Chris Petersen Accepts Washington Head Coaching Job

It finally happened.  Some of us thought this day would never come, but Chris Petersen, has accepted a new job and will leave Boise State.  Next week Chris Petersen will be calling the shots as the University of Washington's new head coach.  The deal was signed late Thursday night.

A private flight from Seattle landed at the Boise Airport at 8:02 p.m. Thursday. The people on board immediately got into a black car headed to a Boise hotel, according to airport sources. Woodward and a woman returned to the plane 2 hours, 10 minutes later and left — without Petersen. The meeting lasted about 90 minutes.

Chris Petersen has been a hot commodity for the last five years.  Ever since Boise State shocked the college football world by knocking off Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, Petersen has been a hot topic.  However, to his credit he stuck to his guns and remained in Boise where he was employed for the last 12 years.

Perhaps the biggest change occurred this year when the Broncos went 8-4 the worst in Petersen's tenure as head coach.  Petersen would remain in high demand as long Boise was competitive, but as the team's record began to drop Petersen saw the handwriting on the wall.

For Huskie fans who were gutted on Monday when Steve Sarkisian left to go to USC, they have found an upgrade with Petersen coming to town.  You can expect he will bring his open style and excitement to the Northwest.

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/12/06/2911966/report-boise-states-chris-petersen.html#storylink=cpy

Florida State Quarterback Jameis Winston Will Not Face Arraignment

According to sources close to Walker-Sports who  in the prosecutor's office in Tallahassee, and they said no arraignment forthcoming against Jameis Winston.

Legal experts in Tallahassee have said they believed it was unlikely that Winston would be charged. However, the decision of State Attorney Willie Meggs won’t be known with certainty until he announces the results of his investigation later today.

If Winston is charged, he would most likely be suspended by Florida State - the school’s athletic conduct code requires it in all but the most extraordinary cases.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from Walker Sports

How Bad are the Florida Gators? Two Gator Linemen Block Each Other

Things have not gone well for the Florida Gators this season.  As a matter of fact, that may be an understand statement.  The Florida Gators are horrible.  There's little doubt head coach Will Muschamp will be fired soon after the final whistle of this weekend's game against top 2nd ranked Florida State.  That's the price you pay when you lose to Georgia Southern, at home.  A game where the Eagles failed to complete a pass, and yet the Gators still couldn't find a way to stop them. 

So you ask, how bad are things down in Gainesville?  Well video has emerged of two Florida offensive linemen blocking each other during a key play in Saturday's game.  We're not talking about two linemen bumping into each other, these guys dug in and were aggressively trying to block one another. 
To be fair, it may have been the best block thrown by a Gator lineman all day.  Too bad it was against their own team.

Mike Gundy's Victory Dance is Epic

Here are Walker Sports, we are Oklahoma State fans.  Why do we like the Cowboys? It's all about Mike Gundy.  Our man crush on him goes back to 2008 with his epic rant to the media. But our love for the Cowboys doesn't stop at football. As avid fans, we also enjoy exploring other avenues of entertainment, such as blackjack apps. While our allegiance lies with the Cowboys, we can't help but indulge in the thrill of online blackjack through various mobile apps.

Last night Oklahoma State pulled off one of the best upsets in school history when they knocked off undefeated Baylor.  In true Gundy fashion, the head coach let his hair down and celebrated with his players, and the entire internet wins as a result.  (Go to the 2:15 min mark to see Gundy get down.
Congrats Mike Gundy you earned it.

A Fallen Rugger and His Family Needs Your Help

A fallen rugger and his family need the support of the rugby community.  Young star Isiah Willas has lost his life and his family needs the support of the rugby community to provide him with a proper burial.

A DC family is reeling under the weight of tens of thousands of dollars in funeral expenses after losing three generations in a car crash. 

Isiah Willas was a talented young man who had unknown levels of potential on the rugby pitch, and sadly that potential will never be realized due to a tragic traffic accident.  Unfortunately the story does not end there.  A family is reeling under the weight of  thousands of dollars in funeral expenses after losing Isiah his mother and grandfather in the fatal accident. 

The big extended family, including many from the Washington DC rugby community held services for Isiah, Cindy and Thomas Willis -- but none of them can be buried until the cemetery is paid. 

Grandfather Thomas Willis, at 69, the patriarch... mother Cindy Willis... and grandson Isiah Willis, just 21.

The three were returning from a funeral themselves earlier this month, when Virginia State Police say Isiah overcorrected and careened off I-95 in Prince George County

Authorities transferred the bodies to one funeral home in Virginia, than another in Maryland, and a third in DC, where they are being held. With each transfer the cost mounted the family struggled to meet the demands.

Isiah played rugby at the University of Mary Washington. "He was a great kid. A great kid," said his coach, Tim Brown.

He remembers a young man who had almost nothing, but was always smiling -- and excelling in the state rugby final. "I think Isiah touched the ball three times and scored twice. I think the quote from the JMU coach was, 'If he had touched it one more time, we wouldn't have one the game.'"

