Sports sponsorship: Colonial Athletic Association Commissioner Thomas E. Yeager announced that the conference will sponsor football beginning with the 2007 season. "College football, with all of its tradition, pageantry, and rivalries, creates an interest and excitement on campus and across communities that is unmatched. We look forward to having the CAA name attached to such a distinguished group of institutions and building on the successes that those members have had in the past," Yeager said. Members of the CAA's Division I-AA football conference will be the University of Delaware; Hofstra University; James Madison University; the University of Maine, Orono; the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; the University of New Hampshire; Northeastern University; the University of Rhode Island; the University of Richmond; Towson University; Villanova University; and the College of William and Mary. All 12 teams currently are members of the Atlantic 10 Football Conference and will continue that affiliation through the 2006 season. "The addition of Northeastern as a full CAA member and the sixth football-playing institution qualified the CAA for football conference recognition by the NCAA," Yeager said. "With the commitment to begin conference competition, invitations were sent to the other six institutions and we are thrilled that the long, competitive history of this league will be preserved." Football will become the 22nd sport to be sponsored by the CAA.

Facilities: Former Michigan State University baseball all-Americans Kirk Gibson and Mark Mulder have agreed to serve as national co-chairs for Michigan State's fund-raising campaign for Old College Field. Under the theme "New Life for Old College Field," the campaign seeks to raise at least $4 million for improvements to all venues at the complex, including baseball, softball and soccer. Scheduled improvements include a new grandstand for baseball, covered hitting facilities for baseball and softball, new outfield fencing for Kobs Field, new stands for soccer, new centralized concessions and restroom facilities, lighting for the complex and an enhanced entrance way/plaza. The "New Life for Old College Field" project is part of the university-wide capital campaign, "The Campaign for MSU," with a goal to raise $1.2 billion. "There's great tradition at Old College Field, and these improvements have been on the back burner for some time," said Michigan State Athletics Director Ron Mason. "The entire university community will benefit from upgrading the facilities at Old College Field." ... Pennsylvania State University approved final plans for a new baseball park to be shared by the school's baseball team and a minor-league team. The new ballpark will be named Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. A gift by Anthony Lubrano in honor of Charles Medlar, a long-time Penn State head baseball coach, is among the funds devoted to building the facility, which is expected to be completed in June 2006. The ballpark's final plans call for concourse, suite and field-level seating. Under the terms of the operating agreement between Penn State and the minor-league team's owners, the new ballpark will be owned by the university and operated by the minor-league team, which will lease the use of the stadium and bear responsibility for all operations within the facility.

-- Compiled by Gary T. Brown