Football Forum begins dialogue

In this issue of The Fifth Down: • President's column: Not going away • Football Forum begins dialogue • Football Forum transcripts Preseason Watch Lists: • Outland Trophy • Bronko Nagurski Trophy • All-America Checklist (.pdf)

DALLAS – For two days, some of the top coaches in college football – Ohio State's Jim Tressel, Kansas' Mark Mangino, Washington's Tyrone Willing-ham and TCU's Gary Patterson – joined athletic directors Kevin Anderson of Army and Kevin White of Notre Dame along with Florida State president Dr. T.K. Wetherell and Big 12 Conference commissioner Dan Beebe to discuss college football topics.

Approximately 30 journalists and college football officials from schools, bowls, conferences, award groups and associations were also in attendance.

The FWAA believes the 2008 Football Forum, the first to be conducted in the sport in many years, will be the spring-board to a series of discussions among the media, coaches, presidents, athletic directors, bowl and award representatives, sports information directors and other college football officials. The health of the game is a concern to all those associated with it as well as how the media interreacts with those they cover.

The off-season is a time to assess where the sport is going, how others view the recent changes that have occurred in college football and what it all means. The National Football Foundation and its sponsors provided the forum at DFW International Airport in a convenient in-and-out spot at the Grand Hyatt. The FWAA salutes those who have helped put this event together and believes it will be a staple of the college football scene.

• Read the transcripts from the 2008 Football Forum: Day 1 (May 15) | Day 2 (May 16)