Doing Things "The Right Way"

"If this doesn't deserve the Death Penalty, what does?  Actually selling narcotics on the field during games??"   -Colin Cowherd, discussing the University of Miami Football Program.

The longer I'm alive, the more I fail to understand things.  For twenty years I've been saying that a certain Big Ten Football and Basketball Program has been cheating.  (Although I can certainly understand why nobody listens to me!) All the signs were there at every step of the way.  It even ensnared a former PSU Basketball Coach a few years back.  That, combined with that team's holding on every single offensive play (don't get me started!) has made a cynic (curmudgeon?) out of me. And I'm normally a lover, not a hater!  And who among us didn't think egregious things were occurring in Coral Gables, Florida?  When a student has not one Cadillac Escalade, but two, how can 5 or 6 years go by before anyone notices?  If cleaning up college athletics means I'll be watching high-school level quality games in the future, I'm all for it.  I've seen some great quality high school football and basketball games. If staying clean means PSU Athletics has to make champions out of "the second tier" of athletes, I'm all for that, too.  I hope you are with me.

With all the work our group has done, no one is looking for anything other than a stronger program to come out of it.  Many of us give substantial funds for our golf tourney or reunion activities, which in turn leads to revenues from all the participants.  I'm proud to say the leaders of our group insist on giving 100% of those funds to the future of the program.  In a recent telephone conversation with Coach Alford-Sullivan, we learned that Coach Groves' Scholarship is 1/3 of the way to being fully funded!  An athlete each year is partnered with Coach Groves as a recipient of wisdom.  One day an athlete will receive a full scholarship in his name.  I firmly believe that eventually a member of our group will anonymously bestow a large gift for the track program that will help fully endow the whole thing.  I'm that optimistic.  Until then, I'll keep plugging away, reminding each of you how valuable and character-building Penn State Track has been to each of us.  With a little Physics, golf and frivolity thrown in!