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Football News Headlines 2000 NOTE: The intent of the News Section is not to dwell on negative stories that are more suited to be found in the Police and Crime Section of your local newspaper, but to report and document stories that cover the entire realm of The World of Football.
News Archives
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January January 7, 2000 - (NFL) NFL sets a new attendance record. The total attendance of the league's 248 regular season games was 16,206,640. That's a 2% increase over last year's total of 15,364,873. January 14, 2000 - (Arena) Detroit AFL team named. The new Arena Football League team in Detroit will be known as the Detroit Fury. February February 2, 2000 - (NFL) The San Diego Chargers to celebrate 40th anniversary. For one game next season they will wear their throwback uniforms from the 60s. They will also put up a "Ring of Honor" around the stadium to honor the 8 players in the Chargers Hall of Fame. February 3, 2000 - (NFL) Pro Bowl to stay in Hawaii. A new agreement between the NFL and the state of Hawaii will keep the game there through the year 2005. The city of Orlando, FL wanted to host the game in either 2002 or 2003, but the league opted to leave the game in Hawaii, where it has been since 1980. February 3, 2000 - (XFL) WWF to form new spring football league. The World Wrestling Federation has announced plans for a 10 game, 8 team league called the XFL which will begin play in February of 2001. Cities with teams include New York, Miami, Orlando, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington and two more cities yet to be determined. February 4, 2000 - (Arena) AFL player file anti trust suit against the league. Arena Football League players want to form a players union and have free agent rights. Owners will hold a meeting on February 23rd to decide whether to cancel the 2000 season. February 10, 2000 - (College) College football's Heritage Bowl being cancelled. Low attendance is said to be the prime factor in the decision to discontinue the event. The bowl game had been played since 1991. February 12, 2000 - (Obituary) Former Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry dies at age 75. During his 29 years as coach of the Cowboys, Landry compiled a record of 271-180-6. He was the third winningest coach of all time behind only Don Shula and George Halas. February 24, 2000 - (Media) Mike Ditka returns to TV. The former New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears head coach was hired by CBS as an analyst. Ditka is 60 years old and was an analyst for NBC for four years before being hired by the Saints in 1997. February 25, 2000 - (Arena) The Arena Football League season is cancelled! Owners voted to cancel the 2000 season as a result of a class action suit filed by its players. March March 1, 2000 - (SFL) New league set to begin play. The Spring Football League has teams in Houston, San Antonio, Miami and Los Angeles. They will play a four game season and have a championship game in Miami on May 23. Ticket prices range from $5 to $25. Organizers of the league include Eric Dickerson, Bo Jackson, Tony Dorsett and Drew Pearson. March 2, 2000 - (Arena) The AFL season is back on! Owners reinstated the season after players voted to form a union. Detroit will not field a team until next year. March 9, 2000 - (Media) After only 2 seasons in the Monday Night Football booth, Boomer Esiason was been let go by ABC. Al Michaels will remain the play-by-play announcer. There was no immediate word as to who would be joining Michaels in the booth next season. March 11, 2000 - (College) MAC title game site announced. For the fourth consecutive year, the 2000 Mid-America Conference championship game will be played at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. The game is scheduled to be played on December 1st or 2nd. March 13, 2000 - (NFL) Dan Marino officially retires. The 38 year old Miami Dolphins quarterback leaves the game owning 5 major passing records; most attempts (8,358), most yards (61,361), most completions (4,967), most career touchdown passes (420) and most touchdown passes in a season (48 in 1984). March 30, 2000 - (Media) NBC-TV becomes partners with XFL League. NBC was left out of the 8 year NFL television deal signed back in January 1998, but now owns a 50% share of the new league. April April 9, 2000 - (NFL) The Cincinnati Bengals finally have an official web site. The address is www.bengals.com and means that all 31 NFL teams now have their own web sites. Cincinnati was the final NFL team to enter cyberspace. April 22, 2000 - (Media) ESPN fan names son after TV network. Espen Allen Blondeel was born on January 26 to Chad and Alisha Blondeel. Espen is Danish for Godbear. The baby's picture appeared this week in ESPN the Magazine. April 22, 2000 - (College) New college football bowl games are coming. Approved for this season are the galleryfurniture.com Bowl to be played on December 27th at the Astrodome in Houston, TX and the Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose, CA. In 2001, look for the New Orleans Bowl to be on the schedule. Two other bowl games, the Hoosier Bowl in Indianapolis and the Freedom Bowl in San Francisco, are also hoping to get approval for play in 2001. May May 4, 2000 - (NFL) Jim Kelly's missing sports memorabilia recovered. Police recovered about 25 items that were taken from Kelly's home in Orchard Park, NY by a hired handyman over a six month period. The total value of all the items taken is estimated at around $30,000. Not all the stolen items have been recovered as of yet. May 9, 2000 - (Media) Dan Marino signs a two year contract to be a commentator on HBO's Inside the NFL. May 15, 2000 - (College) Elon College in North