National Collegiate Athletic Association
NCAA News Archive - 2000
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Opinions
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Tim Weiser, director of athletics
Colorado State University
Denver Post
Discussing coaches' participation in team prayer:
"We have an obligation to maintain that separation. If there is a desire for a coach to participate in religious activity, it (should) be done on a personal, private (basis), as opposed to one that would be part of the role that (coaches) have at the university."
Fisher DeBerry, head football coach
U.S. Air Force Academy
Denver Post
"If we were forcing this on people, that would be one thing. But we do this with a purpose. If a player has a family member who is suffering, we pray for them. We pray for the Lord to watch over us when we play football, since it is a contact sport. I've heard players pray for the Lord to watch over the other team. It would be a real shame if someone tried to eliminate that."
Pay-for-play
Dick Bestwick, senior associate athletics director
University of Georgia
Atlanta Journal and Constitution
"Some of the coaches who make the most money say we ought to pay the kids, which is a ridiculous thing, because they know we can't. Well, they're making $600,000, $1 million, whatever. Isn't $300,000 a reasonable salary for a coach? We'll take that extra and give that to the kids. None of them are going to do that. Spare me all that nonsense."
Diversity
Tom Kelly, associate athletics director
University of Notre Dame
South Bend Tribune
"My feeling is that you still are going to have to hire the best possible person available. If I'm going to have someone do heart surgery on me, I want the best doctor. I'm not interested in if that person is white or black, female or male, Catholic or Protestant. How are you going to get the best? You have to look at a broader range of people."
Germaine Holden, former student-athlete
University of Notre Dame
South Bend Tribune
"(When I played football at Notre Dame), people (non-minorities) would sing your praises and pat you on the back when you put on a uniform. You were one of them on Saturday. But when you were walking around in plain clothes, that attitude changed. It was like 'You're not one of us anymore.'