College Sports Business News
The Publication for College Sports Administrators

By   Mon, Jun 14, 2010

By   Fri, Jun 11, 2010

Nebraska was believed to have been extended an invitation from the Big Ten on the strength of two fronts: One, it's been a member of the Association of American Universities, a non-profit, invitation-only collection of public and private research universities, since 1909. The Big Ten is the only major collegiate conference in the country to feature all of its membership in the AAU. To read more, click here.

By   Sat, Jun 05, 2010

"Institutions shall have a concussion management plan on file such that a student-athlete who exhibits signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a concussion shall be removed from practice or competition and evaluated by an athletics healthcare provider with experience in the evaluation and management of concussion. Student-athletes diagnosed with a concussion shall not return to activity for the remainder of that day. Medical clearance shall be determined by the team physician or their designee according to the concussion management plan. In addition, student-athletes must sign a statement in which they accept the responsibility for reporting their injuries and illnesses to the institutional medical staff, including signs and symptoms of concussions. During the review and signing process student athletes should be presented with educational material on concussions." To read more, click here.

By   Tue, Jun 29, 2010

It was established in 2004 by the NCAA Executive Committee, a group of college presidents that oversees association-wide matters, for several potential purposes including an emergency fund to supplement insurance in case of a catastrophic, temporary loss of Division I men's basketball tournament rights fees — the association's primary funding source. To read more, click here.

By   Mon, Jun 28, 2010

Arkansas' gymnastics program has competed for only eight seasons, but in that time the Razorbacks have earned seven straight NCAA regional bids and advanced to the NCAA Championship four times, including three straight years and four times in the last five seasons. To read more, click here.

By   Mon, Jun 28, 2010

Depending on how the current wave of conference unrest breaks, Cal Poly could be staying put in the Big West Conference while the football program continues its Football Championship Subdivision scheduling struggles. To read more, click here.

By   Mon, Jun 28, 2010

While Athletic Director Jeremy Foley did not respond to a request for comment, UF athletic association spokesman Steve McClain said in a written statement that the program is in no position to advocate for or against the proposal but supports diversity. To read more, click here.

By   Sat, Jun 26, 2010

USC will not fight the bowl ban for the 2010 season but is asking that the ban be reduced to one year and that the loss of scholarships be reduced to five per year over three years. To read more, click here.

By   Fri, Jun 25, 2010

During the 2009-10 regular season, the conference welcomed 2,360,966 fans through the turnstiles over 189 games, marking the 18th straight year the Big Ten has eclipsed the two-million mark in total attendance.

Seven conference schools ranked in the top 25 in average attendance, the most of any conference in the nation, while no other conference had more than four in the top 25. Ranking sixth nationally was Wisconsin, averaging 17,230 fans per game. A trio of Big Ten teams ranked 11th through 13th in Indiana (15,296), Illinois (14,870) and Michigan State (14,759), respectively. Ohio State finished 16th (14,181), Purdue was 20th (13,681) and Minnesota came in 23rd (13,453). To read more, click here.

By   Thu, Jun 24, 2010

"There was a time when A&M thought they were going to the SEC and they very much wanted us to go with them," Boren said. "Oklahoma, in the whole thing, we were positioned in a way where virtually we could not have lost." To read more, click here.

By   Wed, Jun 23, 2010

Stanford has won more NCAA team titles — 81 — than any other collegiate institution since 1980. Stanford needs one more NCAA team title to reach 100 in its history. The school has produced 412 individual NCAA champions, the most of any school. Stanford's athletic strength is its balance. Despite its high-academic admission requirements, it is competitive in most every sport, year in and year out. To read more, click here.

By   Wed, Jun 23, 2010

"The 10-school model is one that is extremely attractive and provides the opportunity for continued long-term success," Beebe said in a prepared statement. "As I have stated previously, there is no interest in expansion and it was not a consideration at the gathering." To read more, click here.

