Currentteam	Free Agent
Country	US
Currentnumber	--
Currentposition	Running back
Birth date	March 14, 1978
Birth place	Berlin Township, New Jersey
Heightft	5
Heightin	10
Weight	250
Debutyear	2000
Debutteam	New York Giants
Highlights	1996 Copper Bowl MVP 1999 Heisman Trophy 1999 AP Player of the Year 1999 Maxwell Award 1999 Walter Camp Award 1999 Chic Harley Award 1999 Doak Walker Award 1999 Jim Brown Award 1999 Big Ten Player of the Year 1999 Rose Bowl MVP 2000 Rose Bowl MVP 2000 NFC Champion 2005 All-Iron Award 2007 Wisconsin Badgers #33 retired
College	Wisconsin
Draftyear	2000
Draftround	1
Draftpick	11
Pastteams	New York Giants (–) Denver Broncos () Houston Texans (–)
Nfl	DAY718106
Dbf	DAYNERON01 }}

Ron Dayne (born March 14, 1978, in Berlin Township, New Jersey) is a former American football running back who is currently a free agent. He holds the NCAA record for career rushing yards, and he won the 1999 Heisman Trophy.

Early life

Dayne's athleticism and speed made him a star running back at Overbrook High School in Pine Hill, New Jersey, and he was heavily recruited by many colleges. He also excelled at track and field. In 1995 he won the NJ Meet of Champions, setting a new meet record in the Discus. In 1996 he won state titles in both the Shot Put and Discus, breaking both meet records (although both of those have since been broken again). He also won the NJ Meet of Champions in both events breaking his own meet record in the discus. He has the #5 distance ever thrown in the Discus by a US High Schooler at 216' 11" (66.12m).

His football role was expected to change when he reached college — at 270 pounds out of high school, many felt that he was simply too big to be a tailback and believed he would be best suited as a fullback. Eventually, Barry Alvarez promised Dayne a tailback position and persuaded him to come to the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

College career

Known as "The Great Dayne", "The Dayne Effect", and "The Dayne Train" throughout college, Dayne was the starting running back all four years at Wisconsin. Not a flashy or boisterous player, Dayne was a workman-like back, expected to carry the ball as much as necessary. He had 1,220 carries during his career.

Over his four seasons, Dayne set the NCAA Division I-A rushing record for total yards in a career. He gained 1,863 yards as a freshman, 1,421 as a sophomore, 1,325 as a junior, and 1,834 as a senior. He finally broke the record in the final game of the 1999 season against Iowa. Dayne ended his career with 6,397 rushing yards (which does ''not'' include yardage from the four bowl games he played in), eclipsing the record set the previous year by Ricky Williams of Texas. , Dayne's 6,397 career yards still stand as the Division I-A career rushing record.

Dayne saved some of his best performances for the four bowl games to which he led Wisconsin. He rushed for 246 to lead the Badgers to a 38–10 victory in the 1996 Copper Bowl against Utah, garnering MVP honors. Dayne only gained 36 yards in the 1998 Outback Bowl loss against Georgia the next season, but bounced back the next two seasons with 246 yards and 200 yards, respectively, in the Badgers' 1999 and 2000 Rose Bowl wins. Dayne won MVP honors in both games, becoming only the third player in the history of the Rose Bowl to repeat as MVP — and the first and still only Big Ten player to do so. Bob Schloredt (Washington/Pac-10), Charles White (USC/Pac-10) were the first two, and Vince Young (Texas/Big 12) has subsequently accomplished this feat.

Dayne won the Heisman Trophy in 1999 as well as other awards throughout college, including Big Ten Player of the Year for 1999 and All-American placement in 1996, 1998 and 1999. His name and number is one of six displayed on the Camp Randall Stadium façade. Dayne's #33 was officially retired during the November 10, 2007, game against Michigan.

Dayne's career rushing total remains an NCAA record. When yardage from bowl games is included, (under the current NCAA rules, a running back attempting to break Dayne's record would play twelve games each season and be allowed to count yards gained in any conference championship games or any bowl game in the official totals) he amassed 7,125 yards. He shares the record for most 200-yard rushing games with Ricky Williams and Marcus Allen, with twelve. He also holds the Big Ten Conference rushing and total touchdowns record, with 71, and is one of five players in NCAA history to rush for over a thousand yards in each of his four seasons.

