(Obituary) January 5, 2009 – Dale Livingston, who was a punter in the NFL, dies at the age of 63. Livingston played college football at Western Michigan University and was selected in the third round of the 1968 NFL draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. He played for Cincinnati in 1968 and 1969 and was also with the Green Bay Packers in 1970. Livingston is a member of the Western Michigan University Football Hall of Fame.

(NFL) January 7, 2009 - The Cleveland Browns hire Eric Mangini as their new head coach. (See related article on December 29, 2008)

(College) January 7, 2009 - Jeff Jagodzinski, head coach at Boston College, is fired by the school after he interviews for the head coaching job with the NFL New York Jets. Jagodzinski had been warned not to interview for the job, but did so anyway. He had been the head coach at Boston College since 2007.

(College) January 8, 2009 - Division II Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington announced that it is dropping its football program. The school has had a football team since 1903, but did not field teams during World War I or World War II. In their 98 season, the Vikings had a record of 383-380-34 and reached the Division II title game in 1996. The school sited budget problems as the reason for dropping the sport and said the move was necessary in order to save 15 other sports. The team was a member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.  

(College) January 8, 2009 - The Florida Gators defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 24-14 to win the BCS National Championship game. The Gators previously won national championships in 1996 and 2006.

(Obituary) January 9, 2009 - Eric Scoggins, who played linebacker in the NFL and the USFL, dies of Lou Gehrig's disease at the age of 49. Scoggins played college football at USC and then went on to play for the San Francisco 49ers in 1982. He also spent time in the United States Football League playing for the Los Angeles Express and the Houston Gamblers.

(Obituary) January 10, 2009 – Gil “Wild Hoss” Mains, a former defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions from 1953-1961, dies at the age of 79. Mains played college football at Murray State and was a member of the 1953 and 1957 NFL championship teams. He earned the nickname for his habit of jumping feet first into the opposing team’s wedge during kick returns. While playing for the Lions, he also spent two off-season’s as a pro wrestler in the Detroit area. Mains was inducted into the Wayne State University Athletic Hall of Fame as the founder of the school’s Gridiron Club.

(NFL) January 11, 2009 - Josh McDaniels, the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots is hired as the new head coach of the Denver Broncos. (See related article on December 30, 2008)

(AIFA) January 12, 2009 – The Columbus Lions of the American Indoor Football League is sponsoring an indoor All-Star football game for high school seniors. The game will be called the Georgia vs. Alabama Indoor Football Classic. The game will be played on Sunday, February 22 at the Columbus Civic Center.

(NFL) January 12, 2009 – Tony Dungy, 53, retires as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Dungy has been the Colts head coach for the past seven years and won Super Bowl XLI in 2007. Prior to coming to Indianapolis, Dungy was the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996-2001. Colts assistant coach Jim Caldwell will take over as the team’s head coach.

(Obituary) January 13, 2009 - William Russell Craft, who played defensive back and halfback in the NFL for 10 seasons in the 1940's and 50's, dies at the age of 89. Craft played college football at Alabama and was selected in the 15th round of the 1943 draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. He was with the Eagles from 1946-1953 and won back-to-back titles with the team in 1948 and 1949. He then played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1953-1955. In Pittsburgh, he was also a defensive coach. He was also a two time Pro Bowl selection and played in 100 NFL games. Craft went on to become the Sheriff of Brooke County, West Virginia from 1960-1972.

(NFL/Lawsuit) January 13, 2009 - A federal judge in San Francisco has upheld a $28.1 million ruling against the NFL Player Association. The class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of over 2,000 former NFL players who said the Union failed to properly market their images, mainly on video games and sports cards. (See related article on November 10, 2008)

(NFL) January 13, 2009 – Jim Mora, Jr. is officially named head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. Mora had been the defensive backs coach of the Seahawks for the past two seasons. Prior to that, he was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2004-2006. Mora replaces head coach Mike Holmgren, who retired at the end of the season.

