Aggie Football Presents Night of Champions

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Players competing at the Night of Champions will battle in one of four lifting events: the bench press, incline press, power clean and squat.

It's never too early to talk football, especially in the state of Texas.

That being said, with spring football at Texas A&M just two weeks away, the Aggie coaching staff has a way for fans to get a little taste of pigskin fever while rewarding players for their hard off-season work in the weight room.

This Thursday, March 6, select members of the football team will gather in G. Rollie White Coliseum to compete in a weightlifting exhibition dubbed the "Night of Champions". The event begins at 7 p.m., is open to the public and is free of charge.

"The Night of Champions is a fun event and I hope we have an excellent turnout by our fans," Aggie head coach Dennis Franchione said. "We've seen personal bests and school records occur in this event and the main reason is the crowd gets the players pumped up."

Franchione came up with the idea for the Night of Champions while at Pittsburg State in the mid '80s, as a motivational tool to help push the athletes through the not-so-exciting routine of off-season weight workouts.

It caught on quickly and is something the coach has done ever since.

"It is quite an honor to be selected for this event," Franchione said. "The players who have set records, or are near records, and those who have worked the hardest are chosen."

While only some of the football players will actually compete in the event, the rest of the team will be in attendance to support and encourage those competing.

Entrants, selected by strength coaches Mike Clark and Rick LaFavers on the basis of off-season workouts, will compete in one of four lifts: the bench press, incline press, power clean and squat.

Offensive players competing are running backs Derek Farmer, Keith Joseph and Bryce Reed; linemen Aldo de la Garza, Geoff Hangartner, John R. Kirk, James Milkavich and Alan Reuber; and wide receiver Tim Van Zant.

Defensive players competing are linemen Brian Patrick and David Ross; linebackers Andy Matakis, Archie McDaniel, Jared Morris, Everett Smith and Scott Stickane; and defensive backs Ronald Jones and Anthony Squillante.

Those participating in the vertical jump exhibition, also part of the hour-long event, will be selected a few days prior to the event once testing is completed.

Seating will be in the seats above the main floor. Concession stands will be open in G. Rollie White and parking is available in the University Center parking garage across the street from G. Rollie White.

For those unable to attend, Aggie Ultimate Access will provide live video coverage free of charge on aggieathletics.com. High-speed internet access is required for best viewing.