#National Football Conference North Division

[thenfl]

Packers Luke Musgrave Named 2024 Breakout Candidate

rawchili.com

[mydaddywiki]

Mike Leach

Height: 6'2" (1.88 m) Physique: Average Build

Michael Charles Leach (March 9, 1961 – December 12, 2022; aged 61) was an American college football coach who primarily coached at the NCAA Division I FBS level. He was a two-time national coach of the year, three-time conference coach of the year and the mastermind behind the NCAA record-setting air raid offense. He was the head coach at Texas Tech University from 2000 to 2009, where he became the winningest coach in school history. After Texas Tech, he coached at Washington State University from 2012 to 2019, where he recorded the third-most wins of any coach in school history. He then coached at Mississippi State University from 2020 until his death in 2022.

Funny how I’ve heard this guy name from watching college football shows, but never looked him up until he was hired by Mississippi State. He looks like the kind of man I could spend hours with fucking.

Born in Susanville, CA, Leach was raised in Cody, Wyoming, Leach graduated from Cody High School in 1979. After graduating with honors from Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1983, Leach earned a master’s degree from the U.S. Sports Academy and his Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University, where he graduated in the top one-third of his class. Leach began his coaching career as an assistant at Cal Poly in 1987. After a few more stops as an assistant coach, Leach was hired at Texas Tech from 2000 to 2009 and Washington State from 2012 to 2019 before spending two season at Mississippi State University from 2020 until his death in 2022.

Leach died Monday night after complications related to a heart condition. He was married (aren't they all?), survived by his wife, Sharon and four children, along with three grandchildren. Nicknamed the "Pirate," Leach had an affinity for pirates and even had a life-sized statue of a singing pirate in his office when he was at Washington State. That's fitting as he could have taken my pirate booty.

Head Coaching Record Overall: 158–107 Bowls: 8–9

Accomplishments and Honors Championships 1 Big 12 South Division (2008) 1 Pac-12 North Division (2018)

Awards AFCA Coach of the Year (2018) George Munger Award (2008) Woody Hayes Trophy (2008) 2× Pac-12 Coach of the Year (2015, 2018) Big 12 Coach of the Year (2008)

[hangmanbradshaw]

I have come to you to ask a question related to football: today the chiefs played in New York against the jets, which fine New York can have two teams. But they are not in the same conference so if conferences are not based on geography, what are they based on?

(Full disclosure: my experience here comes from hockey where your conference and division are usually based on who is physically closest to you. So for example, New York has 2 hockey teams (and there’s also one in jersey which I think the jets might have been) and they are all in the same division.)

OOOOOOH FOOTBALL QUESTION. Bless. So short answer: business politics. Long answer, originally there was the NFL (National Football League) and it was small, like 16 teams total. Other people wanted to start teams, but the nfl wouldn't let the new teams in so the AFL was created (American Football League, started by Lamar Hunt actually- the founder of the KC Chiefs. His son still owns the Chiefs (Clark Hunt) which is why the AFC Championship trophy is called the Lamar Hunt trophy and every time we win it they talk about bringing it home). So they ended up merging the two (fascinating story- KC and Dallas kinda went behind the nfl to start talking about it) to create the NFL we know now which became two conferences- the AFC and NFC. The AFC was all the AFL teams and 3 of the nfl teams, and the rest of the nfl teams went to the NFC. Then they created divisions within them so AFC East, AFC West, AFC South, AFC North and same for NFC East, West, South, North. The divisions are a little more based on geography but still not perfect. For example, AFC West is KC, Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, LA Chargers. The 4 most west teams in the AFC.

So the Jets were in the AFL originally so they joined the AFC. The Giants were in the NFL and they moved to NFC. Giants are NFC East and Jets are AFC East.

[arshad2579]

Cleveland Browns vs. Houston Texans Game Highlights | NFL 2023 Super Wild Card Weekend

The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League as a member club of the American Football Conference North division.

Full Video

[lboogie1906]

Shaw University is a private liberal arts HBCU in Raleigh. Founded on December 1, 1865, it is the second oldest HBCU in the South, after Clark Atlanta University. It has been called the “mother of African American colleges in North Carolina” as the founding presidents of North Carolina Central University, Elizabeth City State University, and Fayetteville State University are all Shaw alumni. The founder of Livingstone College studied at Shaw before transferring to Lincoln University. What became NCATSU was located on Shaw’s campus during its first year.

