DREAM Act (acronym for Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) is an American legislative proposal first introduced in the Senate on August 1, 2001 and most recently on May 11, 2011, when the bill was re-introduced in the US Senate.
This bill would provide conditional permanent residency to certain illegal alien-students of good moral character who graduate from US high schools, arrived in the US as minors, and lived in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill's enactment. If they were to complete two years in the military or two years at a four year institution of higher learning, the students would obtain temporary residency for a six year period. Within the six year period, a student may qualify who has "acquired a degree from an institution of higher education in the United States or has completed at least 2 years, in good standing, in a program for a bachelor's degree or higher degree in the United States" or have "served in the armed services for at least 2 years and, if discharged, has received an honorable discharge". Military enlistment contracts require an eight year commitment, with active duty commitments typically between four and six years, but as low as two years. "Any alien whose permanent resident status is terminated... shall return to the immigration status the alien had immediately prior to receiving conditional permanent resident status under this Act." This bill would have included illegal immigrants as old as 35 years of age.
In a December 2010 report, the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation estimated that the November 30th, 2010 version of the DREAM Act would "reduce deficits by about $1.4 billion over the 2011-2020 period and increase government revenues by $2.3 billion over the next 10 years." The same report also notes that the Act "would increase projected deficits by more than $5 billion in at least one of the four consecutive 10-year periods starting in 2021".
One recent UCLA study estimates that between $1.4 trillion and $3.6 trillion in taxable income would be generated for the economy over a 40 year period based upon estimates ranging between 825,000 and 2.1 million potential DREAM Act beneficiaries successfully obtaining resident status through the legislation.
DREAM Act Background
Members of Congress have introduced several forms of this bill in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Members in the House passed one such bill on December 8, 2010 by a vote of 216-198; Senators debated a version of the DREAM Act on September 21, 2010. A previous version of the bill, S.2205, which required 60 votes to gain cloture, failed on a 52-44 vote in 2007, 8 votes short of overcoming a filibuster by senators opposed to the bill.
The United States military faced challenges in enlistment, which in 2005 were described as a "crisis", though the economic downturn of 2007-2010 did away with many of the enlistment challenges. Immigrants without a United States Permanent Resident Card (also known as a green card) are not allowed to enlist. In 2007, several senior officials at the Department of Defense have spoken in favor of promising resident status to members of the military as a means of boosting recruitment.
DREAM Act Description
Under the 2009 version of the Senate bill DREAM Act beneficiaries must:
Have proof of having arrived in the United States before age 16.
Have proof of residence in the United States for at least five consecutive years since their date of arrival.
Have registered with the Selective Service if male.
Be between the ages of 12 and 30 at the time of bill enactment.
Have graduated from an American high school, obtained a GED, or have been admitted to an institution of higher education.
Be of "good moral character"
During the first six years, qualifying illegal immigrants would be granted "conditional" status and would be required to (a) graduate from a two-year community college or complete at least two years towards a four-year degree or (b) serve two years in the US military. After this six year period, those who meet at least one of these three conditions would be eligible to apply for permanent resident status. During this six year conditional period, they would not be eligible for federal higher education grants such as Pell grants but they would be able to apply for student loans and work study.
If they have met all of the conditions at the end of the 6-year conditional period, they would be granted permanent residency, which would eventually allow them to become U.S. citizens. It is not known how many of those eligible would go on to complete the further requirements. One organization estimated that only 7,000–13,000 college students nationally can fulfill the further obligations. A different analysis found that over 2 million illegal aliens could benefit under the Act.
The bill also restores the option for states to determine residency for purposes of higher education benefits by repealing Section 505 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1623). The majority of states interpret this provision as disqualifying illegal immigrants students from certain higher education benefits such as in-state tuition rates. Some states have enacted laws aimed at making unauthorized state residents eligible for in-state tuition rates without violating this IIRIRA provision. However, some students paying out-of-state tuition have filed lawsuits in these states, claiming state education officials violated this federal law.
DREAM Act Legislative history
A very similar version of the bill, though never called the "DREAM Act", was introduced during the 107th Congress in 2001, as H.R.1918 and S.1291 in the House and Senate respectively. The House bill had the backing of Congressman Luis Gutiérrez. It has been introduced in both the Senate (as the "DREAM Act") and the House (as the "American Dream Act") at various times. In the Senate: S.1545 (108th Congress), S.2075 (109th Congress), S.774 (110th Congress), and S.2205 (110th Congress). In the House: H.R.1684 (108th Congress), H.R.5131 (109th Congress), and H.R.1275 (110th Congress).
