| Friday, September 12, 2014 |
| Saying goodbye: Bulldogs pay final respects to Jack Cristil | |
 | It was only fitting that Mississippi State celebrated the life and legacy of Jack Cristil inside Humphrey Coliseum, where his distinguishing voice had described so many games during his storied career. Members of the MSU administration, head coaches past and present, former players and hundreds of fans gathered to pay their respects to the broadcasting marvel one final time at a memorial service. "That great, gruff, distinctive baritone voice is silent now," said MSU president Mark Keenum. "But it still rings with 'Cristil' clarity in all of our minds today. We're here to honor a man who was a giant in his profession and as true a Bulldog as ever lived even though he didn't take a one class at Mississippi State." |
| Mississippi State Turns Out To Remember Cristil | |
 | The "Voice of the Bulldogs" will forever be wrapped in maroon and white memories. The Mississippi State University Bulldog family gathered in the Humphrey Coliseum on Thursday to celebrate the life and play-by-play radio calls of Jacob Sanford "Jack" Cristil. Administrators, athletes, family and friends gathered to share memories of Cristil's life and his decades on the radio. "He made millions of friends for our university and did as much to promote Mississippi State and its good name as anybody ever has," said MSU President Mark E. Keenum. |
| Mississippi State pays tribute to Cristil | |
 | People showed up at Humphrey Coliseum Thursday evening to honor longtime Mississippi State University announcer Jack Cristil, who died Sunday at the age of 88. Just like his funeral Wednesday in Tupelo, many well-known figures involved with the university and its athletics program spoke about Cristil. One of them was the school's current play-by-play voice, Jim Ellis. "Jack Cristil, forever the voice of the Bulldogs. His gift of saying the right words at the right time has wrapped all of us in maroon and white for decades," said Ellis. |
| Correro has fond memories of Cristil | |
 | In 1979, John Correro was a spotter working on Mississippi State's football broadcasts when he was asked to move into the booth as color analyst alongside legendary play-by-play broadcaster Jack Cristil. At the time, Cristil had been on the microphone for MSU sports for 26 years, and he would continue in the same position for 32 more years. Correro served as Cristil's color voice for 12 years before moving to the sideline in 1991, where he works today. Correro worked with Cristil on MSU broadcasts for 33 years, making him one of Cristil's longest-standing partners. This week, Correro talked with The Dispatch about Cristil, who died Sunday at the age of 88. |
| MSU-Meridian forms new partnership with Louisville Public Schools | |
 | A sponsored partnership between Mississippi State University-Meridian and the Louisville Public School District is enabling one student to gain valuable on-the-job experiences while providing counseling services for the district at a fraction of the cost. Students like Meridian graduate student Christie Smith who are pursuing their school counseling license must complete 1,200 hours of field experience, the equivalent of working 40-hours a week for nine months, said Kimberly Hall, associate professor school counseling at MSU-Meridian. "Due to the demands and expectations of the program, our students usually can't work another job while in this stage of their degree, so we are very grateful to the district for sponsoring Christie," Hall added. |
| Mississippi State to Hold Maroon & Write Speaker Series Next Week | |
| Mississippi State faculty members have another opportunity to learn how more classroom writing assignments may increase students' understanding and retention of course concepts. The university's classroom leaders are invited to the 2014 Maroon & Write Speaker Series at 2 p.m. on Sept. 18 in Mitchell Memorial Library's John Grisham Room. "The Effective Incorporation of Formal/Informal Writing" will be the topic of remarks by Warren Waggenspack and Warren Hull. A brief reception will conclude the program. Waggenspack is associate dean of Louisiana State University's College of Engineering, while Hull manages the college's Chevron Center for Engineering Education. |
| Starkville guarding detailed FY 2014-2015 budget | |
| Starkville employees asked The Dispatch and a Starkville resident to file Freedom of Information Act requests Thursday for its upcoming Fiscal Year 2014-2015 budget, an act that could shield the intricacies of the city's guiding financial document from public inspection before Tuesday's board of aldermen meeting. City staff members have, however, uploaded an 11-page summary to Starkville's website, but not the fully detailed document sought Thursday. In comparison, a 90-page FY 2013-2014 budget was uploaded last year after aldermen approved the city's financial plan. While the summary budget provides a rudimentary explanation of expected city revenues and expenditures, it does not fully flesh them out as in the full version, which was given to aldermen after Tuesday's special-call meeting on Starkville's new plus-one insurance plan. |
| Starkville Parks' finances reaches 'critical' situation | |