By   Wed, Jun 23, 2010

"When the WAC evaluated North Texas, it was on the basis of what it had in place," WAC commissioner Karl Benson said. "As they have added facilities and added to their assets, one would think they are a stronger program than they were in 2004. We have not done any real assessment and evaluation, but I am aware of their stadium project. They are making improvements." To read more, click here.

By   Tue, Jun 22, 2010

With funding from private donations, UM is hiring a consulting firm to asses the internal strengths and weaknesses of Grizzly athletics as compared with peer institutions.  "Everything right now in the NCAA is so volatile, and we've been talking about doing something like this for over a year. We thought it was a good time to see how we stack up with peer institutions," said Jim O'Day, UM director of athletics.  To read more, click here.

By   Mon, Jun 21, 2010

"UH is the third largest university in Texas, and is on track to rank among the top research universities in this state," the letter says. "Despite UH's local and statewide prominence, the university does not belong to a strong BCS conference such as the Big 12. The Cougars, the city of Houston, and the state of Texas deserve better." To read more, click here.

By   Mon, Jun 21, 2010

The probationary period will last until 2012, and neither restricts the Dons' participation in postseason play nor reduces the number of scholarships available. To read more, click here.

By   Sun, Jun 20, 2010

"The five schools approached the Big 12 Conference Office, offering to assist in assuring the retention of all 10 members of our league.   We indicated that IF NECESSARY we would be willing to contribute a portion of our revenue distribution to ensure that the financial contributions from the Big 12 to those three schools would equal the minimum revenue threshold they would be able to reach in another league." To read more, click here.

By   Fri, Jun 18, 2010

Big East commissioner John Marinatto's thoughts were no different than most following the shake-up in college athletics the past few days.  And why would they be?   To read more, click here.

By   Thu, Jun 17, 2010

According to the Knight Commission website, the report aims to set forth reforms that are achievable and that, if implemented, will create a foundation upon which future reforms can build. The Commission’s blueprint for restoring educational values and priorities begins with strengthening accountability for athletics programs in three ways:

1. Requiring greater transparency and the reporting of better measures to compare athletics spending to academic spending
2. Rewarding practices that make academic values a priority
3. Treating college athletes as students first and foremost — not as professionals

To read more, click here.

By   Thu, Jun 17, 2010

"Pressure to compete may rise with resulting higher salaries and more churning of ADs and coaches," he wrote. "Clear identification of the highest level of intercollegiate athletics reduced to a smaller grouping of schools (e.g., four 16-member conferences) could cause eventual tax consequences and tremendous pressure to pay those student-athletes responsible in programs driving the most revenue and pressure, and whose coaches and administrators are receiving more and more financial rewards. To read more, click here.

By   Thu, Jun 17, 2010

Farrell also agrees that someone, the Big Ten or SEC or both, will make a run at Big East and ACC schools to secure key markets. Rutgers (New York), Connecticut (New England), Pitt and perhaps Syracuse are on he Big Ten radar. The ACC's Maryland (Baltimore/D.C.), Boston College (Big Ten), Miami and Florida State (SEC) are fits. To read more, click here.

By   Tue, Jun 15, 2010

Fourteen years after UH was sent into a long downward spiral with the collapse of the Southwest Conference, the Coogs finally may be about to get what they've dreamed of for so long. To read more, click here.

By   Fri, Jun 11, 2010

Conference realignment and its impacts has caused Grassley to revisit a question he's raised before: What does the current power structure in major-college athletics have to do with education? "These athletic conferences are all non-profit, charitable institutions that supposedly have been established to provide an educational benefit," Grassley said. "I would like to know what the educational benefit is for these organizations to be doing this sort of thing."  To read more, click here.

By   Thu, Jun 10, 2010

The NCAA, the governing body for collegiate sports, informed USC of its decision after a four-year investigation regarding allegations centered on former football player Reggie Bush and former basketball player O.J. Mayo.