Carolina has changed it's nickname from the Fighting Christians to the Phoenix. For more information, visit the school's web site at www.elon.edu. May 16, 2000 - (NFL) Super Bowl MVP QB Kurt Warner is rushed to the hospital and has an emergency appendectomy. He was up and walking around the same evening. May 24, 2000 - (NFL) The NFL has approved a $100 million loan to the Detroit Lions to help with construction costs of their new stadium, Ford Field. The new domed stadium is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2002 season. May 25, 2000 - (Obituary) Ted Drake, the man who designed the Notre Dame logo dies after suffering a stroke two weeks ago at the age of 92. Drake was an artist and illustrator who created the bearded leprechaun logo for the University of Notre Dame as well as the logo for the NBA Chicago Bulls. May 25, 2000 - (Arena) QB Kurt Warner has his AFL number retired. The Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League retired the number 13 in honor of Warner, who lead the team to 2 AFL championship games. A ceremony was held during halftime of the Barnstormers 52-34 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Storm. June June 10, 2000 - (College) Northern Arizona University to forfeit six 1999 games. (Five regular season and one playoff game) Senior wideout Francis St. Paul was ruled academically ineligible. He was the Big Sky Conference's second leading receiver with 67 catches for 987 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Lumberjacks finished the regular season with an 8-3 record and qualified for a Division 1-AA playoff birth for only the second time in school history. St. Paul will also have to sit out four games this upcoming season as well. June 13, 2000 - (College) The Notre Dame season is a sellout, again! The Fighting Irish have sold out all six home games for the upcoming season and extends their sellout streak to 155 consecutive game. The streak began over 26 years ago. June 13, 2000 - (NFL) QB Steve Young (38) officially announces his retirement from the NFL. June 22, 2000 - (Media) Hall of Fame QB Dan Fouts and comedian Dennis Miller to join Al Michaels in the Monday Night Football broadcast booth. Eric Dickerson and Melissa Stark will be on the sidelines. June 22, 2000 - (Obituary) Al Birdsall, the inventor of the first down measuring stick, dies at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan at the age of 73. A native of Flint, Michigan, Birdsall invented the Quick Stick, which is used as the official measuring device for the Texas High School Playoffs and has also been used by a number of major colleges. June 25, 2000 - (NFL Europe) The Rein Fire defeated the Scottish Claymores 13-10 in World Bowl 2000, the NFL Europe Championship game. June 27, 2000 - (Obituary) Larry Kelly, the second man to win the Heisman Trophy commits suicide at the age of 85. Kelly, who won the award in 1936 at Yale, died of a self inflicted gunshot wound at his home in Hightstown, NJ. Kelly had a heat attack six months earlier and his wife, Mary, was also in failing health. Kelly had auctioned off his trophy in December 1999 to raise money to help his 18 nieces and nephews. The trophy sold for $328,110. June 27, 2000 - (Obituary) Tobin Rote, former Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers quarterback, dies at the age of 72. Rote had been living in Port Hope, Michigan and died in a Saginaw hospital after suffering a heart attack. He had back surgery just two weeks earlier. Rote quarterbacked the both the Packer and the Lions NFL Championships. July July 7, 2000 - (NFL) Jerry Seeman, 64, to retire after the 2000 NFL Season. Seeman has been the Director of NFL Officials since 1991. He began as a Line Judge in 1975. July 10, 2000 - (Obituary) Bill Munson, former Detroit Lions quarterback, accidentally drowns in a pool at the age of 58. Munson was found dead in the swimming pool at his home in Lodi, California. He also played for the Rams, Seahawks, Bills, Chargers and the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins during his 16 year career. July 18, 2000 - (Media) Boomer Esiason joins CBS radio's Monday Night Football broadcast team. He signs a two year contract. July 19, 2000 - (XFL) The XFL announces first head coach. Former Chicago Bears great Dick Butkus will be the head coach of the yet to be named Chicago franchise. He has never coached before, but played one in the movie Any Given Sunday. July 23, 2000 - (WPFL) Two Denver Broncos wives try out for a team in the Women's Professional Football League. Ann Frerotte, wife of QB Gus Frerotte, and Lisa McCaffrey, wife of wide receiver Ed McCaffrey, were among 150 women who participated in a four hour tryout for the Colorado Valkyries. The new league is set to begin play in October. July 25, 2000 - (Media) Pat Summerall, 70, announces that he will retire from football broadcasting at the end of the 2001 season. Summerall's broadcasting career began in 1963. He has been teamed with John Madden since 1981, first on CBS and then on FOX. His final game will be the 2002 Super Bowl. It will be his 16th Super Bowl, a record among broadcasters. July 28, 2000 - (College) Army changes it's logo. The traditional Army logo of the kicking mule with the letter "A" is being replaced with a new design showing a sword-wielding knight on a horse. The military academy's sports teams will also change their nickname from the Cadets to the Black Knights. July 28, 2000 - (College) Rainbow Warriors drop the rainbow. The University of Hawaii has changed their nickname to simply the Warriors because of the use of the rainbow design being associated with gay and lesbian groups. The team had used the rainbow nickname ever since a rainbow appeared over the field after the team upset Oregon 7-0 in 1923. The