for the Demons.

As an aside, I will never forget the 70+ yard TD pass Nathan caught from Craig Nall early in that 2001 playoff game at Montana. The pass was perhaps 20 yards in length and Nathan, who had very good wheels, outrun the Griz secondary to the end zone. I have never heard 20,000+ fans go from being so loud as the ball was snapped to so quiet as Nathan raced down the sidelines.

It's always good to hear from former Demons, which I do on a regular basis, and pledge to try to be more diligent in sharing those connections with our fans on the Daily Demon blog.

Greg Burke, Athletic Director

Happy about new Demons

There's no doubt about the affection the NSU community, and the NSU athletic department, has for the Antilley Family. Father David and son Davey have been loyal supporters of the university and have volunteered their help for nearly 20 years on statistics crews for NSU football, basketball and baseball. Davey, an instructor in the same NSU journalism program where he earned his undergraduate degree, is ever-helpful in his job to so many people and to the NSU athletic department.

That's why everyone who knows Davey and his wonderful family is so thrilled about the recent birth of twin sons Jacob and Joshua (no doubt future NSU stat crew members!). Wife and mom Janna has been a joyful addition to the NSU athletic family, along with her daughter Lelia.

In the above picture, Janna is holding Jacob Lawrence. Lelia is in the middle with her cheerleading outfit on. Davey is holding Joshua David.


E-mail congratulations to antilleyd@nsula.edu if you'd like!

Monday Night reaction

What a heartbreaking loss for Demetrius Bell, Terrence McGee and the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football!

But it was not without highlights for the two former Demons. McGee received repeated praise by the ESPN announcing crew, especially former Tampa Bay head coach Jon Gruden, before he made a clutch breakup against star Patriots receiver Randy Moss on a two-point conversion play that momentarily seemed to give Buffalo a big advantage late in the game, leaving New England behind by five.

As for Bell, he seemed to make a good impression, based on the story in the Buffalo News this morning by Allen Wilson about the Bills' retooled and inexperienced offensive line:

Second-year left tackle Demetrius Bell and rookie guards Eric Wood and Andy Levitre held their own against the New England Patriots' defensive front seven for most of a disheartening 25-24 loss Monday night.

Bell got the left tackle job when the Bills surprisingly released Langston Walker, who was anointed as their guy after trading Jason Peters to the Philadelphia Eagles.

But the coaching staff grew increasingly impressed with Bell, a seventh-round draft pick who didn't play football at any level before 2005 and had only two years at left tackle at Northwestern (La.) State. Despite a sore back that sidelined him for a couple of weeks in the preseason, the Bills felt the time was right to give him a chance.

For the most part, Bell didn't let the team down Monday night. He made some nice blocks on run plays and protected quarterback Trent Edwards pretty well until late in the game.

"There were a lot of things I could have done better," Bell said. "For the most part, I finished every play and played every play. I didn't leave any doubts in my mind as far as playing hard and as far as working my techniques. But towards the end I kind of got out of my comfort zone. It was poor technique that got me beat. But overall, I had a hard-fought game."

If there was one thing Bell has to improve on it is penalties. He was flagged twice for failing to line up on the line of scrimmage and once for a false start. He also was penalized for holding, but the Patriots declined it.

"It wasn't inexperience," Bell said. "It's just making sure my head is even with the butt of the center. It's my job to get up on the line. On the false start, it was a lack of concentration. Those are mistakes I'll get cleaned up."

Guice lands in Winnipeg

Rookie free agent receiver Dudley Guice made it until the last round of NFL cuts with Tennessee and has quickly headed north of the border to the Canadian Football League. He's joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and already is turning heads, according to Ed Tait of the Winnipeg Free Press:

"Talk about favourable first impressions: leaping off the page at Friday's practice was new receiver Dudly Guice Jr. He was recently cut by the Tennessee Titans, but is a big target at 6-foot-4, looks to have solid hands and is very smooth. "He appears to be a very gifted athlete out there. He's going to come along rapidly," said head coach Mike Kelly... If you want to check out more on Mr. Guice Jr., check out his website at: http://www.dudleyguicejr.com/."

Condolences notes for Stephens family

For any Demons wanting to express condolences to the family of John Stephens, his mother Thelma Stephens can be reached at 418 Douglas Street, Springhill, LA 71075.

The Demon great was laid to rest in his hometown yesterday. He died in a one-vehicle wreck last Tuesday night.

Game updates on Facebook

If you hven't already signed up, get on Facebook and go to Northwestern State Demons to get not only in-game updates, but all sorts of NSU sports information.

Great update on Dwayne Watkins

Al Michaels made the phrase famous, courtesy of the 1980 USA Olympic gold-medal winning hockey team.

"Do you believe in miracles???? - YESSS!"

Assistant basketball coach Jeff Moore has an amazing report on Demon basketball player Dwayne Watkins, critically injured Friday in an automobile accident on I-49 near Opelousas when his car hydroplaned and he lost control during a heavy thunderstorm.

I went to see Dwayne last night and I was amazed at his recovery since seeing him last on Saturday night. He is talking and his eyes are open. He was able to carry on conversation and told me several times he was hungry. He is able to move all his limbs, although he is more active with his right side than his left. They have a little 8 inch tv set up right in front of him to watch due to him still being in the neck brace.

I talked to his mother this morning and she said the doctor said this morning that he will be moved out of ICU later today and they would be starting some rehab as well.

As I was getting ready to send this out his mother called to update me again. They got Dwayne out of bed and had him raise his arms and walk forward, backward, and to the side. Unbelievable…

Dwayne, his family, his teammates, our staff, athletic department, university and community appreciate your continued prayers for Dwayne and his recovery!

Jeff Moore
Asst. Men's Basketball Coach
Northwestern State University

Dwayne is at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in Lafayette.

Bell's stock climbing

ESPN.com writer Tim Graham says Buffalo offensive coordinator Turk Schonert and other Bills coaches are pushing to start former Demon Demetrius Bell at left tackle ahead of veteran Langston Walker. Bills head coach Dick Jauron said Monday it was a possibility.

Not a lot of seventh-round draft picks jump from practice squad member to starter. That tells you a lot about what people around NSU know about D-Bell -- he's a tremendous worker -- and clearly he has tremendous upside.

NFL Monday

Three NFL teams were represented at Monday's Demon football practice.

One scout told NSU pro liason David Rosen that he thought the Demons have six NFL Draft prospects for 2010.

Could make this fall a lot of fun!

Notes on Q

From the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal-Star and the excellent "Life in the Red's" blog covering Nebraska Cornhuskers athletics, these recent posts of note (non-LSJ content italicized):

Today after Nebraska's practice, head coach Bo Pelini talked briefly about Quentin Castille's transfer to NSU, and Pelini echoed what Peveto reported Pelini had told him:

"I told him they'd be well-served to have him on their football team," Pelini said

While Demon fans have enjoyed visiting You Tube to watch Castille's 58-yard burst that helped spark Nebraska's come from behind Gator Bowl win over Clemson, Nebraska fans are wondering about who will handle shorter runs:

I've heard a lot of talk this week about how much Nebraska will -- or won't -- miss Quentin Castille in third-and-short situations.

A look at Q's production last year on short-yardage plays in the regular season is telling (note the following stats are corrected):

On plays of third- or fourth-down and 2 yards or fewer to go, Castille converted on 17 of 22 opportunities (all runs) for an average of 4.2 yards on those plays. On one of those plays where he didn't convert, Castille gained 37 yards on the ensuing fourth-down play.

That's not to say Roy Helu or Rex Burkhead or Ndamukong Suh can't gain a couple yards in those situations. But Q did prove dependable last season, for sure.

And a note that indicates the passion 'Husker fans have for their team and players:

Wanda Castille said her son really liked the coaches at Northwestern State, some of whom, including head coach Bradley Dale Pevento, coached with Bo Pelini at LSU. As break-ups go, this was not a messy one. And my guess is Castille will maintain a lot of fans in Nebraska who will suddenly be checking the stat page from Northwestern State games.

