November « 2008 « billsportsmaps.com

November 9, 2008

NCAA Division I-A/ Football Bowl Subdivision, the Big Ten: Attendance Map (2007 figures) and Team Profiles.

Filed under: NCAA Gridiron Football,NCAA/fb-Big Ten — admin @ 7:28 am

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The Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives was founded on February 8, 1896. The conference became popularly known as the Western Conference. Its original schools were Chicago, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue, and Wisconsin. Indiana and Iowa joined in 1899, and the conference became popularly known as the Big Nine.

Michigan left the conference in 1908 (for a time); Ohio State joined in 1913. When Michigan re-joined in November 1917, the conference started to be known as the Big Ten.

The University of Chicago decided to de-emphasize athletics, and their football team left the conference in 1939. By 1946, that school’s athletic program was out of the conference entirely, and the conference once again became known as the Big Nine. Three years later, 1949, Michigan State joined, and it was the Big Ten again.

It is interesting to note that throughout this whole time, the conference was officially known as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives. The conference did not shed this anachronistic name until 1987, when the Big Ten was incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation. Three years later, Penn State joined, but it was decided to keep the name Big Ten (after all, it’s foolish to mess with an established brand name}. The conference slyly acknowledges their 11 schools, though, by having a logo which shows the number 11, in the spaces to either side of the T in Ten.

On the team profiles chart on the right, in most cases I have concentrated on showing the evolution of the teams’ headgear design, rather than load up on alternate logos. It’s interesting to note that two teams won national titles in the 1960s in the first season after changing their helmets. In 1965, Michigan State first introduced a logo on their green helmet, a Spartan warrior’s head in profile. The team went on to win the consensus national title, with a 10-1 record. Ohio State, in 1968, adopted the iconic style they use to this day, a silver helmet with red, white, and black stripes, accented with buckeye-leaf decals (awarded to players for stand-out play). Coach Woody Hayes won his last National Title that season, as the Buckeyes were undefeated, and were the undisputed national champions.

This time, I have used photos (instead of illustrations) of each teams helmet logo and/ or design, in the rectangles to the immediate left of the teams’ names. The Ohio State design was perplexing, because it was difficult to tell if the decals are black, or green. They do sell green decals on the internet, but it appears these are not authentic. And there are illustrations of Ohio State helmets out there that depict green buckeye-leaf decals {see this}, but they appear to be inaccurate. From this Ohio State fan site message board thread, it seems the case is solidly made that they are are black {see this, a thread from the Buckeyes Planet site}. But on Ohio State coach Jim Tressel’s site, he uses green icons to chart the player’s decal-award tally {see this}. Still, the photo on that site certainly shows black leaves.

The Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan has an excellent site. I have set the following link to the Michigan Stadium Story page, but there are lots of pages to peruse {Click here}. Here is the Michigan versus Ohio State rivalry section, set at the two team’s stadiums comparison {Click here}; and art of UM vs. OSU football program covers {Click here}.

Thanks to the invaluable College Football Data Warehouse site: {Click here}. Thanks to Helmet Hut {Click here}. Thanks to the College Football All-Time Database, at http://www.nationalchamps.net/NCAA/database/index.htm .

Thanks to the contibutors to the Big Ten pages at Wikipedia {Click here}. Thanks to Chris Creamer’s Sports Logos Page, at http://www.chriscreamer.com/ . Thanks to Logo Shak, at http://www.logoshak.com/ . Thanks to Logo Server, at http://www.logoserver.com/College.html . Thanks to the NCAA site, specifically for this list of college football National Champions {Click here}. Thanks to the College Football History site {Click here}.

Next up…the Pac-10, to be posted Thursday.

Comments (24)

November 6, 2008

England- Football Trophies Chart, inclusive to 30th May 2009.

Filed under: 2008-09 English Football,Eng>Premier League (Eng-1st Level) — admin @ 9:04 am

[Chart now includes 2008-2009 League Cup Title and 2008-2009 Premier League Title, both to Manchester United; and 2008-2009 FA Cup Title, to Chelsea.]

This chart measures major trophies won by English football clubs, since the first FA Cup Final, in 1872, up to the 2008 Champions League Final of 21st May, 2008. The clubs’ kits are shown in descending size, to represent major trophies won.

Six different titles are represented, with three of these titles given half weight.

The 3 titles given full weight are… 1. FA Cup, 1872-2008 [official name: the Football Association Challenge Cup]. 2. English First Division Title, 1890-1992/ Premier League Title, 1993-2008). 3. European Cup, 1956-1992/ UEFA Champions League Title, 1993-2008.

The 3 titles given half-weight are… 4. League Cup, 1961-2008 [official name: the Football League Cup]. 5. Fairs Cup, 1958-1971 [the official name was the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup]/ UEFA Cup, 1972-2008. 6. UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, 1961-1999 [defunct].

Shown are the top 26 currently existing League clubs. When two or more clubs were tied on total weighted trophies (ie, 2 points for League Title, FA Cup, or Champions League Title; 1 point for League Cup, UEFA Cup, or Cup Winners’ Cup), I listed the most recent title-winner first. This occurred four times: between #’s 10.-11., #’s 12.-13., #’s 18.-21., and #’s 23.-24.

