“You really are from the South aren’t you?”
Reporter to Ashley Huston after interviewing her at the NCAA Outdoor Track Championships.
Yes Ashley Huston is from the South and yes, Ashley added to her NCAA Championship totals at the NCAA Division III Track championships. The fans and competitors were talking more about her accomplishments than her southern accent. In 72 hours Ashley set the NCAA Division III record for the Heptathlon, placed seventh in the long jump and won gold in the high jump.
The reporters and fans might have had even more to talk about if the schedule had given her a break. Twenty minutes after running the final event in the heptathlon, the grueling 800 meter race which took place with temperatures reaching 92 degrees, Ashley raced in the first heat of the 100 meter hurdles. If she had run in a later heat, which would have given her more time to recover, she might have qualified for Saturday’s finals. Instead she failed to make it out of the heat. However the event did provide a wonderful moment of sportsmanship. As Ashley prepared to run the hurdles, the athletes that she had been competing against in the heptathlon lined up on the inside of the track. As she sprinted down the track, her former competitors cheered her on and shouted out encouragement. A sure sign of respect for what Ashley had accomplished at the championships and as a person.
On Saturday morning at breakfast, a tired but motivated Ashley talked about her chances in the high jump. She was banking on two things to help her through the competition. A complimentary massage offered by the NCAA later in the morning to help stretch out her back and leg muscles as she prepared for the high jump. The second was using five words to motivate her that she had received from Coach Smith.
“Each trip Coach Smith says that we have to act better than we feel.” Anyone can compete when they are feeling good. Perhaps one of the keys to great performances is those individuals who can compete on days when they do not feel 100%. Act better than you feel. Obvious solid advice for someone on the day they are trying to win a national championship. And probably good advice for each of us as we make our way through our day to day existence.
Cowboy Up,
John Neese
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
I'm Back
I wish I could give you some noble reason for why I have not visited this space for over two months. I wish I could tell you that I have been doing something heroic like fighting pirates or working on a stimulus bill for college students.
Instead I can only say that I have not been disciplined enough to be consistent on doing this blog. Our student-athletes have given me plenty to write about; I simply haven’t made the time.
I wish I could write about our baseball team heading to the final round of the conference tournament. Unfortunately the Cowboys season came to a close on another windy day at Hunter Field on Saturday. I have never seen a baseball season at HSU where the south wind was as consistent as it was this year. Years ago we had an assistant coach who had the following theory on the jet stream at Hunter Field. He believed that the south wind would slow down when it hit the Mabee Complex, then build back up and grow even stronger as it blew thru Shelton Stadium and into Hunter Field. This individual was also our pitching coach, so perhaps his theory was built more on a feeling instead of aerodynamic research.
One thing I have been working on over the last several weeks is a student-athlete experience evaluation that we are distributing to all of our athletic teams. Our coaches and I hope this will give our students the opportunity to let us know what we are doing well and what we need to improve on. After our students have completed the survey, I will visit with our coaching staff to evaluate the results. The survey should give us some direction on what we need to work on for the upcoming school year.
With the summer break coming up, many of our students will be heading home. I hope they will stay in contact with us thru our website as we are looking at several new options for the upcoming school year. Maybe they will not be as big a stranger to our website as I have been to the blog for the last two months.
Cowboy Up.
John Neese
Instead I can only say that I have not been disciplined enough to be consistent on doing this blog. Our student-athletes have given me plenty to write about; I simply haven’t made the time.
I wish I could write about our baseball team heading to the final round of the conference tournament. Unfortunately the Cowboys season came to a close on another windy day at Hunter Field on Saturday. I have never seen a baseball season at HSU where the south wind was as consistent as it was this year. Years ago we had an assistant coach who had the following theory on the jet stream at Hunter Field. He believed that the south wind would slow down when it hit the Mabee Complex, then build back up and grow even stronger as it blew thru Shelton Stadium and into Hunter Field. This individual was also our pitching coach, so perhaps his theory was built more on a feeling instead of aerodynamic research.
One thing I have been working on over the last several weeks is a student-athlete experience evaluation that we are distributing to all of our athletic teams. Our coaches and I hope this will give our students the opportunity to let us know what we are doing well and what we need to improve on. After our students have completed the survey, I will visit with our coaching staff to evaluate the results. The survey should give us some direction on what we need to work on for the upcoming school year.
With the summer break coming up, many of our students will be heading home. I hope they will stay in contact with us thru our website as we are looking at several new options for the upcoming school year. Maybe they will not be as big a stranger to our website as I have been to the blog for the last two months.
