NCAA Football FanHouse

NCAA Taking Over the NLI

Charles Rich — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 08:55:00 EST

Filed under: NCAA FB Campus, NCAA FB Recruiting, NCAA Basketball Campus, NCAA Basketball Recruiting

It didn't get a lot of notice, but the NCAA took over the National Letter of Intent (NLI) program a couple days ago. Prior to that, the NLI was administered by the Collegiate Commissioners Association and the Southeastern Conference. Now the program will be handled by the NCAA Eligibility Center, and they will answer questions and investigate any issues regarding a NLI.

Never heard of the Eligibility Center? That's because it's fairly new.

The Center will have responsibility for initial eligibility and amateurism functions currently performed at the Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse managed by the ACT.

The NCAA Clearinghouse is not going away (for now), but it seems it won't have quite the same immediate impact on determining initial eligibility. There is some speculation that the NCAA control could lead to an early signing period in football, as there is in basketball and other sports. I'm not really sure how NCAA control would lead to that.

This seems mainly to be about the NCAA assuming more direct control over the recruiting process. Or at least the backroom paperwork.

The NCAA has consolidated both the formal commitment by the student-athlete to the school and the determination of eligibility under one NCAA operated and controlled division. There are no announced changes, and procedures for submitting the NLI by the schools appears unchanged for now.

NCAA Taking Over the NLI originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 17 Oct 2007 08:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Dry Summer in Stillwater

Charles Rich — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 16:41:00 EST

Filed under: Oklahoma State Football, Big 12, NCAA FB Campus, Oklahoma State Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, NCAA Basketball Campus, NCAA Basketball Police Blotter, NCAA FB Police Blotter, Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State linebacker Alex Odiari Odiari was cited for being in a bar underage, possessing a fake ID and most disturbing violating a protective order obtained by his ex-girlfriend.

Odiari's ex-girlfriend obtained an emergency protection order on July 5 to protect her from Odiari after she claimed Odiari had shown violent tendencies during a previous "dating relationship."

To obtain the EPO, the woman claimed Odiari in the past had thrown her against a wall and repeatedly grabbed and shoved her.

The woman also stated during the relationship he made several threats and said he would kill her and the next guy she dated if they broke up.

Odiari showed up at the same bar she was and appeared to have initiated some contact with her while there. That led to a call to the police.

This is part of a bad summer for Oklahoma State athletics,alcohol, and local bars. This is, though, the first football player to get in trouble. Perhaps Odiari thought he was part of the basketball team:

Senior Guard, and co-Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Dove charged with a DUI, reportedly blows a 0.23 on the breathalyzer when pulled over and suspended indefinitely on July 17.
Guard Obi Muonelo arrested for underage drinking in a local bar on June 23.
Yet another guard, Terrel Harris was arrested for having a fake ID while trying to enter a bar in April.

It's not like things don't get dull enough for players in the offseason stuck just taking summer classes in Stillwater. Now they have to do it sober.

The Dry Summer in Stillwater originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 30 Jul 2007 16:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Should All NCAA Schools Screen Athletes for Sickle Cell Traits?

Brian Grummell — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 17:34:00 EST

Filed under: NCAA FB Campus, NCAA FB Injuries, NCAA Basketball Campus, NCAA Basketball Injuries, Indianapolis

The National Athletic Trainers Association recently released a report discussing sickle cell issues. Although they only "suggest but don't recommend" screening, they apparently are looking for increased awareness to sickle cell related issues as several young athletes have died from the condition in recent years.

The sickle cell gene is inherited. NATA says it is most common in people (including one in 12 African-Americans) originating from malarial regions and that "over the millennia, carrying one sickle cell gene fended off death from malaria."

Sickle cell trait differs from the disease sickle cell anemia, in which two sickle cell genes are present.

"It's typically a benign condition ... outside of an intense, sustained physical activity," said Scott Anderson, head athletic trainer at the University of Oklahoma and co-chair of NATA's sickle cell task force.

I think college football and basketball counts as a sustained physical activity. The good news is that according to the AP story, 64% of colleges responded to a survey saying they screen for sickle cell traits. Neither the NCAA or NATA appear to feel alarmed about the issue, although voluntary universal screening by member institutions would be a wise move assuming the costs aren't prohibitive.