The text of the bill was also placed in various other failed immigration-related bills, including the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 (S. 2611) and the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 (S. 1348). With the failure of the "comprehensive reform" bills, Richard Durbin, the chief proponent of the DREAM Act in the Senate, made its passage a top priority for 2007.
In September 2007, Durbin filed to place the DREAM Act as an amendment to the 2008 Department of Defense Authorization Bill (S. 2919).
However, there was a misconception that the bill required states to give in-state tuition to the beneficiaries of the DREAM Act when it allowed but did not require states to offer in-state to certain illegal immigrant students. Also, the legislation did not include an age cap.
In light of the criticism, Durbin tabled the amendment in favor of a rewritten DREAM Act amendment to the Defense Bill. In consideration of their opponents, all language regarding in-state tuition was removed from the amendment and an age cap of 30 was put in place for potential beneficiaries. Military leaders embraced the bill, which included the promise of resident status to members of the military, as a means of boosting recruitment. Nevertheless, the amendment was not brought up for a vote.
On October 18, 2007, Durbin, along with Republican co-sponsors Charles Hagel and Richard Lugar, introduced the DREAM Act as S.2205. Though nearly identical to the revised amendment to the Defense Bill, opponents continued to cite previous arguments. To bring the DREAM Act up for debate, a vote was scheduled on October 24 that would require a filibuster-proof count of 60 yes votes, but that failed.
Senate opponents cited a variety of reasons for their opposition. Some labeled the DREAM Act as amnesty that would encourage chain migration and further unauthorized immigration in anticipation of new versions of the DREAM Act. Others stated that the DREAM Act, though worthy legislation, should be enacted only as part of a comprehensive immigration reform. In light of the Senate's failure to successfully pass a single appropriations bill, some Senators stated that the DREAM Act was a distraction to more pressing matters and should rather be considered in January 2008. Finally, debate emerged as to the amendment process for the DREAM Act, specifically, how willing the Democratic leadership would be in allowing debate of Republican amendments.
In a surprise move, one senator, Kay Bailey Hutchison, who had previously stated that she would oppose consideration of the DREAM Act, announced on the Senate floor that she had expressed reservations to Durbin and he had made a verbal commitment to work with her to make changes that she saw necessary to garner greater Republican support. In response, Durbin announced that the first amendment that would be considered, should debate of the DREAM Act begin, would completely re-write the bill in favor of the language that Hutchison suggested. According to her suggestions, illegal immigrant students should be allowed to hold a temporary student visa with a renewable work permit instead of conditional permanent residency. Although 52 Senators voted in favor of considering the DREAM Act, this fell eight votes short of breaking filibuster and the legislation was not considered.
DREAM Act 2009 re-introduction
The act was re-introduced in both chambers of Congress on Thursday, March 26, 2009, during the 111th Congress. Introducing the bill were Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Harry Reid (D-NV), Mel Martinez (R-FL), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Ted Kennedy (D-MA), and Russ Feingold (D-WI) and U.S. Representative Howard Berman (D-CA). To date, 128 representatives and 39 senators (not including former Senator Edward Kennedy) co-sponsored the bill. Under this version of the DREAM Act, immigrants could qualify in part, by meeting the following requirements:
Be between the ages of 12 and 35 at the time the Law is enacted
Arrived in the United States before the age of 16
Resided continuously in the United States for at least 5 consecutive years since the date of their arrival
Graduated from a US high school or obtained a General Education Diploma
Good moral character
In addition to the temporary Residency, illegal immigrant students who qualified would also be entitled to apply for student loans and work study but would not be eligible for Pell grants. In certain circumstances, the illegal immigrant could lose temporary immigration residency if the illegal immigrant did not meet the educational or military service requirement within the six year time period or if they commited any crimes (other than those considered non-drug related misdemeanors) regardless of whether or not they had already been approved for permanent status at the end of their six years. If an illegal immigrant were convicted of a major crime or drug-related infraction, (except for a single offense of possession of 30 g or less of marijuana) they would automatically lose the six year temporary residence status and be immediately subject to deportation.
DREAM Act 2010
The 111th Congress continued to consider the DREAM Act bill throughout 2010. S.3992, a new version of the DREAM Act, includes numerous changes to address concerns raised about the bill.
It does not repeal the ban on in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. The DREAM Act does not force states to charge in-state tuition rates for illegal immigrants. The DREAM Act does not allow illegal immigrants to gain access to Federal Pell Grants and other financial aid.
It lowers the age cap for eligibility for the DREAM Act to 29 on the date of enactment. Additionally, to be eligible, individuals still must have come to the US as children (15 or under), graduated from a U.S. High School (or received a GED from a US institution), and be long-term residents (at least five years). An earlier version of the DREAM Act (S. 1545 in the 108th Congress), authored by Republican Senator Orrin Hatch and cosponsored by Senator John McCain, did not include any age cap. This bill was approved by the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee on a 16–3 vote.