(College) January 13, 2009 - Dick Tomey, head coach at San Jose State, is elected president of the American Football Coaches Association. He succeeds Tyrone Willingham, who was fired by the University of Washington back in October, but continued to coach the team through the end of the season. Willingham had been the AFCA president the past two years.

(CFL) January 14, 2009 – The Canadian Football League’s Board of Governors has decided to keep the salary cap at the same level next season as it was in 2008. The cap will remain at $4.2 million per team in 2009.

(NFL) January 16, 2009 - Jon Gruden is fired as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Gruden had been head coach of the team since 2002 and won a Super Bowl in his first season with the team. Bucs defensive coordinator Raheem Morris was promoted to head coach.

(CIFL) January 16, 2009 - The newest expansion team in the Continental Indoor Football League finally has a name. The team will be known as the West Virginia Wild and will play its home games in the Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse in Huntington, West Virginia.

(CFL) January 16, 2009 - The Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League introduced Bart Andrus as their new head coach. Andrus was the head coach of the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe from 2001-2007. He also spent time as an assistant coach with the NFL Tennessee Titans from 1997-1999 and again in 2008. In 1996, Andrus was the NAIA Coach of the Year as head coach at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana.

(NFL) January 16, 2009 - Jim Schwartz is introduced as the new head coach of the Detroit Lions. Schwartz spent the last eight years as the defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans.

(Obituary) January 18, 2009 - Adam Pringle, part owner of the Muskegon Thunder of the Indoor Football League, dies at the age of 31. Pringle, along with his parents, Don and Julia Pringle, owned the Thunder. Adam was the president of football operations for the team and also played defensive nose guard the past two seasons. He was killed when the snowmobile he was driving collided with an SUV at an intersection in northern Muskegon County in Michigan. The Thunder had played in the Continental Indoor Football League since its inception in 2007, but the team is preparing to play its first season in the IFL in 2009.

(NFL) January 19, 2009 - Steve Spagnuolo has been hired as the new head coach of the St. Louis Rams. He had been the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants for the past two seasons.

(NFL) January 20, 2009 - Voters in the tiny town of Industry, California, which is located just east of Los Angeles, have approved a $150 million bond to help build an $800 million NFL stadium. The vote was 60-1. The stadium is being proposed by billionaire Ed Roski who is hoping to lure a current NFL team back to L.A.

(Obituary) January 20, 2009 - Dante "Gluefingers'' Lavelli, who played right end for the Cleveland Browns from 1946-1956, dies at the age of 85. Lavelli was a star quarterback at Hudson High School in Ohio and then played college football at Ohio State, but only for three game before serving in the military during World War II. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1975.

(Obituary) January 21, 2009 - Shane Dronett, who was a defensive lineman in the NFL for 10 years, dies at the age of 38. Dronett's death has been ruled a suicide by Atlanta police. He played college football at the University of Texas and was selected in the second round of the 1992 draft by the Denver Broncos. He also played for the Atlanta Falcons from 1996-2001.

(NFL) January 21, 2009 – Rex Ryan is introduced as the new head coach of the New York Jets. Ryan had been the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens since 2005. He is the son of former NFL coach Buddy Ryan. His twin brother, Rob Ryan, is the defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns.

(NFL) January 22, 2009 - Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin is developing a reality TV show that will provide the winner with a spot on the 2009 Cowboys' training camp roster. The show, which does not have a title at this time, will air this spring on Spike TV. Irvin will be the host.

(AIFA) January 23, 2009 - The Arizona Adrenaline of the American Indoor Football Association will not field a team this year due to the slumping U.S. economy. Team owners voted to suspend operations for 2009, but hope to return to the AIFA in 2010. The team plays its home games at Tim's Toyota Center in Prescott, Arizona.

(NFL) January 23, 2009 - Herm Edwards is fired as the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. Edwards had been the head coach of the Chiefs since 2006 and had a record of 15-34.

(AIFA) January 24, 2009 - The Harrisburg Stampede defeated a team of AIFA All-Stars 46-26 in a preseason exhibition game. It was the first game ever played by the expansion Stampede.

