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7/12/11
Jul 12, 2011 21:14:54 GMT -5
Post by elp525 on Jul 12, 2011 21:14:54 GMT -5
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Post by elp525 on Jul 12, 2011 21:12:32 GMT -5
07/12/2011 MetroNews Sports Morgantown
It was a long day for former Mountaineer football players Quincy Wilson and Grant Wiley. The two have been running around chasing kids on the football field all day during a fundraiser they put on. Wilson and Wiley held the first event for the West Virginia Legends Organization to raise money for the family of their former teammate Chris Henry who died in December 2009.
The fundraiser was a one-day youth football clinic at Pro Performance Rx with a celebrity basketball game after at Morgantown High School. All of the money raised from the basketball game would go towards helping Henry’s family.
Wilson and Wiley were among many former Mountaineers helping with the clinic including Owen Schmitt, Selvish Capers, along with many more.
“We’re just having a lot of fun,” says Wiley “We got a bunch of guys that are bleeding blue and gold and having fun with these kids, teaching them proper fundamentals and basics of football that we feel like these kids need to know. We want to transfer our wisdom to them and continue to have fun.”
Wilson was glad to see all the former players who committed to the event.
“It’s great. They’re taking time out of their schedule to do stuff. Owen (Schmitt) came in from Philadelphia, some guys driving in from Pittsburgh,” he said. “It just shows what it means to be a Mountaineer and anytime you’re doing something positive, people want to be behind that.”
The clinic began at 8 a.m. where kids warmed up and then were split into different groups. Each group focused on a specific drill then rotated to the next drill.
“We’ve been doing everything we would do in the NFL, individual drills, having fun doing skills stuff. It’s been a great time, they’ve been responding well,” says Wilson.
With all the fun everyone was having they didn’t forget why they were there. Wiley knows his former teammate Henry was there in spirit.
“Chris (Henry), he’s our brother,” says Wiley “It’s a privilege for me to be able to know him because he was such an extraordinary person. It’s a reflection of who he was. For us to come together and put an event like this on for the community and the state of West Virginia, Chris was that type of person, very giving and very loving person I think it’s great for us to be able to do this.”
Many sponsors made it possible to put on the event including Chesapeake Energy. Wilson also was pleased with how many kids turned out and is excited for the future.
“We’ve had so many people get behind us and I want to see that continue next year. We have 100 this year, I want to see 200 next year,” he said.
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Post by elp525 on Jul 12, 2011 21:05:55 GMT -5
July 12, 2011
By Mitch Vingle The Charleston Gazette
ON TUESDAY, new West Virginia football recruiting coordinator Alex Hammond spent part of the day in a compliance meeting and part of it with human resources.
The Gazette broke the story of his hiring this past weekend and since then, he's been cutting red tape and hurrying to get in place for head coach Dana Holgorsen.
And it's a good thing he's hurrying. Because the Mountaineers already have half their commitments for the 2012 signing class.
When it was reported Tuesday that 6-foot-5, 310-pound offensive tackle Will Latu of the College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, Calif., had committed, the number of those giving Holgorsen their word increased to 12. Normally, a school has 25 scholarships to give. But because of NCAA sanctions, WVU has but 24.
What Hammond does know, however, is all is well in regard to recruiting on the Mountaineer front.
"The highlight is we have 12 commitments," he said. "We haven't been this far along in the past five years. It's an indication of the excitement around Coach Holgorsen. And I wouldn't be surprised if that number goes up when we have a day camp on July 30."
So far, WVU has landed commitments from six offensive players and six defensive players. Latu, a junior college product, is a
three-star recruit, according to Scout recruiting service. Defensive lineman Bret Niederreither, 6-5, 255, of Lewisberry, Pa., was given two stars by the same service. Rivals.com has not rated the pair.
However, all of the others have been rated by both services. And if you add the two ratings of the aforementioned linemen, the average mark so far is 2.95 stars of a possible five.
So far, the stud of the class is wide receiver Deontay McManus, 6-1, 210, of Paul Laurence Dunbar High of Baltimore. He's given four stars by both services. Also, 6-4, 290-pound offensive guard Tyler Orlosky of Lakewood, Ohio, is rated as a four-star recruit by Scout and as a three-star recruit by Rivals.
All of the other commitments have earned three stars by at least one of the recruiting services. They are 5-11, 172-pound cornerback Da'Quan Davis, also of Baltimore; 5-10, 195-pound cornerback Albert Reid of Washington, D.C.; 6-foot, 175-pound athlete Brandon Napoleon of Jersey City, N.J.; 5-9, 160-pound running back J.T. Washington of Satellite Beach, Fla., 6-5, 210-pound quarterback Ford Childress of Houston; 6-1, 200-pound linebacker Joseph Jackson of Jacksonville, Fla.; 6-foot, 278-pound defensive tackle Imariaye Albury of Miami, Fla.; and 6-foot, 200-pound safety Jarrod Harper of Frostburg, Md.
