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Ravens loaned $65 million from NFL lender

The NFL has arranged a $65 million, short-term loan for the Baltimore Ravens, backed by the eventual sale of part of the franchise to a new investor, according to The Baltimore Sun.

Team owners voted overwhelmingly to approve the bailout for Ravens controlling partner Art Modell, one of the league's longest-standing owners. His financial problems have prompted several NFL actions in recent years, including the 1996 vote to allow his team to move from Cleveland.

The loan will be funded by an NFL lender and be repaid with interest by the Ravens.

Sources told the Sun that lenders require a team to maintain a certain ratio of debt to operating profit. The Ravens, while profitable, failed to meet the ratio.

Of the $65 million, $10 million will cover transaction costs and $55 million will buy out skittish investors. The team receives some of the highest revenues in football because of the state-owned PSINet Stadium.

BCS Formula Undergoes More Tinkering

More changes are in store for the much-aligned Bowl Championship Series formula that caused so much controversy a year ago.

Selection guidelines for the BCS' second season will include new computer rankings and tougher eligibility requirements. Additionally, a conference's automatic bid will be eligible for review and possible revocation.

"It gives us a broader spectrum of information," said Roy Kramer, BCS coordinator and SEC commissioner. "We just tried to tweak it a little bit, to hopefully improve the process as it goes forward."

BCS standings are comprised of four factors: combined average of the ESPN/USA Today and the Associated Press polls; computer surveys; strength of schedule; and won-loss record.

Five national computer ranking services have been added to the BCS' computer average component. In 1998, the BCS used three - the New York Times, Jeff Sagarin/USA Today and Anderson-Hester/Seattle Times.

Of the eight computer rankings to be considered, seven will be calculated; the lowest will be thrown out. The five additional services are: Richard Billingsley, Dunkel Index, Kenneth Massey, David Rothman and the Matthews/Scripps-Howard rankings.

Teams now will need one more win to receive at-large consideration. Last season a team needed eight wins, or a ranking of 12 or better in the BCS. This year, an at-large team must have at least nine wins and be ranked No. 12 or higher by the BCS.

The final change to take effect could have the most impact. Beginning with the 1999 season, each of the six BCS conferences is subject to review and possible loss of automatic selection should the conference champion not have a ranking of 12th or higher over a four-year period. The first time a conference could lose its exemption would be 2003.

The first BCS rankings will be released Monday, Oct. 25. As part of a four-bowl rotation, the Sugar Bowl will host the national championship game on Jan. 4, 2000. The champions of the Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, ACC and Pacific-10 all received automatic bids. Two at-large teams will be selected.

FAU, Schnellenberger to kick off in 2001

Howard Schnellenberger, who built the Miami Hurricanes' football program into a national powerhouse in the early 1980s, was recently appointed coach of Florida Atlantic's new football program.

The Owls are scheduled to play their first game on September 8, 2001, against Cornell.

Schnellenberger led the Hurricanes to the first of their four national championships in 1983. He also coached at Louisville and Oklahoma.

He became director of football operations at Florida Atlantic in May 1998, and his hiring as coach had been widely anticipated. He agreed to a seven-year, $150,000 per-year contract.

"The old war horse has risen again, and he is ready for battle," the 65-year-old Schnellenberger said at a news conference attended by about 200 boosters and members of the school's faculty and staff.

As an offensive assistant in the early 1970s, Schnellenberger helped lead the Miami Dolphins to three straight Super Bowls, including the 1972 perfect season in which the Dolphins capped a 17-0 campaign by winning Super Bowl VII.

In 1979, he signed a five-year deal to revive the University of Miami football program. He went on to guide the Hurricanes to their first-ever national championship in 1983 and is credited with setting the foundation for college football's elite program of the 1980s.

Schnellenberger coached at Louisville for 10 seasons. His best year came in 1991, when the Cardinals were 10-1-1 and defeated Alabama in the Fiesta Bowl. He last coached at Oklahoma in 1995, but resigned after a disappointing 5-5-1 record.

Also, FAU announced a $4 million donation by a FAU alum for a new athletic complex and practice field. The donation pushed the school's football fund-raising campaign to $8 million, all of it brought in by Schnellenberger.

AFMA adds D-III poll

Similar to the organization's treatment of Division I-A rankings, the American Football Monthlyes Association will begin publishing a Division III Top 25 Coaches Poll in 1999.

The poll - created in response to overwhelming support by NCAA Division III coaches - will debut Sept. 14 and will be released each Tuesday through Nov. 16 with a final poll on Dec. 21 following Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, played on Dec. 18.

The voting board for the Division III poll will be made up of 45 Division III head coaches from around the country. They will cast their votes each Monday during the season.