Shaw boasts many “firsts”: the first college in the nation to offer a four-year medical program, the first historically HBCU in the nation to open its doors to women, and the first HBCU in North Carolina to be granted an “A” rating by the State Department of Public Instruction. Dr. Paulette Dillard serves as the University’s 18th President.

It is affiliated with the General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and is a member of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. It was a co-founding member of the NCAA Division II’s CIAA Conference, the oldest African American athletic association. The university has won CIAA championships in Football, Basketball (women’s and men’s), Tennis (women’s and men’s), and volleyball.

The school was founded by the American Baptist Home Mission Society. Henry Martin Tupper and his Bible study students constructed a two-story church, with one story for the church, and one for the Raleigh Institute, where he taught freedmen. By 1915, supported by the American Baptist Home Mission, the school had 291 students, evenly divided between men and women. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #hbcu

[wikiuntamed]

Top 5 @Wikipedia pages from yesterday: Tuesday, 9th April 2024

Welcome, velkomin, üdvözöljük, bienvenido 🤗 What were the top pages visited on @Wikipedia (9th April 2024) 🏆🌟🔥?

1️⃣: Dan Hurley "Daniel S. Hurley (born January 16, 1973) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach of the UConn Huskies men's team at the University of Connecticut. In 2023 and 2024, Hurley led UConn to back-to-back NCAA Division I national championships. He previously coached at Rhode Island..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0? by Liam Enea

2️⃣: Zach Edey "Zachry Cheyne Edey ( EE-dee; born May 14, 2002) is a Canadian college basketball player for the Purdue Boilermakers of the Big Ten Conference. He is listed at 7 feet 4 inches (2.24 meters), making him the tallest player in Big Ten history. At the close of the 2023 season, Edey was named the Big Ten..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0? by Alexander Jonesi

3️⃣: 2024 Indian Premier League "The 2024 Indian Premier League (also known as IPL 17 and branded as TATA IPL 2024) is the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League, a franchise Twenty20 cricket league in India, organized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The tournament features ten teams and is being held from 22..."

4️⃣: UEFA Champions League "The UEFA Champions League (previously known as the European Cup, abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competition..."

5️⃣: Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024 "The solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, was a total solar eclipse visible across a band covering parts of North America, from Mexico to Canada and crossing the contiguous United States. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the Sun. A total solar..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0? by Osunpokeh

[johnmarzka]

Army Black Knights Football - from Independent to AAC

The Army Black Knights Football team, or Army for short, is the United States Military Academy outfit in college football. The team's colors are black, gold, and gray, and they have been playing since 1890. Army is in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Army has played independent football since its inception except between the years of 1998 and 2004 when they were with Conference USA. Things will change for the team in 2024 since Army announced it was joining the American Athletic Conference, becoming the 14th member.

NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision independent institutions (FBS independents), such as the United States Military Academy (Army West Point), run football programs separate from NCAA-affiliated conferences. Army West Point chose to be independent mainly because it did not need the income from television.

Army plays annual games against the Air Force Falcons and Navy Midshipmen, with the three teams competing for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. College football teams typically play 12 games per football season. The Black Knights of West Point schedule games with non-service teams to reach this mark.

West Point's six-year run with Conference USA, from 1998 to 2004, was largely unsuccessful. The team recorded 3-33 in its last three years in the league.

With West Point's past conference experience, one would expect them to remain independent. However, the revenue from TV and bowl appearances is making college football playoffs important for teams. Also, scheduling games outside of conferences is increasingly complicated.

The athletic director of the United States Military Academy, Mike Buddie, said Army will be more competitive in AAC than in Conference USA, and that college football dynamics have changed. The AAC entry will see Army in eight conference games, with four at West Point's home, Michie Stadium.

The games against Air Force and Navy will continue as non-conference games for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. Army football has partnered with CBS Sports Network for TV rights, with the contract extending to 2028. The network will exclusively show Army home games, while ESPN, AAC's TV partner, will carry Army away games. As a football-only member of AAC, West Point will have a share of college football earnings from ESPN.

West Point has produced three Heisman Trophy winners: in 1945, 1946, and 1958. The conference entry might see the team having more shots at the Heisman since it will be involved in more games. The Army-Navy football teams' rivalry may get a boon from this move as well. The regular end-of-the-season Commander in Chief's trophy game between the two rivals will continue to be held while the two teams may also meet in the AAC championship. If the two teams finish as first and second in the league, they will play the final against each other. While it is a small chance, fans can hope for it.

