FURMAN PICKED TO FINISH
FOURTH, FIFTH IN SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
PRE-SEASON POLLS; FOUR PALADINS EARN PRE-SEASON RECOGNITION
ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- The Furman Paladins have been picked to finish fourth in one pre-season poll and fifth in two others, it was announced today at the Southern Conference's annual football rouser in Asheville, N.C.
The league's sports information directors picked the Paladins to finish fourth in one poll, but the conference head coaches and media selected Furman to finish fifth in two seperate polls.
Georgia Southern, the defending
league champion and NCAA I-AA national runner-up, was the consensus pick to
win this year's crown. If Georgia Southern successfully defends its title, it
would mark the Eagles' third straight championship ‹ the most consecutive titles
by a league team since Furman won four from 1980-83.
Furman, which posted a 5-6 record and finished tied for sixth in the Southern Conference race in 1998, returns 17 starters, including four veterans who earned pre-season all-conference tabs in voting by the league's nine head coaches. Leading the way were senior guard Ben Hall (Royston, Ga.) and senior strong safety John Keith (Newnan, Ga.), who were named to the coaches' pre-season first team. Senior placekicker kicker Jason Wells (Lawton, Okla.) and sophomore linebacker Will Bouton (Greenville, S.C.) earned second team honors.
The Paladins open pre-season camp on Aug. 11 when freshmen report. Furman veterans will report Aug. 14, and the first combined practice is schedule for Aug. 16. Furman opens its 1999 season on Sept. 4 when it hosts Elon in a 7:00 p.m. contest at Paladin Stadium.
1999 Southern Conference
Pre-Season Poll
(Sports Information Directors)
|
Rank
|
Team | Points |
| 1) | Georgia Southern | 60 |
| 2) | Appalachian State | 59 |
| 3) | Western Carolina | 44 |
| 4) | FURMAN | 35 |
| 5) | Chattanooga | 32 |
| East Tennessee State | 32 | |
| 7) | The Citadel | 26 |
| 8) | Wofford | 20 |
| 9) | VMI | 7 |
1999 Southern Conference Pre-Season
Poll
(Head Coaches)
| Rank | Team | Points |
| 1) | Georgia Southern | 73 |
| 2) | Appalachian State | 71 |
| 3) | East Tennessee State | 60 |
| 4) | Western Carolina | 50 |
| 5) | FURMAN | 47 |
| 6) | Chattanooga | 41 |
| 7) | The Citadel | 29 |
| 8) | Wofford | 20 |
| 9) | VMI | 12 |
1999 Southern Conference
Pre-Season Poll
(Media)
| Rank | Team | Points |
| 1) | Georgia Southern | 237 |
| 2) | Appalachian State | 214 |
| 3) | Western Carolina | 172 |
| 4) | East Tennessee State | 157 |
| 5) | FURMAN | 148 |
| 6) | Chattanooga | 106 |
| 7) | The Citadel | 79 |
| 8) | Wofford | 73 |
| 9) | VMI | 29 |