Florida Sports Wire

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Armada FC, Jacksonville's new North American Soccer League team, announced the signing of veterans Pascal Millien and David Sierra. The additions of Millien and Sierra bring the Armada FC's official first team roster count to 14. Millien joins Jaime Castrillón, Marcos Flores, Lucas Rodriguez and Nico Zaldana at midfield while Sierra joins the goalkeeper mix with Miguel Gallardo. "Pascal and David are strong additions to our squad," said Armada FC General Manager Dario Sala. "They fit in well with our style of play, and I expect their experience against good competition to help our team continue to get better."

The Jacksonville Sharks have announced the schedule of Theme Nights and promotions for the upcoming 2015 season.  The Sharks will again offer a variety of themes decided to encourage fan participation and deliver the ultimate fan experience at Sea Best Field. In addition, the team will incorporate a number of Appreciation Nights and other initiatives to directly benefit the Jacksonville community. The Sharks’ 2015 home slate opens on Friday, April 3 against the Orlando Predators. Our home opener will mark the return of Redneck Night, our annual tongue-in-cheek payback for a billboard originally put up by Orlando. Tree camo and cutoff shirts are in style, as we will open the season with a statement against our division rivals! On Friday, April 17, the San Jose SaberCats make their way to the Shark Tank for the return of Shark-A-Ritaville. After a year off the schedule, this popular theme is back and better than ever! We’ll turn Sea Best Field into a tropical paradise as we enjoy some

North Florida's Jack Findel-Hawkins went 2-0 against ranked competition last week to earn the Atlantic Sun Conference Men's Tennis Player of the Week award, announced by the league office on Wednesday. Findel-Hawkins earns his fourth career A-Sun Player of the Week following two straight set victories over No. 73 College of Charleston in the Ospreys only event of the week. In the No. 1 doubles match, Findel-Hawkins teamed up with Norbert Nemcsek for a convincing 6-3 victory.  The win clinched the doubles point for North Florida. In singles competiton, Findel-Hawkins was the first match to finish and clinch another point for the Ospreys. He defeated Rodrigo Encinas in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 to put the Ospreys on track to a 7-0 team victory. The Osprey sophomore is now ranked No. 28 in doubles with Nemcsek and No. 72 in singles this week.   

JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville Sharks announced Tuesday the team has added another veteran free agent, as offensive lineman Nyere Aumaitre has been assigned to the Jacksonville roster on a one-year contract. The 29-year-old Aumaitre (6’4”, 325) is set for his fifth season in the Arena Football League, most recently spending the past two years with the New Orleans VooDoo.  Limited to just three starts during the 2014 season, Aumaitre was in the starting lineup 14 times during the 2013 season. Prior to his time with the VooDoo, Aumaitre made 12 starts along the offensive line as a member of the Cleveland Gladiators in 2012. Aumaitre first broke into the League with the Philadelphia Soul in 2011, making 14 starts during his rookie campaign. Over the course of his 43 career starts, Aumaitre has hauled in a total of seven receptions for 86 yards and two touchdowns in addition to his primary blocking duties.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Armada FC, Jacksonville's new professional soccer team, announced today the hiring of highly-experienced Argentinian coach Guillermo Hoyos (Gee-ler-moe Hoy-oss) to work alongside current head coach José Luis Villarreal.  Hoyos holds an impressive pedigree as a soccer player and coach including coaching international soccer superstar Lionel Messi at FC Barcelona B. Hoyos and Villarreal, close friends who have previously worked together, will serve the Armada FC as co-head coaches, working together to guide the team both strategically and in player development as the team begins play in the 2015 North American Soccer League this spring. Together, Villarreal and Hoyos bring a combined 67 years of professional playing and coaching experience to Jacksonville.Guillermo The Armada FC also announced that it is adding three experienced assistant coaches to its coaching staff: Colombian Edison Ibarra (E-bar-ra), Venezuelan Rafael Perez Niño (Neen-yoh) a

