Sports sponsorship: California State University, Fresno, has announced it will reinstate the men's soccer and women's swimming and diving programs. The Valley Soccer Foundation, in conjunction with many swimming and diving team supporters, raised the necessary funds to reinstate the teams for 2003-04. Those two sports and the men's cross country and men's indoor track and field teams were eliminated April 15 because of athletics department budget reductions. "This is a good day for Fresno State," said Athletics Director Scott Johnson. "There has been a good collaborative effort between the community and the university to make this happen. There is still some work to be done that will guarantee the future of these programs beyond this coming year. We will continue to work diligently with the community organizers, specifically the Valley Soccer Foundation, to achieve the goals of their fund-raising plan." That funding plan is under way and will continue toward a January 15 deadline. By that time, $2.7 million must be secured to guarantee the programs' annual operating budgets for a rolling four-year period at an annual combined cost of $680,000 per year.

Facilities: California Polytechnic State University will unveil a life-size statue of Cal Poly alumnus Ozzie Smith June 13 in conjunction with commencement ceremonies. Cal Poly also will dedicate Ozzie Smith Plaza, located on the Cal Poly campus. Smith, a Cal Poly alumnus, won 13 Gold Glove awards and set six Major League Baseball fielding records during his playing days with the San Diego Padres (1978-1981) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1982-1996). He was the sole inductee in 2002 to the Baseball Hall of Fame. At Cal Poly, Smith broke a number of school records, including at-bats (754), career stolen bases (110) and stolen bases in a season (44). He became a charter member of the Cal Poly Athletics Hall of Fame in 1987. The life-size bronze statue of Smith was created by noted sculptor Harry Weber, who also sculpted statues of the other St. Louis Cardinal players named to the Baseball Hall of Fame. A scholarship endowment for Cal Poly baseball is being created to honor Smith, with a limited number of statue miniatures available for donors. "The Ozzie Smith Plaza and the statue are in recognition of Ozzie's many contributions to his sport and for being an outstanding role model for young athletes and the country's youth," said Cal Poly Athletic Director John McCutcheon ... The University of Cincinnati received a $10 million contribution from Fifth Third Bank. The gift -- among the largest received by the university -- will support the Richard E. Lindner Varsity Village. University President Joseph A. Steger also announced that the university's basketball competition facility would be named Fifth Third Arena at Myrl H. Shoemaker Center ... Troy State University announced a 20-year, $5 million agreement with Movie Gallery, a leading video retailer. As part of the agreement, Troy State's newly expanded football stadium, to be completed in September 2003, will be known as the Movie Gallery Veterans Stadium. The stadium is one of only four Division I-A college football stadiums to carry the name of a corporate partner, joining Syracuse (Carrier Dome), Louisville (Papa John's Stadium) and Texas Tech (Jones SBC Stadium). Pittsburgh, San Diego State and South Florida also play in city-owned stadiums that bear a corporate investor's name. "The partnership with Movie Gallery is a significant step in the evolution of athletics at Troy State University," said Troy State Chancellor Jack Hawkins Jr. "This commitment is not only a great testimonial to the bright future of our program, it is a key building block of our future." The stadium currently is undergoing a renovation that will expand its capacity from 17,500 to about 30,000 when the season begins in September. Included in the project will be 27 luxury suites, the exclusive Trojan Stadium Club Level, a state-of-the-art press area and floors dedicated to sports medicine, academics and strength and conditioning. In addition, the stadium will also boast a new AstroPlay artificial playing surface, a large-screen video display and new lighting ... Colorado State University President Albert C. Yates has announced that the football field at Hughes Stadium will be named for head football coach Sonny Lubick as a tribute to his success. "I'm pleased, on behalf of the board of governors and myself, to announce the naming of the football field on behalf of a great coach and a true friend," Yates said at a press conference during which he also announced a $15.2 million gift to the athletics department from the Bohemian Foundation to dramatically renovate and expand Hughes Stadium. "This is monumental in many ways," said Jeff Hathaway, director of athletics at Colorado State. "It assures the growth and continue national prominence of our football program and the entire athletics department, and it also honors Sonny for his unwavering commitment and unmatched success."

Milestones: Iona College head baseball coach Al Zoccolillo earned the 500th win of his career May 3 when his Gaels beat Saint Peter's College, 8-1, in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game. Zoccolillo is the winningest coach in Iona history with 340 victories after the win over St. Peter's. He becomes the third active coach in the MAAC to reach this milestone. Zoccolillo is in his 16th season as head coach at Iona. He had previously coached at Concordia College (New York) for seven years ... Norfolk State University head baseball coach Marty Miller, who just completed his 31st year at the helm of the Spartans' baseball program, picked up his 700th career win May 8 with a 5-2 win over Delaware State University in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference baseball tournament. The Spartans won one more game in the tournament before losing to finish fourth. Miller's record after the 2003 season stands at 701-509-3.

Miscellaneous: Former President Bill Clinton delivered the commencement address at Syracuse University May 11 and paid special tribute to the school's 2003 Division I men's basketball champion Orangemen and coach Jim Boeheim. Clinton, giving special recognition to the championship team and coach, said, "As a longtime and utterly fanatic basketball fan, I watched with awe as Syracuse rolled through the NCAA tournament. I got to shake hands with coach Boeheim today, and I was thinking how remarkable it is that he came here in 1962 as a freshman when President Kennedy was in office. Co-captain of his college team with the great Dave Bing in 1966, he stuck with you for a very long time. Coach, congratulations on a job well done, and thanks to you and the team for the gifts of a lifetime for all of us basketball fans who will never forget what happened."

-- Compiled by Gary T. Brown