One for the Ages

D3Playbook JANUARY 3, 2020 | written by STEVE ULRICH your must-read briefing on what's driving the day in NCAA Division III Our goal is to keep you - the influencers in DIII athletics - apprised of what's happening around Division III - the games, polls, news, happenings, awards, calendar of events, and much more. We hope you enjoy d3Playbook and that you'll share this with your friends, colleagues and co-workers.

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1.  One for the Ages   "Rarely had a Rose Bowl seen such flawless execution. The preparation was inspired, the key players unwavering and a national television audience enthralled. Nearly 60 years ago, an intrepid interloper made an uninvited, unprecedented and unforgettable appearance in the so-called Granddaddy of Them All. Caltech made the Rose Bowl. A small band of ingenious Caltech students made it happen, surreptitiously altering a University of Washington halftime flip-card routine so that it would spell out “CALTECH” in what became known as the Great Rose Bowl Hoax of 1961. Their leader was Lyn Hardy, mastermind of a stunt that has been called the greatest collegiate prank of all time." >> Situational Awareness: After learning that the Washington band and cheerleaders were staying in dormitories at Long Beach State, Hardy showed up posing as a reporter for the Dorsey High student newspaper. (Hardy, a Caltech junior at the time, was a Dorsey graduate.) The cheerleaders, who organized the flip-card routine, willingly shared the technical details of how it worked. >> What's Happened Next: After breaking into the cheerleaders' room, the group lifted a card-stunt instruction card, and took it back to Pasadena and had some 2,400 copies made. Early on New Year’s Eve, while the cheerleaders were at Disneyland, Hardy’s group broke into their dorm room again, this time “borrowing” the master instructions. Back at Caltech, the Fiendish 14 mapped out their own master plans on graph paper and, recruiting partygoers to assist, stamped out a new set of 2,232 individual instruction cards. >> Worth Noting: They had left the first 11 stunts virtually unaltered. So at halftime, with Washington holding a 17-0 lead on its way to a 17-7 victory over the No. 1-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers, nothing at first seemed out of place. >> Of Note: “It was one of those classic moments when a prank comes together instantly, perfectly and dramatically,” applauds museumofhoaxes.com, which lists the “Great Rose Bowl Hoax” atop its list of the all-time top 10 college pranks. >> Keep Reading with Jerry Crowe, Los Angeles Times

2.  An Online Class Apart   Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow is a hero on LSU’s Baton Rouge campus, but he hasn’t seen much of it because he took graduate courses online. Justin Fields rarely has to step inside an Ohio State classroom building because he also does most of his school work online to accommodate his grueling football schedule. Fields, a sophomore quarterback who was a Heisman finalist, said online classes allow him to split his time between studying at home or relaxing with Netflix and the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, where besides football facilities there is a new lavish lounge for players that offers made-to-order meals, massage chairs, video games on big screens and a cryogenic chamber. Online classes are a fact of modern college life. For football players with immense demands on their time nearly year-round, working online helps them fit school in when it’s convenient — especially during travel for road games — and to avoid having to mix it up with a bunch of other students clamoring for a selfie for their Instagram. The arrangement also allows them, if they choose, to spend most of their waking hours around teammates and others associated with the football program. That can be good and bad. >> The Big Picture: Of the 46 schools from the “power five” conferences that responded to an Associated Press survey, 27 have no limits on how many online courses athletes may take. A dozen others have few online course offerings or limit how many athletes may take. >> Between The Lines: Burrow, who was awarded a master’s degree in liberal arts last Friday, acknowledged his laser focus on football in Baton Rouge kept him sequestered. That’s why he decided to spend a few minutes celebrating with fans postgame at Tiger Stadium last month. “I don’t go to class. I take online classes, so I don’t get to see any of those people,” he said. “And I kind of just wanted to see them for the first time and just thank them.” >> What They're Saying: “Just from an industry standpoint, we worry daily and nightly how we monitor academic integrity in online courses. How are we ensuring students are doing the work themselves? Are we ensuring if they do need additional tutoring or support, how is it their work and not the tutor’s work? There are challenges there that are inherent to the online nature versus the system that we’ve built with compliance in in-person classes.” - Brian Russell, associate AD for academic services and student development, Illinois. >> Yes, But: “I get very heated when people make criticisms of online classes. It’s simply another delivery system to help students get through schools. Ours are proctored exams, they have cameras on them, the kids understand all of the implications of taking an online class. It’s worked beautifully for us.” - Marilyn Middlebrooks, associate AD for academic affairs, Oklahoma State. >> Go Deeper from the Associated Press

3.  About Last Night   Smith continued its best start in program history with a 58-51 victory at Trinity (Conn.). Katelyn Pickunka had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds as the Pioneers improved to 12-0.   Top-ranked Swarthmore held off a challenge from visiting Rochester, 59-56, to remain perfect through 10 games.   Jeremy Kalonji scored 31 points and collected nine rebounds as Adrian (6-5) pounded North Park, 89-65.

