Here’s the news for December 1, 2008 from the Double-A Zone, the official blog of the NCAA:

TOP POST

Resignation renews concerns over minorities in coaching - Dec 01, 2008 | 11:39:11

With Sylvester Croom resigning on Saturday, there are now only three black coaches at the 119 major college football programs -- Miami's Randy Shannon, Buffalo's Turner Gill and Houston's Kevin Sumlin. It is the lowest number of black head coaches since 1993 and marks a sad regression in the opportunities extended to minorities in high-level, high-profile athletics jobs. Croom was the first black head coach in the SEC.

Last month, Double-A Zone readers debated the reasons for the lack of monitories and women in the world of intercollegiate athletics.

What do you think should be done to increase opportunities for minorities and females in coaching and athletics administration?

Read Post and Comment

Inadvertent whistle costs school division title - Dec 01, 2008 | 15:37:12

Vacaville Christian High School thought it had won its second straight Sac-Joaquin Division VII title Friday night, after 50-yard kickoff return with no time remaining. The game-winning touchdown was waved off after officials ruled an inadvertent whistle stopped the play just before the return. The school is appealing the loss.

South Carolina State loses to Appalachian State - Dec 01, 2008 | 15:01:49

Appalachian State University QB Armanti Edwards threw for a school-record 433 yards to lead No. 2-seeded Appalachian State to a 37-21 victory over South Carolina State in the opening round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship on Saturday.

Tests available for genetic sports gene - Dec 01, 2008 | 14:11:46

Think your child is an athlete? Atlas Sports Genetics is offering a $149 test that aims to predict his or her natural athletic strengths. The test's goal is to "determine whether a person would be best at speed and power sports like sprinting or football, or endurance sports like distance running, or a combination of the two." The company is focused on testing children from infancy to about 8 years old.

In a recent Mondays with Myles, Dr. Brand discussed gene manipulation and performance-enhancing substances with NCAA Vice President Wally Renfro.

They're just dying to get in - Dec 01, 2008 | 13:31:34

Bulldog Haven is a newly-created burial site near Georgia's football stadium that is devoted exclusively to Bulldog lettermen and their families. More than 100 spots at the site have been sold at $1,500 apiece.

The plan is to build a wall that looks like stadium steps, a small-scale version of a football field and a small chapel bell that would be rung to memorialize lettermen. The plot will also have the trademark hedges that line the field of the real stadium across the street.

Do you know of other schools that have similar sites?

N.C. State football team tests new helmets - Dec 01, 2008 | 11:15:26

Eight North Carolina State football players are testing helmets provided by a new company called Xenith. The helmets use disc-shaped, plastic shock absorbers placed inside the helmet's shell rather than foam padding, which is standard for most helmets. On impact, the shock absorbers release air like tiny squeeze bottles to reduce the head's acceleration. The company's founder, Vin Ferrara, is a former Harvard quarterback with a medical degree and MBA from Columbia University.

Texas Tech coach offers unique idea to break BCS tie - Dec 01, 2008 | 10:36:43

Texas Tech Head Coach Mike Leach has an idea to settle the BCS mess: Use the football programs' respective graduation rates. Last month an NCAA report showed Texas Tech with a 79 percent graduation rate, well ahead of Texas (50 percent) and Oklahoma (46 percent).

"I think they should break that three-way tie based on graduation rate. I think the Big 12 conference should have an executive session [immediately]," Leach said. "When they do that, they will find that no one's more deserving than the Red Raiders."

Read Other News From the Zone