(AIFA) January 29, 2009 - The Canton Legends of the American Indoor Football League have suspended operations and will not field a team in 2009 due to financial troubles. The team hopes to restructure and return to the AIFA in 2010. (See related article on January 23, 2009)

(Obituary) January 30, 2009 - John Gordy, the first director of the NFL Players Association, dies at the age of 73. Gordy played college football at the University of Tennessee. He was selected in the second round of the 1957 draft by the Detroit Lions and played offensive lineman for the team through 1967. He was selected to the Pro Bowl three times and won an NFL title with the Lions in 1957.

(NFL) January 31, 2009 - The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2009 is announced. The six new member are DE Bruce Smith of the Buffalo Bills, DB Rod Woodson of the Pittsburgh Steelers, G Randall McDaniel of the Minnesota Vikings, the late LB Derrick Thomas of the Kansas City Chiefs, WR "Bullet" Bob Hayes of the Dallas Cowboys and Ralph Wilson, Jr., the owner of the Buffalo Bills. Hayes also won a gold medal in the 1964 Summer Olympics in the 100 meter dash. 

(College) April 1, 2009 - The East-West Shrine Game is moving to Orlando next season. The college All-Star game will be played at the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium for at least the next two years beginning in January 2010.

(CFL) April 2, 2009 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are getting a new stadium in 2011. It will be located on the campus of the University of Manitoba and will seat 30,000 fans. The seating capacity will be expandable to 45,000 seats for major events like hosting a Grey Cup game. The stadium will also include a bubble roof that will cover about 80 percent of the seating area in the winter months. The new stadium will replace the team's current home, Canad Inns stadium.

(Obituary) April 3, 2009 - Ken Anderson, who was a defensive lineman in college and in the NFL, dies of a heart attack at the age of 33. Anderson played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks from 1994-1997 and played for the Chicago Bears in 1999. He had been a minister at the Life Harvest Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

(Obituary) April 6, 2009 - Brad Hastings, who was a three-time All-Southwest Conference linebacker at Texas Tech in the 1980's, dies of heart failure at the age of 44. Hastings played for Texas Tech from 1983-1986 and his school record of 480 career tackles stood for 15 years. Knee problems kept him from pursuing a pro football career.

(Arena) April 6, 2009 - Ed Policy, the interim commissioner of the Arena Football League, resigns. Under the proposed restructuring plan for the league, there would be a CEO rather than a commissioner and Policy reportedly was not interested in the new position. Policy has been with the AFL since 2001 and will remain with the league as a consultant.

(CFL) April 7, 2009 - The Canadian Football League announced its Class of 2009 inductees for the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. They are linebacker Alondra Johnson of the Calgary Stampeders, offensive lineman Jim Mills of the BC Lions, offensive lineman Rudolph (Rudy) Phillips of the Ottawa Rough Riders, defensive lineman Glen Weir of the Montreal Alouettes and Calgary Stampeders executive Tony Anselmo, who goes into the Hall as a builder. The inductions will take place in Winnipeg during Induction Weekend, September 24-26.

(Lawsuit) April 9, 2009 - The Florida Attorney General has filed a lawsuit against Showbiz Productions over a Michael Vick chew toy for dogs. The company claimed that the toys were manufactured in the United States and that proceeds from the sale were being donated to animal shelters. The lawsuit alleges that the toys are not made in the U.S. and that money is not going to animal shelters. Vick, the former quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, is currently in federal prison for funding a dog fighting ring. 

(Obituary) April 10, 2009 - Frank Morris, who was a player and a director of player personnel in the Canadian Football League, dies at the age of 85. Morris played for the Toronto Argonauts from 1945-1949 and won three consecutive Grey Cup championships with the team from 1945-1947. He also played for the Edmonton Eskimos from 1950-1958 and won another three consecutive Grey Cups from 1954-1956. He was the Eskimos' Director of Player Personnel from 1973-1988 and earned seven more Grey Cup titles. It was during that time that quarterback Warren Moon led Edmonton to five straight CFL titles from 1978-1982. Morris was also the in charge of Canadian player personnel for the Calgary Stampeders in 1991. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1983 and in 1984 he was added to the Eskimo Wall of Honour at Commonwealth Stadium.