Professional career

Dayne was selected with the 11th pick of the 2000 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. Dayne's first season started well as he teamed up with Tiki Barber in the backfield to create the tandem known as "Thunder and Lightning," a combination of Dayne's power and Barber's speed. The Giants went on to play in Super Bowl XXXV. Over the next few years, Dayne's carries slowly diminished, with head coach Jim Fassel growing increasingly upset with Dayne's lack of commitment to lose weight. Fassel also did not like Dayne's initial running style, that of a halfback, and instead tried to make him a goal line back. After Fassel was fired, Dayne received a second chance under new head coach Tom Coughlin and shed 40 lbs. Despite having a good 2004 preseason, Dayne was once again sidelined by Coughlin for unknown reasons. The Giants did not attempt to re-sign Dayne, and he later signed a one-year deal with the Denver Broncos for the 2005 season, where he showed signs of rejuvenation on Thanksgiving, winning the CBS Thanksgiving All-Iron Award for his performance. Filling in for the injured Tatum Bell, he gained 98 yards and a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys. He was re-signed in the 2006 offseason and was named starter, but fell on the depth chart as the pre-season went on and was cut as part of a roster move on September 2, 2006. The Houston Texans claimed Dayne off waivers the following day.

As a Texan, Dayne rushed for 429 yards and 5 touchdowns in December 2006, including two scores in an upset victory over the division rival Indianapolis Colts. In 2007 filling in as the starter for the injured Ahman Green, he gained more yards per game as the season progressed.

Although Dayne is currently listed as a free agent, he has not played in the NFL since the 2007 season. He resides in Waunakee, Wisconsin.

See also

History of the New York Giants (1994–present)

References

External links

Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:People from Camden County, New Jersey Category:Heisman Trophy winners Category:American football running backs Category:New York Giants players Category:Denver Broncos players Category:Houston Texans players Category:Wisconsin Badgers football players Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Category:All-American college football players Category:Players of American football from New Jersey

name	Dan Patrick
birth date	May 15, 1956
birth name	Daniel Patrick Pugh
birth place	Mason, Ohio, U.S.
occupation	Sportscaster
years active	1979–present
website	danpatrick.comSI.com/danpatrick }}

Daniel Patrick Pugh (born May 15, 1956), professionally known as Dan Patrick, is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and actor from Mason, Ohio. He currently hosts ''The Dan Patrick Show'' which is broadcast on radio on Premiere Radio Networks, and on television on The Audience Network for DIRECTV subscribers, co-hosts NBC's ''Football Night in America'', and serves as a senior writer for ''Sports Illustrated''. He previously worked at ESPN for 17 years, where he often anchored the weeknight and Sunday 11 PM edition of ''SportsCenter''.

Early life

Patrick attended the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio. His brother, Bill Pugh, is a longtime sports radio executive, and is currently the head of programming at Clear Channel San Diego. Patrick was a basketball player in high school at William Mason High School, becoming an Ohio all-state selection his senior year. He attended Eastern Kentucky University on a basketball scholarship for two years before transferring to the University of Dayton, where he majored in broadcast journalism. Patrick is also an alumnus of the Eta Hexaton Chapter of the Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity at the University of Dayton.

Before ESPN

Before working with ESPN, Patrick was known by his real name, Dan Pugh, as an on-air personality with the album rock-formatted WVUD and then, WTUE in Dayton, Ohio (1979–1983). Patrick was then a sports reporter for CNN (1983–89), where his assignments included the World Series, NBA Finals and Winter Olympics. From 1989–1995 Patrick did a daily sports segment for Bob and Brian, a syndicated Wisconsin-area morning show, and in the early 90s he did sports updates for the Columbus, Ohio, Rock Station WLVQ and appeared on the morning show "Wags and Elliot."

Career at ESPN

Patrick was an anchor on ESPN's ''SportsCenter'' (1989–2006). He also hosted ''The Dan Patrick Show'' on ESPN Radio from September 13, 1999, to August 17, 2007.

