National Collegiate Athletic Association
NCAA News Archive - 2000
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The NCAA News
Donald Hunter, who was a freshman student-athlete on the Virginia Union University golf team this spring, is just a little different from his teammates. He remembers the first time bell-bottom jeans and mini skirts were popular, and he was a high-school student when the original Woodstock took place.
Hunter is more than a tad bit older than his fellow golfers. This 47-year-old father of three has returned to school -- and to the golf team at Virginia Union -- a few years later than he originally planned.
"Virginia Union offered me a golf scholarship when I was a senior at Armstrong (high school)," Hunter said. "I guess you could say it took me 30 years to take them up on it."
Hunter, who also works full-time as a tax examiner for the Commonwealth of Virginia, passed on a university education the first time.
"I was a knucklehead. I thought I knew it all. I thought I had all the answers," he said. "I was looking for a shortcut in a world where there are no shortcuts. I figured, 'Why not go to a business school for two years and then go to work and start to make some money?' "
Hunter attended a Richmond, Virginia, business school, where he earned an accounting diploma. But as his career progressed, the lack of a college degree kept him from realizing his potential.
"In theory, if you have experience and you've proven that you can handle a job, whether or not you have a (college) degree shouldn't matter," he said. "But I've learned the hard way that it does matter. I'm not ashamed to admit: Not going to (a four-year) college was a mistake -- and I've been paying for that mistake most of my life."
Hunter, who has two children in college and one in high school, doesn't worry about the age gap between him and his teammates, most of whom were born a full decade after he graduated from high school. He has noticed, however, that he's not as spry as he once was.
"When I was at my best, I was a 3-handicap player," he said. "I'm a long way away (from that) right now, I'm afraid. Mentally I still have it -- the knowledge of the game is still there -- but my body doesn't seem to want to perform like it used to. I have to exercise a lot more just to maintain a degree of flexibility."
Hunter attends class around his work schedule, and he uses vacation time to accompany the team on trips. But he has had success so far as a student-athlete. He's maintaining a lofty grade-point average in management information systems, and he recently was inducted into Virginia Union's Community of Scholars.
And, unlike his teammates, he's only three years away from being eligible to play on the Senior PGA Tour.
Campus Corner shopping
Individuals looking to purchase NCAA or NCAA Hall of Champions merchandise can now do so online.
Visitors to www.ncaa.org, the Association's Web site, can access the online merchandise store by clicking on the button marked "Campus Corner Online Store" at the top of the NCAA Online home page. There's also a link to the Campus Corner through the Hall of Champions section of the NCAA Online site, or customers can go there directly by typing in www.ncaacampuscorner.com.
Native American tribute
"A Tribute to Native Americans in College Football" was unveiled recently at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Indiana.
The exhibit recognizes prominent Native Americans in the sport, as well as the contributions of two schools -- the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania, and Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas -- that helped bring Native Americans and college football together.
For more information on the exhibit, contact Kent Stephens at 219/235-5711.
'Sports in School'
John R. Gerdy, a former associate commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, is the editor of a new book, "Sports in School: The Future of an Institution," published by Teachers College Press, that examines the faults of sports education today. Gerdy, a visiting professor in sports administration at Ohio University, also is a former professional basketball player and a former NCAA legislative assistant.
He has compiled several essays -- written by himself, journalists, coaches, athletics directors and professional athletes -- that explore and challenge the belief that school sports promote character development, physical fitness and positive educational and social values.
"By the very nature of being different, many of the ideas expressed (in the book) will be criticized by the mainstream athletics community," Gerdy said.
"Some views may be considered radical. We make no apologies for that. The purpose of this book is not to promote the status quo. Its purpose is to take an honest look at the relevance of sport as a promoter of positive educational values and outcomes."
-- Compiled by Kay Hawes