Fa$cinating time$ for Terrence McGee

The next few days could be very lucrative for Demon great Terrence McGee:

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/775885.html

Peve was there just after ...

A post-practice visit with Bradley Dale Peveto this evening revealed these entertwined nuggets from the fall of 2001...

... The new Demons' football coach has extra appreciation for NSU's 2001 27-24 overtime win at TCU. It was a Horned Frogs team that beat nationally-ranked Louisville and reached a bowl game at season's end.

Peveto watched the game on tape right away. He was secondary coach at Houston in 2001, and the Cougars played TCU the following week after the Demons' Sept. 22 win. TCU handled Houston 34-17 in Houston.

Peveto remembers the great effort of the Demons, and watching future NFL QB Craig Nall and teammates pull off the upset. He was impressed with Demons' tailback Jeremy Lofton, who caught the game-tying 14-yard touchdown pass with 50 seconds left in regulation and ran for 96 yards on 22 carries....

... That game was the first contest for both TCU and NSU after the tragedy of 9/11/01, the attacks on America beginning with the World Trade Center.

When college football resumed 11 days later, Peveto and the Cougars had an unforgettable experience. Their first game back was at Army.

West Point, he recalls, was in high security alert on Sept. 22. In fact, there were four stone-faced soldiers inside the Cougars dressing room, standing guard, throughout game day. Bomb-sniffing dogs checked all vehicles and security details inspected the Cougars' busses. Sharpshooters were posted throughout the area around the stadium.

To say that it was an emotion-filled day is a vast understatement, said Peveto.

Army prevailed, 28-14.

Great story on Werner, good news for Lawrence

Fabulous, moving story run today in the Shreveport Times on former Demon football offensive coordinator Dan Werner. It originally appeared in the Jackson Clarion-Ledger:

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20090824/SPORTS02/908240316&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

Also, found out yesterday that Demon baseball pitching great Brian Lawrence, released earlier this month by the Padres' Triple-A affiliate in Portland, has rejoined the New Orleans Zephyrs and had a strong outing last week. Times-Picayune sportswriter Lori Lyons interviewed Brian and this story ran in Sunday's New Orleans paper.

http://www.nola.com/zephyrs/index.ssf/2009/08/new_orleans_zephyrs_brian_lawr.html

It wasn't that long ago

When John Hundley hooked up with Thomas Jackson for a 20-yard TD pass (well thrown and nicely caught by a well-defended Jackson) Saturday evening in the Demons' scrimmage, former Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Sam Robertson had a smile on his face.

Hundley is his nephew. John (known to his family as "John Doug") is the son of Doug Hundley, who played for Sam back when ULL was USL in the late 1970s. Also playing for Sam, although not at the same time, was Thomas's father, Thomas Sr., who was a whale of a running back for the Cajuns.

NFL updates

Rookie free agent receiver and 2008 SLC Football Student-Athlete of the Year Dudley Guice had a very nice 28-yard reception in the final minute of play last night for Tennessee as the Titans' backups were trying to score in a 30-10 loss at Dallas. Fox Sports announcer Joe Buck was very impressed with what he called a "sensational" catch down the right sideline on a not-so-well thrown pass, so much so that he called two other intended receivers "Guice" in subsequent plays.

Big night tonight for David Pittman, the 4th-year cornerback and 2006 NSU All-American who is trying to lock down a job with the Houston Texans. He's going against his last team, the Saints, tonight in Houston. Pitt made a game-saving interception last week to help his cause.

Assistant basketball coach Mark Slessinger and former basketball staff member Patrick Self returned from Buffalo early this week after visiting Demetrius Bell at Bills' camp. They brought back a nice personally autographed cap for D-Bell's buddy Coach Black.

Said, seen and read on Friday

Heard some classics Friday from coaches Bradley Dale Peveto and Todd Cooley.

Peveto, speaking to the team at the end of a grueling practice that lasted nearly three hours in the morning steam before wrapping up at 12:30 in the lunch hour, was in gear.

Speaking about the six "perfect 40s" he made the Demons run at the end of the workout, he said it was all about toughness and discipline.

"Let me tell you sumpthin', you can't order that over the internet. You gotta earn it. You gotta develop it. It's got to become a way of life for our football team, and if we do, we can't be stopped."

Then, later in his remarks, he began to review the afternoon's activities after the first full-contact practice of fall camp.

"Here's what you got. You got a nice afternoon. People fly to Arizona to spas, and pay a lot of money. We gonna give it to you for FREE!" (At this point, Cooley, standing behind the circle of players, couldn't help but grin.)

"You get lunch from 1-2. You get treatments from 2-3. From 3-3:30, the offense lifts and the defense gets in the ice-cold pools. Then we switch it and the offense gets in the ice-cold pools. Then from 4-4:30 it's the Issues meeting and you get to hear a great speaker. ... People pay a lot of money at spas for the stuff you're getting this afternoon, men!"

Cooley did his part later, talking to me about his hopes for the offense to follow Friday's good performance with two more steps forward Saturday. It wasn't original but it fit great.

"Can we put two practices back-to-back? Can we put three back-to-back-to-back? If we do, then we'll be cooking with grease."

Friday was also the debut of the Demons' Oklahoma drill. It's a classic football test used at all levels. Just Wednesday night, I was watching the HBO show "Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals" and saw the Bengals doing the drill.

At Camp Peve, the Demons set up four different stations so the action was non-stop and flowing like dominos falling. There's a tailback, taking a handoff from a quarterback right behind center. The center blocks a nosetackle. The running back tries to knife by the defender, but all the action takes place in a corridor about three yards wide, defined by blocking dummies. If the ballcarrier stays inside the dummies and gets past them, the offense wins.

As Peveto said when he called the team together before the drill, "it's mano y mano, guys!"

The four stations were set up according to size and position so there were not any mismatches.

The defense dominated the first round, winning three of the four battles, and went up 5-3 after two rounds. Then the offense did not lose again, winning an amazing 17 straight (only one was a close call). The reward: watching the defense do up-downs for a minute.

Cautioned offensive line coach Jeremy Offutt to the Purple Strike: "win with dignity, guys!" They did.

Spotted earlier Friday morning in the newspaper ...

Great Media Day coverage in the Shreveport Times from Kelly Morris ...

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20090814/SPORTS02/908140342/It-s-crunch-time-for-Demons

... and Roy Lang III

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20090814/SPORTS0405/908140323/1001/SPORTS

Doug Ireland, SID

Voice of experience

During Media Day activities Thursday, the Demon offensive line took the opportunity to pose with one of the greatest of their kind - not only at NSU, but in college football history.

That smiling fella in the middle on a knee is retired 12-year NFL veteran Marcus Spears, a two-time All-America offensive tackle for Northwestern in 1992-93.

What makes him special in college football history? Marcus Spears and Jerry Rice are the only two FCS (then Division I-AA) players ever to be elected to the Football Writers Association of America All-America team. Rice made it in his senior year (1986) at Mississippi Valley State. Spears joined players from Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Nebraska and Georgia, among others, on the 1993 FWAA squad.

Being one of the five offensive linemen selected also made him a semifinalist for the Outland Trophy given to the nation's top lineman. One of the top 10 linemen, offense or defense, in college football -- that's quite impressive. He was the first, and is the only, FCS player ever considered for that award.

Spears has spent the last two days with the Demons, speaking to the newcomers Thursday morning and to the full squad Friday afternoon in coach Peveto's "Issues" series.

He reprised what he used to do at the request of the NFL. Late in his career, Spears was invited by the league to be one of the speakers at the annual NFL Rookie Symposium held in San Diego, designed to help new NFL players adjust to life in the big leagues.

Spears will be nominated for the College Football Hall of Fame next spring.

