Josh Alexander Meet the Golden Panthers Student Athlete Profile Name: Josh Alexander Age: 18 Height: 6-3” Weight: 270 lbs. High School: St. Joseph Academy; St. Augustine, FL High School Coach: Val Gunn High School Stats Football: Blue Chip All-American Honorable mention selection to USA Today All-America team Associated Press Class A third team All-State One of four Florida players selected to National High School Football Game in Dallas, Texas Career records: 270 tackles, 53 sacks Scholastic: Senior class president Member of National Honor Society Member of drama club Bright Futures scholar FIU announces football schedule When the Golden Panthers take to the field in 2002, seven of FIU’s 11 games will be played on the FIU University Park campus. The first challenger on Aug. 31, 2002 will be the St. Peter’s Peacocks of Jersey City, New Jersey. St. Peter’s College is a Jesuit college with more than 3,000 students and a Division 1-AA football program. The college, which is nearly 130 years old, moved its football program to Division I-AA in 1993. Last season, Saint Peter’s posted a 4-7 overall record and led the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Football League in total defense and in rushing defense. The Peacocks ranked 7th nationally in total defense, yielding 263 yards per game. Other schedule highlights include I-AA power Western Kentucky (No. 2 nationaly pre-season) and in-state rivals Bethune-Cookman, Jacksonville and Florida Atlantic. The rest of the Golden Panther football schedule is: (bold dates depict home games) 8/31 St. Peter’s College, NJ @ FIU Community Stadium 9/7 Elon University, NC @ Rhodes Stadium 9/14 Butler University, IN @ FIU Community Stadium 9/21 Bethune Cookman College, FL @ Lockhart Stadium 9/28 Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. @ FIU Community Stadium 10/12 Western Kentucky University, KY @ L.T. Smith Stadium 10/19 University of Maine, MA @ FIU Community Stadium 10/26 Gardner-Webb University, NC @ FIU Community Stadium 11/2 Jacksonville University, FL @ FIU Community Stadium 11/9 University of Albany, NY @ FIU Community Stadium 11/23 Florida Atlantic University, FL @ Pro Player Stadium

FIU announces first game When the Golden Panthers take to the field on Aug. 31, 2002, they will be going up against the St. Peter’s Peacocks of Jersey City, New Jersey. St. Peter’s College is a Jesuit college with more than 3,000 students and a Division 1-AA football program. The college, which is nearly 130 years old, moved its football program to Division I-AA in 1993. Last season, Saint Peter's posted a 4-7 overall record and led the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Football League in total defense and in rushing defense. The Peacocks ranked 7th nationally in total defense, yielding 263 yards per game. St. Peter’s will play against FAU’s Owls this season and will return to Florida next year to compete against FIU and Jacksonville University. FIU is in the process of finalizing its inaugural season schedule and should release the information in the next few months. We want to hear from you We're moving closer and closer to announcing the schedule for our first season. But before we do, we want to know at what time of day/evening you think our games ought to be played and why. Please visit the FIU Football website and take a few seconds to respond to a brief questionnaire so that we can continue to develop this program in line with the needs of our Golden Panther fans! www.football.fiu.edu

StrockTalk on the air

Don’t forget to join Don Strock for the StrockTalk radio show. StrockTalk airs every Wednesday, 6-8 p.m. on WAXY 790 AM. You can also
watch the show–live at Shula’s Steak 2 at Don Shula’s Hotel on Main Street in Miami Lakes. For more information, call 305-820-8047.

FIU defense tops offense in first public scrimmage

On a gray and rainy Saturday, the spirits of Golden Panther football fans could not be dampened. Nearly 700 showed up to witness the first public football scrimmage in FIU history.

The FIU defense won – outplaying the offense in a 21-18 victory.

“It was great to see so much support for the team,” said FIU Athletic Director Rick Mello. “It gives me great satisfaction, and it gives Coach Strock and his players a lot of energy to be out on the field with so much enthusiasm for the program.”

The scrimmage, which went on despite the cancellation of pre-scrimmage festivities due to the inclement weather, showcased a team that is really starting to come together.

Despite the impressive showing, where the defense recorded four sacks and had two fumble recoveries, injuries
did leave five Golden Panthers sidelined. The most serious injury was to freshman cornerback Daron Starks. Starks, a Miami Jackson graduate, injured his left leg during a tackle attempt on Olen Price. Other injuries included: Travis Rogue, hyper extended right knee; and George Gonzalez, sprained right knee.

Scoring highlights occurred when sophomore running back Rashod Smith broke free from the defense and scored on a 39-yard run. Running back Taurean Robinson finished with 60 yards on 15 carries. Quarterbacks Joe Fleming and David Tabor directed three offensive touchdowns combined. Fleming's first scoring drive lasted 15 plays just prior to the end of the first half. It culminated with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Joseph Struyf.

The Golden Panthers will hold their next public scrimmage on Wednesday, October 17 at 5 p.m. at the North Miami Stadium on the Biscayne Bay Campus. Other scrimmages will take place on Saturday, October 27 and Saturday, November 10, both at 3:30 p.m. in the FIU Community Stadium at the University Park campus.

Calling the shots Coach’s Profile – Renato Diaz, FIU Running Backs Coach

Renato Diaz FIU Running Backs Coach

After four years assisting in the establishment of the Division I football program at the University of South Florida and a productive season in the Ivy League at Columbia University in New York City, Renato Diaz comes back home as FIU’s Running Backs Coach. His service at FIU will mark the second time Diaz has assisted in the founding and development of a college football program.

At Columbia University, Diaz was responsible for the development of the running backs, especially standout junior running back Jonathan Reese. While under his tutelage, Reese became the first running back ever to rush for over 1,000 yards in the history of Columbia University football.
Diaz also worked with the Lion’s kickoff return unit that finished 29th in the country and 2nd in the Ivy League with a 20.95 yard per return average. His recruiting responsibilities included the states of Alabama, Arkansas, California, Metro D.C. area, Mississippi and Ohio.

Prior to his tenure at Columbia, Diaz assisted in the founding and development of the football program at the University of South Florida and was a member of the first-ever football staff
at that institution. During his years
at USF, Diaz served as Tight-Ends
Coach, Special Teams Coordinator and Recruiting Coordinator.

During the formative years of the USF program, Diaz served as USF’s offensive assistant and on-campus recruiting coordinator. He assisted the Bulls offensive staff with practice preparation, quality control, opponent scouting, game plan preparation and a variety of administrative responsibilities. Prior to joining the South Florida football program, Diaz had over eleven years of coaching experience while working full time in his field of study.

Diaz earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geology at USF in 1983 and joined the U.S. Geological Survey in Miami. After three years with the U.S.G.S., Diaz was hired at Texaco Latin America/West Africa Division in Florida where he was employed for seven years.

Diaz resides in Coral Gables, Florida.

GOLDEN PANTHER TICKETS

DON'T BE LEFT OUT - GET YOUR SEASON TICKETS NOW!
Be a part of the action, right from the very beginning! FIU’s Season Ticket packages are available for you, your family and friends.
Just call 305-FIU-GAME (348-4263) or toll-free 1-866-FIU-GAME (348-4263) to order your season tickets today!