As stated in the NCAA's report:

In determining the penalties, the committee considered the university's self-imposed penalties, corrective actions and cooperation. The committee seriously contemplated imposing a television-ban penalty in this case. However, after careful consideration, it ultimately decided that the penalties below adequately respond to the nature of violations and the level of institutional responsibility. The penalties, some of which were self-imposed by the university and adopted by the committee, are:

• Public reprimand and censure.
• Four years of probation from June 10, 2010, through June 9, 2014. The public report further details the conditions of this probation.
• Postseason ban for the 2009-10 men's basketball season (self-imposed by the university).
• Postseason ban for the 2010 and 2011 football seasons.
• One-year show-cause penalty for the assistant football coach (June 10, 2010, to June 9, 2011). The public report further details the conditions of this penalty.
• Vacation of all wins in which the former football student-athlete competed while ineligible, beginning in December 2004. This vacation includes participation in any postseason competition, including football bowl games.
• Vacation of all wins in which the former men's basketball student-athlete competed during the 2007-08 regular season (self-imposed by the university). The committee also stated this vacation must include participation in any postseason competition, conference tournaments and NCAA championships.
• Vacation of all wins in which the former women's tennis student-athlete competed while ineligible between November 2006 and May 2009 (self-imposed by the university). The committee also stated this vacation must include participation in any postseason competition, conference tournaments and NCAA championships.
• Reduction of football athletics scholarships to 15 initial grants and 75 total grants for each of the 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 academic years. This represents a decrease of 10 scholarships for each of the three seasons.
• Reduction of men's basketball athletics scholarships from 13 to 12 for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 academic years (self-imposed by the university).
• Reduction of the total number of recruiting days in men's basketball by 20 days (from 130 to 110) for the 2010-11 academic year (self-imposed by the university).
• A $5,000 financial penalty (self-imposed by the university).
• Remittance of the $206,200 the university received for its participation in the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship (self-imposed by the university). In addition, the committee noted the university must also forfeit all future distributions scheduled for this appearance.
• Disassociation of the former football student-athlete, the former men's basketball student-athlete and the representative who provided extra benefits to the former men's basketball student-athlete. This disassociation includes the refusal of any financial or recruiting assistance, as well as other conditions, which the public report further details.
• Release of three men's basketball prospective student-athletes from their letters of intent (self-imposed by the university).
• Prohibition of all non-university personnel, including boosters, from traveling on football and men's basketball charters; attending football and men's basketball team practices; attending or participating in any way with university football and men's basketball camps, including donation of funds; and having access to the sidelines and locker rooms for football and men's basketball games. The public report further details appropriate exceptions for these limitations.

To read more, click here.

By   Mon, Jun 07, 2010

Every year, small colleges add more roster space on more athletic teams to attract more students and more tuition money to their campuses.  To read more, click here.

By   Mon, May 24, 2010

USA TODAY surveys of football coaching compensation have shown the average pay for a head coach in the NCAA's 120-school Football Bowl Subdivision has risen 46% over the last three years, to $1.4 million in 2009.  To read more, click here.

By   Wed, Jun 30, 2010

The four boxes will add to the 26 now there and allow the Athletic Association to address a lengthy waiting list for development suites. Revenue generated by the suites will be used to pay for constructing the tower. To read more, click here.

By   Mon, Jun 28, 2010

The Florida Gators continue to exemplify big-money college athletics with a budget of around $96.5 million for the 2010-11 school year, the University Athletic Association approved last week.

The budget for the UAA, which operates all Florida athletics as a separate entity from the university, increases 6.3 percent, or $5.7 million. To read more, click here.

By   Sat, Jun 26, 2010

In addition to its digital ticketing success, UVA has implemented online ticket sales best practices to enhance their fans' buying experience. Cavalier fans can now purchase highly desired parking passes concurrent with their game ticket purchase. To read more, click here.