Tradition and direction

Former Demon players Britt Brittain and Marcus Spears spoke to the NSU newcomers this morning as part of Coach Peveto's "Issues" series of talks.

They spoke about Demon football tradition, and about taking advantage of the opportunities for success outside of football during the next 4-5 years at NSU.

Brittain told the players that many of their best friends in life will come from this group. He said he and his Demon teammates gather once a year and stay in touch 30 years later.

Spears had the group imagine they all had played 10 seasons in the NFL (he played 12), and asked them, "Now what? The game's over. You have the rest of your life. What are you gonna do?" He stressed taking advantage of every opportunity to grow academically and personally.

Spears will be visiting for a couple of days. Last weekend, he was in Canton, Ohio, to attend the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction of the late Derrick Thomas, his teammate with the Kansas City Chiefs.

He also told the young Demons to take "purple pride" and said he was thrilled to travel to Detroit in 2006 for the NSU basketball team's NCAA Tournament and the win over Iowa. "We're all in this together," he said. "Sport doesn't matter. We're Demons."

Bell shining in Buffalo, more notes

All the action Demetrius Bell got Sunday night for the Buffalo Bills against the Tennessee Titans in the NFL's Hall of Fame exhibition game in Canton, Ohio, has earned him the spotlight in the Buffalo News. Here's the link on a nice feature on D-Bell:

http://www.buffalonews.com/452/story/761158.html

The story was the third-most e-mailed by visitors to the News' website Wednesday.

Demon basketball assistant coach Mark Slessinger is in Buffalo visiting Bell. Back at NSU, lots of people enjoyed watching him get extensive action in Sunday night's game.

BTW, Dudley Guice got into the game late for the Titans but did not get a catch.

Media Watch: Good stories today by Kelly Morris in the Shreveport Times revolving around NSU sports.

Jimmy Heard is lighting it up in his hometown pitching for the Shreveport-Bossier Captains. Recently he won a national award as pitcher of the month for the unaffiliated minor league teams around the country. Here's Kelly's feature on the NSU graduate ('09) and record-setting Demon hurler:

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20090812/SPORTS/908120315/1001&referrer=NEWSFRONTCAROUSEL

Story No. 2 is about football's preseason and the Demons making position switches. The link:

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20090812/SPORTS02/908120324/1001/SPORTS

Demon hoops on the national radar: It's nothing new with Mike McConathy running the show, but Fox Sports columnist Jeff Goodman has checked in with an update on the Demons:

http://community.foxsports.com/goodmanonfox/blog/2009/08/11/ole_miss_northwestern_state_healthy

Wednesday morning paper

Check tomorrow's Shreveport Times for a Kelly Morris story on Demons who are changing positions. She talked with Jeremy Jefferson and Justin Aldredge, along with Coach Peveto, today.

Quick highlights on Demon football

Play of the first day: Justin Aldredge, the converted linebacker playing tight end, made a full-extension diving snag about two feet off the ground of a John Hundley rocket early in a pass skeleton drill Monday morning. There were other nice catches during the morning and afternoon workouts, and I didn't see much of the afternoon session, but Aldredge's catch was a "gasp" moment. It was that good.

Team Gannett: Alexandria Town Talk sports editor Randy Benson attended the entire morning workout and will have a column in his paper and the Shreveport Times on Tuesday morning. Count on outstanding daily coverage this season from both Gannett papers from Benson, Times sportswriter Kelly Morris, and Times sports editor Scott Ferrell.

KSLA TV too: Sports director Mike Dirmann, truly one of the nice guys in our neighborhood, popped in for the last hour of the morning practice. He had interviews with Coach Bradley Dale Peveto and QB John Hundley Monday at 6 and has more to use later, including visits with Jace Prescott, Jeremy Jefferson and offensive coordinator Todd Cooley.

Did you notice?: Not Monday, but Sunday night in the NFL's Hall of Fame game -- Demon greats Demetrius Bell (right offensive tackle) and Terrence McGee (cornerback) started for Buffalo. Bell played the entire first half, staying in with the second team.

Still time: We have two correct answers so far for the Great Eight ID Challenge. Robert Gunn and Sonja Pezant are winners. We need one more. Look back through the blog and see if you can list the right names and schools.

Bell, McGee, Guice in Sunday night NFL game

Look for three Demons to see action Sunday night in the annual Hall of Fame exhibition game in Canton, Ohio, pitting the Buffalo Bills against the Tennessee Titans. The game kicks at 7 CST on NBC.

Veteran cornerback Terrance McGee (No. 24) will start for the Bills but may not be on the field for very long. He has little to prove and there are young cornerbacks the Bills need to evaluate.

Second-year offensive lineman Demetrius Bell (No. 77) could start at right tackle, where the starter is nursing an injury. He figures to get plenty of action early at either tackle spot for Buffalo, where he is listed as the No. 2 left tackle.

On the Titans sideline, rookie free agent receiver Dudley Guice (No. 13) and former Stephen F. Austin player Dominique Edison are listed as fourth-team receivers, and that means they could get some second-half snaps in the game.

Demetrius Bell working with starting line for Bills

Demetrius Bell, the basketball player turned Demon football All-American in 2007, continues to impress with his performance for the Buffalo Bills. He's currently lining up as the starting right tackle as the Bills head into the Hall of Fame exhibition game Sunday night in Canton, Ohio.

http://www.buffalobills.com/media-lounge/videos/bills-roundup-wednesdays-news-and-notes/8b1bf417-0ffa-442b-a4ad-09f066723756

Nice Baton Rouge Advocate story on Coach Peve

Gary Laney, Baton Rouge Advocate sportswriter and former McNeese beat writer for the Lake Charles American Press, did a nice column on NSU football coach Bradley Dale Peveto in this morning's paper.

http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/52321057.html?index=14&c=y

Two Lady Demons in triathlon top 3

Former Lady Demon basketball player Anna Means and former Lady Demon cross country/track runner Linzie Ledford Hebert finished second and third, respectively, in Sunday's Rivers City Triathlon in Shreveport.

Sportswriter Jason Pugh of the Shreveport Times has comments from Anna in his story, and she is featured in photos 12 and 17 in the photo gallery by Times' photographer Doug Collier.

Here's the link:

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20090803/SPORTS/908030329/Texas-athletes-sweep-River-Cities-triathlon

The great eight?

OK, you can win something free! A copy of the 2009 Demon football media guide, and some sort of NSU attire, goes to the first 3 people to send me correct names and schools for the eight head football coaches in the Southland Conference this year. We'll take all the correct answers (staff and media not eligible, and yes, like in school, spelling counts) and draw for two more winners, too. The coaches are shown above.

E-mail the correct caption to ireland@nsula.edu please!

Monday night, the Demon Victory Tour rolled into my hometown of Shreveport. Despite a torrential--but much needed--downpour, the turnout was nice and enthusiastic.

The highlight of the program was head coach Bradley Dale Peveto getting Demon fans fired up about, as Peveto calls it, "their" program.

This is the third or fourth time I have heard Coach Peveto address a crowd, and he has always had something interesting and meaningful to say. However, on this evening, something he said really left an impression with me.

Coach Peveto introduced his staff, and had them line up so they could be seen, and acknowledged, by the crowd. When talking about his assistant coaches, Coach Peveto said that some coaches say they have a great staff "under" him. However, Coach Peveto likes to say he has a great staff "surrounding" him.

There is a big difference in the two phrases. Coach Peveto doesn't think of himself as "above" his assistants. He thinks of the entire staff as one unit, working for one goal--to produce a winning team on the field and in the classroom.

It is obvious Coach Peveto likes, and respects, his assistants. It is also obvious his assistants respect, and like, Coach Peveto.

I also like the way Coach Peveto said his staff is made up of good men, good husbands and good fathers. What great representatives of NSU, and what great role models for young men!

Good people, good food, and good football talk. What a great way to start the week!