"I think we're very happy with our quarterback and running back commitments," Hammond said. "Everything else, we're still working on."
The new coordinator said he wants to huddle more with defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel, but knows on the offensive side calls are still out for linemen and receivers.
nn
Hammond said state native Steve Dunlap will continue to scour West Virginia. He said Texas is a hot area for the Mountaineers now because of Holgorsen. ("There's a lot of excitement there because of his name recognition and recognition of the offense he puts out there.") WVU will continue recruiting the Mid-Atlantic states and the Southeast.
And for those worried about WVU's connections in Florida, Hammond points to running backs coach Robert Gillespie.
In case you're unaware of Gillespie's background, he was an assistant with Holgorsen at Oklahoma State. Before that, however, he was an assistant for four years with Steve Spurrier at South Carolina.
The reason Gillespie worked for Spurrier there: He played running back and was a captain for the Ol' Ballcoach at Florida.
nn
And finally . . .
Members of the Marshall and WVU football teams provided back-to-back alarming stories for the Tuesday and Wednesday sports sections.
First, MU safety Donald Brown was dismissed from the Thundering Herd after an arrest on a domestic battery charge. Huntington police have alleged Brown repeatedly struck his wife. It was also alleged his wife was holding their 11-month daughter at the time and the baby was inadvertently struck.
Then, Holgorsen booted Branko Busick after the Steubenville, Ohio, native was charged with an armed robbery at a Morgantown apartment building. Police said a man was repeatedly struck with a gun after he told his assailant he had no money.
Lord. We're not talking about a couple of barroom brawls here.
The only silver linings: 1) neither Brown nor Busick was recruited by current head coaches Doc Holliday and Holgorsen, respectively; and 2) both head coaches moved swiftly to jettison the players from representing their schools.
Enough of that conduct.
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Post by elp525 on Jul 12, 2011 21:02:49 GMT -5
July 12, 2011
By Staff, wire reports The Charleston Gazette
West Virginia University football coach Dana Holgorsen has announced that redshirt sophomore Branko Busick has been dismissed from the Mountaineer football program for violation of team rules.
Earlier it was reported that Busick is free on $25,000 bond after being charged with an armed robbery at a Morgantown apartment building.
According to the Associated Press, Morgantown police say the 20-year-old Steubenville, Ohio, native was arrested Monday evening.
He was arraigned Tuesday before Monongalia County Magistrate Hershel Mullins in a videoconference with the North Central Regional Jail.
A court official says Busick's father posted a property bond. Nick Busick is the former WWF wrestler Big Bully Busick.
Court records show that Branko Busick does not yet have an attorney.
His preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 1 before Magistrate Jim Nabors.
Police say a man reported that he was struck repeatedly with a gun after he told his assailant he had no money.
Branko Busick was listed on the most recent WVU depth chart No. 2 at middle linebacker behind Najee Goode.
WVU athletic officials said no further comment will be made.
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Post by elp525 on Jul 12, 2011 20:58:41 GMT -5
July 12, 2011
By Staff reports The Charleston Gazette
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a series of previews on West Virginia football opponents.
Date with WVU: Saturday, Oct. 1, time TBA
Site: Mountaineer Field (60,000, FieldTurf), Morgantown
Coach: Dave Clawson (3rd year, 9-16; 12th year overall, 67-65)
Checking them out
There's really no way to sugarcoat this: If Bowling Green doesn't improve dramatically over its performance of a year ago, this could be one of the worst FBS-level teams ever to play at Mountaineer Field.
Think not? Well, think again.
How bad was Bowling Green's offense a year ago? The Falcons finished dead last in the country in rushing, No. 115 (out of 120 teams) in total offense and No. 100 in scoring.
So the Falcons made up for that lack of offense with a decent defense, right? Wrong. They were No. 112 in rushing defense, No. 102 in total defense and No. 100 in scoring defense.
In fact, of the 17 major statistics the NCAA lists on its team pages, Bowling Green ranked No. 100 or worse in 10 of them and was among the Top 50 in just one - punt returns. Of course, given that few teams were ever forced to punt, how much does that really matter?
Can things improve this season? Well, they can't get much worse.
