Dreamweaver Marketing Associates News and Views: GeorgeMihalik

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Monday, March 3, 2014

Marlon Tyree Commits to SRU

Rock sign all-state performer/Big 33 Challenge participant

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Slippery Rock University Head Football Coach George Mihalik announced Monday former Erie Cathedral Prep High School standout Marlon Tyree has signed a letter of intent with The Rock.

A 6-foot-2, 180-pound defensive back, Tyree was named last week to the Pennsylvania roster for the 57th annual Big 33 Classic all-star game.

Tyree is the third Cathedral Prep product to join The Rock's 2014 recruiting class. He joined fellow DB Will Monono and linebacker J.T. Joint on the Green and White roster.

That trio helped Cathedral Prep win the 2012 Class AAA state championship and advance to the state semifinals last fall.

Tyree verbally accepted a scholarship offer from reigning Mid-American Conference champion Bowling Green State University, a Football Bowl Subdivision program, and then-head coach Dave Clawson last July.

In the wake of Clawson's departure for Wake Forest and the hiring of former Eastern Illinois coach Dino Babers as BGSU's head coach, the non-binding offer to Tyree was withdrawn.

[http://www.rockathletics.com/images/2014/2/24/Marlon%20tyree%20action.jpg]
Before deciding upon Bowling Green and ultimately The Rock, Tyree reportedly received scholarship offers from Buffalo, Kent State, Massachusetts, Robert Morris and Temple.

Tyree was named to the Pennsylvania Football Writers' All-State first team and Pennsylvania Football News second-team all-state team as well as first-team All-District 10 honors in his senior season.

Tyree recorded 61 total tackles (33 solo), one interception, which he returned 66 yards, two tackles for loss and one pass breakup in his final scholastic season. He also caught a 17-yard TD pass on offense and averaged 14.5 yards on 11 punt returns.

With the addition of Tyree, The Rock have added 16 recruits to their roster for the 2014 season. The Green and White announced the addition of 15 recruits on National Signing Day (Feb. 5).

The Big 33 Football Classic, which pits the best high school players from Pennsylvania against Maryland's top players, will be played June 14 at HersheyPark Stadium and broadcast live on the NFL Network.

Bob McComas
Sports Information Director
Slippery Rock University
1 Morrow Way - Room 201 Old Main
Slippery Rock, Pa. 16057
Office: 724.738.2777
Fax: 724.738.4761
Cell: 724.421.5658
Email: robert.mccomas@sru.edu
www.sru.edu

A ROCK SOLID Education

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates. Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping. Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business. www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Phil Longo Named OC at Sam Houston State U

Phil Longo named as OC at Sam Houston State

HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Phil Longo, Slippery Rock University’s football offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the past two seasons, was named Monday as offensive coordinator at Sam Houston State University.

Longo, who served one season as The Rock’s wide receivers coach before being named as offensive coordinator in 2012, joined a Sam Houston State coaching staff led by K.C. Keeler, under whom Longo played as running back from 1988-91 at Rowan University.

As The Rock’s offensive coordinator, Longo installed an “Air Raid,” no-huddle attack that fueled SRU’s run last fall to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division championship and a berth in the NCAA Division II national playoffs.

Longo’s offensive unit led the 16-team PSAC in scoring (43.3 points per game), passing offense (354.3 yards per game) and total offense (536.5 yards per game).

The Rock attack also ranked fourth nationally in total offense, sixth in passing offense and eighth in scoring offense.

In Longo’s first season as coordinator (2012), The Rock offense averaged 34.8 points (#6 in PSAC) and 407.3 yards (#8 in PSAC) per game.

Prior to joining The Rock coaching staff, Longo served as an assistant coach at Youngstown State, Southern Illinois, Minnesota-Duluth, LaSalle and William Paterson University and as head coach at La Salle College.
Longo and his wife, Tanya, SRU’s head women’s basketball coach, are the parents of daughters Gianna and Macaria.

Tanya Longo is currently in her fourth season as The Rock’s head coach and will return for the 2014-15 season, according to Paul Lueken, SRU’s director of athletics.

Plans for filling Phil Longo’s spot on the coaching staff are being formulated, according to Lueken and Rock Head Football Coach George Mihalik, and will be announced once a decision has been made.

Sam Houston State is a member of the Southland Conference and the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision. The Bearkats won back-to-back conference championships in 2011 and 2012, have earned berths in each of the last three FCS playoffs and played in the 2011 and 2012 national championship games under former head coach Willie Fritz.

