Blue Hen News

Ex-UD QB Ginn charged with DUI

The News Journal June 19, 2009

Former University of Delaware quarterback and current assistant coach Brian Ginn was charged with driving while intoxicated this morning, the university said.

Ginn, 32, was stopped by UD police, who say he was driving his vehicle the wrong way down a one-way street. The university said Ginn was released but has been suspended two weeks without pay from the football program.

He will be arraigned at a later date.

In addition to his suspension, Ginn will immediately enroll in the University of Delaware’s Substance Abuse Program for Faculty and Staff.

Brian is a terrific young coach, an exemplary employee, and a great mentor for our players, UD head coach K. C. Keeler said in a press release. This was his first offense, but he made a very poor decision and will pay the consequences. We take this type of situation very seriously for our coaches and players.
==============================

Fri, Jun. 19, 2009
Philly.com

UD Bound Henderson's Heath looking forward to playing in Big 33

By Rick O'Brien Inquirer Staff Writer

Brandon Heath is set to participate in the Big 33 Football Classic that
counts all-time greats such as Joe Montana, Tony Dorsett and Dan Marino
among its alumni.

"It's a huge honor," said Heath, a 6-foot-6, 300-pound offensive lineman
from West Chester Henderson. "I've been watching the game since I was a
little kid. When the phone call came telling me that I had been selected, me
and my parents [Dave and Deb] were so excited."

The 52d annual all-star event, scheduled for tomorrow night at 7 at
HersheyPark Stadium, pits some of Pennsylvania's best players against many
of Ohio's finest. The Keystone State has won the last three meetings and has
a 12-9 series advantage.

Heath, an Inquirer first-team all-Southeastern Pennsylvania pick last
season, will play left tackle for the Pennsylvania squad. He is expected to
be joined on the offensive line by fellow area products Mark Arcidiacono
(St. Joseph's Prep), Dan Shirey (Neshaminy), and David Osei (Abington).

Among the locals expected to see time on the defensive line are Mike
Pinciotti (St. Joseph's Prep), Jay Colbert (Neshaminy) and late addition
Nick Garcia (Garnet Valley).

Heath is headed to Delaware. "I don't think I'm going to be redshirted," the
17-year-old said. "More than likely, I'll come in and compete right away for
playing time as a right-side tackle."

With an eye toward becoming a high school teacher and football coach, Heath
plans to major in history. He will begin classes - and summer workouts -
early next month.

Pennsylvania's offensive backfield will feature a pair of fleet-footed
performers from West Catholic: quarterback Curtis Drake and running back Rob
Hollomon. Drake is ticketed for Penn State, where he is projected as a slot
receiver, and Holloman is bound for Cushing Academy, a prep school in
Ashburnham, Mass.

Here are the local players on the Big 33 Pennsylvania roster:

Ronnie Akins, North Penn, DB; Mark Arcidiacono, St. Joseph's Prep, OL; Jay
Colbert, Neshaminy, DE; Curtis Drake, West Catholic, QB; Nick Garcia, Garnet
Valley, DL; Brandon Heath, West Chester Henderson, OL; Rob Hollomon, West
Catholic, RB; Brandon McManus, North Penn, K-P; Billy Morgan, Cardinal
O'Hara, DB; David Osei, Abington, OL; Mike Pinciotti, St. Joseph's Prep, OL
and Dan Shirey, Neshaminy, OL.


===================================

PG South: Canon-McMillan's Pihakis already a game-film standout

"Pihakis was rewarded for that with a chance to play at Delaware"

Chris Adamski
Pittsburgh Post Gazette
June 18, 2009

Forget the latest summer blockbuster movie or what is available On Demand or
at the video rental store. For quality film viewing, if you're a football
coach -- or just enjoy watching the game played the way it should be --
Canon-McMillan's Guy Montecalvo has the perfect summer viewing for you: Film
on Big Macs standout defensive lineman Alex Pihakis.


"A number of big-time coaches have told me they haven't seen anybody perform
better on film," said Montecalvo, the Big Macs head coach. "You should see
the highlight video we made of his past three years.


"He was just so productive and he played with such tenacity and toughness.
You just don't find that very often in a lot of defensive linemen. Everybody
who saw him on film said they just really loved him on tape -- the same with
those who saw him in person."


Plenty more will get a chance to see Pihakis at 6 p.m. tomorrow. That's when
the West squad will taken on the East in the Pennsylvania State Coaches
Association's annual All-Star Game at Altoona's Mansion Park Stadium in
Altoona, Pa.


The only four-year starter Montecalvo has had in three decades of coaching,
Pihakis holds Canon-McMillan's single-season and career sack records.


"He has an uncanny ability to get off blocks," Montecalvo said. "As a
freshman, he already had that athleticism and quickness and strength. He was
ready as a freshman and played very well as a freshman.


"No question he definitely improved [throughout his high school career], and
he improved in all those areas -- speed, strength, quickness, knowledge of
the game. He was as good as a defensive lineman as there was around."


While Pihakis was rewarded for that with a chance to play at Delaware 

==================================

Flacco's moment of decision turned the Ravens' fate

Ken Murray
Baltimore Sun
16 June 2009 

It would not be inaccurate to say the Ravens' history of quarterbacking
misfortune turned decisively one day two years ago when Joe Flacco strode
into K.C. Keeler's office and said he wanted to play baseball.

This is relevant because Flacco at the time was a junior quarterback at the
University of Delaware for Keeler, the coach, and spring practice was
imminent. He was not quitting the football team, just investing himself in
another sport.
Keeler didn't think twice.

"Do you realize you're going to be a draft choice in football?" he said to
Flacco. 

According to Keeler, Flacco said he didn't.

But just to make sure he didn't losing his quarterback to baseball, Keeler
told his offensive coordinator to call Flacco's father and tell him that Joe
wasn't playing baseball. There was no further discussion.

Flacco went to spring football practice, where he wowed a number of NFL
scouts with his arm, and then took the Blue Hens to the Division I-AA
championship game. By late April, he was the Ravens' first-round draft pick
and, well, you know the rest of the story.