(Obituary) April 13, 2009 - Harry Kalas, a longtime voice for NFL Films, dies at the age of 73. Kalas collapsed in the broadcast booth prior to a Philadelphia Phillies baseball game. He had broadcast Phillies games since 1971. Kalas began working for NFL Films in 1975. He also narrated highlights for the TV show "Inside the NFL" since 1977. In the 1980's, Kalas co-hosted "This is the NFL" with NFL Films president Steve Sabol. His distinctive voice could also be heard in recent years on Campbell's Chunky Soup commercials and the annual Animal Planet Super Bowl spoof, the Puppy Bowl.   

(Obituary) April 13, 2009 - Bruce Snyder, who coached in college and in the NFL, dies of cancer at the age of 69. Snyder was the head coach at Utah State from 1976-1982 and at California from 1987-1991. He was also an assistant coach with the NFL Los Angeles Rams from 1983-1986. From 1992-2000, he was the head coach at Arizona State University. His 1996 ASU team featured quarterback Jake Plummer and linebacker Pat Tillman. Both went on to play in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals. Snyder led the 1997 ASU team to an undefeated 11-0 regular season record but lost in the Rose Bowl to Ohio State 20-17. They ended the season ranked #4 in the country and Snyder was named the national Coach of the Year. Snyder was also named Pac-10 Coach of the Year at California in 1990 and at ASU in 1996.

(Media) April 16, 2009 - NFL broadcaster John Madden, 73, announces his retirement. Madden was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969-1979 and led the team to a win in Super Bowl XI in January 1977. Madden was only 33 years old when he became the Raiders head coach. He joined CBS as a broadcaster in 1979 and was teamed with fellow broadcaster Pat Summerall. In 1994, the two moved to FOX when the network outbid CBS for the rights to broadcast NFL games. Summerall retired after the 2001 season and Madden signed with ABC to become part of the Monday Night Football broadcasting team. He was there from 2002-2005. Since 2006, he has been with NBC broadcasting Sunday Night games. Madden was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2006. He will be replaced in the NBC broadcasting booth by Cris Collinsworth.

(Obituary) April 19, 2009 – Felix “Doc” Blanchard, a fullback known as “Mr. Inside” and a Heisman Trophy winner, dies of pneumonia at the age of 84. Blanchard attended the University of North Carolina during his freshman year and was accepted at West Point in 1944. While playing for Army, he became the first player to win the Heisman Trophy as a junior in 1945. The following year, his backfield teammate, Glenn Davis, a.k.a. “Mr. Outside,” also won the Heisman Trophy. The pair helped lead Army to back-to-back national championships in 1944 and 1945. Blanchard also played linebacker and was the team’s punter and place kicker. He was also the first winner of the Sullivan Award, which is given to the nation’s top amateur athlete. Blanchard was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the third overall pick in 1946, but never played professional football. He had a long career in the military and went on to become a pilot in the Air Force. He flew during the Korean War and the Vietnam War and retired with the rank of Colonel. Blanchard was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1959. (See Glenn Davis obituary on March 9, 2005)

(Arena) April 19, 2009 – The owner of the Los Angeles Avengers announced that the team is folding and will not be a part of the Arena Football League if it returns in 2010. The team began play in 2000 and was the only pro football team in Los Angeles.

(NFL/College) April 21, 2009 – The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission has approved two new historical markers. One is in Philadelphia honoring the birthplace of NFL Films in 1962 and the other is in Titusville and denotes the birthplace of college football coach John Heisman. There are about 2,200 historical markers throughout the state and all sites were nominated by the public.

(Obituary) April 21, 2009 –Teirson Hollis, 20, and Ryne Wilhite, 19, both offensive linemen at Division III Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama, died when their car collided with a semi-truck on Highway 82 in southern Alabama. Hollis played at the school since 2007 while Wilhite played last season for Northeast Mississippi Community College. The two were on their way back to the school after visiting a friend in Tuscaloosa.

