The Clock Is Ticking

 

written by STEVE ULRICH your must-read briefing on what's driving the day in NCAA Division III     Donate to D3Playbook Won't you please consider making a gift to D3Playbook. Your gift will help us offset the costs of operating the newsletter and enable us to continue to provide the quality you have come to expect. My heartfelt thanks to those who have already generously contributed. Join them today.   >> Hello Tuesday. In 1970, “NFL Monday Night Football” made its debut on ABC-TV as the Cleveland Browns defeated the visiting New York Jets, 31-21. Who were the announcers? (answer below) >> Today's Word Count: 1,082  >> Thanks for reading D3Playbook. Share us with a friend today. Let them know what they're missing. >> Record books in need of an overhaul? Send us an email and see what we can do for you.   Send D3Playbook to my inbox, please. TOP STORY 1. The Clock is Ticking by Karen Weaver, Forbes "If you’re like most fans, you’re probably convinced the NCAA is broken. When you heard that NCAA President Mark Emmert has called for a Constitutional Convention (the first since 1988), you thought, so what? Nothing’s going to change.  Robert Gates knows how you feel. The chair of the committee and the former President at Texas A&M (and Secretary of Defense), Gates likened the NCAA’s processes to an “AT&T wiring diagram”-full of connections that seem to go nowhere. Still, he believes change can come-now. He told the New York Times, “I’ve said from the very beginning, I don’t want any part of a process that’s going to tinker at the margins. I would hope that when we put something forward, there will be observers who say, “Wow, I didn’t think they (the NCAA membership) could do that.” Since 1906, the NCAA has worked around the margins, trying to craft a rule book that works for over 1100 members. Except for the “Sanity Code” years in the early 1950s, the rules and committee structures have only grown. ‘More is better’ seemed to be the organization’s philosophy; more meetings, fancier annual Conventions, and bigger media deals seemed to be their response, instead of making hard decisions." >> Court Awareness: "College athletics, like almost all of higher education, is facing strong headwinds from the general public, especially in the last decade. In a 2018 Gallup poll, adults who had a ‘great deal of confidence’ or ‘quite a lot of confidence’ in the value of higher education dropped by 9%, from 57% to 48%. Many State legislatures are hesitant to consistently fund institutions because the perception is colleges can’t seem to get their own house in order. Restructuring is crucial to restoring the public’s trust." >> The Big Picture: "The number one priority for every program, in every sport, should be the health, safety, and psychological well-being of every athlete in their care. This has been championed repeatedly by scholars, journalists, the Knight Commission and others. The fact that medical guidelines in the NCAA handbook remain just that-’guidelines’ or ‘best practices’ is a travesty." >> Worth Noting: "In the chase for money and prestige, the leaders of the NCAA (primarily Division I FBS athletic directors and presidents) have mainly focused on maximizing the revenues college athletics can deliver. New thinking (and perhaps, new leadership) is required. This group needs to think like fiduciaries of college athletics, not just their own institution’s best interests." >> Continue Reading A MESSAGE FROM BLUEFRAME TECHNOLOGY     The best and most reliable end-to-end live video streaming provider in college athletics is BlueFrame Technology. Join #BlueFrameNation and Stream Like a Pro with special pricing for D3Playbook subscribers! Learn more today!  PODCAST 2. From SEAL to AD by Kristi Dosh, Business of College Sports "Former U.S. Navy Seal and Purple Heart recipient Mike Wisecup is the AD at Colby College and joined us to discuss his background as a Navy Seal and how he applies it to his athletic department. Wisecup also discussed the challenging aspects of his job–one of which is maintaining cohesiveness within an athletic department. With a passion of molding students into better citizens, Wisecup discusses his journey, some challenging aspects of his position and how schools can eliminate siloed departments inside an athletic program and increase universal cohesiveness within the department." >> Listen (34:43) CROSS COUNTRY 3.  