On offense, there are four returning starters on the line, although that was the line that paved the way for a last-place rushing attack and allowed 35 sacks (No. 107 in the country). Sophomore quarterback Matt Schilz returns after throwing for 2,223 yards, but despite the fact that he completed 60 percent of his passes he was just 98th in the country in pass efficiency thanks to 14 interceptions and just eight touchdowns in 377 throws.
The bright spot on offense, though, is wide receiver Kamar Jorden, a former junior college player who caught 96 passes for 1,109 yards. But there's always a BG receiver putting up big numbers. The year before Freddie Barnes caught an NCAA-record 155 passes.
On defense, linebacker Dwayne Woods was sixth in the country in tackles but he's undersized at 6-foot-1 and 219 pounds. There are also four starters back in the secondary, so that's something on which to build.
And if the defense can force anyone to punt, Eugene Cooper returned two for touchdowns last year.
All-conference candidates
Offense: C Ben Bojicic, WR Kamar Jorden
Defense: LB Dwayne Woods
Special teams: PR Eugene Cooper
Notes
Bowling Green's last three games are on a Wednesday, a Tuesday and a Friday. ... The Falcons' defense was much better than the offense in the spring, but how much of that is defensive improvement and how much is the continued mess that is the offensive line (which played in the spring without injured center Ben Bojicic)? ... Bowling Green doesn't play a team this season that it beat last year. The two wins were against Marshall and Central Michigan.
2011 schedule
Date Opponent 2010
Sept. 1 at Idaho (Thur.) DNP
Sept. 10 Morgan State DNP
Sept. 17 Wyoming DNP
Sept. 24 at Miami, Ohio* L 21-24
Oct. 1 at West Virginia DNP
Oct. 8 at Western Michigan* L 7-41
Oct. 15 Toledo* L 14-33
Oct. 22 Temple* L 27-28
Oct. 29 at Kent State* L 6-30
Nov. 8 Northern Illinois* (Tue.) DNP
Nov. 16 Ohio* (Wed.) L 25-49
Nov. 25 at Buffalo* (Fri.) L 26-28
*Mid-American Conference games
2010 record: 2-10 overall, 1-7 MAC
Dropped: Troy (L 27-30), Tulsa (L 20-33), Marshall (W 44-28), Michigan (L 21-65), Central Michigan (W 17-14)
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7/11/11
Jul 11, 2011 5:13:19 GMT -5
Post by elp525 on Jul 11, 2011 5:13:19 GMT -5
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Post by elp525 on Jul 11, 2011 5:10:45 GMT -5
07/10/2011 MetroNews Sports
West Virginia’s football recruiting class for 2012 continues to pick up verbal commitments – the most recent being offensive lineman Will Latu, a junior college transfer from California. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound standout gave his verbal to West Virginia over a slew of other offers – he’ll join the Mountaineers after attending College of the Canyons.
According to Scout.com, Latu had other offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas State, Boise State, Florida International, Kansas State, Louisville, New Mexico, Oregon State, Rutgers, South Florida and Utah. He’s listed as a three star prospect by the recruiting website as well.
The addition of Latu gives West Virginia now 12 members in its class for 2012.
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Post by elp525 on Jul 11, 2011 5:08:27 GMT -5
July 10, 2011
By Dave Hickman The Charleston Gazette
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a series of previews on West Virginia football opponents.
Date with WVU: Saturday, Sept. 24, time TBA
Site: Mountaineer Field (60,000, FieldTurf), Morgantown
Coach: Les Miles (7th year, 62-17; 11th year overall, 90-38)
Checking them out
There is talk of another national championship run in Baton Rouge this summer, which would be news if, well, there wasn't always talk about a national championship run in Baton Rouge. And the fact of the matter is, there are plenty of reasons for optimism.
There are, however, just as many question marks, beginning with the loss of one of the best defensive and special teams players in the country and the continuing struggle to develop any kind of consistency at quarterback. Toss in a schedule that includes Auburn, Alabama and Florida - the three national champions since LSU's last title in 2007 - and non-conference games away from Tiger Stadium against Oregon and WVU and there are plenty of potential landmines along the way.
Then again, this is an LSU team with plenty of talent returning from a team that was 11-2, beat Florida on the road and crushed Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl.
First, though, the sticking points. That quarterback play has been a huge disappointment. Senior Jordan Jefferson has as often been atrocious as dazzling, but if he slips up this year there could be a quick hook. Junior college transfer Zach Mettenberger - who began his career at Georgia - went through spring practice and Jarrett Lee, who often relieved Jefferson last season, is also back.
And then there's the loss of cornerback and punt returner Patrick Peterson, the fifth pick in the NFL draft. Losing a lockdown corner and game-breaking return man (his punt return against WVU was the difference in a 20-14 LSU win) is not an easy fix.