In the Black Knights' first season, they will play UAB, East Carolina, Rice, and UTSA at home, then Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Temple, and Tulsa for away games. Army's most recent meeting with any of the teams was with UTSA in 2023, ending at 37-29 in favor of the Black Knights.

[sportofusalacrosse]

Top lacrosse video today: HOW TO GET READY FOR TACKLE FOOTBALL

Top lacrosse news

„@FusionLax Monday boys’ summaries” – phillylacrosse

„@BeYourBestLax Monday girls’ summaries” – phillylacrosse

„Girls’ HS previews: Suburban One National Conference’s Central Bucks South, Council Rock North” – phillylacrosse

„John Danowski: Greatest Active NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Coaches” – laxallstars

„USILA Men’s Coaches Polls: Penn State moves up to No. 7 in D1, Penn is No. 12” – phillylacrosse

Best tweets – 2024. 03. 19.

[businessconsiderations]

How I would realign college football

Here's my best idea for to save college football from itself, the best compromise between the money of a national super league and the tradition of the regional conferences...

Regions and history

Make winning your conference a big deal again. A conference title is a thing to be celebrated in its own right, for teams and fans to cherish and remember over generations.

Go back to 6 "power" conferences. Embrace the beauty of the regional rivalries and traditions. Embrace the symmetry and simplicity of the 12-teams conference structure: 2 divisions per conference, 8-game regular season schedule, 5-game round robin inside the division, 3 inter-division games. Rivalry games last weekend of November, championship games first weekend of December.

SEC, Big XII and ACC are simple, they go back to circa 2010. Mizzouri, Texas A&M, Colorado and Nebraska stay in the Big XII. ACC keeps Maryland, and they leave the Big East alone. The B1G adds Notre Dame not Nebraska. I wanted to make it work to keep ND independent, but the structure I am proposing below won't allow for it. Pac 12 adds Utah but BYU instead of Colorado.

The Big East might need a rebrand. But they'll have Syracuse, Connecticut, Rutgers, WVU, Pitt and Cincinnati for their north division. We'll give them Louisville, UCF, USF, TCU, SMU and Houston for their south division. This is only loosely a "power" conference, essentially they're the middle between the top 5 and bottom 5 leagues, because we are going back to 11 conferences. The bottom 5, or "group of 5," are the Mountain West, CUSA, Sun Belt, MAC, WAC. The American isn't needed because the Big East still exists.

National title and the big money

National title is determined via the Super League, the big money league that the big schools seems to be leading us toward. Qualification for Super League is based on last year's results. This is new for American sports, but normal for European soccer. I think we can get used to it. We'll need some sort of calculation to stack rank the "power" conferences to determine how many teams they get in next year's Super League.

Super League runs concurrently to conference regular season, 20 teams, 4 groups of 5, round robin format inside each group, top 2 teams in each group advance to playoff. Round 1 is 3rd weekend of December, so there's a rest week after conference championship games, each group winner hosts a second place team. Use some method to mix up 1st v 2nd matchups so they don't come from same group. Rotate the New Year's 6 bowls so 2 of them host the semifinals and 1 hosts the National championship game.

Have a next level down league from the Super League with the same format, call it Next League or Futures League or Ascension League, something creative. Their semifinals and finals are the other 3 major bowls per the rotation.

So the Super League 20 teams are top 5 from #1 conference, top 4 from #2 conference, top 3 from #3, #4 and #5 conferences, top 1 from #6 conference, and winner of Ascension League. If winner of Ascension League qualifies in one of those spots, we pick the next team in that league standings.

And the Ascension League 20 teams are 2 teams from #1 and #2 conferences, 3 teams from #3, #4 and #5 conferences, 2 teams from #6 conference, top teams from the group of 5 conferences, i.e. Mountain West, CUSA, Sun Belt, MAC, WAC.

So each conference could have it's only TV deal. Plus, there's a separate TV deal for the Super League and Ascension League. Could have "super weekends" or stagger them throughout, whatever works best for TV. So those 40 teams have their 12 games figured out. Teams outside of the top 40 on a given year would have to fill out their other 4 games against each other. Bowls can still exist for teams not involved in Super League or Ascension League semifinals.