Keeler led Delaware to the 2003 FCS national championship as well as berths in the 2007 and 2010 national championship games.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

SRU Ranked 23rd in National Poll

SRU earns No. 23 ranking in final D2Football.com national poll

LIBERTY, Mo. – Slippery Rock University was ranked 23rd in the final D2Football.com national poll released Monday.

The Rock, who finished the season with a 9-3 win-loss record, had the fifth-highest ranking among the 49 teams that competed for the Super Region 1 championship. Region champion West Chester (13-2) led the pack with a No. 8 ranking, followed by Shepherd (11-1) at No. 13, Winston-Salem State (10-2) at No. 15, Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference champion Bloomsburg (10-2) at No. 16 and The Rock.

SRU was ranked 20th in D2Football.com’s final regular-season poll before losing its final two games. The Rock wound up at the No. 21 team in the American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll.

The final two Rock losses came at the hands of teams ranked above them in both the D2Football.com and AFCA final poll. SRU dropped a 42-38 decision in the PSAC championship game at Bloomsburg (No. 16 in AFCA final poll) and fell by a 27-20 score at Winston-Salem State (No. 14 in AFCA poll) in first-round action of the NCAA Division II national playoffs.

The NCAA postseason appearance was The Rock’s first since 1999. The Green and White won the PSAC-Western Division championship for the second time in the last three seasons before coming up short in the conference championship game.

The Rock’s 2013 squad featured 18 seniors, headlined by second-team All-America performers Quindell Dean (linebacker) and James McCombie (punter) and PSAC-West Offensive Athlete of the Year Nigel Barksdale (quarterback).

Rock head coach George Mihalik will welcome back eight offensive starters and five defensive starters for the 2014 season. Included in that list are all-region offensive tackle Cory Tucker, first-team All-PSAC-West safety Austin Miele and second-team all-conference performers Teddy Blakeman (running back), Jaimire Dutrieuille (wide receiver), Shamar Greene (running back), Julian Harrell (tight end) and Matt Peacock (defensive end).

The Rock’s 2014 schedule features an Oct. 18 date with Mercyhurst at “The Big House,” Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor.

Rock Quartet Earns Honors

Rock football quartet earns first-team Hansen all-region honors

BROOKFIELD, Ill. — Nine members of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference runner-up Slippery Rock University football team were named Monday afternoon as members of the Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Region Committee’s 2013 NCAA Division II All-Super Region One squad.

The Rock had the second-highest number of first-team selections and tied for the second-highest total number of student-athletes honored among the 49 Super Region 1 teams.

Region champion West Chester placed five players on the first team, while The Rock had four and regional runner-up Shepherd and PSAC champion Bloomsburg had three each.

Shepherd led the overall squad with 10 selections, Bloomsburg and Slippery Rock had nine each, New Haven posted seven and West Chester, Shippensburg and East Stroudsburg each had six players honored.

Senior quarterback Nigel Barksdale,

senior punter James McCombie, senior wide receiver John Schademan and redshirt sophomore offensive tackle Cory Tucker each earned first-team status to headline the list of Rock student-athletes honored.

Senior cornerback Anthony Saunders earned second-team all-region honors from the Hansen committee,

while senior linebacker Quindell Dean, junior safety Austin Miele, senior nose guard Tony Papley and senior defensive tackle Derek Walker were named to the Hansen committee’s third team.

The first-team and second-team All-Region selections advance to a national ballot from which the 2013 Don Hansen NCAA Division II All-America team will be named later this month.

The Hansen committee all-region honors were the latest in a long list of postseason awards presented to Rock football student-athletes.

All nine Hansen first-team all-region selections earned first-team All-PSAC-West honors, as did senior linebacker Gary Allen.

The Rock also placed five players on the All-PSAC-West second team. That group included juniors Teddy Blakeman (running back), Julian Harrell (tight end) and Matt Peacock (defensive line), sophomore wide receiver Jaimire Dutrieuille and redshirt freshman running back Shamar Greene.

All four of The Rock’s first-team Hansen committee all-region performers had previously received Daktronics first-team all-region honors in voting by sports information directors. McCombie subsequently earned second-team All-America honors in that competition.

Dean had earned second-team All-America honors from BSN and was also a second-team Daktronics all-region selection.

Barksdale, McCombie and Schademan also earned third-team All-America honors from Beyond Sports Network, while Tucker was named to the BSN’s honorable-mention list.