Athletes of the Week Here are the USTFCCCA National Athletes of the Week in NCAA Cross Country for September 20, 2021! According to the results of the All-Ohio Championships, hosted by Cedarville University this past weekend, Alex Phillip is the best in the Buckeye State. Phillip became just the fourth NCAA Division III male athlete to win the individual title at the meet, crossing the finish line in 24:52.1. He joins William Jones of Franciscan (2012), Mike Sawicki of Otterbein (2005) and Dave Cooper of Mount Union (1997) in that regard. Clara Mayfield ran away from the field at the St. Olaf Invitational this past weekend. Mayfield won by nearly 41 seconds in 22:24.1 over a loaded field with four NCAA Division III top-35 programs. She led by 2.5 seconds at 1600m and extended it to 31.3 seconds by 5k. >> Read More   A MESSAGE FROM MORNING BREW    There's a reason over 3 million people start their day with Morning Brew — the daily email that delivers the latest news from Wall Street to Silicon Valley. Business news doesn't have to be dry and dense...make your mornings more enjoyable, for free. Check it out today.  FOOTBALL 4. Rankings The weekly D3football.com rankings. North Central (Ill.) Mary Hardin-Baylor Wisconsin-Whitewater Mount Union Wheaton (Ill.) Saint John's Hardin-Simmons Wisconsin-Oshkosh Linfield Delaware Valley >> On The Rise: North Central, Johns Hopkins, Whitworth (+3) >> Newcomers: Cortland >> Conference Call: OAC (3), WIAC (3), ASC (2), CCIW (2), Centennial (2), Liberty (2), MIAC (2), NWC (2), A-R-C (1), Empire 8 (1), MAC (1), NJAC (1), ODAC (1), PAC (1), SCIAC (1) >> Games We're Watching (all times EDT): No. 7 Hardin-Simmons at No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor, 7:00 No. 4 Mount Union at No. 21 John Carroll, 1:30 No. 13 Bethel at No. 6 Saint John's, 2:00 >> Of Note: Muhlenberg QB Michael Hnatkowsky needs 224 passing yards to reach 10,000 for his career. >> Complete Poll TRANSACTIONS 5.  Comings and Goings   ALMA - Todd Hibbs named director of wrestling and assistant athletic director ANDERSON - Nic Huffman named head track and field and assistant cross country coach BRIDGEWATER - Kevin Grek named assistant men's basketball coach EASTERN - Bridget McLaughlin named head women's golf coach HAMLINE - Shane Wagner named head men's ice hockey coach HAVERFORD - Keith Ogden named assistant sports information director MISSISSIPPI COLLEGE FOR WOMEN - Dean Burrows named head men's basketball coach NAZARETH - Christopher Heckman named head swimming and diving coach SOUTHWESTERN - Alexis Lynn named head softball coach 1 THING 6. Sam's Club   "Sam's Club, Walmart's warehouse club division, wants to sign athletes to sponsorship deals made possible by new name, image and likeness rules. It's offering $10,000 to 10 different college athletes who have some version of the name Sam. The retailer has already signed four of the 10 athletes it's seeking: Samieryah Bradwell, a sprinter at the University of Central Florida; Sam Pinckney, a football player at Georgia State University; Samantha Sakti, a gymnast at the University of California, Los Angeles; and Sam Estrada, who plays women's soccer at Southern Methodist University. The promotion is one of several emerging since the NCAA this summer suspended longstanding rules preventing student-athletes from profiting from their names, images and likenesses." >> Might We Recommend?: North Central's (Minn.) Sam Thurston made 17 saves in a 1-0 double-overtime soccer win vs. Northwestern. Or Christopher Newport setter Sammy Carroll who is second in DIII in assists (11.18). How about Wells' field hockey goalkeeper Samya Anderson-Victor who is fourth nationally in saves per game (17.83)?  courtesy of Higher Ed Dive Trivia answer: Keith Jackson, Howard Cosell and Don Meredith   Thanks for starting your day with us. What did you think of today's newsletter?  Please invite your friends to sign up for D3Playbook

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