Many of you may be wondering why I was away for the past week! This was the reason why I have been away for the past week! God sent an angel down on Sunday morning October 19th 2008 while my father Joe Lewis Ferrell, Senior was getting ready to go to church and said, "It's time to come home son". The lord knocked on my dad's door and said "Let's go my wonderful servant". My father Joe Lewis Ferrell, Senior passed away at his home in Roanoke, Virgina on the morning of Sunday, October 19, 2008! He was 57 years young! He is survived by his wife, my stepmother Iris Virginia ferrell; my mother Catherine Ferrell, my brother Joe Lewis Ferrell, Jr. Myself, his son Jermaine L. Ferrell, my sisters Ellen C. Ferrell and Christy L. Ferrell. His loving and devoted mother, Geneva Ferrell Harris; sisters, Mary Ferrell,  Tuesday and Wednesday Ferrell brothers, James Ferrell and Joe Cephus Ferrell, Jr. Ralph Harris. He touched so many people in so many ways! He was on of my biggest cheerleaders! Dad would tell people how proud he was of his kids My dad would give you his last! If you needed $100 and all he had was $50 he would find the other $50! I would like to thank Hamlar-Curtis Funeral Home and Greater Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Roanoke, Virginia! Everyone who sent their flowers and condolences during my families loss and my absense! My family here at KAUZ and Midwestern State University! For checking in on me and my family! I love you all for you concern! One thing I would like to tell everyone out there! If you are lucky enough to have your parents please tell them that you love them everyday! Call them and tell them that you love them! Dad and mom, I love you and Pop, I know that I will see you again!

Hello everyone! I have to give a big salute to the 5 fall sports that Midwestern State competes in!

First up, volleyball!

The volleyball team is ranked 23rd in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll! Last week they made an appearance in the poll for the first time in the programs history! The team is 18-0! If you let head coach Venera Flores-Stafford tell it, they are actually 3-0(Lone Star Conference record)! Other historic milestones this season so far, the 18-0 start is by far the best in MSU history, the 18 straight wins and counting shatters the record of 16 straight in 1989 & 1995! And Allison Schreiber got her 5,000 assist! This weekend the Mustangs get a test as they play in the Washburn Invitational in Topeka, Kansas! 3 of their 4 opponents are ranked( # 4 Washburn, #11 Truman State, and #12 Emporia State)! If MSU plays like they have all season look out Washburn Invitational teams!!!!!!!

Next Football

The # 21 ranked Mustangs are 4-0, (3-0 in the LSC, 1-0 in the LSC South)! MSU entered the season with a lot of questions especially on offense! The team had to replace all do everything quarterback Daniel Polk! So far the O has struggled at times but on the defensive side of the ball they are championship caliber! MSU has scored 2 defensive touchdowns, and forced 13 turnovers and Herman "Winky" Walker has 4 of the teams 7 interceptions! Plus the team has had to come from behind to win their games! Head Coach Bill Maskill says because the team is so young they don't know any better! Nothing phases this team! And that could be a good thing! The stangs get a test as they travel to Canyon to play #6 West Texas A&M Saturday! MSU lost the last three games in this series by a total of 10 points! If the defense plays as hard as they have this year, the Buffs will get a big challenge from the stangs!

Next Men's Soccer!

The number 3 Stangs had to replace 24 goals from Daniel Brown and they have scored goals by committee! Craig Sutherland and Kyle Kmiec each scored 5 goals! Not surprising is the team 6-1 start! Last year they got a taste of the final four now the teams wants to get back to the dance! This team has a lot of fun together! Head Coach Doug Elder is the best coach in the Division II men's soccer ranks! He has continued the soccer tradition at MSU! Midwestern State has a tough test against #18 Saint Edwards Friday!

Next Women's Soccer

Jeff Trimble's women's soccer team was on a Rocky Mountain High as they got a pair of wins in Colorado! A pleasant surprise has been Freshman Kelsey Hill! The former Rider star leads the team with 7 goals! She picking up where she left off from her high school days! Those wins are good prep work for the conference for the Mustangs!