Rock head coach George Mihalik was named by his peers as both the American Football Coaches Association Division II Super Region 1 and PSAC-West Coach of the Year award recipient.

The Rock finished the 2013 season with a 9-3 win-loss record, claimed their second PSAC-West championship in the last three seasons and earned their first NCAA Division II playoff berth since 1999. The Green and White were also ranked 21st in the final AFCA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 national poll and 23rd in the final D2Football.com national poll.

Bloomsburg senior running back Franklyn Quiteh, the 2013 recipient of the Harlon Hill Trophy awarded to the top Division II football player in the nation, was named as the Hansen committee’s Super Region 1 Offensive Player of the Year, while Shippensburg defensive end Jake Metz was selected as the region’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Shepherd freshman return specialist C.J. Davis garnered the Special Teams Player of the Year honor, New Haven cornerback Najae Brown was named Freshman of the Year and West Chester head coach Bill Zwaan received the Super Region 1 Coach of the Year honor.

The Don Hansen team carries out the legacy of long-time small college football advocate Don Hansen, who passed away at age 75 on Aug. 29, 2010. Hansen started and published Don Hansen’s National Weekly Football Gazette for three decades, selecting NCAA Division II All-America teams for the first time in 1988. Don Hansen’s Football Gazette began selecting Division II All-Region squads in 2003.

Super Region 1 is compiled of 49 football-playing universities from four conferences including the PSAC, Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Mountain East Conference and Northeast-10 Conference. A total of 40 teams and 130 players were represented on this year’s Hansen all-region teams.

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

SRU's Mihalik Coach of the Year

Rock's Mihalik named as AFCA regional Coach of the Year

WACO, Texas – Slippery Rock University Head Football Coach George Mihalik was named Tuesday as
the American Football Coaches Association's Division II Region 1 Coach of the Year.

Mihalik received the honor in voting by his head and assistant coaching peers in the region, which includes 30 teams from the Pennsylvania State Athletic, Mountain East and Northeast-10 conferences.

The AFCA regional Coach of the Year honor was the third earned by Mihalik, who was previously honored in 1997 and 1998.

Mihalik earned his latest honor by leading The Rock to a 9-3 overall record, the outright Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division championship and their first berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs since 1999.

The Rock's all-time leader in career wins with a 176-106-4 record in 26 seasons, Mihalik currently ranks second among active PSAC head coaches and fourth among active Division II coaches, as well as fifth on the PSAC's all-time wins list.

Mihalik-coached Rock teams have won or shared six PSAC-West titles since 1997, earned two conference runner-up finishes and competed in four NCAA playoffs.

In recognition of his leadership abilities, Mihalik, in addition to the three regional honors, has received five PSAC-West Coach of the Year honors and two awards from officiating organizations.

The coaching awards are but a few of the prestigious honors that have been bestowed on Mihalik.

Mihalik has been inducted into five different halls of fame: SRU Athletic (1997), Butler Area Sports (2001), Cambria County Sports (2006), Pennsylvania Sports Western Chapter (2012) and Bishop Carroll High School (2012).

Mihalik was a charter member of the Ebensburg high school's Hall of Fame.

In typical Mihalik fashion, The Rock head coach shared the credit and honors.

"I have always maintained the coaching awards I have been fortunate enough to receive should be cut up and presented to the assistant coaches and players," Mihalik said. "Throughout the years, I have had the good fortune of having excellent assistant coaches and players. They deserve the credit."

The AFCA recognizes five regional Coach of the Year winners in each of the Association's five divisions:
Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III and NAIA.

The winners were selected by active members of the AFCA, who vote for coaches in their respective regions and divisions.

The 2013 Regional Coach of the Year winners will be recognized Jan. 14 at the AFCA Coach of the Year Dinner at the 2014 AFCA Convention in Indianapolis, Ind.

Monday, July 29, 2013

SRU Football Quintet Garner All American Honors

Rock football quintet garners Pre-Season All-American honors

Quindell Dean, Jaimire Dutrieuille, Anthony Saunders, LaQuinn Stephens-Howling and Derek Walker were among the players named to the 25th Annual USA College Football Division II Pre-Season All-Americans team

ROSELAND, N.J. – Five members of the 2013 Slippery Rock University football team were recently included on the 25th Annual USA College Football Division II Pre-Season All-Americans roster.

Derek Walker

Senior defensive end Derek Walker and senior cornerback Anthony Saunders were both named to third-team honors, while senior linebacker Quindell Dean, sophomore return specialist Jaimire Dutrieuille and senior wide receiver LaQuinn Stephens-Howling each earned honorable mention status.