It does not grant resident status to anyone for at least two years. Previous versions of the DREAM Act would have immediately granted resident status to individuals who met the bill's requirements. Under S. 3992, an individual could obtain “conditional nonimmigrant” status if they prove that they meet the age (currently 29 or under and arrived in the U.S. at 15 or under) and residency requirements (five years or more) and have done the following:
Graduated from an American high school or obtained a GED;
Been a person of “good moral character”, as determined by the Department of Homeland Security, from the date the individual initially entered the U.S. (previous versions of the DREAM Act only required an individual to be a person of good moral character from the date of the bill's enactment);
Submitted biometric information;
Underwent security and law-enforcement background checks;
Underwent a medical examination; and
Registers for the Selective Service.
Further limits eligibility for conditional non-immigrant status by specifically excluding anyone who has done the following:
Has committed one felony or three misdemeanors;
Is likely to become a public charge;
Has engaged in voter fraud or unlawful voting;
Has committed marriage fraud;
Has abused a student visa;
Has engaged in persecution; or
Poses a public health risk.
Gave a conditional non-immigrant the chance to earn resident status only after two years and only if he meets the DREAM Act's college or military service requirements, and other requirements: pays back taxes and demonstrates the ability to read, write, and speak English and demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the history, principles, and form of government of the United States.
Further limited "chain migration". DREAM Act individuals would have very limited ability to sponsor family members for U.S. citizenship. They could never sponsor extended family members and could not begin sponsoring parents or siblings for at least 12 years. Parents and siblings who entered the U.S. illegally would have to leave the country for ten years before they could gain resident status and the visa backlog for siblings is decades long.
Specifically excluded non-immigrants from the health insurance exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act. Conditional non-immigrants also would be ineligible for Medicaid, food stamps and other entitlement programs.
Established a one-year application deadline. An individual would be required to apply for conditional nonimmigrant status within one year of obtaining a high school degree or GED, being admitted to college, or the bill's date of enactment.
Required people applying for the DREAM Act to show that they are likely to qualify in order to receive a stay of deportation while his application is pending. The DREAM Act is not a safe harbor from deportation.
Required the Department of Homeland Security to provide information from an individual's DREAM Act application to any federal, state, tribal, or local law enforcement agency, or intelligence or national security agency in any criminal investigation or prosecution or for homeland security or national security purposes.
Placed the burden of proof on a DREAM Act applicant. An individual would be required to demonstrate eligibility for the DREAM Act by a preponderance of the evidence.
(Additionally, individuals would continue to be excluded if they have received a final order of deportation, have engaged in criminal activity (as defined by the Immigration and Nationality Act), or present a national security or terrorist threat.)
The DREAM Act, along with a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", was incorporated into the National Defense Authorization Act for the Fiscal Year 2011. On September 21, 2010, the Senate filibuster of the bill was maintained in a 56–43 vote; it would have taken 60 votes to stop the filibuster and continue the progress of the bill. The following day, Durbin introduced the bill once again along with Richard Lugar. Only two senators co-sponsored the bill and it was defeated again. Less than a month later, on November 16, President Barack Obama and top Democrats pledged to introduce the Dream Act into the House by November 29. The House of Representatives passed the DREAM Act on December 8, 2010, but the bill failed to reach the 60-vote threshold necessary for it to advance to the Senate floor (55 yeas – 41 nays).
DREAM Act 2011
On May 11, 2011 Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid reintroduced the DREAM Act in the Senate. Some Republicans who had supported the bill in the past, including Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, Jon Kyl of Arizona, John McCain of Arizona, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, withheld their votes, objecting that such bill should not be granted without some sort of balance increasing immigration enforcement. Reid indicated that he would consider adding a workplace enforcement measure in the DREAM Act that would require every employer to use E-Verify, the government's Internet-based work eligibility verification system. President Obama supported the bill as one of his efforts to reform US immigration system.
In July 2011, a state-level law in California was enacted, giving illegal immigrant students access to private college scholarships for state schools. In August, the state of Illinois authorized a privately-funded scholarship plan for children of immigrants both legal and illegal.
DREAM Act Criticism
Opponents of the DREAM Act argue that it encourages and rewards illegal immigration. Other stands include viewing it as importing poverty and cheap labor, being a military recruitment tool, having economic and social burdens (subsidies from state and federal taxes, degradation of the public school system and neighborhoods), and as being unfair to American-born and legal immigrant parents and children who must pay full tuition at state universities and colleges. Primary support has came from the Latino community and state universities, which otherwise would not receive tuition from those illegal-alien students who could not afford it.