Still, look what's back. There are four returning starters and a bunch of experienced backups on the offensive line (and eight returning starters overall on offense), receivers Rueben Randle and Russell Shepard combined for 66 receptions last year and sophomore Spencer Ware appears more than capable of replacing running back Stevan Ridley.
On defense, seven starters return and Peterson is the only loss in the secondary, so that will help. Middle linebacker Kelvin Sheppard will be hard to replace, but Ryan Baker is a stud and there is plenty of athleticism at the position. And up front if a deep group of experienced lineman wasn't enough add 5-star freshman Anthony "Freak'' Johnson to the mix.
All-conference candidates
Offense: WR Rueben Randle, OG Josh Dworaczyk, WR Russell Shepard, OT Alex Hurst
Defense: CB Morris Claiborne, LB Ryan Baker
Notes
Another sore spot for the Tigers could be special teams, where not only is returner Peterson gone, but both the kicker and punter must be replaced . . . Perhaps the most promising change for the offense was at the top, where Steve Kragthorpe was hired to replace Gary Crowton (who went to Maryland with Randy Edsall) as coordinator. Yes, Kragthorpe was a huge failure as the head coach at Louisville, but the man did crank out some offenses at Tulsa.
2011 schedule
Date Opponent 2010
Sept. 3 x-Oregon DNP
Sept. 10 Northwestern St. DNP
Sept. 15 (Th.) at Miss. State* W, 29-7
Sept. 24 at W. Virginia W, 20-14
Oct. 1 Kentucky* DNP
Oct. 8 Florida* W, 33-29
Oct. 15 at Tennessee* W, 16-14
Oct. 22 Auburn* L, 17-24
Nov. 5 at Alabama* W, 24-21
Nov. 12 West.Kentucky DNP
Nov. 19 at Mississippi* W, 43-36
Nov. 25 (Fri.) Arkansas* L, 23-31
x-at Arlington, Texas
* Southeastern Conference games
2010 record: 11-2 overall, 6-2 SEC (won 41-24 over Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl)
Dropped: North Carolina (W 30-24), Vanderbilt (W 27-3). McNeese State (W 32-10), Louisiana-Monroe (W 51-0)
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Post by elp525 on Jul 11, 2011 5:05:16 GMT -5
Monday July 11, 2011
by Jack Bogaczyk Charleston Daily Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A popular question from Hank Williams Jr. would be appropriate and seriously appreciated by Oliver Luck about now.
Are you ready for some football?
Luck, the West Virginia athletic director, has spent much of his first year on the job seemingly putting out fires. He's started a few, too, with aggressive personnel moves and leading the push for beer sales at Mountaineer Field.
But suffice it to say that after tales involving a coach-in-waiting situation that seemed iffy at best from the start, a coach being booted from a casino, and well-chronicled rancor within a coaching staff and a forced resignation, the AD and his football program are ready to move on to the 2011 season.
Luck's administration deserves much credit for not only digging deep into football violations under two coaches - Rich Rodriguez and Bill Stewart - but for taking significant enough punishment and sanctions upon itself that the NCAA didn't feel it needed to go the extra mile in an infractions case that wrapped up Friday, in less than 15 months.
It's interesting to consider that while Stewart's demise wasn't related to the NCAA infractions, the three-year boss of the 'Eers always made it a point to try and separate himself from Rodriguez's style and change the tenor in the football program.
However, the one big thing Stewart needed to change from Rodriguez - staff personnel usage and direction that violated NCAA rules - he didn't reshape.
I also have little doubt that it aided WVU's cause with the NCAA in that both coaches responsible for violations over five years are no longer with the program.
The NCAA finds it much less messy in these solutions when those who break rules or those who are clueless about rules they should know after decades in college athletics - "failure to monitor" - are out of the picture.
Now, the pressure is on new Coach Dana Holgorsen. It's not just a pressure to win - remember, multiple 9-4s weren't good enough from the forced-out Stewart - but also a pressure to do things right, personally and professionally.
Holgorsen's late-night antics have been a subject of curiosity and speculation - real or imagined - for too long. Now, the focus needs to change to his team. And after the closure on the NCAA infractions case for WVU, that college athletics governing body will be seriously watching the Mountaineers, too.
It took 15 pages for the NCAA to issue a report following the summary disposition process on WVU's five major violations. Some might say those 15 pages, considering the penalties, are much ado about little.
However, early in the report, it's mentioned that this was the school's sixth major infractions case (five of those since 1982). Only 11 Division I programs have had more major infractions cases (Arizona State, SMU, Auburn, Cal, Florida State, Memphis, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Wichita State and Wisconsin). Only one other current Big East program, Cincinnati, has as many as five.