| Starkville Parks Commission leader Dan Moreland is making a last-minute call for additional Fiscal Year 2014-2015 funding after sending a letter to aldermen stating his autonomous city department is forecasted almost $57,000 short for September and operated at an estimated $10,000 monthly loss for at least a portion of the current fiscal year. Moreland's documents, sent Wednesday to Starkville aldermen and Mayor Parker Wiseman, outline what John McMurray Jr., a certified public accountant who reviewed SPC's current money woes, described in a supplemental report as a critical financial situation for the organization. |
| New restaurant options open in Golden Triangle | |
| Starkville is getting a restaurant for people who want to eat healthy, locally-grown food. Jason Roden told The Dispatch on Wednesday his plan is for Crush'n On Nature's Eatery to have a soft opening next week. It will be located at Suite 13, 100 Russell St., in College Park Shopping Center. (That's the old home of Lenny's Sub Shop, which closed in late March.) Roden said the goal is simple: give locals a healthy option when eating out. There will be vegan options. Options for people on the Paleolithic diet. Organic items. Free range chicken options. A smoothie and salad bar. A menu geared toward children. Specialty drinks. And most of the produce will come from local farms. |
| Q and A With UPS's David Abney | |
 | David Abney isn't your average CEO, but he is for United Parcel Service Inc. Like nearly all of his predecessors at the delivery giant, the 59-year-old Mississippi native has spent his entire career at UPS, starting off in 1974 loading packages part-time onto trailers late at night while attending Delta State University. After graduating, he spent two years delivering packages in Pascagoula, Miss. Since then, he has held about 20 jobs during what he dubs a "40-year apprenticeship" at UPS. Mr. Abney eventually worked his way up to heading the company's international business -- and then became chief operating officer in 2007. In June, UPS announced his promotion to chief executive. He started Sept. 1. |
| Yates leading delegation to Japan; Gov. Bryant also headed to trade conference | |
 | Gov. Phil Bryant is preparing to go overseas for a trade conference between officials from Japan and the southeastern United States. Bryant's spokesman said this week that the governor will attend the 37th annual meeting of the Southeast U.S./Japan and the Japan-U.S. Southeast Associations, or SEUS-Japan. The meeting takes place Sept. 18-20 in Tokyo. William Yates III, president and CEO of Mississippi-based Yates Construction, is co-chairman of the meeting and will lead the state delegation with Bryant. The governor says Japan is the biggest foreign investor in Mississippi. The state hosts Nissan and Toyota manufacturing plants. |
| GreenTech: Production to start in Tunica this year | |
 | Five years after the company first surfaced, GreenTech Automotive has finished buildings its manufacturing facility in Tunica. It may be just in time to fulfill the terms of a loan the Mississippi Development Authority made the company. In September 2011, the MDA loaned GreenTech $3 million, to help pay for site preparation work. The terms call for GreenTech to create a minimum of 350 jobs by the end of this year. Loan repayments would start after production begins. The loan would come to term within 10 years. The loan from the MDA became an issue in former GreenTech chairman Terry McAuliffe's successful gubernatorial race last year in Virginia. |
| Education report card: F for Mississippi | |
| Mississippi's K-12 program received a failing grade on a report card issued Thursday by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. The state's education system scored an "F" for academic achievement and college and workforce preparedness. "Student performance in Mississippi is very weak, with the state ranking among the lowest in the nation," the study stated. However, the study also showed the state has made progress since the Chamber's first report in 2007, including taking big steps in "adopting rigorous college and career ready standards that the business community has played a leadership role in." |
| Cochran nursing home photo case sent to grand jury | |
| The case of a Pearl man accused of sneaking into a nursing home to take a photo of U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran's bedridden wife has been presented to a grand jury. Madison County District Attorney Michael Guest has confirmed that the case against Clayton Kelly has been presented to the September grand jury. He would not comment further on the status or whether the grand jury has made any decisions. On April 20, Easter Sunday, Kelly, 27, allegedly took photos of Cochran's wife in the Alzheimer's unit at St. Catherine's Village nursing home in Madison. |
| The biggest losers of the primary season | |
