Jeff Gravley
WRAL anchor Jeff Gravley is from Oxford and has covered sports in the Triangle since 1985.
By Jeff Gravley
Feb 1, 2012
The February signing day wouldn't be complete without athletes doing hat dances all across the country to add theater to a day of decisions. You know, multiple hats sit in front of that athlete, who pauses before donning their new teams lid. That's old hat, so to speak but if that's what they want to do then so be it.
So much of signing day is spent rating and measuring which colleges and universities across the country fared the best. Who had the most five-star signees? Which school was able to pull off the biggest surprise? Yes, recruiting is the lifeblood to college athletics but while the schools are celebrated for their recruiting classes don't forget the athletes.
Not just the five-stars but those who weren't rated at all, who will get the chance to continue playing their sport in college. Signing day should be a day to celebrate the athletes. You hear great stories about an athlete being the first from their family to go to college. It's a proud moment shared in a circle of family and friends.
The day brings tears of joy and tears of relief. It's a long process to go from being noticed, to being recruited, to being offered, to being signed. Some athletes believe it's their birthright to be courted by college coaches but listen up, it should never be taken for granted. You earn that chance so don't blow it by doing something stupid.
My biggest wish is for all athletes to become the best teammates on their teams. Understand that a group can accomplish
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By Jeff Gravley
Jan 20, 2012
Cue up Tom Petty and sing along. "The waiting is the hardest part," were lyrics in his song The Waiting. It's what many are doing right now as the NCAA holds the cards in the UNC football investigation.
It was 12 weeks ago today (January 20) that UNC officials faced the NCAA Committee on Infractions to debate or dispute the nine major violations spelled out in the Notice of Allegations. At the end of the meeting in Indianapolis, NCAA spokeswoman Stacey Osburn said it could be eight to twelve weeks before the NCAA would announce additional sanctions.
We are at the end of that window.
But it's a window that can be extended beyond the phantom deadline. Ohio State went 18 weeks before hearing its fate from the NCAA.
On the NCAA web-site they spell out what they call a very specific process for notification about the penalties.
"The morning of the release, NCAA public and media relations staff alert the media of the upcoming release. The chair of the Committee on Infractions hosts a telephone press conference to announce the results of the committee decision. A public infractions report is released but specific names are not included. The COI makes no statement about the case until the report is released. " Source: NCAA.org
So we all sit and wait for that morning release followed by an afternoon conference call with members of the Committee on Infractions.
New UNC football coaches would like to know what parameters they
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By Jeff Gravley
Dec 12, 2011
I was asked to vote for this year's Heisman Trophy and was very honored to do so. We were asked to keep our voting private until the announcement and while I shared my final three, it's not until now that my order is revealed.
I voted for Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III to win the Heisman followed by Alabama running back Trent Richardson and Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.
Griffin simply had a spectacular year with 3998 yards passing and 644 yards rushing. (He lost 188 yards rushing mostly because of sacks.)
A play that really caught my eye was against Oklahoma. The game was tied at 38 with 8 seconds to go. Griffin scrambled left, stopped on a dime and tossed a perfectly placed, arching touchdown for the game winning score. He had 479 yards and 4 touchdowns against the Sooners. In the final win over Texas, RG III had 320 yards passing with 2 scores and he ran for 2 more. In a 1-point loss at Kansas State, Griffin passed for 346 and 5 touchdowns. How did he do against Oklahoma State? 425 yards with 1 passing and 1 rushing touchdown.
Those are Heisman performances in what has been the top ranked conference this year, according to various computer outputs. There are some SEC folks who say Griffin would be eaten alive in their league. Puhleez!! He would succeed in any conference.
And he's not just a good football player.
Robert Griffin III defines a student-athlete. He graduated 7th at Copperas Cove High School in Texas. At
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By Jeff Gravley
Dec 6, 2011
For the love of Pete will someone or some group please come forward and fix this mess of a college football championship!!! At least make an attempt to include more teams with a chance to win a title.
I know, I know I hear ya. Every Saturday is a playoff game. Hogwash.
