Larry Fedora
ECU chancellor waiting until season complete
Tom Shanahan Nov 15 2018By Tom Shanahan, CorrespondentEast Carolina Chancellor Cecil Staton issued a statement late Wednesday afternoon clarifying that football coach Scottie Montgomery’s future won’t be decided until the final three games are played.Montgomery’s three-year record is 8-25 overall and...
Concussions and urgency of new safety rules
Tom Shanahan Aug 13 2018The football gap separating the old-school game and its new era adapting to the times was revealed as wide as the Grand Canyon at the Atlantic Coast Conference media days last month in Charlotte, N.C. The concussion subject of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) was teed up...
Two books recommended for Larry Fedora
Tom Shanahan Jul 22 2018CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The week that was for Larry Fedora and how he could have enlightened football fans while he waved the flag. First, Fedora put up a trial balloon equating American exceptionalism and football during a preseason football tour stop -- the Pigskin Preview...
Ratliff Williams took switch and ran with it
Tom Shanahan Jul 18 2018CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- On every kickoff return, Anthony Ratliff-Williams sizes up many moving parts. All at once he must follow the ball, catch it and scan the field for tacklers, looking for running room. That skill takes a special knack, and the North Carolina redshirt junior has...
Dooley coaches on their sport and profession
Tom Shanahan Jul 16 2018CARY, N.C. -- David Cutcliffe called for a show of hands.The Duke football coach was the veteran attending the 16th annual Pigskin Preview presented by the Bill Dooley Chapter of the National Football Foundation on Monday at the Embassy Suites Hotel. While seated at the dais...
ACC overtakes SEC in college football
Tom Shanahan Jan 11 2017In football’s quest to become a year-round sport, it’s never too early to look ahead to the 2017 season.The national title Clemson claimed Monday night was the ACC’s second in four years, and the league has been represented in the College Football Playoff all three years. The...
Beamer and Fuente make it work at Virginia Tech
Tom Shanahan Nov 3 2016Two or three years from now we’ll be talking about the seamless transition from Virginia Tech legend Frank Beamer’s retirement to Justin Fuentes’ successful first season in Blacksburg.By then, the Hokies may add to the ACC Coastal title to the one they’re so close to...
North Carolina offense comes to life
Tom Shanahan Sep 12 2016With North Carolina’s offense coming to life, let us honor the late Gene Wilder with his legendary words from “Young Frankenstein.” They apply to the Tar Heels’ 48-23 win Saturday night at Illinois.“Alive! It’s alive! IT’S ALIVE!” ... Click here for the rest of my Today's U...
North Carolina lets opportunity slip away
Tom Shanahan Sep 4 2016It was a Kirby Smart win for Georgia and a not-so smart loss for North Carolina.For the second straight year, North Carolina, the defending ACC Coastal champion, showed it wasn’t ready to open the season against an SEC East opponent. ... Click here for the rest of my Today's...
North Carolina future in place
Tom Shanahan Aug 22 2016This time six years ago North Carolina widely gained rankings among the top 20 in preseason polls.Optimism ran high in Chapel Hill as the Tar Heels, then coached by Butch Davis, prepared to open against LSU in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta. The ACC hoped for credibility...