I'm not much for the NCAA mandating things to schools and am not urging their energies here. However, this seems like a common-sense preventative health issue to make athletes aware that they may have a condition that could cause harm under physical strain. It would behoove schools to at least be aware of this and consider screening if they haven't already.

Should All NCAA Schools Screen Athletes for Sickle Cell Traits? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 28 Jun 2007 17:34:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pitt's Logo Goes from Bad to Worse

Charles Rich — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 21:36:00 EST

Filed under: Pittsburgh Football, Big East, NCAA FB Campus, Pittsburgh Basketball, Big East Basketball, NCAA Basketball Campus, Pittsburgh

As a loyal Pitt alum, I keep waiting for the athletic department to finally give up the ghost on the "Panther Head" logo (along with the boring and bland navy and gold and just go back to the old colors, along with the script "PITT" but that's a different rant). The Panther Head logo introduced back in the mid-90s (on the left) was accurately described this way:

...the panther-head thing on the helmet looks like Beowulf's Grendel as drawn by the troubled comic book fan at the back of the class.

The only good news is that this thing has been relegated to a "secondary" logo in the last two years. The present, primary logo is a block-lettered "PITT." The bad news is that they are still trying with a new style of the Panther Head as shown on the right as the secondary logo.

As expected, the Pitt message boards are less than impressed with the new logo. Since I didn't like the old Panther Head that much, it's hard for me to get too worked up over the newer version of a secondary logo I would like to ignore. About the only good thing to write about it, is that it is less detailed in contrasting colors which made the older version look like an unidentifiable blob when shrunk too small or viewed from a distance. Then again, that might be the bug in the new design rather than the feature.

UPDATE: The picture of the new logo came via Panther Rants blog. Apologies for the lack of credit.

Pitt's Logo Goes from Bad to Worse originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 18 Jun 2007 21:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Point Shaving Can Only Be Limited

Charles Rich — Thu, 10 May 2007 10:17:00 EST

Filed under: NCAA FB Campus, NCAA FB Gambling, NCAA Basketball Campus, NCAA Basketball Gambling, NCAA FB History

Whatever is actually happening in the Toledo point shaving scandal is unclear with charges dropped (for now). It has renewed interest in point shaving and the college games.

Some Las Vegas sports gambling experts are suspicious of the Toledo football team's performance in the '05 season. Lopsided betting to one side or the other of a line changes the point spread - and raises questions in the gambling community.

During that season, the lines moved by two points or more on seven games, says RJ Bell, president of Pregame.com. Each time, the bettors driving the changes won. "The odds of that happening randomly are 128-1 ... which tells me these guys knew something."

The "betting patterns" on Toledo during the 2005 season became so suspicious that Nevada's State Gaming Control Board investigated two games, chief enforcement officer Jerry Markling says. After concluding there were no violations by state casinos, the board closed its investigation in December 2005.

As I wrote before, the suspicions were noticed by legal sportsbooks. They have important interests in stopping any point shaving. They take the financial hit if the money gets too lopsided.

College sports are logically the only reliable target for any sports fix. The money made in professional sports by the athletes (who are in a position to impact the game) is just too huge to be worth the risk of being paid to shave points or throw a game. College "amateurs," though, are more likely to have a price since they don't get paid, or can be put in a compromising situation with greater ease. (Even if collegiate sports paid some stipend, the odds are it wouldn't be enough.)

This is what inevitably leads to the argument of "banning" gambling on college sports. The dupe to suggest that in this article is Justin Wolfers, assistant professor of business and public policy at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. The idea is stupid, because it would only ban legal gambling on college sports in the country. Forgetting that most of the sports gambling in the US is illegal bookmaking. It also wouldn't shut down all the off-shore or out of the country sports books. The gambler who is (allegedly) involved in the Toledo point shaving scandal was placing the bets in Canada.

Point shaving is going to rear its ugly head in college athletics periodically, simply because there are always people who will try to cheat a system. And there are always those who have a price.