 | Primary season is finally over, and we've heard plenty about the big-name winners: The incumbent senators who went undefeated for the first time since 2008 and the GOP establishment that finally tamed its tea party problem. But enough about that. Let's get to the more interesting list: the biggest losers, including Chris McDaniel. The Mississippi state senator received more votes than Sen. Thad Cochran in the June 3 primary but was knocked off by Cochran in the runoff. McDaniel is only 42 and may still have a bright future in the deeply-red state. But instead of graciously conceding, his quixotic -- and ongoing -- legal challenges have made him look like a sore loser and hurt his public image. |
| Sarah Palin, family involved in Alaska party brawl | |
| It sounds like a scene from a reality TV show. But this was just plain old reality. A birthday party in Anchorage gone bad, starring Sarah Palin and her family. It happened last Saturday night in South Anchorage. Blogger Amanda Coyne says it started when Palin's son, Track, "stumbles out of a stretch Hummer, and immediately spots an ex-boyfriend of Willow's. Track isn't happy with this guy, the story goes. There's words, and more." At one point, Sarah herself is said to have screamed, "Don't you know who I am!?" Palin hasn't commented. The Anchorage Police Department confirmed that members of the family were there. No arrests were made. |
| Jones County Circuit Court challenger: 'I have no ties to Pickering' | |
 | The state auditor is in the middle of the Jones County Circuit Court Judicial election. It is now come to light that one of the candidates has a past with the State Auditor Stacey Pickering. In 2003, Dal Williamson represented Pickering when he was running for state senator. Williamson confirms that he in fact did represent Pickering, but that was the only time. "That's been years and years ago and anyone that is now trying to say that I have a tie to Stacey Pickering, that's the state auditor now, that's just, that's simply an act of desperation in the election," Williamson said. |
| Palazzo: Asteroids may have commercial value | |
| The future is now, and it's not because Apple announced its latest iPhone. Instead, the likelihood of mining an asteroid in space isn't just a sci-fi movie plot from the 1990s. Earlier this week, a U.S. Congressional committee hearing included encouragement for NASA to start looking into possible commercial uses for the limitless vacuum -- part of an update to the proposed American Space Technology for Exploring Resource Opportunities In Deep Space (ASTEROIDS) Act. The bill -- sponsored across both sides of the aisle -- would address "property rights issues for commercial and private entities interested in utilizing resources found in asteroids," according to a press release from U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo's (R-Miss.) office. |
| U.S. weakens al-Qaeda groups around the world but hasn't wiped any out | |
 | Through two wars, thousands of drone strikes and hundreds of covert operations around the world, the United States has substantially weakened al-Qaeda and its affiliates, eroding their capabilities in ways that have reduced the threat they pose to the United States. The scope of that conflict is poised to expand again as U.S. military officials said Thursday that they were given new authority to begin targeting leaders of an al-Qaeda rival known as the Islamic State. Experts said the United States can expect similar cooperation from Iraq, but not Syria. President Bashar al-Assad's military has lost territory but almost certainly retains control of the country's airspace, said James O. Poss, a retired U.S. Air Force major general. |
| General outlines plans for Army Cyber Command | |
 | The commanding general of the Army Cyber Command said this week that his team expects to break ground next year on a defense network at Fort Gordon in Augusta, Ga., that will work with private technology firms, and the federal departments of justice and homeland security. Speaking before a crowd of more than 500 people at TechNet Augusta's second annual military conference on Tuesday, Lt. Gen. Edward Cardon provided the first public details on how the Army Cyber Command will function at Fort Gordon. Cardon said he has yet to move to Augusta but expects his command, along with the Cyber Center of Excellence and related missions, to be up and running in the area in four years. Cardon said cyberspace eventually will become its own military domain that will apply to all six war fighting functions. |
| Congregations more accepting of gays, survey finds | |
 | Overall acceptance of gays and lesbians in U.S. religious congregations rose significantly between 2006 and 2012, but it declined in Catholic congregations, according to new data released Thursday. Duke University's National Congregations Study is derived from interviews with representatives -- usually clergy -- of 1,331 U.S. churches, mosques, temples, synagogues and other houses of worship. Overall, the study found acceptance of gay and lesbian members in American congregations increased from 37 percent to 48 percent over the six-year period. Growth was especially strong among black Protestant churches, white liberal Protestant churches and non-Christian congregations. |
| 'Fantasy' of Fuel From Corn Waste Gets Big U.S. Test | |
