Ron Galimore, men's senior program director
USA Gymnastics
New York Times

"We're working with other sports because this is not just a men's gymnastics problem. When they drop a sport like baseball at Iowa State, you have to pay attention. ...

"The advocates of Title IX say it's just a choice how athletics directors spent the money. I don't think the intention of Title IX was to eliminate sports for some and provide sports for others, but there has been a knee-jerk reaction.

"I think men's college gymnastics will continue, but in its present form? I don't know. We pride ourselves as being able to function in a noncentralized system, as opposed to other nations. Whether the NCAA sees it as its duty to provide the opportunity to youngsters, I don't know that either, but it should take a leadership role."

Friday night football

R.C. Slocum, head football coach
Texas A&M University, College Station
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"We're taking the position in the Big 12 where we're not going to (play games on Fridays). But you never say never. We try to get recruits to come to our games on Saturday afternoons. Now they have games on Saturdays. As times change, maybe things change."

Mack Brown, head football coach
University of Texas at Austin
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"High-school programs need to be able to make money. I'm afraid we'll kill the game if we distract from high-school football. If we take people out of their seats, we take money out of their budgets. I hope it's a one-year deal. I like the setup we have now. That's the food chain."

Diversity hiring

Daniel Guerrero, director of athletics
University of California, Irvine
Chronicle of Higher Education

"(The lack of Hispanic athletics administrators) is disappointing. If you were to look back 10 years ago and see where African-American athletics administrators were in the process of being hired, Hispanics are at that point today.

"(Ethnic minority candidates) are out there -- they're getting ready, they're paying their dues, they're doing the kinds of things they need to do to get these kinds of jobs in the future."

Football issues

Grant Teaff, executive director
American Football Coaches Association
USA Today

Discussing a proposal that would preserve college eligibility for juniors who enter the NFL draft and then withdraw or go undrafted:

"I don't think it fits for football. It would need to be instigated by Division I-A coaches in total. (And) basically, it's something that has not found much support. Unless there's something to know that I don't know right now, I'd fight it tooth and toenail."

Will Witherspoon, football student-athlete
University of Georgia
Orlando Sentinel

Discussing preseason workouts:

"Every time I work out, I think about how the guys at Florida and Tennessee are working just as hard. Then I do four or five extra 40s or four or five extra stadium climbs. I just push further and further. I think, 'I've been here before and I know I can push further.' "

Dennis Franchione, head football coach
University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
Orlando Sentinel

"I firmly believe a football team is made from January to August. There are no free lunches. If this guy bench-presses 400 and this guy bench-presses 300, sooner or later, this guy is going out-punch the other guy."

Spending trends in athletics

Dick Day, Minnesota state Senate minority leader
USA Today

"Colleges across the United States, financially, are really getting crunched ... and I think there might be a winding down of some of these huge salaries. When it gets to the point where you don't have the bricks and the mortar and you're laying off professors and tuition is going up 12-14 percent, it's going to be tough to bring in a really high-paid coach unless there's some (feeling) he could really sell a lot more tickets."