Last but not least Women's Cross Country

Head Coach Koby Styles has taken the Cross Country team to a national level! The team is ranked 24th! The first national ranking! Plus the runners freshman Kayla Hendrix, junior Katie Stepp, freshman Lindsey Pate and junior Andrea Borgman shattered the program 5K record. The team hosted and won their first meet ever! The skies the limit for the runners!

As September winds down, it has been a great month for the Fall athletic teams! We can only hope that October will be just as good and fun!!!!!!

 

Hello everyone!!!! If you missed last night's Monday Night Football Game, shame on you! However, for us lucky ones who saw the game, WOW! This was a heavyweight fight between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles! The last two times the Eagles came to Texas Stadium they flew out with a win! Last night was a different ball game as America's Team outlasted Philly 41-37! This was a see saw affair! Early on Philly moved the ball and got field goals, while Dallas scored TD's from T.O. (Terrell Owens 72 yard TD catch)and Felix Jones 98 yard kickoff return for a TD! 14-6 Dallas! Then Tony Romo throws a bad interception that led to a TD. Then Jessica Simpson's man fumbled the ball away twice in the end zone for a Philly TD. 20-14 Eagles. Now its another Romo-T.O. T.D. 21-20 Cowboys! Then a bone head play by Eagles rookie DeSean Jackson losing a touchdown catch because he flicked the ball backward before crossing the goal line! Luckily, Brian Westbrook saved Jackson's bacon! I was worn out at halftime 30-24 Eagles! Second half the Dallas defense clamped down to only give up a touchdown! While Marion Barber scored a pair of TD's! Four second half plays standout for me! McNabb and Westbrook fumbled the exchange as the Eagles were driving that led to a Cowboys score! Romo's overthrow of Barber that would have given Dallas a first down and the win! Then DeMarcus Ware's big sack on 3rd down and the stop on 4th down led to the win! What a way to send Texas Stadium out on the last Monday Night Football game for the stadium!

Here are a few memorable moments of Monday Night Football games at Texas Stadium:

-Oct. 30, 1972: Cowboys 28, Lions 24; Craig Morton threw for 206 yards and three TDs in the first Monday night game at year-old Texas Stadium. The stadium had opened midway through the 1971 season, after the Cowboys' final home game at the Cotton Bowl was a 20-13 victory over the Giants on a Monday night.

-Nov. 14, 1977: St. Louis Cardinals 24, Cowboys 17. Jim Hart threw two fourth-quarter TDs and the Cardinals handed Dallas its first loss after an 8-0 start. The Cowboys still went on to win their second Super Bowl title.

-Sept. 4, 1978: Cowboys 38, Baltimore Colts 0. Roger Staubach threw four TD passes in the most lopsided Monday night game at Texas Stadium. Tony Dorsett had 147 yards rushing and 107 receiving.

-Nov. 9, 1981: Cowboys 27, Bills 14. Tony Dorsett caught a 73-yard TD pass on the first play after halftime to break a 14-14 tie, and also ran for 117 yards.

-Sept. 9, 1986: Cowboys 31, Giants 28. Herschel Walker, who began his pro career in the USFL, ran for two touchdowns, including the winner with 1:10 left in his Cowboys debut.

-Sept. 19, 1994: Lions 20, Cowboys 17, OT. Emmitt Smith had a touchdown while carrying 29 times for 143 yards, one of his eight 100-yard games in 11 Monday night games at home, and Barry Sanders had 194 yards on 40 carries. Smith is the NFL's career rushing leader and Sanders is third on the list behind Walter Payton.

-Nov. 18, 1996: Cowboys 21, Packers 6. Chris Boniol tied an NFL record with seven field goals. (Billy Cundiff matched that record on a Monday night game Sept. 15, 2003, when his seventh in overtime gave the Cowboys a 35-32 win at the Giants.)