Currently, there are no coaches polls for any NCAA divisions other than I-A. The NCAA has published a Top 25 poll for Division II and a regional poll for Division III but does not have a poll for Division I-AA. Beginning this year, the NCAA will no longer release a regional poll for Division III.

Previously, the regional rankings were used by the Division III Football Committee for playoff selection. But with the expansion of the playoffs to 28 teams this season and the new automatic qualifying standards that are in place, the NCAA no longer has a need for the regional poll.

AFMA Executive Director, Grant Teaff also said that there is a possibility that coaches' polls could be started for Divisions I-AA and II as well, but probably not until the 2000 season.

Ponciano fired after internal investigation

Cal State-Northridge coach Ron Ponciano was fired in July amid an internal university inquiry into alleged rules violations in the football program. Jeff Kearin, who had left his assistant head coach position at Cal State-Northridge to take a post at UNLV, was named interim coach on July 22.

Although the independent inquiry continues, interim university president Louanne Kennedy said the results so far show "serious and substantial" violations of NCAA and university rules that compelled the school to take action.

The university sent Ponciano a letter firing him from the job he's held since February 1998. Ponciano refused an earlier offer to voluntarily leave the university.

"After hearing how ridiculous the accusations were, I flat out refused to resign," he said.

The Matadors were 7-4 last season, tying for second in the Big Sky Conference with a 5-3 record. Previously, Ponciano was defensive coordinator during the 1995 and 1996 seasons.

The inquiry was spurred by an anonymous letter received May 19 that listed 20 allegations.

USM-Tulane to "Battle for the Bell"

The last two Conference USA champions are adding more than league pride to their 20-year-old football rivalry.

A trophy will be on the line when Southern Mississippi and Tulane play in the future.

The 1999 meeting, the Labor Day season opener Sept. 6, will be the first "Battle for the Bell." The bell is a nearly three-foot tall trophy featuring Tulane's 'T' log on one side and the Southern Miss "attack eagle" log on the other side.

"The longstanding rivalry between Southern Miss and Tulane has intensified over a 20-year stretch," said Southern Miss athletic director Richard Giannini. "We feel this 'Battle for the Bell' will only serve to heighten the anticipation for the game on a yearly basis."

Tulane is the defending C-USA champion. Southern Miss won the outright league title in 1997 after sharing the inaugural title in 1996. Southern Miss leads the series 14-6.

Newly appointed Wyoming WR coach Shepard dies of heart attack

On the eve of beginning his first season as the WR coach for the University of Wyoming, former Oklahoma and NFL star, Derrick Shepard, a wide receiver on the OU 1985 national championship team, died of heart attack August the 4th.

Shepard, 35, was playing racquetball in Laramie, Wyo., when he collapsed. Shepard, a native of Odessa, Texas, is survived by his wife, Cheri, and three children, Ashleigh, Sterling and Shelby.

After playing at Oklahoma from 1983-86, Shepard spent some time in the NFL, signing as a free agent with the Washington Redskins in 1987, and moving on to the New Orleans Saints in 1989.

Later that year, Shepard began a three-year stint with Dallas, where he led the Cowboys in total punt return yardage and yards per punt return during the 1989 and 1990 seasons.

Once his playing days were complete, Shepard returned to Oklahoma and entered the coaching profession. He spent three years as wide receivers coach and strength and conditioning coordinator at U.S. Grant High School in Oklahoma City, before taking a position as a graduate assistant on John Blake's coaching staff at OU.

K-State, Iowa to battle in '00 Kickoff Classic

It appears likely that Kansas State will play Iowa in the Eddie Robinson Kickoff Classic on Aug. 26, 2000, in Kansas City. The two teams will square off in Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs.

"We are in the latter stages of hammering out some of the fine points of the deal," said Jim Epps, K-State senior associate athletic director. "We have an agreement in principle with all the parties," said last month at the Big 12's media day in Dallas.

A formal announcement was expected in the weeks leading up to the Eddie Robinson Classic, for which Kansas visited Notre Dame on Aug. 28.

It will be the second collegiate football game at Arrowhead in recent years; Nebraska played Oklahoma State there in 1998.

"We would like to get at least one game a year," said Dennis Watley, Chiefs vice president of administration. "A lot of people don't have a chance to see college football games; they aren't alumni or can't get season tickets. This gives them an opportunity to see a great game in a great stadium with a great atmosphere."

The Eddie Robinson Classic is an easier way to attract teams to

Arrowhead because it is considered an "extra" game by the NCAA and doesn't require a school to give up a home game. It also will be a boon to the Kansas City area, with the proximity of K-State and Iowa fans.

It will be the third consecutive season that a Big 12 team has been involved in the Eddie Robinson Classic; Nebraska played Louisiana Tech last year.

