The 2005 college football bowl season gets under way tonight in Lafayette, La. Southern Mississippi&8217;s Golden Eagles will face Arkansas State in the New Orleans Bowl, which was relocated because of Hurricane Katrina damage to the Louisiana Superdome. As you know the Sugar Bowl has also had to relocate, to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, for the same reason. Notably, one year during World War II, the Rose Bowl was not held in Pasadena, Calif., but was moved to Duke University in Durham, N.C., because of fears that the Japanese might shell the Rose Bowl from submarines off shore in the Pacific Ocean.

I do not know which conference is furnishing officials for the New Orleans Bowl. Lafayette will show them a good time, and they should get plenty of good food. I know we will all be glad to see New Orleans rise from the waters, so to speak, and regain its ambience.

I read that LSU offensive lineman Rudy Niswanger was awarded the 2005 Draddy Trophy, considered by many to be the &8220;Academic Heisman.&8221; The award is named for Vincent Draddy, who was long-time Chairman and benefactor of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

There were 16 finalists for this year&8217;s award. Each had to have at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Each had to be s starter on his football team, and a senior or graduate school student who had used all of his eligibility. 14 of the 16 finalists had at least a 3.7 GPA.

Draddy, who was a quarterback at Manhattan College, started the Izod and Lacoste brands. The award was started in 1990, but the National Football Foundation had launched the Scholar-Athlete program in 1959. Past Draddy winners include lawyers, an MIT professor, a Ph.D. nuclear rngineer, and several active NFL players, including Peyton Manning.

Niswanger, who graduated last May from LSU with a perfect 4.0 GPA, is headed to Medical School. He anchored the LSU line for three years, including during the National Championship 2003 season.

While on the NFF and HOF subject, those who follow local sports in the Miss-Lou know of the scholarships annually awarded to seven local high school senior athletes by the Miss-Lou Chapter of the NFF and HOF. The money for these awards is raised each year through the Joe Fortunato Celebrity Golf Classic. Fortunato not only lends his name to the event, but annually invites a number of celebrities to play in the tournament, and with his wife Catherine works tirelessly to make sure the Classic runs smoothly. Joe was recently honored by the Mississippi State University Chapter of the NFF and HOF, receiving the &8220;Distinguished American Award,&8221; presented at half time of the MSU vs. Ole Miss game. Joe next went to Atlanta, where he was honored as the &8220;Living Legend&8221; from Mississippi State at the Southeastern Conference Championship weekend. Fortunato was honored with the &8220;Distinguished American&8221; award by the Miss Lou Chapter in 1982.

Al Graning is a former SEC official and former Natchez resident. Reach him at

AlanWard39157@aol.com

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