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Joe Weatherly’s time in NASCAR’s premier series was short, just two fulltime seasons. But what an impact the Norfolk, Virginia, native had on NASCAR racing in those brief, 24 months. Weatherly, previously a winner of American Motorcyclist Association and NASCAR modified titles, claimed back-to-back premier series championships in 1962-63. He posted 25 victories in 229 starts before his untimely death in January 1964 at Riverside (California) International Raceway. “He would have been as good as any that’s been along,” said one of Weatherly’s early car owners, the late, fellow Virginian Junie Donlavey. “He had quick reflexes and good equipment. He was just a natural born driver. “He would have been right there with all the greats. He was that good.” Weatherly also was one of the sport’s characters, a one-of-a-kind practical joker whose antics off the racing surface endeared him to fans and fellow competitors and earned him the nickname “Clown Prince of R

OXFORD, Miss. - Behind a team-leading 16 points from senior guard Jarvis Summers, including two free throws with 3.5 seconds left, Ole Miss knocked off Florida 72-71 on Saturday night at Tad Smith Coliseum.  The nation’s leader in free throw percentage, the Rebels (12-7, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) went 16-of-19 from the line, and none were bigger than Summers’ last two makes.  “He’s an all-league player,” said head coach Andy Kennedy of Summers. “He’s been there before. We need him to carry us in those situations. We had a situation earlier in the year against Kentucky, and he settled a little bit. Tonight, he did a much job of attacking off the bounce, got it to his strong hand and stepped up and made two huge free throws.” Three players scored in double figures off the bench, as the Ole Miss bench outscored the Florida bench 40-19. Senior guard LaDarius White led the way with 13 points. Senior guard Terence Smith finished with 11 points, knocking down three 3-pointers, and so

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - - The North Florida men's basketball team outlasted Northern Kentucky, 74-66, on Thursday night at The Bank of Kentucky Center to extend their current win streak to five games while remaining unblemished in Atlantic Sun Conference play. The Ospreys (12-9, 4-0 A-Sun) established a new program record for best start in Atlantic Sun competition after collecting their first ever win at NKU (8-11, 2-2). Sophomore Chris Davenport, who made his return to the UNF lineup after missing the team's last game, finished with a season-best 24 points on 7-of-9 shooting and Beau Beech hit a late three-pointer to squelch a late surge by the Norse. Beech's trey stretched the Ospreys lead to 65-58 with 2:10 left and North Florida made 7 of 10 free throws in the final minute to hold on for the team's third conference road win of the year. Dallas Moore added 19 points and Beech chipped in 14 points and seven rebounds. Chad Jackson had 26 points, Jalen Billups s

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Jacksonville never trailed in regulation, but was unable to come away with a win at Atlantic Sun leading Lipscomb on Thursday as the Bisons snuck by the Dolphins 80-77 in double overtime. Lipscomb, which improved to 4-0 in league play, out scored Jacksonville (7-14; 1-3 A-Sun) 14-11 in the decisive overtime period with nine points from the foul line. Andris Misters (22) and Kori Babineax (21) and Josh Adeyeye (20) all had over 20 points for the Dolphins which held a 14 point, 35-21 lead at halftime. In the first half, Jacksonville held Lipscomb to 34 percent shooting. A 12-3 run to close the half was fueled by five points from Misters and a three-pointer from Marcel White. "Proud of the way our guys came out ready to play tonight," said Head Coach Tony Jasick. "We’re making progress in our process. I wish it wasn’t such a process, but we are improving. We battled tonight and have to continue to get better." The Bisons caught fire

As expected the Jacksonville Jaguars  hired of Greg Olson as offensive coordinator and brought on Doug Marrone as assistant head coach-offense/offensive line coach. “I’m really excited about the additions of Greg Olson and Doug Marrone to our coaching staff,” Bradley said. “We always talk about wanting a great fit for our team and that also includes our coaching staff. Both Greg and Doug bring a wealth of experience and both possess the qualities that we want in our organization.  Greg is a veteran coach that is very detailed and will work hard to develop our players on the offensive side of the ball. Doug has a ton of experience coaching the offensive line and a strong background in developing players. I think he and Luke Butkus will feed off each other and make each other stronger.” “I want to thank Shad Khan, David Caldwell and Gus Bradley for giving me this opportunity,” Olson said. “Gus and I spent a lot of time together over the last week as I learned about his vision and

