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Third & Short

Statue Salutes Sang

A life-size statue of legendary Huntington High School (W.Va.) head coach Bob Sang (pictured below) was unveiled on Sept. 19 during halftime of an HHS football game nearly a year and a half after his death. The statue was dedicated to his players and former co-workers — both coaches and teachers — at the HHS football stadium that bears his name. The statue is prominently placed so that any person that visits the stadium will understand the impact Sang had on high school football in the tri-state area.

During his 50-year career, Sang coached at five schools in West Virginia, including Ashland, Gallipolis and the old Huntington High before becoming head coach at Huntington East, where he stayed for 29 years until the two schools consolidated in 1996 to form the new Huntington High. He became the new HHS football coach and served there five years before retiring in 2000 with a 34-year head coaching record of 166-184-2.

Transactions
Head Coaches

October: Savannah State named Richard Basil as interim head coach after releasing Ken Pettiford ... Army named defensive line coach John Mumford as interim head coach after releasing Todd Berry. Duke released Carl Franks ... Delaware State fired football coach Benjamin Blacknall and named Butch Posey as interim head coach.

September: Ohio Northern named Stacey Harrison as interim head coach ... North Alabama awarded Mark Hudspeth a one-year contract extension through 2005 ... Shaw named Deondri Clark head coach ... Toledo agreed to terms with Tom Amstutzon a two-year contract extension through 2007.

Assistants

October: La Salle named John Gambone defensive line coach, Jesse Gambone as inside linebackers coach, Larry Szabo as outside linebackers coach, Josh Zagorski and Pat Hughes as graduate assistants and Adam Nigrelli as a student assistant.

September: Klea Armstrong was hired as assistant director of football operations and Jim Fortune was hired as audio/video coordinator at Penn ... Davidson named Ryan Crawford as quarterbacks coach.

Sullivan Fights Cancer, Returns to TCU

UAB’s offensive coordinator Pat Sullivan returned to the field during the Blazers 27-24 loss to C-USA rival Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, on Saturday, Oct. 18.

Sullivan, who captured the 1971 Heisman Trophy as quarterback for Auburn, was diagnosed with throat cancer at the beginning of the 2003 season after doctors discovered malignant growths at the base of his tongue and in the lymph nodes of his neck. UAB officials, including head coach Watson Brown, believed Sullivan might be lost to the staff for three months. But when the treatment schedule changed and Sullivan got through the first round of chemotherapy with no ill effects, he immediately returned to practice. Sullivan’s return to TCU was a homecoming of sorts, as he led the Horned Frogs to back-to-back winning seasons and a berth in the 1994 Independence Bowl.

Football Movies Ed Harris portrays football coach in ‘Radio’ Radio is a dramatic and uplifting tale inspired by true events that focus on the mentoring relationship between a high school football coach (Ed Harris) and Radio (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) and how their unique friendship ultimately transforms the entrenched attitudes of a small South Carolina town. Ed Harris read the script and was intrigued by the role of coach Harold Jones, but it wasn’t until he met director/producer Tollin that he committed. Tollin remembers, “We spent an hour and a half talking about the parallels between being the head football coach and being a filmmaker. That’s the challenge of having a passion that extends way beyond working hours.” Harris, who had recently made his directorial debut with Pollock, recalled how difficult it was balancing his family and the all-consuming nature of film directing. “That’s the challenge of having a passion that extends way beyond working hours,” says Harris. “Your family supports you and they understand your commitment, but at some level they can’t help but feel somewhat excluded. Coach Jones went through the same emotions with his family.” Here’s our list of other football movies that may or may not be worth your while: Remember the Titans (‘00) - 3 Helmuts Rudy (‘93) - 5 Helmuts The Longest Yard (‘74) - 5 Helmuts Brian’s Song (‘70) - 5 Helmuts Jerry Maguire (‘96) - 4 Helmuts Necessary Roughness (‘91) - 1 Helmuts Any Given Sunday (‘99) - 2 Helmuts Varsity Blues (‘99) - 3 Helmuts The Replacements (‘00) - 2 Helmuts The Best of Times (‘86) - 4 Helmuts Wildcats (‘86) - 3 Helmuts The Program (‘93) - 3 Helmuts All the Right Moves (‘83) - 3 Helmuts Junction Boys (‘02) - 2 Helmuts North Dallas Forty (‘79) - 3 Helmuts Quarterback Princess (‘85) - 2 Helmuts The Waterboy (‘98) - 3 Helmuts Everybody’s All-American (‘88) - 5 Helmuts