Cowboy Up.
John Neese
Friday, February 13, 2009
Goodbye To A Good Friend
Game management is accomplished by staying alert and then reading and reacting to potential problem situations before they materialize. It all boils down to paying attention to details. Jim Evans
During the week I was in Indianapolis for the Division III Women’s Soccer Meetings as I serve on the NCAA national soccer committee. While I was there I had a chance to visit with Wayne Burrow, who has served as a Director of Championships for the NCAA for 17 years. Wayne and I became acquainted when I served on the regional football committee in the late 1990’s and then we became good friends when I served on the Division III national football committee.
Wayne is stepping down today from the NCAA and I know he finds some humor that he is leaving the organization on Friday the 13th. Wayne was always quick with a one liner and enjoyed the friendly banter that comes with working with the committee members of the respective sports.
However it would be incorrect to portray Wayne as someone who just did his job only because it was fun. Wayne is perhaps the best detail person I have ever worked with and seemed to be prepared for anything. For someone who was involved with numerous championships, Wayne was always interested in making sure that the same principles were applied regardless whether the event was Division I or Division III. He worked hard to make the championship (especially the Division III Football championship) a unique event that the students and their families would remember for the rest of their lives. Wayne was always the person in the background who made the events happen and normally without any problems. He loved to take care of the logistics involved with hosting a championship and could quote you the NCAA football handbook as easily as he could recite the dates of his family member birthdays.
And because he was a Director of Championships, Wayne was also the contact person when people were unhappy with the logic of selection process. Wayne fielded numerous phone calls and e-mails from University Presidents, Athletic Directors, Coaches, Reporters, Cheerleaders, Girlfriends and irate grandmothers. He would always explain the rationale behind the selection process and then listen to their beliefs that their team not getting in was part of a universal conspiracy to keep their students from getting a fair deal. He took a call like that from me in 1998 when our football team went 9-1 and did not make the playoffs. While I disagreed with the policy, I knew that Wayne had at least listened to me. In the end that’s all we can really ask for in any situation. And in time, I realized that there was no conspiracy against Hardin-Simmons.
Like many of my colleagues I will miss seeing Wayne at the NCAA office and knowing that he is helping make a championship event the best it can be. He has left a legacy that will be tough for all of us to follow. We wish him the best for this next transition in his life.
During the week I was in Indianapolis for the Division III Women’s Soccer Meetings as I serve on the NCAA national soccer committee. While I was there I had a chance to visit with Wayne Burrow, who has served as a Director of Championships for the NCAA for 17 years. Wayne and I became acquainted when I served on the regional football committee in the late 1990’s and then we became good friends when I served on the Division III national football committee.
Wayne is stepping down today from the NCAA and I know he finds some humor that he is leaving the organization on Friday the 13th. Wayne was always quick with a one liner and enjoyed the friendly banter that comes with working with the committee members of the respective sports.
However it would be incorrect to portray Wayne as someone who just did his job only because it was fun. Wayne is perhaps the best detail person I have ever worked with and seemed to be prepared for anything. For someone who was involved with numerous championships, Wayne was always interested in making sure that the same principles were applied regardless whether the event was Division I or Division III. He worked hard to make the championship (especially the Division III Football championship) a unique event that the students and their families would remember for the rest of their lives. Wayne was always the person in the background who made the events happen and normally without any problems. He loved to take care of the logistics involved with hosting a championship and could quote you the NCAA football handbook as easily as he could recite the dates of his family member birthdays.
And because he was a Director of Championships, Wayne was also the contact person when people were unhappy with the logic of selection process. Wayne fielded numerous phone calls and e-mails from University Presidents, Athletic Directors, Coaches, Reporters, Cheerleaders, Girlfriends and irate grandmothers. He would always explain the rationale behind the selection process and then listen to their beliefs that their team not getting in was part of a universal conspiracy to keep their students from getting a fair deal. He took a call like that from me in 1998 when our football team went 9-1 and did not make the playoffs. While I disagreed with the policy, I knew that Wayne had at least listened to me. In the end that’s all we can really ask for in any situation. And in time, I realized that there was no conspiracy against Hardin-Simmons.
Like many of my colleagues I will miss seeing Wayne at the NCAA office and knowing that he is helping make a championship event the best it can be. He has left a legacy that will be tough for all of us to follow. We wish him the best for this next transition in his life.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Nickels and Dimes
Over the years David Jones has collected more quarters than your local car wash. While most of us pay little attention to the nickels and dimes that jingle in our car consol, David is quick to point out how all of the small change can lead to big changes.
