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Lou Holtz "Coached Life" On His Way to Enshrinement in the College Football Hall of Fame

He is the only man to lead six universities to bowl games. Still, Lou Holtz never considered coaching his primary calling. He had a lot more to teach than X's and O's.

"I coached life. The same thing that would enable you to be a good player would enable you to be a good student, a good father, a good business person, et cetera," he said.

Holtz, who led Notre Dame to its last national championship in 1988 and also coached William & Mary, North Carolina State, Arkansas, Minnesota and South Carolina during his 33-season career, will be enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. He will be joined by fellow coaches John Cooper, the only coach to win a Rose Bowl with bot a Pac-10 school (Arizona State) and Big Ten school (Ohio State), Jim Donnan, who coached at Marshall and Georgia, and former Missouri Valley coach Volney Ashford.

Former UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman, 1959 Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon of LSU and former Oklahoma State tailback Thurman Thomas head the class of 17 players being enshrined during two days of festivities Friday and Saturday.

Despite all the star power, Holtz will be the main attraction as he returns to the city where he enjoyed his biggest successes, bringing Notre Dame back to power after five lean seasons under Gerry Faust.

Who would have though that the frail-looking kid who graduated 234th out of a class of 278 at East Liverpool High School in Ohio would have become a standout coach and master motivator? Certainly not his high school guidance counselor, who once told Holtz: "A lot of people don't know what's going on, but you don't even suspect anything's going on."'

Holtz proved her wrong. There always seems to be something going on when the wisecracking, bespectacled man with lisp is around. He led every team he coached to a bowl game by his second year on campus and led the Fighting Irish to a national championship in his third season en route to a 100-30-2 record in 11 seasons at Notre Dame. That gives him the second most wins in Irish history, just behind Knute Rockne's record of 105-12-5.

Holtz ranks eighth all-time in number of victories by Football Bowl Subdivision coaches, 11 ahead of Ohio State's Woody Hayes, a mentor. Holtz was the defensive backs coach for the Buckeyes when they won the national title in 1968.

What he learned from Hayes was not to worry about being popular with his players. "Your obligation is to make them the best you possibly can and to have high standards, not lower the standards, and to believe in people," Holtz said.

Former Notre Dame split end Derrick Mayes said the key to Holtz's success was his ability to inspire.

"Let's face it, it wasn't the X's and O's," Mayes said. "There were many times he'd throw the playbook out the window and say, 'We're going to hit them in the mouth, knock them in the dirt."'

Holtz's greatest trait was his ability to rally players and get them to believe in one another, Mayes said. "It transcended the talent level. I don't think he always had the most talented team. He had teams that played together, worked together and often times those are teams that win more. I think that's his genius," he said.

A year ago, former players of Holtz formed "Lou's Lads." Mayes said the nonprofit organization initially wants to raise money for former Holtz players who can't afford to send their children to college, but hope to expand the scholarship program to others and get involved in community service.

The idea is to follow in the footsteps of "Leahy's Lads," a group of former Irish players who played under coach Frank Leahy from 1941-43 and 1946-53 who decided to raise money for a statue of their coach. They later raised money for scholarships.

"Coach Holtz says the resources we need in life are right under our noses. But it's up to us to cultivate and maintain those relationships," Mayes said. "That's really the vision behind it all."

Holtz loves the idea, saying he tried to teach his players they owed something for what they'd been given. "I tried to teach them that where they can't always repay people, they can certainly pay forward to other people," he said.

Thanks to Tom Coyne

WWE's Axxess Coming to Los Angeles

World Wrestling Entertainment® today announced that in addition to SummerSlam® airing on pay-per-view Sunday, August 23rd live from the Staples Center, WWE will hold SummerSlam AXXESS, presented by The Army National Guard, in the Nokia Plaza at LA Live the weekend of August 22nd. The two-day extravaganza will give thousands of fans an unprecedented chance to interact with their favorite WWE Superstars and Divas, witness live WWE action in an official WWE ring, and immerse themselves first-hand in WWE culture.

SummerSlam AXXESS will provide fans the opportunity to get autographs of their favorite Superstars and Divas, create their own Superstar entrance with a keepsake DVD, and participate in several WWE interactive experiences. Additionally, fans can partake in Pepsi Max’s interactive backyard, and the Army National Guard’s simulated games.

