2008 Men's EuroFloorball Cup Finals, Qualification Format
The reigning champion and the national champion teams of the top 4 nations at the 2007-08 EuroFloorball Cup automatically qualify. In 2008 the nations were  Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic.


2008 Men's EuroFloorball Cup Finals, Qualification Format
The remaining three teams are decided in regional neats. In Group C, the runners-up to the top team in Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic played for a spot in the finals. In the 2007–08 EuroFloorball Cup, both the top team in Sweden and the runners-up automatically qualified for the tournament, and therefore Group C consisted of 3 teams instead of 4. In Groups A and B, the teams are split into regions: West Europe and East Europe, respectively. The winning team in each group advances to the finals, making the total number of teams eight.


2008 Men's EuroFloorball Cup Finals, Qualification Format
To be eligible to take part in the 2008 Men's EuroFloorball Cup, teams that take place in regional qualification must capture the national title in floorball in their country. If that team does not register, then the 2nd place team can register, and so forth.


2008 Men's EuroFloorball Cup Finals, Qualifying Venues
Group A qualifications for Western Europe took place in Frederikshavn, Denmark from 13 to 17 August 2008. Group B qualifications for Eastern Europe took place in Bratislava, Slovakia from 27 to 31 August 2008.Group C qualifications took place in Helsinki, Finland from 22 to 24 August 2008.


2008 Men's EuroFloorball Cup qualifying
The 2008 Men's EuroFloorball Cup Qualifying rounds took place over 13 to 31 August 2008 in three different host nations. The winner of each group advanced to the 2008 Men's EuroFloorball Cup Finals, where they had a chance to win the EuroFloorball Cup for 2008. A total of 18 teams played in the qualifying round, all from different countries.


2008 Men's EuroFloorball Cup qualifying
The 2008 EuroFloorball Cup marks the second year in which the new name for the tournament was used (previously known as the European Cup). The tournament also marks its 16th year.


2008 Men's EuroFloorball Cup qualifying
The IFF decided that the tournament will revert to its original format, and will take place during one calendar year, instead of two.


2008 Men's EuroFloorball Cup qualifying, Qualification Format
Since the top 4 nations at the 2007–08 Men's EuroFloorball Cup were from Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic, the top team in that country automatically qualify, as well as the reigning champion. 5 teams in total receive automatic qualification.


2008 Men's EuroFloorball Cup qualifying, Qualification Format
Since 5 of the 8 spots are filled, the other 3 need to be decided using regional qualification. In Group C, the runners-up to the top team in Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic play for a spot in the finals. In the 2007–08 EuroFloorball Cup, both the top team in Sweden and the runners-up automatically qualified for the tournament, and therefore Group C consisted of 3 teams instead of 4. In Groups A and B, the teams are split into regions: West Europe and East Europe, respectively. The winning team in each group advances to the finals, making the total number of teams eight.


2008 Men's EuroFloorball Cup qualifying, Qualification Format
To be eligible to take part in the 2008 Men's EuroFloorball Cup, teams that take place in regional qualification must capture the national title in floorball in their country. If that team does not register, then the 2nd place team can register, and so forth.


2008 Men's EuroFloorball Cup qualifying, Qualifying Venues
Group A qualifications for Western Europe will take place in Frederikshavn, Denmark from 13 to 17 August 2008. Group B qualifications for Eastern Europe will take place in Bratislava, Slovakia from 27 to 31 August 2008.Group C qualifications will take place in Helsinki, Finland from 22 to 24 August 2008.


2008 Men's EuroHockey Junior Championship
The 2008 Men's EuroHockey Junior Championship was the 14th edition of the men's EuroHockey Junior Championship. It was held in San Sebastián, Spain from 20 to 26 July 2008.


2008 Men's EuroHockey Junior Championship
The hosts Spain won the tournament for the third time after they defeated the defending champions the Netherlands 1–0 in the final. Germany won the bronze medal after defeating Belgium 4–3 in the third-place playoff.


2008 Men's EuroHockey Junior Championship
The tournament also served as a qualifier for the 2009 Junior World Cup in Malaysia and Singapore. Teams from Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, England and Poland all qualified.


2008 Men's EuroHockey Junior Championship, Participating nations
Alongside the host nation, 7 teams competed in the tournament.


2008 Men's EuroHockey Junior Championship, Statistics, Final Standings
As per statistical convention in field hockey, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.


2008 Men's European Volleyball League
The 2008 Men's European Volleyball League was the fifth edition of the European Volleyball League, organised by Europe's governing volleyball body, the CEV. The Final Four was held in Bursa, Turkey from 19 to 20 July 2008.


2008 Men's European Volleyball League
For the first time Great Britain joined the competition and it will also enter it as a unified team as a result of a FIVB decision which allows the United Kingdom to play as a unified team in order to prepare for the next 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Austria and Belarus also joined the European League for the first time.


2008 Men's European Volleyball League
The tournament was won by Slovakia, defeating the Netherlands by 3–1 in the finals.


2008 Men's European Water Polo Championship
The 2008 Men's European Water Polo Championship was the 28th edition of the bi-annual event, organised by the Europe's governing body in aquatics, the Ligue Européenne de Natation. The event took place in the Aquatic Centre Málaga in Málaga, Spain from July 4 to July 13, 2008. The gold medal was won by Montenegro, the silver medal by Serbia and the bronze medal by Hungary.


2008 Men's European Water Polo Championship squads
This article shows all participating team squads at the 2008 Men's European Water Polo Championship.


2008 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy
The 2008 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy was the 30th edition of the Hockey Champions Trophy men's field hockey tournament. It was held in from June 21 to June 29, 2008 in Rotterdam, Netherlands.


2008 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy, Participating nations
Six national teams participated in the tournament with Germany defending the title they won in the 2007 Champions Trophy in Kuala Lumpur.


2008 Men's Hockey Hamburg Masters
The 2008 Men's Hockey Hamburg Masters was the fourteenth edition of the Hamburg Masters, consisting of a series of test matches. It was held in Hamburg, Germany, from 3–5 October 2008, and featured four of the top nations in men's field hockey.


2008 Men's Hockey Hamburg Masters, Competition Format
The tournament featured the national teams of Belgium, Malaysia, the Pakistan, and the hosts, Germany, competing in a round-robin format, with each team playing each other once. Three points were be awarded for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss.


2008 Men's Hockey Hamburg Masters, Officials
The following umpires were appointed by the International Hockey Federation to officiate the tournament:


2008 Men's Hockey Hamburg Masters, Statistics, Goalscorers
There were 34 goals scored in 6 matches, for an average of 5.67 goals per match.


2008 Men's Hockey Setanta Sports Trophy
The 2008 Men's Hockey Setanta Sports Trophy was the second edition of the Setanta Sports Trophy, a men's field hockey tournament. It was held in Dublin, Ireland, from June 11 to 15, 2008, and featured four of the top nations in men's field hockey.


2008 Men's Hockey Setanta Sports Trophy, Competition format
The tournament featured the national teams of Canada, Great Britain, Pakistan, and the hosts, Ireland, competing in a round-robin format, with each team playing each other once. Three points were awarded for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss.


2008 Men's Hockey Setanta Sports Trophy, Officials
The following umpires were appointed by the International Hockey Federation to officiate the tournament:


2008 Men's Hockey Setanta Sports Trophy, Statistics, Goalscorers
There were 36 goals scored in 8 matches, for an average of 4.5 goals per match.


2008 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships
The 2008 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships was the 72nd such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Teams representing 48 countries participated in four levels of competition. The competition also served as qualification for division placements in the 2009 competition. In the Division I Championship held in April, Austria and Hungary were promoted to the Championship division, while South Korea and Estonia were demoted to Division II. In the Division II competition, Romania and Australia were promoted, Ireland and New Zealand were relegated to Division III. Greece won the Division III qualification in February, and competed in the Division III competition from March to April. In that competition, North Korea and South Africa were promoted to Division II in 2009.


2008 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships, Division I
Twelve teams comprise Division I. They are broken into two groups, with the winner of each group gaining promotion to the World Championship pool for the following year.


2008 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships, Division II
Twelve teams comprise Division II. They are also broken into two groups competing to advance into Division I.


2008 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships, Division III
Division III is made up of six teams. The top two teams are promoted to Division II for the following year.


2008 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships, Division III Qualification
Three teams comprise the Division III Qualification with the winning team advancing to the 2008 Division III competition.


2008 Men's Pan American Junior Championship
The 2008 Men's Pan American Junior Championship was the 9th edition of the Pan American Junior Championship for men. It was held from 17 to 26 October 2008 in Port of Spain. Cuba.


2008 Men's Pan American Junior Championship
The tournament served as a qualifier for the 2009 Junior World Cup, held in Singapore and Johor Bahru, Malaysia in June 2009.


2008 Men's Pan American Junior Championship
Argentina won the tournament for the 9th time, defeating Chile 3–0 in the final. The United States won the bronze medal by defeating Canada 7–6 in penalties following a 2–2 draw.


2008 Men's Pan American Junior Championship, Goalscorers
There were 251 goals scored in 35 matches, for an average of 7.17 goals per match.


2008 Men's Pan-American Volleyball Cup
The 2008 Pan-American Volleyball Cup was the third edition of the annual Men's Volleyball Tournament, played by seven countries from June 2 to June 7, 2008 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The winner of each pool automatically advanced to the semi-finals and the teams placed in second and third met in crossed matches in the quarterfinals round.


2008 Men's Pan-American Volleyball Cup squads
This article shows all participating team squads at the 2008 Men's Pan-American Volleyball Cup, held from June 2 to June 7, 2008 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.


2008 Men's South American Hockey Championship
The 2008 Men's South American Hockey Championship was the second edition of the Men's South American Hockey Championship, the South American championship for men's national field hockey teams, organized by the PAHF. It was held from 29 March to 6 April 2008 in Montevideo, Uruguay.


2008 Men's South American Hockey Championship
Argentina were the defending champions, having won the first edition. They won their second title in a row by finishing first in the round-robin tournament.


2008 Men's U-19 World Lacrosse Championship
The 2008 Men's U–19 World Lacrosse Championship (U–19) was held at Percy Perry Stadium in Coquitlam, British Columbia from July 3 to July 12. The event was sponsored by the International Lacrosse Federation. This international field lacrosse tournament is held every four years, and teams are composed of players that are under the age of nineteen.