David is responsible for publicizing the Kiwanis Club of Abilene Annual Basketball Shootout between Hardin-Simmons and McMurry University. The game is Monday, February 2 at McMurry University. This is the 12th year for the Shootout, which raises money for the Children’s Miracle Network. One of the aspects of the Shootout is that athletes from both schools, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and First Financial Bank all serve as “Change Bandits, who rob people for a good cause” by collecting donations for the game. They encourage people to give all the loose change that might be in their car, in the drawer in their office or in their piggy bank. At halftime of next Monday’s game a local Boy Scout troop will go through the stands collecting change as well.
And while it’s easy to dismiss the money raised from small change, the numbers might surprise you. Over $27,000 has been raised by the change bandits and their friends in the past eleven years to help local children served by the Children’s Miracle Network. The region’s only Pediatric Intensive Care Unit was also made possible by the Children’s Miracle Network, and if you have given a dime or a dollar over the years, you have helped make that possible.
I have known several families that have had a child stay at the Meek Children’s Hospital, and they will tell you that the change goes a long way. When your child has been bitten by a rattlesnake or when your child has trouble breathing, you want the best help available. Obviously the folks at the Meek Children’s Hospital are regarded as some of the best in the country-and it’s good to know that we are helping with their mission.
With the daily deluge of bad news about our economy, it’s second nature for us to decide to pull back on what we spend money on for entertainment and for eating out. While you might pass on going out to the movies this weekend, I hope you won’t pass on your chance to give when the change bandits come to visit you.
Cowboy Up.
JN
David is responsible for publicizing the Kiwanis Club of Abilene Annual Basketball Shootout between Hardin-Simmons and McMurry University. The game is Monday, February 2 at McMurry University. This is the 12th year for the Shootout, which raises money for the Children’s Miracle Network. One of the aspects of the Shootout is that athletes from both schools, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and First Financial Bank all serve as “Change Bandits, who rob people for a good cause” by collecting donations for the game. They encourage people to give all the loose change that might be in their car, in the drawer in their office or in their piggy bank. At halftime of next Monday’s game a local Boy Scout troop will go through the stands collecting change as well.
And while it’s easy to dismiss the money raised from small change, the numbers might surprise you. Over $27,000 has been raised by the change bandits and their friends in the past eleven years to help local children served by the Children’s Miracle Network. The region’s only Pediatric Intensive Care Unit was also made possible by the Children’s Miracle Network, and if you have given a dime or a dollar over the years, you have helped make that possible.
I have known several families that have had a child stay at the Meek Children’s Hospital, and they will tell you that the change goes a long way. When your child has been bitten by a rattlesnake or when your child has trouble breathing, you want the best help available. Obviously the folks at the Meek Children’s Hospital are regarded as some of the best in the country-and it’s good to know that we are helping with their mission.
With the daily deluge of bad news about our economy, it’s second nature for us to decide to pull back on what we spend money on for entertainment and for eating out. While you might pass on going out to the movies this weekend, I hope you won’t pass on your chance to give when the change bandits come to visit you.
Cowboy Up.
JN
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
NCAA Convention
In 2008 the NCAA Division III convention featured a weekend long discussion of the future of the membership that is composed of over 450 members. And while there was some discussion of splitting Division III, that possibility collapsed when the membership responded to an NCAA survey in the spring. Nearly 90% of the Division III membership claimed they were in favor of the status quo and not exploring any potential change.
So the potential political theatre in Washington, DC for this year’s NCAA convention quickly evaporated. Instead the Division III membership voted on less than 12 proposals in less than ninety minutes. Many long time administrators said they could not recall a day when the voting went so quickly. The only proposal that generated any discussion revolved around the potential of having August 15th be the start date for practice for all fall sports except football. The proposal failed 297-154 and the members quickly moved on to the next proposal.
One thing that was consistently mentioned at the convention was the challenging economic crisis that we are all facing. I visited with several Athletic Directors that are having to make tough decisions about cutting sports, budgets or staff. I doubt that the majority of Division III schools have been frivolous with their budgets over the years. Many schools will be cutting budgets that are already tight.
So the 2009 NCAA convention will not be remembered as the landmark convention that many thought it would be. It is possible that the economic times we are currently facing will provide more changes than any legislation ever will.