Example overview:

Let's say the "power" conference rankings in a given year are 1- SEC, 2- B1G, 3- Pac 12, 4- Big XII, 5- ACC, 6- Big East:

SEC gets 7 teams in, 5 Super/2 Ascension

BIG gets 6, in 4/2

Pac 12, Big XII, ACC get 6 each, 3/3

Big East gets 3, 1/2

Group of 5 get 5, 0/5

So next year's Super League that would run concurrent to conference leagues could look something like this (no Ascension league winner to start, so I just grabbed the next highest ranked team, that's why the Big XII gets 4):

Group 1

Michigan (B1G)

FSU (ACC)

Oklahoma (Big XII)

LSU (SEC)

Louisville (Big East)

Group B

Washington (Pac 12)

Ohio St (B1G)

Tennessee (SEC)

Clemson (ACC)

Missouri (Big XII)

Group C

Texas (Big XII)

Georgia (SEC)

Notre Dame (B1G)

Arizona (Pac 12)

NC St (ACC)

Group D

Alabama (SEC)

Oregon (Pac 12)

Penn St (B1G)

Oklahoma St (Big XII)

Ole Miss (SEC)

One team example:

Let's take a look at what Michigan's season would look like. They play Ohio St, Michigan St, Penn St, Indiana and Purdue every year in their division. They play 3 from the other division, maybe the make an annual inter-division rivalry like the SEC does with Florida/LSU, Auburn/Georgia, Alabama/Tennessee and make ND an annual opponent. Picking the other 2 at random, make it Illinois and Minnesota.

Since they have a #1 seed in their Super League group from winning the 2nd toughest conference the prior year, they likely avoid a top SEC team. Maybe the get something like FSU, Oklahoma, LSU, Louisville.

That's a very compelling 12-game schedule. Annual games against OSU, MSU, PSU and ND would be huge. Super League games against FSU, OK and LSU would be huge. 2 annual garbage games against IU and Purdue, 2 rotating garbage games against Illinois and Minnesota, 1 decent Super League game against Louisville.

They have 2 distinct titles to play for: 1) beating OSU+PSU to make/win the B1G title game and 2) winning their Super League group to put them on track for the national title.

This obviously can't happen, it's too late

But this is the best compromise. Gives a little taste of promotion/relegation but without the jeopardy of being relegated out of your historic league. Indiana doesn't have to worry about getting relegated to the MAC.

And if the B1G and SEC fancy themselves as the top 2 leagues, their big dogs--OSU, Mich, Alabama, Georgia--going into each season knowing top 4 keeps them in the Super League for next season, some years top 5. The other true "power" leagues is top 3. Big East, or whatever its rebrand after becoming 5/12ths TX+FL, knows it's a distant 6th and should be happy with 1 Super League spot.

I will think about this over the coming weeks/months, edit for clarity, be more concise where I can, and turn this into a Twitter/X thread before the college football season starts later this year.

[thenfl]

PFF Ranking the top 25 players under 25

rawchili.com

[detroitlionsmerch]

Detroit Lions Merch

The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League as a member of the National Football Conference North Division. The team plays their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit. Shop Detroit Lions Merch Here! #detroitlionsmerch #detroitlionsmerchandise

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[bongaboi]

South Dakota State: 2023 NCAA Division I FCS National Champions

FRISCO, Texas -- Mark Gronowski ran for a touchdown and threw for another after halftime as South Dakota State won its second straight Football Championship Subdivision title, beating Montana 23-3 on Sunday.

The Jackrabbits (15-0) extended their overall winning streak to 29 games, including their win over North Dakota State in last year's FCS game for their first national title.

South Dakota State had an impressive game-opening drive, but led only 7-3 at halftime. Gronowski, the quarterback starting his third FCS title game, then bulled into the end zone for a 10-yard score midway through the third quarter, and on the next possession threw a 23-yard TD to Jadon Janke.

Gronowski finished 13-of-21 passing for 175 yards and ran eight times for 62 yards. The Jackrabbits outgained Montana 372-273.

Montana's 27 playoff appearances are the most in the second tier of Division I football. National champions in 1995 and 2001, the Grizzlies (13-2) have now finished as the runner-up six times, four under coach Bobby Hauck.

This was the Grizzlies' first title game since 2009, when they were the runner-up for the third time in Hauck's first seven seasons. Hauck then left for FBS team UNLV and also was on staff at San Diego State before returning to Montana in 2018.