Previously at Fanhouse:
This is Why Legal Gambling Helps
Point Shaving at Toledo

Point Shaving Can Only Be Limited originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 10 May 2007 10:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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APR Reports Generate Anxiety and Relief

Charles Rich — Thu, 03 May 2007 02:52:00 EST

Filed under: ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Big East, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, Pac 10, SEC, WAC, NCAA FB Campus, ACC Basketball, A-10 Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, Big East Basketball, Big Ten Basketball, Conference USA Basketball, Pac-10 Basketball, SEC Basketball, Mid-Majors Basketball, NCAA Basketball Campus

The NCAA released its Academic Progress Reports (APR) for every school and the teams for each sport. A total of 6110 teams are included. You can view each school's individual report (they are in PDF). The APR is supposed to be a rolling 4-year average, but the NCAA isn't at that point. This is only the third year so there are adjustments and leeway given to some teams. The grace period is granted only if they are showing that they are closing on meeting the magic number of 925 by the time the 4th year is reached. (The APR records started being kept in the 2003-04 school year.)

If a team is at 900 or so, they won't be getting penalized immediately. The penalties can range from warning letters, practice restrictions, lack of access to postseason competition, restricted membership and loss of scholarships for the teams that don't meet performance standards. Already, teams across various collegiate sports have been penalized with scholarship losses.

The BCS schools for football and basketball, generally are in good shape. Only a few programs are facing scholarship reductions. Many are close or have been warned, but scholarship reductions are rather limited. Some of the notable teams penalized after this latest report:

Iowa State University, Basketball -- 2 scholarships
University of Cincinnati, Basketball -- 1 scholarship
San Jose State University, Football -- 7 scholarships
University of Arizona, Football -- 4 scholarships
UNLV, Football -- 3 scholarships
University of Toledo, Football -- 4 scholarships

Iowa State basketball was hit hard under the tenure of Wayne Morgan and the shake-out of many players after his termination. Considering that players often leave when coaching changes happen, this will have an impact on the hiring and firing of coaches -- and the timing as Mike DeCourcy at the Sporting News noted.

So a university trying to improve on-court performance can't just consider whether its coach won enough games in his third year on the job. It has to factor in whether moving him out will be sufficiently disruptive to lead to a slip in APR performance. That can lead to embarrassment -- ask Bob Huggins about what a dubious 0 percent grad rate did for him at Cincinnati -- and the competitive disadvantage of losing scholarships, practice time and possibly postseason eligibility.

Presidents and athletic directors must begin to consider whether firing that coach is worth the cost not in contract buyout dollars. They should examine whether it puts their school in APR jeopardy. And they should inform their boosters there are other factors to consider beyond an elusive NCAA Tournament bid.

I think DeCourcy may be overstating things a bit. Simply because wins and losses are still the thing that matter most to athletic departments, fans and the boosters. It may, however, act as something of a drag on rapidly pulling the trigger in some cases. Especially as at schools that have been struggling to get their APR up to the minimum level. That may cause some hesitation to at least give time to make sure that the next coach won't have more leverage in negotiating if sanctions loom.

That point, however, is still a distance away. Not until penalties are regularly assessed and it is clear that penalties will apply regardless of the school and their athletic prestige, will schools realistically consider the potential risk.

Presently, the hardest hit programs at the moment are coming from the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and at schools located in the State of Louisiana (strong correlation to Hurricane Katrina that sent students to other schools). These programs were granted a warning letter to show improvement by next year considering the circumstances.

There were some bright spots in football and basketball. The NCAA also recognized programs that had very high APR. In basketball this included:

BYU
Florida State
UNC
Notre Dame
Villanova
Wake Forest
Xavier

In Football:

Boston College
Duke
Rice
Stanford

APR Reports Generate Anxiety and Relief originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 03 May 2007 02:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Through Hokie Eyes: Paying Respects

Nick Dallamora — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 01:40:00 EST

Filed under: Virginia Tech Football, ACC, NCAA FB Campus, ACC Basketball, NCAA Basketball Campus

Several memorials have been made around campus so I decided that today I would visit some of them and do some personal mourning. My dad flew in around midnight yesterday and stayed with me all day today so I thought it'd be best if we went by ourselves. We first went to the VT logo staked against a tree on the drillfield, shown on the right here.