In the mid-1990s, Dan and Keith Olbermann were among ESPN's most recognizable faces. Olbermann used the catch phrase "Welcome to the Big Show" when Patrick worked with him on ''SportsCenter''. After getting reprimanded by their superiors, they began saying "This is ''SportsCenter''" sarcastically, accidentally spawning the show's new catch phrase as well as the name of their long-running promotional campaign. When Olbermann left, Patrick said, "This isn't the Big Show anymore."

Starting on March 19, 2006, until the final game of the NBA Finals, he became the host of ABC's then-titled ''NBA Nation'', a pregame show for the network's NBA telecasts.

En fuego

In 1994, when calling the highlights for a game in which Marv Albert described Sam Cassell as being "on fire," Dan Patrick said he was "el fuego", which he thought was Spanish for "on fire." A few months later, he received a letter from a Spanish teacher in Pennsylvania suggesting that he say that athletes are "en fuego" (on fire) rather than "el fuego" (the fire). Since then, Patrick has used "en fuego" on certain occasions when a player is said to be "on fire." Patrick started using the "en fuego" phrase because he believed the standard "on fire" phrase had become clichéd.

Departure from ESPN/ABC

On July 9, 2007, Patrick on his radio show announced his departure from ESPN/ABC effective August 16, 2007, stating, "I am leaving ESPN August 17 to go out on my own and be a free agent...I think I was starting to take it (ESPN) for granted," Patrick said. He said ESPN tried to talk him out of it. If there was any animosity, he says, "I wouldn't be sticking around until August."

Patrick remained off air from ESPN Radio until August 15 for his three farewell shows. He was originally reported to be returning for a final week, but returned on Wednesday of that week.

ESPN's statement released to the media said that Patrick would be released from his contract August 31, 2007, exactly one year early from his deal that was to run until August 31, 2008. The statement also said this would be the final comment on Patrick's departure from ESPN. "ESPN contractually bans all employees from making specific announcements of their futures on their airwaves, but out of respect to Dan and all he's done for ESPN we allowed him an opportunity to end the speculation".

Reaction to Patrick's departure from ESPN/ABC

Reaction from media sources hit the internet by storm. Many webpages, blogs, and news media outlets speculated on the reasons for Patrick's departure and his possible future. On July 10, 2007's ''The Dan Patrick Show'', Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick himself put some of the rumors and comments to rest.

Patrick confirmed that he was asked by the producers of ''The Price is Right'' to audition for the vacant host position, but he declined. The job eventually went to Drew Carey. Patrick admitted that he was hurt when good friend, ''Sports Illustrated'' writer Rick Reilly (who ironically would move to ESPN) wrote that, "Patrick was making one of the top 5 biggest career mistakes in entertainment history," ranking right under Shelley Long's leaving ''Cheers'' and Katie Couric's leaving NBC's ''Today'' show for the ''CBS Evening News''.

Keith Olbermann stated that it was only a matter of time before a website erroneously reported that Patrick was fired from ESPN, which was what happened in some reports when Olbermann left ESPN. Patrick again stated he was leaving on good terms with ESPN and that he could return to ESPN if he would so choose. Patrick said that he wanted to be on both television and radio again, although some newspapers reported that he only wanted to do radio.

On his new show, Patrick often relates anecdotes of his ESPN career, in both positive and negative lights. He often refers to his former employer as "The Mother Ship" (and less frequently, "ESPeon"), and expresses disappointment with their practice of preventing their talent from appearing as guests on his show, and frustration when an ESPN employee has agreed to come on the show only to later cancel.

Last shows

August 17, 2007, was Dan Patrick's last day on ESPN Radio. He named his final three shows the "Farewell for Now" tour. The last 20 minutes of his show were filled with thank-yous and looks back. Guests included Bob Costas, Bobby Knight, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Ken Griffey, Jr. and other sports stars. Will Ferrell also made a heavily promoted appearance in character as Ron Burgundy.