-Sept. 15, 1997: Cowboys 21, Eagles 20. Chris Boniol, then kicking for Philadelphia, couldn't make a 21-yard field goal on the final play because of a botched hold.

-Sept. 19, 2005: Redskins 14, Cowboys 13. Mark Brunell threw TD passes of 39 and 70 yards to Santana Moss in the final 3:46 to ruin the night the Triplets - Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin - were inducted into the team's Ring of Honor.

-Oct. 23, 2006: Giants 36, Cowboys 22. Drew Bledsoe threw an interception at the goal line with the Cowboys poised to take the lead just before halftime. Tony Romo took over, was intercepted on his first pass, but finished 14-of-25 for 227 yards with two TDs and three interceptions.

Hello everyone! There were several college games that made headlines last weekend but this one was unexpected! BYU vs. Washington! The Huskies trailed the Cougars 28-21, Washington was driving for the tying TD! Washington quarterback Joe Locker led the Huskies on a 17 play, 76 yard drive capped by Locker's 3 yard touchdown run with 3 seconds left! After Locker scored, he flipped the ball in the air over his shoulder and celebrated with his teammates! The officials flagged Locker for unsportsmanlike conduct! The 15 yard penalty was enforced on the extra point try! The kick was blocked and BYU escapes with a 28-27 win! Here is the rule from the NCAA Rule Book:

Rule 9, Section 2, Article 1

After a score or any other play, the player in possession immediately must return the ball to an official or leave it near the dead-ball spot.

This prohibits:

(a) Kicking, throwing, spinning or carrying (including off of the field) the ball any distance that requires an official to retrieve it.

(b) Spiking the ball to the ground [Exception: A forward pass to conserve time (Rule 7-3-2-d)].

(c) Throwing the ball high into the air.

(d) Any other unsportsmanlike act or actions that delay the game.

By rule, Locker should have been penalized, but refs lets use some common sense! Locker was excited to score the touchdown! The toss in the air wasn't planned! He just threw it up in excitement! He scored the tying toucdown! I think it should be a judgement call!  Pac-10 referee Larry Farina said the officials had no choice but to throw the flag. "After scoring the touchdown, the player threw the ball into the air, and we are required, by rule, to assess a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty," Farina said in a statement delivered to Washington officials. "It was not a judgment call."

Farina, wake up! It is a Judgement Call! In the rule book it says "throwing the ball high in the air"! How high is high? That's a judgement! Let's get real! Let the kids have fun! If it is a planned celebration, I could see the penalty! But when it is not planned, come on let him celebrate!

Plus here is another thing, I hear that BYU supports the call! Surprise, surprise of course they would it benefits them! I bet you a dozen donuts if the flag wasn't thrown, BYU would not have even made notice to the toss! The BYU coach said rules are rules! He agrees with the call! Bottom line, use you head officials!

Hello everyone! The 27th annual Hotter N' Hell Hundred was once again a success! It was real cool to cover! To see the mass of cyclists taking on the course year in and year out is amazing! When you have riders and racers of all ages live out a dream in being in this event, it is special! Participants have various reasons why they are in the HH 100! What ever the reason, just being in the event shows a lot of guts and determination! For me, it is pridefull to see the participants give their all to say "I completed the HH 100". If you had any part in the largest ride/race in the county, I give you a salute for your efforts! Remember the event is 9 days before Labor Day every year!

