In a report released Tuesday, an influential panel on collegiate athletics recommended changes that would reduce commercialism in big-time college sports.
The Knight Foundation Commission, a 28-member panel of college presidents, corporate CEOs and former athletic stars, offered many reforms that would turn the state of collegiate athletics upside down. The most radical proposals include treating athletes as other students in the admissions and academic process, and disqualifying teams from conference championships or postseason play that post a graduation rate of below 50 percent.
The proposed reforms would fund two groups independent of the NCAA. The first is the Coalition of Presidents, a group that will allow university presidents to come together in their efforts toward reform. The second is an Institute for Intercollegiate Sports, which would serve as a watchdog agency that could promote reform and issue report cards.
Football picked No. 55
Athlon Sports has ranked the Cavalier football team at the No. 55 spot for the upcoming season. Under new head coach Al Groh, who left the New York Jets to coach his alma mater, Virginia returns 11 starters, five offense, six defense and both kickers, but inherits a poor defense that finished 98th in the nation.
The Cavaliers face one of the most difficult schedules in the nation, with non-conference games with Virginia Tech, Penn State and Wisconsin on the slate. Virginia finished the 2000 season with a 6-6 overall record (5-3 ACC).
Hagan commits twice
Cave Spring High School's Tom Hagan gave a nod to the Cavaliers two times June 21: once to Virginia baseball coach Dennis Womack and once to football coach Al Groh.
The 6-foot-2 and 180-pound Hagan was a first-team All-Timesland Regional District shortstop and led the region in batting with a .575 average this spring. The rising Cave Spring High senior also made first-team All-Timesland as a punter in football, averaging over 43 yards per punt in 55 punts.
According to Cave Spring football coach Ben Foutz, Hagan has a 4.1 grade-point average out of a 5.0 scale and scored 1300 on the SAT.
Former lacrosse player honored
A nominating committee selected former Virginia lacrosse star Tom Duquette as a member of the 44th class of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame on Tuesday. It is the second consecutive year a Cavalier has been voted into the Hall of Fame.
Duquette served as an attackman for Virginia from 1970-1973. In his collegiate career, he garnered All-American honors four times and played on the team that won 1972 NCAA championship. Duquette is the Cavaliers' all-time leader in scoring (107 goals) and is second in assists (92). He also played for the United States National Team that won the 1974 world title.
Duquette is the sixth Cavalier to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Volleyball picked sixth in ACC
The 2001 preseason ACC volleyball poll has Virginia in the sixth spot for the upcoming season. The panel of the nine league head coaches gave Georgia Tech the first-place nod with a total of 80 out of 81 possible points.
Virginia will return four starters in the fall but will have only one senior on the team. The Cavaliers finished with a 16-15 overall record and tied for fifth in the ACC in 2000.
Virginia will open the 2001 season hosting Minnesota, Radford and Stanford in the Jefferson Cup Tournament Aug. 31-Sept. 1.
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