Archive
- September, 2022
- July, 2022
- September, 2021
- July, 2021
- December, 2020
- October, 2020
- March, 2020
- February, 2020
- April, 2019
- June, 2018
- May, 2018
- June, 2017
- October, 2016
- February, 2016
- January, 2016
- March, 2015
- June, 2014
- April, 2014
- August, 2013
- July, 2013
- June, 2013
- April, 2013
- January, 2013
- December, 2012
- November, 2012
- October, 2012
- July, 2012
- June, 2012
- May, 2012
- April, 2012
- March, 2012
- February, 2012
- January, 2012
- December, 2011
- November, 2011
- October, 2011
- September, 2011
- August, 2011
- July, 2011
- June, 2011
- May, 2011
- April, 2011
- March, 2011
- February, 2011
- January, 2011
- December, 2010
- November, 2010
- October, 2010
- September, 2010
- July, 2010
Staying Put Pays Off
It’s easy to question the loyalty of a student-athlete that decides to skip out after only a season or two, and take their chances on a lucrative pro deal.
But this age-old debate need not get bogged down in such simplicities. Only because athletes are under such a microscope do they hear these kinds of criticisms. Fact is, we are in a free society, where such opportunities should be taken advantage of when they can.
The bigger issue for the student-athlete is determining… Continue Reading
College Seniors Achieve Success in Areas That Matter Most
Like the rest of American society, today’s basketball is driven by a culture of instant gratification, which is always searching for the answer to the question of, “What’s next?” In the land of hoop we’re fixated on rising ninth graders, incoming college freshmen and the speculation over which undergraduates will leave school and be first-round draft picks in next year’s NBA draft. Against this backdrop, the act of becoming a college senior is, in the view of… Continue Reading
LEGACIES OF SENIOR SEASONS CARRY ON
There’s a difference between just being a senior and actually acting like one. Part of the role of a truly successful senior is understanding that things you do can impact your program even after you’re gone.
That’s a less talked about but important element of leadership – what you do today may affect someone tomorrow. A good example is 2007 Senior CLASS Award finalist Katie Gearlds of Purdue’s women’s basketball program. In her final season with the Boilermakers, Gearlds… Continue Reading
One “C” Inspires All Other “C’s”
Quite possibly more than any other major sport, hockey poses the biggest gap between the college and pro ranks. Fewer college standouts are drafted to the NHL than say the NBA, NFL or MLB.
When you have a game so distinctly separate from its professional counterpart, it’s easy to assume college hockey’s purity. Purity means playing for all the right reasons. Purity accounts for the respect for the game. Purity is what every sport, at any level, hopes to achieve.
Problem is,… Continue Reading
Pride in Classroom Leads to Off Field Winners
Maybe because the sport relies on 90 minutes of concentration, knowing one slip can mean the difference between victory and defeat, women’s soccer attracts its share of classroom achievers.
For example, Cache Valley is the home of Utah State. The campus and town are located somewhat isolated in an open pocket of the Wasatch Mountains in northern Utah.
Unless the college landscape shifts with a sudden, unexpected jolt, Utah State will never be known as a power base for women’s… Continue Reading
SENIOR SEASON HAS REWARDS FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL STARS
Okay, so it gets a lot of airtime – on television and on the video screens inside the arenas during March Madness. But if I’m not buried in note-taking I pay attention.
“There are over 400,000 student-athletes and most will be going pro in something other than sports.”
The NCAA got even more clever with those PSAs in its latest campaign to underscore the relationship between academics and athletics, cracking funny with kids bargaining their…
Continue Reading
Life is Measured by Goals Achieved, Not Goals Scored
Maybe I’m old school – although, in the interest of full disclosure, I’m not sure if I’m actually old enough to be that old school – but I come from the school of thought where the idea of going to college is to graduate from college.
That’s why it irks me when I write a piece on a college player who has the potential to become a professional and get the response, “If he’s good enough to go pro, why on earth is he wasting his time going to college?”
It’s… Continue Reading
Classroom, the Most Important “C”
There is little doubt that the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award has several important criteria, which includes classroom work, community involvement and of course, competition.
None should be taken lightly and all should be given proper consideration by the committee when selecting this year’s winners in various sports in the men’s and women’s categories.
Saying that, this writer puts one of the criteria—classroom—slightly above the rest.
…
Continue Reading
The Past Has Proven the Need for Senior Leadership
Heather O’Reilly and the University of North Carolina Tar Heels’ run to the 2006 NCAA College Cup Championship provide a perfect example of the impact senior leadership can have on a team.
The 2006 Tar Heels were a very young team in stark contrast to the 2005 version, which was loaded with senior talent and leadership. When the second half of the College Cup final began, there were seven freshmen on the field. O’Reilly was no longer the young pup playing alongside veterans Lindsay… Continue Reading
Football Finalists All Agree…There’s Nothing Like a Senior Year
It’s not really complicated. Jim Laurinaitis loves college football.
The Ohio State linebacker is a fine student too, but it’s the questions about football that kept coming his way in the offseason.
NFL types were almost incredulous that the Ohio State linebacker didn’t go pro after his junior season in 2007. Laurinaitis had won at least a share of three Big Ten titles, as well as the Nagurski (defensive player of the year) and Butkus (best linebacker) awards. There was little… Continue Reading