"Girlfight" is the first single recorded by R&B singer Brooke Valentine. It was her first single from her debut album Chain Letter. The song features Lil Jon and Big Boi from OutKast. The song is about a tension between two girls who end up in a catfight and was a minor Top 30 hit, peaking at #23 in June, 2005. A remix was made which features Valentine, Da Brat, Ms. B and Remy Ma. This remains as Valentine's only hit.
Formats and track listings
12" single
Side 1
"Girlfight" [clean radio ]
"Girlfight" [instrumental]
"Girlfight" [acappella]
Side 2
"Girlfight" [explicit radio mix]
"Girlfight" [explicit extended ]
"Girlfight" [explicit acappella]
CD single
"Girlfight" 3:54
"Thrill of the Chase" 3:07
Maxi single
"Girlfight" 3:56
"Thrill of the Chase" 3:07
"Girlfight Pt. II" 3:21
Charts
Chart (2005) Peak
Position
Australia Singles Top 50 50
German Singles Top 100 70
New Zealand Top 40 28
Irish Singles Chart 47
UK Singles Chart 35
Swiss Singles Top 100 61
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 23
U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 13
U.S. Pop 100 36
U.S. Top 40 Mainstream 30
Girlfight is a 2000 drama film starring Michelle Rodriguez. It focuses on Diana Guzman, a troubled teen who decides to channel her aggression by training to become a boxer, despite the skepticism of both her abusive father and the prospective trainers in the male-dominated sport. Girlfight was the debut film of writer/director Karyn Kusama, as well as Rodriguez' breakout role.
The movie won the Director's Award the Grand Jury Prize (tied with Kenneth Lonergan's You Can Count on Me) at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. It also won the Award of the Youth at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. Rodriguez also accumulated numerous awards and nominations, including major acting accolades from the National Board of Review, Deauville Film Festival, Independent Spirit Awards, Gotham Awards, Las Vegas Film Critics Sierra Awards, and many others.
Cast
Michelle Rodriguez as Diana Guzman
Jaime Tirelli as Hector Soto
Paul Calderón as Sandro Guzman
Santiago Douglas as Adrian Sturges
Ray Santiago as Tiny Guzman
Victor Sierra as Ray Cortez
Elisa Bocanegra as Marisol
Shannon Walker Williams as Veronica
Louis Guss as Don
Herb Lovelle as Cal
Thomas Barbour as Ira
Reception
Reelviews.net gave the film three and a half stars out of four stating, "From first-time director Karyn Kusama, Girlfight is a well crafted and emotionally satisfying debut."
David Denby of The New Yorker said:
“ This small independent movie is an attempt at roughhouse feminist populism. As a director, Kusama blocks everything out too cleanly, making one point at a time rather than weaving the elements of the atmosphere together. At the end, the movie turns into a fairy tale as Diana falls for a beautiful young male boxer (Santiago Douglas) who adores her and her right hook, too. In a mortifyingly stupid scene, they are forced to fight each other in the ring. The movie may be naïve and underdone, but it has a new, live subject and, in Rodriguez, a powerhouse star who could go a long way.
MONROVIA — Liberians on Saturday weighed the potential impact of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's Nobel Peace Prize victory, which has been slammed as an unfair boost just three days before she seeks re-election.
Campaigning, due to wrap up on Sunday, infected the capital Monrovia, as small groups of supporters chasing trucks blaring music or handing out t-shirts took to the streets between thunder and bursts of rain from heavy black clouds.
On Friday, some 200,000 supporters of the main opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) brought the city to a standstill, with leader Winston Tubman, 70, urging them not to be swayed by his rival's Peace Prize win.
"Now, many of you don?t know the significance of this prestigious award of honour but we can see nothing in the record about Ellen Sirleaf that tells us that she has been promoting peace," the Harvard-trained lawyer told the crowd.
Opposition parties have used the prize to shine the light on some of the more controversial aspects of Sirleaf's career, as she briefly supported warlord-turned-president Charles Taylor when he ousted dictator Samuel Doe.
She has defended her actions, saying she became a fierce opponent as soon as the atrocities of Taylor's war became apparent, but the stain on her reputation has been seized upon by angry opposition parties.
"What we know of her is that she brought war and that having now taken power, she hasn?t brought unity," Tubman said.
Tubman's crowd-pleasing running partner, football star George Weah, added: "Is it a Nobel Peace Prize for corruption? Whether or not a Nobel Peace Prize, on October 11, she is going to leave."