(Obituary) April 23, 2009 – Bill Barnes, a former college football coach and World War II veteran, dies from complications of pneumonia at the age of 91. Barnes played college football at Tennessee and was an All-American who played several positions. His Volunteers team appeared in the 1939 Orange Bowl and the 1940 Rose Bowl. He was an assistant coach at Tennessee in 1941 before joining the Army and serving in World War II. He rose to the rank of major and received several medals while serving in the Philippines including two Bronze Stars and a Silver Star. He was one of the original members of the Alamo Scouts, an Army Special Forces unit. After the war, Barnes was an assistant football coach at Arkansas from1946-1949. He was an assistant coach at UCLA in 1958 when team head coach Henry “Red” Sanders died three games into the season. Barnes took over as head coach and remained head coach at the school until 1964. He led UCLA to the 1962 Rose Bowl, but they lost to Minnesota 21-3. His record at UCLA was 31-34-3.

(NFL) April 24, 2009 - On the night before the 2009 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions reach an agreement with quarterback Matthew Stafford of Georgia to be the number one overall selection. The Stafford deal is reported to be a six-year contract worth $78 million (with incentives) and $41.7 million is guaranteed.

(College) April 25, 2009 - Temperatures in the 80's helped to fuel a national record crowd of 95,722 fans at the Ohio State spring football game. Buckeye fans paid $5 each to attend the game and most of the money was donated to local charities. The Gray Team beat the Scarlet Team 23-3. The previous record was held by Alabama, who had 92,138 for their spring game in 2007.

(Obituary) April 27, 2009 – Frank Gansz, who coached in college and in the NFL for 38 years, dies of complications from knee replacement surgery at the age of 70. Gansz played college football for Navy and then went on to become a pilot in the Air Force. His college coaching stops included the Air Force Academy, UCLA, Oklahoma Sate, Army, Navy, SMU and Colgate. Gansz was the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs from 1987-1988. During his 24 years in the NFL, he was also an assistant coach for several teams including the Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers and St Louis Rams. He won a Super Bowl in 2000 while serving as a member of the St. Louis coaching staff. 

(Obituary) April 27, 2009 – Bob Oates, a sportswriter who covered the first 39 Super Bowls, dies at the age of 93. Oates wrote for the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner as well as the Los Angeles Times over the course of his career. He was the last surviving member of the original Pro Football Hall of Fame selection panel in 1962 that chose the first group of inductees. He retired as a sportswriter in 1995, but continued to write freelance football columns until 2007. His 39 Super Bowls covered 1967-2005.

(Obituary) April 28, 2009 – Linda Bogdan, the daughter of Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson, dies of cancer at the age of 61. Bogdan was the team vice president and spent 22 years in the Bills' scouting department.

(College) April 29, 2009 – The Naval Academy has signed an agreement to play in the 2013 Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas. Navy currently competes as an independent team with no bowl ties. The agreement is contingent upon the Academy team having enough wins to be bowl eligible that year.

(College) April 30, 2009 – Sixteen players and two coaches have been selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. The players include two Heisman Trophy winners, quarterback Gino Torretta (1992) from Miami and wide receiver Tim Brown (1987) from Notre Dame. Other players include linebacker Chris Spielman from Ohio State, quarterback Major Harris from West Virginia, defensive end Pat Swilling from Georgia Tech and defensive tackle Steve McMichael from Texas. The two coaches are John Robinson of USC and Dick MacPherson of Syracuse. They will all be officially inducted in December.

(NFL) April 30, 2009 - Tom Benson, the owner of the New Orleans Saints, has purchased, and will redevelop, two properties next to the Louisiana Superdome. They are Dominion Tower and the New Orleans Centre. Both properties have been mostly dormant since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The Saints also extended their agreement to play in the Superdome through 2025.

(AIFA) December 2, 2009 - The American Indoor Football Association announced its latest expansion team, the San Jose Wolves. The team will begin play in 2010 and, depending on availability, hopes to play its home games at three different sites around town, the HP Pavilion, the Cow Palace and the Oracle Arena.

