Kentucky offensive coordinator Joker Phillips and wide receiver Scott Mitchell will participate in the first Magnolia Gridiron All-Star Classic, which will be played Saturday, Dec. 24, at noon EST at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Miss.
The Magnolia Classic will match a team of Division I-A seniors against a team from Division I-AA, Division II, and other schools. Phillips will be head coach of the I-A team and Northwestern State coach Scott Stoker will guide the small-school players. Mitchell caught 23 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns during the 2005 season.
The Magnolia Classic helps fill the void left by defunct all-star games such as the Blue-Gray Game, Gridiron Classic, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities Game, said organizer Darry Alton.
Originally, game officials planned to stage the first Magnolia Classic after the 2006 season, but hurried to stage this year?s game after hearing reports of another all-star game being organized. Plans were announced barely more than a week before gameday.
(Editor?s note: the majority of the information for this story is from a report by Joedy McCreary of The Associated Press.)
Art Still Named to Peach Bowl Hall of Fame: The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl has announced that former University of Kentucky defensive end Art Still has been selected for induction into the bowl?s Hall of Fame.
Still, a first-team All-American and 12-year National Football League veteran, was named by the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Hall of Fame Selection Committee based on his performance in the bowl game and his collegiate and professional achievements.
?We are honored to induct a player of Art?s caliber and character to the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Hall of Fame,? said Leeman Bennett, chairman of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. ?He has contributed to the unique history of our bowl game and distinguished himself during his playing career as one of the top defensive ends of his time.?
A first-team All-SEC selection as a junior, Still spearheaded a stingy Wildcats defense in the 1976 Peach Bowl that produced the only shutout in the bowl?s history, a 21-0 victory over North Carolina.
The 1976 Bowl proved to be a launching pad for Still?s senior season in 1977, when he earned consensus first-team All-America honors, was named SEC Player of the Year and set the Kentucky single-season record with 22 tackles for loss. A four-year letterwinner, Still finished his UK career with 327 tackles and had his jersey retired by the university.
Still went on to be drafted second overall by the Kansas City Chiefs and enjoy a 12-year NFL career. He spent his first 10 seasons in Kansas City (1978-87), earning four Pro Bowl selections (1980-82, 1984). Named the team MVP in 1980 and 1984, Still led the Chiefs in sacks six times. Still is third on the Chiefs? all-time sack list behind Derrick Thomas and Neil Smith, and is second in team history with 992 tackles. Still was inducted to the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 1998.
Still joins former University of Tennessee head coach Johnny Majors as the only members of the induction class of 2005. The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Hall of Fame was founded in 2002 and has 18 current members, including former Wildcat Coach Jerry Claiborne.
Still and Majors will be recognized for their Hall of Fame inductions in a pregame ceremony.
The 2005 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 30 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, with Louisiana State taking on Miami (Fla.). This will be the 38th edition of the bowl, making it the ninth-oldest bowl game in the country.
The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is the only guaranteed match-up of top-ranked teams from the ACC and SEC and is recognized as the most competitive bowl game in college football history. On Dec. 31, 2004, the Bowl?s 37th annual game recorded its eighth straight sellout, highest team payout ($2.3 million per team), highest-ever television rating and its largest charitable and scholarship contribution ($410,286).