I walked right up to it at first, but it was like jumping straight into hot water. Realizing I was going to have to ease myself in I stepped back 10 feet or so to look at the site as a whole. Many were gathered around either signing the multiple pieces dedicated to those lost or silently paying respects. Eventually I approached a second time and began reading what people had written. Some of the most heart-wrenching words I have ever read were hitting me by the minute. Most were students and families briefly reminiscing over favorite moments together, inside jokes, and their favorite activities.

It's funny how I've written four pieces chronicling my emotions over the past several days, yet I stood there with a marker in my hand without the slightest idea what to write. Several minutes of deep contemplation passed and I still could not put my feelings into appropriate words. At one point I decided not to write anything at all, it being unfair to taint such a passionate monument with hollow words. I quickly thought myself selfish and cowardly and scribbled something cliché followed by what everyone calls me at school, "-Boston". I'll go back sometime later this week and make peace.

We then walked over to the larger signing boards, of which there were 7 I believe. They were 4x8 sheets of plywood painted white and they were all covered in signatures by this afternoon. Auburn University sent one over and it stood elevated over the rest with their college's logo in the bottom right corner. After reading through the boards for some time I wrote another generic comment and moved on to a larger memorial of candles and flowers. I'll be back there too to write something meaningful.

This was the most powerful memorial I will ever see in my entire life. Look at this:

Those are 24 of the 32 "Hokie Stones" surrounding the memorial. Those stones were used to build a vast majority of the buiIdings on campus including West Ambler Johnston and Norris Hall. I literally froze mid-step as I broke the imaginary boundary created by these rocks. I felt as though I were entering an area of paramount importance, like I should have fallen to my knees and cleared my head of all thoughts. Almost immediately the entire week came together inside of me all at once. Running from buildings, hearing the death tolls, seeing the faces of victims, hearing their families grieve, hearing about how great they were and how much they were going to accomplish, it all came together in a single second and I broke down for the first time.

Now that all of the victims have been identified I'd like to extend a most sincere apology to all those who lost a loved one or, God forbidding, several loved ones. I assure you their spirits are alive in Virginia Tech and they always will be. They are alive in me and every single other member of this community. We are proud to call them family.

I now know what I'm going to write on those memorials:

"A life that ends in Virginia Tech lives forever in Virginia Tech"

Previously on FanHouse:
Through Hokie Eyes: Convocation and Vigil
Through Hokie Eyes: The Day After
The Virginia Tech Tragedy and Why Sports Matter
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Through Hokie Eyes: Paying Respects originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 19 Apr 2007 01:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR to Honor Virginia Tech Shooting Victims

tallglassofmilk — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 17:09:00 EST

Filed under: Virginia Tech Football, ACC, NCAA FB Campus, ACC Basketball, NCAA Basketball Campus, Nextel Cup

NASCAR has received permission from Virginia Tech University to display the school's logo on race cars for the next three weeks, in a tribute to the victims of this week's shootings at the Blacksburg, Va. campus.

Chairman Brian France:

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their family members, their friends - and the entire Virginia Tech community. We wanted to make a simple, but strong, gesture of remembrance. We are grateful the university gave us clearance to display their logo."

The logo will be displayed against a black background on the "B-post" - the area just to the right of the driver's side window net - of cars competing in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series events at Phoenix International Raceway (Friday and Saturday), Talladega Superspeedway (April 28-29) and Richmond International Raceway (May 4-5).

Additionally, trucks competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event April 28 at Kansas Speedway also will display the logo.

NASCAR to Honor Virginia Tech Shooting Victims originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 18 Apr 2007 17:09:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Through Hokie Eyes: Convocation and Vigil

Nick Dallamora — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 23:50:00 EST

Filed under: Virginia Tech Football, ACC, NCAA FB Campus, ACC Basketball, NCAA Basketball Campus

First and foremost I want to thank everyone for the myriad of support that has been submitted in the comments section of my two previous posts this morning and last night. It blows me away how many people from so many different colleges have sent their best from campus. Even more people have related on a more personal level and it really does help hearing so much from you guys. I'm starting to realize how big of a deal this is for everyone in this entire country and not just our humble town.

Today marked the first day of public mourning for many at Virginia Tech and I was in attendance for both ceremonies.

