Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Big morning in 49ers football offices

Charlotte 49ers head football coach Brad Lambert arrived at his office in the Barnhardt Student Activities Center at 6:50 a.m. this morning, giving him a few minutes to prepare for the rush of activity that was coming his new program's way.

Ten minutes later, the fax machine rang and the first of the 49ers' new football signees -- Will Thomas, 6-0, 165-pound slot receiver from Topsail High in Hampstead -- was sending in his letter of intent. A few seconds later, Maiden quarterback Matt Johnson became the 49ers' second official player.

That's how it's been all morning, as 20 players have officially signed with the 49ers through 11 o'clock. Lambert and the rest of his staff have been huddling in a meeting room -- a wide-screen television tuned into ESPNU's coverage of national signing day on one wall. On the other is a board with each position listed, names posted as the LOIs come in.

It's a popular place to be in the athletic department. A steady stream of people come and go, helping the coaches kill time while waiting for more commitments to come through. Breakfast was served in the hallway. The coaching staff also gets ready to watch a highlight video of their new players that will be released tomorrow

Then, one coach walks out, toward the fax machine. Another player -- this time Lakeside, Ga., linebacker Kendal Parker -- is on the line. And the big board is updated.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

A cool moment in time.

Anonymous said...

Followed by a lifetime of losing moments. UNCc fail.

Anonymous said...

Anon 11:41 is just mad that he didn't go to college and works too hard for his 30 grand a year. Keep your head up, buddy, at least you have all that Tar Heel gear you bought from Walmart. GO NINERS

QJR said...

To the fools polluting the comments of the last two entries with this whole college peen-measuring contest:

Can you please take your garbage back to Rivals.com where it belongs?

Anonymous said...

Pictures would be nice....

DRH said...

For UNCC grads of the 70s this is really cool.

Sorry Bonnie you were wrong about football.

Lewis Morgan said...

I have no interest in the pissing contest, but I do want to address DRH.

The idea that Miss Bonnie was the reason that football never returned to campus is nothing more than a myth. When things got tight in the late 40's, Miss Bonnie allowed the students to decide whether the school should fund a football team or help the students pay for their books. Books won. That is the reason football ended at Charlotte. After that, it was nothing more than a lack of foresight from our administrators.

Miss Bonnie had nothing to do with it.

Anonymous said...

I can back up Lewis Morgan. When I had a work-study job in the History Dept. in 1991, I saw Ms. Cone all the time. I asked her the football question. She was never fundamentally opposed to football, as many believed. She just didn't want academic funding cut to pay for football. She was keenly aware of the ongoing mistreatment of UNCC by the UNC governing body (UNCC has long been one of the top 5 schools in enrollment and near the bottom in state funding) and didn't want to give the anti-Charlotte rednecks who make thsoe decisions any ammo. As long as academics are not hurt, she said to me, we can start playing football tomorrow.

I'm so glad that time is finally here.

Anonymous said...

@11:41: That must be the story of your life (losing moments). It must be sad to be you and as so negative all the time.

This is great news for a new program. Go Niners!

Anonymous said...

DRH-----I am constantly amazed at the number of people who still believe this crap about Ms. Bonnie being anti-football. This stuff is well-known to have had no merit 30 years ago. Come on man!

Michael Procton said...

LOL...must have been pins and needles waiting to see which kids who weren't even offered by anybody else want to play at UNCC.

Anonymous said...

Bonnie Cone raised some serious eyebrows when she greenlighted the first football program back in the early days before UNC Charlotte even was UNC Charlotte.

Cone's intention was to make a temporary center into a permanent university ... and starting a football team was not something that a 'temporary' center was supposed to do. It was one of the very first self-declarations to Chapel Hill by Cone that we would be a permanent university whether they liked it or not.

Even though that initial football program was short-lived, it was an early contribution to the school becoming what it is today.

I think yesterday would have made Bonnie Cone very proud!

Anonymous said...

Geez, with a year of one awful college football story after another coming out of Chapel Hill, you'd think folks would be happy for some positive news!

This is a great college football story. Excellent work putting this program together by the fans, students, and alumni of UNC Charlotte. Good luck in the future!

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