Football season is quickly approaching, and fans are starting to make the mad scramble to stock up on items for the season. Whether you're looking for stadium cushions, window flags for your car, decals, hats, t-shirts, outerwear or whatever, TheSabreShop.com has what you're looking for.

Shopping online from TheSabreShop is safe and easy. And to make things easier on the wallet, we're running a Summer Sale where dozens of our items are marked down considerably. Be sure to also check out the Gifts & Souvenirs section, which includes everything from stadium cushions to watches and wallets to flasks and other miscellaneous items.

And by purchasing officially licensed products from our store, you not only support the efforts to keep TheSabre.com running, you are supporting UVa athletics.

Support the Hoos this season by showing your true colors.

The Cavaliers received an injection of speed and elusiveness at the running back position last year with the signing of Heritage back Michael Johnson.  What the Cavs don't have on the squad is that bruising, change-of-pace back needed to get the tough yards in the trenches.  Hoping to have the opportunity to be that needed big back is James Terry, who committed to Virginia last week.  

"I think I could be a good change of pace guy at Virginia," said Terry of the UVA running back situation.  "My strength is that I run hard.  I am powerful and tough to knock to the ground."  

It appears the UVA staff is recruiting Terry as a running back, although he could certainly grow into a fullback or be used as linebacker.  Running back, however, is the position Terry loves to play.  

"I like running back the best," said Terry, who stands at 6'2" 225 pounds.  "It is just better than the other positions."  

Virginia and Pitt were the only schools to offer Terry in the early going.  Other schools such as Virginia Tech and Clemson were extremely interested as well, but in the end, Terry just felt committing early to the Cavs was the best thing to do.  

"I felt like it [Virginia] was the best choice for me," said Terry.  "I didn't think it was going to get any better.  I like the coaching staff and what they can teach me.  Their NFL experience was a big factor for me."  

"Academics is the most important thing.  I know I will get a good education at Virginia ...I want to major in Architecture.  Plus, the campus atmosphere was very welcoming."  

Last season, Terry rushed for 700 yards and 10 touchdowns for Woodbridge High School in Lake Ridge, VA.  He missed four games due to an ankle injury, however, and hopes to be able to return to form by the beginning of his senior season.  

"My ankle is better now," said Terry.  "It is not 100% as of yet, but it will be.  I have started my strength and physical training for the summer."  

In addition to getting healthier, bigger, and faster, Terry is concentrating on two very important goals he has set for himself in the fall.            

"I want to take our team to districts," said Terry of his senior goals.  "Personally, I want to rush for over 1500 yards."  

James Terry was the fifth commitment for the Cavaliers this young recruiting season.  The Cavaliers received their sixth commitment of the season when Western Pennsylvania quarterback Kevin McCabe committed to the Hoos yesterday.

Brooks, Armstrong and Carter still part of the UVa Family

A source in Hampton has confirmed this week that three recruits who did not qualify for admissions at UVa have reaffirmed their commitments to play for the University of Virginia for next season.

Linebacker Ahmad Brooks and defensive linemen Keenan Carter and Robert Armstrong all said that they are still part of the 'UVa Family' and plan to sign their letters of intent again next February.

All three players did not fully qualify for admission to UVa for the 2002 school year and will prep at Fork Union Military Academy for the 2002-03 school year.

All three players are scheduled to participate in tonight's VHSCA All-Star game in Hampton, VA.

More on Brooks' partial qualifier situation

There has been a lot of talk lately about Ahmad Brooks and the status of his National Letter of Intent. Since Brooks was a partial qualifier and eligible to enroll this fall at UVa under that status, an NCAA representative told TheSabre.com today that Brooks may indeed be bound to his letter even though he has chosen to enroll at Fork Union Military Academy this fall.

The Southeastern Conference is responsible for overseeing the National Letter of Intent program, but we were unable to reach the SEC for comment at this time.

Under the rules of the National Letter of Intent, a person who does not qualify or is not granted admission to the University in which he has signed, is not obligated to fulfill the requirements of the National Letter of Intent - the letter is considered null and void. But, because Brooks was accepted under partial qualifier status, he may be required to fulfill his agreement and stick to the terms stated in the National Letter of Intent he signed February 6th, 2002, or potentially sit out an additional year before being allowed to sign with any institution participating in the National Letter of Intent program.

The National Letter of Intent states that, once signed, a player cannot be contacted by another college institution that participates in the program. Most, if not all, Division 1-A schools participate in the National Letter of Intent program. If Brooks is still bound by his Letter of Intent after he enrolls in FUMA, then he and the University of Virginia are protected from other institutions' efforts to sign him, and Brooks will have to enroll with UVa in the fall of 2003 if he meets all of the NCAA eligibility requirements.

