College Football Playoff Communications
IRVING, Texas – Bill Hancock, Executive Director of the College Football Playoff (CFP), announced today that Archie Manning has come to the difficult decision that he won’t be able to rejoin the selection committee. In his place, Bobby Johnson, former head coach at Vanderbilt and Furman, has been appointed to the committee.
“I was honored when I was chosen to be on the College Football Playoff Selection Committee,” Manning said. “It’s a great group of people and they did a wonderful job last year. But as I look ahead to the various commitments I have – to my family, numerous time obligations around the country and to other conflicting demands – I have concluded that I won’t be able to return to the committee. I particularly want to watch Peyton and Eli play, in person when I can, and it’s hard to do that when weekends are devoted to watching college games. This is not an easy choice, but it’s the right choice for Olivia and me.
“The College Football Playoff is a big hit and I wish my colleagues the very best.”
“Everyone on the committee is going to miss Archie,” Hancock said. “He is an all-star and he knows college football inside and out. On the other hand, we are delighted to welcome Bobby to the committee. His extensive knowledge of the sport and his notable integrity make him a perfect member of this group.”
Johnson was chosen unanimously by the CFP management committee in a conference call March 25.
“I have tremendous respect for the selection committee and I am honored to join the group,” said Johnson. “As a former player and coach, I’m particularly happy about the opportunity to continue to serve the game.”
Johnson has more than 39 years of experience as a student-athlete and coach at three universities: Vanderbilt, Clemson and Furman. At Furman, Johnson was a three-time recipient of the American Football Coaches Association Region II Coach of the Year Award and was also the organization’s National Coach of the Year in 2001. In 2008, Johnson was named Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year after guiding Vanderbilt to a victory in the Music City Bowl, the university’s first bowl victory in 53 years.
A cornerback and wide receiver at Clemson, Johnson was a two-time ACC All-Academic honoree. In 1973, he graduated from Clemson with a Bachelor of Science degree. He earned a master’s degree from Furman in 1979.
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About the College Football Playoff
The College Football Playoff is a three-game, four-team event to decide the national championship. Semifinal games rotate annually among the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Goodyear Cotton Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl, Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual and VIZIO Fiesta Bowl. Semifinal games for the 2015-16 season will take place on December 31, 2015 at the Capital One Orange Bowl and the Goodyear Cotton Bowl. The championship game will be January 11, 2016, in Glendale, Arizona.