The first session of SummerSlam AXXESS will be held Saturday, August 22nd from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM, followed by a second session from 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM. SummerSlam AXXESS continues on Sunday, August 23rd from 12:00 Noon – 4:00 PM. Tickets are $15 per session.

Chicago Bull Rookie James Johnson Has MMA Background Along with a Black Belt

Chicago rookie forward James Johnson showed up to Cox Pavilion for his NBA summer league pro debut on Tuesday afternoon thinking much the same way his favorite fighter — heavyweight mixed martial artist Frank Mir — showed up to the Octagon for the UFC 100 main event down the street last weekend.

Both came to win.

Instead, both lost.

That's not all that the two athletes have in common. It even goes beyond Johnson's appearance resembling an intimidating fighter, complete with a pseudo-mohawk, a steely stare and tattoo-clad upper arms.

"He can fight up top, he can choke you out, he can do it all," said Johnson, who tallied 21 points and 8 rebounds in Chicago's 95-83 loss to Golden State. "That's kinda like my basketball game."

Johnson, a 6-foot-8, 245-pound Wake Forest product who the Bulls selected 16th overall in last month's NBA Draft, was raised in Cheyenne, Wyo., with a fighter's mentality. Well, actually, he was raised to be a fighter. Johnson's father, Willie, runs J&P Martial Arts School in Cheyenne, Wyo. He's a sixth-degree black belt kickboxer. His mother, Vi, is also a black belt.

James is smack dab in the middle of nine children in his family. All but his youngest sister, 10-year-old Kiandra, are black belts. Kiandra will catch up soon enough, though. She's already earned a blue belt. But Johnson isn't just trained in mixed martial arts. He's undefeated when he performs.

With an amateur kickboxing record of 20-0 and seven world karate titles to his name — oh, nine national titles, as well — he fought his first amateur MMA bout as in 2006, when a local event needed a last-second substitute on its card.

Just a high school junior fighting in the 205-pound weight class, it took him all of 90 seconds to defeat 31-year-old Damond Clark, a Casper, Wyo. native who now fights professionally.

It's hard to believe that all of this came before heading off to college, where in two seasons, he helped lead the Demon Deacons to a 41-20 record, averaging 14.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

Still, what came on Tuesday was completely new. And despite an individual performance that was deemed by many onlookers to be dazzling, he sounded like a defeated prizefighter when asked to describe it.

"I'm not happy with the performance," he said. "I wanted to win. I came down here to Las Vegas to win. I know the guys on my team are not satisfied. I'm definitely not satisfied, but we're gonna push hard, keep pushing each other, work hard and get some more wins hopefully."

The Bulls play four more games this week, but the organization's brass on hand for Johnson's pro debut appeared pleased and sang his praises.

"It seems like he's athletic for his size — a guy with that much bulk and that much weight who can move and handle the ball and things," said Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro. "His agility, obviously, is impressive for a guy with his size. That'll just improve. We've gotta get a little weight off of him, and he knows that, but he does things you can't teach.

"I haven't seen any film on him fighting, but I'm not worried about him. His dad's the one you've got to worry about."

He showed several of those natural gifts to a crowd that saw him as a relative unknown coming in, having not played much in the national spotlight at Wake Forest.

Even this past season, when Wake at one point earned a No. 1 ranking in both major polls, it was teammates Jeff Teague and Al-Farouq Aminu who garnered much of the spotlight.

Johnson displayed abilities indicating that he could very easily play either the small forward or power forward position in the NBA.

A couple of times, he scored in tough fashion inside. A couple of times, he put the ball on the floor and spotted up outside, knocking down 16-foot jumpers without the aide of the rim.

Other times, he did it all on his own.

Johnson's most impressive play of the day came with 6:09 left in the second quarter, when he grabbed an uncontested defensive rebound off of a missed free throw. He put the ball on the floor and moved onward with a full head of steam.

At the top of the key, he crossed a Warriors defender over to the left, went back right, penetrated the paint and threw down a nasty two-handed slam that forced the crowd to erupt.

With his combination of size and grace, he said he'd like to see himself develop into the same type of player as a Carmelo Anthony or Paul Pierce. His buttery shooting touch both inside and out showed that it's more than possible.

At just 22 years old, he believes he's not even close. "I'd probably say a C-plus," he said of where his total package is at. "It needs work, man. I need work. That's what it is."