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.   -  The Armada FC, Jacksonville's new North American Soccer League team, made another splash on Wednesday with the signing of former Australian A-League and Chinese Super League attacking midfielder Marcos Flores (MAR-khos FLOOR-es), pending international clearance approval. Flores, a 29-year-old from Reconquista, Argentina, brings his impressive overseas resume to the Armada FC after spending five years in the Australian top division A-League and a short period in the Chinese Super League. He comes to Jacksonville after spending the 2014 season with the Australian A-League's Newcastle Jets. "I want to thank Mark Frisch and Dario Sala for this great opportunity," Flores said. "I am very excited to bring my experience and strong work ethic to Jacksonville. I cannot wait to start contributing to the team and connecting with the Northeast Florida community." Flores' honors include an 2011 A-League Goal of the Year, 2011 Adelaide U

JACKSONVILLE  – The Jacksonville Sharks announced that veteran quarterback Tommy Grady has joined the team, as Grady has been assigned to the Jacksonville roster on a one-year contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. “We just got a lot better as a team today. Every championship team that I’ve been a part of has had great competition at every position, and great competition brings out the best in great competitors,” Sharks head coach Les Moss said. "We are very excited to have Tommy become part of our organization this season, as he has an established track record of being an elite quarterback in this league. We are glad to have Tommy as the latest addition to the talented roster that we are continuing to build to win the ArenaBowl in 2015.” The 29-year-old Grady (6’7”, 240), has firmly established himself as one of the Arena Football League’s top quarterbacks, earning League MVP honors during an incredible 2012 season with the Utah Blaze.  That year, Gr

Mobile, Ala. -- Former Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone will be an assistant head coach for offense and offensive line coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2015. Marrone probably expected to land a head coaching job elsewhere after he opted out of his contract with the Bills at the end of the season. He reportedly interviewed for vacancies with the Jets, 49ers, Falcons and Bears. As part of the opt-out clause, Marrone will still get paid $4 million he was due from the Bills in 2015, as well as whatever the Jaguars are paying him. The 50-year-old Marrone spent the past two seasons in Buffalo. He went 15-17 with the Bills, including a 9-7 record this past season, but the change in ownership from the Ralph Wilson Trust to Terry and Kim Pegula triggered the opt-out clause in his contract. Prior to joining the Bills, Marrone spent four seasons as the head coach at Syracuse. He served as Sean Payton's offensive coordinator in New Orleans from 2006-08 and was the New Yor

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Armada FC, Jacksonville's new professional soccer team, topped off its inaugural North American Soccer League slate on Tuesday with the announcement of the 2015 fall schedule. After a two-week break in June that follows the end of the spring season, the NASL kicks back into gear July 4 weekend. The 20-match fall slate includes 10 home dates, all of which will take place at Community First Park at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. In addition, the Armada FC has also announced additional preseason match-ups following the club's inaugural match on Feb. 7 against the Philadelphia Union at EverBank Field with matches at Community First Park against NASL foe Fort Lauderdale Strikers on Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. and USL PRO club Charleston Battery on Sunday, March 8 at 4 p.m. The Armada will also host a four-team NASL preseason challenge tournament at Jacksonville University exclusive to season ticket owners, featuring the Fort Lauderdale Stri

Former Jacksonville Expos pitcher Randy Johnson was one of four players elected on Tuesday to the 2015 Hall of Fame class for induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. Johnson is part of a talented 2015 Hall of Fame class that includes pitchers John Smoltz, Pedro Martinez, and second baseman Craig Biggio. Johnson was originally drafted by the Montreal Expos from the University of Southern California in the second round of the 1985 draft. Two years later, Johnson made his Southern League debut pitching with the Jaxpos in 1987. During his time in Jacksonville, Johnson went 11-8 with a 3.73 ERA in 24 starts. Johnson worked 140 innings with the Expos where he walked 128 batters compared to 163 strikeouts. The 1987 Jacksonville Expos, led by manager Tommy Thompson, were one of the most memorable teams in Suns' franchise history, going 85-59 in the regular season and winning the Second Half Eastern Division title. The Suns fell one game shor

Jacksonville, Fla. -- - Fullback Greg Jones signed a one-day contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday and retired with the team that drafted him in 2004. Jones spent the 2013 season with the Houston Texans after nine seasons with the Jaguars. He went to training camp with the New Orleans Saints last year before getting cut. A second-round draft pick in 2004, Jones played in 115 games with 67 starts during his tenure in Jacksonville. He blocked for Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, star running backs that made a combined four Pro Bowls. Jones rushed for 913 yards and 10 touchdowns in his career. The Florida State product also caught 73 passes for 471 yards and three scores