By   Fri, Jun 25, 2010

By   Wed, Jun 23, 2010

"Colorado and Utah don't add that much," said A.J. Maestas, president of Chicago-based Navigate Marketing, which helps schools assess their market value. "At the end of the day, it's about households, ratings, the total market that you reach. Although they're great markets, because there are some real strong markets in the Pac-10 like Los Angeles, you really don't add to the total average market. To read more, click here.

By   Tue, Jun 22, 2010

By   Tue, Jun 22, 2010

Good thing Reggie Bush is a fast runner, because the IRS might be chasing him for back taxes, penalties and interest on the estimated $300,000 worth of luxury gifts he allegedly received while playing football at Southern California, FOXNews.com reported Monday.  To read more, click here.

By   Mon, Jun 21, 2010

“We are thrilled to have had such a wonderful year financially as well as on the fields and courts of competition,” Pastilong said. “It’s a great way to close what has been a great run for us.“We’ve also set a record in the Mountaineer Athletic Club with a total of $18 million this year.” For fiscal 2008-09, the athletic department finished with $58 million in revenue and $56 million in expenditures. To read more, click here.

By   Mon, Jun 21, 2010

"Could it be that high-def broadcasts equal a slow death to season-ticket sales? I hope some SEC bean counter did the math on all this before the league signed off on the TV deal. It's hard to argue with the exposure and millions of up-front revenue from television, but this could take a big bite out of ticket sales and donor contributions."  To read more, click here.

By   Thu, Jun 17, 2010

The small firm, whose main product is an interactive football playbook called Hudl, more than doubled its stable of Division I football clients over the past month.  To read more, click here.

By   Tue, Jun 29, 2010

Scott Edgar has denied committing rules violations since the NCAA began its investigation of the former Southeast Missouri State men's basketball coach and his program in October 2008.  The NCAA ruled Friday that it did not believe him as an appeals committee upheld the original sanctions levied against Edgar.  To read more, click here.

By   Tue, Jun 29, 2010

Despite the obvious dangers, there's been little debate about whether baseball teams should put up protective netting to shield fans sitting close to the field along the first-base and third-base foul lines.  To read more, click here.

By   Thu, Jun 24, 2010

A federal judge is being asked in part to decide whether cheerleading can be counted as a sport by schools looking for ways to meet gender-equity requirements. To read more, click here.

By   Thu, Jun 24, 2010

“The membership has made it  clear that there continues to be a proliferation of these noncoaching staff members,” Long said. “Our survey also was clear, with more than 80 percent indicating that growth should be limited. The cabinet felt like we were justified in putting something before the membership.” To read more, click here.

By   Mon, Jun 21, 2010

The women volleyball players say a men's team would never lose funding in favor of cheerleading and the players are the subjects of sex discrimination. To read more, click here.

By   Tue, Jun 29, 2010

"I think eventually we'll have to sit down and talk about it," Benson said. "Until we know what the future of the WAC membership will look like, it's way too premature." To read more, click here.

By   Sun, Jun 27, 2010

Last week, after the Big 12 was saved, University of Missouri system President Gary Forsee publicly asked, “Why shouldn’t there be a Mizzou network?” Since then, MU officials have met to discuss new ways to deliver athletic programming to fans. To read more, click here.

By   Thu, Jun 24, 2010

Andrews built her celebrity at ESPN and expanded upon it as a finalist on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" this year. She said she hopes to stay involved in sports but also cross over more into other areas. To read more, click here.

By   Mon, Jun 21, 2010

In most cases, CBS buys the online rights from the school's rights holder, such as ISP Sports or Learfield Sports, and shares the advertising revenue with the rights holder or the school. To read more, click here.

By   Wed, Jun 16, 2010

Longhorns football coach Mack Brown said he likes the 10-school alignment and appreciates the work UT officials did in helping make it happen.  To read more, click here.

By   Wed, Jun 30, 2010

According to University officials, the facility signifies the University's commitment to putting a stronghold on its place as a top tier university in the state of Louisiana.