So the potential political theatre in Washington, DC for this year’s NCAA convention quickly evaporated. Instead the Division III membership voted on less than 12 proposals in less than ninety minutes. Many long time administrators said they could not recall a day when the voting went so quickly. The only proposal that generated any discussion revolved around the potential of having August 15th be the start date for practice for all fall sports except football. The proposal failed 297-154 and the members quickly moved on to the next proposal.
One thing that was consistently mentioned at the convention was the challenging economic crisis that we are all facing. I visited with several Athletic Directors that are having to make tough decisions about cutting sports, budgets or staff. I doubt that the majority of Division III schools have been frivolous with their budgets over the years. Many schools will be cutting budgets that are already tight.
So the 2009 NCAA convention will not be remembered as the landmark convention that many thought it would be. It is possible that the economic times we are currently facing will provide more changes than any legislation ever will.
Monday, December 29, 2008
He Was A Good Cowman
He was a good cowman.
One sentence statement that was on the bulletin for Sam Baugh’s funeral.
Before 1990 and the return of football to the Hardin-Simmons campus, there were three names always mentioned with Cowboy football. Clyde “Bulldog” Turner who played at HSU and later had a Hall of Fame career with the Chicago Bears. Ed Sprinkle who also played at HSU and for the Chicago Bears, and was known as ‘the meanest man in professional football”. The third was Sam Baugh who passed away last week at the age of 94. Baugh played his collegiate football at Texas Christian University and was the head football coach at HSU from 1954-1959. After he retired from pro football and a phenomenal career with the Washington Redskins, he brought national attention to HSU when he became the head coach.
About 10 of his former players from HSU attended his funeral on Monday in the community of Rotan. Several of them mentioned how he always said that the HSU job was the best job he ever had. Baugh ran his practices as if he was back home in Rotan at his ranch tending to his cattle. Most days he was on the practice field in blue jeans, western shirt and a well-worn Cowboy hat, which was similar to his attire that he would wear on game day. Baugh coached the Cowboys when they were a member of the Border Conference and in 1958 he led the Cowboys in a brutal non-conference schedule for a small Division I school. The Cowboys played Baylor, Ole Miss, Arkansas and defending national champion LSU all on the road and all for guarantees, which probably helped keep the athletic department in budget for the year. One year during practices a group of high school coaches from the area came to watch Baugh and the Cowboys work out. One of the coaches was current Cowboy football coach Jimmie Keeling.
Many of the speakers at the funeral talked about Baugh and his colorful language. Which he would use at any time and any place. Whether it was the ranch, church, golf course, banquet, Baugh was going to talk like the rancher he was. He was always the same, regardless of the circumstance. I remember a local television reporter asking Sam if he could watch his language during an interview. Sam smiled and said if he had to watch what he was going to say, then there would be no need to interview him. The interview went on with the reporter having to edit the conversation before it went on air.
Sam also had a great sense of humor. When he left HSU to take the job as the first head coach of the New York Titans in the American Football League, the team struggled. They were not very competitive and Baugh quit after two seasons of what everyone would agree was bad football. Toward the end of the second year, a reporter asked Coach Baugh if he was concerned with how the fans might act at the games because of the performance of the team. With perfect timing, Coach Baugh said he was okay with dealing with the fans. After all there were probably more players and coaches on the Titans staff, than there would be fans at the game.
While there might have been a limited number of Titans fans that day in New York, there will always been a huge number of Sam Baugh fans. And the fact that he had numerous fans that never saw him play, speaks to what kind of person he was away from the football field.
One sentence statement that was on the bulletin for Sam Baugh’s funeral.
Before 1990 and the return of football to the Hardin-Simmons campus, there were three names always mentioned with Cowboy football. Clyde “Bulldog” Turner who played at HSU and later had a Hall of Fame career with the Chicago Bears. Ed Sprinkle who also played at HSU and for the Chicago Bears, and was known as ‘the meanest man in professional football”. The third was Sam Baugh who passed away last week at the age of 94. Baugh played his collegiate football at Texas Christian University and was the head football coach at HSU from 1954-1959. After he retired from pro football and a phenomenal career with the Washington Redskins, he brought national attention to HSU when he became the head coach.
About 10 of his former players from HSU attended his funeral on Monday in the community of Rotan. Several of them mentioned how he always said that the HSU job was the best job he ever had. Baugh ran his practices as if he was back home in Rotan at his ranch tending to his cattle. Most days he was on the practice field in blue jeans, western shirt and a well-worn Cowboy hat, which was similar to his attire that he would wear on game day. Baugh coached the Cowboys when they were a member of the Border Conference and in 1958 he led the Cowboys in a brutal non-conference schedule for a small Division I school. The Cowboys played Baylor, Ole Miss, Arkansas and defending national champion LSU all on the road and all for guarantees, which probably helped keep the athletic department in budget for the year. One year during practices a group of high school coaches from the area came to watch Baugh and the Cowboys work out. One of the coaches was current Cowboy football coach Jimmie Keeling.
