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AFM Magazine


Spotlight

The Names You Should Know
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Bob Casciola
President, National Football Foundation
and College Hall of Fame, Inc. (Retired)


Why You Should Know Him: In the world of college football, there isn’t much that Bob Casciola hasn't done. An All-Ivy tackle for Princeton University, Casciola spent 20 years in the college coaching ranks as an assistant coach at Princeton and Dartmouth and then as head coach at Connecticut and Princeton.

He then left coaching in 1978 and joined First Fidelity Bank of New Jersey, rising to the position of senior vice president. In 1987 he left the banking business to become executive vice president of the New Jersey Nets.

After serving as Executive Director of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Inc. since 1991, Casciola was promoted to president of the organization in 1995. The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame has grown to include 119 chapters and 13,000 members nationwide. A non-profit educational organization, the NFF runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship, and athletic achievement in America’s youth.

Casciola recently announced his retirement. For his lifetime dedication and efforts for the sport, Casciola received the Distinguished American Award. Presented on special occasions, the award honors someone who has applied the character building attributes learned from both amateur sport in their business and personal life, exhibiting superior leadership in education, amateur athletics, business, and the community.

The Distinguished American Award puts Casciola in slect company. Past winners have included Vince Lombardi, Bob Hope, Pete Rozelle and Joe Paterno. And, although now retired, Casciola will still be involved in Foundation activities.

Keith Tribble
Chief Executive Officer
FedEx Orange Bowl


Why You Should Know Him: An offensive guard at the University of Florida where he played for four Bowl teams, Keith Tribble knows the meaning of preparation and organization. Tribble has spent the last decade at the forefront of collegiate athletics as first Executive Director and now CEO of the Orange Bowl Committee.

This past January Tribble and his staff put together the Bowl Championship Series’ premier event, the National Championship Game. As CEO of the OBC, he not only handles the organization’s day-to-day operations, budgets, and business affairs, but also oversees the implementation of nearly 40 events during the course of the year. Tribble also serves as well as the current Chairman of the Football Bowl Association. Additionally, he is the CEO of the Orange Bowl Foundation, the charity arm of the Committee, whose mission is to organize, sponsor, produce and promote athletic contests, educational opportunities, clinics, and other projects for the youth of South Florida.

A Miami native, Tribble returned to his hometown in 1993 to take over the direction of the Orange Bowl operations after spending two years as the Senior Associate Athletic Director at UNLV. He spent 1990-1992 as Executive Director of Sunshine Festival football, Inc., overseeing the creation and development of the Blockbuster Bowl, which later became the Tangerine Bowl.

Tribble was honored twice in the last year by Sports Illustrated. First, SI named him the No. 23 Most Influential Minority in Sports. In addition, the magazine selected Tribble as Number 12 among the 20 Most Powerful People in college football.

Mickey Matthews
Head Coach
James Madison University


Why You Should Know Him: Mickey Matthews has had only one job as a head football coach – James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The ultimate goal was realized in mid-December when the Dukes came from behind to defeat Montana-31-21-in the Division I-AA Championship Game in Chattanooga.

Ranked in the top ten for most of this year, the Dukes finished the regular season 9-2 and then advanced to the championship game with wins over Lehigh, Furman, and William & Mary. Against Montana, the Dukes completed a storybook campaign for the school’s first national championship and a 13-2 record. Matthews won the AFCA’s Division I-AA Coach of the Year. But the win was bittersweet.

The Matthews’ family faced both triumph and tragedy over the last two years. In August of 2003, son Clayton damaged his spinal cord when he crashed his car near the Harrisonburg area. Going through experimental stem cell replacement therapy, a second tragedy occurred. Returning from a medial appointment this past spring with Clayton and Matthews’ wife Kay at the wheel, their car spun out of control on a rain slick highway.

Clayton’s spinal cord was damaged again in which he had to undergo a seven hour operation and two months of intensive care. Matthews put the year in perspective: “Winning the national championship was a great thing for my career. But you can’t compare a championship – which is really just a football game to the crisis we have had in our family. Getting Clayton out of the hospital was our family’s greatest accomplishment this year.”

Each month American Football Monthly will spotlight individuals that you should know within the football industry. These are people that are making a difference in the world of football. Please email AFM editor, Rex Lardner at rlardner@lcclark.com and tell us about someone that should be featured in an upcoming issue.








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