Having lost its home when Miami’s Orange Bowl was demolished, the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl is moving to the Myrtle Beach area.
Offense-Defense Sports president Rick Wittier said he would like the game to become a fixture of the post-Christmas sports calendar in Myrtle Beach and for it to contend for a status as a top all-star game nationally.
The game, which has a one-year deal to play at Coastal Carolina’s Brooks Stadium, is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 2, 2009.
Whittier said his group also looked at relocating to Dallas and Honolulu before choosing Myrtle Beach, in part because of its geographic advantage — Offense-Defense Sports is headquartered in Myrtle Beach.
Though the game sends most of its players to power-conference Division I teams, the all-star game is considered a cut below the U.S. Army All-American game that is played in San Antonio.
However, Whittier believes the Offense-Defense game will continue to grow because of its base of 60 nationwide camps, which count dozens of NFL players among its alumni.
Whittier also talked about the selection process, which involves heavy coaching input rather than selecting players via recruiting services.
Former NFL players Nate Newton and Cris Carter are among those involved with the selection process.
“This is what we do, football instruction,
” Whittier said. “We felt like there were a lot more than 80 players that deserved to showcase their talent.
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“Cam Newton wasn’t even looked at. He is now the No. 2 quarterback at Florida. Florida discovered him at our game.
”
Although Whittier says Offense-Defense takes pride in unearthing hidden talents, the game has landed a top-rated corner for the 2009 game, Marlon Pollard, a four-star recruit according to Scout.com.
Coastal football hopes to benefit from top recruits visiting the campus. Top underclassmen will also be involved in a camp that will take place during the week.
The game will be televised by the Fox College Sports Network and selected Fox Sports affiliates nationwide.