2008 Men's U-19 World Lacrosse Championship
This was the last major event to be sponsored by the ILF. In August 2008, the ILF merged with the former governing body for international women's lacrosse, the International Federation of Women's Lacrosse Associations, to form the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL). Future U–19 championships will be sponsored by FIL.


2008 Men's U-19 World Lacrosse Championship
The United States won the gold medal, the silver medal winners were Canada and the bronze medal went to the Iroquois Nationals.


2008 Men's U-19 World Lacrosse Championship, Teams
The 2008 tournament saw twelve nations competing in the championship. Teams were split into two divisions: the elite "Blue Division" and the "Red Division" consisting of nations where lacrosse is still developing. The tournament consisted of round robin play within a team's division, where each team played every team in its division once. Round robin play established seedings for the following series of single elimination play-in games to compete in the semi-final round.


2008 Men's U-19 World Lacrosse Championship, Teams
The Blue Division was composed of the following six teams: the United States had won each of the ILF's Under-19 World Lacrosse Championship tournaments since its inception in 1988; Canada led by head coach Gary Gait; Iroquois Nationals, the Nationals are the only First Nations/Native American team to compete in international competition; the up-and-coming England team;  Australia, who won the bronze medal in 2003; and Japan, who moved up to the Blue Division after going undefeated in the Red Division in 2003.


2008 Men's U-19 World Lacrosse Championship, Teams
The Red Division included three nations making their first appearance in an Under–19 World Lacrosse Championship tournament:  Bermuda, Finland, and Scotland. Wales and South Korea made their second appearances in the Under-19 World Lacrosse Championship. Germany also participated, but was granted a waiver by the ILF to field a team consisting of Under-21 year olds.


2008 Men's U-19 World Lacrosse Championship, Round Robin results
The round robin portion of the tournament determined seeding for the semi-finals and the placing games. The top two teams in the Blue Division were awarded automatic semi-final berths, while the third and fourth place teams from the Blue Division met with the first and second place teams from the Red Division in two semi-final "play-in games".


2008 Men's U-19 World Lacrosse Championship, Round Robin results
Two teams went undefeated in their divisions. In the Blue Division, the United States defeated all five opponents in their division to gain the top seed in the semifinals. In the Red Division, Germany won its five round robin games. Prior to this tournament, Germany had never won an international U-19 contest.


2008 Men's U-19 World Lacrosse Championship, Round Robin results
In the Blue Division there were a number of highly contested games. Canada defeated the Iroquois Nationals in a close game 15–12. England defeated Australia in an overtime game 12–11.


2008 Men's U-19 World Lacrosse Championship, Round Robin results
The United States earned one of the automatic semi-final berths by winning the division, while Canada earned the second spot based on its 4–1 record. The remaining two semi-finals spots were earned by two play-in games.


2008 Men's U-19 World Lacrosse Championship, Round Robin results
The "play-in games" featured the top-ranked Red Division Germany team facing up against Team England. The English defeated Germany 16–2. The Iroquois Nationals met Team Scotland, and were victorious with a final score of 28–2. The Iroquois Nationals advanced to the semifinals.


2008 Men's U-19 World Lacrosse Championship, Semi-finals
The July 10 semifinals saw the United States face England, and the Iroquois Nationals face Team Canada. The United States defeated England 25–5, extending their all-time Under-19 tournament record to 35-0. Team Canada defeated the Iroquois Nationals 23–12 on the play of attacker Mark Cockerton, son of Hall of Famer Stan Cockerton, who scored five goals in the contest.


2008 Men's U-19 World Lacrosse Championship, Finals
The finals took place on July 12, 2008, the United States defeated Canada 19–12. It was the United States' sixth gold medal, and their third consecutive finals victory over Team Canada. The United States was led by the play of goalkeeper Adam Ghitelman and three goals by captain Craig Dowd.


2008 Men's World Floorball Championships
The 2008 Men's World Floorball Championships were the seventh men's Floorball World Championships. The tournament was held from 6 to 14 December 2008. The tournament took place in the cities of Prague and Ostrava. All group stage matches were played in Ostrava's ČEZ Aréna, and all playoff matches were played in Prague's O2 Arena, with the exception of the 9th place match, which was played in Prague's Sparta Arena.


2008 Men's World Floorball Championships
Finland won its first championship by defeating Sweden in overtime in the gold medal game, breaking Sweden's row of six championship victories. This was also the first-ever lost game for the Swedish team in world championships.


2008 Men's World Open Squash Championship
The 2008 Men's World Open Squash Championship is the men's edition of the World Open, which serves as the individual world championship for squash players. The event took place in the Manchester in England from 11 to 19 October 2008. Ramy Ashour won his first World Open title, defeating Karim Darwish in the final.


2008 Mercedes Cup
The 2008 Mercedes Cup was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 31st edition of the Mercedes Cup, and was part of the International Series Gold of the 2008 ATP Tour. It took place at the Tennis Club Weissenhof in Stuttgart, Germany, from 7 July until 13 July 2008.


2008 Mercedes Cup
The announced field was headlined by ATP No. 2, Stuttgart defending champion, French Open and new Wimbledon titlist Rafael Nadal, Sydney doubles winner and Queen's Club quarterfinalist Richard Gasquet, and French Open quarterfinalist, Costa do Sauípe and Acapulco champion Nicolás Almagro. Also competing were Auckland titlist Philipp Kohlschreiber, Munich runner-up Simone Bolelli, Agustín Calleri, José Acasuso and Eduardo Schwank.


2008 Mercedes Cup, Finals, Doubles
Christopher Kas /  Philipp Kohlschreiber defeated  Michael Berrer /  Mischa Zverev 6–3, 6–4


2008 Mercedes Cup – Doubles
František Čermák and Leoš Friedl were the defending champions, but chose not to participate that year.


2008 Mercedes Cup – Doubles
Christopher Kas and Philipp Kohlschreiber won in the final 6–3, 6–4, against Michael Berrer and Mischa Zverev.


2008 Mercedes Cup – Singles
Rafael Nadal was the defending champion, but was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury.


2008 Mercedes Cup – Singles
Unseeded Juan Martín del Potro won in the final 6–4, 7–5, against second-seeded Richard Gasquet.


2008 Mercedes Cup – Singles, Seeds
The top four seeds receive a bye into the second round.


2008 Merdeka Tournament
The 40th Merdeka Tournament was played from 15 to 25 October 2008. The tournament was won by Vietnam Under-22s who defeated Malaysia 6-5 through a penalty kick in the final.


2008 Merdeka Tournament, Teams
*Mozambique replaced Kazakhstan following Kazakhstan’s failure to confirm participation. Mozambique will play with their Under 20 squad.


2008 Merdeka Tournament, Stadiums
*Venue for last group match change because of the poor pitch condition at the MBPJ Stadium.


2008 Mesa mayoral election
The 2008 Mesa mayoral election was held on May 20, 2008, to elect the mayor of Mesa, Arizona. It saw the election of Scott Smith.


2008 Meteor Awards
The 2008 Meteor Music Awards ceremony was held in the RDS, Dublin, on Friday, 15 February 2008. Nineteen awards were presented. It was the eighth edition of the Republic of Ireland's national music awards. The event was later broadcast on RTÉ Two on Saturday, 16 February at 21:00. The comedian Dara Ó Briain hosted the awards for the first time since 2004 Duke Special and Cathy Davey won the Best Irish Male and Best Irish Female Awards respectively, whilst veteran rockers Aslan won the Best Irish Band Award and Paddy Casey's Addicted to Company won Best Irish Album.


2008 Meteor Awards
For the eighth consecutive year Westlife won the Best Irish Pop Act accolade. Ham Sandwich were presented with the Hope for 2008 Meteor Award by RTÉ 2fm DJ Rick O'Shea. The Blizzards won Best Irish Live Performance for their Main Stage appearance at Oxegen 2007, whilst Muse picked up the award for Best International Live Performance, which also occurred at Oxegen the previous year. The award for the Most Downloaded Song was given to Mundy and Sharon Shannon's chart hit "Galway Girl". The Saw Doctors were presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award and were also amongst the performers at the event.


2008 Meteor Awards, Performances
There were performances at the event from The Saw Doctors, Boyzone, The Coronas, Cathy Davey, Westlife, Shayne Ward, Tom Baxter, Paddy Casey and Scouting for Girls, as well as exclusive duets between Sinéad O'Connor and Mick Pyro of Republic of Loose, who performed the Curtis Mayfield song, "We People Who Are Darker Than Blue" and Gary Lightbody and Lisa Hannigan who performed, live for the first time, "Some Surprise" from The Cake Sale charity album.


2008 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2008 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament took place from May 22–24, 2008. The top four regular season finishers of the league's teams met in the double-elimination tournament held at Mercer County Waterfront Park in Trenton, New Jersey. Rider won their first tournament championship and earned the conference's automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.


2008 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament, Seeding
The top four teams were seeded one through four based on their conference winning percentage. They then played a double-elimination tournament.


2008 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament, All-Tournament Team, Most Valuable Player
James Hayes was named Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Hayes was a designated hitter for Rider.


2008 Metro Manila Film Festival
The 34th Annual 2008 Metro Manila Film Festival started from December 25, 2008 to January 7, 2009.


2008 Metro Manila Film Festival
This year marks the return of the Escalera brothers in Iskul Bukol 20 Years After (Ungasis and Escaleras Adventure) and the hardworking mother, Ina Montecillo in Ang Tanging Ina Ninyong Lahat.


2008 Metro Manila Film Festival
Compared to last year's nine official entries, however, this year has only eight, all of which are being shown simultaneously during the 10-day run of the film fest. The lineup includes four comedy movies, two dramatic flicks, a horror trilogy and a digital animated film. It is expected to run from December 25, 2008 to January 7, 2009. All official entries are open on Christmas Day.


2008 Metro Manila Film Festival
Viva Films' Baler, which aims to retell a contentious event of the Philippine revolution that happened in the church of San Luis de Tolosa in Baler, Aurora from July 1998 to June 1899, won ten awards including the Best Picture, Best Actress for Anne Curtis, Best Director for Mark Meily and the Gatpuno Antonio J. Villegas Cultural Awards among others.


