Retired Iowa Sports Information Director Steve Roe to be Honored by Walter Camp Foundation

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Recently retired University of Iowa associate athletic director of athletic communications Steve Roe will be honored by the Walter Camp Football Foundation at its 57th annual National Awards Dinner on March 16.

The Walter Camp Sports Communicator award is named in memory of Bill Keish, who was a longtime Foundation member and chairman of the public relations committee. The award originated as the Foundation’s “Media Appreciation” award. It was awarded to local sports media professionals in recognition of their contributions on behalf of the WCFF. It has recently been expanded to a broader scope, recognizing contributions to sports communications.    Roe joins former USC sports communicator Tim Tessalone as recipients of the award.

Roe retired last July after 33-plus years of service at Iowa. He joined the Iowa staff as an assistant SID in September of 1990 and assumed the department’s top position in 2011 after roles as assistant and associate sports information director.

During that time, Roe helped promote a litany of Walter Camp All-Americans, including 15 First Team selections and 11 Second Team honorees.

Last summer, Roe was inducted into the College Sports Communicators’ Hall of Fame.

Prior to Iowa, Roe worked at Drake University as SID (1985-88) and at Northwestern State (La.) as head SID (1980-85).

University at Albany’s Greg Gattuso Named Walter Camp 2023 Football Championship Subdivision Coach of the Year

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University at Albany’s Greg Gattuso has been selected as Walter Camp’s 2023 Football Championship Subdivision Coach of the Year.  This is the first year the Walter Camp Foundation has given this award.

Under Gattuso’s leadership, UAlbany’s 2023 season was the best in program history.  The Great Danes finished with an 11-4 overall record, going 7-1 in the highly competitive Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). UAlbany claimed its first-ever conference title, sharing it with Villanova and Richmond.   The Great Danes defeated Villanova midway through the season, 31-10 at home, and took down Richmond, 41-13, in the second round of the FCS Playoffs.

UAlbany was awarded the NCAA’s #5 seed in the FCS playoffs and earned a first-round bye.  Following its second-round win over Richmond, the Great Danes traveled to #4 Idaho and defeated the Vandals, 30-22.  UAlbany’s 2023 season came to an end in the semifinals, falling to top-seeded and eventual national champion, South Dakota State.

Up front, UAlbany led the nation in team sacks – led by Walter Camp FCS All-America defensive end Anton Juncaj (15.0 sacks). Juncaj finished as the nation’s leader in sacks, and finished fifth in the Buck Buchanan Award voting.

Gattuso was also named CAA Coach of the Year, FCS Football Central Coach of the Year and ECAC Coach of the Year in 2023.  Gattuso has been the head coach at UAlbany for 10 seasons, and previously was the head coach at Duquesne University (97-32 record, 12 years) and served as an assistant coach at Maryland and his alma mater Penn State, where he played for the Nittany Lions and graduated in 1983.

Gattuso will be honored along with FCS Player of the Year Jaden Shirden (Monmouth, along with the members of the 2023 Walter Camp FBS All-America Team, Player of Year Jayden Daniels (LSU), Coach of Year Kalen DeBoer (Washington… now at Alabama) and Connecticut Players of the Year Tyler Van Dyke and Justin Barron at the Foundation’s 57th National Awards Gala on Saturday, March 16 in New Haven.   National Awards Gala tickets are $350 and available at https://waltercamp.org/product/awards-dinner/

Walter Camp, “The Father of American football,” first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp – a former Yale University athlete and football coach – is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team.  Visit www.waltercamp.org for more information.

 

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Former St. Joseph (HS) and Monmouth University Standout Jaden Shirden Named Walter Camp 2023 FCS Player of the Year

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Former St. Joseph High School and Monmouth University running back Jaden Shirden (West Haven, CT) has been selected as Walter Camp’s 2023 Football Championship Subdivision Player of the Year.  This is the first year the Walter Camp Foundation has given this award.

Shirden, the two-time Colonial Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Year, finished the 2023 regular season as the nation’s leading rusher for the second consecutive season.  Entering the year at seventh on Monmouth’s all-time rushing yardage list, Shirden’s 1,478 yards on the ground in 2023 saw him rise to third, and his 10 touchdowns on the season brought him into the program’s top-10.  The junior notched seven 100+ rushing yard games including two games eclipsing the 250 mark.

Shirden’s biggest game came at home on October 14 against Hampton where he ran for 276 yards and scored a career-best four touchdowns – including a 63-yard score and 72-yard score – on 16 carries. Two weeks later at nationally-ranked William & Mary, Shirden ran for two touchdowns while notching 251 yards on 21 carries.

Shirden, who finished third in the Walter Payton Award voting, announced he was declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft in December.

Shirden played scholastically for head coach Joe DellaVecchia at St. Joseph High School in Trumbull.   Shirden was a two-time Walter Camp All-Connecticut honoree and led the Cadets to the 2019 Class L state title.

Shirden will be honored, along with the members of the 2023 Walter Camp All-America Team, Player of Year Jayden Daniels (LSU), Coach of Year Kalen DeBoer (Washington… now at Alabama) and Connecticut Players of the Year Tyler Van Dyke and Justin Barron at the Foundation’s 57th National Awards Gala on Saturday, March 16 in New Haven.   National Awards Gala tickets are $350 and available at https://waltercamp.org/product/awards-dinner/

Walter Camp, “The Father of American football,” first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp – a former Yale University athlete and football coach – is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team.