The new facility will benefit all of Louisiana Tech's student-athletes as it will include a new state-of-the-art sports medicine facility, a new strength and conditioning complex and a new academic center. To read more, click here.

By   Tue, Jun 29, 2010

The east side building can generate $1.923 million in annual revenue if all the suites and club seats are sold, according to senior associate athletic director Steve Uryasz, who heads the Red Raider Club. To read more, click here.

By   Wed, Jun 23, 2010

The 92,000 square-foot facility will also be available for soccer, baseball, softball and track to practice in bad weather. To read more, click here.

By   Mon, Jun 21, 2010

In order to compete, colleges and universities submitted environmentally-friendly campus improvement project proposals explaining how they would spend the $50,000 major grant, or one of the ten $10,000 minor grants. ECSU called on students, staff, faculty, alumni and community supporters to vote online this past spring. ECSU's goal was to win the $50,000 grant to create a baseball field using land previously donated for ECSU athletics. In its proposal, university officials explained that the current baseball facilities are less than desirable for a collegiate level team. To read more, click here.

By   Sun, Jun 20, 2010

The tradition started in 1950, when after spending its first three years in Kalamazoo, Mich., and Wichita, the College World Series landed in Omaha’s two-year-old, 10,000-seat stadium. It would be named for Johnny Rosenblatt, the city’s mayor, in 1964. To read more, click here.

By   Tue, Jun 29, 2010

Gary Smith, chairman of the commission, said Wednesday that the deal was "very favorable to the stadium and is totally consistent with the value that was placed on the sponsorship by sports marketing professionals." To read more, click here.

By   Thu, Jun 24, 2010

“We did not stray far from what we had,” Coker athletic director Lynn Griffin said. “We gave the Cobra a fresh, new look. We stayed true to our traditional blue and yellow color scheme while giving the Cobra a much fiercer and intense look.” To read more, click here.

By   Mon, Jun 21, 2010

Citi, which has sponsored the nation's oldest bowl game for the past seven years, made the decision largely based on flexibility and price, sources said, according to the report.

According to the report, Citi balked at the season-long college football sponsorship that is being asked of all BCS sponsors, saying that was more ad inventory than it wanted. To read more, click here.

By   Thu, Jul 01, 2010

Rueck comes to Oregon State after spending the past 14 seasons serving as the head women’s basketball coach at George Fox, compiling a career 288-88 (.766) record. Under his watch, the Bruins recorded winning seasons each year, winning the Division III National Championship in 2009. Rueck has led his squads to five “Sweet 16” appearances, three “Elite 8” contests, six NCAA Division III Tournament appearances and seven Northwest Conference Championships. To read more, click here.

By   Wed, Jun 30, 2010

In Thompson's four years at UTSA, the Roadrunners have enjoyed back-to-back 19-win campaigns in 2008-10 that marked the program's best two-year span since 1990-92. UTSA also advanced to the 2009 Southland Conference Tournament Championship Game, the program's first appearance since 2004. To read more, click here.

By   Wed, Jun 30, 2010

Smith, who is beginning his fifth year at the college, will continue to serve as head men's basketball coach. Smith became head men's basketball coach at TVCC in 2006 following the retirement of AD/head coach Leon Spencer after 42 years. In four seasons, Smith has guided the Cardinals to a 76-51 record and four regional tournament appearances. The Cardinals reached the tournament's semifinals this past season, finishing 24-9.

He owns a 534-346 career coaching record and is a six-time coach of the year. TVCC is a member of the <a href=http://www.njcaa.org>National Junior College Athletic Association</a>. To read more, click here.