(College) December 2, 2009 - The Board of Trustees at Hofstra University voted unanimously to drop the football program at the Division I-AA school. They cited declining interest in the community and the high cost of keeping the program going. Hofstra has had a football team since the school was founded back in 1937. Last month, Northeastern University also cancelled its football program. Both teams were members of the Colonial Athletic Association conference.

(Obituary) December 2, 2009 - Foge Fazio, who coached in college as well as in the NFL, dies after a long battle with leukemia at the age of 71. Fazio played linebacker and center at the University of Pittsburgh and was the team's MVP in 1959. He was drafted by the Boston Patriots of the American Football League in 1960, but soon after went into coaching. He became an assistant coach at his college alma mater and was the head coach at the school from 1982-1985, posting a record of 25-18-3. His first season featured Dan Mario at quarterback. He then became the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame. Over the years he was also an assistant coach in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns. In recent years, Fazio was an analyst on University of Pittsburgh radio broadcasts. He was also helping a high school, Our Lady of Sacred Heart in Coraopolis, PA, to start a football program. The school will begin play in 2010.

(Obituary) December 7, 2009 - Al Dorow, the quarterback who led Michigan State to an undefeated record and the college football national championship in 1951, dies at the age of 80. Dorow was selected in the third round of the 1952 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins, but spent a couple of years in the Air Force first. He played for the Redskins from 1954-1956, the Philadelphia Eagles in 1957, the American Football League's New York Titans from 1960-1961 and the Buffalo Bills in 1962. He then went into coaching, first at Hillsdale College in 1963 and then at Michigan State from 1965-1970. Dorow also became the head coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League in 1971.

(IFL) December 7, 2009 - The Indoor Football League announced a new team in Kent, Washington. The team will be known as the Kent Predators and will play its home games in the ShoWare Center. The team was originally slated to be the Arctic Predators and was going to be located in Wasilla, Alaska, but the team could not come to an agreement on a stadium lease.   

(AF1) December 8, 2009 – The Cleveland Gladiators will once again take to the field in 2010, this time in Arena Football One. The team was previously a member of the Arena Football League in 2008 after moving from Las Vegas. The team will have the same logo and colors as well as the same owner as it did in 2008. The Gladiators will once again play its home games in the Quicken Loans Arena. (See related AF1 article on December 7, 2009)

(AF1) December 9, 2009 - The former Tennessee Valley Vipers of arenafootball2 have been renamed the Alabama Vipers and will compete in the new Arena Football One in 2010.

(College) December 9, 2009 - A House subcommittee has approved legislation that would ban the promotion of a post season national championship game in Division I-A (Football Bowl Subdivision) unless it is the result of a playoff. The bill was sponsored by Republican Joe Barton of Texas. There is currently no version any such of the legislation in the Senate.  

(Obituary) December 9, 2009 - Alex Burl, a halfback in college and in the NFL, dies of a heart attack at the age of 78. Burl played college football at Colorado State and was the first black athlete to win the Nye Trophy as the school's most outstanding male athlete in 1953. He was drafted by the NFL Chicago Cardinals in 1954 and played eight games for the team in 1956. In later years he also coached football, cross country and track in the Denver Public school system. Burl was also an Army veteran and will be buried at the Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver.

(AF1) December 10, 2009 - The Chicago franchise in Arena Football One will retain the same name and logo as the previous Arena Football League team, the Chicago Rush. The team will also feature the same head coach, Mike Hohensee, and the same venue, Allstate Arena.

(AF1) December 10, 2009 - The Tampa Bay Storm, formerly of the Arena Football League, have joined Arena Football One and will compete in the 2010 season. Team head coach and general manager Tim Marcum also will return.

(College) December 11, 2009 - The Board of Trustees at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte unanimously voted to proceed with plans to field a football team in 2013. The board approved $40.5 million for construction of a 30,000 seat stadium and field house. 