Less than two weeks after South Dakota State was crowned champions last year, John Stiegelmeier retired after 26 seasons as head coach. He was succeeded by defensive coordinator Jimmy Rogers, a former Jackrabbits linebacker who was captain of their first playoff team in 2009 -- when they lost to Montana after blowing a 27-point lead.

Both teams had only one possession in the first quarter Sunday. Montana's opening drive spilled into the first play of the second quarter, when on its 15th play, running back Eli Gillman was stuffed by Jackrabbits linebacker Adam Bock for no gain on fourth-and-goal from the 1.

South Dakota State had opened the game with a 75-play, 11-play drive. Gronowski completed his first five passes for 55 yards and converted a third-and-4 with a 9-yard keeper right before Isaiah Davis' 6-yard TD run.

That put the Jackrabbits ahead to stay, though they had a couple of costly mistakes before halftime.

A few plays after Bock's stop, one of his 11 tackles, Gronowski had a pass intercepted by Corbin Walker that Montana turned into a field goal for its only points. South Dakota State also had a turnover when punting, as the ball ricocheted off one of its players and recovered by the Griz, though they punted it back.

THE TAKEAWAY

Montana: Playmaking quarterback Clifton McDowell, who had been 11-0 as the Griz starter, was under increased pressure, especially after halftime. He completed 22 of 39 passes for 165 yards, but was sacked four times. After he was stripped of the ball when being sacked late in the third quarter, 295-yard defensive tackle Ryan Van Marel came up with it.

South Dakota State: In their third title game appearance in four seasons, the Jackrabbits became the first team since North Dakota State (2017-19) to repeat as champions. It was another stellar defensive performance in this playoff run for South Dakota State, which had two lopsided shutout victories (41-0 and 59-0) in its previous three games.

UP NEXT

Montana: The Big Sky champion Grizzlies take on one of SDSU's Missouri Valley Conference rivals in their 2024 opener. They host Missouri State on Aug. 31.

South Dakota State: The Jackrabbits open next season on the road Aug. 31 at Big 12 team Oklahoma State, the first major conference team they will play since a 7-3 loss at Iowa of the Big Ten in the 2022 opener that was their last loss.

[darpow]

"Cincinatti Bengals," he nodded his head, "they're one of the two Ohio teams in the NFL, so you do know a little bit more than you thought you did, at least," he laughed, knowing that it was probably a point of pride, when you got something right in a conversation that you might not have been too sure about. "Broncos are Denver, Colts are Indianapolis," he explained, "as for the differences, the Broncos are navy and orange, Colts are blue and white… I think -- I've never been a fan of either, so don't quote me. As for the conferences -- there are two of those. The AFC and the NFC, they were created because the American Football League merged with the National Football League. Divisions, which is where your question comes in with like, Maine vs. Texas? Yeah, for the most part those are by area. I follow the NFC North, for example," he lifted a hand to count off the teams that were on it, "the Bears, the Vikings, the Packers and the Lions. But! There are outliers. Like the NFC East is made up of the Eagles, Commanders, Giants and… Dallas Cowboys," he laughed, shaking his head. Alright, there were a few things outside of history that he had an interest in, too. Football was one of them. "I do. At least if I'm free on Friday nights when they play, they're fun."

"Oh, I thought you said 'light'...that makes so much more sense, my bad." Chandler chuckled before taking a sip of his mocktail. "So, Bengals are NFL then?" Can't believe I know something about football after all!" " He almost didn't believe he actually succeeded in naming a team from some city he had no connection with. A large part of him expected Darrius to say they played baseball or something. "I mean....Not gonna lie, I couldn't tell you the difference between a bronco and a colt. Like, the actual animal. But also no idea where either team is from or what their colors are. They have different conferences, right? Like Texas and Maine wouldn't be in the same group?" Chandler tilted his head as football games were brought up. He went to those too but only because everyone did. But he didn't count that because he never actually watched the game. "Do you go to the high school football games, then? I haven't been to a sporting event since I was a teenager."

[theultimatefan]

Caldwell Sprint Football Head Coach Jim Kelly Announces Retirement

Caldwell University Head Sprint Football Coach Jim Kelly announced his retirement today after leading the Cougars for six years. Kelly, whose tenure included back-to-back 5-2 seasons and Collegiate Sprint Football League (CSFL) North Division second place finishes, coached numerous All-League honorees, All-Academic Team members and National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society recipients. He also served as an athletic department administrator during his time at Caldwell.