The convocation turned into a terrific showing of Hokie spirit, as the 10,000-seat basketball arena was filled to capacity, including seats covering the parquet. The rest of us were directed to Lane Stadium to watch on the big screen. (See my photos.) Governor Kaine and President Bush both gave terrific speeches and were very well received, but the cap of the evening came from Nikki Giovanni, who is a professor at Virginia Tech. She ended strongly:

"We are strong and brave and innocent and unafraid. We are better than we think, not quite what we want to be. We are alive to the imagination and the possibility we will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears, through all this sadness. We are the Hokies! We will prevail, we will prevail! We are Virginia Tech!"

Watch video of Giovanni's speech:

The crowd absolutely exploded. Chants in the stands reminiscent of Saturday football games echoed back and forth. All of the other speakers allowed us to be with our personal thoughts and mourn, but she allowed us to come together and act as the strong family we always were. I think we all left with a heightened sense of community. We were all far from closure, but this was a great first step.

The vigil was just a beautiful gathering and on any other occasion I would have been thrilled to be a part of it. This was the first time I had seen a few of my friends after they had been informed of close friends' demises, so things are obviously starting to get pretty heavy. Again, no one close to me was injured. The organizers didn't speak for long, really only inviting us to stay as long as we wanted. A few minutes passed and people began singing "Amazing Grace". That song chokes me up during commercials so at this point I'm trying divert my thoughts elsewhere, which is hard to do when it's all you've heard for the past two days. The National Anthem was sung, a few more school-oriented chants, and then a communal exhale. Pretty much everyone stayed for a little while longer and then began combing through the crowd looking for friends.

I left shortly thereafter because my thoughts were really starting to bite at me and, frankly, it was the longest and most trying day of my life, although I'm sure longer ones await.

Previously on FanHouse:
Through Hokie Eyes: The Day After
The Virginia Tech Massacre Through Hokie Eyes
The Virginia Tech Tragedy and Why Sports Matter
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Through Hokie Eyes: Convocation and Vigil originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 17 Apr 2007 23:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NASCAR Garage Hokie's Mom Works on Campus

tallglassofmilk — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 22:39:00 EST

Filed under: Virginia Tech Football, ACC, NCAA FB Campus, ACC Basketball, NCAA Basketball Campus, Crew Chiefs

Just a month ago, March Madness swept through the NASCAR garage and had crew members, including 1998 Virginia Tech Graduate Darian Grubb, championing their alma maters and reminiscing about their college days.

Grubb:

"We had a lot of phone calls and emails going around when Virginia Tech beat Duke and UNC this year in basketball and always with football. We've always had a pretty strong following in the garage. It's amazing how many Hokies are actually in the garage when you get to know them.
"There's a lot of people in the garage that went to Tech one year before I did or one year after that I never knew because it's such a big campus and there's so many people there. But it's a tight-knit community once you find a fellow Hokie and you have a lot to talk about because everybody enjoys their experience that they have at Virginia Tech and it's something that they cherish and would love to go back and relive."

Yesterday's experiences won't be ones that any VT alum will want to relive:

"I remember having classes in Norris Hall, probably in some of the same classrooms where those people were killed. It's just amazing. I can't believe what those families and those people that were actually in those classrooms, that survived, what they are going through having to relive it."

But for Grubb, yesterday wasn't a trip down memory lane, it was more about the immediate situation at hand--his mom works on campus as an academic advisor. He was on his way to the Hendrick Motorsports shop yesterday when first learned the news:

"It was very disturbing. I talked to mom several times yesterday. Her office building is actually next door to the dorm where the first shooting occurred. She was in lockdown when I called to talk to her after I heard the news. She was still pretty upset then. It was just unbelievable. Right after that, is when all the news started coming out about what actually happened. It just got worse as the day went along."

Grubb says it won't be easy, but that the tightness of the community will help it to heal:

"I don't know how anyone can say they'll just get past this because it's such a huge tragedy. You'll never be able to get past this but because it is a tight knit community - basically Virginia Tech is the town of Blacksburg and the entire town revolves around that university so it will be a little easier to pull together to mourn and grieve the loss and help out the families there in need but it's still not going to make it easy.
"You have the feel of the people you know. It's a small town. It's so close knit where everyone feels like neighbors and friends it will make it a little easier to find someone to talk to and someone to lean on as you need it."