What's going to obviously help that process along, however, is the way he's been able to translate his karate and MMA training onto the hardwood, as he plays lighter on his feet than just about any 6-foot-8 player you'll find, either pro or amateur.

"Quickness, hand quickness, foot quickness, I try to utilize that," he said. "Other than that, just growing up using footwork all of my life, coming out here is kind of easy."

From a mental aspect, he appears to be every bit a fighter. Most championship-caliber mixed martial artists are known for a down-to-earth approach and humility.

However, he said his basketball endeavors have commanded more discipline than fighting. "Fighting, you're one-on-one," he said. "It's you against him. You don't have to worry about backside help or helping another guy who gets beat. It's just you against the other dude. Basketball's teamwork, a lot of talking and other things I need to get better at."

Fighting has made Johnson who he is at this young age. There's no questioning that. But Johnson isn't ready to call fighting simply a part of his past. He's indicated recently that he's not done with his first love, but for now it has to be on the burner.

Obviously, hoops is what's going to pay the bills. He signed his first pro contract before departing for Vegas, making him an instant millionaire.

"Fighting is fighting — I did it all my life," he said. "Right now, it's a new chapter. I'm gonna try to write this chapter, then whatever happens happens.

Right now, I'm just focused on keeping my skills sharp on defense. That's it, and I'll worry about the other thing ... It's like riding a bike. Fighting's like riding a bike. It's gonna be easy to get back into it, so when it's time for me to get back into it, I will. Until then, I'm just gonna keep grinding out here on the hardwood."

That doesn't mean Johnson isn't following the fight game.

He didn't get into town early enough for the monstrous UFC 100 event at Mandalay Bay Events Center on Saturday night, but he watched it at home on pay-per-view.

Oddly enough, his favorite moment of the night came from watching Brock Lesnar defeat Mir. "Brock — I liked Brock's swag, man," he said. "He's a crazy dude. He's a big ol' country bumpkin, dude. He's serious, though."

Like seemingly everyone else who even heard about the fight, too, he chimed in with his thoughts on Lesnar's WWE-like antics after the fight, which included taunting Mir to his face and flipping some obscene hand gestures to the booing fans, among other eccentricities.

"Uncharacteristic, but that's his swagger," he continued. "You have to be nasty in the cage. You don't want somebody coming up challenging you. You see that, would you want to challenge him? No. That's probably why he did it, so I respect it, but at the same time, his character wasn't very ... he didn't have to say some of the things he said, but some of the things he said put fear in people's eyes, man."

Whether it comes on a basketball court or on a canvas mat, don't expect to ever see Johnson putting on a postgame show like Lesnar treated the world to on Saturday.

As gifted and rare as Johnson is at his size, he's all about developing the craft and staying humble — a lesson he learned earlier than most pro athletes.

"I'm not worried about who sees me and who doesn't," he said. "I'm playing basketball for me and the love of the game. It's good not to sign 100 autographs. I'm walking into these places. I love just going up to my room and being a regular dude. That's what I want to be, no matter how much fame I get or don't get. I just wanna be a regular dude."

Thanks to Ryan Greene

Notre Dame Adds 2000 Football Parking Spaces

The University of Notre Dame is offering more parking for football fans during the upcoming season.

They’ll be allowing up to 2,000 vehicles to park on the 9-hole Notre Dame Golf Course, on the southwest corner of Notre Dame’s campus.

There will be entrances open off of Angela Boulevard and Dorr Road.

It’ll cost $40 per vehicle, and no parking passes will be sold in advance.

Football game tickets will have to be shown for entrance into the areas.

They’ll open at 8 a.m. each game day, and tailgating will be permitted.

Notre Dame officials say there have been requests over the year for the university to provide more spaces for on-campus parking.

Notre Dame Grad, Stan Bowman, Named GM of the Blackhawks

Stan Bowman was named the ninth General Manager in Blackhawks history on July 14, 2009. Prior to being named General Manager, Bowman served for eight years in the Blackhawks operations department, most recently as Assistant General Manager, Hockey Operations (2007-09).

The 36-year-old originally joined the Blackhawks in 2001, serving for four seasons as Special Assistant to the General Manager before being promoted to Director of Hockey Operations, a role he served in for two years (2005-07). In his most recent role as Assistant General Manager, Hockey Operations, Bowman attended to the day-to-day administration of the Blackhawks’ hockey operations department with his primary responsibilities including all CBA-related matters such as contract negotiations, free agency, salary arbitration, player movement and player assignment. He also tracked the progress of the Blackhawks prospects by working closely with the staff of the club’s minor league affiliate in Rockford, while also assisting with player evaluation, prospect development and professional and amateur scouting.

