The NCAA News - Briefly in the News

November 3, 1997

Sportsmanship may be in the intensive care unit these days, but it's not dead.

David Shulimson, sports information director at Coker College, reported on how Coker officials and players were able to come to the aid of Mount Olive College after a recent men's soccer match.

The match ended at 9 p.m. September 25, a Thursday. Soon thereafter, Mount Olive prepared to return home from Hartsville, South Carolina, to Mount Olive, North Carolina.

However, one of the Mount Olive vans wouldn't start. Coker athletic trainer Robin Richardson called campus security, which in turn called Coker physical plant manager John Mills, who determined that a faulty alternator was the problem.

It was too late in the evening to get the alternator replaced, so Coker athletics director Tim Griggs approved the use of the Coker van to help transport the Mount Olive team home.

Coker security guard Chris Hewstess, along with soccer player Wahib Al-Sarary, drove the members of the Mount Olive team back home. They left at 11:30 p.m. for the 21Ž2-hour trip and returned early Friday morning.

In another case, a player for the Pittsburg State University football team demonstrated, under the toughest of circumstances, how to take the high road.

The Gorillas, rated No. 2 in Division II, had just lost to No. 5-ranked Northwest Missouri State University, 15-14. The game had been played October 25 in constant rain that turned the field into a giant mud puddle. Not only that, but Pittsburg State had lost a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter. And besides that, the loss was the first regular-season defeat at home for Pittsburg State since 1984.

So how did running back Andrew Wilson react to all that adversity?

"It was a messy game, but a great game," he told reporters afterward.

"I've got all the respect for Northwest Missouri."

Near record

Some records are harder to break than others. Quarterback Wilkie Perez threw nine touchdown passes for Glenville State College October 25, but the effort still left him one short of the all-time Division II record of 10, set in 1968 by Bruce Swanson of North Park College.

"He played close to a perfect game," Glenville State coach Warren Ruggiero said. "He's a perfectionist and keeps pushing himself each week to get better."

The 1997 numbers for Perez look like a career for most people. Through eight games, he has 3,026 yards and 31 touchdown passes.

Busy day

Julie E. Davidson was a busy woman during Manchester College's recent football game against Wabash College.

At half time, the senior health and physical education major was honored as Manchester homecoming queen. After the ceremony, she made a quick change back to her primary role -- head student athletic trainer. A three-year starter for the Manchester volleyball team, Davidson passed up her fourth year of competition to focus on her role as trainer.

-- Compiled by David Pickle

Looking back

5 years ago: The Southwest Conference, concerned about possible moves of members to expanding conferences, votes November 5, 1992, to actively seek a merger with the Big Eight Conference. The conference's presidents council, citing concern about possible expansion of the Big Ten and Pacific-10 Conferences, says it will first explore the merger with the Big Eight but also will consider expansion or agreements with other conferences. Big Eight and Southwest Conference presidents first met in 1990 to explore a scheduling alliance, and reached an accord in football that will involve each of the Southwest Conference teams playing a Big Eight representative at least once by 1994. (The NCAA News, November 9, 1992)

10 years ago: The increasing "federation" of Association activities is reflected in the steady growth in the number of legislative proposals handled by the separate divisions and subdivisions at NCAA Conventions. Division voting -- first used at the 1986 Convention -- shows a steady increase in both the number of issues acted upon by the separate divisions and the percentage of all legislation that is handled in that manner. At the 1988 Convention, the separate divisions and subdivisions are scheduled to consider a total of 50 proposals -- 30.7 percent of the 163 proposals on the agenda. (The NCAA News, November 23, 1987)

15 years ago: A second NCAA office building -- a 16,000-square-foot structure located across the street west of the existing headquarters building in Mission, Kansas -- is completed. The Association's communications department occupies the building November 5, 1982. (The NCAA News, November 1, 1982)

20 years ago: The NCAA advises the U.S. House of Representatives Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee that it will cooperate with that body's inquiry into policies and procedures related to the enforcement process, but will seek to protect confidentiality for Association members that have been subject to enforcement proceedings. (NCAA News, November 15, 1977)