It's a story that bears repeating because the Orioles just drafted Flacco's
22-year-old brother Mike, a power-hitting third baseman who slugged 14
homers and drove in 51 runs in 46 games at CCBC-Catonsville.

Who knows what might have happened had Joe gone over to baseball?

"He could have been a possible draft choice in baseball," Keeler said
Tuesday after visiting Flacco at the Ravens' complex in Owings Mills. "But I
knew he'd be a draft choice in football. Spring practice was going to be too
important for us as a team, and the scouts were all going to come then, so
it just didn't make any sense to do it at that time."

It was a decision that keeps paying dividends, both for the Ravens and for
Keeler, who enjoyed the best recruiting season of his eight at Delaware.
Even though Delaware won a national championship in 2003, Keeler believes
the program has gotten a bigger jolt from Flacco's success than from their
national titles.

"The national championships are impressive," Keeler said. "But all the
notoriety Joe brought our program in such a positive way, the way he handles
himself, the fact he was a first-round pick ... all those things made a
major impact on our recruiting."

What really registers with recruits is the fact Flacco landed at Delaware
after an unhappy two years at Pittsburgh. Delaware may not have been the
upper echelon of college football, but it was the right place for Flacco to
build his foundation.

"Joe just needed the opportunity," Keeler said. "He's not a first-round
draft choice if he doesn't play. So bigger's not better, better is better.
We use Joe's story in our recruiting. Joe had to go someplace to play, he
came to our place and he found out that better was better."

And everybody won, except Pittsburgh.
===================================

Cards' Patrick suspended 4 games

Associated Press

Jun. 15, 2009 

Cardinals tight end Ben Patrick has been suspended for four games for
violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.

Patrick tested positive for the drug Adderall, an amphetamine, his agent
Kevin Omell said on Monday.

"He literally took one pill one time driving back from Flagstaff to keep him
awake," Omell said.

The agent says Patrick took the drug during the team's bye week in
mid-October.

According to Omell, Patrick got the pill from a friend who had used the drug
to stay up late studying.

"It was a completely honest mistake and he's really remorseful," Omell said.

Cardinals offices were closed on Monday and officials couldn't immediately
be reached for comment. NFL officials declined comment. 

Patrick, who caught a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl, was expected to
contend for the starting job in training camp. The Cardinals have ample
numbers at the position with five other tight ends on the roster.

Patrick was a seventh-round draft pick out of Delaware in 2007. He had 11
receptions for 104 yards in 10 regular-season games for the Cardinals in
2008.

Patrick would be available during the preseason but would miss the first
four games of the regular season. He would be eligible to return Oct. 18 for
the game at Seattle.

The test result was first reported by Scout.com.

The Arizona Republic's Kent Somers contributed to this report.

===================================

GEORGIA STATE TO JOIN CAA FOOTBALL IN 2012

06/15/2009 - From: CAA Conference Website

ATLANTA, Ga. (June 11, 2009) -- The Georgia State University football
program has been officially admitted as a member of CAA Football when the
Panthers begin conference play in 2012.

Colonial Athletic Association Commissioner Tom Yeager extended the official
invitation to Georgia State President Dr. Mark Becker, Director of Athletics
Cheryl L. Levick and head coach Bill Curry in a Thursday afternoon news
conference on the Georgia State campus.

Kicking off in 2010, the Georgia State football program will play two
seasons as an independent before joining CAA Football in 2012. The Panthers
will compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known
as NCAA Division I-AA.

"The inclusion of Georgia State University's program in CAA Football is
another important step forward in our journey toward the Fall 2010 inaugural
kickoff for GSU Football," said Becker. "CAA Football has emerged as the
premier Football Championship Subdivision conference in the nation, and that
athletic success is matched by an exemplary commitment to excellence in
academics and scholarship. This is a perfect partnership for Georgia State
in every dimension."

Georgia State began competing in the CAA for all sports in 2005-06. The
league, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in the coming year, includes
12 all-sports members: Delaware, Drexel, George Mason, Georgia State,
Hofstra, James Madison, Northeastern, Old Dominion, Towson, UNC Wilmington,
VCU, William and Mary.

CAA Football currently includes Delaware, Hofstra, James Madison,
Northeastern, Towson and William and Mary, along with New Hampshire, Maine,
Massachusetts, Richmond, Rhode Island and Villanova. Old Dominion begins its
football program this fall and then joins CAA Football in 2011, and Georgia
State will be the league's 14th team in 2012.

"We are very excited about Georgia State joining CAA Football in 2012," said
Yeager. "The state of Georgia is known for its passion for college football,
and we look forward to welcoming the Panthers into the best FCS conference
in the country."

CAA Football has enjoyed remarkable success at the FCS level, boasting four
NCAA championships by four different schools as well as three national
championship runners up since 1998.

"On behalf of everyone at Georgia State, we'd like to thank the Colonial
Athletic Association and Commissioner Tom Yeager," said Levick. "The CAA has
been a great fit for Georgia State athletics, and it is the perfect home for
Panther football.

"The response to Georgia State football has been remarkable. Around campus
and throughout the city of Atlanta, there is a positive buzz for our new
program. The membership in the CAA is now official, and we are ready to kick
off practice in August."

Five CAA Football programs reached the 16-team NCAA playoffs in 2008,
highlighted by national champion Richmond. The league has garnered multiple
playoff berths for 18 straight years, including 24 playoff teams and 38
playoff victories over the last seven seasons.

Thirty-nine CAA Football alumni were active on NFL rosters in 2008,
including Baltimore Ravens starting quarterback Joe Flacco, a first-round
draft choice out of Delaware.

"CAA Football is the best FCS football conference in the country, by record
and playoff performance," said Curry. "The numbers are simply astonishing.

"The opportunity to compete in a conference this successful and this
prestigious will only help our program grow. We know that we have our work
cut out for us, and we can't wait to get started. This University, this
state, and this conference demand excellence, and that's what we're going to
strive for from day one."