2008 Metro Manila Film Festival
The entry with the second most awards was the animated film Dayo: Sa Mundo ng Elementalia, which won four awards including the Best Visual Effects for Robert Quilao, Best Musical Score for Jessie Lasaten, Best Theme Song entitled "Lipad" written by Jessie Lasaten and Artemio Abad Jr., and performed by Lea Salonga, as long as the Best Sound Production for Albert Idioma and Wally Dellosa.


2008 Metro Manila Film Festival
This year's box office top grossers, Star Cinema's Ang Tanging Ina N'yong Lahat and the OctoArts Films-M-Zet Productions-APT Entertainment collaboration Iskul Bukol 20 Years After won Second and Third Festival's Best Picture awards respectively.


2008 Metro Manila Film Festival, Entries
All eight films included in the competition are being simultaneously shown from December 25, 2008.


2008 Metro Manila Film Festival, Awards
The awards night of 2008 Metro Manila Film Festival was held on December 27, 2008, at Harbor Garden Tent, Sofitel Philippine Plaza, Manila. The criteria that were used in the selection were: story, creativity, commercial viability, Filipino cultural values, global appeal and innovativeness. Historical film Baler won ten awards, including the Best Picture and Best Actress for Anne Curtis. Animated film Dayo: Sa Mundo ng Elementalia received four awards, including the Best Theme Song, "Lipad", performed by Lea Salonga. Sexy-comedy film One Night Only got two awards while Magkaibigan, Desperadas 2, and Shake, Rattle & Roll X won one each. Iskul Bukol: 20 Years After and Ang Tanging Ina N'yong Lahat were the only two entries that won nothing besides the Third and Second Best Pictures respectively.


2008 Metro Manila Film Festival, Ceremony information, Award winners
Curtis won her first-ever acting award for her portrayal of Baler lass Feliza Reyes in love with a Spanish-Filipino trooper Celso Resurreccion (Jericho Rosales) in the historic siege. She states: "The fact that I was up against veteran actresses, who have won numerous awards in the past, made this trophy even more meaningful..." She competed with veteran actresses Ai- Ai delas Alas (Ang Tanging Ina N'yong Lahat), Maricel Laxa and Dawn Zulueta (both for Magkaibigan), among others, for the Best Actress title. She adds: "This is also for Echo (Rosales' nickname), who also worked really hard for this film. He's one of the best actors I know" as she told the Philippine Daily Inquirer shortly after the awards ceremony held at the Sofitel Hotel in Pasay.


2008 Metro Manila Film Festival, Ceremony information, Award winners
In addition, Meily earned his second MMFF Best Director award after winning the same plum for Crying Ladies back in 2003. His wife Lee also took home her first MMFF award. Christopher de Leon, meanwhile, received his eighth festival Best Actor award, the most by any artist in its 34-year history, for a role inspired by the late Rudy Fernandez in the Maverick Films drama Magkaibigan opposite last year's awardee Jinggoy Estrada.


2008 Metro Manila Film Festival, Ceremony information, Award winners
Comedian-TV host Manilyn Reynes pulled a surprise when she was named Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal as a lesbian talent coordinator in Canary Films sex comedy One Night Only, which also won Best Original Story for its director Jose Javier Reyes. Reyes states: "She's a last minute replacement..." as he accepted the award in Manilyn's behalf. He adds: "I did not regret asking her to be a part of this film."


2008 Metro Manila Film Festival, Ceremony information, Award winners
Newcomer Robert Villar, better known in the fantasy series Dyesebel as the mermaid's trusted child friend "Buboy", won Best Child Performer in Regal Films horror franchise Shake, Rattle & Roll X. Regal's other festival entry, Desperadas 2, on the other hand, also won one award: Best Make-Up for Noli Villalobos.


2008 Metro Manila Film Festival, Reception, Critical
As box-office receipts for the 2008 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) showed substantial growth over the previous year, questions concerning credibility and film quality issues remain. In an article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, writer Rita Asilo stated that the MMFF organizers' move of encouraging producers to make more movies by giving tax-based incentives even to poorly made films could be viewed as a bad example. She also states that moviegoers cannot be educated by equating noble intention or commercial viability with quality. If the trend continues, more moviegoers would insist that the stranglehold that MMFF has on play dates and theatrical distribution during the Christmas season should end. Ultimately, the festival generated a grand total of P450,000,000 in ticket sales, an all-time record high.


2008 Mexican Figure Skating Championships
The 2008 Mexican Figure Skating Championships took place between 12 and 17 November 2007 in Guadalajara. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles and ladies' singles on the senior level. The results were used to choose the Mexican teams to the 2008 World Championships and the 2008 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships.


2008 Mexican League season
The 2008 Mexican League season was the 84th season in the history of the Mexican League. It was contested by 16 teams, evenly divided in North and South zones. The season started on 19 March with the match between 2008 season champions Sultanes de Monterrey and Saraperos de Saltillo and ended on 24 August with the last game of the Serie del Rey, where Diablos Rojos del México defeated the Sultanes to win the championship.


2008 Mexican League season
899 games were played with a total attendance of 4,035,169 spectators, averaging 4,850 per game.


2008 Mexican elections
A number of  elections on the local level are scheduled to take place in Mexico during 2008.


2008 Mexican elections, Local elections
This Mexican elections-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .


2008 Mexico City Learjet crash
On 4 November 2008 an official Mexican Secretariat of the Interior aircraft crashed in central Mexico City at around 18:45 local time. There were sixteen fatalities—all nine people on board and seven people on the ground. The plane, a Learjet 45, was carrying Mexican Secretary of the Interior Juan Camilo Mouriño.


2008 Mexico City Learjet crash
The plane crashed in rush-hour traffic close to the intersection of Paseo de la Reforma and the Anillo Periférico, in the Las Lomas business district. During its approach to Mexico City International Airport, the plane followed a Boeing 767 too closely and encountered wake turbulence which caused it to invert into a nose-down position. The pilots were able to reduce the angle of descent but due to excessive speed and insufficient altitude were unable to regain control of the aircraft. The plane crashed into a building, exploding on impact and killing 16 people.


2008 Mexico City Learjet crash, Details
The Secretariat of the Interior-owned Learjet 45 (registration XC-VMC) left Ponciano Arriaga International Airport in San Luis Potosí and was 12 km (7.5 mi) short of landing at Mexico City International Airport when it crashed. The crash occurred at 18:45 in the middle of rush-hour traffic of the Las Lomas business district, causing an explosion whose flames "reached higher than the buildings". According to Secretary of Communications and Transport Luis Téllez, there were no survivors. Téllez also stated that the crash appeared to be an accident.


2008 Mexico City Learjet crash, Details
The crash set multiple cars and a newsstand on fire and injured at least 40 people. Body parts were reported to be scattered around the wreckage.


2008 Mexico City Learjet crash, Deaths
Among the dead was Secretary of the Interior Juan Camilo Mouriño, top aide to President Felipe Calderón and José Luis Santiago Vasconcelos, former assistant attorney general.


2008 Mexico City Learjet crash, Government response
After the crash, President Calderón addressed the nation live on national television. He spoke of Mouriño as one of his closest friends and collaborators and conveyed his condolences to the family. He stated that Mouriño was a man who always fought to make Mexico a better country and he guaranteed the nation that there would be an investigation into the causes behind the plane crash. Calderón encouraged Mexican men and women to continue fighting for a better country no matter how difficult or painful any event may be.


2008 Mexico City Learjet crash, Government response
Marcelo Ebrard, Head of Government of the Federal District, also conveyed his condolences to Mouriño's family assured that Mexico City's government would issue a statement to the nation regarding the issue. Ebrard later said that the Mexico City government would give financial aid to all of the injured receiving medical care, irrespective of whether they had been admitted to private or public hospitals. He also said that the local authorities had handed over all recordings taken by surveillance video cameras to the federal attorney general, along with all witness accounts that local police gathered.


2008 Mexico City Learjet crash, Government response
Several other political figures made statements regarding the crash, including various senators from the Institutional Revolutionary Party and Germán Martínez, leader of the ruling National Action Party. A group of senators from different political parties asked the Attorney General of Mexico to investigate the accident.


2008 Mexico City Learjet crash, Results of investigation
The jet's black boxes were sent to the United States for analysis. Information gathered from 38 minutes of cabin conversations, along with video footage from a security camera on top of the Omega Office Building, provided evidence for an official statement by the Mexican government that the crash was the result of pilot error. The Learjet was ruled to have been flying too close to a Boeing 767-300ER operated by Mexicana and as a result suffered violent wake turbulence caused by the larger jet. The minimum allowable distance for a lighter plane following behind a heavier plane is 5 nautical miles (9.3 km); the Learjet was only 4.1 nautical miles (7.6 km) behind the Mexicana plane.


2008 Mexico City Learjet crash, Results of investigation
Investigations into the accident discovered several issues with the Mexican government's use of private contractors as pilots of government aircraft.


2008 Mexico City Learjet crash, Results of investigation
Several key elements of the accident have emerged during the investigation:


2008 Mexico City Learjet crash, Dramatization
The accident and subsequent investigation were featured in Season 14 – Episode 8 of documentary series Mayday. The episode was titled "Inner City Carnage" in the United Kingdom and Australia and "Accident or Assassination" in the United States and Canada.


2008 Miami Dolphins season
The 2008 Miami Dolphins season was the franchise's 39th season in the National Football League, the 43rd overall and the first under new head coach Tony Sparano. During the regular season the Dolphins completed the greatest single-season turnaround in NFL history, going from a 1–15 regular season record in 2007 to an 11–5 record in 2008. The previous record for most improved team one year after a 1–15 season belonged to the 1997 New York Jets, who went 9–7.


2008 Miami Dolphins season
The 1999 Indianapolis Colts were the only other team to accomplish a 10-game turnaround, winning 13 games after winning 3 in 1998, which was also the first year of the Peyton Manning era. Additionally, Miami won the AFC East, becoming the first team in NFL history to win their division after only having one win the previous season. The division title also snapped the Patriots' 5-year streak of winning the AFC East.


2008 Miami Dolphins season
Their season would come to an end in the Wild Card round when they were defeated by the Baltimore Ravens, which coincidentally, was also the only team they beat last season in overtime to save the Dolphins from suffering a winless season.


