Archie Manning leaves College Football Playoff selection committee

Bill Hancock, Executive Director of the College Football Playoff (CFP), announced that Archie Manning has decided that he will not rejoin the selection committee.  Manning battled health problems last year and previously was forced to take a leave of absence from his committee duties.

“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."

In his place, Bobby Johnson, former head coach at Vanderbilt and Furman, has been appointed to the committee.  Johnson was chosen unanimously by the CFP management committee in a conference call March 25.

“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 has more than 39 years of experience as a student-athlete and coach at three universities: Vanderbilt, Clemson and Furman.

“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.”

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.

By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services