=====================================

The Wrong Turn

JEFF KOMLO was a success
Sports Illustrated
June 15, 2009

One time Detroit Lions quarterback JEFF KOMLO was a success in sports,
business and love. So why did he die alone, on the run, thousands of miles
from home?
L. JON WERTHEIM

When he went on the lam, his old college teammates (University of Delaware) passed around a cellphone
number and left him encouraging messages. Sometimes the voice mailbox was
full, other times it was receiving. The players debated whether the messages
were getting to him or it was an FBI trap. Their venerated coach called the
number and left a message urging his old quarterback to turn himself in,
take his punishment and come out of it a better man. "Sad to say," the coach
laments, "I never heard back." Using a calling card with a blocked
international number, the fugitive was in periodic contact with his family,
his younger brother in particular. He was careful not to tell them where he
was, but, the brother recalls, "he did say that he was in a place where life
was slower, there weren't money stresses and he was happier than he had been
in a long time."

Then, in the summer of 2006, one of his daughters received a call from a
friend. "You're never going to believe this," the friend said. "We were just
in Greece, and guess who we saw on a train, dressed in a golf shirt, reading
a newspaper? Your dad!"

"You sure it was him?" Christie Komlo asked.

"Positive."

He tried to kill me. Jennifer Winters stood in the driveway at the end of a
tree-lined cul-de-sac in Chester Springs, Pa., watching the house burn, and
the same thought kept rocketing around in her head. He tried to kill me.

It was a warm Saturday evening, June 4, 2005, when Winters pulled up to the
sprawling house owned by her boyfriend, former NFL quarterback Jeff Komlo.
Their relationship, then in its fifth year, was tempestuous, marked by
booze-fueled fights, dramatic breakups and reconciliations, and a flood of
calls to the cops. On several occasions Winters had filed domestic battery
charges against Komlo only to refuse to cooperate with prosecutors. But
despite all the friction between them, she says, Komlo "could be incredibly
charming," and no matter how vicious their fights became, she always went
back to him.

Just earlier that day, while Winters was visiting her parents in
Connecticut, she and Komlo had argued on the phone. But, she recalls, he
sweet-talked her into coming home that evening. He bought her a plane ticket
from Hartford to Philadelphia and booked her a rental car at the airport.
Her flight was delayed, so it was around 7:30 p.m. when she drove past the
dogwoods that led to his property. By that time there were black billows of
smoke in the sky and fire trucks in the street. "If my flight had gotten in
on time," says Winters, "I would have been in the house. I would have been
killed."

Fire department investigators don't dispute this. This wasn't your typical
house fire, they said, which starts in one room and spreads outward. This
was a blast that began in the kitchen, shot upward and almost instantly
engulfed the entire structure. Fire marshal Harrison Holt immediately
thought that the blaze "wasn't consistent with an accident." When the fire
dogs were called in, they sniffed accelerants in four areas.

Winters says that as she stood staring at the inferno, her cellphone
chirped. It was Komlo. "I like your outfit," he said.

"Where are you?" she gasped.



"In the woods."

She spun around but couldn't see him. In fact, she would never lay eyes on
him again. Neither would Komlo's parents, his three siblings, his four
daughters, his ex-wife or his former football teammates. A warrant for his
arrest would be issued on grounds of arson, the last in a string of charges
that included cocaine possession, DUI and domestic violence. But by then he
would be gone, his whereabouts unknown, the latest act in a disintegration
that was as spectacular as it was mystifying.

A few years earlier Komlo had been living on Philadelphia's affluent Main
Line, an ex-jock who had replicated his athletic success in business. Two
decades before that, he had been a starting quarterback for the Detroit
Lions. Now he was on the run.

In the fall of 1975, Jeff Komlo strutted onto the Delaware campus in Newark.
He stood 6'4", had a strong, well-proportioned body and had excelled at
every sport he'd tried. At DeMatha High, the Catholic sports powerhouse in
Hyattsville, Md., Komlo had been the star shortstop and cleanup hitter. But
his father, William, had played football at Maryland in the 1950s, and Jeff,
who had been a starter on DeMatha's team, was determined to become a college
quarterback. When he wasn't recruited out of high school, he took a
postgraduate year at Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy to improve his
skills. Finally the coach at Delaware expressed interest. "I can't give you
a scholarship," Tubby Raymond told Komlo. "You're going to have to make the
team as a walk-on."

"O.K.," Komlo replied, "then that's what I'll do."

He didn't get many snaps on the freshman team, but that did little to dampen
his spirits. He just woke up earlier and worked harder. On school breaks he
went home to College Park, Md., and jumped rope for so long that his parents
feared he would drop dead from a heart attack. Then he ran for miles around
the neighboring horse country.

As a sophomore Komlo surpassed the other Delaware quarterbacks and won the
starting job and eventually a scholarship. Coaches remember that William
Komlo, an insurance salesman and thoroughbred horse breeder, would sit
quietly in the bleachers during practice, nodding when his son made the
right plays. Jeff didn't have the strongest arm or the greatest accuracy or
mobility, but he radiated confidence. He was Steve McQueen in the pocket, a
natural-born leader. "There was just this air, this presence Jeff put
forward," recalls Ted Kempski, then the Blue Hens' offensive coordinator.
"All the coaches thought the same thing: This guy's got it."

Handsome and personable, Komlo was the classic Big Man on Campus. He was
seldom without a girl on his arm. The professors all knew him. He and his
roommate and favorite receiver, Peter Bistrian, would tool around Newark in
a yellow Corvette, music blaring. "He was larger than life," says teammate
K.C. Keeler, now the football coach at Delaware. "We were in the same locker
room, but you didn't even know if you should address him, or how."