 | Despite its grand scale, the event that marked the opening of the Project Liberty ethanol plant in northern Iowa last week at times felt a bit like a homey church function. Speakers onstage talked about a vision -- a "fantasy," as the event materials put it -- finally made real. The so-called fantasy that the Liberty plant -- a $275 million co-venture between Sioux Falls, S.D.-based ethanol producer POET and DSM, a Dutch chemical conglomerate -- aims to realize is the first commercial-scale production of cellulosic ethanol. Project Liberty's endeavor requires no small amount of faith. The new project will strive to avoid the trajectories of Mississippi-based KiOR and Florida-based INEOS Bio, companies that also touted cellulosic ethanol firsts when they debuted last year but have since failed to achieve any significant production because of financial and technical setbacks. |
| MUW enrollment hits highest point in decade-plus | |
| Fall enrollment numbers at Mississippi University for Women are up from last year, according to preliminary figures released this week by the state Institutions of Higher Learning. The report says there are 2,697 students at The W this fall. The number was 2,629 last year. MUW President Jim Borsig said the latest numbers represent the largest student population at The W in more than a decade. "We believe The W offers an unparalleled opportunity for students who thrive in the personalized, small-class learning environment we offer," Borsig said in a release. |
| UM's Patterson School of Accounting makes top 20 for graduate program | |
| Accounting Degree Review has released its 2014 ranking of the top 50 graduate schools for accounting. The Patterson School of Accountancy at the University of Mississippi made the ranking at 14th. McCombs School of Business from the University of Texas in Austin took the top spot. The University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign College of Business and Brigham Young University's Marriott School of Management were second and third, respectively. |
| Suicide Prevention Week: Delta State offers counsel | |
| Suicide Prevention Week continues and Delta State University has material for students in need. After Kevin Hines and Kevin Briggs spoke to a full Bologna Performing Arts Center on Monday about mental health awareness and suicide prevention, Katrina Taylor, mental health needs coordinator for the department of counseling and student health services, wants to remind the DSU community, "Mental health services are free to all full-time Delta State students, faculty, and staff. We have counselors and students can go to the health center and be taken to the back for counseling." The Counseling and Testing Center is open for service and free to students, faculty and staff, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The center also has information for students who are concerned with a friend's behavior and how to seek help. |
| Meridian Community College Continues Dual Enrollment Program with Local Schools | |
 | Officials from Meridian Community College, Meridian Public Schools and Lauderdale County Schools gathered Thursday to sign a memo of understanding about MCC's Dual Enrollment program. High school students in Lauderdale County and Meridian Public Schools have the opportunity to get a jump start on their college education by enrolling for classes at MCC. The dual enrollment began with just two classes and has continued to grow. "Our first dual credit classes were in 2005, and we've grown in number and in course offerings," said MCC vice president of operations Barbara Jones. |
| Four U. of Alabama fraternity brothers charged with assault | |
 | Four fraternity brothers beat and kicked a victim until he was unconscious early Sunday, and it was all captured on video, investigators said Thursday. Neither police nor a university spokeswoman would identify the fraternity. University of Alabama students Nicholas Mitrow, Zachary Stewart, Kevin Brady and Joseph Baroni, all 18, are accused of beating the victim, also 18, in the courtyard of the Presidential Village II dorm. Mitrow, from New Jersey, was arrested Tuesday while Stewart, from Colorado, and Brady, from New York, were arrested Wednesday. Baroni turned himself in to authorities Thursday. |
| Fourth suspect arrested in U. of Alabama assault that sent fellow student to hospital | |
 | The final suspect charged in connection with an assault at the University of Alabama that sent a fellow student to the hospital turned himself in to police Thursday afternoon. Joseph Baroni was booked on second-degree assault charges and held $10,000 bond. Nicholas Mitrow, Zachary Stewart and Kevin Brady were arrested under identical charges Tuesday and Wednesday, and have since bonded out of the Tuscaloosa County Jail. Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit Commander Dale Phillips said Thursday the victim told police the group of four students approached his friend and began harassing him when the victim stepped in to tell the group to "move along." They then attacked the victim. |
| One of U. of Florida attacks unfounded, police say | |