The Nobel Committee paid tribute to Sirleaf for her contribution "to securing peace in Liberia, to promoting economic and social development, and to strengthening the position of women".
Sirleaf, is campaigning under the slogan "Monkey still working, let baboon wait small" which is splayed across giant billboards in the capital.
In Liberian patois, this means she is the monkey, the clever creature in the tree (power) and the opposition needs to let her finish the job she started.
Another billboard reads: "When the plane isn't landed, you don't change the pilots", picturing the president in a pilot's uniform.
While feted abroad much like a female Nelson Mandela, Sirleaf has come under criticism at home and Liberians seem to be wondering whether the prestigious prize so close to the country's closely watched second post-war polls was merited.
"The Nobel Peace Prize is timely, it is worth mentioning this is Africa's first female leader, who has struggled, who has gone to jail, who has been an advocate for women's rights," said 55-year-old retiree Bob James.
Gbowee won the Nobel prize along with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Yemen's Arab Spring activist Tawakkul Karman.
She is credited with leading women to defy feared warlords and push men toward peace in Liberia during one of Africa's bloodiest wars.
Many believe that without the group of women who would gather in Monrovia to pray and protest in white shirts, the conflict which left some 250,000 dead would not have ended as it did in 2003.
Their methods included refusing sex with their husbands until the violence ended.
Gbowee, now 39, was 17 when war first broke out in 1989 as warlord Charles Taylor led an uprising to topple president Samuel Doe. She was freshly out of high school and planning to study medicine.
The Nobel Committee on Friday hailed Gbowee for having "organised women across ethnic and religious dividing lines to bring an end to the long war in Liberia, and to ensure women's participation in elections".
Her campaign called for an immediate ceasefire, dialogue between government and rebels and the deployment of an intervention force at a time when a handful of peace agreements had failed.
"Part of the money will also be used to set up a centre where women victims of war will share their experiences with the rest of the world," she added.
The laureate said that she would head for Liberia on Sunday to vote in the October 11 polls and wished her countrymen a peaceful election.
Johnson Sirleaf, who is Africa's first woman president, is seeking re-election on Tuesday.
"I wish the people of Liberia a peaceful election. I know we will make it as a country and come out united and strong after the election."
"I am also going to Liberia to celebrate with my people and also let them know that women can achieve great honours in life when given the opportunity," said Gbowee.
She was received on arrival at the airport by members of her family and some of her workers who carried a banner that read "congratulations, Leymah Roberta Gbowee, Nobel peace prize winner 2011".
Decked out in a gown made in African fabric, she briefly cuddled her baby girl.
No Ghanaian government officials seemed to be present and no official welcome party was organised, said an AFP correspondent at the scene.
NCAA Football is a football video game series in which you play as (and against) any current Division I FBS college team. This game is developed by EA Sports. Because of NCAA rules, current college players are not permitted to be used as the cover athletes. Instead, the cover features a player whose college eligibility ended the season before the game's release, wearing his former college uniform. The only two exceptions to date have been the Wii version of NCAA Football 09, which featured Sparty, the mascot of Michigan State University, on the cover, and NCAA Football 06 when Desmond Howard was featured on the cover striking the Heisman pose during his career at Michigan, despite not playing for Michigan for more than 15 years.
Yearly releases
NCAA Football 12
Developer(s) EA Tiburon, EA Canada
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Platform(s) PS3, Xbox 360, iOS
Release date(s) July 12, 2011
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer, multiplayer online
Rating(s) ESRB: E (Everyone)
Apple: 4+
NCAA Football 12 was released on July 12, 2011 on PS3 and Xbox 360. The cover athlete will be Mark Ingram of Alabama. So far, the last released game for the PlayStation 2 was NCAA Football 11. The PS2 will not have an NCAA game this year.
NCAA Football 11 was released on July 13, 2010. It was released on all next generation consoles, with the exception of the Wii. The cover athlete for all three versions is former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow.