Komlo got better each year. As a senior he was a Division II All-America and
led the Blue Hens to the national championship game. In three seasons he
passed for 5,256 yards, set more than a dozen school passing records and
laid the groundwork for Delaware's unexpected rise as an NFL quarterback
factory. Komlo's backup, Scott Brunner, would end up playing for the Giants,
Broncos and Cardinals. Rich Gannon, the Blue Hens' quarterback a decade
after Komlo, would lead the Raiders to the Super Bowl in 2002. Most
recently, of course, there was Joe Flacco, who led the Ravens to two playoff
victories as an NFL rookie last season. "There's no doubt," says Raymond,
the man after whom the Delaware football field is named, "Jeff Komlo did a
lot to put this program on the map. You know what he had? An athlete's
mentality."

Toward the end of his four years at Delaware, Komlo began dating Jennifer
Aldrich, a pretty freshman from a prominent Philadelphia family. She saw up
close the treatment accorded a star quarterback. "Jeff cut to the front of
every line," she recalls. "He never paid for a beer. He had girls writing
his papers. The local merchants would do his dry cleaning or make his travel
arrangements for free. I guess it's like this everywhere: When you're the
star quarterback, you're like a god."



Komlo was the Lions' ninth-round pick in the 1979 NFL draft. He had hoped to
go higher, but he entered training camp full of confidence. He'd just have
to do what he always did and play beyond his abilities. "That's how we were
raised," says Jeff's younger brother, Drew, who was a quarterback at
Maryland. "There's nothing you can't do. It's up to you to work hard and
make it happen."

When the Lions' incumbent quarterback, Gary Danielson, had knee surgery in
the preseason, Komlo became the starter as a rookie. Though the 2--14 Lions
went 2--12 in the games he started, he threw for 2,238 yards, then a team
rookie record. For the first time, however, Komlo showed flashes of a
disturbing alter ego. He once bloodied a teammate, Keith Dorney, in a
barroom dispute by throwing a beer mug at Dorney's head. But Komlo
apologized, promised the coaches it wouldn't happen again and became friends
with Dorney.

After the season Jeff married Jennifer. During the 1980 season Danielson was
healthy again, and Komlo returned to his backup position. He played
infrequently for the Lions through 1981 and then was the third-string
quarterback with the Falcons in '82 and the Buccaneers in '83. The joke
among his friends was that Komlo did his best work in the off-season. A
serial networker, he would attend team-related functions and dinners and
invariably end up chatting with local business leaders, discussing
commercial ventures or real estate deals. "He was always working some
angle," says Jennifer. She was surprised to learn that he had taken out an
insurance policy on his throwing arm for $500,000-considerably more than his
salary. She says she called the wife of Falcons quarterback Steve Bartkowski
and asked if this was standard. Jennifer was told that, no, Bartkowski had
no such policy. By the mid-'80s Jeff had hooked up with the Seahawks, though
he would never play a game for them. While in Seattle he complained of arm
pain. Jennifer says that he cashed out the insurance policy, citing a torn
ulnar nerve.

Komlo retired as a Seahawk and made a seamless transition into business. He
and Jennifer settled in the Main Line Philadelphia suburb of Radnor, Pa.
Komlo worked for various companies in financial services and then cofounded
a management consulting firm called Bolton Capital. The confidence and work
ethic that had served him so well in football did the same in his second
career. Komlo may not have had an MBA, but with his effortless charisma he
made everyone in his orbit feel comfortable. "He could talk a dog off a meat
truck," says one former coworker.

"Jeff was a tough, driven guy," says Ambrose Regan, a longtime friend and
colleague of Komlo's, "but he also had this gift where people-some of the
highest net-worth people in the country-would meet him once and think he was
their best friend."

In 1989 the Komlos moved to a 7,000-square-foot house in Bryn Mawr, Pa.,
with four cars in the driveway and a pool in back. There were furs and
jewelry for Jennifer, memberships in country clubs and a vacation home in
Palm Beach, Fla. The family employed housekeepers, nannies, personal
trainers and gardeners. Jennifer estimates that by the mid-'90s the Komlos'
monthly expenses were $40,000.

Jennifer would give birth to four daughters, each as pretty as the last.
This was a source of great amusement to Jeff's old friends and teammates,
who recalled his days as a ladies' man. "The joke was, How do we know God
has a sense of humor? Jeff Komlo has four girls," says Tom Tomashek,
longtime Blue Hens beat writer for the Wilmington News Journal. By all
accounts, though, Komlo was a dedicated father, coaching their various
sports teams. Besides teamwork and technique, he taught them toughness.
"Grow alligator skin," he'd tell them when they were about to cry.

At Delaware, meanwhile, Komlo was as popular as ever. He was no longer just
the star quarterback who'd made it to the NFL; he was also a prosperous
businessman. Keeler recalls that Komlo would make the hourlong drive to
Newark from Philly for alumni functions and spring football scrimmages.
Dressed sharply, still fit and blessed with a thick head of stylishly
coiffed hair, he would prop his feet on the bleachers and light up a fat
cigar. "He had the beautiful wife and kids, the friends, the professional
success," says Regan. "You want to talk about a picture-perfect life, this
was it."

Except it wasn't. As his 30s galloped by, Komlo worked feverishly to pay for
a standard of living that seemed to get more extravagant every year. "We'd
say, 'Jeff, you're not in the fast lane; you're in the HOV lane,'" says Drew
Komlo. And Jeff seemed to take little pleasure in the status that came with
living on the Main Line. "We're here for Jennifer and the girls," he'd
confide to friends. "I may belong to the Philadelphia Country Club, but I
don't belong. I'm just a simple guy from Maryland horse country."

By the late '90s Jeff's marriage to Jennifer was, after nearly 20 years,
deteriorating. She claims he hit her. "I learned not to provoke him," she
says. Never much of a drinker in the past-friends kidded him over his
fondness for alcohol-free beer-Komlo was now putting away glasses of vodka
and cranberry juice when he came home from work. He cut back on his
coaching, and his daughters say they would look into the bleachers during
their games and see their mom sitting alone.



In early 2000, Jennifer says, Jeff told her that their marriage was over and
that he had a girlfriend, Jennifer Winters. It was then that he suffered
what friends and relatives describe alternately as "an emotional breakdown,"
"a descent into darkness" and "the mother of all midlife crises."