2008 Miami Dolphins season
With their 11–5 record and division title, the Dolphins had hopes of achieving their first playoff victory since 2000, or to possibly become the first team ever to make the Super Bowl after winning only one game the previous season, similar to how the Carolina Panthers went 1–15 in 2001 and made Super Bowl XXXVIII just two seasons later.


2008 Miami Dolphins season
The 2008 season was the first with Bill Parcells as Executive Vice President of Football Operations, Jeff Ireland as General Manager, and Tony Sparano as head coach.


2008 Miami Dolphins season
With a league-worst 1–15 record in 2007, the Dolphins held the first pick in the 2008 NFL Draft and selected Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long. The offseason also saw the departure of two Pro Bowlers and long-time Dolphins with the release of linebacker Zach Thomas and trade of defensive end Jason Taylor.


2008 Miami Dolphins season
The 2008 season was the last season in which the Miami Dolphins had a winning record and qualified for the playoffs before the 2016 team accomplished the feat.


2008 Miami Dolphins season
This season was also notable for the Dolphins wide-spread use of the Wildcat offense. Though previously used by other teams in several other seasons, this package was fully installed by the Dolphins by week 3, and led to an upset win over the defending AFC Champion New England Patriots. Until 2019, this was the Dolphins' last road win over the Patriots.


2008 Miami Dolphins season
Additionally, this was the last season that the AFC East was won by a team other than the Patriots, up until it came time for the 2020 season, when the Bills snapped the Patriots' streak of 11 AFC Eastern crowns with a 13-3 record. Coincidentally, both seasons had the Tennessee Titans be the AFC South champions.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Offseason personnel moves, Front office
On December 27, 2007, Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga hired former NFL head coach and ESPN analyst Bill Parcells as Executive Vice President of Football Operations. Parcells signed a four-year deal with the Dolphins less than a day after turning down a similar offer from the Atlanta Falcons.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Offseason personnel moves, Front office
Just a few days after Parcells' hiring, three men were dismissed from the Dolphins' front office. The most notable of which was general manager Randy Mueller, who was hired by the team in 2005. Also dismissed were Assistant Director of Player Personnel Mike Baugh and College Scouting Coordinator Rick Thompson.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Offseason personnel moves, Front office
Three days after Mueller's dismissal, Parcells hired Jeff Ireland as the team's new general manager. Ireland had worked for the Dallas Cowboys the past seven years, including the last three as Vice President of College and Pro Scouting. Ireland had worked with Parcells previously, when the latter was head coach of the Cowboys from 2003 to 2006. Although Ireland was officially given final say on personnel decisions, it was speculated that Parcells was actually in control, and did not hold the title of General Manager so that the team may hire a front office executive from another team.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Offseason personnel moves, Front office
On January 15, the Dolphins reeled in another former Cowboys executive when they hired Brian Gaine as Assistant Director of Player Personnel. Gaine had previously spent the past three seasons as the Cowboys' Assistant Director of Pro Scouting, working with both Parcells and Ireland during that time.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Offseason personnel moves, Front office
Following the 2008 NFL Draft, it was reported on May 1 that the Dolphins had fired scouts Ellis Rainsberger, Jack Glowik and Roger Pollard. The team's vice president of media relations, Harvey Greene, said Rainsberger had retired and did not comment on the other two reported firings.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Offseason personnel moves, Coaches, Head coach
Just one day after hiring of Jeff Ireland as general manager, the Dolphins fired head coach Cam Cameron after just one season on the job. Cameron led the Dolphins to an NFL worst 1–15 record in 2007, which was also the worst in franchise history. Additionally, all but two members of the coaching staff were dismissed. The only coaches retained were assistant special teams coach Steve Hoffman and linebackers coach George Edwards. Both Hoffman and Edwards were coaches for the Dallas Cowboys during Ireland's tenure with the team.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Offseason personnel moves, Coaches, Head coach
A search for Cameron's replacement began almost immediately after his firing. Various candidates were rumored, many of which had some connection to Parcells and/or Ireland. Rumored candidates included Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel, Dallas Cowboys assistant Tony Sparano, Cowboys secondary coach Todd Bowles, Arizona Cardinals running backs coach Maurice Carthon and Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley. Additionally, Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan and Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier were contacted. The Washington Post suggested that Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Gregg Williams could be a candidate as well.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Offseason personnel moves, Coaches, Head coach
The first interview scheduled was Sparano, who met with the Dolphins on Saturday, January 11. Sparano had previously met with the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens regarding their head coaching vacancies. On January 6, it was reported that Sparano would be offered the Dolphins' head coaching job, and that he would accept. The Dolphins denied the report later that day, saying it was an initial interview only and that the team had interviews with others planned over the next few days. However, the addition of quarterbacks coach David Lee, a former Cowboys assistant, fueled speculation that Sparano was indeed going to the next head coach of the Miami Dolphins.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Offseason personnel moves, Coaches, Head coach
The team then proceeded to interview Frazier, Ryan and Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. After the Dallas Cowboys lost to the New York Giants in the divisional round of the 2007 NFL playoffs on January 13, speculation grew that Sparano's hiring was imminent. On January 16, the Dolphins ended their search by naming Sparano the eighth head coach in franchise history. He received a four-year contract believed to be worth between $2.5 and $2.7 million per season.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Offseason personnel moves, Coaches, Assistants
Parcells and Ireland made their first coaching staff addition on January 7, luring Ole Miss offensive coordinator David Lee to be quarterbacks coach. Lee, who briefly followed Houston Nutt to Ole Miss after serving as his offensive coordinator at Arkansas in 2007, worked with Parcells and Ireland as the Cowboys' quarterbacks coach from 2003 to 2006. The addition fueled speculation that Sparano was indeed going to the next head coach of the Miami Dolphins.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Offseason personnel moves, Coaches, Assistants
Two days after hiring Sparano as their head coach, the Dolphins made their second assistant coach hiring. On January 18, Mike Maser was named the team's new offensive line coach. Maser had previously served in the same capacity for the Carolina Panthers from 2003 to 2006, and worked with Sparano when both were assistants for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2002.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Offseason personnel moves, Coaches, Assistants
Over the next week, the Dolphins filled various positions on Sparano's staff. On January 22, former Kansas City Chiefs running backs coach James Saxon was hired in the same capacity for the Dolphins. Also hired that day was former Atlanta Falcons strength and conditioning coach Evan Marcus, who took the same job with Miami.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Offseason personnel moves, Coaches, Assistants
On January 23, the Dolphins added four more assistant coaches to their staff when they named Paul Pasqualoni as their defensive coordinator, Todd Bowles as assistant head coach/secondary, Kacy Rodgers as defensive line coach and David Corrao as defensive quality control coach. Pasqualoni, Bowles and Rodgers all came from the Dallas Cowboys' staff, while Corrao was most recently linebackers coach at the University of Mississippi.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Offseason personnel moves, Coaches, Assistants
A day later, former UCLA head coach Karl Dorrell was named the team's new wide receivers coach. Five more coaches were added to the staff on January 28 when the Dolphins named John Bonamego as their special teams coordinator, George DeLeone as their tight ends coach, David Puloka as assistant strength and conditioning coach, Jim Reid as outside linebackers coach and Steve Bush as offensive quality control coach.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Offseason personnel moves, Coaches, Assistants
The Dolphins made their final addition to the staff on February 4, hiring Dan Henning as offensive coordinator. Henning, who had most recently served as offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers from 2002 to 2006, had previous worked for the Dolphins under Don Shula as quarterbacks and wide receivers coach in 1979–1980.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Staff
When the Dolphins' coaching staff was completed with the hiring of offensive coordinator Dan Henning on February 14, only two of the 17 assistant coaches under Sparano (Edwards and Hoffman) were holdovers from the previous season's staff. Three of the new coaches (Bowles, Pasqualoni and Rodgers) had experience with Parcells, Ireland and Sparano in Dallas. The completed staff was as follows:


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Roster Moves, Free agency
The Dolphins entered free agency $44 million under that year's $116 million salary cap – the highest in the league at the time. The team cleared between $13–15 million by cutting players leading up to free agency.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Roster Moves, Free agents
UFA: Unrestricted free agent, RFA: Restricted free agent, ERFA: Exclusive-rights free agent


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Roster Moves, 2008 NFL Draft
Due to their league-worst 1–15 record in 2007, the Dolphins secured the first overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft on April 26. The Dolphins used it to draft Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Roster Moves, 2008 NFL Draft
Including Long, the Dolphins selected the following nine players in the 2008 NFL Draft:


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Roster Moves, 2008 NFL Draft, Draft day trades
On the first day of the draft, the Dolphins traded second-year running back Lorenzo Booker to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a fourth-round pick (115th overall) in the 2008 NFL Draft.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Roster Moves, 2008 NFL Draft, Draft day trades
On the second day of the draft, the Dolphins acquired the Detroit Lions' third-round pick (66th overall) as well as their sixth-round pick (176th overall) in exchange for the Dolphins' third-round pick (64th overall). The Lions used the pick to select running back Kevin Smith, while the Dolphins took defensive end Kendall Langford with the third-round pick and running back Jalen Parmele with the sixth-rounder.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Roster Moves, 2008 NFL Draft, Draft day trades
Later on Day 2, the Dolphins traded the fourth-round pick acquired from the Eagles, along with a seventh-round pick (208th overall), to the Chicago Bears in exchange for the 110th overall selection. The Dolphins used this pick to select guard Shawn Murphy. The 115th overall pick was eventually dealt by the Bears the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who used it to select defensive tackle Dre Moore. The Bears used the seventh-round pick to select defensive end Ervin Baldwin.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Roster Moves, 2008 NFL Draft, Draft pick signings
In the weeks leading up to the draft, the Dolphins began contract negotiations with Jake Long. On April 14, Peter King of Sports Illustrated reported that the Dolphins had given Long a deadline to accept their contract offer (believed to be worth less than 2007 No. 1 pick JaMarcus Russell received from the Oakland Raiders); otherwise, they would move on to another prospect. On April 22, the Dolphins officially signed Long to a five-year, $57.75 million contract with $30 million guaranteed, assuring they would take him first overall. On May 19, the Dolphins signed sixth-rounders Jalen Parmele and Lex Hilliard and seventh-rounder Lionel Dotson to contacts. On May 23, sixth-round pick Donald Thomas was signed to a multi-year deal. On July 11, the Dolphins signed third-round pick Kendall Langford to a multi-year deal.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Roster Moves, Undrafted free agents
Following the 2008 NFL Draft, the Dolphins signed 18 undrafted free agents. They were:


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Roster Moves, Undrafted free agents
Two failed to survive a week with the team, as the Dolphins released Lane and Reece on May 5. Less than a month after being signed, Robertson decided to retire. On June 9, the Dolphins signed wide receiver John Dunlap (NC State) after he attended a minicamp on a tryout basis.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Roster, Roster moves, Final cuts
On August 30, the Dolphins made 17 roster moves to reach the NFL's 53-player limit. The players released were:


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Roster, Preseason schedule
The Dolphins' 2008 preseason schedule was announced on April 3.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Roster, Preseason recap
After losing their preseason opener to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Dolphins won their final three contests to finish the preseason 3–1.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Roster, Preseason recap
Quarterback Chad Pennington was the Dolphins' most efficient passer of the preseason, leading the team in completion percentage (72.0) and passer rating (104.8). Rookie quarterback Chad Henne led the team in passing yards (351) but also in interceptions (2) while matching Pennington in passing touchdowns (1).


