Thursdays With Greg Byrne - 4/23/09
bulldog-club@athletics.msstate.edu
THE BYRNE FAMILY THANKS THE BULLDOG FAMILY Regina and I have commented many times how welcomed we have been since Mississippi became our home a little over three years ago. That has been reinforced in the last three months since we found out Regina’s dad, Ted Misa, was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The cards, calls, and genuine comments from the Mississippi State family about Ted’s health and our families’ well-being have been remarkable. Ted, Regina and Debi (Regina’s mom) were able to make it to Tampa for the championship game in the SEC basketball tournament last month and that day was something that our family will always remember. Coach Stansbury even gave Ted an SEC Championship hat right after the win over Tennessee! Last Thursday morning, the Good Lord took Ted home and the Mississippi State family has continued there outpouring of support. On behalf of the Misa & Byrne family, we want to say thank you for all of your kind support. We are so blessed to be at a place with people as good as they are at Mississippi State. * * * SBW PRESENTED BY REGIONS BANK A SUCCESS We wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone that attended Super Bulldog Weekend for making the event such a wonderful success. The crowds at football and baseball were outstanding, and it was great to have so many Bulldogs back on the campus. The 31,000 that attended the spring football game set a state of Mississippi record, while the 10,000-plus that were at baseball on Saturday was the school’s 23rd crowd in excess of 10,000 - quite a statement by itself. It was an exciting weekend. * * * A GREAT HUMAN INTEREST SBW STORY Obviously, many, many Bulldog fans attended Super Bulldog Weekend 2009, as evidenced by the great crowd at Scott Field. One particular visitor has been mentioned to us that needs special commendation. William S. Trammel of Hewitt, Texas, made the long drive to Starkville for the 24th SBW. What makes Mr. Trammel special? He made that drive at 87 years of age! * * * SOFTBALL PLAYER BRAMLETT WINS ANOTHER AWARD It seems that not a week goes by without Chelsea Bramlett’s name appearing in this column. The junior softball catcher has become one of the school’s most decorated student-athletes. This week we announced that Chelsea has been named an All-American Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Earlier, the Cordova, Tenn., native was named to the initial list of 27 invitees for the USA Softball National Team Selection Camp after making the final 25 for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award. Bramlett currently leads the SEC in batting (.483), hits (69) and stolen bases (45). * * * MULLEN TO HEADLINE ROAD DAWGS TOUR Head football coach Dan Mullen will headline the university's third annual "Road Dawgs Tour," beginning next week. The tour will make in-state stops in Clarksdale, Columbus, Corinth, Greenwood, Jackson, Laurel, Natchez, Pascagoula and Vicksburg. Out-of-state destinations include Birmingham and Huntsville, Ala., Memphis, New Orleans, Houston and Dallas along with Jackson, Tenn. Mullen will be at each stop and he will be joined by representatives from the athletic department, alumni association, Bulldog Club, and admissions and scholarships office. The tour is being sponsored by the Bulldog Club, the MSU Alumni Association, and participating alumni chapters. The Road Dawgs Tour will kickoff next week with a Monday evening stop in Memphis, followed by lunch in Vicksburg and the Evening in Maroon Gala in Jackson on Tuesday, and stops in Houston, Texas and Dallas on Wednesday and Thursday. The tour will continue over parts of the next four weeks, and details of each event can be found at the Alumni Association website at www.alumni.msstate.edu/roaddawgs. Each time we engage in one of these tours, we inevitably have some of our loyal fans ask, “Why not us?” We do our best to maximize geographic representation and make the honest effort to visit various communities. If your city is not included this time, there’s a good chance it will the next. Please note that according to NCAA legislation, head football coaches cannot have any contact with high school coaches or prospects during the time that Mullen will be traveling with the Road Dawgs Tour. * * * RACK EXCELS OFF THE BASKETBALL FLOOR AS WELL Women’s basketball player Alexis Rack recently received the Gillom Award as the state of Mississippi’s top female basketball player. Most everyone who follows Lady Bulldog basketball knows that. It was covered by the state’s newspapers. What folks may not know is that Alexis also excels off the basketball floor. A Chemistry major at MSU, Alexis was recently recognized by the university at its first undergraduate Research Symposium, a program sponsored by the Shackouls Honors College, the Office of Research and Economic Development, the Bagley College of Engineering, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, and designed to “showcase innovation and scholarship from MSU’s best!” Alexis’ project title? “Synthesis and Al3+Binding of a Water-Soluble Hydroxyflavone. That’s why they’re called STUDENT-Athletes! * * *
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Greg Byrne
byrne@athletics.msstate.edu