Most importantly and crucial to Luck and Co., the report asserts that WVU "is a repeat violator as defined by Bylaw 19.5.2.3."
NCAA Bylaw 19.5.2.3.1 states that "an institution shall be considered a 'repeat' violator" if the Committee on Infractions finds that a major violation has occurred within five years of the starting date of a major penalty.
WVU fits that profile, because of a 2007 trip to the NCAA woodshed because of a mess in the men's soccer program.
Now, if West Virginia has NCAA infractions issues in any program before July 8, 2016 ... well, sanctions associated with Bylaw 19.5.2.3 are so severe that they are often referred to as the "death penalty." (See SMU.)
The NCAA doesn't shut down programs these days, but we're talking significant loss of scholarships, revenue and postseason play. WVU doesn't even want to think about that ... and that's why Luck has to remain as "hands on" as he has been in his first 13 months in his alma mater's AD chair.
As for the negative impact as Holgorsen takes over the program, it will be minimal.
The school has to inform prospective recruits that they're on two years probation. What most prospects want to know, however, is whether a program is on TV, or in bowls and WVU remains plentiful in that regard.
As for the one scholarship reduction for the 2011-12 school year?
Even taking into account incoming recruits and perhaps some who will or won't make it academically (the Big East doesn't allow non-qualifiers), WVU will be just fine. It currently has 81 scholarship football players.
The settlement of the Mountaineers' NCAA infractions case was a cooperative effort between school and the Committee on Infractions. WVU had the advantage of watching Michigan in its very similar case under Rodriguez and putting that experience to wise use.
WVU's aggressiveness in changing its compliance culture and oversight mattered a lot in this one. Its willingness to self-impose 10 of its penalties helped get the matter settled sooner than later.
Now, Luck and Holgorsen can move forward. They are no longer trying to clean up someone else's mess. The courses they chart from here is up to them. They promise to be aggressive. They need to be clean, too.
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Post by elp525 on Jul 11, 2011 5:03:05 GMT -5
Monday July 11, 2011
by Mike Casazza Charleston Daily Mail
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia announced Alex Hammond as the football team's new coordinator of recruiting operations, an administrative job in the football office and separate from a vacancy on the coaching staff.
Hammond, 30, will have a list of responsibilities that centers on recruiting, but goes well beyond that role.
He'll monitor recruiting activities and adherence to compliance and also organize the daily operations by overseeing the database of prospects and library of information and video files.
He'll also serve as the liason for the admissions office and be the main football contact in NCAA compliance matters.
Hammond will be in charge of WVU's contacts with recruits and the scheduling of visits. In the summer, he'll plan the high school coaching clinic and run the summer job program for WVU players.
Like Daron Roberts, who was hired as WVU's outside receivers coach in March, Hammond played football in high school, but never in college and hasn't worked in a college program before.
He's worked instead with the NCAA, in law in an international practice, and for the government.
"From the moment I left high school, I understood I was never going to be a player, but I wanted to put myself in a position where I could rise into a leadership position in some way," said Hammond, who was on two state championship teams at Cathedral High in Indianapolis and was academic All-State as a senior.
"I believe when you have a passion for something it's going to make you better at your job. You understand every nuance and you enjoy every nuance."
Hammond, who has a law degree from Northwestern, comes to WVU after working at the NCAA office in Indianapolis since 2009 as the associate director of amateur certification. He was in charge of NCAA legislation education and was the NCAA liason to the Big 12 and Atlantic Coast conferences.
"He brings a wealth of knowledge from his tenure at the NCAA over the past few years that will not only help us remain in compliance but also will ensure we are doing the most we can to recruit top student-athletes," WVU coach Dana Holgorsen said.
WVU and the NCAA announced Friday a list of self-imposed penalties for five major rules infractions. Athletic Director Oliver Luck said Hammond will help keep WVU out of future trouble, which is a chief concern through the two-year probation period.
"The easiest way to trip up right now in the world of intercollegiate athletics is with the NCAA and, quite honestly, I'm paranoid about it," Luck said. "With Alex, now we have one more really good person to help us stay away from that sort of trouble."
The wealth of Hammond's work will be in recruiting, though, and while new to the job and the concept, he has ideas for how to make it work.
"When a kid comes in, we want West Virginia to have a certain swag to it that they're maybe not seeing when they go on other official visits," he said. "That may not have a direct correlation to recruiting, per se, but it's all part of the same world.
"You're going to make the program look good through facilities, through social networking, through everything to all the recruits who have never been to West Virginia before.