Tony Taglavore
Demon Sports Network

Former Demon Tommy Hebert receives SIFL honors

Former Northwestern State kicker Tommy Hebert of the Louisiana Swashbucklers was recently named the 2009 Southern Indoor Football League's Special Teams Co-Player of the Year.

He shared the honor with kick returner Darrick Wallace of the Austin Turfcats.

Voting was conducted among SIFL coaches, team front offices, league staff and a composite fan vote. Teams were not allowed to vote for their own players.

Hebert received 12 out of a possible 13 votes among kickers, and won the fan balloting with 51 percent of the vote.

Hebert, who led the SIFL scorers with 115 points, converted 93.3 percent of his PAT attempts, second only to Nathan Parseghian of Billings in the Indoor Football League, who was 49 of 50 in six games. Hebert also had a SIFL high 15 field goals and FG percentage conversion rate of 48.4 percent.

Hebert has helped guide the Swashbucklers to a 10-1 record this season and will face the Turfcats in the inaugural SIFL championship game on Monday, July 27, in Lake Charles.

Alexandria Victory Tour stop

A good crowd and great food at the Alexandria Victory Tour stop last night:

http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20090722/SPORTS/907220324/Peveto-talks-Demons---football-at-tour-stop

Coach Peve on with Bobby Hebert Wednesday

Although he's vacationing, Coach Bradley Dale Peveto is hardly taking off. He will join Demon legend Bobby Hebert and WWL-AM 870 sports talk show co-host Deke Bellevia on New Orleans' big AM radio station Wednesday evening at 6:35. Tune in!

Summertime thoughts on the upcoming football season

Instead of complaining about the pain, I should feel thankful I made it 45 years without having surgery. But, wanting to be in tip-top shape for the upcoming football season, I decided to have a problem taken care of. The bad news is, I have been/will be out of commission for about 10 days. The good news, this has given/is giving me (plenty of) time to daydream about Fall Saturdays in Natchitoches and other places the Demons will visit.

NSU's defense will be tested early in the September 5th season-opener at Houston. The Cougars averaged almost 41 points a game last year, and it's not that much of a stretch to mention the UH quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate in the same sentence. However, in cases like this, the best chance for an upset comes in the first game of the year. Both teams will still be coming together, and the defense is usually ahead of the offense. I'm not predicting a Demon win, but if NSU plays UH of Conference USA to, say, within 10 points, that will certainly set a great tone for the year, and boost the already high excitement level.

The next week, NSU makes the short trip to Grambling. This is a return game from last year, when GSU came to Natchitoches in a game postponed to a Sunday afternoon because of one of the many hurricanes/tropical storms which have passed through in recent years. Simply put, NSU should/will handle the Tigers in a battle of two veteran teams. This will give offensive coordinator Todd Cooley a chance to open up the playbook and let his quarterback (John Hundley or transfer Tyler Wolfe) build some confidence against a pretty stout SWAC defense.

Week three should provide one of the most electric atmospheres in Turpin Stadium history. Home opener, first time Bradley Dale Peveto leads the Demons onto their home field, first game on the new and absolutely beautiful turf, and all this in front of live television cameras, as NSU battles North Dakota. The Fighting Sioux play in the same conference as Cal Poly, which brought a very impressive team to Natchitoches last year. Interestingly, NSU is one of three Southland Conference teams North Dakota will play this season (along with SFA and UCA). The Fighting Sioux will have two weeks to prepare for the Demons, after opening the season at Texas Tech.

Up next, NSU makes what seems like a yearly visit to Waco, Texas, and a date with the Big 12's Baylor Bears. Last season, the Demons missed on a couple of early opportunities to make big plays. That was also the coming out party for then-freshman QB Robert Griffin, who had an impressive year for the Bears. However, something tells me the Demons will play Baylor much closer than a year ago. In fact, I predict it will be anyone's ball game going into the fourth quarter. And when you are the underdog, that's all you can ask for in a game like this--a chance to win late.

After the only bye week of the year, NSU will open conference play at home against the University of Central Arkansas. The Bears no longer have record-setting QB Nathan Brown, and his OC is now in charge of the Demons' offense. Payback will be heck, as the Demons avenge last season's loss which severely damaged their conference title hopes.

The UCA game is the first of seven straight against SLC teams. You will get to see Texas State, Southeastern, and SFA at Turpin Stadium, while the Demons hit the road to McNeese, Sam Houston and Nicholls. The conference season is some three months away, and a lot can happen between now and then. However, I will say this...I--and many others--will be surprised if NSU does not compete for the league title. In all of the pre-season excitement, it's easy to forget that this is--at several spots--a first-year coaching staff. And while the Demons have some very talented players returning, they also lost some talented players.

One thing, however, should tell you where Coach Peveto's mindset is going into the season. On the NSU poster schedules, the last game listed is not the regular-season finale against SFA. There is one more entry. November 28--First-Round of the FCS Playoffs.

Now that is a winning attitude!

Tony Taglavore
Demon Sports Network

Lee Arthur and the General

Former Demon basketball player Lee Arthur Smith has come a long way since he was hoopin' it up for coach Tynes Hildebrand's Demons from 1975-77. His college career ended because the Chicago Cubs convinced him concentrating on baseball was his best move.

It was a good one. Known to millions of baseball fans as just "Lee Smith," the 6-foot-6 Castor native set the major league record with 478 career saves as a flame-throwing right-handed relief pitcher.

He hopefully will take his rightful place in Cooperstown at the Baseball Hall of Fame sooner than later. Sunday night, he was an invited guest at the Mid-Summer Classic, All-Star Weekend, for the celebrity softball game pairing entertainers, sports figures and retired stars. Lee Arthur, who comes by to visit Demon basketball coach Mike McConathy when he is around town, evidently had fun playing softball with another basketball coach of note - Bob Knight.

Lee Arthur was a popular figure when he pitched for St. Louis during his 18-year MLB career. Of course, during most of those years, he was on the other side of a heated rivalry, pitching for the Chicago Cubs!

The above photo was sent our way by one of the nicest guys in the media, O.K. "Buddy" Davis, longtime sports editor of the Ruston Daily Leader. He's vacationing in St. Louis for the All-Star Game.

Small World

Put this one under the "it's a small world" category.

At the same time, it reinforces my ongoing belief (and something I stress to our coaches and staff all of the time) that wearing NSU apparel as often as possible truly is a marketing vehicle for NSU Athletics.

My wife and I ventured north of Hot Springs, AR, this past Saturday to pick up our daughter from Brookhill Ranch Camp, which by the way is an outstanding camp which teaches young people Christian principles and reinforces the things that many parents teach their children every day. But I digress.

As I stood at the closing ceremony wearing my NSU t-shirt, a woman approached me and identified herself as the aunt of former Demon kicker Robert Weeks. We had a good visit about Robert, how much he enjoyed NSU, and how much I respect Robert and his family. Short and sweet but still meaningful.

On that day, because somebody saw an NSU t-shirt, they thought about our program when they otherwise might not have. There certainly is value in that and the more it happens, the higher the profile of NSU Athletics.

Greg Burke
Athletic Director

Demon basketball camp rekindles relationships

Former Demon golfer Tom Brassell again brought his son, and a teammate, to the Demon Baskeball Challenge Camp for boys held in Prather Coliseum.

Brassell, who lives on the Florida coast and works for Edwin Watts Golf, avidly follows NSU sports and stays in touch with dozens of his friends from his days at NSU from 1975-79, including Notre Dame basketball coach Mike Brey and Alabama baseball coach Jim Wells.

He especially enjoyed lunch Friday with Dr. Derwood Duke, the assistant basketball coach who served as head golf coach for Brassell and his teammates. Coach Duke has recently been named superintendent of Natchitoches Parish Schools. They had a great time reliving memories and catching each other up on news.

