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NCAA News Archive - 2007
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Tiffin absorbs own loss after Bluffton fund-raiser
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By Leilana McKindra
The NCAA News
The NCAA News
Two Tiffin University football student-athletes who took part in a fund-raising effort that accumulated more than $10,000 for a memorial to those killed in the Bluffton University baseball team bus accident were in a car accident of their own April 3. Tiffin junior B.J. Passarge died April 10 as a result of injuries sustained in the crash.
Passarge was part of Tiffin’s “Purple Day 2007,” which raised money for a memorial to the five Bluffton baseball players killed in the March 2 bus accident in Atlanta. The bus driver and his wife were also killed, and several student-athletes and coaches sustained serious injuries. The Tiffin and Bluffton campuses are fewer than 50 miles apart.
Passarge was driving an SUV with teammate Joshua Carver and graduate student Osman Gulecyuz as passengers. Carver and Gulecyuz remain hospitalized.
As part of the benefit, which was initiated by a Tiffin softball student-athlete, organizers planned to secure a dozen sponsors to underwrite the cost of printing 250 Purple Day-themed T-shirts and donate the proceeds from T-shirt sales to a Bluffton memorial. Forty-eight sponsors signed on in less than three days. Within a week, 80 universities, business organizations and individuals had become official Purple Day sponsors.
Ultimately, about 2,800 shirts were sold and are being worn as far away as Texas, North Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, New Jersey and New York. Requests from car dealerships, tanning salons, restaurants, night clubs, coffee shops, schools and college athletics departments helped distribution efforts.
Shirts also were donated to the Bluffton baseball team.
The site ncaastudent.org was launched March 14. Built around a three-ring-binder motif and targeting the general public, parents and potential student-athletes, the site emphasizes the balance between athletics and academics required of every NCAA student-athlete. The ncaastudent.org microsite is a new component of the Association’s annual brand campaign.
“Since the TV spots are geared toward a more targeted audience (future student-athletes and their parents), we wanted to create an additional resource to provide information specific to their needs,” said Jo Jo Rinebold, NCAA managing director of brand strategies and events.
The microsite was developed by Young and Rubicam, San Francisco. For more information about Adobe’s site of the day, go to www.adobe.com/showcase.
The Dr. M. Dianne Murphy Female Student-Athlete Leaders for Life Program was established in November 2006 to provide mentoring and networking opportunities for female student-athletes at Tennessee Tech. The outreach also will feature keynote addresses by women in the sports industry and in leadership positions.
The endowment for the Leaders for Life program was made possible by a gift of life insurance and will be subsidized by Murphy, Tennessee Tech and the university’s athletics department until it is fully funded.
“This program targets the common challenges facing women today — especially women of color. I believe it is vital that young women are given every opportunity to succeed in their chosen fields,” said Murphy. “I have always felt that giving back is important. Tennessee Tech provided me with tremendous opportunities, and I am proud to give back to my alma mater.”
Passarge was part of Tiffin’s “Purple Day 2007,” which raised money for a memorial to the five Bluffton baseball players killed in the March 2 bus accident in Atlanta. The bus driver and his wife were also killed, and several student-athletes and coaches sustained serious injuries. The Tiffin and Bluffton campuses are fewer than 50 miles apart.
Passarge was driving an SUV with teammate Joshua Carver and graduate student Osman Gulecyuz as passengers. Carver and Gulecyuz remain hospitalized.
As part of the benefit, which was initiated by a Tiffin softball student-athlete, organizers planned to secure a dozen sponsors to underwrite the cost of printing 250 Purple Day-themed T-shirts and donate the proceeds from T-shirt sales to a Bluffton memorial. Forty-eight sponsors signed on in less than three days. Within a week, 80 universities, business organizations and individuals had become official Purple Day sponsors.
Ultimately, about 2,800 shirts were sold and are being worn as far away as Texas, North Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, New Jersey and New York. Requests from car dealerships, tanning salons, restaurants, night clubs, coffee shops, schools and college athletics departments helped distribution efforts.
Shirts also were donated to the Bluffton baseball team.
NCAA Internet site earns Adobe accolade
The NCAA microsite ncaastudent.org was recognized by technology and software giant Adobe and showcased as the company’s “Site of the Day” earlier this month. According to Adobe, the honor is “awarded to recognize Web sites based on their use of strong visual designs, superior function and innovative use of Adobe products.” The NCAA microsite was Adobe’s daily pick April 5.The site ncaastudent.org was launched March 14. Built around a three-ring-binder motif and targeting the general public, parents and potential student-athletes, the site emphasizes the balance between athletics and academics required of every NCAA student-athlete. The ncaastudent.org microsite is a new component of the Association’s annual brand campaign.
“Since the TV spots are geared toward a more targeted audience (future student-athletes and their parents), we wanted to create an additional resource to provide information specific to their needs,” said Jo Jo Rinebold, NCAA managing director of brand strategies and events.
The microsite was developed by Young and Rubicam, San Francisco. For more information about Adobe’s site of the day, go to www.adobe.com/showcase.
Columbia director spreads leadership
M. Dianne Murphy, director of athletics at Columbia University, established a leadership program for female student-athletes at her alma mater Tennessee Technological University and served as the program’s inaugural keynote speaker earlier this month.The Dr. M. Dianne Murphy Female Student-Athlete Leaders for Life Program was established in November 2006 to provide mentoring and networking opportunities for female student-athletes at Tennessee Tech. The outreach also will feature keynote addresses by women in the sports industry and in leadership positions.
The endowment for the Leaders for Life program was made possible by a gift of life insurance and will be subsidized by Murphy, Tennessee Tech and the university’s athletics department until it is fully funded.
“This program targets the common challenges facing women today — especially women of color. I believe it is vital that young women are given every opportunity to succeed in their chosen fields,” said Murphy. “I have always felt that giving back is important. Tennessee Tech provided me with tremendous opportunities, and I am proud to give back to my alma mater.”
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