Over The Pylon

Card Madness began with 68 BSU alums all vying for the opportunity to say that because of fan voting, they were the most BSU of the bunch. After Monday and Tuesday, we have whittled that field down to 32 of the best and brightest Ball Staters on the planet. Thursday showed us who the first 8 of the Sweet 16 would be. Today, the final 8 competitors will lay claim to the Sweet 16 as Round 2 comes to a close. Our vote totals so far have been astronomical, so if you are a supporter of someone below, it would be wise to spread the word that they need your vote, your friend’s vote, etc. This isn’t Chicago, so multiple votes are frowned on and a pulse is required. Voting has been extended a bit today after some comments were made that the 4:30 closing time wasn’t helpful for some to be able to get their vote in. From this point on, voting will be open from 8am-8pm.

Our Sweet 16 matchups will be Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, and that schedule will be decided on Friday evening. A short turnaround time for our competitors, but I’m sure they can handle it. You can check out round 1 results here and here as well as our most recent bracket with winners here.

Need a refresher on what Card Madness is all about? Click here. Need a bracket breakdown for the 4 different regionals? Check out the Charlie Cardinal Athletics Regional here, the Emens Entertainment Regional here, the Beneficence Campus Admin Regional here, and the Frog Baby “Other” Regional here. Ready to read about our competitors and vote? More after the jump…

ROUND 2, DAY 2 VOTING

Emens Entertainment Regional Round 2, Day 2
(1) David Letterman vs. (8) Scott Halberstadt
Top-seed David Letterman really needs no introduction, does he? He is the former 12:30am talk show host on NBC, the current 11:30pm talk show host on CBS, and is the namesake of the telecommunications and media building on campus. Arguably no other alum is more visible, vocal, and known than David Letterman. Dave defeated 16-seed Bridget Bobel in a significantly closer than expected round 1 match 57%-43%. 8-seed Scott Halberstadt brings more Hollywood flair to Card Madness as he is best known for his role on Nickelodeon’s Drake & Josh and his film role in Grandma’s Boy. You can check some of his highlights out here and I personally like his Woody Allen jacket in Grandma’s Boy. He defeated 9-seed Mark Champion 51%-49% in round 1.

(2) Jim Davis vs. (7) Stedman Graham
2-seed Jim Davis has brought laughter and joy to millions of children and more than a few adults in his career as the creator of Garfield and his crew. With Odie and Jon Arbuckle, Garfield and his love of lasagna are as reputable a cartoon as any other. Paws Inc. has set numerous records for merchandising and branding and laid the foundation for future long-term merchandise plans. Davis defeated 15-seed Sister Edith Pfau 97% to 3% in round 1. 7-seed Stedman Graham is perhaps best known for a who rather than a what as his longtime partner is legendary Oprah Winfrey. Outside of that, Stedman has also been behind numerous charities for youth motivation and excellence and runs an educational consulting business. Graham defeated actress Cynda Williams 73% to 27% in round 1.

Charlie Cardinal Athletics Regional Round 2, Day 2
(4) Nate Davis vs. (12) Reggie Hodges
4th seeded Nate Davis led BSU to two Bowl games in three seasons on the roster, and saw the Cards ranked in the Top 12 of the BCS in the 2008 undefeated season. Davis went on to be drafted by the San Francisco 49ers and spent a year in the NFL. He most recently led the Amarillo Venom to a championship in the Lonestar Football League. Davis defeated 13-seed Bernie Parmalee 77% to 23% in round 1. 12-seed Reggie Hodges played his way in to the field of 64 by defeating Mike Neu in the play-in game for the Charlie Cardinal region. Hodges was the starting punter as a freshman at Ball State, going on to set a school-career record with 254 attempts. His 10,210 yards ranked second in school history at the time of his graduation. He was named First-team All-MAC selection as a senior, leading conference with 73 punts (42.6 avg). He is also an 8 year veteran of the NFL. Hodges defeated 5-seed Bryan Bullington 54% to 46% in round 1.

(3) Brad Maynard vs. (6) Larry Bigbie
3-seed Brad Maynard is a BSU Hall of Fame member and averaged 44.2 yards per kick, ranking third in NCAA history. He amassed over 10,700 yards on 242 punts. Maynard was named onto the consensus All-American selection and All-Mid-American Conference first-team. He won MAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year and MVP following his senior campaign. Maynard had a long and fruitful NFL career, most memorable for his time with the Chicago Bears. He defeated 14-seed Sally Northcroft 92% to 8% in round 1. 6-seed Larry Bigbie was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles with the 21st selection in the first round of the 1999 MLB Draft. He was named to All-America second teams in 1999 by the American Baseball Coaches Association, Baseball America, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and the Louisville Slugger NCAA Division 1 All-America committee. Bigbie was named the 1999 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year after completing his career with a Ball State school record .386 batting average. A 1998 and 1999 All-MAC First-Team selection, Bigbie was one of just four juniors in conference history to accumulate at least 200 hits. His school record 24-game hitting streak in 1999 was the third longest in MAC history and helped the Cardinals to their first MAC baseball title and a school record 42 victories. He defeated 11-seed Dee Nocero 85% to 15% in round 1.