Brassell is one of the leaders helping ensure the success of the annual Chris Roper Memorial Golf Scramble, which raises money for an NSU scholarship going to a health and human performance major. Friday night, he called one of his NSU golf teammates, David Goldstein, out in Los Angeles, encouraging him to come in for the Roper tournament next April.

Goldstein has gone from a KNWD Radio show host to a job as a page on "The Price is Right" to becoming a successful executive in the movie industry.

He said watching the Demon basketball team's 2006 NCAA Tournament win over Iowa was a very proud moment, and very fun for all of the reaction it generated. He accepted congratulations from friends in Los Angeles and the movie industry, and heard from many other NSU friends savoring the thrilling triumph.

"Goldy" was eager to hear news on classmates, faculty members and others from his days at NSU. Although golf is no longer an intercollegiate sport for the Demons, it's obvious that Demon golfers carry with them a love for their teammates, for their experience at Northwestern and still have great pride in the Demons and Lady Demons.

In fact, Brassell and buddies organized a push a year or so ago to vote for Joan Darbonne, a Lady Demon basketball star in their era, as the greatest Lady Demon player of all-time. They had a valid argument and Joan rightfully was among the top vote-getters.

Brassell, whose circle of friends includes legendary LSU basketball coach Dale Brown, is a big admirer of Demon basketball coach Mike McConathy. He is also excited about the potential for success with new football coach Bradley Dale Peveto. He is going to buy season tickets to show his support, although he has little chance of attending. He plans to donate them to the Demon Opportunity Fund so local youths can enjoy NSU football.

Brassell does high school football broadcasts on Friday nights, so he follows the Demons online during footballs season. Hopefully a future game at South Alabama might be within his reach from his Fort Walton Beach-area home.

Brian Lawrence back near the big leagues

The Demon baseball legend, the 1998 Southland Conference pitcher of the year and 5-year major league veteran, is on the brink of completing an amazing comeback and making it back to where he started in the bigs - San Diego.

Proud NSU sport administration master's degree holder Bill Magrath, the media relations manager for the internet publication Sports Business Daily, keeps track of all things NSU that appear in the nation's sports pages. He forwarded these two great updates:

Wednesday night, Lawrence went to 3-1 with the Beavers by throwing seven shutout innings.

http://www.oregonlive.com/pbeavers/index.ssf/2009/07/lawrence_shuts_down_rainiers_b.html

It was the latest positive step on a great comeback trail:

http://www.oregonlive.com/pbeavers/index.ssf/2009/07/beavers_veteran_pitcher_brian.html

Chief Caddo on ESPN again!

This time, it was on the ESPN College Football Live 50 States feature segment Monday afternoon. We're waiting to have the entire segment posted on ESPN.com ... but this we know:

The Chief Caddo tradition was spotlighted as one of the top five college football storylines in Louisiana college football

The announcer butchered the pronunciation of Caddo (CAY-dough, he said).

Grambling's legendary coach, Eddie Robinson, was the top story. LSU football and Tulane's unbeaten season in 1984 were also on the list.

Got a text from Lady Demon volleyball coach Brittany Uffelman, and a call from tailgating chef extraordinaire and former Athletic Association vice president David Stamey, within two minutes of each other in the 5 o'clock hour Monday, passing along word of the segment.

More when we can provide it!

A Spotlight on a Demon Family

Rob Robertson, a 1998 graduate of Northwestern State, starting fullback on the 1997 Southland Conference Co-Champion Demon Football Team, and NFL veteran with the Baltimore Ravens, was featured, along with his family, in the inaugural issue of ANASA Magazine (a publication of American Family Insurance Co.). Rob and his family currently reside in Suwanee, GA, and one quick glance at the article will let you know pretty quickly that Rob is every bit as effective with 4 on his team as he was with 11 back in his playing days.

ANASA Vol. 1, Issue 1 Pages 57-62

Dunking Coach Peve on the 4th

Joining Coach Bradley Dale Peveto at the Sabine Parish Victory Tour Stop Thursday night on Toledo Bend Lake was his 3-year-old son, Jacob.

Jacob was excited about the chance to dunk his Daddy on July 4 at the dunking booth down on the riverbank as part of the Natchitoches Independence Day activities.

Coach Peveto told the crowd of about 60 Toledo Lake Association members that he has a long connection to the lake. His family has had a camp on the Texas side, near Hemphill, since 1969.

Hopefully that helps him stay afloat in the dunking booth today. Happy 4th!

Great move for Chris Thompson, Calvary

Former Demon basketball standout Chris Thompson, one of the pivotal figures in the Demons' first NCAA Tournament trip in 2001, has been named head basketball coach at Calvary Baptist high school in Shreveport.

Earlier this spring, former Demon quarterback and NSU graduate Bo Meeks was tabbed as Calvary's head football coach.

Here's the story on Chris:

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20090702/SPORTS0102/907020307/Chris-Thompson-lands-Calvary-job

Heading to Sabine Parish

Coach Bradley Dale Peveto, the Demon football coaching staff and the athletic administration are getting ready to travel to Toledo Bend this evening for the Sabine Parish Victory Tour Stop. We'll have photos and a report here Monday; the holiday weekend begins after the tour stop.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

Former Demon kicker Tommy Hebert earns player of the week honors in the SIFL

Former Northwestern State and current Louisiana Swashbucklers kicker Tommy Hebert was recently named the SIFL Player Of TheWeek.

Hebert, who played for the Demons from 2002-2004 and was a member of the '04 Southland Conference championship team, connected on a league-best four field goals and was 6-for-7 on PAT kicks in the Swashbucklers' 60-43 victory over the Austin Turfcats last Monday.

He outdistanced teammate Marcus Wilridge and Acadiana Mudbugs BoBartik and Rudy Johnson in the weekly fan voting on www.southernifl.com, the home site of the Southern Infoor Football League.

For the season, Hebert has made 13 field goals and is second in the SIFL in scoring.

Hebert still holds several school season and career kicking records.

The Opelousas native teams with former Demon Freddie Harrison as a member of the Swashbucklers.

Coach Black gets some pub to the north

Each year, our friend Coach Black (Harris Wilson), the esteemed assistant head coach for all sports at NSU since 1996, expands his huge network of friends.

Since Coach Steve Roberts left Northwestern after the 2001 football season to take the head coaching post at Arkansas State, Coach Black has worked the ASU football camp each June.

A Jonesboro, Ark., TV station did a package on Coach Black. While the comparison to "Radio" doesn't begin to do Coach Black justice, the story itself is very nice. Check the link:

http://www.kait8.com/global/category.asp?c=4392

Capital Campaign Kicks Off -- with a little help from NSU Athletics!

Head Coach Bradley Dale Peveto

On June 12th, Northwestern State University officially launched the 125th Anniversary Capital Campaign at the Campaign Kickoff "Fais Do Do" party, hosted at the Alumni Plaza by the Office of Alumni and Development. A few familiar faces helped excite the crowd, including Director of Athletics Greg Burke, Head Men's Basketball Coach Mike McConathy, Head Football Coach Bradley Dale Peveto, and Athletic Association Select 100 Member and Capital Campaign External Committee Co-Chair John Manno. Nearly 400 supporters attended the event, and pictures from the event can be viewed here.

Once and Always Demons!

At the Houston Area Alumni event at Cadillac Bar and Grill, several old teammates and former Demon Football players reunited, along with a crowd of about 75 NSU alumni for an evening of reflection and celebration. Pictured are the former Demon Football players in attendance: Former Southland Conference Student-Athlete of the Year Paul Mefford, Associate Athletic Director Will Broussard, David Groman, All-Century Team member and current Houston Texan David Pittman, John Gilpin, Colby Doucet, Ryan Sweezy, David Centanni, and NSU President Dr. Webb.

Two track notes of interest

Cody Fillinich competes as the sun sets Wednesday and hopefully Friday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

His Wednesday qualifying round, shaving the 26 national qualifiers down to 12 finalists, begins at 8 p.m. in Fayetteville, Ark.

