North Carolina professor honored for injury research

Frederick O. Mueller, chair of the exercise and sport science department at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, has been honored by the American College of Sports Medicine (ASCM) for his work in catastrophic-injury research.

The ASCM honored Mueller with a Citation Award, which recognizes individuals who display exceptional performance, service and achievement in sports medicine and exercise science.

Mueller, a full professor who has chaired NorthCarolina's exercise and sport science department for the past seven years, is the founder and director of the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research. Funded by the NCAA, the center is a renowned recording registry for catastrophic and severe sport injury data for men's and women's sports.

The center, which serves as a critical resource for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, other government and scientific offices as well as individual investigators, annually produces a report on deaths and severe injuries in amateur and professional sports. It has provided information leading to changes in rules, conditioning and safety equipment for various activities including football, trampoline, pole vaulting and cheerleading.

Mueller, who has been an ASCM fellow since 1975, also has been recognized by the United States Sports Academy, the U.S. Product Safety Commission, the NCAA and the National Federation of State High School Associations.

NCAA Fast Breakers receive new hoops

The NCAA recently awarded eight Huffy basketball goals and 260 NCAA Wilson basketballs to 21 teachers as part of NCAA Basketball Fast Break, a new youth initiative developed by the NCAA.

Fast Break is a collection of more than 100 Web-based lesson plans. Geared for students in grades kindergarten through eight, the plans stress good behavior in sports, the classroom and in life while also cultivating an interest in NCAA basketball. The lesson plans -- which cover the subjects of art, language, physical education, social studies, math and science -- may be downloaded free of charge for use in the the classroom.

Developed in conjunction with Human Kinetics Publishing, a company that specializes in creating educational materials, Fast Break incorporates the national standards schools follow in building curricula.

Educators who used the lesson plans were asked to evaluate their effectiveness. In exchange, the names of the first 100 to do so were entered into a drawing. Eight winners each received a Huffy goal and 13 others were awarded 20 NCAA Wilson basketballs for their schools.

More information about NCAA Basketball Fast Break may be found at www.ncaa.org/fastbreak.

Group offers coaches a refresher course

The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame has teamed up with the National Football League and the NFL Players Association to help football coaches move beyond the Xs and Os of the sport with the NFL/NFF Coaching Academy.

Now in its fourth year, the program seeks to elevate the quality of instruction at the youth and high-school levels. During the more than 45 academies scheduled throughout 2003, coaches are trained to focus on football skills as well as on the social and character-building aspects of the game. The comprehensive curriculum, which combines lectures and on-field demonstrations, includes sessions on coaching philosophy, on-field strategy, coach/player communication, program and team management, life-skills development and player health and safety.

For a registration fee of $35, attendees receive a 450-page playbook with program notes, a CD-ROM, an academy T-shirt, lunch and an official certificate of completion.

Past speakers have included college hall-of-famer John Ralston and current NFL head coaches Mike Tice, Tony Dungy and Jeff Fisher, who also are scheduled to speak at academies in 2003. For more information, contact a local chapter of the National Football Foundation or the NFF headquarters at 800/486-1865.

-- Compiled by Leilana McKindra

Number crunching

Looking back

Schools from California won 16 NCAA championships in 1982-83, and 62 institutions took home trophies from the Association's 73 championships.

Unlike during the 1981-82 season when the University of California, Los Angeles, won five titles, no school dominated the championships scene in 1982-83. UCLA was one of 11 institutions that won two championships in 1982-83.

The Bruins won crowns in men's volleyball and women's outdoor track and field. Two other Pacific-10 Conference teams also were crowned twice -- Stanford University in men's tennis and women's swimming and diving, and the University of Southern California in women's basketball and women's tennis.

Among Division I conferences, the Southwest Athletic Conference followed the Pac-10 with five total championships. The SWC total included two from Southern Methodist University in men's indoor and outdoor track and field.

Three Division II schools won two championships apiece. California State University, Northridge, won in softball and men's swimming and diving, while California Polytechnic State University won its second of 10 straight women's cross country championships and second of three straight women's outdoor track and field meets. Meanwhile, Southwest Texas State University won championships in football and men's golf in only its second year as an NCAA member.

The Division II California Collegiate Athletic Conference led leagues in all three divisions with seven total NCAA championships.

In Division III, the Independent College Athletic Conference produced three winners, though one -- Rochester Institute of Technology -- won a Division II championship (men's ice hockey). The other ICAC winners were Ithaca College (field hockey) and Hobart College (men's lacrosse).