NASCAR Garage Hokie's Mom Works on Campus originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 17 Apr 2007 22:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Concerned NASCAR Fans Find Connection To VT Tragedy

tallglassofmilk — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 18:10:00 EST

Filed under: Virginia Tech Football, ACC, NCAA FB Campus, ACC Basketball, NCAA Basketball Campus, Kasey Kahne, NASCAR Fans

When news of the Virginia Tech shootings rocked the country yesterday, concerned sentiment instantly rippled through a large segment of NASCAR fanbase.

Ashley Speegle, the former girlfriend of NASCAR heartthrob Kasey Kahne, was immediately on the minds of those who religiously follow the comings and goings of the drivers' wives and girlfriends.

On Monday afternoon, I was able to reach Speegle, currently a junior in the university's liberal arts and human sciences college, via email and confirm her safety:

"I appreciate everyone's concern. I am safe, as are all of my very close friends. They still haven't sent out any sort of list of the ones killed/hurt in the shootings, but as you can imagine we are all anxiously waiting. This is just scary beyond belief for everyone here... just praying for now for everyone and just sitting tight. Thanks again for your concern."

Even though it's been well over a year since Kahne and Speegle broke up, I wasn't surprised at all by the outpouring of concern from NASCAR fans--nor am I astonished by the sympathies being expressed in the Fanhouse by all sports fans.

A tragedy like this shatters the emotions of the entire country, not just those who attend or have students at VT or on other college campuses. Making a personal connection helps to hasten the healing process.

Fans looking for first hand account from campus should check out blogger Fanhouse blogger Nick Dallamora, a VT student who is blogging through Hokie eyes:

Through Hokie Eyes: The Day After at Virginia Tech
The Virginia Tech Massacre Through Hokie Eyes

I join other Fanhouse bloggers and readers in extending my own condolences and offer prayers to the families of slain students.

It is a sad day indeed. And on this sad day I am proud to be a sports fan.

Concerned NASCAR Fans Find Connection To VT Tragedy originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 17 Apr 2007 18:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Through Hokie Eyes: The Day After at Virginia Tech

Nick Dallamora — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 12:45:00 EST

Filed under: Virginia Tech Football, ACC, NCAA FB Campus, ACC Basketball, NCAA Basketball Campus

I knew today was going to be a lot harder than yesterday. Sometime around nine o'clock last night I saw a picture of the first confirmed victim, Ryan Clark. He was a Resident Advisor in the dorm where the shootings began, which is connected to my dorm. Goosebumps shot down my back and my breath let out and took a few seconds to return. That was enough for one day.

I had my alarm set, but woke up more than an hour before it would ring. A plethora of e-mails, voicemails, and text messages filled with warm sentiment and concern awaited me, and I honestly haven't even checked them all yet. My roommate seemed to have been up for quite some time as he gave me all the major updates I missed through the night. I turned on the television and more names and pictures of victims were being shown. This has to be the most heart-wrenching morning of my entire life.

CNN just showed a picture of who they believe to be the gunman, Cho Seung-Hui. Yesterday I probably would have spat at the screen and flipped him an emphatic middle finger, but now I just stared, creased my lips to the corner of my mouth, dropped my eyes, and patted the back of my head.

I'm going to try and get into the convocation at Cassell Coliseum today, but despite our basketball program's best efforts it can only hold 10,000 people. After that I'll probably try to sit down and talk with some friends here that I haven't gotten a chance to be with yet. The names of those lost are still being released at random time intervals and thank God I still don't know any of the deceased, although it certainly feels like I do.

I'd like to thank everyone who has linked to the small piece I wrote yesterday: Dan Shanoff, We Are the Postmen, Larry Brown Sports, Running with Scissors, Sports by Brooks and anyone else I'm missing in this blur of a morning. A few classmates of mine read it and seem to carry the same state of mind. My largest concern was portraying our feelings accurately and it seems I was close enough. We all appreciate the amount of sorrow our nation has expressed as we can all relate to how sad this really was.

I know every fiber of fashion sense in your body is telling you it's a terrible idea, but try to throw on some maroon and orange today. Wear it with the same pride we wear it with every day.