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Roster, Preseason recap
Running backs Ricky Williams and Jalen Parmele tied for the team lead in rushing yards at 123. Williams, Parmele and Ronnie Brown were the only Dolphins to rush for a touchdown during the preseason, scoring one each. Lex Hilliard and Patrick Cobbs finished fourth and fifth, respectively, on the team in rushing yards.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Roster, Preseason recap
No Dolphins player surpassed 100 receiving yards during the preseason, though wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. came closest at 97. He also tied rookie Davone Bess for the team lead in receptions with eight. Tight ends Anthony Fasano and Sean Ryan were the only Dolphins to catch a touchdown pass.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Roster, Preseason recap
On special teams, rookie placekicker Dan Carpenter converted 7-of-8 field-goal attempts and all six extra-point attempts. Punter Brandon Fields punted 21 times for a 44.1-yard average and two touchbacks. Meanwhile, Davone Bess led the team in punt returns (6) but Ted Ginn Jr. was the only Dolphins player to return a kick or punt for a touchdown. Patrick Cobbs led the team in kick return yards with 106.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Roster, Preseason recap
On defense, Linebackers Akin Ayodele and Reggie Torbor tied for the team lead with 17 tackles, while Ayodele led the team in solo stops with 12. Five others – Yeremiah Bell, Channing Crowder, Renaldo Hill, Nathan Jones, Edmond Miles – also reached double-digits in tackles.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Roster, Preseason recap
Four players – Jason Allen, Renaldo Hill, Michael Lehan, Joey Thomas – recorded an interception during the preseason. The Dolphins also totaled 14 quarterbacks sacks during the preseason. Linebacker Rob Ninkovich and defensive end Randy Starks each record a team-high two sacks, while ten other players each recorded a sack apiece. Channing Crowder, Junior Glymph and Paul Soliai each forced a fumble during the preseason.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Regular season, Schedule
The Dolphins' 2008 regular season schedule was released on April 15, 2008.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Regular season, Schedule
* All games are Eastern Time. # Games that can be potentially moved to Sunday Night Football at 8:15 p.m. on NBC-TV.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at Arizona Cardinals
With the loss, the Dolphins fell to 0–2 and have lost their 5th straight game to NFC Opponents.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: at New England Patriots
The Dolphins headed to Foxboro to face the Division rival New England Patriots. Little did New England know that they would be a test for an offensive formation concocted as the Dolphins coaching staff wanted to put running backs Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown onto the field at the same time. David Lee thus revealed the Wildcat to the NFL. Ronnie Brown would take direct snaps and keep it himself or hand it of to another back.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: at New England Patriots
The Dolphins decimated the Patriots all day with the Wildcat offense for a 38–13 victory as they put a dent in the Patriots' 21-game regular season winning streak and went on their bye week at 1–2. This was the last time the Dolphins beat the Patriots on the road until 2019.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10: vs. Seattle Seahawks
With the win, the Dolphins improved to 5–4 and snapped their 5-game losing streak to NFC Opponents.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. New England Patriots
A week after a 400-yard passing game against the Jets, Matt Cassel threw for 415 yards and three touchdowns for New England, while Chad Pennington threw for 345 yards and two scores; both quarterbacks also ran in a touchdown. The Dolphins Wildcat offense was limited to 27 yards as the Patriots broke open a tight game in the fourth quarter, winning 48–28.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: at Buffalo Bills
With the win, the Dolphins sweep the Bills for the season and improve their record to 8–5.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: vs. San Francisco 49ers
With the win, the Dolphins improved to 9–5 and finished 3–1 against the NFC West.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 17: at New York Jets
The Dolphins clinched the AFC East title as they intercepted Jets quarterback Brett Favre three times (Philip Merling ran in a 25-yard touchdown on a Favre pick) while Charlie Anderson and Patrick Cobbs blocked a Jets punt. The win put the Dolphins into the playoffs for the first time since 2001 as they finished the season with an 11–5 record and locked up the AFC's No. 3 seed.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Regular season, Awards and honors, Coaches
After leading the Dolphins to an 11–5 record and an AFC East title in his first year as head coach, Tony Sparano was selected as the NFL Alumni's 2008 Coach of the Year. Sparano was also one of six nominees for the 2008 Motorola NFL Coach of the Year Award.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Regular season, Awards and honors, Players
The Dolphins landed two players – running back Ronnie Brown and linebacker Joey Porter – on the AFC's Pro Bowl team. Porter recorded 17.5 sacks during the 2008 season and was named as a starter on the AFC's squad. In his first career Pro Bowl season, Brown led the Dolphins with 214 carries, 916 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. He also ranked fourth on the team with 33 catches and sixth with 254 receiving yards.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Regular season, Awards and honors, Players
Additionally, Porter was nominated for the GMC Sierra Defensive Player of the Year Award and was a second-team AP All-Pro selection. Quarterback Chad Pennington, guard Justin Smiley and cornerback Will Allen also received votes for the All-Pro team but were not selected.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Regular season, Awards and honors, Players
However, Pennington did earn the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award for the second time in his career. Pennington led the NFL with a 67.4 completion percentage and was second in the NFL with a 97.4 passer rating. He threw for a career-high 3,653 yards, 19 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Regular season, Awards and honors, Players
In January 2009, three Dolphins rookies were selected to the Pro Football Writers Association's All-Rookie Team. Earning selections were offensive tackle Jake Long, defensive end Kendall Langford and placekicker Dan Carpenter.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Regular season, Awards and honors, Players
The first overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, Long started all 16 games for the Dolphins at left tackle. A third-round pick out of Hampton, Langford started 14 of the 16 games in which he played as a rookie and recorded 31 tackles and two sacks. Undrafted out of Montana, Carpenter went 21-for-25 (84 percent) on field goals and made all 40 extra-point attempts.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Playoffs, Game summaries, AFC Wild Card: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Entering the postseason as the AFC's No. 3 seed, the Dolphins began their playoff run at home in the AFC Wild Card Round, with a Week 7 rematch against the No. 6 Baltimore Ravens. Miami would deliver the game's first points with rookie kicker Dan Carpenter's 19-yard field goal. The Ravens would later respond with a 23-yard field goal from kicker Matt Stover. Baltimore would take the lead with safety Ed Reed returning a Chad Pennington interception 64 yards for a touchdown. The Ravens would then close out the half with Stover's 31-yard field goal.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Playoffs, Game summaries, AFC Wild Card: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore would increase their lead in the third quarter with running back Le'Ron McClain's 8-yard touchdown run. The Dolphins tried to come back in the fourth quarter as Pennington completed a 2-yard touchdown pass to running back Ronnie Brown (with a failed PAT), but the Ravens would pull away as quarterback Joe Flacco got a 5-yard touchdown run.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Playoffs, Game summaries, AFC Wild Card: vs. Baltimore Ravens
With the loss, Miami's impressive turnaround season ended with an overall record of 11–6.


2008 Miami Dolphins season, Playoffs, Game summaries, AFC Wild Card: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Despite having only 16 turnovers throughout the entire regular season, the Dolphins committed 5 turnovers (4 interceptions and a lost fumble).


2008 Miami FC season
The 2008 Miami FC season was the third season of the team in the USL First Division. This year, the team finished in ninth place for the regular season. They did not make the playoffs.


2008 Miami FC season, USL First Division Regular season, Standings, First Division
Commissioner's Cup, bye to semifinal round of playoffs  First round of playoffs


2008 Miami FC season, USL First Division Regular season, Standings, First Division
Tie-breaker order: 1. Head-to-head points; 2. Total wins; 3. Goal difference; 4. Goals for; 5. Lottery† Rochester deducted 1 point for use of an ineligible player on August 10, 2008


2008 Miami Hurricanes baseball team
The 2008 Miami Hurricanes baseball team represented the University of Miami in the 2008 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Hurricanes played their home games at Mark Light Field. The team was coached by Jim Morris in his fifteenth season at Miami. Playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division, they finished in first place in their division with a record of 23–5, 53–11 overall.


2008 Miami Hurricanes baseball team
The Hurricanes reached the College World Series, where they finished tied for fifth after dropping an opening round game against eventual runner-up Georgia, defeating Florida State, and being eliminated by semifinalist Stanford.


2008 Miami Hurricanes football team
The 2008 Miami Hurricanes football team  represented the University of Miami during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Hurricanes' 83rd season of football and 5th as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Hurricanes were led by second-year head coach Randy Shannon and played their home games at Dolphin Stadium. They finished the season 7–6 overall and 4–4 in the ACC to finish in a tie for third place in the Coastal Division. They were invited to the Emerald Bowl where they lost to California, 24-17.


2008 Miami Hurricanes football team, Before the season, Roster changes
University of Miami safety Kenny Phillips and defensive end Calais Campbell made the decision to forgo their senior years and declare for the NFL Draft. Phillips was drafted in the first round, No. 31 overall by the New York Giants. Campbell was drafted in the second round, No. 50 overall to the Arizona Cardinals. Linebacker Tavaris Gooden was also drafted in the third round, No. 79 overall to the Baltimore Ravens.