 | The woman who reported the third attack near the University of Florida campus on Sept. 5 was so intoxicated the night she called for help that Gainesville Police Department investigators told her to go to bed and call them in the morning. That woman's account has since been declared unfounded. In a series of interviews in the days after the incident, the woman recanted her report that she was attacked while walking from a midtown bar to an area around Library West, Officer Ben Tobias, GPD spokesman, said on Thursday. Because the woman was honest in follow-up interviews, she will not be charged with filing a false police report, Tobias said. |
| City to hire mediator to resolve East Campus parking issues with U. of Missouri students | |
 | The permit-only parking program implemented in Columbia's North Village Arts District has created a partial model for how to resolve overflow parking issues in East Campus. Permit parking also could move to other neighborhoods such as Benton-Stephens and the area around South Garth Avenue. A rising student population at the University of Missouri has been changing the makeup of these neighborhoods for decades, with rental companies subdividing homes to better fit the needs of incoming students. Yet parking capacity has failed to adapt, particularly in East Campus. The city aims to hire a mediator this month to come to a final solution that would be ready by next fall. The issue has been debated among homeowners, renters, landlords, MU student groups and members of the East Campus Neighborhood Association. |
| One year after takeoff, Boeing-sponsored engineering capstone project expands | |
 | To get five universities to collaborate on closing the skills gap in aerospace engineering, all it took was the attention of a global multibillion-dollar corporation: Boeing. It's a partnership known as AerosPACE, short for Aerospace Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering. This fall, students at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Brigham Young, Purdue, Tuskegee and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Universities can choose a yearlong capstone project in which they design, build and test fly an unmanned aerial vehicle (or, in less technical terms, a drone). The universities and Boeing are able to collaborate thanks to input from a range of governmental and private sector partners. |
| Education Looms Large in Pivotal U.S. Senate Races | |
 | Education policy issues are at the heart of a handful of highly competitive U.S. Senate races that could help determine which party controls the chamber next year. In North Carolina, candidates are locking horns over education spending and teacher pay; in Georgia, the Common Core State Standards are taking center stage; and in Iowa, higher education and student loans are the subject of the latest skirmish between Senate hopefuls. But while education is adding heat to some key contests as Republicans nationally push to take the Senate from Democrats -- the current split is 53 Democrats, 45 Republicans, and two Independents -- it may not play such a pivotal role in elections nationwide. |
| OUR OPINION: Higher ed enrollment may grow more slowly in U.S. | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal editorializes: "Mississippi's public universities and community colleges, whose enrollments grew at a brisk pace for several years after the turn of the millennium, have slowed in gaining additional students, and community colleges statewide actually have lost enrollment for four consecutive years. ...The university enrollment leveling statewide may be part of a forecast nationwide trend." |
| OUR VIEW: Starkville's insurance plan makes sense | |
| The Dispatch editorializes: "In the city of Starkville's last regular meeting, the board of aldermen voted to implement a 'plus-one' insurance plan which, among other things, allows a city employee to add another adult to their health insurance policy. Soon after the board passed the plan, the Human Rights Campaign, a civil rights organization for the LGBT community, issued a press release, suggesting the insurance expansion was intended for same-sex partners. There are two things to note about the plan..." |
| BILL MINOR (OPINION): Senate challenge amateurish, laughable | |
| Longtime political observer and columnist Bill Minor writes: "Chris McDaniel sent a troop of amateur sleuths around the state to dig up evidence that "illegal and fraudulent" ballots for Sen. Thad Cochran in the June 24 Republican primary had stolen the U.S. Senate seat for Cochran. ...Of particular interest in the McDaniel complaint documents I obtained was the listing of some 223 absentee ballots cast in seven Oxford precincts which the McDaniel representative said should have been thrown out for irregularities. The reasons cited by the McDaniel rep why each absentee ballot (listed with the voter's name) are so ridiculous that reading them can only make you laugh out loud." |
SPORTS
| Unusual road date for Mississippi State at South Alabama | |