Defunct, or Amatuer/ Non-League clubs who won FA Cups in the 19th Century are listed at the far right, bottom. The first FA Cup took place on 16th March, 1872 {see this}. The match was won by Wanderers FC {see this}, who hailed from Battersea Park, south-west London. They defeated Royal Engineers 1-0, at Kennington Oval, in Lambeth, south London. There were less than 2,000 spectators. Here is a nice account, from the FA- CupFinals site [Note, when you click to the site, go to the blue bar at far left, and click on "1870s" below the 'Final Details' list {Click here}.

As it happens, every football club that has won the English Title made the top 26. [On the list of trophies below each club's kit, the English Title is referred to as "League Title".] Two clubs that have never won the English Title are in the top 26: Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United. The Trotters have won the FA Cup 4 times, the last a half-century ago in 1958. Bolton’s highest league finish was one season later, in 1959, when they finished in 4th place. They did manage a 6th place finish in 2005. The Hammers have won 3 FA Cups (their last in 1980) and a Cup Winners’ Cup (in 1965); the East London club’s best league finish was 5th place in 1999.

There are 9 currently existing clubs that have won just one FA Cup, but no other major trophies. They are listed at the far right of the chart, at the top. There are similarly 9 clubs that have won League Cups, but no other major trophies, including Leicester City, who have won the League Cup 3 times, and Norwich City, winners of this trophy twice (see far right, center).

All kits are up to date, for the 08/09 season.

Thanks to the Colours Of Football site (http://www.colours-of-football.com), for the kits.

Thanks to the Albion Road site {Click here}, for fact-checking…which is a way of saying thanks to Jeremy for convincing me that I should include the Cup Winners’ Cup titles in the chart.

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November 2, 2008

NCAA Division I-A/ Football Bowl Subdivision, the SEC: Attendance map (2007 figures) and Team Profiles.

Filed under: NCAA Gridiron Football,NCAA/fb-SEC — admin @ 6:30 am

I have decided to re-visit the College Football Conference Maps that I made last November and December. I have begun with the SEC, or Southeastern Conference, the home of the National Champions: the LSU Tigers.

Southeast Conference /Football site, with standings {Click here}.

BCS Standings and AP Poll (ESPN site) {Click here}.

Here is the list of SEC Conference Champions {Click here}.

At the top right of each team’s box, I listed pertinent information from last season, including final rankings and bowl outcomes (if applicable). At the top left of each team’s box, there is each team’s helmet logo (or in the case of Alabama, the typeface of the number on the helmet). Below that is a potted history of each school’s football program, starting with the school’s name, their current head coach, the date of the school’s establishment, and the school’s current enrollment. Then there are listed a few dates that were high points of the school’s football program. The final line lists Conference Titles (Southwest Conference Titles are listed for Arkansas; ACC Titles are listed for South Carolina…these two schools joined the SEC in 1992). Finally, in the bottom right hand side of each box, there are 2 or 3 throwback and/or alternate logos, or old football helmets, with dates.

In the map section, just below the 2007 attendance figures, is the list of SEC Titles, by team. I have made the list of Conference Titles only SEC-specific, as opposed to last year, when I included titles from the earlier conferences that these teams were in (that nobody really cares about). Those conferences were the Southern Intercollegiate Association (circa 1895-1921), and the old Southern Conference (circa 1922-1932). The SEC was formed in 1932, when 13 members of the Southern Conference, who were all located west and south of the Appalachian Mountains, left to form their own conference. The first season of SEC football was in 1933.

10 of those original 13 SEC teams are still in the conference. The schools that have since left are: Tulane (now in Conference USA), Georgia Tech (now in the ACC), and Suwanee (now in Division III). As mentioned above, in 1991, the SEC added 2 members, Arkansas and South Carolina, who both began play in 1992. Also in 1992, the SEC began the two-division set-up, which includes the SEC Championship Game {see this}. This conference championship game was the first of it’s kind in the American college football scene; since then, several other conferences have followed suit. Division I Conferences that now have a playoff final are: The Big 12, the ACC, the Big East, Conference USA, and the MAC. The SEC is the only college football conference with it’s own television contract, with CBS, and it has the most lucrative deal {see this}.

Here is a nice site I just came across, which has a page with 17 of the largest stadiums in college football; included are these SEC teams’ stadia: Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Auburn, and Alabama {Click here (the College Football By Charlie site) }.

Finally, as any regular viewer of this site knows, I am a fool for old and obscure logos and uniforms. Here are some nice old helmets of SEC teams, from the cool site Helmet Hut…Click on the following names (and then click on the date under each helmet): Alabama. Arkansas. Auburn. Florida. Georgia. LSU. Ole Miss. South Carolina. Tennessee. Helmet Hut rules.

Thanks to the nameless contibutors to the SEC conference and SEC football teams’ pages on Wikipedia {Click here}. Thanks to the Helmet Hut site {Click here}. Thanks to the NationalChamps.net site, and it’s all-time database section {Click here}. Thanks to the CBS Sports /College Football site {Click here}.

Thanks to The Helmet Project site {Click here}.

Comments (8)

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