"Coach Kelly has meant everything to the sprint football program after taking it over in just its second year in 2018," said Mark A. Corino, Caldwell University Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics. "He has had much success on the field, helping establish Caldwell as one of the CSFL's top programs, but more importantly Coach Kelly has been a great leader of student-athletes. We are greatly appreciative of all he and his staff have done for the Department and the University and wish him, his wife Mary Ann and their children the best."

Kelly had a record of 14-20 overall and 8-11 in North Division contests while at the helm. In the last three years, CU has gone 12-8 (.600).

Prior to joining Caldwell before the program's second year, Kelly had over 30 years of coaching experience, including eight seasons as an assistant coach at Montclair State University. Kelly served as the head varsity coach at Queen of Peace High School in 2015, and earlier was part of the coaching staff at Montclair State from 2005-12. His role as an assistant coach at MSU included two New Jersey Athletic Conference titles as well as two trips to the NCAA Division III playoffs.

A thorough national search for his replacement will begin immediately. The Cougars compete in the CSFL, which began play in 1934. Caldwell completed its seventh year of sprint football in 2023.

[lboogie1906]

Rayne Dakota Prescott (July 29, 1993) is a football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs, twice earning first-team All-SEC honors, and was selected by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft. He ranks fourth all-time in completion percentage with at least 1,500 pass attempts and is fifth in the NFL’s all-time regular season career passer rating.

Intended to serve as a backup in his rookie season, he became the Cowboys’ starting quarterback after starter Tony Romo was injured in the preseason. He went on to lead the Cowboys to the top seed of the National Football Conference and set several rookie quarterback records, earning him Offensive Rookie of the Year. He has since led the Cowboys to three additional division titles and made three Pro Bowl appearances. He won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award.

He is the youngest of Nathaniel and Peggy Prescott’s three children. He attended Haughton High School in Haughton, Louisiana, where he played football for the Buccaneers. As a senior, he completed 159 of 258 passes for 2,860 yards and 39 touchdowns. He rushed for 951 yards on 90 attempts with 17 touchdowns and led Haughton to become 2010 District 1-AAAA Champions. A three-star recruit, he accepted a scholarship from Mississippi State over offers from Louisiana Tech, LSU, Memphis, Nicholls State, North Texas, and TCU.

He is a Christian. His brother Jace was an offensive lineman at Northwestern State. His mother died of colon cancer in November 2013. The Faith Fight Finish Foundation has been established in her honor, which helps people deal with adversity. His brother Jace committed suicide in April 2020. He has a daughter. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[primeinsights1]

Alex Gorsky's Remarkable Journey: From Pharmacist to Fortune 500 Leader

Introduction

In this blog, we will unfold some facts and the life experiences of the man who has created history in the field of healthcare, Alex Gorsky. He is not only known for his contribution to the world’s biggest company Johnson & Johnson but also for his life experiences and how he faced every challenge in his life.

If you are willing to join the  world or are already working there then you must read this for real insights and to understand if you have the will you can achieve great heights.

Table of contents

NO.                Index1Introduction2Alex Gorsky’s educational and early life journey3Early Career at Johnson & Johnson (1988-2004)4Venture to Novartis (2004-2008)5Return to Johnson & Johnson (2008-2022) 6Some facts about Alex Gorsky7Awards and honors 8Conclusion

Alex Gorsky’s educational and early life journey

Gorsky's family history is very interesting as his grandparents immigrated to the US from Russia and Croatia. Gorsky was born in Kansas City and he was the third child of her parents, he has  6 brothers and sisters. His family decided to relocate to Fremont, Michigan when he was 12 years old, As his father got a job at Gerber Foods as a marketing executive.

Gorsky was an outstanding athlete in his high school days. He was also a captain of his football team and had played both quarterback and linebacker. He was also the captain of the swimming team, where he always made sure that everything worked smoothly and equal chances were given to everyone.

In 1977 Gorsky was selected to represent Michigan at the Boy's Nation national conference when he was a member of Boy's State. At the same time, Congressman Guy Vander Jagt also nominated him to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point. In 1981, Gorsky was one of the candidates who were chosen for the Army Ranger School, where he earned the famous Ranger Tab.

