UC’s DeMeo debuts a football-filled Web site
By Dave Weekley
Charleston Sunday Gazette-Mail
August 24, 2008
Move over BeamerBall.com. Get ready for TonyDeMeo.com.
The colorful football coach at the University of Charleston launched his own website two weeks ago.
DeMeo came to the Golden Eagles with the reputation as an offensive innovator and he’s certainly brought an exciting brand of football to UC Stadium. But just because he’s launched a Web site – a site independent of the University of Charleston – don’t get the idea that DeMeo spends hours surfing the ‘net.Â
“Hey, to me, technology is a ball-point pen,” said DeMeo of his official launch into cyberspace.Â
The original idea for TonyDeMeo.com grew out of comments he received while doing coaching clinics, from those interested in his passing offense that features a run option. DeMeo’s site has a clean look, and it’s easy to navigate. His site was designed by Lawrence Fine and is maintained by Charleston-based Webbreez Web Development, the same group behind TheRealRandyMoss.com.Â
You won’t find DeMeo doing any live blogging on his site during UC games this fall, but you will find recent football-related articles he’s written, book reviews, his biography and a photo gallery featuring the UC coach with the likes of Bill Walsh, Sam Rutigliano and Bill Ansbarger.
TonyDeMeo.com also has a message board, a forum in which he interacts with visitors to his new site. The message board recently included a question for DeMeo about coaching from a curious football fan in England.
So how did someone across the Atlantic find DeMeo’s site just days after its relatively low-key launch?Â
“I haven’t the slightest idea,” said DeMeo.
Perhaps the best feature of the site is DeMeo’s “Play of the Day.” Saturday’s Play of the Day was the Flip Triple Option. Select it, and a YouTube video reveals two angles of the play from a game at West Liberty.
“We thought it would be more interesting to embed a video, rather than show a diagram,” explained DeMeo.
(Tony, did you just use the term ’embed?’ I thought you said you didn’t know anything about technology?)
TonyDeMeo.com is just one part of a higher profile for University of Charleston football in the Kanawha Valley this fall. As we predicted in this space four weeks ago, UC football has jumped from Bristol Broadcasting to the West Virginia Radio Corporation, and Golden Eagles games will be heard on WKAZ 680-AM and 95.3 FM. Both of those stations will also air DeMeo’s hour-long weekly call-in show on Wednesday nights at 6 p.m., live from Quaker Steak & Lube in the Southridge shopping center.
UC has also cut a new deal with Suddenlink, which will replay home games and air a video version of DeMeo’s radio show on cable channel 22. (Dates and times for UC content on Suddenlink have not yet been announced.)
DeMeo’s new “TD Club” luncheon ($10 buffet) kicks off on Thursday at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in South Charleston at noon and will run throughout the UC football season.
Charleston Gazette website >>