TOP POST

Oregon might adopt a college equivalent of the Rooney Rule

A bill set to be introduced in the Oregon Legislature would require state universities to interview at least one minority candidate before hiring a head football coach. The bill is similar to the NFL's Rooney Rule, which requires all NFL teams to interview minority candidates for a head coaching opportunity.

IN THE ZONE

Wake Forest QB leaves team to pursue academics
Wake Forest backup quarterback Brett Hodges has decided to leave the football team to concentrate on academics.

"It definitely wasn't easy," Hodges told ESPN.com's Heather Dinich. "I talked with my parents fairly often, back and forth, as to what's the best decision to do. ... I just thought it was better for me to concentrate more on my schoolwork and get those grades needed to accomplish the goals that I wanted to have. The goals were to get into a grad school, to get a good internship and start my future in this economy that's going to be very tough to get a job in."

Bowl game costly for Rutgers
The New Jersey Star Ledger reports, " Rutgers University collected $1.2 million for its trip to the PapaJohns.com Bowl last December. But by the time expenses were paid and the coaching staff given its performance bonuses, the school lost more than $184,000..."

Wooden family asks fans to stop sending items for autograph
The family of UCLA coaching legend John Wooden has requested fans stop sending items for the 98 year old to sign. "The amount of mail Dad receives on a daily basis is just overwhelming, and that doesn't include the items sent to the basketball office at UCLA," Wooden's daughter Nan Muehlhausen said in a statement. "Dad would try to sign every item if he could, but the number of items he is receiving has increased greatly in the last few months.