Bowman played an integral part in the recent major free agent signings of Marian Hossa, Tomas Kopecky and John Madden in 2009 and Brian Campbell and Cristobal Huet in 2008 while weighing in on the decision making that brought players such as Patrick Sharp, Kris Versteeg and Andrew Ladd to the club in trades.

Bowman graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1995 with degrees in Finance and Computer Applications. When he arrived at the Blackhawks in 2001, Bowman worked extensively on financial budgets and developing programs to track player movement and player evaluation. He was born in Montreal where his father, legendary National Hockey League fixture and Blackhawks Senior Advisor Scotty Bowman was coaching at the time.

Stan and his wife Suzanne have two sons, Will and Camden.

Muscle & Fitness Tip of the Month

Training with the progressive-overload principle helps rev your metabolism. Pushing your muscles beyond what they're currently trained to overcome forces them to adapt and regenerate themselves so they're ready the next time such a stimulus is encountered.

Indictment Delivered Against Chicago Sports Webio Co-Founder, David J. Hernandez

A Downers Grove man who purported to offer financial investment services to the public was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly engaging in a two-year Ponzi scheme that resulted in losses totaling approximately $3.5 million when it collapsed last month. The indictment alleges that David J. Hernandez fraudulently induced some 290 victims to invest approximately $12 million through his business, NextStep Financial Services, Inc., and several related companies. Hernandez was charged with four counts of mail fraud in an indictment that was returned late yesterday and announced today by Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Hernandez, 48, of Downers Grove, was initially charged with a single count of mail fraud in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago on June 17, several days after FBI agents executed a search warrant at NextStep's offices on the 22nd floor at 225 West Washington St. After Hernandez was located on June 22 by police in Normal, Ill., he appeared in Federal Court in Peoria on June 29 and was ordered transferred in custody to Chicago. He is expected to arrive in Chicago next week, at which time his first court appearance here will be scheduled.

In addition to the mail fraud counts, the indictment seeks forfeiture of approximately $3.5 million and two luxury automobiles: a 2009 Audi and a 2007 Mercedes Benz ML350.

According to the indictment, between July 2007 and June 12, 2009, Hernandez defrauded prospective investors and investors in a NextStep Financial Services product described as a "Guaranteed Investment Contract." He made false representations and promises regarding the risk of investing with NextStep, the manner in which the victims' funds would be used, the returns that NextStep generated, and his background, it alleges.

Hernandez allegedly falsely promised investors monthly returns of 10 to 16 percent, with no risk of loss to their principal, through investing their funds in Check 'n Go stores, which offered short-term "payday advance" loans, and which Hernandez claimed were owned or financed by NextStep. In fact, as Hernandez allegedly knew, no NextStep investor funds were used to purchase or finance the operation of Check 'n Go stores.

Hernandez also fraudulently represented to investors that their principal was protected through insurance that NextStep obtained from various insurance companies, the indictment alleges, when he knew, in fact, that victims' investments were not insured in any manner. And, knowing that victims' funds were not earning any interest whatsoever, Hernandez allegedly converted the investors' funds to his own benefit and used their money to make Ponzi-style "interest" payments to other NextStep investors.

The indictment also alleges that Hernandez lied to investors about his background and experience, including falsely representing that he had a law degree and a master's degree in business administration, and that he had 26 years of experience in the financial industry, while failing to disclose pertinent material information about his personal background.

Mr. Fitzgerald and Mr. Grant commended the assistance of the Downers Grove and Normal police departments and the FBI office in Peoria.

If convicted, each count of mail fraud carries maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or the Court may impose an alternative maximum fine totaling twice the loss or twice the gain, whichever is greater. The Court, however, would determine the appropriate sentence to be imposed under the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines.

The government is being represented by Assistant United States Attorney Brian Hayes. The public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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More Blackhawks Convention Attendees Announced

Blackhawks stars Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Marian Hossa, plus all-time greats Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Tony Esposito among others have been confirmed for the 2nd Annual Blackhawks Convention. The SOLD OUT Convention will run from July 17-19 at the Hilton Chicago (720 S. Michigan Avenue).

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