"So everything we do will be focused on recruiting. When they walk into the facility for the first time for a visit or for camps, you want that highlight tape playing and the music on so there's that swag, that vibe to it right away."
Hammond was an associate at Baker and Daniels, an international practice group, from 2008-09, and worked with multinational companies on global business operations.
He worked on contracts for corporate mergers and acquisitions and with the development of the firm's sports practice group.
Prior to that, Hammond worked for the federal government from 2003-06. He was worked in the office of the general counsel for the Department of Defense, was an assistant to Ambassador Randall Tobias in the State Department and was a public affairs officer and legislative assistant in the White House for the National Drug Control Policy.
Hammond earned a bachelor's degree in government from Texas in 2004 and his law degree from Northwestern in 2008.
At Texas, Hammond interned for the White House public affairs office and served as the executive director of the Longhorn student body, a position that represented the student body in front of the Texas State Legislature.
At Northwestern, he co-founded and served as the vice president of operations for the Global Trends Group, an organization that provided political and economic risk analysis to corporations seeking global expansion.
"The skill sets transfer over and I think my educational background suits me well for this," Hammond said.
Roberts and Hammond know one another from Texas, where Roberts was the student body president. They worked together in student government and then kept in touch as Roberts went to law school at Harvard and Hammond went to Northwestern a year later. Together they plotted their future paths toward uncommon destinations.
"I think we both knew we wanted that legal skill set and we were not at all looking for the traditional 'take this and be a corporate lawyer in New York' deal," Hammond said. "He went to Harvard and the Kansas City Chiefs after that. I was always in contact with him.
"He was on the coaching side of it and I always wanted to do to the administrative and operations side of it. Somehow it kind of worked out the meeting point of those discussions five years ago is West Virginia."
Hammond has no desire to be an assistant coach or a head coach in the future, which Luck admitted was appealing during the interview process.
WVU's trouble in the NCAA case centered on having people who weren't coaches, but wanted to be coaches, acting like coaches outside of the NCAA guidelines.
Hammond is only interested in his present job and perhaps greater titles that may come in the future.
"I'm not saying I want to be in this position two years and move on," Hammond said. "I will be in this position for as long as it's exciting and challenging and hopefully that's for the long haul. If I could write the script, 25 years from now could I be an AD? We'll see.
"Certainly I'd love that, but for now this is about being a part of intercollegiate athletics. I think sports do a lot of good for universities and I want to make sure football continues to be good for West Virginia."
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Post by elp525 on Jul 11, 2011 5:01:04 GMT -5
Monday July 11, 2011
by Mike Casazza Charleston Daily Mail
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- The lengthy NCAA investigation of West Virginia University's football program ended Friday when it accepted the school's self-imposed penalties for five major rule violations.
The Mountaineers acknowledged, and the NCAA Committee on Infractions agreed, the football program exceeded coaching staff limitations, conducted impermissible athletically related activities and former coaches Rich Rodriguez and Bill Stewart and WVU as a whole failed to properly monitor activities.
WVU, which filed a summary disposition report in March as part of what the NCAA called a "cooperative endeavor," suggested a series of punishments for the infractions and the NCAA approved without adding any of its own. Most notable among the penalties is a two-year probation period through July 7, 2013.
"I am pleased that the Committee accepted the self-imposed penalties the University proposed, without imposing any additional ones," WVU Athletic Director Oliver Luck said. "The University has already taken corrective action and put new systems in place to address all the issues raised."
In the probation period, WVU must continue to develop its rules awareness program, turn in a preliminary report on the schedule of the educational program by Aug. 30, file annual reports by July 1 highlighting the program's progress and submit documentation WVU is complying with the penalties.
At the end of the probation, WVU President Jim Clements will write a letter proving the Mountaineers are conforming with all the NCAA's rules.
"We have taken this case very seriously from the beginning and, as we've said, will move forward with a complete commitment to compliance in all that we do," Luck said.
In addition to the educational program, WVU must exercise some transparency in the future and tell football recruits about the probation and the violations. If the recruit is coming on an official visit, he must be told in advance. The probation and the violations must also be published in the football media guide and a "general institution alumni publication."
The Mountaineers cut a pair of graduate assistant positions as well as two scholarships for the 2010-11 school year and will dock itself one scholarship for the upcoming school year.
Other penalties were already in effect. During an open week this past season WVU sent out seven coaches for recruiting as opposed to 10. During spring recruiting this offseason, WVU sent out six coaches instead of seven. The Mountaineers also cut their workout time in the winter, spring and summer by 46.25 hours.
Additionally, WVU did away with its director of player development and last summer moved Dale Wolfley from that job to the position of coordinator of the Varsity Club. The director of recruiting operations and other graduate assistants were prohibited from sitting in on coaching meetings.