The heat is turned up on Bama's DuBose as the University settles sex lawsuit

After two disappointing seasons at the helm of the Alabama Crimson Tide, it appeared that head coach Mike DuBose had the program headed in the right direction. That progress came to a screeching halt on August 5th when Alabama reached a $350,000 settlement with an employee who had accused the coach of sexual harassment.

DuBose, who apologized for embarrassing the university, had earlier made public statements denying any wrongdoing for what he called "unfounded rumors and innuendoes" about his personal life. In May, he said, "... there is absolutely no truth or factual basis to any of these rumors that you may have heard involving me or other university employees."

Amid speculation that he would be immediately dismissed, school officials said DuBose's salary will be cut by $360,000 over the next three years, representing the amount being paid to the university employee who filed the complaint against him. Additionally, DuBose agreed to a reduction in the length of his contract, from five years to three years (his contract will now end Jan. 31, 2002), and an adjustment in the amount of his compensation, about $12,000 a month over 30 months, or a total of $360,000. He also agreed to a freeze in compensation for the remainder of his current contract.

In his statement, DuBose admitted to misleading the public in May, "To say I am sorry is not enough, I know," he said. "I was wrong but I cannot change the past. Today I accept the university's discipline and punishment."

Ma Bell ponies up for the Cotton

Southwestern Bell, title sponsor of the last three Cotton Bowls, has agreed to extend its agreement through the 2006 New Year's Day game.

The phone company had one year left on its initial four-year contract. The six-year extension ensures that the Cotton Bowl will pay at least $30 million to participating teams over the next seven years.

Schools playing in the next three games will each receive $2 million. The four games after that will receive at least $2.5 million and possibly more after a new television contract is negotiated. The current deal with Fox Sports ends with the 2001 game.

The Cotton Bowl is affiliated with the Big 12 and Southeastern conferences through the 2002 game.

The Class of 1999

A composite picture of the 20 new head coaches in NCAA Division I-A

After the 1998 season, there was the usual upheaval in college football; only last year it was a little more than just a few coaches being replaced (17% of the total of 112 ). 19 Divison I-A institutions changed coaches, and one (Middle Tennessee) moved up to I-A status.

So who are these new coaches?

Some are familiar faces at new places (John Robinson at UNLV, Lou Holtz trying to save South Carolina, Gary Barnett returning to Colorado, Rick Neuheisel moving to Washington, Tommy Bowden cashes in on last season and lands at Clemsom, Tommy Tuberville moves within the SEC from Ole Miss to Auburn, Dennis Erickson heads back to school at Oregon Stateafter a stint in the NFL , and June Jones followed his heart to Hawaii).

Others are getting their first chance to run a program (Bob Stoops at Oklahoma, Kevin Steele at Baylor, Carl Franks at his alma mater Duke, Terry Hoeppner at Miami of Ohio, David Cutcliffe at Ole Miss, Jerry Baldwin at SW Louisiana, Chris Scelfo at Tulane, Jack Bicknell III at Louisiana Tech, and Andy McCollum at Middle Tennessee). And, the rest of the class of 1999 is getting another shot to be the head man (Bobby Keasler moves to NE Louisiana from I-AA powerhouse McNesse State, Randy Walker jumps from MAC Miami of Ohio to the Big 10 at Northwestern, and Kirk Ferentz takes over at Iowa from the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, but he was a head coach at Maine from 1990 to 1993).

Who is a member of the class of 1999? Let's look at the numbers:

45.5 The average age of the new coaches is 45.5 (with John Robinson the senior member of the fraternity at 64, and Chris Scelfo the baby at 35).

22.25 Each coach has an average of 22.25 years in the coaching profession (with Lou Holtz in the game the longest with 37 years of service, and Rick Neuheisel as the new boy with only 11 years - four of which were as the head coach at Colorado).

4 Are former NFL head coaches(Robinson, Holtz, Jones, and Erickson).

4 Are former NFL assistants at some point in their careers (Jones, Ferentz, Steele, and Robinson).

3 Have won National Championships at other schools (Holtz in 1988 at Notre Dame, Robinson in 1978 at USC, and Erickson in 1989 and 1991 at Miami).

10 Are former college head coaches at another school (Tuberville, Bowden, Barnett, Ferentz, Keasler, Walker, Erickson, Holtz, Robinson, and Neuheisel).

10 Are former high school coaches (Tuberville, Barnett, Franks, Ferentz, Hoeppner, Cutcliffe, Keasler, Erickson, Baldwin, and Scelfo).

10 Never coached in high school (Stoops, Steele, Bowden, Jones, Walker, Holtz, Robinson, Neuheisel, Bicknell, and McCollum).

1 Never coached in the college ranks (Jones).

18 Played college football; two did not (Cutcliffe was injured as a freshman before the season ever beagn, and Keasler was a track star.






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