Today, UT Martin’s Head Coach, Jason Simpson, will give us a preview into the up-coming season for the Skyhawks.

Jason believes in winning. In only two seasons at the helm of UTM’s Football Program, Simpson has won 13 games and piloted the Skyhawks into the upper echelon of the Football Championship Subdivision.

Under the direction of Simpson the Skyhawks closed out their 2007 season with three consecutive wins and winning four of their last five Ohio Valley Conference games to finis a respectable fourth in the league standings.

Offensively, the Skyhawks were one of the best in the OVC and among the nation’s most potent attacks. Led by All-American tailback Don Chapman, the Skyhawks were ranked among the to 35 teams in the nation in eight offensive statistical categories. The Skyhawks were 13th in the nation in total offense, averaging 430.55 yards per game. They were 19th iin the country in scoring offense averaging 33.36 ppg.

Simpson finishes fourth in the annual voting for the Eddie Robinson Award, the nation’s best coach. He was named the American Football Coaches Association Region 3 Coach of the Year and he earned the OVC’s Roy Kidd Coach of the Year trophy.

He is a native of Ellisville, Miss., and is married to the former Julie Wilkerson they have a son and a daughter.

Next Week, we hear from another new Head Football Coach in the area. Coach Darren Bowling is not a new face to area fans, as he was the head coach at Obion County Central for three years, and lead that team to some of it’s best records in school history. He is expected to enlighten us and give us a preview of the up-coming season for the Union City Golden Tornados, and hopefully give us an exciting season this fall.

Coach Bowling has been hired to restore the proud tradition that once was the Tornado program. Bowling came to Obion County after a successful 10 year stint in the private school ranks in both Mississippi and Louisiana, and was the head coach at Obion County Central form 2003-06. He led the Rebels to the school’s only state playoff win his first season, and is one of just three coaches at Obion Co. to have two winning seasons. He also beat Union City in all four of his seasons on the Central sideline. Last year, Bowling took over the reins of the Dyersburg program when James Counce retired, leading the Trojans to a 10-win season and the second round of the Class 3A state playoffs.

Darren and his wife Dawn have four children.

Last Week, Rotarians got a brief preview into the up-coming season of the Obion County Central Rebel Football team, as the new Head Coach, Shawn Jackson, the Seniors who are on the squad, along with the Cheerleaders visited Union City Rotary.

Coach Jackson was introduced by Randy Barnes, saying that there is nothing more important than High School Football, as it helps get the school year started on an up-beat note and gets everyone back in the groove with some energy and excitement.

Coach Jackson said when he got to OCCHS, he had 37 players, and when he turned in his eligibility roster he had 91 players on that roster, with a lot of new people wanting to play football. He said "we lack a lot of experience, but not lacking in hard work". Shawn’s coaching philosophy is on a scale of 1-10, we have to be an 11. He said the first week of practice the team was a 6, the next week they were a 4, this week they were back to a 6, and his team was ready to play, he did not want any more of the no 4 weeks.

He said when he got to OCCHS the team couldn’t block, but made up for that by not tackling, and every week of practice, they have made steady progress in both of those areas.

He is introducing the "spread offense" into the local program and said "the spread is an offence where we throw the ball where the defense is not around and run the ball where the defense is not covering, and we do not try of fit a square peg into a round hole".

Coach Jackson took the next few minutes introducing the Cheerleaders and his Senior Players. He said "we don’t talk a lot at Obion County Central, we work, and when the horn blows we move and that’s how things work for our football program", and with that he opened the floor up for questions.

Aug. 29 - Darren Bowling, UCHS, Football Preview

Sept. 5 - Will Wade, Commodities

Sept. 12 - Jimmy Williams, Cates Landing

Aug. 25 - Jimmy Jones

Aug. 25 - Travis Shumate

Aug. 23 - Grover and Fredricka Schleifer

Aug. 23 - Dave and Leigh Schlager

Aug. 25 - Travis and Linda Shumate

Aug. 26 - Larry and Rita Buckles

Aug. 28 - Kirk and Sharon Stone