At Baxter's restaurant in Paoli, Pa., they called the couple Barbie and Ken.
Komlo celebrated his 45th birthday in 2001, but he could have passed for a
decade younger. Winters was in her mid-30s, a striking, tall and slender
blonde. Within months of meeting Jeff at a bar in Florida, she had relocated
to the Philadelphia area and moved in with him. The two often went to
Baxter's, where they drank and argued with equal intensity. Komlo had never
before been arrested, but in the spring of 2001 he was cited for domestic
violence and DUI. (He pleaded guilty to the DUI and did community service as
a volunteer football coach. As for the domestic violence charge, Winters
refused to testify.)

Komlo and Winters split their time between the Philly exurb of Chester
Springs and Komlo's house in Palm Beach; at both residences there were
frequent calls to 911. "Neither of us were angels, put it that way," says
Winters. "It was one of those relationships where the bad times were awful
but the good times were great. He was madly in love with me. Then I'd see
his temper or his deceiving side. Then he was madly in love again."

In May 2004 Komlo and Winters had a fight during a night of heavy drinking.
According to the police report, Komlo shoved Winters out of her rented Monte
Carlo and left her at the side of a road. He crashed the car, returned to
his house, left again in a black SUV and crashed that too. He was convicted
of two drunk-driving charges but didn't show up for sentencing. A warrant
for his arrest was issued.

"What got him in trouble was his arrogance," says Michelle Frei, a Chester
County, Pa., assistant district attorney. "He literally did not think the
laws applied to him. 'Do you know who I am?' he would say. Excuse me? You
don't drive drunk in this county and get away with it. He had this attitude:
'I deserve to walk because I once played in the NFL. I'm better than these
people.'"

The Komlos' divorce proceedings, meanwhile, were contentious, a seemingly
unending series of motions and hearings and delays-with mounting legal fees.
Jeff became delinquent on court-ordered spousal and child-support payments.
Jennifer and the girls moved to a succession of houses, each smaller than
the last, and Jennifer borrowed money from friends and relatives to stay
afloat. "We were struggling to pay bills," Jennifer says, "and I would find
credit card receipts [indicating] Jeff had taken his girlfriend parasailing
in the Caribbean or skiing at St. Moritz."

It also discouraged Jennifer to see that, more than two decades after his
football glory, Jeff was still being treated like the star quarterback.
Court officers would befriend him during breaks, hoping to discuss the NFL
and even asking if he wanted to toss a football around in the parking lot. A
court reporter once gushed to Jennifer, "We love it when your case is
called."

"Why's that?" she replied, puzzled that anyone could take pleasure from such
a messy, destructive conflict.

"Your ex is so hot!"

The same year, while the divorce was pending, a Montgomery County family
court judge ordered Jeff to sell the house in Palm Beach and use the
proceeds for the delinquent child-support payments. Within a month the
property had burned to the ground. (Local investigators would later
determine that the cause was arson, and a warrant would be issued for
Komlo's arrest in April 2008.)



By mid-2004 Komlo, once a devoted father, had completely dropped out of the
lives of his daughters: Katie, then 21; Courtney, 20; Christie, 16; and
Callye, 15. Katie had been accompanying her mother to her younger sisters'
parent-teacher conferences. There had been missed birthdays and graduations;
tears and recriminations and counseling sessions. Jeff's parents and
siblings claim that Jennifer prevented him from seeing the kids. "He worked
his ass off to provide for the family," says Wendy Komlo, Jeff's sister,
"and she made him look like the bad guy."

Jennifer and her daughters disagree. "That's one thing that still gets me,"
says Jennifer. "The Jeff I knew could not have walked away from the girls
like that."

They leaned on each other and their mom for support and consolation. But
they also relied on sports. For all four girls the school year had been
divided not into semesters but into athletic seasons; their lives were a
blur of soccer games, basketball scrimmages, field hockey practices and
lacrosse games. They liked the camaraderie and the teamwork and
goal-setting. But sports were also a release for their anger. They grew
alligator skin.

Katie played college lacrosse at Villanova; Christie and Callye would play
the sport at Delaware. Asked to list her parents for a team media guide,
Katie said only that she was the daughter of Jennifer Komlo. For Christie
and Callye, attending Delaware-which was not only near home but also less
expensive than other schools that had recruited them-meant walking past
plaques devoted to their dad's achievements and bumping into people who
recalled him fondly. The girls endured comments such as, "You must be
related to Jeff Komlo-how's he doing?" At first they answered tersely,
withholding the fact that they'd nicknamed their missing father Osama. But
eventually they decided they'd had enough. "I remember your dad," a
well-wisher once remarked. "Man, what a great guy."

"Not really," snapped one daughter. "He's not."

Komlo's downward spiral accelerated in 2005. On Jan. 8, no longer working,
he was charged with cocaine possession in Florida. (The man who was once
famous for arriving at business engagements 10 minutes early failed to
appear for his court date.) In Pennsylvania in March he was charged with
assaulting Winters. According to the report filed by state police officers
responding to an alarm at the Chester Springs house, "This female was curled
into a ball with a fur coat covering her head. She was crying and trembling
[and] related that she was hiding from Komlo out of fear." But Winters again
refused to cooperate with prosecutors. Barely two weeks later, on April 15,
police responded to a 911 call from Winters, entered the house in Chester
Springs and found a glass vial. Komlo was charged with morphine possession.
He didn't show up for his court appearance.

Around the same time, Komlo had been investigated for alleged financial
fraud. His Delaware roommate and receiver Peter Bistrian had already spent
two years in jail, in 1996 and '97, on federal convictions related to a $1.5
million loan fraud. The judge at his trial had characterized him as "the
consummate con man." Now Bistrian was accused of masterminding a complex
$1.4 million scam that defrauded a South African firm, Columbus Stainless
Steel Ltd., and filtered the money through an account belonging to Komlo.
Komlo cooperated with investigators, claiming he believed Bistrian had
obtained the money legitimately. Komlo was not charged in the case.