OK, so in the six computer rankings used in the BCS standings, Oklahoma State was second in four of them, Alabama had a pair of second place computer rankings.
OK, move to the Harris Interactive poll filled with former and current players, coaches and members of the media - 115 of them to be exact. I can take this mixture. The Harris went like this...1)LSU 2) Alabama 3) Oklahoma State.
OK, now to the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. Here is where I have a real problem.
First of all, if you think the good 'ole boy network comes into play when coaches hire coaches, what about when coaches vote for teams? There are past relationships (good or bad) between coaches. There are allegiances to the conferences they play in and a real urge to beat the leagues they recruit and play against.
The following SEC coaches who voted in the latest poll had Alabama No. 2 and Oklahoma State No. 3: Les Miles (LSU), Gene Chizik (Auburn), Steve Spurrier (South Carolina), Mark Richt (Georgia). What about Alabama's NIck Saban? He voted his Crimson Tide No. 2, Stanford 3rd and Oklahoma State 4th.
Members of the media get roasted for not watching teams they
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By Jeff Gravley
Nov 22, 2011
I recently received my letter from the Heisman Trophy Trust listing in great detail how to cast my Heisman ballot. Vote for three different candidates, here's how to access the on-line site, here's your password and ballot number. I'm lucky number 313. I have to have my three candidates in by 5pm EST, Monday, December 5, 2011.
In the final paragraph, in bold letters it reads. The Heisman Trust would like to remind all electors that it is against our policy to publicly release their ballot selections. Heisman electors should keep their votes confidential until after the Heisman announcement.
Since I can't give specifics of my final three, which I have yet to select, I can give you how I plan to determine my top three. First, I'm not a believer of giving the Heisman to the best player on the best team. I will vote for the best player.
Did this player lead the nation in any statistical category? Where does he rank? What kind of competition did he play against? Was he successful against the better teams on their schedule? What's the record of his team?
There is also the eyeball test. I have seen at least one full game from all of the candidates on my list.
So I have 11 players from 11 different teams and put together their stats along with their team's record and strength of schedule. There are 7 quarterbacks and 4 running backs on my list and I have them in no particular order. I will say Russell Wilson didn't make
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By Jeff Gravley
Nov 10, 2011
Back in the 1970's it was common knowledge among the media who covered major league baseball that players were popping "greenies" and smoking dope. It wasn't a part of the coverage of sports.
In the early 80's, NFL football players were gaining weight at freakish rates. Steroids were suspected but ignored. But as we entered the 21st century, baseball and steroids became lead stories and since then the investigation of the ugly side of sports has taken off.
Cheating, drugs, rape, murder and now sexual abuse of young boys have become a small part of the fabric of athletics. It leads to big headlines and ad nauseam coverage. We can't ignore the issues. That was the problem at Penn State. But so much of sports coverage now is what happens away from the arena and it has taken part the fun out of my job.
What I love about my job is searching for the story lines that games create and getting to know the people who play and coach them. That's what will get me through the latest horror story at Penn State. Let me reiterate. We can't ignore the ugly issues that creep up in sports but I can rely on the fact that somewhere on some channel a game will be played and I can tune in for a couple of hours of good 'ole sports.
By Jeff Gravley
Oct 11, 2011
This week the college basketball season will start to bloom with practices beginning across the country. All is fresh and unblemished but also sprinkled with dark and smelly fertilizer called preseason expectations.
Here are a couple of exhibits to examine.
The Phillies before this season. The Eagles before this season. The Yankees before many seasons. They all are and were loaded with top talent only to end up fantasy teams that woke up before the dream was complete. Yes, they are professional teams but that's basically what college basketball teams are now with younger players.
Some coaches cringe at the expectations dumped on them. But coaches who struggle to win would love to experience that feeling just once. Roy Williams said he felt so much pressure before and during the 2008-09 season because he so badly wanted Tyler Hansbrough and company to leave with a national championship.
With the talent returning to Chapel Hill, the same feeling could be hovering this season. But it would take more than a knee injury to Leslie McDonald to keep North Carolina off of the majority of the preseason Final 4 lists.