Beneficence Campus Admin Regional Round 2, Day 2
(3) Don Park vs. (11) Rick Majerus
Arguably, no one is more responsible for the dramatic changes of Ball State University over the last decade than 3-seed Don Park. The retired Vice President for University Advancement returned to the university in 1966 as assistant professor of education administration. During his 14 year tenure as vice-president, Park completed four capital campaigns and expanded development through grants, alumni giving, and marketing. He also served Phi Delta Kappa Educational Honorary as associate executive director from 1977-92, and served as an Indiana state senator. He defeated 14-seed Rich Maloney 63% to 37% in round 1. 11-seed Rick Majerus led BSU to a 43-17 record over his two seasons in Muncie including the school record of 29 wins in 1989. Majerus went on to win 500 games including a National Runner Up title and spent time with both Utah and St. Louis. He defeated 6-seed Ray McCallum 51% to 49% in round 1.

(4) Brady Hoke vs. (5) Don Shondell
In a matchup of legendary coaches we see two BSU alums notorious for building their programs to unexpected heights. It’s the traditional revenue versus non-revenue sports battle, but this for a Sweet 16 spot. 4-seed Brady Hoke was not only a player on one of Ball State’s most successful teams, he led the Cards as head coach on the 2008 undefeated season. Readers of this blog, fans of BSU football, and anyone who has had an eye on the Cards knows Brady Hoke and what he was able to accomplish in his time at the helm. Hoke defeated 13-seed Bubba Cunningham 93% to 7% in round 1. 5-seed Don Shondell began the program then became head coach of Ball State’s men’s volleyball program, where he won 20 Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) titles in 34 seasons. In 1970, he led Ball State to the first NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship tournament. He later earned twelve more NCAA berths. The name Shondell and volleyball is synonymous in East Central Indiana. He has a career record of 769-280-6 (.732), affording him the second highest number of wins in NCAA men’s volleyball history. Shondell defeated 12-seed Alan Hargrave 88% to 12% in round 1.

Frog Baby “Other” Regional Round 2, Day 2
(1) “Papa” John Schnatter vs. (8) Jeremiah Johnson
1-seed John Schnatter is perhaps the most famous pizza maker on the planet. Papa John’s has become an international brand and Schnatter himself has been inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 2007, was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans in 2000 by the National Jaycees Organization, was named 1998 National Ernst & Young Retail/Consumer Entrepreneur of The Year and was inducted in to the Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame in 2010. Papa John defeated 16-seed Nicholas Ferreri 91% to 9% in round 1. 8-seed Jeremiah Johnson is the next in the long line of BSU sports media personalities. Currently, Jeremiah is a sports reporter for Fox 59 in Indianapolis, and before that worked in Hazard, KY and Terra Haute, IN. Jeremiah hosts the Football Friday Night and the Friday Night Fast Break during the high school sports seasons. He also co-anchors Fox 59 Sports Overtime on Sundays in addition to reporting throughout the week. Aside from his duties at Fox 59, Jeremiah has spent time working for Fox Sports Indiana on Pacers Live Post-Game and serves as a sideline reporter on the IHSAA Champions Network. Johnson defeated 9-seed Jon Hoke 71% to 29% in round 1.

(2) Jason Whitlock vs. (7) Mark Carter
2-seed Jason Whitlock is a sportswriter for Foxsports.com, as well as a former columnist at the Kansas City Star, AOL Sports writer, contributor to ESPN, and radio personality for WHB and KCSP sports stations in the Kansas City area. Always outspoken, always opinionated, Whitlock is certainly one of a kind. Jason defeated 15-seed Morry Mannies 53% to 47% in round 1, in perhaps the toughest round one matchup of the entire field. 7th seeded Mark Carter may very well be as recognizable as the campus President. Any Thursday, Friday, or Saturday you can find Mark with his cart in the Village serving up delicious hot dogs. Hot Dog Man is a Ball State staple and was even featured in Sports Illustrated as things someone must do on a college campus. He defeated 10-seed Jeffrey Feltman 87% to 13% in round 1.

Voting for these games will be open until 8:00pm and winners will be back in action next week. Good luck to our competitors, thanks for your vote, and follow @OverThePylon on Twitter to get up to the minute results.

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