Clam Bake Photo Gallery
Media Day Photo Gallery

NEWPORT, R.I. – American Athletic Conference football and the college football media got a taste of the Ocean State and an appetite for the fall this week, as representatives from the 11 member institutions and journalists descended upon the Hyatt Regency Newport for the annual American Athletic Conference Summer Kickoff.
 
The festivities included a golf tournament on Monday (Golf Outing Recap Video) , followed by the annual conference tradition of a clam bake Monday night, overlooking the picturesque Pell Newport Bridge and Narragansett Bay. The feast featured clams, lobsters, and other food prepared in the way of the Wampanoag tribe that is native to Southeastern New England.
 
Tuesday’s events were led by the day’s master of ceremonies, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning broadcaster Jack Ford, with American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco opening the day by presenting the power of The American in its inaugural season and the direction of the conference moving forward.
 
The 11 head coaches and 35 student-athletes were then made available to the media, with journalists from across the country in attendance. ESPN3, CBS Sports Network, and The American Digital Network shot video interviews with coaches and student-athletes, while all of the head coaches got a turn at the podium to tell the media about their respective programs.