The preseason honors came on the heels of the Rock quintet earning second-team All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division honors last fall.

Walker, a native of Pittsburgh and graduate of Brashear High School, recorded 37 tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss (-38 yards) and 3.5 quarterback sacks (-36 yards) in 2012. Walker also batted down one pass and was credited with one quarterback hurry.

Anthony Saunders

A native of New Kensington and graduate of Valley High School, Saunders led the PSAC in passes defended with 17 and ranked eighth in interceptions with three. Saunders returned two INTs for touchdowns, 50 yards at Seton Hill in the season opener (Aug. 30) and 42 yards vs. Gannon (Sept. 15), and ranked fourth on the team with 62 total tackles.

Quindell Dean

Dean, a native of Uniontown and graduate of Uniontown High School, was The Rock’s second leading tackler last fall with 79 total tackles. Included in his takedown total were seven tackles for loss (-45 yards) and four QB sacks (-35 yards). Dean also intercepted one pass, which he returned 27 yards, broke up nine passes and recorded one QB hurry.

JaimireDutrieille

Dutrieuille, who hails from Pittsburgh and is a graduate of Woodland Hills High School, averaged 28.6 yards on 24 kickoff returns, including a 92-yarder for a touchdown vs. Gannon (Sept. 15), as a true freshman in 2012. Dutrieuille also caught 28 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 165 yards and three touchdowns in The Rock’s spread offense.

LaQuinn Stephens-Howling

A Johnstown native and graduate of Greater Johnstown High School, Stephens-Howling, was The Rock’s top pass receiver last fall with 37 catches for 464 yards and five touchdowns.

Dean, Walker and Saunders headline a group of eight Rock defensive starters returning for the 2013 season. Led by Stephens-Howling, The Rock also return eight starters on offense, and Dutrieuille is one of two specialists returning.

The Rock, under the leadership of 26-year head coach George Mihalik, finished the 2012 season with a 6-5 overall record and tied for third place in the final PSAC-Western Division standings.

The Green and White open their 2013 schedule Sept. 7 with a road game at Northwood University in Midland, Mich. before hosting Shippensburg University the following week in the home opener at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.
--
Bob McComas
Sports Information Director
Slippery Rock University
1 Morrow Way - Room 201 Old Main
Slippery Rock, Pa. 16057
Office: 724.738.2777
Cell: 724.421.5658
Email: robert.mccomas@sru.edu
www.sru.edu

A ROCK SOLID Education

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Mihalik Earns Sportsmanship Award

SRU's Mihalik earns sportsmanship award from officials association

Rock head coach George Mihalik was named last Friday as the 2012 recipient of the Eastern Collegiate Football Officials Association's sportsmanship award

6/3/2013

PIPERSVILLE, Pa. – Slippery Rock University Head Football Coach George Mihalik was named last Friday as the 2012 recipient of the Eastern Collegiate Football Officials Association's sportsmanship award.

Mihalik will receive his award during the ECFOA's annual clinic Aug. 3-4 at West Chester University.

“Each year the officials in the ECFOA select a coach who by his actions demonstrates the highest ideals of sportsmanship,” ECFOA spokesman Dennis Crim said in a letter announcing Mihalik's selection as the award winner.

George Mihalik

“[Coach Mihalik's] interaction with officials, players, and coaches exemplifies the highest ideals of collegiate athletics,” Crim said. “By his actions, he set a bench mark for his players and coaches to follow. It is always a pleasure for our officials to work Slippery Rock games.”

This year's award is the second Mihalik from an officials' organization. He was named in 1999 as the Tri-State Officials' Association's “Coach of the Year.”

Mihalik has also received four Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division and two regional “Coach of the Year” honors in recognition of his leading SRU to five PSAC-West championships and three appearances in the NCAA Division II national playoffs.

SRU's all-time leader in career victories, Mihalik ranks second among active PSAC head coaches and fifth on the conference's all-time wins list with a 168-102-4 record in 25 seasons as head coach.

[http://www.rockathletics.com/images/2012/10/4/xsmall_Mihalik%20with%20headset%20on.jpg]
Mihalik has been part of The Rock football program every season except one since enrolling as a freshman quarterback in the fall of 1970. He was the starting signal caller for The Rock's 1972 and 1973 PSAC championship teams prior to joining the Green and White coaching staff.