The top 12 qualifiers advance to the finals Friday evening at 7:30. Look for a preview on nsudemons.com tomorrow.

Further south, interesting to note that former Lady Demon hepthathlete Denise Quezaire is the press secretary in the office of Louisiana Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu. She keeps a close eye on NSU sports and especially track and field, and hopes to come to NSU next spring to see the fabulous almost-new track that she didn't have the opportunity to compete on during her career.

She and several NSU alumni stay in touch, including hurdler and decathlete Justin Wolfe, who lives in Baton Rouge and is still in the rodeo business.

Fillinch on Channel 5 KALB probably Thursday

KALB TV Channel 5 in Alexandria was at the Walter Ledet Track Complex Wednesday working on a feature package on Demon javelin great Cody Fillinich. The Golden Meadow native, who graduated last month, heads up to Fayetteville Monday and competes next Wednesday in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

The feature story on Fillinich could air Thursday evening at 6 and 10 on KALB. Sharif Ishaq did the shooting and reporting, even chasing Cody down the runway and posting himself about 30 feet back of his 220-feet landing zone.

It was impressive to see the groupings of Fillinich's practice throws. If they were pitching wedges, they would have made a PGA pro proud. Let's see, at about 75 yards, they were probably lob wedges. Cody and his coach, Mike Heimerman, were planning a workout Thursday followed by 18 holes at Demon Hills.

Greeting the new Demons

Assistant Director of Athletics Ryan Holloway addresses Freshman Connection participants at the Organizational Browse on May 28th at the Friedman Student Union. Joining him were Associate Director of Athletics William Broussard, junior receiver Jeremy Jefferson of Shreveport and junior linebacker Lamont Simmons of New Orleans, who passed out schedule cards and greeted students. The focus of the talk was encouraging students to attend home games and take advantage of the Demon Rewards program. For more information on the upcoming season, click here. For more information on Demon Rewards, click here.

D-Bell in a great posture in Buffalo

Amid reports but no confirmation yet that 2009 Demon senior offensive lineman has signed a free agent deal with one of the New York teams in the NFL, here's a more definitive update on 2008 Demon senior Demetrius Bell's rising status with the Buffalo Bills:



http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/bell-eager-to-attack-opportunity/d6659818-b031-431f-bef8-c2b5c0d969ca



We'll be contacting both the Giants and Jets Monday morning to see what they say about adding Henderson to their squad.

Sad news about Roymon Malcolm

A car wreck overnight Wednesday claimed the life of former Demon tailback Roymon Malcolm, who played for NSU in 1995.

He was a great player with future Demon QB and now assistant head coach Brad Laird at Ruston High School, helping the Bearcats win the state Class 5A championship and earn a No. 1 national ranking in 1990.

Roymon signed with Auburn but suffered a severe knee injury there. He transferred to NSU and played in eight games his senior season.

Brad reports the funeral will be at 1 o'clock Wednesday at New Hope Baptist Church in Ruston.

Not just a neat coincidence

Consider these storylines from 2008-09 ...

Today - NSU has SLC-best 3 on All-Academic tennis team

April - Demons lead all SLC teams with 3 on basketball All-Academic team

April - Lady Demons share SLC lead with 2 on 10-woman hoops All-Academic team

December - Demon football has SLC-best 6 on All-Academic team

With baseball, track and softball yet to go, I'd say priorities are in order around here!

Updating Coach Peve's profile

The story profiling Demon football coach Bradley Dale Peveto will now run in Wednesday morning's editions of both the Alexandria Town Talk and the Shreveport Times. Town Talk sports editor Randy Benson wrote the piece.

Peveto and athletic director Greg Burke are in Galveston today for the Southland Conference's annual spring meetings. Basketball coaches Mike McConathy and Jennifer Graf will make the trek to the Texas coast tomorrow.

Peveto profile Monday in Town Talk

Alexandria Town Talk sports editor Randy Benson spent the morning in Natchitoches working on a profile of new Demon football coach Bradley Dale Peveto. The story should run in Monday's edition, available online at www.thetowntalk.com

Newschannel 6 live on Front Street this evening

A feature package on Joe Delaney will be the focal point of Brandon Dunn's sportscasts this evening on KTAL-TV Newschannel 6 out of Shreveport. The station is originating its 5 and 6 o'clock newscasts from the north end of Front Street near the traffic circle.

Last night, Dunn interviewed former Demon players and Delaney teammates Mike Almond, David Causey and Britt Brittain as they enjoyed supper at Superior Grill in Shreveport.

Dunn also has action footage of Joe D. from his college and pro football days.

Causey was a football and track teammate of Delaney's at Haughton High and NSU.

If you can't catch the newscasts, they should be available on the station's website, www.arklatexhomepage.com tonight or tomorrow.

SLC Tourney update

Big inning for starting pitcher Ryan Zimmerman in the bottom of the third inning. After letting the first two UTSA batters reach base, a sac bunt moved them to second and third, then got a strikout and a ground out to end the threat. Demons looking to get the bats that have been so hot lately, going.

Early wake up call

Here in Corpus Christi for the 2009 SLC baseball tournament, it was an early wake up call for the Demons as they get ready for their 9 a.m. contest against UTSA.

Loading the bus at 7:15 a.m. to head to the ball park, the Demons were greeted with a bowl of fruit, two bacon and egg biscuits and orange juice.

Here at Whataburger Field, home of the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks of the Houston Astros' organization. A beautiful venue with the USS Lexington visible beyond center field.

First pitch upcoming as the Demons are wearing purple tops with gray bottoms and a positioned in the first base dugout.

Check Wednesday's papers

At www.shreveporttimes.com, reporter Kelly Morris will write about how Northwestern State athletics is addressing the current budget challenges.

At www.thetowntalk.com, sports editor Randy Benson plans to write a column about the potential for visit to Tiger Stadium for the Demon football team for a 2010 or 2011 game.

And Thursday, Shreveport Times baseball writer Jason Pugh will spotlight record setting Demon right-hander Jimmy Heard, who like Pugh graduated from Bossier City's Airline High. Pugh was taught English there by Connie McConathy, the Demon basketball mom (Michael and Logan)/wife (coach Mike).

No go for J.O.

Word from Demon baseball coach J.P. Davis Tuesday afternoon was not surprising but still disappointing -- star first baseman Justin O'Neal is out for the Southland Conference Tournament and any NCAA Tournament action with a fractured jaw.

O'Neal took a grounder to the face off a bad hop last Friday night in the sixth inning against Southeastern.

Despite a cut, he finished the play. He recorded the out. That's just J.O.

But Tuesday morning, consulting with an oral surgeon in Corpus Christi, he found out he can't finish the season.

This from a guy who reportedly told teammates on Senior Day Saturday - "they can't wire my jaw shut, I like to eat too much!"

So a bad hop grounder, to a first baseman who fielded .989 this season, did what pitchers could not do this year - it shut down Justin O'Neal.

So he's gone from the lineup card, but won't be forgotten for a long while. Just look at the Demon record book next year. His impact will be obvious there.

One encouraging thought for this week - with O'Neal watching Saturday against SLU, the Demons piled up 19 runs. One thing we know, this team will compete.

Baseball SID Matt Bonnette sent a text with the news of J.O. going on the shelf while he and Demon Sports Network broadcaster Patrick Netherton were hurtling through the Houston area on the way to Corpus Christi.

They left a day after the Demons departed. The team had a morning workout Tuesday at Whataburger Field, the home of the Class AA affiliate of the Houston Astros -- the Corpus Christi Hooks.

Clearing hurdles

Kelly Morris of the Shreveport Times did a wonderful profile of one of the more unique student-athletes in NSU -- maybe NCAA -- history, Lady Demon track and field senior Shanae Steward.