word Warriors was added in the mid sixties. August August 2, 2000 - (College) Ohio State to retire two former players numbers. Howard "Hopalong" Cassady's number 40 and Vic Janowicz's number 31 will be officially retired during halftime ceremonies at separate games this season. Both were Heisman Trophy winners. The only other number retired by the Buckeyes is number 45, worn by Archie Griffin. August 7, 2000 - (Obituary) Rick Weaver, the voice of the Miami Dolphins from 1971-1993, dies at age 74. August 20, 2000 - (Arena) The Orlando Predators win their second Arena Bowl Championship in three years with a 41-38 victory over the Nashville Kats. August 20, 2000 - (Arena) Arena Football League announces that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been awarded the new Dallas AFL franchise for next season. His son, Stephen, will run the day-to-day operations of the team. That will bring the number of AFL teams to 18 for the 2001 season along with the new Chicago and Detroit franchises. August 28, 2000 - (Arena) The Arena Football League and the players organizing committee agree on a 6 year collective bargaining agreement. September September 6, 2000 - (NFL) The new NFL team in Texas will be called the Houston Texans. Visit their official web site at www.houstontexans.com. September 16, 2000 - (College) The Yale Bulldogs, who started playing college football in 1872, set a record by becoming the first team in the nation to win 800 football games with a victory over Dayton. A football signed by all the players will go on display at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Indiana. The University of Michigan is currently in second place on the all time win list with 798 victories. September 21, 2000 - (College) A newly installed video scoreboard at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas sent out a signal during testing that was picked up at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia. The signal was on the same frequency as that of an emergency beacon from a downed aircraft. The Civil Air Patrol in northwest Arkansas was preparing to respond when the FAA discovered the source of the signal. September 25, 2000 - (NFL) Cincinnati Bengals head coach Bruce Coslet resigns. He is replaced by Dick Lebeau. September 30, 2000 - (College) The University of Michigan becomes the second college team to win their 800th football game with a 13-10 victory over Wisconsin. October October 12, 2000 - (Lawsuit/College) Heather Sue Mercer is awarded $2,000,001 for punitive damages by a federal court after suing Duke University for being cut from the football team in the spring of 1995. Mercer claimed she was cut because she is a female. Former Duke football coach Fred Goldsmith claimed she just wasn't that good. October 17, 2000 - (Arena) The New England Sea Wolves of the Arena Football League are moving to Toronto, Canada. They will now be known as the Toronto Phantoms and play their home games in the Air Canada Centre which is where the NBA Raptors and the NHL Maple Leafs play as well. The Sea Wolves have played in Hartford. Connecticut for the past 2 seasons and made the playoffs last year. October 18, 2000 - (XFL) Dick Butkus gets promoted to Director of Football Operations of the XFL. Former Indianapolis Colts head coach Ron Meyers will replace Butkus as coach of the Chicago Enforcers. October 19, 2000 - (Arena) After 11 seasons in New York, the Albany Firebirds of the Arena Football League are moving to Indianapolis for the 2001 season. The Indiana Firebirds will play in the new Conseco Fieldhouse along with the NBA Indiana Pacers. The Firebirds won the Arena Bowl in 1999. October 20, 2000 - (af2) Arena Football League 2 purchases the Indoor Football League. If all 19 teams from the IFL become AF2 franchises, the AF2 league could have a total of 36 team next season! The IFL and af2 both debuted last year. October 23, 2000 - (NFL) Arizona Cardinals head coach Vince Tobin is fired. He is replaced by Dennis McGinnis. October 28, 2000 - (XFL) QB Scott Milanovich, the all time leading passer at Maryland, became the first player selected in the inaugural XFL Draft by the Los Angeles Xtreme. Milanovich was a backup QB with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996-1999 and played with NFL Europe's Berlin Thunder last season. November November 6, 2000 - (NFL) Detroit Lions head coach Bobby Ross resigns. Assistant head coach Gary Moeller replaces him. November 26, 2000 - (CFL) The British Columbia Lions defeated the Montreal Alouettes 28-26 in the 88th CFL Grey Cup game. This year's title game was played in Calgary, Alberta. December December 3, 2000 - (NFL) Washington Redskins head coach Norv Turner is fired. Terry Robiskie replaces him. December 12, 2000 - (Media) ESPN will air Tuesday and/or Wednesday night college football games beginning with the 2001 season. They signed an eight year deal with Conference USA to broadcast four games per year. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. December 19, 2000 - (NFL) NFL signs a ten year deal with Reebok to supply teams uniforms to all clubs beginning in 2002. December 25, 2000 - (Obituary) Joe Gilliam, Jr. dies at the age of 49. The former two time Super Bowl quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970's apparently suffered a heart attack while watching a game between the Tennessee Titans and the Dallas Cowboys with a group of friends in Nashville, TN. Gilliam's life had been effected by drug addiction and homelessness at times. At one point, he had even pawned his two Super Bowl rings to buy drugs. Gilliam's father and some of his friends purchased the rings back for him, but his father had been holding on to them for safe keeping. Gilliam appeared to have turned his life around in the past few years. |