I think a great teaching tool for a team is how they deal with consequential postseason losses. This past March Barnes, Zeller, Henson, Strickland and Marshall all felt what it was like to fall a game shy of the Final 4. Good players don't lose that feeling they use it.
The combination of talent and drive should get the
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By Jeff Gravley
Sep 13, 2011
The most impressive performance in the state of North Carolina was Cam Newton on the road at Arizona. His 422 yards passing is an NFL record for a rookie debut. It wasn't just the numbers Newton posted, it's how accurate he was. We didn't see that in the preseason which was why it was so unexpected. The Panthers looked like an NFL offense, not the one we have seen the last two years.
The curse of Winston-Salem continues for NC State which has won just one time in the last 8 games at Wake Forest. Mike Glennon had his best day passing with 315 yards but it was another slow start for the Wolfpack's offense. In two games, they have scored 22 points in the first half, 48 in the second.
But the Pack's defense has been less than stellar and Tom O'Brien points to injuries to three defensive linemen which adds to the number of plays the healthy d-linemen play. The return of Thomas Teal, JR Sweezy and Jeff Rieskamp is unknown. That not only hinders their pass rush and rush defense. It affects their blitz package.
North Carolina would have had an easier time with Rutgers had they not turned it over five times. Bryn Renner says he has total confidence that his receivers will come down with the catch. They just need to hold on to it. I wasn't surprised at all that Giovani Bernard got the start in his second game. He's a special player that uses his lack on height and burst of speed to his advantage. He doesn't run past his blockers like a lot of running backs do.
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By Jeff Gravley
Aug 31, 2011
Russell Wilson doesn't have a Twitter account, although there is a fake one @RussellWilsonUW. The profile gives away how legitimate it is. Ramblings of the Former Second Baseman for the Asheville Tourists and Savior of the 2011 Wisconsin Badgers.
Yeah, that sounds like what Russell Wilson would say.
He's a man who takes it "one play and one day at a time." Wilson uses that quote a lot with rolling eyes and chuckles from some in the media. But I'll take an athlete who is not a self-promoter and doesn't give a hoot about how many followers he or she has on Twitter.
Russell Wilson has earned followers of college football with his play. His game is about to reach parts of the country that have never seen him play. Thursday night, Wilson will start for the Wisconsin Badgers on national TV against UNLV. Sure he played plenty of games on national TV with NC State but do you think the folks in Wisconsin or the Big 10 payed much attention?
They will now...every pass, every play. Especially his new coach Bret Bielema. "I'd seen him on TV," Bielema said. "I wanted to find out what kind of person Russell is. Any time you see a three-year starter leave a program as a senior, you have some questions."
But they were quickly and positively answered then reinforced when his teammates chose Wilson a co-captain. "He meshed really well with the guys," receiver Nick Toon said. "He came in, and everybody really liked
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By Jeff Gravley
Aug 10, 2011
As a kid growing up in Oxford, we would form neighborhood football teams to play against each other. Nothing fancy, but what we called street league football was an avenue for us to play. I was on the Redskins team, and there were many battles to see who would wear what number.
Many clamored to wear 9 for Sonny Jurgensen, 43 for Larry Brown or Charley Taylor's 42.
I chose 55 for linebacker Chris Hanburger, and I was a quarterback.
My tradition of wearing 55 and playing quarterback continued during my elevation to city league football. It was an odd sight seeing a quarterback donning double nickles, but Hanburger was my favorite player.
I liked the fact that he played in the ACC for North Carolina. (Hanburger was just named an ACC legend.) I also liked the way he played for the Redskins seeking quarterbacks like they had taken his lunch money. He was fearless and, while he was not the most athletic on the field, opposing players knew when they had been hit by Hanburger.
So this past weekend I enjoyed watching a humbled player accept his deserving spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His speech didn't contain a lot of facts about himself but rather his focus was on thanking people. Teammates, coaches, teachers and most importantly those who protect and serve.
"I'm an Army brat," said Hanburger who was born at Fort Bragg. "I spent two years in the Army right out of high school before I went to college. To me the real Hall of Fame people
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