Previously on FanHouse:
The Virginia Tech Tragedy and Why Sports Matter
The Virginia Tech Massacre Through Hokie Eyes
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Through Hokie Eyes: The Day After at Virginia Tech originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 17 Apr 2007 12:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Virginia Tech Tragedy and Why Sports Matter

Michael David Smith — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 11:51:00 EST

Filed under: Virginia Tech Football, ACC, NCAA FB Campus, ACC Basketball, NCAA Basketball Campus, College Sports

When I hear the words "Virginia Tech," sports immediately come to mind. I think of Michael Vick nearly leading the Hokies to the national championship and Marcus Vick falling far short of the expectations that came with his famous name. I think of the breakout season for Seth Greenberg's basketball team and the way they knocked my Illini out of the Big Dance this year.

I think of things that don't really matter, not compared to the tragic loss of life that happened on the Virginia Tech campus yesterday.

And then I see what other sports fans have to say about yesterday's events, and I'm reminded that sports do matter. They give us a sense of community with our fellow sports fans. None of us can imagine what my colleague Nick Dallamora, who's a student at Virginia Tech, went through yesterday. But I've been struck by how many sports bloggers have shown that sense of a community of fans today.

Dan Shanoff began today's column with the headline, "Today We Are All Hokie Fans." Every Day Should Be Saturday had a poignant post simply titled, "Moment of Silence," with a Hokie flag at half staff. We Are The Postmen reflected what I think a lot of people were thinking, which is that we want to say something but don't know what. With Leather noted the difficulty of being funny and The Big Picture said "no jokes today." Larry Brown Sports and Chris' Sports Blog and My Sports Talk all set sports aside.

That's the immediate reaction, but in five months we'll be watching the Hokies on the football field again. When we do, we'll no doubt see black stickers on the players' helmets, and our first response might be to think a football game doesn't mean a damn thing. But then we'll get a look at the student section, and the young people that game is bringing together, and we'll be reminded that sports matter.

The Virginia Tech Tragedy and Why Sports Matter originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 17 Apr 2007 11:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Virginia Tech Massacre Through Hokie Eyes

Nick Dallamora — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 23:34:00 EST

Filed under: Virginia Tech Football, ACC, NCAA FB Campus, ACC Basketball, NCAA Basketball Campus

This is my third year studying computer science and mathematics at Virginia Tech, and I am a Hokie through and through. We own the entire town of Blacksburg and everyone likes it that way. Every gas station within a 10 mile radius is saturated with VT logos and miniature footballs. The student body has the sort of relationship you tell people about and they slowly nod and pretend to believe you. I've sparked more random conversations around campus than I'd be comfortable doing anywhere else.

This morning that friendly college town atmosphere was severely damaged as the death toll has now reached a nausea-inducing 33. I was in class in the building next to Norris Hall where a majority of the murders took place. In the middle of class I got this e-mail on my laptop:

"A shooting incident occurred at West Amber[sic] Johnston earlier this morning. Police are on the scene and are investigating."

Followed by this e-mail about half an hour later:

"A gunman is loose on campus. Stay in buildings until further notice. Stay away from all windows"

I wasn't comfortable being in a classroom with one door and no windows so I left in search of safer ground. We had received two bomb threats the week before so I made for the doors. Crossing the street I saw what eventually became a pile of 50 cruisers and SUV's and what looked like one S.W.A.T. van. Several policemen assured me the safest place was inside another building, where I stayed for two and a half hours. From there I placed and answered phone calls to family and classmates until my battery died. When we were told it was safe to leave I went back to my room, charged my phone, and did the same thing again. The list of victims hasn't been released yet, but thank God nobody I've contacted yet was hurt.

The sorrow I'm feeling right now is indescribable. The initial report said one person had been killed and my eyebrows stood straight up. When the number then increased to 22 and then 33 I felt physically ill. Both my arms became numb and I needed to go outside for air. Walking to my car, which normally takes 10 minutes, took me 45 minutes after I walked to the wrong parking lot and then couldn't keep focus long enough to even comb through the second lot. As I randomly stumbled between cars I started to think about the kids who were actually in that classroom. How helpless they must have felt in their final moments. It's the most unfair situation you can possibly be put in and now their families are left with nothing. He was killing himself anyway and decided to go out with a bang and take as many people as he could along with him.

My heart aches for all those directly affected today. You live through Tech.