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The 90th East-West Shrine Game was a defensive battle showcasing the “visiting” kicker from just across Tampa Bay. The East team prevailed 19-3 in front of 22,296 at Tropicana Field. Kicker Marvin Kloss, from the University of South Florida, hit four field goals from 19, 30, 39 and 47 yards to lead Mike Singletary’s East all-stars.   Kloss added an extra point after Louisville RB Dominique Brown scored the game’s only touchdown with 27 seconds left in the game. Kloss’s performance earned The William H Coffman Award for Most Outstanding Offensive Player. Damian Parms (S, Florida Atlantic) had a pair of interceptions, including one with 4:27 left in the fourth quarter. He returned that interception 23 yards to the West’s 28 setting up the late touchdown drive. Za’Darius Smith (DL, Kentucky) was named The E. Jack Spaulding Award for Most Outstanding Defensive Player with a sack of Arizona State QB Taylor Kelly, a hurry and an afternoon of disrupting the We

FT. MYERS, Fla. - A stretch of 11 straight misses early in the second half sealed the fate of Jacksonville on Saturday as the Dolphins dropped a 79-50 Atlantic Sun contest at Florida Gulf Coast in Alico Arena. Andris Misters (19) and Kori Babineax (15) led the way combining for 34 points for Jacksonville which will continue a three-game road swing at Lipscomb and Northern Kentucky next week. "Give a lot of credit to FGCU, I thought we made it a game for 17 minutes," said Head Coach Tony Jasick. "Then they got going and we got loose defensively. Against these guys you can’t get loose on the defensive end." With Misters and Babineaux combining for 25 of the Dolphins 28 points at the break, the first half stayed tightly contested featuring six ties and five lead changes over the first 16 minutes of action. The Dolphins held a 25-22 lead following a jumper in the lane by Babineaux at 6:29.  A lay-up by Antwon Clayton tied the game again with 4:07

JACKSONVILLE –  Tomorrow, four Brazilian and German soccer powerhouses will compete in Jacksonville for the Florida Cup. The tournament matches two teams from Germany and two teams from Brazil, representing the most successful nations in the FIFA World Cup, in a double-header match day at EverBank Field. The Florida Cup will be broadcast to 215 million households in 125 countries, propelling Jacksonville onto the international stage and introducing it to viewers around the world. The teams, featuring some of the top players in the world, playing in the Florida Cup are: ·  Two-time FIFA World Champion Corinthians (BRA) featuring players Renato Augusto, Jadson “Jadson” da Silva and Nicolas Lodeiro  ·  Current Champions League Club Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER) featuring players Lars Bender and Heung-Min Son  ·   Four-time Brazilian Champion Fluminense (BRA) featuring players Frederico “Fred” Guedes and Jean “Jean” Moreira  ·   Three-time German Champion 1 FC Koln (GER) featuring play

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Armada FC, Jacksonville's new North American Soccer League team, announced on Wednesday the signing of local and regional standouts Nurdin Hrustic, Tommy Krizanovic and Nico Zaldana to its roster. The signings mark the launch of a long-term strategy by Armada FC Owner and CEO Mark Frisch and General Manager Dario Sala to stock the club with an abundance of Northeast Florida and greater Florida talent for years to come. "We are excited to announce the signing of Nurdin, Tommy and Nico," Frisch said. "This is a great day for our club because it signifies the launch of our long-term vision to have much of our roster come from the Jacksonville area and greater Florida." Sala, who himself was discovered at an open tryout before signing with Argentinian first division powerhouse San Lorenzo in 1995, believes in discovering talent through tryouts and developing a strong local talent base. "I believe in the importance o

  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida State junior linebacker Reggie Northrup will undergo surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee later this month. The Jacksonville, Fla., native injured the knee against Oregon in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. Northrup started all 14 games in 2014, leading the Seminoles and ranking fourth in the ACC with 122 tackles. He was a two-time ACC Linebacker of the Week and captured All-ACC Third Team honors this past season. For his career, Northrup has appeared in 40 games and made 178 tackles, including 7.5 TFLs.