Weeks later, in the summer of 2005, Bistrian was apprehended as he tried to
cross into Canada carrying false identification, four cellphones, $3,700 in
cash and Mapquest.com directions to Toronto International Airport. (He
pleaded guilty to fraud charges and is currently in custody at the
Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.)

Then, finally, there was the suspicious June 4 fire at the Chester Springs
house. Authorities theorize that Komlo blamed Winters for his troubles-it
was her calls to the cops, after all, that led to several of his arrests-and
might have intended to kill her in the blaze. Jeff's siblings assert that
this is reckless speculation and that Jeff had left the country by then.
Calls to his cellphone went unreturned. His lawyers claimed to have no
knowledge of his whereabouts. Federal marshals converged on the homes of his
parents and siblings, but left convinced that they were as clueless as
everyone else.

By summer's end Komlo was featured on the website of the TV program
America's Most Wanted, sandwiched between a woman accused of pretending to
be a deaf mute to rob stores in seven states and a Russian immigrant charged
with killing an acquaintance and burying him in a backyard in Detroit. This
enraged Komlo, who went so far as to call Philadelphia Inquirer reporter
Kathleen Brady Shea from an undisclosed location to complain. "I'm not a
criminal, and I would like to get this resolved," he said. "I'm not above
any law." He made a vague reference to a vendetta against him and indicated
that he would turn himself in shortly. He never did.



Even those closest to Komlo could make little sense of what he had done. How
could the BMOC and successful businessman have turned into a fugitive from
justice? Komlo wouldn't be the first athlete to make a mess of his life
after his playing career. But to those who knew him, his downfall defied
belief.

It seems everyone in Komlo's life has a theory to explain his decline. His
parents and siblings think it all started with his divorce. "When his
marriage fell apart, he fell apart," says Wendy Komlo. Several friends think
his volatile relationship with Winters was the catalyst. Clearly, drugs and
alcohol were also factors. A Florida attorney who represented Komlo, Kenneth
Lemoine, says, "I think he lost faith in the system. He didn't think he
could get a fair shake."

Those less sympathetic to the old quarterback, such as Chester County
prosecutors, throw around clinical terms such as sociopath and psychotic.

It's hard not to wonder whether the "athlete's mentality" cited admiringly
by Tubby Raymond also played a role in Komlo's downfall. When he played
football in college, he overachieved through sheer self-confidence. His
risk-taking was rewarded. Again and again he was able to make the big play.
Even as criminal charges against him mounted, he carried himself in a way
that suggested that somehow he'd pull off life's equivalent of a
hook-and-ladder. The guys liked him; the girls still thought he was hot.
Everything would be O.K. Then, suddenly, he realized he was out of downs.

Greece? No one could recall Komlo ever talking about Greece. He had no
relatives there, no business dealings or known contacts. The Talmud, the
text of Jewish laws and ethics, states that "if a man feels that his evil
passion is gaining the mastery over him, let him go to a place where he is
unknown." Komlo, a Roman Catholic, might have been more concerned about his
freedom.

Informed of Jeff's whereabouts after he was sighted on that Greek train by
Christie Komlo's friend, the Chester County district attorney's office
looked into extradition. But federal authorities felt it wasn't worth the
expense or effort, Frei says, because none of the outstanding charges
against Komlo were sufficiently grave. Life moved on.

Her divorce made final in 2008, Jennifer Komlo found a job working in the
office of a Main Line plastic surgeon. Jennifer Winters returned to Florida
and became engaged to another man. When Callye Komlo went to her senior prom
with Wayne Ellington, who would go on to play basketball for North Carolina
and be named MVP of the 2009 Final Four, she simply accepted that her father
wouldn't be on hand to watch her date fumble with the corsage. William Komlo
continued working with horses; in fact, he trained Tone It Down, a long shot
in the 2009 Preakness.

Jeff, meanwhile, had a girlfriend in Greece and was working for a hair
implant clinic in Athens called NHI. The clinic caters mostly to Brits, who
fly to the Greek capital for something called the Choi Method-which,
according to the NHI website, is "a procedure far too labour intensive to
operate in the UK." Komlo's job, not surprisingly, was to greet clients, put
them at ease and show them a good time on the town before their procedure.

Like many wild rides, Komlo's would come to an abrupt end. At around 3 a.m.
on Saturday, March 14, 2009, he was reportedly killed in a car accident in
southern Athens. Frei, the Pennsylvania A.D.A., was skeptical. "I wouldn't
put it past this guy to fake his death," she said. But the U.S. State
Department matched fingerprints and confirmed that, yes, the body was
Komlo's. According to Drew Komlo, Jeff's car hit three others before
crashing to a halt. Jeff was flung through the windshield and died of a
cranial fracture. He was 52.

On April 1 there was a memorial mass for Jeff Komlo in Rockville, Md. It was
a small, private affair. His parents and siblings were there; his four
daughters were not. He was then cremated.

His parents and siblings try to remember him in the first 45 years of his
life and still puzzle over what happened afterward. "You know those
unsatisfying mysteries that never get solved?" asks Wendy Komlo. "What
happened to my brother is one of them."

===============================

Extra teams add issues for CAA football

Dave Fairbank 
Newport News Daily Press
14 June 2009

Tom Yeager traveled to Atlanta the other day to officially welcome the latest addition to the Colonial Athletic Association's increasingly crowded football playpen.



Set aside the idea that Georgia State athletics quicken few pulses outside of its downtown Atlanta campus, and what's remarkable is the size and history.



When Georgia State enters as a full, competing member in 2012 — the Panthers' start-up program begins in 2010 — the CAA will be a 14-team football league. Old Dominion, which tees it up this fall, will make it 13 in 2011, the Panthers 14 one year later.



And not some ragged, multi-tiered, marriage-of-convenience conglomeration, either. A league in which everybody is all-in and committed to the highest level of Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) competition, a league that's already the best in the country, top to bottom, and home to the past three national champions not called Appalachian State.



Even the Southeastern Conference isn't that crazy.



"Fourteen teams isn't ideal, by any stretch of the imagination," said Yeager, the only commissioner the CAA has ever had. "But we've had a lot of conversations with all the members about the great success we've had, particularly in the last two years, and we think we can still make it work."