WVU also sent letters of reprimand to Stewart, Wolfley, four unnamed assistant coaches, director of strength and conditioning Mike Joseph, director of football operations Mike Kerin and an unnamed a football staff member. They must attend a NCAA rules seminar this year at their own expense. Kerin, Wolfley and the "football staff member" are ineligible for any merit-based pay raises this year.
The NCAA contacted Clements Oct. 12, 2009, to tell him WVU was suspected of "potential NCAA violations." That was the result of the NCAA's investigation of Michigan and Rodriguez earlier that fall. On April 21, 2010 the NCAA enforcement staff sent WVU the official notice of inquiry, which was followed Aug. 4 by a notice of allegations.
WVU committed five major violations and one secondary violation under both Rodriguez and Stewart from 2005 to 2009. Both coaches were said to have allowed non-coaching staff members to perform coaching duties, like supervise offseason drills and workouts, watch film with and instruct players and attend coaching meetings. The university ultimately agreed it had overstepped the limits on the coaching staff by allowing graduate assistants, quality control coaches, student managers, the director of high school relations and the director of player development to operate like coaches.
Additionally, WVU admitted to doing things in time frames prohibited by NCAA rules. The Mountaineers let graduate assistants conduct summer skill development drills and monitor and direct 7-on-7 workouts from 2005-09. In 2008-09, the director of player development, a student assistant coach, quality control graduate assistants and a student manager were involved.
In the winters of 2006-09 coaching staff members conducted skill development drills even though NCAA rules prohibit anything but conditioning, weight training and film review at that time. Still, after the workouts, coaches were said to have met with their players and go through position-specific drills for 15 or 20 minutes twice a week.
With all of that as incentive, Rodriguez and Stewart were accused of a failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance while WVU was said to have failed to adequately monitor the football program. In the end, all three were guilty of the lesser charge of a failure to monitor. Rodriguez admitted he failed to monitor and "did not know whether NCAA rules allowed involvement in summer voluntary activities by his graduate assistant coaches," according to the NCAA, but Rodriguez also said he "did not direct graduate assistants to monitor or conduct the summer activities."
Four of the six graduate assistants involved said they remembered Rodriguez telling them how to conduct those skill sessions. The NCAA didn't continue with the charge of a failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance, though, because it couldn't prove that as well as a failure to monitor. The NCAA needed to be able to prove both and said, "Not only did the staff not allege a failure to promote an atmosphere for compliance on behalf of (Rodriguez), the summary disposition report contained no facts that would support such a finding. The narrative spoke only to (Rodriguez's) failure to monitor and did not address any failure to promote an atmosphere for compliance."
Stewart and the NCAA also agreed on the facts that made up the violations and Stewart confessed he, too, failed to adequately monitor. However, the NCAA said Stewart "mistakenly believed it was permissible for his graduate assistants to monitor and conduct summer skill development activities. He was an assistant coach under (Rodriguez) and, after (Rodriguez) departed the institution, the activities that had occurred during (Rodriguez's) tenure continued."
Stewart said he was "uncertain" the rules prevented the graduate assistants from working in skill development, but was aware the director of skill development and director of high school relations could not.
Before the 2009 season Stewart held a staff meeting to correct the mistakes.
The NCAA said Stewart and his staff "did not intend to violate NCAA rules, but the institution gained more than a minimal competitive advantage by allowing numerous noncoaching staff members to be involved with student-athlete activities over a period of years.
"Therefore, the violations set forth in the summary disposition report are major."
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7/10/11
Jul 10, 2011 9:14:19 GMT -5
Post by elp525 on Jul 10, 2011 9:14:19 GMT -5
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Post by elp525 on Jul 10, 2011 9:12:14 GMT -5
07/08/2011
Shawn Falkenstein Indianapolis
The NCAA has accepted a summary disposition on several violations by West Virginia's football program. Former coaches Rich Rodriguez and Bill Stewart were both charged with failure to monitor compliance with NCAA legislation while at West Virginia in findings released Friday afternoon.
The case was decided through the summary disposition process, which is when all sides agree on the facts. The review is then submitted in written form and has been accepted by the NCAA.
"West Virginia University committed major violations involving failure to monitor by two former head football coaches and by the institution, according to findings by the Division I Committee on Infractions," read the report released Friday afternoon. "The failure to monitor findings stemmed from violations within the program involving noncoaching staff members who performed duties that led the program to exceed the allowable number of coaches and coaching staff members who engaged in impermissible out-of-season athletically related activities."