Hello everyone! Last night, I got an email from a nice person about our high school football coverage! The viewer wanted to know why there was not any coverage on a particular school! She claims we hear about certain other schools but not the school she supports! I responded back and emailed to her we did do a preview last week on her school! I don't know if she missed the preview but I told her to go to our website and it will be there! I can't speak for all of the media outlets in our area but from my perspective we do not play favorites to any particular school! I plead not guilty of the charge of playing favorites! I want all of our area teams to do well this football season! I have to admit when we get to the playoffs I do root for our local teams to win unless there are two local teams playing one another then I root for a good game! As far as coverage of all the area high schools, we try to cover as many of the teams as we can! From a logicists standpoint it is tough to cover every single team but I feel we do the best job we can under the circumstances! Remember, we don't play favorites here at KAUZ!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello everyone! Its that time of the year! Monday, August 4th was like Christmas Day for high school football players and coaches as two a-day practices began for teams that didn't have spring practice! Rider and Wichita Falls High School will get into the practice routine Monday, August 11th! In the early part of August, you see teams fired up and feeling they have a chance to win a state title! I went to the first known practice in the area Monday Morning at 12:01 at Iowa Park! Having a practice that early was a good thing because it was around 80 degrees! The spirit and the excitement was real and genuine!

This leads me to talk about an exciting time for KAUZ as we will have 30 minutes of Frenzy! Friday Football Frenzy that is! The high school football highlight show debuts August 22nd at 10:25! The first show will give you a preview of the 2008 High School Football Season! I have to give so much credit to a pair of guys that kicked off extensive high school football coverage on Friday Nights in the fall at Channel 6! Andy Austin and Chris Horgen started and carried on the show called "The Friday Night High School Football Update." Even though the show this year is reborn under the name Friday Football Frenzy, it will still carry on the tradition and excellence of great coverage that Andy and Chris displayed over the years! Again thanks Andy and Chris! I will have more on the show in future blogs and on Channel 6! 

Guys if you are out at a game and you see our staff of photographers say hi! Also feel free to call in the final scores! (940) 322-1146! We will definately take them! By the way I wish all off the team a successful 2008 high school football season! I feel this could be a banner year for teams making a run for the state title! Since I have been here at KAUZ(2002) we have teams win and compete for state titles in every year except 1(2004)

2002-Class A Petrolia 39, Celeste 18

2003-Class A Windthorst 28, Shiner 27

2005-6 Man Throckmorton 68, Turkey Valley 22

2006-Class A Chilton 20, Windthorst 10 

2006-6 Man Division II Northside 60, Jayton 41

2007-Class A Division I Alto 22, Seymour 0

2007-Class A Division II Munday 26, Bremond 6

2007-6 Man Division II Motley County 44, Woodson 38

Several teams in our area have a chance to join the list!!!! Good luck this season footballers!

 

Hello everyone! People ask me all the time,"Why do you salute at the end of a newscast?" There are several reasons why I do it! The big reason is to honor all of the past, present and future military members! It is a sign of respect! For those who don't know, I was in the Army for 8 years! So, saluting is something I have done for nearly a quarter of my life! We have gotten calls about people, particularly military vets that have a problem with the salute! However, there are more people in the community that are proud of the salute! I feel that it is a sign of respect not disrespect! I wear an American flag lapel pin on suits as a sign of respect for the military and the country! Again, I want to stress that I am not saluting just to be saluting! I salute as a sign of respect! I hope you all have a great day!

Hello everyone! There have been several braodcaster influences in my 10 year broadcasting career! I will share them with you over the next few blog entries! I want to focus on two men who I have looked up to when I was growing up in Roanoke, Virginia! These guys kept it real on the air at "Your Hometown Station" WDBJ Channel 7, CBS Affiliate in Roanoke! First person I would like to talk about is the late great Roy Stanley! Roy spent 30 years at WDBJ as a sports reporter and anchor before his untimely passing in 2002. I think about Roy every day especially when I get up on the set and do a sportscast! A picture of Roy taken by my stepfather at Victory Stadium(the place where we played high school football games in Roanoke) is on my desk! Roy was not only a great broadcaster but a great person! I remember a story he told me about applying for a job at a TV station this was in the early 70's and being told "we are not hiring blacks today". That station's loss was WDBJ's gain for 30 great years. I remember times when he would cover my football games and track meets at Patrick Henry High School. He was such a role model for young people! Roy would make time to talk to anyone! I remember one conversation I had with him about the broadcasting industry! I asked him what it would take to be successful. He told me to just keep it real and be yourself! Those are the words that speaks volumes! And it meant so much to me! We were all lucky to have Roy touch us all in so many ways! He's an icon in this industry! Big Roy, I miss you and if I can be half the broadcaster and person you were, then I know I did something right! 