The CAA's expanding football profile falls somewhere between a successful non-profit whose donations barely fit in the warehouse and a nice boarding house where the residents keep showing up pregnant.



A 14-team football league strains a microchip or two on the schedule computer. Obviously, the idea of all teams facing each other every season is out the window, but that's the case now, with the league at 12 teams, and it's the same way in many Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly I-A) conferences.



"There could be kids that come to William and Mary and don't play, say, New Hampshire during the course of their career," Yeager said. "That's something that I don't think anybody's comfortable with, necessarily, but it is what it is."



Fourteen teams also increase the chance that the league's top two or three teams might not face each other to determine the conference champ. FCS leagues don't have conference-championship games, because of the NCAA playoff format.



"There's something that's a little weird about that," Yeager said. "But by the same token, when all the basketball leagues went to 12 (teams) and gave up the double round-robin (schedule), there seemed to be something inherently weird about that, too, but I think we've all gotten over that."



Yeager said the CAA remains committed to an eight-game league schedule and wants to do all it can to preserve rivalries, both north and south, in a football conference that now stretches from Maine to Atlanta.



He said that Georgia State's schedule will be spread evenly throughout the conference and not necessarily tilted southern. Strictly geographic scheduling, with the addition of ODU and Georgia State, would have pushed Villanova into the northern tier — an unappealing prospect to 'Nova, as well as to what have become traditional rivals James Madison, William and Mary and Richmond.



Yeager said that the tilt southward of a league that began in 1947 as the Yankee Conference isn't as great a concern in some quarters as a potential money gap.



Newcomers ODU and Georgia State, for example, are large, public institutions that have access to greater revenue streams through student fees and such than small, private schools such as Richmond and Villanova, or even relatively small public schools such as William and Mary and Maine.



Yeager is sensitive to those concerns, but he points out that Richmond won the 2008 national championship and smaller schools routinely make the NCAA playoffs. Intangibles such as coaching and tradition, he said, can compensate for lesser revenue streams. 

"Every place has advantages and disadvantages," Yeager said. "George Steinbrenner has proven that the team with the biggest payroll doesn't always win."



Maybe the most remarkable part of the story is the CAA's 14 football teams compared to the league's not-so-distant past. It was only nine springs ago that the conference's very existence was in question.



The CAA was down to six schools after charter member Richmond scooted out the side door for the Atlantic 10, scuttling an expansion plan that Yeager and league presidents assembled and that included football. 



Yeager scrambled to keep the league alive, luring four schools from the America East. He added two more schools and eventually leveraged a football takeover from the Atlantic 10. What began as the Yankee Conference 60 years earlier has operated under the CAA flag for the past two years.



"Sometimes you get so caught up in the issues of the day that you kind of forget where we were and how tenuous it was and what we've been able to accomplish," Yeager said. "We've had a lot of good things happen and we've been lucky, but we have a group of schools that really have worked hard to do things the right way. They haven't compromised principles for quick fixes, and it's paid off. Or it's beginning to pay off."



We'll see. Twelve is about to become 14, and no one knows how it will play out. Yeager pointed out that there still are two seasons before ODU comes aboard and three before Georgia State joins.



"Hopefully, we'll have it all figured out by then," he said.



Start with a bigger dining room table and an extra truckload of patience.

=============================================

UD's message: Love being a Hen? Give back
University officials seek financial, personal support at weekend events

By RACHEL KIPP * The News Journal * June 8, 2009

About 1,500 alumni converged on the University of Delaware's Newark campus
over the weekend for the school's first spring reunion weekend. They saw old
friends and teachers, exchanged phone numbers and visited their former
dorms. And they heard a lot about what's happening on campus in 2009.

School leaders wanted the visitors to have fun and enjoy their return to
campus. They also want them to come back -- to give their time and their
checkbooks.

While alumni danced at Mug Night or attended a seminar about engineering
students bringing clean water to Cameroon, UD officials hoped they were
thinking about getting involved. They want alumni to return as mentors, to
hire students as interns or graduates as employees and to talk to high
school students about the benefits of becoming a Blue Hen. They hope such
connections with the school also will lead those alumni to want to give
financially.

No longer can the university depend solely on the same pool of major donors.
Onetime key supporter MBNA is gone, swallowed up by Bank of America. Other
reliable backers like the DuPont Co. and W.L. Gore have smaller operations
today than they did a decade ago.

At one time, the university could depend on the state to kick in a
significant contribution for capital and other projects. But now, Delaware
is grappling with a recession-fueled financial crisis. The best-case
scenario is that appropriations for UD and other colleges will stay at
current levels.

That's why UD is turning to its most fervent supporters -- the approximately
140,000 Blue Hens who have collected their diplomas and are now working and
raising families.

New UD President Patrick Harker is hoping to create the kind of atmosphere
that has reaped major rewards at schools such as Stanford, Harvard and the
University of Pennsylvania, his old stomping grounds.

"Someone doesn't wake up one morning and say 'I think I'll write a $50
million check.' They had years invested with the institution," Harker said.
"Most people who write the $50 million check or the $100 million check are
the people who started out giving a little bit and then a little bit more.
They made the institution a priority.
(2 of 5)

"We need the sense that UD is not just a four-year experience but a
lifetime; that's critical for us," Harker said. "It creates a network, an
intergenerational transfer of knowledge and a connection to history. As
people get involved, people tend to give. You can't expect to just send
people an envelope and then they send a check. You have to ask people to get
involved in the life of the university."

Reaching out to alumni

Only about 30,000 of UD's alumni live in Delaware, Harker said. The rest
live all over the world, too far away for spur-of-the-moment trips to
football games or strolls on campus. If the university is out of sight, it's
quickly out of mind unless the school makes an effort to reach out.

"If you don't make an effort to make connections like this, nobody will
think of [giving back], period," said David Stephens, a 1980 graduate who
traveled to the reunion from his home in Orange, N.J. "Events like this
remind people of the good times and experiences they had when they were
here. It gets you thinking about what we can do to ensure that other
students have that kind of experience."