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4. Five-Star Matchups Our look at the weekend's biggest games inside and outside the top 10. Inside the Top 10 WBB: #6 Amherst (8-1) at #24 Widener (11-0), Saturday, 4:00 WIH: #1 Plattsburgh (10-1) at #3 Norwich (10-1), Sunday, 2:00 WIH: #6 Adrian (9-1-1) vs. #8 Elmira (7-2), Sunday, 5:00 MBB: #1 Swarthmore (10-0) at Stevens (8-1), Sunday, 3:00 Outside the Top 10 MBB: Utica (8-2) at #22 Hamilton (9-1), Friday, 2:00 MBB: Tufts (9-2) at Nichols (7-2), Saturday, 1:00 MBB: Augsburg (7-2) at Saint John's (9-1), Saturday, 2:00 MBB: Nebraska Wesleyan (10-2) at Loras (10-2), Saturday, 5:00 WBB: Western New England (8-2) at Trinity, Conn. (9-2), Saturday, 1:00 WBB: UMass Boston (9-1) at Eastern Connecticut (7-2), Saturday, 1:00 WBB: #15 Transylvania (9-1) at Bluffton (8-2), Saturday, 1:00 WBB: John Carroll (9-1) at Ohio Northern (8-2), Saturday, 3:00 WBB: Rensselaer (7-2) at NYU (7-1), Sunday, 3:00 MIH: #11 Utica (7-2-2) at #7 Adrian (7-2-1), Saturday 7:05/Sunday 4:05

5. Weekend Preview    Basketball (W) - D3hoops.com Tufts (vs. UMass Dartmouth) Scranton Bowdoin Hope (at Trine) Mary Hardin-Baylor (vs. Texas-Dallas) Amherst (SAT at #24 Widener; SUN at Stevens) Wartburg (vs. Dubuque) DePauw (FRI vs. Allegheny; SAT vs. Hiram) George Fox (FRI vs. Willamette; SAT at Linfield) DeSales (at Cabrini) Basketball (M) - D3hoops.com Swarthmore (SUN at Stevens) Emory Wittenberg (vs. Kenyon) Middlebury (FRI at Colby-Sawyer) St. Thomas MN (at Concordia-Moorhead) Marietta (at Wilmington) Randolph-Macon (at Emory and Henry) Nebraska Wesleyan (at Loras) UW-Platteville (vs. UW-Stout) Washington U. Wrestling (Dual Meet) - NWCA Wartburg Loras (at Dubuque Flash Flanagan Open) Augsburg (vs. Saint John's) Wabash (at Manchester Spartan Classic) Johnson & Wales (at RWU Scott Viera Open) Mount Union (vs. Alma; vs. #22 Stevens) Baldwin Wallace Coe UW-La Crosse North Central Ice Hockey (M) - USCHO UW-Eau Claire Trinity (FRI at Plymouth State; SAT vs. Suffolk) Geneseo (FRI vs. King's; SAT vs. Neumann) Norwich (FRI vs. Assumption; SAT vs. TBA) Augsburg Salve Regina (FRI vs. Cortland; SAT vs. TBA) Adrian (SAT/SUN vs. #11 Utica) Hobart (SAT vs. Saint John's; SUN vs. TBA) U. of New England (FRI vs. #14 Williams; SAT vs. TBA) Oswego (FRI vs. Saint Mary's; SAT vs. TBA) Ice Hockey (W) - USCHO Plattsburgh (SUN at #3 Norwich) Middlebury Norwich (SUN vs. #1 Plattsburgh) Gustavus Adolphus UW-Eau Claire Adrian (SUN vs. #8 Elmira) UW-River Falls (FRI/SAT at Concordia-Moorhead) Elmira (SUN vs. #6 Adrian) St. Thomas Hamline (FRI vs. St. Norbert; SAT vs. Lake Forest) all games/matches Saturday unless indicated

6.  Comings and Goings   Jerry Boyes announced his retirement as athletic director at Buffalo State at the end of the academic year. Tammy Metcalf-Filzen has interim tag removed, named head women's basketball coach at Carleton. Brett Dietz named head football coach at DePauw. Justin Dionne named assistant men's lacrosse coach at Wabash.

7.   Best of the Decade: Video Games   From the introduction of groundbreaking in-game elements to refining how games make money, these are the titles that made the biggest impact on both players and the industry since 2010. >> Why It Matters: Gaming is now humanity’s favorite form of entertainment, and the medium’s legacy was cemented this past decade. >> The Big Picture: Video games have experienced a rapidly changing landscape in technology, business models (i.e. microtransactions and the sale of seasonal battle passes), and its market which now includes more female gamers and an older average audience. >> Of Note: And regardless of whether they’re aware of it, Candy Crush Saga turned millions of unsuspecting people into gamers. >> Be Smart: Over the last three years, Fortnite was everywhere. At one point, it boasted more than 200 million players a month, and became the biggest pop phenomenon of 2018. World Cup goals were celebrated with Fortnite dances. Former first lady Michelle Obama even did a dance. Major sports leagues worried about players not sleeping or training because of the game. >> courtesy of the Washington Post

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