The NCAA News - Briefly in the News

February 1, 1999

Participating in NCAA championships offers young people many opportunities for new experiences, but for Nicky Rose, a senior setter on the women's volleyball team at Southwest Texas State University, it was a chance to meet a grandfather she hadn't seen since she was a baby.

Nicky's grandfather, Walter Rose, was a professor of engineering for many years at the University of Illinois, Champaign, but in the late 1970s he decided to see the world, taking off on a series of excursions to other countries.

"He just dropped out of sight for several years, and my dad had been transferred to Alaska, so we never really kept in touch," Rose said. "Dad would get a note from him every once in a while, but he never really talked much about him. He just sort of became a forgotten member of the family."

When the Bobcats earned a spot in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1991 and were assigned a first-round match with the nationally ranked Fighting Illini, Rose called her father.

"When I called my dad and told him we were going to Champaign, he told me he thought my grandfather had finally retired somewhere in Illinois, but we had no idea he was still in town," Rose said.

As soon as she arrived in town, the elder Rose showed up to greet her.

"I had met him once -- when I was 6 months old -- so of course I didn't remember him. But when I got off the elevator at our hotel, I could have picked him out of any crowd, he and my dad look so much alike," she said.

Rose's father, John, also had hoped to attend the Bobcats' playoff games, but travel costs from Alaska and his work schedule had made it seem impossible -- right up until the tournament.

"My grandfather came to practice Thursday, and when he told me my dad had called and he was in the airport in Chicago, just an hour away, I couldn't believe it," Rose said. "The whole weekend was just one great big wonderful time for all three of us."

The only thing that might have made it better for Rose would have been an upset of Illinois, but that didn't happen. The Bobcats lost, 7-15, 7-15, 17-15, 8-15, and the Illini advanced to the Mountain Regional in Long Beach, California.

"We had a great year," Rose said of the Bobcats' 25-9 season. "And we played well against Illinois. I'm sorry we didn't go farther, but speaking personally, seeing my father and grandfather together for the first time in 21 years meant more to me than anything."

Gym Dogs hit the tube

While it's commonplace for college basketball and football coaches to have their own television shows, it's not every day that you see a gymnastics coach with her own show.

It may be a trend of the future, though, if the "Suzanne Yoculan Gym Dog Show" is a success.

The weekly 30-minute program, which debuted January 13 and features the University of Georgia's top-ranked women's gymnastics team, is airing on television stations throughout Georgia, northern Florida and southwestern Tennessee.

Georgia, the 1998 NCAA Division I champion and winner of three other national titles, is one of only four programs to win the Division I national title.

20/20 'ref rage' on tape

The September 25 segment of the ABC News show "20/20," which focused on violence against sports officials, is now available on videocassette from the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO).

To order a copy, call NASO customer service at 800/733-6100. Nonmembers will be charged $20, and NASO members will be charged $10 for shipping and handling.

Also, a transcript of the show is available from ABC News for $14.95, plus a $2.95 shipping fee. Call 800/222-6397 to order the transcript.

Can you top this?

Moravian College senior forward Jason Moran recently was named the most valuable player of the 21st Annual Greyhound Reebok Classic, giving him an unprecedented fourth MVP trophy in the tournament. Moravian also collected its fourth straight tournament title.

Mark Fleming, the sports information director at Moravian, would like to hear from anyone who knows of any basketball player, male or female, who has been named the MVP of the same tournament for four straight years. You may contact Fleming at 610/861-1472.

-- Compiled by Kay Hawes