In September of 2011, SRU officials recognized Mihalik's commitment to the University by renaming the former N. Kerr Thompson Stadium as “Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.”

Mihalik is currently serving as a tri-chair for SRU's upcoming 125th Celebration steering committee.

A native of Colver and graduate of Bishop Carroll High School in Ebensburg, Mihalik has been inducted into five halls of fame: SRU Athletic (1997), Butler Area Sports (2001), Cambria County Sports (2006), Bishop Carroll (2012) and Pennsylvania Sports Western Chapter (2012).

Mihalik, in addition to serving as The Rock's head football coach, is one of a very few collegiate head coaches who owns a doctorate degree and/or remains an active member of his college or university's academic faculty.

A full professor in SRU's safety management department within the College of Business Information and Social Sciences, Mihalik earned both his bachelor's (1974) and master's (1976) degrees from SRU and added an Ed.D. degree in safety management from West Virginia University in 1986.

--
Bob McComas
Sports Information Director
Slippery Rock University
1 Morrow Way - Room 201 Old Main
Slippery Rock, Pa. 16057
Office: 724.738.2777
Cell: 724.421.5658
Email: robert.mccomas@sru.edu
www.sru.edu

A ROCK SOLID Education

Friday, April 5, 2013

The Rock Announces 2013 Football Schedule

SRU announces 2013 football schedule

The Rock will play five home games and six road games this fall, starting with the Sept. 7 season opener at Northwood University in Michigan

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The 2013 Slippery Rock University football schedule, which was released Tuesday by veteran head coach George Mihalik, presents another stiff challenge to the Green and White in their quest for Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and NCAA Division II regional honors.

The Rock face six teams that finished the 2012 season with a winning record and three teams that competed in the NCAA playoffs: PSAC champion and Super Region One runner-up Indiana U. of Pa. (12-2 final record), conference runner-up Shippensburg (11-2) and Bloomsburg (10-2).

SRU also takes on Mercyhurst (9-2), California, Pa. (8-3) and Kutztown (7-4) programs that had winning seasons in 2012.

All told, The Rock’s 2013 rivals compiled a 73-53 (.579) win-loss record last fall.

The Rock will play six road games and five home games in 2013.

If there is an upside to The Rock’s 2013 schedule it is the fact SRU will host four games against teams that had winning records last fall.

SRU’s home opener is a Week 2, Sept. 14 date with Shippensburg. The Rock also host Mercyhurst (Sept. 28), IUP (Oct. 12) and California (Nov. 2), along with backyard rival Clarion (4-7) in the fourth annual Milk Jug game Oct. 19.

The game vs. Shippensburg will be held as part of SRU’s Friends & Family Weekend and the Slippery Rock Borough’s VillageFest event.

The annual SRU Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held as part of the home football weekend revolving around the game against Mercyhurst, while The Rock’s 2013 Homecoming Game foe will be Clarion.

The Rock’s season opener is a Sept. 7 road game at Northwood University in Midland, Mich. The Timberwolves had a 5-6 record last fall.

SRU also visits Gannon (3-8), Kutztown (7-4), Edinboro (4-6), new PSAC rival Seton Hill (0-11) and Bloomsburg.

Interesting sidenote: The Rock will face three teams under the direction of first-year head coaches. Drew Folmar ascended from the offensive coordinator position to the top position at Kutztown, longtime defensive coordinator Paul Darragh is the interim head coach at Bloomsburg and Isaac Collins takes over the reins at Seton Hill after serving as head coach at Division III Widener College.

The complete 2013 Rock football schedule is as follows:

Sept. 7 at Northwood, Mich., noon
Sept. 14 SHIPPENSBURG, 6 p.m. (VillageFest/Family Weekend)
Sept. 21 * at Gannon, TBA
Sept. 28 * MERCYHURST, 6 p.m. (Hall of Fame)
Oct. 5 at Kutztown, 1:05 p.m.
Oct. 12 * INDIANA (PA), 6 p.m.
Oct. 19 * CLARION, 2 p.m. (Homecoming)
Oct. 26 * at Edinboro, Noon
Nov. 2 * CALIFORNIA (PA), 1 p.m.
Nov. 9 * at Seton Hill, 12:30 p.m.
Nov. 16 at Bloomsburg, Noon

HOME GAMES IN BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS

* PSAC-Western Division games

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Bob McComas
Sports Information Director
Slippery Rock University
1 Morrow Way - Room 201 Old Main
Slippery Rock, Pa. 16057