Student-athletes will benefit directly from a gift to the NCAA Foundation made by Frank M. Hancock, the owner of Indianapolis-based Sport Graphics Printing.

Hancock and his wife, Linda, have made a $100,000 commitment to the NCAA's Degree-Completion Program, funding the Frank and Linda Hancock Degree-Completion Scholarships.

The NCAA established the Degree-Completion Program to assist student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility for institutional financial aid. Applicants must have completed eligibility for athletics-related aid at a Division I member institution before applying and must be within 30 semester hours of their degree requirements.

Full-time students receive grants equal to a full athletics grant at the institution. Part-time students receive tuition and an allowance for books.

The Hancocks are the first to make a named scholarship award available for this program.

The Freedom Forum, in cooperation with the NCAA Foundation, has awarded eight $3,000 scholarships for 2001-02 to undergraduate students at NCAA member institutions who are majoring in journalism or sports journalism.

The program is specifically designed to foster freedoms of speech and press while promoting quality sports journalism education at the collegiate level. The eight one-year, nonrenewable scholarships are awarded to juniors who will be full-time seniors in the 2001-02 academic year.

The Freedom Forum is a nonpartisan, international foundation dedicated to free press and free speech.

This year's recipients and their undergraduate institutions are: Andrew Tripaldi, Northeastern University; Lauryn Taubman, Syracuse University; Douglas Pacey, University of Kansas; Daniel Bubany, Arizona State University; Anthony Gacek, Ohio University; Keonte Coleman, Jackson State University; Christina Teller, University of California, Los Angeles; and Seth Lewis, Brigham Young University.

"We are pleased with the continued support of The Freedom Forum, which has provided 71 scholarship awards for academically superior students since the inception of the program," said Marion Peavey, executive director of the NCAA Foundation. "These scholarships are in recognition of high academic achievement while also enabling these students to receive well-deserved financial assistance toward their educational and career goals."

Illinois College men's basketball games have a father-son atmosphere this season. Four of the team's current varsity players are sons of men who played varsity basketball for Illinois College back when disco was King and "All in the Family" was a television show.

Twin junior guards Matt and Drew Petefish followed their dad, Illinois College hall-of-famer Don Petefish, and uncle, Ron Petefish -- also twins --who played for the Blueboys from 1972-1975.

Senior forward Matt Espenschied is often described as a mirror image of his dad, David Espenschied, a power forward who completed his career at Illinois College in 1975 as one of the most accurate field-goal shooters (.557) in school history.

Senior forward Matt Vortman has followed in the footsteps of his dad, 1973 Illinois College graduate Glenn Vortman, a forward who hit 84.5 percent of his free throws and still occupies second place among all-time Illinois College free-throw shooters.

The three dads are in the stands for all of the Blueboys' home contests, and they love watching their sons play on the same Memorial Gymnasium court where they all competed a generation ago.

"It's the best thing ever," said Don Petefish.

And it looks like the father-son connection will continue at Illinois College. Freshman Matt Norville Jr. is waiting in the wings for his chance next year when he will follow his dad, Matt Norville Sr., who played on the varsity in the late 1970s.

--Compiled by Kay Hawes

February 1997 -- The NCAA Football and Men's and Women's Soccer Rules Committees make changes during their annual meetings that affect overtimes in both sports. The football committee, concerned about the length of overtime games, requires teams to go for two-point conversions after the second extra period. The soccer rules committee, also concerned about extended length of play during regular-season games, votes to require sudden death for regular-season games that end in a tie after regulation play. (The NCAA News, February 24, 1997)

February 1994 -- Two Division I-A conferences that are participants in the College Football Association television plan -- the Southeastern and Atlantic Coast Conferences -- announce agreements for separate television contracts beginning in 1996. The SEC's deal is with CBS for both football and basketball, and the ACC's is with ABC and ESPN for both sports. Three other leagues -- the Big East, Southwest and Big Eight Conferences, also indicate they have been negotiating with networks for television-rights agreements. (The NCAA News, February 16, 1994).

"It seems like an impossibility to contain costs. Therefore, we have to look for more income. If you go back through history, there's always been a bonanza. Something happens. We started foundations to raise money for scholarships. Then, we added student fees for nonrevenue sports. Television for football increased, then television for basketball jumped fantastically. Money from NCAA championships increased. Each time, it seemed there was something for us. Now, I don't see anything except the football playoff system so we can make the next jump. In essence, that's what it's all about."

-- Georgia Institute of Technology Athletics Director Homer Rice at the 1988 NCAA Convention, discussing the need for a Division I-A football playoff. Georgia Tech was one of a handful of schools and conferences that cast ballots in favor of a national-championship game. The measure was defeated, however, by a 98-13 vote. (The NCAA News, February 3, 1988).