NCAA Football 10
Developer(s) EA Tiburon, EA Canada
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Platform(s) PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox 360
Release date(s) July 14, 2009
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer, multiplayer online
Rating(s) ESRB: E (Everyone)
Main article: NCAA Football 10
NCAA Football 10 was released on July 14, 2009. It was released on all next generation consoles, with the exception of the Wii. The covers feature the following former college players:
PlayStation 2 — Brian Orakpo, defensive end/linebacker, Texas
PlayStation 3 — Brian Johnson, quarterback, Utah
PSP — Mark Sanchez, quarterback, USC
Xbox 360 — Michael Crabtree, wide receiver, Texas Tech
NCAA Football 09
Developer(s) EA Tiburon, EA Canada
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Platform(s) PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox 360, Wii
Release date(s) July 15, 2008 (approximate)
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer, multiplayer online
Rating(s) ESRB: E (Everyone)
Main article: NCAA Football 09
NCAA Football 09 was released July 15, 2008. It was released on all next gen consoles, including, for the first time, the Wii. The covers featured the following college football figures:
PlayStation 2 — DeSean Jackson, wide receiver/return specialist, California
PlayStation 3 — Matt Ryan, quarterback, Boston College
PSP — Owen Schmitt, fullback, West Virginia
Wii — Sparty, mascot, Michigan State
Xbox 360 — Darren McFadden, running back, Arkansas
NCAA Football 08
Developer(s) EA Tiburon
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Platform(s) PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360
Release date(s) July 17, 2007
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer, multiplayer online
Rating(s) ESRB: E (Everyone)
NCAA Football 08 was released on July 17, 2007. The cover athlete is Boise State University quarterback Jared Zabransky. Zabransky is the second athlete featured on the cover of any EA Sports NCAA football game that was not drafted in the NFL draft following his senior year of college. The first was Tommie Frazier in the 1997 edition.
Some of the new features for this version include Leadership Control, which allows players who perform well to "lead by example" and control the action on the field and increase their sphere of influence by improving their players' personal ratings on each big play. The game also features a new and deeper recruiting system and an all-new Campus Legend mode.
NCAA Football 07
Developer(s) EA Tiburon
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Platform(s) PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, PSP
Release date(s) July 18, 2006
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer, multiplayer online
Rating(s) ESRB: E (Everyone)
NCAA Football 07 was released on July 18, 2006, and was the series' first release on both the Xbox 360 and PSP. University of Southern California running back and Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush is featured on the game's cover.
This version of the game utilized a feature called Turn the Tide, which consisted of a momentum meter on the score graphic at the top or bottom of the screen. A boost in momentum for a team would increase the performance of all players and boost their attributes by a varying amount.
This version also included spring drills, an update to the Race for the Heisman mode called Campus Legend (which plays more like NFL Superstar mode in Madden), ESPN integration, and a spring game in Dynasty and Campus Legend modes.
NCAA Football 06
Developer(s) EA Tiburon
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Platform(s) PlayStation 2, Xbox
Release date(s) July 12, 2005
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer, multiplayer online
Rating(s) ESRB: E (Everyone)
NCAA Football 2006 has features that include the Dynasty mode, wherein the player act as a team's head coach, both on and off the field. Aside from weekly games, the player also controls recruiting freshman for the next year's season; new to the 2006 version is in-season recruiting.
Another new feature in the 2006 game is the Race for the Heisman mode, in which the player takes on the role of a single player attempting to win the Heisman trophy. Race for the Heisman begins with the user selecting which position they want their character to be. The player then completes a workout for college scouts and you are offered scholarships to three different schools. The quality of football programs that offer scholarships depends on how well the player did in the workout. The player can either choose to accept one of the scholarships or walk on at any Division I school. After selecting what school to play for the player is automatically placed in the starting line up. Year after year the player's attributes increase depending on the previous seasons performance with the ultimate goal of winning the Heisman trophy.
Desmond Howard, a Heisman-winning player from the University of Michigan, is on the cover. This is a slight break in tradition as the NCAA Football series traditionally featured an NFL rookie on the cover of the game, with an action shot of him wearing his college jersey from the previous year. The game was released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.
NCAA Football 2005
Developer(s) EA Tiburon
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Platform(s) PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube
Release date(s) July 15, 2004
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer, multiplayer online
Rating(s) ESRB: E (Everyone)
NCAA Football 2005, released for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Xbox, featured University of Pittsburgh wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald on the cover.
This version introduced more fan interaction in the game. The home team's defense can incite the crowd to make noise, making it difficult for the offense to hear the quarterback's audibles. This feature, dubbed "home field advantage", allowed stadium influence and energy to swing a game's momentum if strong enough. The game ranked the "Top 25 Toughest Places to Play," which included famous stadiums such as Florida's "Swamp" and LSU's "Death Valley," where this feature would be felt more strongly.
The new "Match-Up Stick" feature allowed players to match up more experienced and skilled players on younger, less-talented ones to exploit matchup problems.
All Division l-A schools were included in the game along with more than 70 l-AA schools. Signature fan celebrations, such as the "Gator Chomp" or "Texas Hook 'Em Horns" were included.
NCAA Football 2004
Developer(s) EA Tiburon
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Platform(s) PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube
Release date(s) July 16, 2003
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer, online
Rating(s) ESRB: E (Everyone)
NCAA Football 2004, released for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Xbox, featured University of Southern California quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer on the cover.