Now, I would like to say a few things about Roy's tag team partner at WDBJ, Mike Stevens. Mike did his last broadcast July 30th. He is moving on to become the director of communications at Salem, Virginia! Mike joined WDBJ's sports department in 1985 and shortly there after became sports director. WDBJ devoted their entire 6:00 newscast that night to Mike! My earliest memory of Mike was in 1984! I was 10 years old! I would be getting ready for school and we had the radio on K92 FM. Mike was a radio guy then! He would give us sports scores and stories! His voice would stay in my brain at a young age. Then when he made the jump from radio to TV, it was cool to put a face with the voice. Another memory of Mike was in 1992, when he produced a 30 minute special honoring outgoing Roanoke mayor Noel Taylor. Taylor decided not to run for office again after being mayor from 1975-1992. As usual, Mike's work on the special was second to none. I called up Mike one day in June of this year and it was 5:30 p.m. (which in the broadcasting world is considered crunch time because its 30 minutes before the 6:00 p.m newscast). He took time out to take my call. I asked him how I could get a hold of Tiki Barber about helping me with the Martin Luther King Scholarship Prayer. Mike pointed me in the direction I needed to go. Then while I had him on the line, I asked him how to be an effective sports director. Mike gave me great advice! I was so honored he took the time to talk to me! When I told him I love the way he covered sports and I took a few of his ideas on sports coverage and applied it to my job, he told me he was flattered. Then a few weeks later, I heard he was leaving WDBJ after a great 23 year career. Mike took sports coverage to another level! He made Friday Football Extra(the high school football highlight show) an icon and an institution! When I heard the original theme music to the show, it was so cool and fun! Truth be told, it fired me up! In my opinion Mike gave viewers and fans sports coverage in a big time way! He is a class act and I will never forget the time he gave me in June. Mike has touched so many people in Southwest and Central Virginia. Mike surely touched me in the way I do sports. He touched me in the way to conduct myself as a broadcaster and a person! Right now at WDBJ, the tradition is being carried on by Martinsville native and new sports director Travis Wells and Roanoke native Grant Kittelson! These guys already do a great job and will continue the standards set by Mike and Roy!

I know Roy is looking down on me in heaven proud of me! To Mike, it was a pleasure watching you for nearly two-thirds of my life(I'm 34!) Roy Stanley and Mike Stevens, two guys that greatly influenced my broadcasting career! For that, I owe you guys a big thank you! 

 

Hello everyone out there! We had a stationwide meeting today! To say it was emotional would be an understatement! Our general manager Mike DeLier talked about the state of the station. He praised every single department at KAUZ! He praised the efforts and the hard work every KAUZ employee has put out day in and day out! He also praised the hard work that translated to our May ratings. The ratings were some of the best numbers this station has had in several years. All of the department heads got up to talk about what's going on in each department. Then all of the anchors got a chance to speak infront of the station. After Chris Horgen gave a great speech about all of the efforts put on by everyone, it was my turn to chime in. Let me tell you something about the what I had to say, it was emotional! While I was speaking, I thought about when I joined the station in May 2002! I thought about all of the great people here and that have left. Then when I hear we got some of the best May ratings in several years it really hit me! I spoke about all of the hard work people have put into the station! I would never trade the people I work with for anyone else! We have a team of winners. When you see the on air talent do their thing on the air, it would not be possible without the people you don't see on camera. The production staff, the photographers, producers, engineering, traffic, sales, web site personel, creative services, all of the station people is what makes this a great working experience! I love them all and I am thankful for everyting they do! I also would like to thank the viewers for watching us grow and progress into the up and coming station in Texoma! Have a great day!