By   Wed, Jun 30, 2010

 The Sun Belt Conference also announced additional changes:

Dr. Kathy Keene, who has served as the Sun Belt Conference's Associate Commissioner for Compliance since July 2006 will take on a new role as Associate Commissioner for Sports Administration.  Dominick Giambrone, who currently serves as the Sun Belt Conference's Director of Championships and Compliance will replace Dr. Keene as the head of the league's compliance operation. Bryant Carter will continue his role as Assistant Commissioner for Championships with a heavier focus on operations and game administration.  Carter has been with the league office since 2007. Joining the Sun Belt Conference in the newly created position of Assistant Commissioner for Championship Promotions is Robin Bordelon.  Bordelon comes to the Sun Belt following a two year stint with the New Orleans Hornets as a Tourism Market Account Executive for the NBA franchise. To read more, click here.

By   Tue, Jun 29, 2010

She worked at Division I schools such as High Point University in High Point, N.C., as the recruiting coordinator and Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, N.C., as the associate head coach and the interim head coach. Then, she joined St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville, Va., where she served six years as the women's basketball coach, senior women's administrator and the assistant athletics director. To read more, click here.

By   Tue, Jun 29, 2010

One issue that will remain at the forefront this fall is the status of football Coach Ralph Friedgen. Though Friedgen is 66-46 in nine seasons at Maryland, the team went 2-10 last season. Maryland has named offensive coordinator James Franklin the program's "head coach in waiting." To read more, click here.

By   Sat, Jun 26, 2010

During her 16 years at Maryland the Terps won 20 national titles, including the 2002 NCAA men's basketball championship. She inherited a program that was deeply in debt and turned its finances around. Over the years, she has won the respect of many of college athletics most prominent administrators.

"Debbie Yow is a proven athletic director at the highest level, and a true professional," said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. To read more, click here.

By   Fri, Jun 25, 2010

Gibbons will be entering into his 26th year as head coach of the Crusaders, during which his teams have won 11 Patriot League regular season championships, 12 Patriot League Tournament Championships and made 12 postseason appearances (11 NCAA's and one WNIT), in his first 25 years, his Crusader teams have won 20 or more game 16 times. To read more, click here.

By   Fri, Jun 25, 2010

Gardner brings a wealth of experience with her as she enters her 25^th season on the sidelines. Eighteen of those seasons have been at the Division I level, including 12 as a head coach.  Between her time as a college coach and player, Gardner has been involved in a combined 13 NCAA tournaments (four as a player and nine as a coach) and three WNIT bids. To read more, click here.

By   Fri, Jun 25, 2010

During his four years with the Owls, Sayler oversaw the administration of the entire department while serving as Interim Athletic Director from October 2009 to March 2010. In his role as Senior Executive Athletic Director, he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the department, directly overseeing all internal operations, as well as providing administrative oversight for all 16 of Rice’s sports. He also worked on the development of a Strategic Plan for Rice Athletics and served as the administrator of that plan. To read more, click here.

By   Wed, Jun 23, 2010

"Everybody deserves a second chance; it's just part of life," he said. "But the second chance is to do what God plans for your life, to get back to doing what you were created to do. This is what I do." To read more, click here.

By   Wed, Jun 23, 2010

Derengoski is a veteran of nearly three decades in the Notre Dame athletics department. In her new role she will supervise a staff of 30 and will be responsible for all areas of RecSports programming - including club and intramural sports, aquatics, fitness, instructional, special event and family programming areas -- as well as the department's recreation facilities. She also oversees the Rolfs Sports Recreation Center, the Rockne Memorial and the Rolfs Aquatic Center. A member of athletics director Jack Swarbrick's senior staff, she previously supervised Notre Dame summer sports camps for seven years. To read more, click here.

By   Mon, Jun 21, 2010

Greene joined the Patriot League staff in January as its Media and External Relations Assistant, where he served as its primary media contact for several Olympic winter and spring sports, while assisting with championship administration and other external initiatives. As Assistant Media Relations Director, he will handle the League’s media outreach for women’s basketball, men’s lacrosse, softball and men and women’s soccer, along with volleyball, men and women’s swimming and diving and men and women’s tennis. To read more, click here.