here theyre not playing 37, 38 minutes and they can play at a higher intensity and get through that, thatll be better for them as well, Gaze said.I think theres a lot to like about our team, but

CHICAGO (STATS) -- STATS, the worlds leading sports data and technology company, announced an agreement Thursday that will allow it to hand out a quartet of legacy NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) awards tied to some of the biggest names in the subdivisions history.Just prior to the FCS postseason concluding in January, STATS will present:- The FCS Walter Payton Award, given to the FCS offensive player of the year;- The FCS Buck Buchanan Award, given to its defensive player of the year;- The FCS Eddie Robinson Award, given to its coach of the year; and- The FCS Jerry Rice Award, given to its freshman of the year.Founded by Mickey Charles of The Sports Network, the annual honors date back to 1987, when the Payton Award was presented to running back Kenny Gamble of Colgate. Since then, names of future NFL stars like Steve McNair, Brian Westbrook and Tony Romo have been called up to accept the hardware. Last season, Cooper Kupp -- who became the FCS all-time leader in receiving yards and touchdowns this season -- was the winner. The Robinson Award also began in 1987.Ive always considered the storylines of the FCS to be just as important as the rest of Division I college football, Charles said. And lacking a Heisman of their own, what better choice than in the name of a football legend, Walter Payton? I am pleased to pass on three decades worth of history to STATS for custodianship and expansion at this time.The same national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries who select the STATS FCS Top 25 poll -- numbering over 150 voters -- will choose the winners. Those awards join the STATS FCS Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award, created one year ago to honor the wife of Eddie Robinson and her service to community and academics.These awards will be presented to the winning athletes during the end-of-season banquet that will take place Friday, Jan. 6, 2017 -- the night before the FCS championship game in Frisco, Texas -- at the Embassy Suites Dallas-Frisco Convention Center. Last January, almost 200 attendees representing a cross-section of FCS roles came together for STATS inaugural awards ceremony.The Buchanan Award goes back to 1995 and includes such notable alums as Dexter Coakley and Jared Allen, while the Rice Award was created in 2011.Coming from an FCS school, Im proud to lend my name to such a distinction, and to help STATS expand its national coverage initiative, said Rice, a Mississippi Valley State graduate who is almost universally recognized as the greatest wide receiver of all time and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2010.Prior to last season, STATS expanded an initiative to serve the FCS community with staples such as a pre- and postseason All-America team, weekly Top 25 poll, national players of the week, award watch lists and season-ending awards.In addition, STATS created a dedicated FCS website -- www.fcs.football -- featuring breaking news, real-time scores and other unique content that combined the strengths of STATS data, editorial and product expertise. Launched prior to the 2015 season, the site has accumulated close to two million page views over the past 12 months.We laid down a strong coverage foundation last season and, in the process, developed incredible relationships with the schools and the conferences, said Brian Orefice, STATS director of news. But we want to ride that momentum into even better content and broader exposure. Thanks to Mickey, inheriting these awards and all they represent can only help us achieve those goals as we try to maintain the legacy of the FCS rich past while pushing forward toward its promising future.The FCS competes at the NCAAs Division I level, and is home to 125 schools in 13 conferences across the country. About 150 FCS players are on NFL rosters annually, including current stars like Romo (Eastern Illinois), Joe Flacco (Delaware), Carson Wentz (North Dakota State), David Johnson (Northern Iowa), Josh Norman (Coastal Carolina) and Julius Thomas (Portland State).Saucony Running Shoes Ireland . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. "I worked my entire life for it, and it has been taken away from me in one afternoon by a doctor I didnt know," said Troicki, whose ranking peaked at No. Cheap Saucony Shoes Ireland . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining. http://www.cheapsauconyireland.com/ . The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Lions have not announced the hiring, which was first reported by ESPN. Lombardi, the grandson of former Green Bay Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, has been an offensive assistant on Sean Paytons New Orleans staff since 2007. Saucony Shoes Sale Ireland . The Brazilian goalkeeper signed a loan deal with the Major League Soccer club on Friday as he looks to get playing time ahead of this summers World Cup in his home country. Saucony Online Ireland . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams.Rookie coach Andrew Gaze is on track to give the Sydney Kings a shot at the NBL title after leading his team to their second best start in franchise-history.New NBA recruit Steve Blake racked up 12 points on debut as Gazes Kings toppled Brisbane 87-78 in Sydney on Sunday to claim their fifth straight win and cement top spot on the ladder.It is their most successful start to a campaign since legendary coach Brian Goorjian led the Kings on a seven-game winning streak to open their 2002-03 championship-winning season.Goorjian went on to claim two more titles in a memorable three-peat.The Kings exacted revenge on the Bullets at Qudos Bank arena with a nine-point victory, just four weeks after losing their only game of the campaign in the season-opener.They next take on Cairns on Saturday, beginning a tough stretch of four games in eight days.Cairns are tough. We played them third game and they were in a position to win. We lost Kevin (Lisch) in that game for the second half. We had to dig deep, Gaze said.Its going to be a tough little home and away battle that weve got coming up. We drop all those four and were back in the middle of the pack, which is not inconceivable.Gaze is confident of having Lisch back, the reigning MVP and captain ruled out of the Bullets game with a calf strain.His availability will be huge a fillipp for a Kings team forced to play Blake for all but four minutes.ddddddddddddhe rotation I can envisage between Steve, Jason (Cadee) and Kevin, where theyre not playing 37, 38 minutes and they can play at a higher intensity and get through that, thatll be better for them as well, Gaze said.I think theres a lot to like about our team, but its very early days yet.With two-time NBA champion Josh Powell also coming off the bench for the Kings, Bullets coach Andrej Lemanis was envious of the teams ability to spend big on their squad.Asked of his initial reaction to Blakes signing, he said:First reaction, they must have lots of money given the other talent they have on the roster.Obviously its a great luxury for the Kings to be able to bring two NBA guys, veteran NBA guys off the bench. Good on them for being able to have the financial resources to do that.In other games in round four, Cairns finally won their first game of the season with a 83-75 thriller over Melbourne United in their home-opener.Illawarra broke a four-game losing streak courtesy of a tight 81-76 upset of defending champions Perth, while the New Zealand Breakers scored a franchise-high 119 points in a 26-point rout of Adelaide. ' ' '