Ohio University’s Frank Solich to Be Keynote Speaker at OCF Awards Banquet

Columbus, Ohio – Ohio University football head coach Frank Solich will be in Columbus April 16, as the keynote speaker at the first-ever OhioCollegeFootball.com Awards Banquet.  The 6:30 p.m. banquet dinner will be held at the Holiday Inn’s Griswold Ballroom.  

The OCF Awards Banquet falls on the eve of the Inaugural OhioCollegeFootball.Com Senior Bowl which will be played at Marv Moorehead Stadium in Upper Arlington, Ohio. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.  Game and banquet tickets can be purchased online at www.OhioCollegeFootball.Com.
 
Solich, who was named Phil Steele’s Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year, will also be awarded the OCF Division I-A Coach of the Year Award at the banquet.
 
“We are delighted to have Coach Frank Solich as our keynote speaker,” said Todd Oliver, President of OhioCollegeFootball.com.  Oliver stated that during an athlete’s career, they often hear coaches speak about teamwork, integrity and loyalty to their team, school and community.  However, Coach Solich takes it to another level, as he addresses “life after football,” and “paying it forward.”
 
Solich spearheaded a remarkable turnaround for the Bobcats in 2009, leading the program to its second MAC East title in four seasons. This year’s Bobcats, picked fourth in the division in the league’s preseason voting, went 9-5 overall and 7-1 in the conference with a school-record 12 All-MAC selections and an appearance in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in Detroit, Michigan.
 
Solich is 32-31 overall and 24-16 in the league in his five seasons in Athens. He was also named the league’s Coach of the Year by the Mid-American Conference in 2006, following Ohio’s first bowl trip in 38 years.
 
Come hear Coach Solich and support Ohio’s premier athletes from all over the state as they face off in Columbus at Marv Moorhead Stadium on April 17th at 1:00 p.m. Again, Game and banquet tickets can be purchased on line at www.OhioCollegeFootball.com

 
About OhioCollegeFootball.Com:  OCF is a new sports website dedicated to bringing Ohio college football fans news, notes and information on every NCAA I, II, III and NAIA program in the state.  Fans can register for FREE and get news, information and Zips Picks emailed directly to them while interacting with fans on the Fifth Quarter Forum message board.

Photo Credit:  Associated Press

Ohio Releases 2010 Football Schedule

ATHENS, Ohio-Three regular season games on the ESPN Family of Networks highlight Ohio's 2010 football schedule that was released Monday afternoon by the MAC office.

The Bobcats, who went 9-5 and won the MAC East in 2009, will play all six of its home games by Nov. 4, the earliest the program has wrapped up its home schedule since 1979.

Ohio will host Buffalo on Thursday evening (Nov. 4, 7:30 p.m. ET) on ESPNU, before traveling to Temple for a Tuesday night (Nov. 16, 8 p.m.) affair on ESPN2. The team will wrap up the regular season with a Friday trip to Kent State (Nov. 26) for a game that could be carried on ESPNU or ESPN360.com.

Ohio's first road game will be a return trip to Columbus to take on Ohio State on Saturday, Sept. 18. The Bobcats held a 14-6 second-half lead over the Buckeyes two seasons ago and took a 14-12 lead into the fourth quarter in the schools' 2008 meeting.

Parents Weekend will be held in conjunction with Ohio's home date with Bowling Green on Saturday, Oct. 9, while Homecoming will be held the following weekend when the Bobcats take on Akron (Saturday, Oct. 16).

Ohio will kick off its season at home against Wofford on Saturday, Sept. 4 and will start its league schedule the following Saturday against Toledo. That game will be Ohio's earliest MAC home opener since the 1997 season when the Bobcats knocked off Kent State 31-7 on Aug. 28.

The Bobcats' other home date will be Saturday, Oct. 30 when the Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette come calling to Peden Stadium. This game is a return date after Ohio picked up a 31-23 victory in Louisiana on Sept. 8, 2007.

Ohio's other road contests will be Saturday, Sept. 25 at Marshall in a rematch of last season's Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, a Saturday, Oct. 2 trip to Eastern Michigan and a Saturday, Oct. 23 game at Miami.

The MAC Championship will be played Friday, Dec. 3 at Ford Field and will be carried on ESPN2. Ohio made its second league title game in four years a season ago when they squared off with eventual champion Central Michigan.

Kickoff times not listed here will be announced as soon as they become available. Per the recommendation of the MAC External Relations subcommittee and agreed upon by the full group, kick times will not be publicly released until June at the earliest.

 
Ohio University 2010 Schedule

Sept.

4          Wofford

11         Toledo

18         at Ohio State

25         at Marshall

Oct.

2          at Eastern Michigan

9          Bowling Green (Parents' Weekend)

16         Akron (Homecoming)

23         at Miami

30         Louisiana-Lafayette

Nov.

4          Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU)

16         at Temple, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN2)

26         at Kent State, TBA (ESPNU/ESPN360.com)*


*ESPN's Multiple-Game Selection Date

News Release By:  Jason Corriher, Ohio University Athletic Communications