Miscellaneous: Florida International University has received a donation to establish a scholarship honoring the memory of a former student-athlete who was killed while serving in Iraq. Florida International Athletics Director Rick Mello announced that Paul and Arlene Felsberg, parents of former track and field student-athlete Michael Felsberg, in partnership with the university's alumni association, have donated $100,000 to Florida International's athletics department toward the Michael Felsberg Scholarship Endowment for Track and Field. "In my 25 years of being in collegiate athletics, I have never been associated with a young man who had a greater impact on an entire department than Mike," said Mello. "Everyone loved him, from the most recognized student-athlete to members of the spirit squad. Every time you had any interaction with him on any level, it was evident that his university, his teammates and his fellow student-athletes were much higher on his agenda than he himself was. We are very grateful for this gift, not only for the impact it will have on student-athletes in perpetuity, but also for what it will do to preserve the memory of one of the most special young persons ever to be associated with FIU." Michael Felsberg was killed in combat last October in Ramadi, Iraq, while serving as a Marine second lieutenant. A weapons platoon commander, he had volunteered for duty in Iraq after hearing that a replacement was needed for an officer who had been killed in combat. Felsberg joined the Marines the day after he graduated from high school. After a four-year term, he ran track and cross country at Florida International and graduated in 2003 with a criminal justice degree. Members of the track and field team wore his nickname "Fels" on the back of their uniforms this year, while the football and softball teams each had a sticker with his initials on their helmets. The scholarship is the largest individual endowment gift ever received by the school's athletics department.

-- Compiled by Gary T. Brown