Read and enjoy, and be impressed with Shanae epitomizing the student-athlete ideal:

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20090516/SPORTS02/905160355/Northwestern+State+s+Steward+dealing+with+hurdles

Familiar face, new place

Current NSU athletes keep tabs on former Demons in the pros.

And sometimes the pro careers carry athletes around world.

I remember former Demon third-sacker Robert Hewes telling me how great it was playing pro baseball in Taiwan. Now, 2006 Demons of Destiny basketball star Byron Allen is finding out Taiwan is a great place to hoop it up too - remember those highlight clips of him posted here recently?

Lady Demon basketball player Jessica McPhail was pleased to learn that Demon great Clifton Lee, he of "Fear the 'Fro" fame in the 2006 season, is playing in her backyard.

That would be Australia. She sent along a link of Clifton's bio to Demon Victory Club executive director Dr. William Broussard, who shared it with us:

http://www.supercats.com.au/content/view/56/95/

If you're a Facebook devotee, Clifton is active there, using his nickname "Big Smooth."

Keeping close tabs

Former Demons keep an eye on the current ones.

Especially when current players are measuring up to the all-time greats.

That's happening now in baseball as some veterans are making big dents in the record book. Senior pitcher Jimmy Heard has become the Demons' all-time workhorse, topping David Balcer's innings-pitched career record. Heard has also tied Balcer's career strikeouts mark and will likely break it Friday night in his final homefield start.

Balcer is one of my all-time favorite Demons, in any sport, as much for his wit and his understated passion for competition as for his performance. He earned the nickname "The Bulldog" which ordinarily might not be a compliment for a Demon, except that it reflected his tenacity and toughness, and it also was the nickname of the major league pitcher whose style Balcer brought to mind. That would be Orel Hershisher, now an ESPN commentator, formerly an All-Star for the Dodgers who holds the MLB record for consecutive scoreless innings (59+).

Balcer checked in via e-mail early Monday morning:

"Well, some records are meant to be broken, I guess. Please be sure to wish Jimmy Heard congratulations for me and best of luck to him and the Demons in the conference tournament in the upcoming weeks."

That's class.

Baseball team visiting with a Louisiana legend

The red-hot Demon baseball team heard about the past and present of professional baseball, and got some great advice about life, Monday from legendary major league executive and scout Mel Didier.

The Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame member was visiting north and central Louisiana over the weekend to promote his engaging book, “Podnuh, Let Me Tell You A Story” co-authored by Fort Worth-based baseball writer T.R. Sullivan.

J. Michael Kenney, proprietor of the fabulous "The Book Merchant" on Front Street in Natchitoches, hosted a book signing for Didier Monday around the lunch hour.

Coach Jon Paul Davis and many of his players came by the signing to visit with Didier, a Marksville native who grew up in Baton Rouge, played football and baseball at LSU, and has led a fascinating life.

He is on the move constantly in his continuing role as assistant to the general manager of the Texas Rangers, a position he's held for the last five-plus years. Last week he was in the Dominican Republic evaluating players. Most often, he's watching big league games to evaluate potential trades and scout upcoming opponents, but he also evaluates the Rangers' minor league prospects.

He took time to tell the Demons that hard work, determination and heart are what vault players to the major leagues more so than talent. Raw talent isn't enough, he said. Guts and tenacity go farther.

He also proudly pointed out that in his two years as head baseball coach at Louisiana-Lafayette, where he was also athletics director in 1981-82, the Ragin' Cajuns graduated all 27 players. He was impressed that 13 Demon baseball players got their diplomas last Friday, including current players Jordan Nipp, Jimmy Heard, Kyle Broughton and Ben Rodriguez.

Didier also enjoyed meeting new Demon football coach Bradley Dale Peveto, who was enthralled by the stories from Didier's many years with the Los Angeles Dodgers during the glory days of "Dodger Blue" with manager Tommy Lasorda, general manager Fred Claire and owner Peter O'Malley. When the O'Malley family sold the club in the 1990s, Didier departed the same day.

Peveto grew up a huge Dodgers fan as a boy in the 1970s, and fondly recalled a family vacation to Los Angeles where his dad took the boys to two games at Chavez Ravine, along with visits to Disneyland, Knotts' Berry Farm and all the other SoCal attractions.

He happily plunked down $20 for an autographed copy of "Podnuh, Let Me Tell You a Story." So did NSU history professor and avid NSU supporter Dr. Charles Pellegrin, husband of NSU sports information administrative assistant Ronnette Pellegrin.

The book, like Mel Didier, is a winner. Or in baseball parlance, a "plus plus."

Writes Peter Finney of the New Orleans Times-Picayune: “Mel Didier tells many stories, from a treasure trove of memories, in an engaging book by someone who snapped the football to Hall of Famer Y.A. Tittle when they were LSU teammates, who coached basketball Hall of Famer Bob Pettit when Pettit was a Baton Rouge schoolboy and who was an assistant LSU football coach on the staff of Charles McClendon.

“That was the Mel Didier before he put football aside and became one of baseball's most respected scouts, before he signed and developed some of the top talent in the game, something he accomplished during two tours of duty with the Los Angeles Dodgers along with stops with the Montreal Expos, Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers.

“Didier, 82, still is at it as special assistant to the general manager of the Rangers, still searching for gems to add to a long list of players whose careers he influenced, like Andre Dawson, Gary Carter, Mike Piazza, Luis Gonzalez, Eddie Murray, Mike Scioscia and Kirk Gibson.

"I don't know of anyone who has been in more baseball parks throughout the world," said Fred Claire, one-time GM of the Dodgers.

That includes ballparks in Cuba, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.

Didier's trip to Cuba, when he was in the employ of the newly minted Expos, was not only illegal, but a state secret…”

----
Sounds intriguing, and it is. He told that story Monday morning while visiting the Coffee Club, the group of local retirees including NSU legend Walter Ledet, several former faculty members and local businessmen.

It was great to see the joy in the reunion of Ledet and Didier, two proud Cajuns whose paths crossed often many years ago.

If you're interested in a copy of the book -- and if you're a sports fan, or appreciate excellence, or just enjoy a great bunch of stories -- e-mail me at ireland@nsula.edu.

Doug Ireland, SID

Check Saturday's Shreveport Times

For a story on the Natchitoches Coffee Club and how those retirees are helping NSU's student-athletes work in the Johnnie Emmons Academic Study Center.

Demon great back at commencement

Nine years after getting his own college degree from NSU, veteran NFL defensive back Mike Green was back at commencement Friday morning. He in from Dallas, beaming with pride as he was watching his girlfriend pick up her psychology degree from Northwestern.

Look for extensive coverage of a huge group of athletic graduates later today on the nsudemons.com website!

Neat graduation story

If you want to read an inspiring story about a noble principle being upheld -- the value of a college degree -- here it is. It unfolded right in front of us during the last basketball season. Thanks to Shreveport Times sportswriter Kelly Morris for shining the spotlight on Lanky Wells and Mike McConathy.

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20090507/SPORTS02/905070311/1001/SPORTS&referrer=NEWSFRONTCAROUSEL

Tony Taylor loves the game

He has a Super Bowl ring from his days with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he's been out of football for a few years, but Demons' all-time rushing king Tony Taylor loves to play the game.

Check out the link passed along by one of Tony's offensive linemen at NSU back in the late '90s, Brian Whaley from out in West Texas"

"I guess I have some football to watch this summer!" said Brian this morning.

http://www.hometeamsonline.com/teams/default.asp?u=ROUGHNECKSFOOTBALL&t=c&s=football&p=profile&playerID=110475

Good call Coach Davis

It was hard to blame Central Arkansas baseball team if the Bears didn't want to play a doubleheader Saturday instead of the single game slated at Brown-Stroud Field. The Bears' ace pitcher was ill, skipping his Friday night turn in the rotation. But the Sunday forecast was ominous and Demons' coach J.P. Davis decided playing two on Saturday was the prudent course to take.