This edition featured the return of gameplay modes seen in previous versions such as Dynasty Mode.
The College Classics mode was introduced in this version and allowed players to replay classic games in college football history. New tackling animations and more realistic zone defenses were also included.
NCAA Football 2003
Developer(s) EA Tiburon
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Platform(s) PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube
Release date(s) July 23, 2002
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: E (Everyone)
NCAA Football 2003, released for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Xbox, featured University of Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington on the cover.
New features in this version included over 200 licensed fight songs, 3D cheerleaders and 144 different schools.
Dynasty mode was enhanced with the ability to redshirt a player and schedule non-conference games before each season. Trophies and awards, modeled after real-life college football awards, was another feature new to this version. Players could win trophies by playing games and could add them to a personal collection which is shown off in a trophy room. These awards include the Heisman, Coach of the Year and Bowl-specific trophies. The game featured 23 different rivalry trophies that were created to represent their real-life counterparts.
Create-A-School mode returned in this edition of the game after being absent from the previous year. The game also featured a customizable interface for the first time. A player could choose his or her favorite team and the game interface would be based around that team's fight song, mascot, logos and school colors.
NCAA Football 2002
Developer(s) EA Sports
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Platform(s) PlayStation 2
Release date(s) July 24, 2001
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: E (Everyone)
NCAA Football 2002, released only for the PlayStation 2, featured Florida State quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke on the cover.
This was the first version released for PlayStation 2, it lacked features (such as Custom League, Custom Tournament, and Create-a-school) that were present in the previous PlayStation edition (2001).
The game featured a new "Campus Cards" rewards system, which allowed players to unlock special features in the game such as historical teams or special stadiums.
NCAA Football 2001
Developer(s) EA Sports
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Platform(s) PlayStation
Release date(s) July 25, 2000
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: E (Everyone)
NCAA Football 2001, released only for the PlayStation, featured University of Alabama running back Shaun Alexander on the cover.
This version included Create-a-player, Create-a-school, Custom League (up to eight teams, double round-robin, plus playoff), Custom Tournament (up to 16 teams, double elimination), and fully customizable Season/Dynasty schedules (which allowed players to violate conference obligations in rescheduling opponents). This was also the final installment which allowed a playoff at the end of the season in dynasty mode (24 teams).
NCAA Football 2000
Developer(s) EA Sports
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Platform(s) PlayStation
Release date(s) July 29, 1999
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: E (Everyone)
NCAA Football 2000, released only for the PlayStation, featured University of Texas running back and Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams being tackled by a Texas A&M University defense on the cover.
The game included all 114 Division I-A schools and 26 from Division I-AA and also featured 3D, polygon-rendered players for the first time in the franchise's history.
Other notable new additions included coaching tips, 23 bowls (up from four), the ability to edit new plays, and the official Heisman Trophy award.
NCAA Football 99
Developer(s) EA Sports
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Platform(s) PlayStation, Microsoft Windows
Release date(s) August 6, 1998
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: E (Everyone)
NCAA Football 99 was the sixth edition of the game. The game featured University of Michigan cornerback and Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson on the cover. It's tagline read Desire+Pride=Victory!.
The game featured all 112 Division I-A teams and the ability to create or edit players and names, sixty fight songs and crowd chants. Over eighty historical teams were added to the game as well. The Heisman Memorial Trophy is replaced by the 'EA Sports MVP" trophy and other awards are given out. Recruiting is simple and done in a serpentine draft system. The Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Sugar Bowl are playable, the other Bowls played have EA Sports as the sponsor. Created players from this game can be imported to the title Madden NFL 99. It featured no commentary by booth announcers, instead a PA Announcer provides the commentary. Also, unlike the current games in this franchise, NCAA 99 featured an optional 16 team playoff at the end of the season in dynasty mode.
NCAA Football 98
Developer(s) Tiburon
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Platform(s) PlayStation, Microsoft Windows
Release date(s) August 7, 1997
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: E (Everyone)
This was the first installment of the franchise known as "NCAA Football". The game featured University of Florida quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel on the cover.
This was the first game in the series to feature a multi-season Dynasty Mode, allowing players to take control of a team for four seasons and recruit players to fill out roster vacancies at the completion of each season.
College Football USA 97
Developer(s) High Score Productions
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Platform(s) Super NES, Sega Genesis
Release date(s) June 1, 1996
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: E (Everyone)
College Football USA 97 was the fourth installment of the series. The game featured University of Nebraska quarterback Tommie Frazier on the cover.