2008 Miami Hurricanes football team, Before the season, Roster changes
Senior quarterback Kirby Freeman, who split time with now undrafted free-agent Kyle Wright in 2007, was informed by the University of Miami coaching staff that he would begin the year third on the depth chart, behind redshirt freshman Robert Marve and true freshman Jacory Harris. Shocked at this news, Freeman decided to transfer, going back to his native Texas at Baylor University. Freshman Doug Wiggins, rated the nation's thirty-third best player coming out of high school by Rivals.com, transferred to Western Michigan.


2008 Miami Hurricanes football team, Before the season, Roster changes
The reasons for the move were unclear but reports eventually surfaced that Wiggins had had trouble adjusting to his backup role. Freshman Chris Perry transferred to Texas Tech University after redshirting his freshman year at UM. Junior DajLeon Farr, previously a top tight end recruit out of high school, transferred to the University of Memphis. Daren Daly, a former walk-on kicker who previously attended Florida State University, also decided to transfer and faced his former Hurricanes team as a member of the UCF Golden Knights. Other transfers included George Robinson, George Timmons, Jerrell Mabry, Charlie Jones, Demetri Stewart, and Luqman Abdallah. Junior defensive end Courtney Harris suffered an Achilles injury and was out for the season.


2008 Miami Hurricanes football team, Game summaries, Charleston Southern
The game was the first time the Hurricanes played Charleston Southern. It was also the first home game for the Hurricanes in Dolphin Stadium with an attendance of 48,119.


2008 Miami Hurricanes football team, Game summaries, Florida
The Hurricanes had not lost to the Gators since 1985, owning six consecutive victories in the series. Overall, the Hurricanes leads the series 28–26. The game was the third-most watched game in ESPN history.


2008 Miami Hurricanes football team, Game summaries, Texas A&M
This game was played on September 20, 2008 at College Station, Texas, before a Kyle Field crowd of 84,165. The two schools had been against each other twice before: the Aggies won 70–14 in 1944, with Miami winning 34–17 in 2007.


2008 Miami Hurricanes football team, Game summaries, Texas A&M
For the Hurricanes, Robert Marve completed 16 of his 22 passes, for a total of 212 yards; he threw two touchdown passes, and suffered one interception. Graig Cooper ran for a career-best 128 yards and scored two touchdowns as the Hurricanes compiled 398 yards of offense for the game. The 18-point margin was Texas A&M's worst in a non-conference home contest since losing 30–10 to Alabama in 1988.


2008 Miami Hurricanes football team, Game summaries, North Carolina
The two schools played for the fifth straight year, and the Tar Heels owned a 6–5 lead in the series heading into the game. UNC now leads the series 7–5.


2008 Miami Hurricanes football team, Game summaries, Florida State
The Hurricanes and Seminoles will meet for the 53rd time, last season, the Hurricanes defeated FSU 37–29 in Tallahassee and now holds a 30–22 lead in the series. The only time the two schools have met at Dolphin Stadium, UM won 16–14 in the 2004 Orange Bowl Classic.


2008 Miami Hurricanes football team, Game summaries, UCF
This game, played on October 11, 2008 in Miami, was the first between the two schools, with Central Florida having joined Division I-A in 1996. For the Hurricanes, Graig Cooper ran for 90 yards and the game-winning touchdown on a career-high 23 attempts. The Hurricanes forced the Knights into punting 12 times, and limited their offense to a total of 78 yards (74 yards gained via the pass, and 4 yards on the ground). Despite the Hurricanes' defensive effort, the game remained close as UCF scored on an interception return of 62 yards, and on a 91-yard kickoff return.


2008 Miami Hurricanes football team, Game summaries, Duke
Miami had a 4–1 lead in the series and had won three straight games since joining the ACC and four in a row altogether.


2008 Miami Hurricanes football team, Game summaries, Wake Forest
The only times the two teams have played in ACC action, the Hurricanes won both games by a combined score of 99–24, and UM held a 5–3 lead in the series.


2008 Miami Hurricanes football team, Game summaries, Virginia
This was the sixth game between the two schools, and the fifth straight year the two schools had met.


2008 Miami Hurricanes football team, Game summaries, Virginia Tech
Despite losing the last two games to VT, the Hurricanes still held a 16–9 lead in the series. Frank Beamer's Hokies were 11–3 the previous year and were the ACC champions. They lost the Orange Bowl to Kansas, where new Hurricanes defensive coordinator Bill Young held that position for the Jayhawks.


2008 Miami Hurricanes football team, Game summaries, Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech's triple option offense ran for 472 yards against the Hurricanes. The Jackets scored three second-quarter touchdowns and reached a 24–3 halftime lead. After that, the Hurricanes got no closer than 27–10 as Georgia Tech were successful. Late in the game, Georgia Tech ran the ball half-heartedly on 4th down to avoid scoring and avoid insulting the Hurricanes by either kneeling, kicking a field goal, or scoring a touchdown. The score was 41–10 at one point.


2008 Miami Hurricanes football team, Game summaries, Emerald Bowl
The Hurricanes accepted an invitation to the 2008 Emerald Bowl in San Francisco to face California in what was essentially a home game for the Bears. Freshman quarterback Jacory Harris started at quarterback after Marve was suspended for academic reasons. Four other players were suspended for violating team rules and not allowed on the trip.


2008 Miami Hurricanes football team, Game summaries, Emerald Bowl
The Bears reached an early 14–0 lead, but Harris was able to lead the Hurricanes back with touchdown passes in the second and third quarter while the Hurricanes' defense was able to shut out the Cal offense in the second quarter and limited them to a field goal in the third. The go ahead score came late in the fourth quarter when Bears linebacker Zack Follett forced a fumble in the backfield by Harris that the Bears recovered and were able to convert into a touchdown. The game marked the third consecutive loss for the Hurricanes, while the bowl win was the end of Cal's season with three wins in a row.


2008 Miami RedHawks football team
The 2008 Miami RedHawks football team represented the Miami University in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team competed as a member of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and finished the season with a 2–10 record and a 1–7 record in conference games. The RedHawks were led by fourth-year head coach Shane Montgomery, who resigned after the season.


2008 Miami Valley Silverbacks season
The 2008 Miami Valley Silverbacks season was the third season for the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) franchise. In 2008, the team saw the only coach it had even known, removed himself from the position and become the team's president. His first move was to hire Carl Allen as his successor. The team finished 3-9 and had their third season in a row of declining win totals.


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary
The 2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary took place January 15, 2008. Originally, the state had 156 delegates up for grabs that were to be awarded in the following way: 83 delegates were to be awarded based on the winner in each of Michigan's 15 congressional districts while an additional 45 delegates were to be awarded to the statewide winner. Twenty-eight unpledged delegates, known as superdelegates, were initially able to cast their votes at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary
However, the Democratic National Committee determined that the date of the Michigan Democratic Primary violated the party rules and ultimately decided to sanction the state, stripping all 156 delegates and refusing to seat them at the convention. Despite this, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the primary could go ahead as scheduled. The DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee later met on May 31, 2008, and agreed to seat all of Michigan's delegates with each delegate receiving half of a vote. As a result of this compromise, Michigan had 78 votes at the convention. On August 24, the delegates had full voting rights restored.


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Pre-primary events and polling
The Michigan Legislature passed a bill to move the date of the state's presidential primaries to January 15 in an effort to increase the state's influence in the presidential candidate nominating process. They argued that the Iowa Caucuses and the New Hampshire Primary unfairly dominated the selection process. Just as in Florida, the move-up bill originated in a Republican-controlled State Senate and passed by a 21–17 straight party-line vote with every Democrat casting a "no" vote.


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Pre-primary events and polling
However, Democratic National Committeewoman Debbie Dingell was a leader in moving Michigan's primary date to January 15. She later explained that she believed Michigan's rebellion against the DNC rules would spark a national campaign to change the primary process so that Iowa and New Hampshire would not always be first. She also claimed that if Michigan had conformed to DNC rules and held its primary in February, the Democratic candidates would have virtually skipped Michigan anyway in favor of other crucial states.


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Pre-primary events and polling
Federal Democratic Party rules prohibit any state, except for Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina from holding its primary before February 5, or Super Tuesday. On December 1, 2007, the Democratic National Committee stripped Michigan and Florida of all of their delegates to the Democratic National Convention.


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Pre-primary events and polling
The decision of the DNC diminished the significance of the Michigan Democratic Primary. On October 9, 2007, following Michigan's breach of DNC rules, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Joe Biden, and John Edwards withdrew from the Michigan Democratic Primary ballot. Dennis Kucinich unsuccessfully sought to remove his name from the ballot. Hillary Clinton and Christopher Dodd decided to remain on the ballot.


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Pre-primary events and polling
Although Clinton said she would honor a pledge that she and the other Democratic candidates had earlier made to refrain from campaigning or participating in Michigan, Clinton and Dodd drew sharp criticism from Biden, who stated that the two candidates had "chosen to hedge their bets" and had "abandoned Democrats in Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, and South Carolina" by staying on the ballot.


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Pre-primary events and polling
On December 10, 2007, the Michigan Democratic Party issued a press release stating that the primary would be held on January 15, 2008, and that the Democratic ballot would contain only six choices: Hillary Clinton, Christopher Dodd, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, Uncommitted, and Write-in. The press release also urged supporters of Biden, Edwards, Obama and Richardson to vote "uncommitted" instead of writing in their preferred candidates' names. In order for any such write-in votes to be counted, those candidates would have needed to file additional paperwork by January 4, 2008. None did so.


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Pre-primary events and polling
Chris Dodd dropped out of the race after he placed seventh in the Iowa Democratic Caucus. As of January 3, 2008, Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel were the only Democratic candidates who planned to campaign in the state. According to a Kucinich volunteer, the campaign changed its mind about campaigning in Michigan so that it could use the lack of activity to fill a vacuum in Kucinich's support. Gravel had already made a number of campaign stops in Michigan before January 3.


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Pre-primary events and polling, Polling
The American Research Group conducted a survey, asking 600 likely Democratic primary voters in Michigan from January 12 to January 14, 2008. The results were as follows:


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Pre-primary events and polling, Polling
Hillary Clinton easily beat the "uncommitted" votes during pre-primary polls. However, the Detroit Free Press questioned whether the results of the Michigan Democratic Primary demonstrated anything. None of the major candidates in the Democratic Party campaigned at all in Michigan, and all had pledged not to participate in the primary. The Detroit Free Press was also questioning whether Clinton's polling results would have held up during the actual primary.