Based on the storm that hit the area Sunday morning, leaving Natchitoches without power for seven hours, that was a great decision!

A Demon in Cooperstown?

Associate AD Donnie Cox passed along this link, which includes former NSU basketball player Lee Arthur Smith, best known nationally as major league record-setting relief pitcher Lee Smith, a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

There's got to be a path to Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame in his future. When he gets there, they'll never find a more personable or funnier member.


http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/gallery/featured/GAL1155150/3/10/index.htm

Good cause, good Jim Wells humor

Any of Jim Wells' classmates at Northwestern in the late 1970s know the college baseball coaching icon (none of them saw that coming, either) has a great sense of humor. That might be a little far-fetched to some of his players when he was coaching the Demons to unprecedented heights from 1990-94, but it is true.

Jim is one funny cat. Deadpan, irreverent, and sublime humor are in his bag of tricks. Some of that is on display in a promotional TV spot he did for a local prostate cancer benefit in the Tuscaloosa area (since 1994, he's been head baseball coach at Alabama).

Jim channels Chevy Chase in this spot, passed along by wife Lisa (Breazele) Wells to a circle of his friends such as former NSU golfer Tom Brassell, who shared it with a larger loop of buddies including Demon golfers David Thompson, David Goldstein, former track and field competitors Kelvin Fee and Tommy Swacker, and Demon basketball standout and Ohio native and resident Jim Hoops.

Cooking team

Coaches from different sports work together at NSU as well as family comes together in many cases.

This afternoon, coaches from men's basketball and soccer were working hard at the grill behind Prather Coliseum as Lady Demon basketball and volleyball staffs were pulling together supplies and other key ingredients for their annual Crawfish Boil and Awards Dinner tonight at 6:30 in Prather.

On the grill were big quarters of pork along with chicken quarters in another section of the cooker. Helping with the food prep and cooking: basketball staff members Mike McConathy, Bob Austin, Jeff Moore, Mark Slessinger and Rodney Kirschner, along with soccer coaches Jimmy Mitchell and Mike Baker.

Coach McConathy got toasted lightly. The gas on one of the burners didn't ignite and when he checked, it did, taking some hair off his arm. I hope he got in front of a mirror before he started believing that one of his eyebrows was gone. He did have a little red on his forehead, but in typical Coach Mike fashion, he wasn't slowing down and he wasn't complaining.

New football coach Bradley Dale Peveto, and the all-sports czar Coach Black, stopped by to check on the cooking out back. Peveto is unlikely to sample any of the meat, as he is a crawfish-eating machine and is eagerly awaiting that portion of the evening's feast.

Like the rest of us. It did not prevent Peveto from punishing a bowl of chicken and sausage gumbo at lunch downtown today. Some people have orange juice in the morning, but for Coach Peve, it's chicken and sausage gumbo for lunch!

Big B's highlight reels from Taiwan

I thought that many of you would like to see these three video clips of former Demon Byron Allen. Byron graduated prior to his senior season in 2005 and was a part of our NCAA tournament team in 2006. He has played professionally in the ABA and overseas. This season he has had a very successful campaign in Taiwan. He has mentioned what an incredible experience it has been to learn a new country and culture. As you will see on the video clips he is a crowd favorite. His fun personality definitely can be seen.

Mark Slessinger, Demon basketball assistant coach

Highlight Clip links below:
http://www.4shared.com/file/100570143/ddd40779/2009_04_19_Allen.html
http://www.4shared.com/file/100573113/b2165cd2/2009_02_28_Allen_all-star_game_dunk_round2.html
http://www.4shared.com/file/100574055/a30c6e6d/2009_03_14_allen.html

Crescent City Demons

A trip to South Louisiana last week for the annual NSU Alumni Association New Orleans area reception resulted in visits with several former NSU athletes.

Bobby Hebert took a break from his sports talk show on WWL for a quick Thursday afternoon lunch and was headed to Baton Rouge for the LSU spring game on Saturday, hoping that his son, T-Bob, would continue to establish himself as a starting offensive lineman for the Tigers in his redshirt sophomore year.

That night at the alumni reception, former NSU hard-hitting safety and Holy Cross alumnus Neil Ponstein, joined by his parents and his fiance', Nicole, attended along with two of the best feet to ever tote the pigskin for the Demons, Deon Ridgell, who has been working in student services at Xavier University for the past nine years.

Also in attendance was former gridder Mike Ginart, and his wife, Alice. More on Mike in a moment.
Friday morning's breakfast with 1980's stars John Kulakowski (on spring break from his job as principal at Bonabel High School) and NFL veterans Al Edwards, and Randy Hilliard was full of laughs and reminiscing.

Finally, lunch with Ginart, who is an attorney in Chalmette, in the French Quarter at the Rib's Room of the Royal Orleans Hotel was scrumptous, to say the least. Of course, when I saw former Lady Demon softball player Margaret Patterson and learned that she is the food and beverage manager for that establishment, it came as no great surprise to me that the fare was so top notch!

Greg Burke
Athletic Director

Bills trade could pave path for D-Bell to emerge

Opportunity knocks, it seems, for 2007 Demon football All-America offensive tackle Demetrius Bell.

His NFL team, the Buffalo Bills, finally shipped off multi-talented but malcontent starting left offensive tackle Jason Peters Friday, dealing him to the Philadelphia Eagles, where stadium full of malcontents historically watches the Eagles play. (Sorry, couldn't resist).

This trade may be as much a testament of faith in Bell as it is an instant dose of asprin for a 300-pound-plus migrane in the Bills' front office. Peters is gone, and maybe, Bell steps in at right tackle. Lead journalist Chris Brown says as much in his post on www.buffalobills.com - check it out.

http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/filling-the-left-tackle-void/875d1c0f-a415-4ef3-98dc-0bc42fdee6d7

Wedding reunion

The rainy weather this weekend didn't dampen former Lady Demon volleyball teammates in town for the wedding of Beth Freeland, who came back to Natchitoches to walk down the aisle. Among those back was Shannon Puder, in from Aurora, Col., where she manages a bakery.

Delaney Bowl a big success

I've been around NSU spring football games, or the "Delaney Bowl" as it has been called since 1990, for the better part of 25 years and have to say that the one held this past Wednesday has to rank in the top 2-3 during that time period.

The crowd, which I would conservatively say was in the 2,000 range, is in part a testimony to the interest surge over the hiring of Bradley Dale Peveto as head football coach. To BDP's credit, he and his staff have done their part since arriving in town, making countless public relations appearances and actually going door-to-door throughout the Natchitoches business community.

Other promotional activities scheduled as part of the Delaney Bowl event by the NSU marketing staff also helped attract fans and made it a fun atmosphere once they arrived. The newly established Student Alumni Association continued to gain steam with its pre-game tailgate party, the video board made its Delaney Bowl debut, having a "Spirit of Northwestern" pep band and the cheerleaders in attendance gave the event a September Saturday feel, and it also was good to see former Demon football players conspicuously in the crowd. Some, including Texans Butch Ballard from Huntsville and Jack Serpas from Houston, were hanging around for Coach Peveto's golf tournament the next day. Another nice feature was the introduction of some faculty members, along with members of the NSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, on the field at halftime as part of National Student-Athlete Month.

All in all, as I drove home on Wednesday evening, it felt good to be a Demon.......and it's just getting better every day!!

Greg Burke
Athletic Director

Are you ready for the Delaney Bowl tonight?

Need to get your juices flowing for tonight's Delaney Bowl? Here's a preview from veteran Alexandria Town Talk writer Jeff Matthews:

http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20090408/SPORTS/904080317/1006

For a unique perspective on Demon football, read this story about two players going through their first spring practice -- in fact, their first college practices at all. Kelly Morris at the Shreveport Times talked to NSU newcomers Jeremy Dowden and Cord Larsen:

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20090408/SPORTS02/904080338