The NCAA News - Briefly in the News

December 21, 1997

College football fans all across the nation enjoyed interactive activities and events during the NCAA Football Campus Tour, which traveled to 30 different sites this year.

The tour -- a series of six football-related interactive activities that are located on campus for one day -- was designed to promote college football and create excitement for the game.

All football fans in the community -- adults, college students and children alike -- were invited to experience the events free of charge.

Participants could try the Air Crisps Quarterback Accuracy Challenge, which tested participants' accuracy throwing a football; the GTE Head-to-Head Bungee Run, in which participants ran with an elastic restraint strap tied to their waist; or Sumo Football, which featured one-on-one "wrestling" in a sumo costume with the aim to score touchdowns on a reduced-size field.

Other activities included the KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell Obstacle Course, which was a challenge course that included blocking dummies, a ropes course and sprints; the Chevy Trucks Field Goal Challenge, which allowed participants to attempt field goals from different distances; and the NCAA Football Fastest Person, which featured a 40-yard dash.

Also popular was the Compaq Technology Pavilion, where participants could see the latest in personal computer technology and play the EA Sports "NCAA Football '99" video game.

The tour is one of many initiatives undertaken this year by NCAA Football, which is a coalition formed to preserve and promote the game of college football. Coalition members are: the NCAA, the American Football Coaches Association, the Collegiate Commissioners Association and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

"College football carries with it such a strong tradition and following," said Michelle Grimes, vice-president for Host Communications, the marketing/management entity of NCAA Football. "Our NCAA Football Campus Tour is just one of the many initiatives we have in place to further promote college football among university students and the respective college communities."

Other initiatives for 1998 include "The Slant," a weekly television show profiling captivating events and individuals in college football, the NCAA Football Radio Network and the "Take a Kid to the Game" program.

The tour is managed and produced by the Dallas-based Streetball International, the sports marketing and event production arm of Universal Sports America.

For more information about NCAA Football, see the Web site at www.ncaafootball.net.

Hoops on ESPN

Viewership for men's basketball games on ESPN and ESPN2 was up 17 percent and 62 percent for men's games through December 1.

ESPN has televised 23 games, averaging 889,000 households, according to Nielson Media Research data. This represents an increase of 17 percent compared to this point last season.

Ratings for the telecasts also have risen 12 percent, from an average of 1.05 to 1.18.

ESPN2 has televised 10 games, averaging 344,000 households, an increase of 62 percent compared to this point last season.

ESPN is seen in more than 75 million homes, while ESPN2 is now seen in 61.2 million homes.

Planning to play fair

More than 12,000 universities, colleges, high schools, middle schools and elementary schools in all 50 states and 101 countries will participate in the ninth annual National Sportsmanship Day "Dare to Play Fair" program March 2.

The objective of National Sportsmanship Day (NSD) is to promote the critical role of ethics, honesty and fair play in athletics and society in general through student-athlete outreach programs, writing and art contests, coaches forums and other activities aimed at furthering the principles of sportsmanship and fair play.

A joint emphasis in NSD '99 is the reduction of profanity. To that end, National Sportsmanship Day has formed the "No Swear Zone Club," asking coaches and players to pledge as a team that they will stop using profanity during their seasons.

To register your institution for participation in National Sportsmanship Day, contact the NSD headquarters at 800/447-9889, or see the NSD Web site at www.internationalsport.com.

College coach inducted

Al Ogletree, former baseball coach at the University of Texas, Pan American, recently became only the fourth college coach to be named to the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame.

Ogletree, who retired in 1997, won 1,217 games in his 41 seasons as a college coach.

He took the Broncs to the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship 12 times, finishing fourth at the College World Series in 1971, the year The Sporting News named him the nation's Collegiate Coach of the Year.

--Compiled by Kay Hawes