| The average SEC football fan might have done a double take when reviewing this week's conference schedule and noticing Mississippi State's matchup. The Bulldogs (2-0) will face South Alabama (1-0). Nothing strange there. It's the location of the game that might come as a surprise. Mississippi State will play at South Alabama at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile on Saturday afternoon -- the product of a two-for-one agreement between the schools. The scheduling philosophy has actually worked well for MSU and its fans. "I've never heard a coach say we've lost a kid or a recruit over something like that," Mississippi State athletic director Scott Stricklin said. "I do think our fans appreciate the fact that we're putting road games in locations where we have fans that can get there. We're playing in Mobile and we have a lot of fans on the Gulf Coast, a lot of alumni down there between Pensacola over to New Orleans..." |
| Mississippi State trip to South Alabama is a rare road-match | |
| It's rare, but not uncommon. Seven of the Southeastern Conference's 14 teams have traveled to play a non-power conference opponent the last three years. Mississippi State is one of them. Under Dan Mullen, it's become a trend. Last year was the only season since Mullen arrived in 2009 that Mississippi State didn't play a road game against a mid-major opponent. Instead, the Bulldogs went to Houston to play Oklahoma State. This season, it's back on the road less traveled. MSU plays its first game away from Davis Wade Stadium at South Alabama on Saturday. "When you look at scheduling these games, we're doing our philosophy which is to schedule games our fans can get to," Mullen said. "Most important to me is our players' families can go watch them play." |
| Jags like their chances against Bulldogs | |
| Forgive South Alabama fans for being more than a little excited about this weekend's game against Mississippi State. The Jaguars, who are just in their sixth season of having a football program, are hosting a Southeastern Conference opponent for the first time. Tickets are already sold out at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, a 33,471 seat facility. "This weekend's game is probably the biggest game a lot of us have ever played in, so there is a lot of excitement in the locker room," said USA tight end Braedon Bowman. "It's a big game and a big opportunity for us." |
| Mississippi State defense eager to reverse fortunes | |
| It was a performance that most members of the Mississippi State defense would like to forget. MSU (2-0) will get its first chance to put memories of performance against Alabama-Birmingham out of its mind at 3 p.m. Saturday (ESPNEWS) when it takes on South Alabama (1-0). Last week in a 47-34 victory against UAB, MSU surrendered 435 yards passing and three touchdowns that went for 75 or more yards. The effort came one week after the defense posted the school's first shutout since 1999 with a 49-0 demolition of Southern Mississippi. Each member of the defense, including defensive coordinator Geoff Collins, has worked this week to make UAB's outburst is an anomaly. |
| Mississippi State's Mullen: QB rotation to get Damian Williams prepared | |
| It took less than five minutes into Dan Mullen's radio show for the topic of the quarterback rotation to emerge on Thursday. Mississippi State's sixth year coach reiterated the reason for his decision in playing both quarterbacks. "We're one snap from Damian Williams being the starting quarterback," Mullen said. Mullen also addressed why he wants to bring Williams in during early portions of the game in the game. The coach said he wants Williams to be fresh. |
| Mississippi State will stick with quarterback rotation | |
| There's an adage in college football that goes something like, "If a team has two quarterbacks, it really doesn't have a quarterback." That's not the case at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs have a good quarterback in junior Dak Prescott. Through two games, Prescott leads the Southeastern Conference and is tied for the national lead with eight touchdown passes. He also has rushed for 150 yards and a score, so its' easy to say the Haughton, Louisiana native is living up to the hype he received in the offseason. Despite Prescott's success, backup quarterback Damian Williams has been thrown into key situations early and often. |
| Former South Alabama players share in excitement over Mississippi State sellout | |
| Wherever they go on campus or around town, especially this week, South Alabama players are greeted warmly. There is an excitement that surrounds the Jaguars' football program, one that is enhanced this week as the Jags prepare to play SEC opponent Mississippi State Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. It's the first time a SEC team will play South Alabama on its home field, the first time a Jags' home game has reached sellout status, the first time many of the fans who will attend the game has watched the Jags' play. It's the first time the question, "Do you have any tickets?" has been asked in respect to a South Alabama home game. |
| Mississippi State's William learning to use quickness at point | |
| A player's ability to get into the lane is only the first step. When you're jet quick and 5-foot-3 and playing in high school or at the Amateur Athletic Union level, you often can use your quickness to make things happen. Odds are Morgan William will find a few more obstacles on her way to the rim when she begins her freshman season with the Mississippi State women's basketball team. The size of the defenders might not be there in abundance in non-conference games, but William is bound to encounter her share of 6-4 and 6-5 post players blocking her way in the Southeastern Conference. Don't worry, though, because William relishes the thought of picking her spots to navigate the dangers of the biggest, baddest -- and tallest? -- league in the nation. |