"Penalties in this case include two years probation, coaching and recruiting restrictions and scholarship reductions," the report goes on to read. West Virginia proposed two years' probation, took away two scholarships for 2010-11 and one scholarship for 2011-12. Other internal restrictions were imposed upon football staff members.
West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck released the following statement regarding the NCAA's findings:
"WVU is in receipt of the NCAA's final report of an investigation into violations committed from 2005-2009 related to participation and monitoring of noncoaching staff members in drill and meeting activities reserved for countable coaches within our football program. We appreciate the hard work the Committee and the NCAA staff put into this process, particularly moving cooperatively to the summary disposition process.
"I am pleased that the Committee accepted the self-imposed penalties the University proposed, without imposing any additional ones. The University has already taken corrective action and put new systems in place to address all the issues raised.
"It is also important to note that probation does not affect our bowl eligibility or ability to compete for conference or national championships. It does, however, require annual reports over a two-year period, which we will complete.
"We have taken this case very seriously from the beginning and, as we've said, will move forward with a complete commitment to compliance in all that we do. We now look forward to an exciting football season and putting this process behind us."
CBSsports.com is reporting that Rodriguez will not be penalized. Rodriguez will be an analyst for CBS Sports Network.
"Coach Rodriguez is pleased that the NCAA agreed with the findings that he and West Virginia proposed," said Scott Tompsett, Rodriguez's attorney according to CBSsports.com writer Dennis Dodd. "He's looking forward to doing television work in the fall and resuming coaching next year."
CBSSports.com was able to obtain a letter to Rodriguez from the NCAA that stated, "Although the committee did not impose sanctions upon you, your involvement in these violations will be available for review by any member institution ..." Specifically, Rodriguez' and Stewart's involvement stretched from 2005-06 to the fall semester of 2009 (Stewart only).
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Post by elp525 on Jul 10, 2011 9:10:05 GMT -5
07/09/2011 WVU Release Morgantown
West Virginia University football coach Dana Holgorsen has announced that Alex Hammond has joined the Mountaineer football staff as the coordinator of recruiting operations. “I’m happy that Alex has joined the West Virginia University football program,” Holgorsen says. “He brings a wealth of knowledge from his tenure at the NCAA over the past few years that will not only help us remain in compliance but also will ensure we are doing the most we can to recruit top student-athletes.”
Hammond will serve in an administrative capacity, overseeing the operational and compliance aspects of football recruiting and serve as an aide to Holgorsen. He will organize the day-to-day recruitment of student-athletes, including building the program’s data bank of prospects and compiling information and video files.
He will serve as the liaison with the University admissions office, be the primary contact with the athletic compliance office regarding recruiting, oversee the correspondence with prospects, manage the planning of on-campus official and unofficial recruiting visits. He also will build and maintain relationships with high school and junior college coaches to advance recruiting, assist with the planning of the annual clinic for high school coaches and coordinate the summer jobs program for the student-athletes.
“Alex is an excellent addition to not only our football staff but also our athletic department,” WVU Director of Athletics Oliver Luck says. “Aside from being a well-educated and smart guy, what attracted him to us was his experience with the NCAA. He will be an important asset to the football program, coach Holgorsen and the athletic department.”
Hammond comes to West Virginia after serving as the associate director of amateurism certification at the NCAA since 2009. In his position, he was responsible for educating elite athletes, member institutions and conferences on NCAA legislation, served as the NCAA liaison to the Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conferences on issues regarding amateurism and conducted amateurism reviews on high profile student-athletes.
Prior to his tenure with the NCAA, Hammond was an associate at Baker and Daniels, an international practice group, from 2008-09. He advised multi-national companies on global business operations, drafted contracts for corporate mergers and acquisitions and assisted with the development of the firm’s sports practice group.
Hammond also held several positions working for the United States federal government (2003-06), serving with the office of the General Counsel for the Department of Defense, a special assistant to Ambassador Randall Tobias for the US Department of State and as a public affairs officer and legislative assistant at the White House for the National Drug Control Policy.
Hammond graduated from the University of Texas in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in government and earned his juris doctorate from the Northwestern University School of Law in 2008.
While a student at Texas, he interned at the White House for the office of public affairs and was the executive director of the Longhorn student body, the highest appointed student position at the University. He represented the student body in front of the Texas State Legislature.
While earning his law degree at Northwestern, he co-founded and served as the vice president of operations for the Global Trends Group. It was organization that provided political and economic risk analysis to corporations seeking global expansion.
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7/9/11
Jul 9, 2011 8:49:49 GMT -5
Post by elp525 on Jul 9, 2011 8:49:49 GMT -5
sPitt Philosophy gradute hard at work.
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