Gorsky joined the United States Army's Artillery Branch as a lieutenant after completing his degree in May 1982 when was just 22 years old. During his service period, he had even headed an artillery platoon. In 1987, he was promoted to captain after serving as an officer for a period of six years and completing various assignments in  Europe and Panama.

Gorsky married Patricia Dittrich at that time she was working as a hospital nurse from Carmel, California and he also took a very important decision in his career to leave the Army in 1988.

His educational path still wasn't over there. Gorsky earned his Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1996.

Early Career at Johnson & Johnson (1988-2004)

Alex Gorsky started his career at Johnson & Johnson in 1988 as a sales representative in the Janssen Pharmaceuticals department. Later because of his excellent work ethic he rose through the ranks and performed various leadership positions. He was later appointed as Company Group Chairman in 2003 and his responsibilities included overseeing  Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Gorsky was very active in the marketing of medicinal products such as Risperdal during that time. Unfortunately,  Johnson & Johnson faced major legal issues due to the marketing of this medicine, and because of that, the company had to pay a huge fine as per the legalities.

Venture to Novartis (2004-2008)

Gorsky started a new chapter in his work life in 2004 when he entered the Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. There he started off as the General Medicines Head and the Chief Operating Officer. However, due to his excellent leadership skills, he was later appointed as the Head of Pharmaceuticals North America and then Chief Executive Officer.

Gorsky emphasized inclusiveness and diversity and put his main focus on it while working for Novartis.  Gorsky had played a major role while working with Novartis for the expansion of the business's cardiovascular and other medical divisions.

Return to Johnson & Johnson (2008-2022) 

Gorsky rejoined Johnson & Johnson in 2008 as Ethicon, Inc. Company Group Chairman. There as well his managerial skills were very quickly noticed and the company appointed him as a Worldwide Chairman of Medical Devices & Diagnostics in 2009. After that, his career bar kept on rising and he was appointed as the Vice Chairman in the Chairman's Office where he got a chance to work very closely with the CEO.

In 2012, the day finally came when all his leadership skills and experiences paid off as Alex Gorsky was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer CEO of Johnson & Johnson. From that point till now Johnson and Johnson's stock went really up and the company made a lot of profit.

Some facts about Alex Gorsky

Alex Gorsky takes charge of Johnson & Johnson's legal disputes including dealing with talc and opioid cases. He even appeared in a New Jersey trial about the company's baby powder product in January 2020.

Johnson & Johnson's stock price touched the sky during Gorsky's leadership. It more than tripled and the company frequently exceeded the S&P 500 with a yearly return of more than 15%. The company's whole market worth also improved greatly from around $180 billion to more than $470 billion as per the reports.

Gorsky made Johnson & Johnson's responsibility in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic as the world's largest healthcare firm. The company's COVID-19 vaccine which was based on a unique adenovirus-vector platform known as AdVac has received high praise for its strong immune response.

According to Becker's Hospital Review, Gorsky was one of the highest-paid CEOs in the healthcare industry in 2021 as he received an annual salary of $23.14 million.

Gorsky was the guest speaker at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania's MBA Graduation Ceremony in 2022 where shared very useful insights and wisdom with the students.

Awards and honors 

Gorsky has received various awards and honors because of his immense contribution to healthcare and humanitarian activities. Some of those are listed below:

Gorsky and his wife Pat donated to the Doylestown Health Foundation twice; $5 million in 2017 and $5 million in 2022.

Mentor of the Year by the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association in 2009[31]

Joseph Wharton Leadership Award in 2014 

Corporate Humanitarian Award by Operation Smile in 2015

The Ripple of Hope Award by Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights in 2017

Honorary Doctorate from Thomas Jefferson University in 2018

Honorary Doctorate from Ferris State University College of Health Profession and Michigan College of Optometry

Gorsky was ranked #2 on the NJBIZ Manufacturing Power 50 list in 2020

Legend in Leadership Award by Yale School of Management in 2021

BENS Eisenhower Award 2021

Top 30 Modern Healthcare Leaders 2022

Conclusion

In this article, we have got to know a lot about Gorsky’s life and how he achieved heights. He is an inspiration for all those business enthusiasts who are aspiring to do big in life. His journey reflects that if you have passion in your work then you will always touch heights.

We hope that you liked reading about him and if you do please let us know your thoughts in the comments.