| Mississippi State Sports Hall of Fame announces 2014 inductees | |
| Two former Mississippi State student-athletes will be inducted into the MSU Sports Hall of Fame during pregame festivities when Bulldog football hosts Texas A&M on Oct. 4, the MSU athletic department announced Thursday. Men's basketball's Rickey Brown and track and field standout Tiffany McWilliams Dudley will represent the 2014 class of the MSU Sports Hall of Fame. The MSU Sports Hall of Fame, administered by the M-Club Alumni Association, is designed to honor those former student-athletes at Mississippi State who excelled in their respective sports while at MSU and have also demonstrated good citizenship and outstanding character since leaving Mississippi State. |
| UM game day logistics: Traffic, parking, transit in Oxford | |
| Oxford loves company, especially during football season, but it's a bit like a gracious hostess who lives in a charming but cramped cottage. Its compact footprint and the narrow streets in some popular areas make common pre- and postgame rituals of trickling traffic, poached parking places and hefty hikes between cars and campus. This week's home-opener, when the University of Mississippi hosts the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, will be a logistical dress rehearsal of sorts. "It's going to be a challenge, but this is a good test run because it's a non-SEC game," said Jimmy Allgood, Oxford's emergency management director, who oversees game-day logistics. |
| College Football Playoff, SEC Network give LSU athletics' bottom line a boost | |
 | LSU's athletic budget has hit an all-time high with the infusion of expected cash from the new College Football Playoff and SEC Network. The school estimates it will bring in $109 million of revenue in fiscal year 2015, a $4 million boost from last year and a record for the department. At $108.9 million, LSU will spend nearly $8 million more than last year -- at least half of that because of the new south end zone addition to Tiger Stadium. LSU's athletic budget for fiscal year 2015 (July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2015) is set to be approved by the LSU Board of Supervisors at its Friday meeting. LSU also is expected to approve a three-year contract extension for Athletic Director Joe Alleva. |
| UGA to change student seating procedures after Clemson miscues | |
| The University of Georgia Athletic Association will change procedures for seating students at Sanford Stadium following a record turnout at the Clemson football game on Aug. 30. "We had some challenges Saturday. One was student seating," conceded UGA Athletic Director Greg McGarity. No medical or other emergencies resulted from the overcrowding students pointed to as the problem. "Nothing really happened," McGarity said. But some students said conditions verged close to dangerous. UGA law student Sarah Darden, in a sharply worded email to UGA athletic ticket director Tim Cearley and other UGA administrators, said the situation could have been "tragic," noting that students passed a woman out over the top of the crowd for medical help after she was overcome by heat. |
| Safety reasons cited for removal of Spirit of '02 cannon from A&M's Kyle Field | |
 | A cannon will not fire after each Aggie touchdown this weekend. The Spirit of '02 will instead take its place at Fiddler's Green after firing for Step-off and marching into Kyle Field with the Parsons Mounted Cavalry. Corps of Cadets Commandant Brig. Gen. Joe Ramirez said in a Facebook post on Thursday that the cannon had to be moved for Saturday's game against Rice and crews were unable to set up a live feed to show the cannon on the stadium jumbotron. The Spirit of '02, often referred to as a cannon, is actually a 1902 field artillery gun that has celebrated Aggie touchdowns at Kyle Field since 1984. The Corps plans to set up a live feed for the rest of the 2014 homegames starting with the Oct. 11 game against Ole Miss. |
| Notre Dame and Under Armour Seek Win-Win With Apparel Deal | |
 | Adam Clement, Under Armour's creative director for team sports, traveled to Notre Dame's Gothic-inspired campus last November after his upstart sports clothing company heard that one of the most valuable college programs might soon be in need of new sponsorship. Clement peered closely at the Main Building's famous Golden Dome and noticed subtle wide crosshatches on its surface. On the inside, under the dome, he examined the intricate, curlicue pattern on the mosaic floor. These touches helped inspire the uniforms Notre Dame will wear Saturday in Indianapolis for the so-called Shamrock Series against in-state rival Purdue. whether Notre Dame plays well means less to Under Armour than the exposure it gains after signing what was billed as the most valuable outfitting deal in college sports history. It is a splashy move for a tradition-rich university. |
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