We plan to look into this matter more closely and will report the facts as they are presented.

For more information on the requirements of the National Letter of Intent, please see their official website at www.national-letter.org.

VHSCA All-Star game is one to watch

If you like watching top high school football players strut their stuff, then you'll want to make a trip to Darling Stadium in Hampton tonight. The Virginia High School Coaches Association is hosting the 31st Annual East-West All-Star Football Game at 7:30 p.m.

Several UVa commitments are scheduled to participate, including Patrick Henry quarterback Anthony Martinez, Potomac defensive lineman Keenan Carter, C.D. Hylton linebacker Ahmad Brooks, Culpeper cornerback Stefan Orange, Washington & Lee defensive lineman Robert Armstrong, Liberty center Damian Spradlin and Cave Spring kicker Tom Hagan.

Virginia Football Meet the Team Day

Meet the Team Day is scheduled for July 31st from 4:30-6:00pm at Scott Stadium. No other details have been provided at this time. SabreMail will release this info as it is made available.

Times for UVa football games announced

The game times for the first four UVa football games of 2002 have been announced. Please see UVa Football Schedule for times and television information, as well as future stats and previews for each game.

No single game ticket sale for South Carolina football game
Official UVa Media Release

There are no single game tickets available for the University of Virginia's home football game with the University of South Carolina this fall. The Cavaliers host the Gamecocks on September 7 at the Carl Smith Center, home of David A. Harrison III Field at Scott Stadium.

When the public sale of Virginia single game football tickets begins on July 15, tickets will be available for UVa's home games with Colorado State (Aug. 22), Akron (Sept. 21), Clemson (Oct. 12), North Carolina (Oct. 19), North Carolina State (Nov. 16) and Maryland (Nov. 23).

Tickets for five of Virginia's six away football games this fall will also be on sale. Beginning July 15, tickets for UVa's games at Florida State (Aug. 31), Wake Forest (Sept. 28), Duke (Oct. 5), Georgia Tech (Oct. 26) and Penn State (Nov. 9) will be available. Tickets are sold out for the game at Virginia Tech (Nov. 30).

Season tickets continue to be available for Virginia's 2002 home football schedule. The season tickets include all seven of the Cavaliers' home games, including the South Carolina game. Season tickets start at $160.

Free email accounts no longer valid for registration

Due to the increase in message board abuse by people who register with free email accounts like Hotmail, we are banning the ability for message board users register using these accounts. Any attempted registration from these account will be kicked back by the system. Registering for SabreMail with free mail accounts is still accepted.

Future registrations for themessage boards will only be accepted with real email accounts. What we mean by 'real' is any email account that is provided from a legitimate Internet Service Provider, or AOL and MSN. Accounts from Mail.com, Yahoo.com, Excite.com, Hotmail.com or any other free email service that allows anonymous registration will not be considered an acceptable address for registration on our boards.

There is one situation where free email accounts can be used, and this is mainly for those who like to use these accounts to prevent others from knowing their primary email or work email when they check the 'include email address' feature while posting a message. We would still require a poster to register with their primary email account, but they can go into the USER PREFERENCES area (linked at the top of the message boards) and change their email address to another account, such as Hotmail. Our system retains the original email for accountability purposes, but will only print the newest email address if the 'include email address' feature is selected when posting. So, if security of your primary email account is needed, we have you covered.

For those who simply do not have a legitimate email address, we will require some sort of verification of your identity in order to process your registration. There are several ways to provide this verification. You may subscribe to the Sabre Newsletter. You may purchase a product through TheSabreShop.com. Or, you may send a copy of your driver's license to the following address and request registration with our message boards. Other than that, you will need to retain a valid email address through an ISP in order to establish an account with us.

Since the free email account rejection feature is not currently active, we are currently suspending every new account that is registered using free email addresses. The only way to avoid this is to register with a legitimate email address.

We work hard to keep the discussion on our message boards at a high level. It is always our goal to provide forums where everyone can enjoy responsible discussion of UVa sports. We appreciate your patience and understanding with our policies. If you have any questions, please contact me at [email protected]. Oh, and as usual, before registering please read the Terms of Service (linked at the top of the message boards) for message board conduct. This is also linked at the top of the message board.

Check out our user preferences area

If you are signed up for multiple accounts with TheSabre.com, and have had some trouble learning where to go to change your account information, then we've got good news. We've set up a page on the site that can direct you to every place where changes may need to be made. Want to change your email? No problem. Now you can easily change all of your information without having to email us.

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