New radio-TV show/''Sports Illustrated''

Patrick signed a syndication deal with Chicago-based Content Factory, which soon launched his new version of ''The Dan Patrick Show'' on October 1, 2007. It was distributed nationally by Premiere Radio Networks. The show aired live on most stations from 9 a.m. to noon Eastern, although some opt to delay the show into the evening. The show ran delayed on Sirius XM Sports Nation on Sirius Radio channel 122 and XM Radio channel 143. It was also available as a live stream and in podcast form via Patrick's website.

In January 2009, Dan Patrick's show replaced ''Out of Bounds with Craig Shemon and James Washington'' on Premiere Radio's Fox Sports Radio network. This brought an additional 60 affiliates to Patrick's portfolio, and brought the total affiliate count to over 200. It also allows XM Radio listeners to hear the show live on the Fox Sports simulcast on channel 142, in addition to the delayed broadcast on channel 143. Sirius doesn't carry Fox Sports Radio.

In August 2009, ''The Dan Patrick Show'' started being broadcast on The 101 Network, following a show of DIY Network in which a toy-filled "man cave" studio was built in Milford. The radio-only show had been produced in the attic of Patrick's home.

''Sports Illustrated'' also announced in October 2007 that Patrick would become the magazine's senior writer. He would also contribute blogs to SI.com's "Fan Nation" and host the magazine's Sportsman of the Year show. ''SI'' collaborates with Content Factory to produce Patrick's web site, and helps stream his radio show. Patrick said he will produce non-television content exclusively for ''Sports Illustrated''. ''The Dan Patrick Show'' began simulcasting on Fox Sports Net, Comcast SportsNet, Root Sports, and MSG Plus in October, 2010.

NBC Sports

On July 7, 2008, it was announced that Patrick would join NBC Sports as a co-host of the third season of ''Football Night in America'' with former ''SportsCenter'' co-anchor Keith Olbermann every Sunday night beginning in September during the NFL season. Patrick and Olbermann host a series of highlights on the show and a segment called "The Little Big Show" with the day's top NFL plays.

"The Little Big Show" refers back to Patrick and Olbermann's time at ESPN where they referred to the 11pm ''SportsCenter'' they hosted as "The Big Show." This name both annoyed the other hosts, who felt insulted, and management, who preferred them to call the show by the actual name. Frustrations mounted so high that management told them to just say, "This is SportsCenter." This phrase ironically became ESPN's major tagline for SportsCenter.

Patrick served as the Super Bowl XLIII trophy presenter after the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals. Patrick also contributed to the network's coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics as a reporter for women's downhill skiing and snowboarding. He also hosted NBC's 2010 & 2011 Stanley Cup Finals coverage.

Other appearances

Movies and television

Patrick has made cameo appearances in many movies and TV shows, thanks in large part to his longtime friendship with actor Adam Sandler:

''The Definite Maybe'' (1997)

''Arli$$'' (1998)

''BASEketball'' (1998)

''The Waterboy'' (1998)

''Clerks'' (Animated ABC program) (2000)

''Clone High'' (2002)

''The Longest Yard'' (2005)

''Benchwarmers'' (2006)

''I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry'' (2007)

''The House Bunny'' (2008)

''Grown Ups'' (2010)

''Blue Mountain State'' (2011)

''Just Go With It'' (2011)

''Jack & Jill'' (2011)

Music videos

Dan Patrick has appeared twice in music videos:

The 1995 Hootie & the Blowfish song "Only Wanna Be With You." In the video, the group use their money to purchase several sports teams. Patrick said of the group, "Dare I say they're anything ''but'' 'en fuego'." He also uses another one of his famous catchphrases, "You can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him."

In the 2002 Brad Paisley song "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)", with the quote "Brad Paisley, dare I say, 'en fuego'."

References

External links

Dan Patrick Online Official website on CNN.com

Cousins Subs website (with video of Patrick's ads for the chain)

Dan Patrick biography

Category:American sports radio personalities Category:American television sports announcers Category:American sportswriters Category:American television personalities Category:National Basketball Association broadcasters Category:People from Dayton, Ohio Category:People from Warren County, Ohio Category:Sports Emmy Award winners Category:University of Dayton alumni Category:National Football League announcers Category:National Hockey League broadcasters Category:1956 births Category:Living people

es:Dan Patrick