There's talk of insurance money to help cover about $33,000 in fees from the funeral homes and the cemetery. But Isiah, Cindy and Thomas Willis' bodies will go back into storage until his cousins come up with the money. 

Isiah’s current rugby club Washington Rugby Football Club has stepped up and set up a donation fund using Fundly, to help the family cover the cost.  Brian Mihelic, who coached Isiah in high school and at WRFC is heading the efforts.

 “ We are still working to raise more money.  Anything raised above the actual costs (they will eventually get some money from insurance), will go to The Isiah Willis Scholarship fund being set up at Mary Washington.” Mihelic stated in a recent email to supports. 

The rugby community has always proven to be one of the strongest communities around, and right now a family needs the support of that community

Donations can be submitted by clicking here

The Pacific Rugby Premiership is Bord

The official press release was issued earlier this week, the Pacific Rugby Premiership well begin competition in January of 2014. 

Here's the official release.
LOS ANGELES, CA NOVEMBER 6, 2013 - The rugby clubs of Belmont Shore, Denver Barbarians, Glendale Raptors, Olympic Club, OMBAC, San Francisco Golden Gate and Santa Monica are pleased to announce the formation of the Pacific Rugby Premiership (PRP), which is to play its inaugural season in 2014.

The competition will be officially launched on January 15th, with the first round of fixtures kicking off on February 1st.

Consisting of a 43 match season, teams will play each other both home and away over a 14 week period. The top two teams from the regular season will then compete for the Premiership title on May 17th, making this the longest competitive playing season for premiere rugby teams in the USA.

The PRP will also serve as a platform for clubs and players to showcase the depth of homegrown rugby talent here in the USA - pitching the leading teams in the country against each other week in, week out.
Being one of the fastest growing sports in America, rugby is drawing ever increasing interest. As a result of this new competition, each club will host a full calendar of highly competitive fixtures, providing a great opportunity for expansion in local markets. The Pacific Rugby Premiership will establish itself as the pinnacle of domestic competition - taking rugby to the next level in the USA.

Former Husker and Packer Legend Ahman Green to Join USA Eagles Rugby Camp

It a bit of surprising news, retired NFL running back Ahman Green is set to join the USA Sevens team in training at the Olympic Center in Chulo Vista California.  USA Rugby CEO Nigel Melville confirmed the news via his Twitter account earlier today.

Green reached out to Melville and USA rugby via Twitter a few weeks ago, but many did not take the conversation seriously.  However, those in charge at USA Rugby did their due diligence and contacted the former NFL star, and talked him into giving Rugby Sevens a try.

While details about the deal are still a bit murky, it appears that Green will at least get a tryout with the current USA Sevens program and will spend the next few weeks training and working with the guys currently in camp.  It is unclear exactly how much, if any, previous rugby experience Green currently has, so he will have to manage a steep learning curve to catch up to the rest of the guys in camp.  Also working against Green will be his age, at the time of this post Green is 36 years old, and will be 39 by the time the 2016 Summer Olympics roll around, should he make the squad.

What Ahman Green does bring to the table is a professional pedigree.  He was an integral part of two national championships while playing for Nebraska.  During his time in the NFL Green became the Green Bay Packers all-time leading rusher.  In total he played 12 seasons in the NFL for three teams.

We've seen football converts come to rugby in the past, and there's been mixed results.  The high end would be Carlin Isles, who is currently learning his craft at the Olympic Training Center.  Also Dan Lyle was a football convert. So, check the vakiovihjeet blog to get the best standard tips for various standard games like football.  The list of failures is too long to name, but recently Maurice Clarrett made an attempt at rugby, but was not able to stand up to the rigors of the training and schedule.

What do you think? Can Ahman Green make the ultimate comeback?

Tiger Rugby Wins Big On and Off the Field in Shanghai

Our friends over at This is American Rugby took some time to update us on the work Tiger Rugby has been putting in over in Shanghai China as they prepare for the Shanghai 7's this weekend.

Tiger Rugby has been in China the past week in preparation for the Shanghai 7's this weekend and has already picked up some silverware. Shanghai Rugby Club hosted a 10's tournament over the weekend featuring several teams from China and Japan. According to Tiger Rugby coach James Walker the team was expecting a 7's tournament but the format was switched at the last minute. It took "a bit of adjusting to," noted Walker. "Gears were clicking by the end, and the speed and skill were too much for the local sides." The team beat six teams on their way to the title.

This week the team has spent time with the Chinese National Team, IRB representatives, who have run a series of camps for schools and clubs. As part of that effort Tiger Rugby spent time with kids in inner-city Shanghai. The team has also been mixing in training as they get ready for the weekend.


Stay tuned as we'll be speaking with James Walker throughout the weekend, and upon his return stateside to update you on the latest Tiger Rugby action.

With the Chinese National Team on the Bund in Shanghai.

Winning the cup at the Shanghai 10's.

Working with kids in the city.