Many of the speakers at the funeral talked about Baugh and his colorful language. Which he would use at any time and any place. Whether it was the ranch, church, golf course, banquet, Baugh was going to talk like the rancher he was. He was always the same, regardless of the circumstance. I remember a local television reporter asking Sam if he could watch his language during an interview. Sam smiled and said if he had to watch what he was going to say, then there would be no need to interview him. The interview went on with the reporter having to edit the conversation before it went on air.
Sam also had a great sense of humor. When he left HSU to take the job as the first head coach of the New York Titans in the American Football League, the team struggled. They were not very competitive and Baugh quit after two seasons of what everyone would agree was bad football. Toward the end of the second year, a reporter asked Coach Baugh if he was concerned with how the fans might act at the games because of the performance of the team. With perfect timing, Coach Baugh said he was okay with dealing with the fans. After all there were probably more players and coaches on the Titans staff, than there would be fans at the game.
While there might have been a limited number of Titans fans that day in New York, there will always been a huge number of Sam Baugh fans. And the fact that he had numerous fans that never saw him play, speaks to what kind of person he was away from the football field.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
As we mark off the final days of 2008, there is plenty to look forward to for the upcoming year. One thing that the women’s basketball can look forward to this year is their trip to the Bahamas which will begin on Wednesday. The Cowgirls will play two games on this trip, which they spent the last several years raising money for. This will be the first time the Cowgirls have made a trip like this and I know it will provide them plenty of good memories.
In 2009, we will continue work on several projects on the Grape Street Athletic Complex. The work has started on a new parking lot, which we anticipate will have over 150 parking spaces and an area for buses to park. This will help allow us to have ample parking for our athletic events and will improve the overall look of the facility. If everything goes according to plan, we should have the parking lot completed by late February, which will certainly help us during softball season. We are also working on irrigating and adding sod to the infield of the track, which we hope to have done by early January. Across the street from the track we will be building the area for the hammer throw which should be completed sometime in the spring. When we have finished all of these projects we will be the only school in the American Southwest Conference who will be able to host a conference meet with all events at one facility.
The Spring will also bring the chance for the coaches of our fall sports to hit the road as they being the recruiting process. All of our fall teams had strong seasons which should help them as they visit with potential student-athletes. I know that our football program is encouraged by the improvement that was evident this year. Now that several of our coaches have been on campus for awhile, I know that they will work hard to bring in the type of student-athletes that will continue to help us improve.
And while it was a tough way to finish the football season, we do have to tip our hats to our league rivals, Mary Hardin-Baylor. The Crusaders certainly helped the reputation of the American Southwest Conference as they had no problems with two of their playoff opponents after their close win against the Cowboys. And yes, the matchup of the Crusaders and the Cowboys in 2009 is something I am already looking forward to.
In 2009, we will continue work on several projects on the Grape Street Athletic Complex. The work has started on a new parking lot, which we anticipate will have over 150 parking spaces and an area for buses to park. This will help allow us to have ample parking for our athletic events and will improve the overall look of the facility. If everything goes according to plan, we should have the parking lot completed by late February, which will certainly help us during softball season. We are also working on irrigating and adding sod to the infield of the track, which we hope to have done by early January. Across the street from the track we will be building the area for the hammer throw which should be completed sometime in the spring. When we have finished all of these projects we will be the only school in the American Southwest Conference who will be able to host a conference meet with all events at one facility.
The Spring will also bring the chance for the coaches of our fall sports to hit the road as they being the recruiting process. All of our fall teams had strong seasons which should help them as they visit with potential student-athletes. I know that our football program is encouraged by the improvement that was evident this year. Now that several of our coaches have been on campus for awhile, I know that they will work hard to bring in the type of student-athletes that will continue to help us improve.
And while it was a tough way to finish the football season, we do have to tip our hats to our league rivals, Mary Hardin-Baylor. The Crusaders certainly helped the reputation of the American Southwest Conference as they had no problems with two of their playoff opponents after their close win against the Cowboys. And yes, the matchup of the Crusaders and the Cowboys in 2009 is something I am already looking forward to.
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