FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[Kira & Jaxon's Dad]

Head to NIU.  Coach Novak will take care of your friend's academics!

[Mr. Ypsi]

Head to NIU.  Coach Novak will take care of your friend's academics!

Was this meant in the positive sense, or has news of an NIU scandal not yet reached here (or I missed it)?  Is this the 'MAC exception' that Spence alluded to?  (Having 'support services' actually write athletes' papers and take-home exams has cost several coaches their jobs, but I suspect many more have not been caught.)

Spence, I was 'cabonney' until 2-3 years ago.  Pat (sarcastically) referred to me as 'Mr. Ypsi' during some long-forgotten contretemps, and sac chimed in that that should be my name.  When the guru himself and a hall-of-famer tell me my name (during the first day of the Ypsilanti Heritage Festival, no less), who am I to argue?!

[Spence]

I can't speak for kirasdad, but NIU was not the school.

If you have any exposure to midwest college sports at all, you've probably heard about the scandal I'm referring to. It's been a real rocket. It's gotten some national play and has some relevance in both Ohio and Michigan.

Have never heard anything bad about Joe Novak. Most MAC schools take some partial qualifiers for athletics. But some have a better record with them than others.

I don't want to discourage anyone from attending a Division III school on a Division III site, so I don't really want to suggest D-I programs. Mostly I think it's a decision that's just going to have to be very well researched, scouted and thought out by the people involved. As it really should be for everyone.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Ah, gotcha - I never claimed to be a 'rocket' scientist!  

My apologies to kirasdad and Joe Novak.  My brother went to NIU (more than 40 years ago), so glad to hear it wasn't them - I was quite thrilled when they looked like they might actually force their way in to the BCS through the first 7 games three years ago.

[Kira & Jaxon's Dad]

I wasn't trying to refer to anything sly with NIU.  What I was saying that Coach Novak has really turned things around at NIU in the past 10 years and I was trying to encourage his friend to go there.

My father used to coach with Novak back in the late 70s/Early 80s and Coach Novak is still a family friend.

[stoonk]

HOT NEWS!
TROY STARR MOUNT UNION FOOTBALL FIRST ALL AMERICAN LINEBACKER 1985 IS THE NEW "DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL OPERATIONS" FOR THE FLORIDA GATORS 2006 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!!!  WAY TO GO TROY ........ HOT OFF THE PRESS TO MY BUDDY ... REALITY CHECK.

[reality check]

He just got appointed to last year's championship team? 

If it's true then I'm happy another D-IIIer is seeing success on a bigger stage.  I'd like to find something to substantiate the statement though since there's no mention of it on Florida's website and I'd think for something to be "hot off the presses" it would have to be published somewhere.  So do us all the favor of posting a link so we can read and congratulate for ourselves.

[stoonk]

Ok reality check,
Late tonight {3 hrs time difference in L.A.] go to [www.dailynews.com] and [www.latimes.com] for big stories  on Troy Starr going to Florida Gators.Stoonk is always a step ahead of the news wires!!!   

[stoonk]

The printed scoop for Reality Check!! 
www.DailyNews.com ,Los Angeles California
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later, Gator: A Starr leaving Taft
Ramona Shelburne, Columnist
Article Last Updated: 04/23/2007 10:19:19 PM PDT


It was a day that had been coming for a long time. A day Troy Starr had both dreamed about and dreaded.

How would he tell the kids? How would they take it? Would he ever be able to find the right words? And even if he did, could he even get them out?

[remainder removed to protect newspaper copyright]

[Pat Coleman]

The link will do just fine. Violating the newspaper's copyright isn't something we're overly fond of here.

[Kira & Jaxon's Dad]

Announcement Here Also:

http://www.gatorzone.com/story.php?id=12099&html=football/news/20070423065100.html&sport=footb

[HScoach]

Here's the link directly to the story:

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_5736357

[raiderguy]

Where in the H. E. double hockey sticks is the OAC today? Anybody watch the Raider practice last Saturday? The time change may have goofed some people up.

[reality check]

Article from YahooSports posted today regarding ONU's Jason Trusnik as a draft sleeper to watch. 

Yahoo Article

Also the Shreveport Times (possibly the foremost expert on the NFL draft (sarcasm)) lists Trusnik as the "Most Underrated D-Linemen" in the 2007 NFL Draft.

Shreveport Times Article

Trusnik is also mentioned in an article on the Cleveland Browns website regarding Ohio talent in the draft.

I'm interested to see if this is the year a player from Div. III gets drafted, be it Trusnik, Whitworth TE Allan or any other DIII alum.

[raiderpa]

I too, would like to know about the spring "game", so will go to the best authority...ric's website....
another thread said that Drew Kuhn came out for spring football at Mount..anything on that? I cant help but believe that no matter how much Mount has talentwise, that Kuhn will be a very nice addition... also, did Scott Thomas (West Branch High) participate in spring drills?....he is a very good, and transferred to Mount for family reasons...