The game added a new "create player" feature (up to 28 players) and custom schedules, new animations and all 111 Division I-A teams. Players could also compete in a customized Tournament with support for up to 16 players in a single-elimination or round robin format.
Players were also able to adjust penalties, set weather type, enter user records, perform substitutions, set audibles, toggle injuries, and change game length as well as difficulty level. Authentic playbooks (with plays like the Wishbone), a USA Today/CNN Coaches Poll, and the Sears National Championship Trophy were also available.
College Football USA 96
Developer(s) High Score Productions
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Platform(s) Sega Genesis
Release date(s) July 15, 1995
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: E (Everyone)
The series was renamed "College Football USA 96", and was the first version to feature all (108 at the time) division l-A teams. It was also the first in the series to feature real bowl games (Orange, Sugar, Fiesta and Rose). Players could play an entire 11-game season (or shorter if desired) before advancing to one of the bowl games.
There were 400 plays from which to choose, and a new passing mode allowed players to select from five receivers on every play. Other new features and options included the following: four-player mode, three different game lengths, substitutions, injuries, audibles, fake snaps, spins, hurdles, dives, blocked kicks, interceptions and laterals.
Bill Walsh College Football 95
Developer(s) High Score Productions
Publisher(s) Electronic Arts
Platform(s) Sega Genesis
Release date(s) June 1, 1994
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: E (Everyone)
Main article: Bill Walsh College Football 95
"Bill Walsh College Football 95" was the second installment of the college football franchise.
The game featured 36 Division I-A teams, a windowless passing mode, customizable seasons from one to sixteen weeks, and complete statistical tracking throughout the season. Players could choose either a playoff system or bowl games with fictional names: Maple Bowl, Palm Bowl, Pecan Bowl, and Redwood Bowl.
Bill Walsh College Football 95 also provided 36 new plays and formations including the Wishbone, Veer, Tee Offense, and 4-4 D.
Bill Walsh College Football
Developer(s) Visual Concepts
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Platform(s) Super NES, Sega Genesis, Sega CD
Release date(s) June 1993
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: E (Everyone)
NCAA Football was originally known as "Bill Walsh College Football" and was released on 4th generation video game consoles, such as Sega Genesis.
Bill Walsh College Football featured the top twenty-four college football teams from 1992 and twenty-four of the all-time greatest teams since 1978. While no actual players were named and no official team logos used, colleges were listed by city and players identified by number. Play modes include Exhibition, Playoffs and All-Time Playoffs. Sixty-eight classic college plays were available, including the triple option, student body, and wishbone.
Other options and features include automatic or manual-pass catch mode, audibles, reverse angle replay, onside kicks, four weather conditions (fair, windy, rain and snow), three different quarter lengths (5, 10 and 15 minutes) and a hurry-up offense.
The Bill Walsh endorsement was meant to parallel John Madden NFL Football.
Player names
Players' real names and exact likenesses are not used in the game. While the Madden NFL series uses real player names and likenesses, those players are compensated for the use of their image. Due to NCAA restrictions on the amateur status of athletes, names are not allowed.
Although EA Sports does not claim that the players in the game represent real life players, the jersey number, position, height, weight, home state and ethnicity, are aligned with the real players. Fans of any particular team are sure to recognize their favorite players (for example, in NCAA Football 2007, for the South Carolina Gamecocks, QB #12 would correspond to former QB Blake Mitchell). The game gives the player the option to name them, and roster makers will upload a named roster file to a memory card for just the price of shipping. The same roster makers also allow their rosters to be downloaded free of charge, as selling named files would be a violation of the NCAA's policy regarding amateur student-athletes.
As of the 09 release, EA has put in the EA Locker feature which allows remote roster sharing online through either Xbox Live or PlayStation Network depending on the console.
Soundtracks
Prior to the release of NCAA Football 06, the only music featured in the game were fight songs of most FBS colleges featured in the game. These would play at random, however the user-selected "favorite team" would always have their fight song played first whenever the game was first started.
NCAA Football 06 was the first and so far only entry in the series to include licensed music to keep the series in uniform with other EA Sports releases such as Madden NFL and the NHL series.
NCAA Football 07 returned to the fight song only format. NCAA Football 08 added a cinematic theme song to the main menu, with fight songs playing during Dynasty Mode.
NCAA Football 09 allows a new custom stadium sounds feature allowing users to edit what sounds are heard at specific stadiums during events within the game, such as a touchdown, field goal, or timeout. Fans of the teams can now create an authentic experience in each stadium by using copyrighted songs that EA isn't allowed to put into the game.
NCAA Football 10 plays Tick Tick Boom by The Hives in the introduction.
NCAA Football 11 uses the music that is used in ESPN College Football coverage.