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Pre-primary events and polling, Polling
J. Ann Selzer of Selzer & Company, director of The Detroit Free Press-Local 4 Michigan Poll, said, "In my mind, if [Clinton] does not get a majority, then more voters were against her than with her." According to the poll, if the other major contenders were to appear in the ballot, Clinton would receive 46% of the vote, Obama would receive 23%, and Edwards would get 13% while 42% of the uncommitted vote would go to Obama.


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Exit Polls
A question in the Michigan exit poll conducted by the news media asked the respondents how they would have voted if the names of Barack Obama, John Edwards and Bill Richardson were added to the ballot. The results obtained for that question are tabulated below. The first column of the table shows that according to the exit poll, Clinton, Obama, Edwards and Richardson would have received 46%, 35%, 12% and 1% respectively with such an expanded ballot. Except for the "% Total" column, the numbers in this table should be read horizontally. For example, the row for Barack Obama tells us that of the 35% he polled in the exit poll, 18% would have come from Clinton voters, 1% from Gravel voters, 2% from Kucinich voters and 79% from uncommitted voters.


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Post-primary delegate allocation, Proposed revote
Shortly after the February 5, 2008 Super Tuesday contests, the media and some politicians, including U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), suggested a revote in Florida and Michigan.


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Post-primary delegate allocation, Proposed revote
On March 7, Newsweek reported: "A plan to raise soft money to pay for a second Florida Democratic Primary—this one by mail—seems close to approval, according to Sen. Bill Nelson." A grassroots movement to raise this money began in early February with revote08.com, with which a group of South Floridians hoped to raise the money for all mail-in revotes in Michigan and Florida.


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Post-primary delegate allocation, Proposed revote
Michigan Democratic Party officials intended to restrict any revote to Democrats, and in particular to prevent those who had already voted in the Michigan Republican Primary from participating. However, since Michigan does not have party registration, it was not clear how this could have been accomplished. A date of June 3 had been suggested for the revote. However, on April 4, 2008, the Michigan Democratic Party decided it was not practical to stage a new party primary or caucus.


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Post-primary delegate allocation, Clinton's position
On September 1, 2007, Hillary Clinton signed a pledge agreeing not to "campaign or participate" in Michigan. On January 25, 2008, Clinton advocated seating Michigan and Florida's delegates at the Democratic National Convention despite the DNC ban, stating:


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Post-primary delegate allocation, Clinton's position
I believe our nominee will need the enthusiastic support of Democrats in these states to win the general election, and so I will ask my Democratic convention delegates to support seating the delegations from Florida and Michigan.


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Post-primary delegate allocation, Clinton's position
In response, David Plouffe of the Obama campaign released the following statement:


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Post-primary delegate allocation, Clinton's position
When Senator Clinton was campaigning in Iowa and New Hampshire, she made it clear that states like Michigan and Florida that wouldn't produce any delegates, "don't count for anything." Now that Senator Clinton's worried about losing the first Southern primary, she's using Florida and Michigan for her own political gain by trying to assign meaning to a contest that awards zero delegates and where no campaigning has occurred.


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Post-primary delegate allocation, Clinton's position
Hillary Clinton says the results [in Michigan] should count, even if Barack Obama's name did not appear on the ballot. "That was his choice... There was no rule or requirement that he take his name off the ballot. His supporters ran a very aggressive campaign to try to get people to vote uncommitted. "...Clinton [says] that the Michigan and Florida pledged delegates should count because both are seen as key battleground states in the general election. But if the national party does not agree, she says, the states should re-do the primaries.


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Post-primary delegate allocation, Clinton's position
When pressed by NPR, Clinton said, "We all had a choice as to whether or not to participate in what was going to be a primary, and most people took their name off the ballot but I didn't." Critics have labeled Clinton's actions as dishonest, and charged her with trying to retroactively change the rules for her own benefit.


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Post-primary delegate allocation, Rules and Bylaws decision
In late May, attention focused on the upcoming May 31, 2008, meeting of the Rules and Bylaws Committee (RBC) of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). The RBC would choose whether to assign seats to Florida and Michigan delegates for the Democratic National Convention. (The convention itself could change the seating.) During the period before the RBC meeting, 22 uncommitted delegates pledged their support to Obama should they be seated at the convention.


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Post-primary delegate allocation, Rules and Bylaws decision
On May 31, 2008, the RBC voted 19-8 to seat all of Michigan's delegates with each receiving half a vote. The resolution allocated 69 pledged delegates for Hillary Clinton and 59 pledged delegates for Barack Obama, resulting in these pledged delegate votes:


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Post-primary delegate allocation, Rules and Bylaws decision
The decision was a modification of the Michigan Leadership Plan, a proposal by the Michigan Democratic Party submitted as a compromise between the positions of the Clinton Campaign (allocating delegates based on the January 15 primary, with 73 pledged delegates for Clinton, and 55 pledged delegates as uncommitted) and the Obama Campaign (allocating the delegates evenly between Clinton and Obama, which with a full delegation would result in 64 pledged delegates for Clinton and 64 pledged delegates for Obama).


2008 Michigan Democratic presidential primary, Endorsements
Despite the debacle surrounding the Michigan Democratic Primary, Hillary Clinton picked up two big endorsements in the state from Governor Jennifer Granholm and U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow.


2008 Michigan House of Representatives election
The 2008 Michigan House of Representatives elections were held on November 4, 2008, with partisan primaries to select the parties' nominees in the various districts on August 5, 2008. As of 2021, this remains the last time the Democrats won a majority in the Michigan State House.


2008 Michigan Proposal 1
The Michigan Compassionate Care Initiative was an indirect initiated state statute that allowed the medical use of marijuana for seriously ill patients. It was approved by voters as Proposal 1 on November 6, 2008, 63 percent in favor to 37 percent opposed.


2008 Michigan Proposal 1, Supporters
The primary proponents of the initiative are the Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care (MCCC). Former state representative Dianne Byrum (D) is chairwoman of the coalition.


2008 Michigan Proposal 1, Arguments in favor
In February 2008, delegates at the Michigan Democratic Party Convention unanimously passed a resolution in favor of protecting patients from arrest.


2008 Michigan Proposal 1, Arguments in favor
Michigan has already passed local medical marijuana initiatives in five cities—Ann Arbor, Detroit, Ferndale, Flint, and Traverse City—and by large margins.


2008 Michigan Proposal 1, Arguments in favor
A poll by Marketing Resource Group in March 2008 showed 67% of voters saying they supported medical marijuana and 62% voicing approval for this particular initiative. Voters between 34 and 54 showed 75% support for medical marijuana, with 63% of retirees voicing support. Younger voters (18 to 34) were the least supportive, with 61% backing the measure.


2008 Michigan Proposal 1, State medical society takes neutral position
The Michigan State Medical Society took a neutral position on this ballot measure, as well as on two other initiatives related to health care at its annual delegates meeting in early May 2008.


2008 Michigan Proposal 1, Status
The measure was presented to the Michigan State Legislature for passage on March 3, 2008, after supporters submitted sufficient signatures on petitions, but the legislature failed to act on the measure within the 40 days set by law, earning it a place on the November 2008 ballot as Question 1, where it was approved by voters.


2008 Michigan Proposal 2
Michigan Proposal 08-2 was a proposal to amend the Michigan Constitution to remove restrictions on stem cell research in Michigan while maintaining the ban on human cloning. Opponents argued that it would raise taxes. The proposal was passed on November 4, 2008 by voters by a 53 - 47% margin.


2008 Michigan Proposal 2, Contents
A proposal to amend the state constitution to address human embryo and human embryonic stem cell research in Michigan.


2008 Michigan Proposal 2, Support
In October, former President Bill Clinton came to Michigan to speak in favor of adopting Proposal 2. The Michigan State Medical Society took a neutral position on this ballot measure, as well as on two other initiatives related to health care at its annual delegates meeting in early May 2008.


2008 Michigan Proposal 2, Aftermath
It was not until after President Barack Obama reversed federal prohibitions on stem cell research in March 2009 that TechTown announced the opening of stem cell research lab in Detroit. However, the opening was delayed because TechTown had trouble getting funds and State Senator Thomas George attempted to the weaken the amendment with legislation he introduced.


2008 Michigan Republican presidential primary
The 2008 Michigan Republican presidential primary took place on January 15, 2008. Mitt Romney came in first with 39 percent of the vote, followed by John McCain with 30 percent and Mike Huckabee in third-place with 16 percent. The victory was widely viewed as critical for the Romney campaign, as a loss in Michigan, where his father was governor, would have resulted in a loss of momentum after two losses already in New Hampshire and Iowa.


2008 Michigan Republican presidential primary
In accordance with Republican National Committee rules, Michigan was stripped of half its delegates for holding primary contests before February 5, 2008.


2008 Michigan State Spartans football team
The 2008 Michigan State Spartans football team represented Michigan State University in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head coach was Mark Dantonio. The Spartans played their home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. This was Dantonio's second season as the Spartans head coach.


2008 Michigan State Spartans football team, Previous season
In the 2007 season, the Spartans opened the season 4–0, but lost five of their next six games to put their record at 5–5. Michigan State ended up finishing the season 7–5 after defeating Purdue and Penn State. This qualified the Spartans into a bowl for the first time since the 2003 season. The Spartans played in the Champs Sports Bowl against ACC opponent Boston College, losing 24–21 to end Dantonio's first season at 7–6.


2008 Michigan State Spartans football team, Schedule
The Spartans opened the 2008 season at California Memorial Stadium against California of the Pac-10. The game ended the home and home between Michigan State and California. The other game was played in the 2002 season at Spartan Stadium. Michigan State played their next three games at home against MAC opponent and instate rival Eastern Michigan, Sun Belt opponent Florida Atlantic, and rival Notre Dame.


2008 Michigan State Spartans football team, Schedule
Following the conclusion of the non-conference portion of their schedule, the Spartans began Big Ten play with an away game against Indiana and opened October with their first Big Ten home game against Iowa. The Spartans then traveled to Evanston, Illinois, to avenge a 2007 overtime loss against Northwestern. The following week, Michigan State returned to East Lansing to play against 2007 BCS runner-up Ohio State. Michigan State ended October in Ann Arbor to play in-state rival and nemesis Michigan. The Spartans opened their final month of the regular season against Wisconsin. The following week, Michigan State played its final home game of the season against Purdue. The Spartans had a bye week before traveling to University Park, Pennsylvania to play their final game of the season against Penn State.