FLORIDA SPORTS WIRE JACKSONVILLE, Fla.  – The Jacksonville Sharks announced Monday that the team has made another major addition to the team via free agency, as defensive lineman Joe Sykes has been assigned to the Jacksonville roster on a one-year contract. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. “Joe’s track record as a dominant pass rusher in this league speaks for itself,” Sharks head coach Les Moss said. “He has shown the ability to provide consistent pressure off the edge throughout his career, and we’re excited to have him lining up on our side this season.” The 32-year-old Sykes (6’5”, 290) enters his fifth Arena Football Season as perhaps the most decorated pass rusher in recent League history. He earned Riddell Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2012, won the Game Tape Exchange Defensive Lineman of the Year award in both 2012 and 2013, as was tabbed as a First Team All-Arena honoree in those two seasons as well. Most recently, Sykes played in seven games w

(JAX GOLF NEWS) -- ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. –  Pete Bevacqua, the PGA of America’s Chief Executive Officer, has been named Chairman of the World Golf Foundation (WGF)’s Board of Directors for 2015. Bevacqua succeeds Tim Finchem, Commissioner of the PGA TOUR, who served as the 2014 Board Chairman. Bevacqua became the PGA of America’s third CEO on Nov. 12, 2012. He guides the staff of the world’s largest sports organization in their dedication and service to the Association’s 28,000 men and women PGA Professionals, as well as to the golf industry. In addition to his WGF role, Bevacqua serves as a member of leadership teams for the PGA World Alliance, GOLF 20/20 Executive Committee and the International Golf Federation’s work that will return golf to the Olympic Games in 2016. Before joining the PGA of America, he served as Chief Business Officer of the United States Golf Association (USGA) and Head of Global Golf for CAA Sports. “Since joining the PGA of America over two years ago, I’

By PHIL DALY USA RUGBY LEAGUE NEWS The 25-man Leeds Rhinos squad has been boosted during their training camp in Jacksonville with the addition of two local players who are getting the chance to experience the full time training environment of a Super League club for the first time. Centres Terence Williams of the Atlanta Rhinos and Joseph Eichner from the Jacksonville Axemen, joined up with the squad on their arrival with Williams also staying at the team hotel with the group. Both Williams and Eichner are still in college and represent the next generation of players from the USA. They were both standouts during the 2014 season and both earned awards at their respective clubs due to their performance Williams joined the Atlanta Rhinos after he was noticed during a Rugby Union game when playing for Georgia Southern University. Spinner Howland was in Atlanta during the creation of the new Atlanta team and had a chance to watch a college game where it was clear that Wi

JACKSONVILLE -- The North Florida basketball team heads into Atlantic Sun Conference play on Saturday looking to build on a record-setting victory and a program record win total during non-conference play.  UNF tips off league play against rival Jacksonville in Veterans Memorial Arena at 3 p.m. The Ospreys (8-9) are coming off an offensive explosion on Tuesday night that saw UNF notch a 106-60 victory over Trinity Baptist. It marked just the second triple digit output in the program's Division I era, while the 46-point victory marked the largest margin as a Division I team.  The team established a pair of all-time program records, shooting 66.7 percent from the field and blocking 11 shots. In addition, UNF established several Division I benchmarks including 30 assists and 16 three-pointers made. Against TBC, sophomore Romelo Banks netted a career-high 26 points making 9 of 11 shots from the field to pace the UNF offense. Jacksonville enters the first of the the two regula

By STEVE KORNACKI ANN ARBOR, Mich. –   It will be a Mount Rushmore moment when Michigan hockey coach Red Berenson wins his 800th game, becoming only the fourth to accomplish that total in the college ranks. Berenson, in his 31st season, rests on 798 victories headed into this weekend's Big Ten series with Minnesota. He won NCAA championships in 1996 and 1998 amid a national-record streak of 22 NCAA Tournament appearances, reached 11 Frozen Fours and won 11 Central Collegiate Hockey Association titles. He didn't break .500 until his fourth season. But three years after that, in 1990-91, Berenson began a streak of eight straight 30-win seasons at his alma mater, and his legend grew. And now he's about to join three long-time adversaries and friends on the 800-win plateau. Current Boston College coach Jerry York, still active and at 974 victories, tops the list. Former Michigan State and Bowling Green coach Ron Mason is next at 924 wins, followed by recently-r