Florida schools play their hand with wagering symposium

 Three NCAA member institutions are helping to spread the word about the dangers of gambling and sports wagering by offering a free symposium on the topic this summer.

High-school and college administrators, coaches and student-athletes are invited to the symposium June 12 from 2 to 6:15 p.m. at the Hilton Hotel in Orlando, Florida. The event comes just one day before the NCAA Regional Rules Seminar begins at the same location.

Sponsored by the University of Central Florida, Florida State University and Rollins College -- in conjunction with the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling -- the symposium will feature a panel of Divisions I and II athletics directors who, during their tenures, have experienced gambling scandals on their campuses. Law enforcement officials, NCAA representatives and addictive-behavior specialists also will offer presentations.

The symposium's keynote speaker will be a former member of the Colombo crime family, Mike Franceze, who later broke from the mob.

Robert Mathner, assistant director of athletics at Central Florida and one of the symposium's organizers, said one of the intended outcomes is to sensitize participants to the idea that sports wagering is not only criminal behavior and against NCAA rules, but also is an addiction.

"We want to provide options for potential educational programming that participants can take back to their campuses. No one ever speaks about this issue from an addictive-behavior standpoint," Mathner said. "We want to examine what you can do -- what are some possible action plans to help educate coaches, administrators, student-athletes and the community.

"We also want to emphasize that this is not just a Division I issue. I don't think the previous symposiums have attempted to engage Divisions II and III administrations. That's what we're trying to do."

For more information or to register for the symposium, contact Mathner at 407/823-4297.

Veteran lacrosse official dies at collegiate game

An April 2 men's lacrosse matchup between Georgetown University and the U.S. Naval Academy was suspended after referee Scott Boyle collapsed during the game and later died of an apparent heart attack.

Boyle collapsed while teams were meeting between the first and second quarters of the contest at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. Boyle remained down for about 10 to 15 minutes before he was taken off the field and placed in an ambulance. Boyle, 55, died shortly after arriving at nearby Anne Arundel Medical Center.

Head coaches from each team met with the game's remaining two officials after Boyle was moved off the field and decided to suspend the contest. Play resumed at Navy's Rip Miller Field April 3, with Georgetown leading by a 2-0 count at the start of the second quarter.

Boyle had been officiating collegiate lacrosse games since the 1970s. He also officiated youth games. Boyle, who is survived by his wife Rebecca and two children, had been vice-president of consulting services at CPSI, an information technology consulting firm, since 2001.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Scott Boyle's name to US Lacrosse, 113 West University Parkway, Baltimore, Maryland 21210.

Colgate coach comes to athlete's aid on court

As head men's basketball coach at Colgate University, Emmett Davis encourages his student-athletes to think and react quickly on the court.

While on a recruiting trip in Richmond, Virginia, in late March, Davis did some quick thinking of his own when he came to the aid of a player who suffered cardiac arrest during a workout.

Davis, who was watching players during a practice at a Richmond high school, saw Lorenzo Harris fall backward and hit his head. The coach instructed a student to call 911 before beginning to perform CPR when he could not find a pulse. Another student assisted by providing artificial breathing.

Davis said the procedure was still fresh in his mind because he had completed a CPR course in January as part of a program put in place by Colgate's director of athletics, Dave Roach, which requires all coaches to take a CPR class.

-- Compiled by Leilana McKindra

Number crunching

Looking back

 25 years ago

Here's what was making NCAA news in April 1980:

• Kenyon College wins its first Division III Men's Swimming and Diving Championships team title, ending Johns Hopkins University's three-year reign. Kenyon's Timothy Glasser wins three events to lead the Lords' effort.

• The University of Louisville defeats the University of California, Los Angeles, to win the Division I Men's Basketball Championship in Indianapolis. UCLA, which had built a dynasty in men's basketball in the 1960s and 1970s, actually was living a Cinderella season in 1979-80, advancing to the title game with wins over Old Dominion, DePaul, Ohio State, Clemson and Purdue. The 1980 tournament is the first to feature an expanded field of 48 teams.

• Among men's basketball coaches to be hired in Division I are Jim Valvano at North Carolina State University, Pat Kennedy at Iona College and Bill Frieder at the University of Michigan. Also, Johnny Orr takes the reins at Iowa State University, as does Billy Tubbs at the University of Oklahoma.

• Freelance writer Jack Falla is selected to compile the history of the NCAA in conjunction with the Association's 75th anniversary year.

• The NCAA Executive Committee authorizes $420,000 in rights fees to ESPN for championships not committed to other television interests.

• The Executive Committee also votes to eliminate the jump event from the National Collegiate Skiing Championships. The cross country relay is added as a replacement.