(College) December 12, 2009 - Running back Mark Ingram from Alabama wins the 75th Heisman Trophy. He is the first player from Alabama to ever win the award and the third consecutive sophomore to win the Heisman.

(College/Division II) December 12, 2009 - The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats defeated the Grand Valley State Lakers 30-23 to win the Division II football national championship. The game was played in Florence, Alabama.  

(College) December 15, 2009 - The Big Ten Conference will spend the next 12 to 18 months exploring the possibility of adding another team. The last team to be added to the conference was Penn State in 1990, which brought the total number of teams to 11. 

(Fantasy Football) December 16, 2009 - It was reported that four employees at Fidelity Investments in Fort Worth, Texas have been fired for participating in an office Fantasy Football League. The company has a strict policy against gambling in the office and company equipment was used. 

(Obituary) December 17, 2009 – Chris Henry, a wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, dies at the age of 26. Henry died a day after he allegedly fell out of the back of a pickup truck that was being driven by his girlfriend after the two had been involved in a domestic dispute. He played college football at West Virginia and signed with the Bengals in 2005. He broke his left arm during a game against the Baltimore Ravens on November 8 and was on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.

(AIFA) December 18, 2009 - The Carolina Speed of the American Indoor Football Association announced that they will not participate in the upcoming 2010 season. The team hopes to return to the league in 2011. When the team does return, it will play its home games at the Cabarrus Arena and Event Center in Concord, North Carolina.

(Obituary) December 18, 2009 - John "Jack" Zilly, who was a member of two college football national championship teams in the 1940's, dies at the age of 88. Zilly played right end at Notre Dame and was on the 1943 national championship team. He left college after that season and joined the Navy where he spent the next two years serving in the Pacific during World War II. Zilly returned to Notre Dame and was again part of a the school's 1946 national championship team. He was drafted in the sixth round by the San Francisco 49er's who, at the time, were members of the All American Football Conference, which was a rival to the NFL. Instead, Zilly played for the NFL Los Angeles Rams from 1947-1951 and the Philadelphia Eagles in 1952. He joined the coaching staff at Montana State in 1955 and was also an assistant coach at Notre Dame from 1956-1958.   

(College/Division I-AA) December 18, 2009 - The Villanova Wildcats defeated the Montana Grizzlies 23-21 to win its first ever Football Championship Division (Division I-AA) national championship. The game was played in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

(Obituary) December 19, 2009 - John Morris IV, who was the son one of the co-founders of the American Indoor Football League, dies unexpectedly at the age of 30. Morris was actively involved in the day-to-day operations of two of the league's franchises, the Baltimore Mariners and the Harrisburg Stampede. The AIFA was founded in 2005.

(College/Division III) December 19, 2009 - The Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks defeated the Mount Union Raider 38-28 in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the national championship game of Division III. The game was played in Salem, Virginia.

(College/NAIA) December 19, 2009 - For the second year in a row, the Sioux Falls Cougars have won the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics football national championship. They defeated the Lindenwood Lions 25-22 in a game that was played in Rome, Georgia. 

(CIFL) December 24, 2009 - The Marion Mayhem of the Continental Indoor Football League announced that they will not be fielding a team in 2010. Team owners sited the bad economy and hope to return to the league at a future time. Marion was the last of the original teams left from the league's first season in 2006 when it was known as the Great Lakes Indoor Football League. 

(College) December 26, 2009 - Sarah Thomas becomes the first woman to ref in a college football bowl game. Thomas was the line judge during the inaugural Little Caesars Pizza Bowl played at Ford Field in Detroit. In the game, Marshall defeated Ohio 21-17.

(NFL) December 27, 2009 - The 100th game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins is played. The Cowboys won the game 17-0 and now lead the all-time series 59-39-2.

(NFL) December 31, 2009 - The city of Irving, Texas and Kraft Foods Corporation have teamed up to sponsor the upcoming demolition of Texas Stadium. The event will be called the Kraft "Cheddar Explosion" and one lucky fan will get to throw the switch that will implode the former home of the Dallas Cowboys sometime in March or April 2010. The stadium was home to the Cowboys from 1971-2008.