The NCAA News - Briefly in the News

November 9, 1997

Raising the roof means something entirely different at two universities that recently have tangled with Mother Nature.

At State University College at Brockport, a September storm downed trees, damaged homes and left thousands of people without power.

The storm also destroyed the press box at Special Olympic Stadium, home of the Golden Eagles' football team. High winds lifted the two-story facility from its perch above the west side of the stadium and dropped it down the bleachers where it became a pile of rubble by the time it landed on the track.

"It was a big blow to the stadium, literally," said sports information director Mike Andriatch, who had worked all 62 football games and several track meets in the press box since his first season at the college in 1986.

"It was a great place to do a game. I hope we can come up with something to replace it."

Reported to be the largest on-campus Division III football stadium in the nation, the 10,000-seat Special Olympics stadium was built in 1979 when the college hosted the International Special Olympics. Its press box was used by ABC Sports for its broadcasts of the event on "Wide World of Sports."

The athletics department at Ferris State University had a storm give it a scare as well, only this one endangered campus buildings and the football team.

A tornado touched down on campus in early October, and the Bulldogs' football team found itself in the way as the tornado quickly approached Top Taggart Field.

"We had no warning whatsoever," said Ferris State football coach Jeff Pierce.

"The rain was coming down hard, and then all of the sudden the wind started picking up. We had our players and staff clinging on to stadium rails as we watched our tackle dummies and garbage cans go flying by. We even had a golf cart go sliding down our stadium track."

Fortunately, Pierce's judgment during the crisis prevented any serious injuries to his players and staff. Had he sent them off the field toward the locker room only minutes earlier, they would have been directly in the tornado's path.

The tornado damaged several buildings and caused seven injuries to people on campus. The football players only had a few bruises and scrapes -- along with a memorable scare.

III all-stars to Aztec Bowl

For the second consecutive year, the American Football Coaches Association will send a Division III all-star team to Mexico to battle a team of that country's top college players.

The 1998 Aztec Bowl in Mexico City will be played Sunday, December 13, and it will be broadcast in the United States on tape delay on Telemundo, a Spanish-language cable television channel.

The U.S. team will be led by former Central College (Iowa) coach Ron Schipper. Because the Aztec Bowl will be held on the same weekend as the NCAA Division III Football Championship, members from the national finalists' teams will be unable to participate.

Last year's team, also led by Schipper, defeated Mexico, 42-41.

This year Schipper will have 38 players on his roster, and he will be assisted by four-time AFCA Division III Coach of the Year Bob Reade of Augustana College (Illinois). Two additional coaches have yet to be named.

Direct hoops and more

Not only has DirecTV inked a deal with the NCAA and CBS Sports regarding the Division I Men's Basketball Championship (see story, page 1), it also has acquired the exclusive national rights to broadcast Ivy Group men's and women's basketball.

From January 8 to March 2, "Ivy League Friday Nights" will be available to subscribers of certain DirecTV packages.

DirecTV also recently announced that it will broadcast the Harvard vs. Yale football game November 21 to all of its residential subscribers.

--Compiled by Kay Hawes

Looking back

5 years ago: Cedric W. Dempsey, praised by NCAA President Joseph N. Crowley as "a man of integrity," is announced as the Association's third executive director. The University of Arizona athletics director and former NCAA secretary-treasurer replaces Richard D. Schultz, who resigned in May. Dempsey indicated that issues demanding immediate attention are those involving gender equity, racial diversity and membership structure. He also said that the Association needs to examine the ramifications of a Division I-A football playoff, but that he doesn't see it as one of the NCAA's primary priorities. Dempsey was selected from among four finalists that included William W. Cobey Jr., former U.S. Congressman and former director of athletics at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Judith M. Sweet, director of athletics at the University of California, San Diego, and past president of the NCAA; and R. Gerald Turner, chancellor of the University of Mississippi and past chair of the NCAA Presidents Commission. (The NCAA News, November 8, 1993)

10 years ago: Oklahoma State running back Barry Sanders needs just 544 all-purpose yards in his last three games to break Byron "Whizzer" White's record of 246.3 yards per game, set in 1937, the oldest standing record in college football. Sanders, a junior from Wichita, Kansas, also is on track to break Southern California running back Marcus Allen's 1981 record of 212.9 rushing yards per game and the 17.4 points-per-game record set by Nebraska's Bobby Reynolds in 1950. Sanders is averaging 3.25 touchdowns per game. (The NCAA News, November 7, 1983)

15 years ago: The NCAA Council votes to propose legislation at the 1984 Convention to establish a 44-member Presidents Commission as a means of involving institutional chief executive officers more effectively in athletics matters. The detailed plan was developed by the NCAA Special Committee on Governance Review. The new Commission will be composed of 22 representatives from Division I, and 11 each from Divisions II and III. At least three female CEOs would be included, assuring representation proportionate to the number of female CEOs in the membership. (The NCAA News, November 7, 1983)