2008 Michigan State Spartans football team, Game summaries, California
Both teams were scoreless until a blocked Spartans punt resulted in a Bears touchdown in the first quarter. Cal scored again on a field goal by freshman kicker David Seawright in the second quarter. Michigan State responded when Otis Wiley intercepted a Nate Longshore pass and returning it for a touchdown, while Cal was able to counter with a touchdown run by Jahvid Best prior to the half.


2008 Michigan State Spartans football team, Game summaries, California
The second half saw both teams score back and forth. The Spartans struck first with a touchdown run by Javon Ringer, followed by Cal QB Kevin Riley connecting with Cameron Morrah for a touchdown. Ringer made his second touchdown run of the game in the fourth quarter, while Riley made his second touchdown pass of the game to Will Ta'ufo'ou. After a Spartans field goal, freshman running back Shane Vereen scored on an 81-yard touchdown run that gave the Bears their final score of the game. The Spartans countered with a touchdown pass from Brian Hoyer to Mark Dell to get within 7 points and had a chance to tie the game with seconds left, but Hoyer threw four straight incompletions from midfield.


2008 Michigan State Spartans football team, Game summaries, California
Longshore, who lost the starting quarterback job to Riley, threw for 62 yards with 2 interceptions. Riley threw for 202 yards with 2 touchdowns. The game marked the first time that two Cal running backs had completed over 100 yards rushing since the 2006 Holiday Bowl, with Best at 111 yards and Vereen at 101, respectively. Spartans quarterback Hoyer finished with 321 yards passing, including a touchdown and an interception. Ringer, who completed 1,447 yards rushing during the 2007 season, was held to 81 yards, which included 2 touchdowns.


2008 Michigan State Spartans football team, Game summaries, Florida Atlantic
It was a rainy day in East Lansing. On the second play of the game FAU broke a would-be 79 yd touchdown run, but it was called back on a holding penalty. Because of the horrible weather conditions, the teams combined had 3 lost fumbles, and it was a low-scoring affair. Javon Ringer had a career-high 282 yards and added 2 touchdowns.


2008 Michigan State Spartans football team, Game summaries, Notre Dame
In week four, the Spartans welcomed undefeated rival Notre Dame. In the previous eight years of the rivalry, the visiting team had won each game. Michigan State was able to dominate the ground game on both sides of the ball, rushing for 203 yards while holding Notre Dame to just 16 rushing yards. Javon Ringer, who had over 200 yards rushing on the game, brought out his offensive line, tight ends, and fullbacks to the post-game press conference to recognize them for their contributions.


2008 Michigan State Spartans football team, Game summaries, Indiana
The Spartans and the Hoosiers met for the Old Brass Spitoon. This game featured a great deal of offense. Spartans QB Brian Hoyer finally had a break out game. It had all been Javon Ringer up until this point. In one of the most exciting plays of the game, Hoyer hit TE Charlie Gantt on an 83 yd TD pass. But the Hoosiers came back with an 80 yd TD run by Marcus Thigpen, who tore up the defense. It was 27–22 at halftime. The defense stepped up in the second half for the Spartans, allowing only one touchdown.


2008 Michigan State Spartans football team, Game summaries, Indiana
In one of the crucial plays of the game, a 99 yd TD pass was called back on a holding penalty. The Hoosiers were on their own goal line, and the holding penalty caused a safety. That sucked the momentum out the Hoosiers as the Spartans went on to win 42–29. Brian Hoyer was 14–26, threw for 261 yds, and 2 TD's, while Javon Ringer improved his Heisman resume, rushing for 198 yds, and 2 TD's. The Spartans improved to a 4–1 record.


2008 Michigan State Spartans football team, Game summaries, Iowa
Michigan State got out to an early 13–0 lead behind two Brett Swenson field goals and a touchdown pass to Charlie Gantt. However, Iowa stormed back in the second half, with running back Shonn Greene running for 157 yards on the day. It took a late stop by Adam Decker on an Iowa fourth-and-one at the MSU 21-yard line to seal the victory for Michigan State. Iowa went on to win 6 of its final 7 games including a win in the Outback Bowl.


2008 Michigan State Spartans football team, Game summaries, Michigan
The Spartans struck first, scoring on a huge 61 yard TD pass from Brian Hoyer to Blair White with just under 12 minutes to go in the first quarter. The Wolverines tied it up near the end of the first quarter when Brandon Minor scored on a 19-yard TD pass from Steven Threet (this score was the result of an incorrectly overturned call from the initial ruling of an incomplete pass). The Spartans took the lead back near the end of the half with a 64-yard TD run by Javon Ringer.


2008 Michigan State Spartans football team, Game summaries, Michigan
The Wolverines tied it back up less than a minute later when Brandon Minor ran in a TD from 2 yards out. Midway through the third quarter, the Wolverines took their only lead of the game when QB Steven Threet ran in a touchdown himself from 2 yards out. However, the Spartans entirely controlled the game after that. The Spartans tied it back up when Charlie Gantt scored on a 4-yard TD pass near the end of the third quarter. The Wolverines were shut out in the fourth quarter. The Spartans took the lead for good in the fourth quarter when Javon Ringer ran in another TD, this time from 3 yards out, and capped their win when Josh Rouse scored on a 7-yard TD pass.


2008 Michigan State Spartans football team, Game summaries, Wisconsin
Coming off of an emotional win against arch-rival Michigan, Michigan State appeared to suffer a bit of an emotional letdown against the underachieving Badgers. Wisconsin dominated the ground game on both sides of the ball, rushing for 281 yards while holding Michigan State to just 25 yards rushing. With Wisconsin leading 24–22 late in the fourth quarter with the ball in Spartan territory, the game appeared all but over. However, a holding call brought back what would have likely been the game-clinching first down for Wisconsin and forced them to punt. With 1:19 left to play, Brian Hoyer led a drive to set up the game-winning 44 yard field goal by Brett Swenson with 7 seconds remaining.


2008 Michigan State Spartans football team, Game summaries, Penn State
Coming into the game, Michigan State had a chance to clinch a share of their first Big Ten title since 1990. However, Penn State held Javon Ringer to 42 yards on 17 carries as the Lions beat Michigan state 49–18. Daryll Clark threw for 341 yards and 4 touchdown passes.


2008 Michigan State Spartans football team, 2009 NFL Draft
Only one Spartan was selected in the 2009 NFL Draft. However, quarterback Brian Hoyer signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent.


2008 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2008 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head football coach was Rich Rodriguez. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The 2008 season marked Rodriguez's first season as Michigan head coach, having replaced longtime head coach Lloyd Carr following Carr's retirement at the end of the 2007 season. Rodriguez installed a spread option offense, a marked departure from Michigan's prior offensive approaches.


2008 Michigan Wolverines football team
Rodriguez's first season was one of adjustment, with Michigan suffering its first losing season since 1967, and more losses (9) in a single season than in any other in the program's 129-year history. The losses included a 13-10 defeat by a Toledo team that posted a 3-9 record that season; this was Michigan's first-ever loss to a team from the Mid-American Conference. In addition, Michigan's loss to Ohio State on November 22 was the fifth straight, the most consecutive losses by Michigan to the Buckeyes up until that point.


2008 Michigan Wolverines football team, Radio
Radio coverage for all games was on the  and on Sirius Satellite Radio. The radio announcers were Frank Beckmann with play-by-play, Jim Brandstatter with color commentary, and Doug Karsch with sideline reports.


2008 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, vs Utah
In the season opener in Ann Arbor and Rich Rodriguez's first game as head coach, the Wolverines took on the Utah Utes. The Wolverines scored first with just over 11 minutes to go in the first, when Nick Sheridan threw an 8-yard TD pass to Michael Shaw. Utah struck back a few minutes later when Courbin Louks ran in a TD from 8 yards out. The Wolverines blocked the PAT though. Then with just over 5 minutes to go in the first, K.C. Lopata completed a 50-yard field goal.


2008 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, vs Utah
Utah's Louie Sakoda completed 3 field goals in the second quarter, from 28, 43 and 41 yards out, respectively. Then a few seconds before halftime, Utah's Brian Johnson completed a 19-yard TD pass to Bradon Godfrey. Midway through the third quarter, Louie Sakoda of Utah completed his fourth field goal of the day, this one from 53 yards out. Midway through the fourth, Steven Threet completed a 33-yard touchdown pass to Junior Hemingway. A few minutes later, Sam McGuffie ran in a TD from 3 yards out. The Wolverines attempted a 2-point conversion to tie the game but failed. Utah's defense held off the Wolverines for the remainder of the game.


2008 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, vs Utah
In retrospect, after Utah had finished the season unbeaten, blowing out Alabama 31–17, this could be seen as one of Michigan's best games of 2008.


2008 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, vs Miami (Ohio)
Coming off their loss to Utah, the Wolverines stayed home to play the Miami RedHawks. The Wolverines had never lost to the Redhawks in the four games the teams have played in previous seasons. The Wolverines got on the board first with just under 11 minutes to in the first quarter when QB Steven Threet ran in the ball himself from 9 yards out for a touchdown. Then with just under 9 minutes to go in the first, the Wolverines got on the board again with a 47-yard field goal by K.C. Lopata. The RedHawks finally scored late in the half with a 27-yard field goal by Nathan Parseghian. With that the 2 teams retired to the locker rooms.


2008 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, vs Miami (Ohio)
The RedHawks scored next, on a 23-yard field goal by Nathan Parseghian with just under 7 minutes to go in the third. Then midway through the final quarter, the Wolverines capped off their victory when Brandon Minor ran in a TD from 15 yards out. However, the point after attempt by K.C. Lopata failed. It was Rich Rodriguez's first win as Michigan's head coach and the Wolverines' first win of the season. The win made their all-time record against the RedHawks 5–0.


2008 Michigan Wolverines football team, Game summaries, at Notre Dame
After their win over Miami, the Wolverines flew to South Bend, Indiana to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for their first road game of the season, renewing the longtime rivalry between the 2 teams (see Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry). In the pouring rain, the Wolverines gave up the ball on 4 fumbles. They also threw 2 interceptions. The Fighting Irish got the first scores of the game with just under 12 minutes left in the first quarter, when Robert Hughes 2 ran in a touchdown from 2 yards out.