Previously on FanHouse:
The Virginia Tech Tragedy and Why Sports Matter
The Virginia Tech Massacre Through Hokie Eyes
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The Virginia Tech Massacre Through Hokie Eyes originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 16 Apr 2007 23:34:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oklahoma State Wants Their Donors Dead

Charles Rich — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 21:45:00 EST

Filed under: Oklahoma State Football, Big 12, NCAA FB Campus, Oklahoma State Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, NCAA Basketball Campus, Oklahoma State

I'm having some Fred MacMurray in "Double Indemnity" visions. The Oklahoma State Athletic Department will be taking out $10 million insurance policies on 25 of its alumni/donors.

OSU's "Gift of a Lifetime" program involves selected alums in a broad age spread who have qualified for $10 million individual life insurance policies and agreed to name Cowboy Athletics the beneficiary. Cowboy Athletics is paying the premiums. So far, 25 alums have qualified for the program, which is a form of testamentary giving.

Oklahoma State will pay $20 million in premiums on the 25 alums. Sort of. They borrowed the money to pay the premiums. The members of the Deathwatch class of 2007 all are between the age of 65 and 85 (and presumably white and male) and passed a physical (meaning the insurer is not the same company that Ed McMahon pitches on daytime cable).

Already other schools are inquiring about how the program works, so expect this tactic to spread. I'm sure the official names for other programs will be equally versed in double speak in how they title a program that encourages their fans to literally die for their school. I do think the Penn State program called, "Just try and outlive Joe Paterno" is a winner.

Other views on the Cowboy Deadpool:

The Wizard of Odds: Pickens Again at Center of Controversy
Every Day Should Be Saturday: T. Boone Pickens Bets on Death, Sweet Death

Oklahoma State Wants Their Donors Dead originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 02 Mar 2007 21:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ohmigod, The Oregon AD Kilkenny

Charles Rich — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 20:06:00 EST

Filed under: Oregon Football, Pac 10, NCAA FB Campus, Oregon Basketball, Pac-10 Basketball, NCAA Basketball Campus, Oregon

I like to think one of the general ideas college football and basketball fans can agree, is that it is a dangerous thing when the boosters have a little too much say (I'm looking for an A-MEN from Tommy Tuberville and the Auburn faithful, here) in the athletic department. They are vital for the money they provide and sometimes for their name recognition, but when they overtly begin meddling in the athletic department, it's like you can hear Mission Control counting down until KA-BOOM!

Now Oregon has always been a little different since the co-founder/CEO of Nike, Phil Knight, is a huge booster and influence. There's just been a different vibe, I guess. So maybe this is perfectly natural.

The University of Oregon has hired insurance executive Pat Kilkenny, an alum and prominent school booster, as its new athletic director.
Kilkenny replaces Bill Moos, who in November announced plans to step down next month.

Kilkenny is chairman emeritus of San Diego-based Arrowhead General Insurance Inc., which he acquired in 1984 and sold in 2006.

Near as I can tell the qualifications Kilkenny has for the AD position are the following:

Ran an insurance company.
A powerful booster who gets along very well with uber-booster Phil Knight.
An alum, class of '74.
Part of the group that helped pay the $2 million settlement on soon-to-be-former AD Moos.
Gave $1.5 million towards the new basketball arena.
Willing to do the job for free.

I'm not kidding about the last part.

University President David Frohnmayer said Kilkenny will serve as AD for two years. He has agreed to return his salary to the school for "academic and athletic purposes."

I guess, he'll get a nice tax deduction from it, and the school telemarketers won't badger him for a couple years for new donations. It's the two-year term that just adds to the oddness of it. I'm not familiar with many ADs getting two-year contracts. At least, not real ADs. It just makes it seem that Kilkenny is simply some sort of figurehead AD.

Departing AD Moos recently extended Belotti. But if I'm basketball coach Ernie Kent, who came into the 2006-07 season on the hot seat, I'm not feeling particularly comfortable. Despite what had been a great season up until a couple weeks ago the Ducks are now struggling. A booster will now be his boss.

If I were Kent, I'd make sure the health care plan will still pay for that rotator cuff surgery he's putting off, regardless of the employment status in April.

Ohmigod, The Oregon AD Kilkenny originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 14 Feb 2007 20:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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