Part of the strategy behind this reunion weekend -- the first of what is to
be an annual event -- is that it provides UD officials with three days,
rather than the 15 or 20 minutes they might get during Homecoming, to tell
their story to alumni.

The reunion weekends, which other colleges have held for years, provide UD a
direct hook for fundraising among classes reaching milestone anniversaries.
Classes marking five, 10, 25 and 50 years since their graduations raised
more than $300,000 around this year's event. The total included a $100,000
donation from one 1959 grad.

"The alumni community should be your chief marketers; they should be the
people out there telling your story," Harker said. "Imagine 140,000 people
armed with the facts, out there wearing UD sweat shirts and telling people
the UD story."

"It increases awareness, it increases the overall likelihood of bringing in
more students, research grants, everything," Vice President for External
Relations David Brond said.
(3 of 5)

For those who can't make it to Newark, UD is trying to find other ways to
reach them.

Since arriving at UD two years ago, Harker has visited alumni groups in
Boston, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Staff in UD's development office
have been working with alumni in major cities to launch regional clubs for
graduates. There are now 29 regional clubs and plans for more are in the
works. About 40 percent more alumni events were held this year compared with
2008, Alumni Relations Director Cindy Campanella said.

Last spring, UD launched an online alumni community; the regional clubs all
have pages on Facebook.

"A number of people I've met have said that no one from the university ever
bothered to pick up the phone and call them," said Monica Taylor, vice
president for development and alumni relations. "I had one person who said
when he was doing well on Wall Street no one from the university ever picked
up the phone. He made a gift and said, 'This is like getting my big toe wet.
There is more to come.' There are many more people out there like that --
they want to be involved, they want to hear from the university."

UD is trying to pull in alumni like Bill Mavity, a member of the class of
1972 who is now president and CEO of Paracor Medical Inc., a
California-based company that develops device-based treatments for patients
suffering from heart failure. He spent a day on campus in December, talking
to students about their small-business ideas as part of a new
entrepreneur-in-residence program.

Stanford University is located about six miles from Mavity's home. But if he
came into the resources to make a major investment in higher education,
Mavity said he would pick UD.

"Stanford has an endowment that would knock everybody's socks off, they
don't need my help," Mavity said. "I have a private company and if I was
lucky enough to have us do well, I would consider [making a major donation
to UD] certainly. I like new things, I like things that are not fully
developed. Not that the university isn't fully developed, I just think the
potential to have great things happen are higher at Delaware."
(4 of 5)

But the university also has to find a place for alumni like Kathy Tordella
O'Connor, who came to the reunion this weekend with seven of her siblings,
all UD graduates. O'Connor, who lives in Colorado, is involved with a few
nonprofits near home but she's not sure how she could be useful to her alma
mater.

"We're not connected financially to anybody who would have much power and
that's what you need to be a fundraiser," O'Connor said. "You really need to
know people that you can twist their arms."

Recession impacts donations

UD officials have raised about $26 million in gifts so far in fiscal 2009;
the goal for the year, which ends July 1, is $30 million. The school was the
biggest fundraiser among Delaware's three public colleges in a survey by the
Council for Aid to Education of 2008 totals -- UD had more than $28.7
million, compared to about $7.8 million at Delaware Technical & Community
College and about $1.2 million at Delaware State University.

But UD's total was far below the universities that made up the list's top
20. Penn, for example, raised more than $475 million. The University of
Wisconsin-Madison raised $410 million, and the University of Michigan raised
$333 million.

Alumni donations accounted for close to 30 percent of the more than $31.6
billion given to colleges in 2008, according to the Council for Aid to
Education. But alumni participation in giving declined slightly overall.

"People aren't going to announce capital campaigns right now; it's the wrong
time," said Naomi Levine, executive director of the Heyman Center for
Philanthropy and Fundraising at New York University. "You should use this
time to meet with all of the key people and donors and ask them: 'How are
you doing? How do you think you're going to do next year?' Use it almost as
a feasibility study period."

In fact, the recession scuttled UD officials' plans to launch a major
fundraising campaign this summer. As Levine suggested, they decided to focus
on fostering relationships instead.

Based on historic patterns, observers expect that giving to higher education
will decline this year and in 2010 due to the recession. Some colleges are
attempting to buck the gloomy outlook by asking previous donors to give
again. Others are trying new strategies to spread the word to a broader
group of donors; the University of Florida, for example, is among the
schools that have hired the consulting firm that engineered President Barack
Obama's tech-heavy voter-outreach strategy.
(5 of 5)

"The college experience for most people is one of the most influential times
in their lives, they're going to have an emotional connection back to that
institution or to a particular professor or to a sports team or to a
program," said Rae Goldsmith, vice president for advancement resources at
the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. "That connection is
going to be with them no matter where they live in the world. What you're
trying to do is tap into that connection."

Alumni who give once are more likely to give twice, Goldsmith said. Those
who give twice are more likely to write a third check.

"That's why schools are starting to even approach people when they're still
students because the amount of the first gift doesn't make nearly as much
difference as the fact that the gift was made," Goldsmith said.

UD alumni Mindy Shelkowsky Pitonyak and Debra Gordon Rossetti, members of
the Class of 1984 who became friends while living in adjacent dorm rooms
during their freshmen year, said this weekend's reunion was the first time
the school has tried to reach them in a meaningful way.

"Everything is about football with Delaware; everybody comes back for
football, no one seems to come back for Delaware," said Pitonyak, who now
lives in Chatham, N.J. "When they ask for money, you don't want to give
because you feel distant. I have fond memories but it seems like a lifetime
ago."

"It's a segregated part of your life," Rossetti, now an Oceanside, N.Y.,
resident, agreed. "You just have to regain that affiliation and feel
associated again."

=========================================

What's going on at Delaware State?

6/5/09

By David Coulson, FCS Executive Director - The Sports Network

FCS Logo Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Delaware may be among the
smallest states in the union, but The First State has been a major player in
terms of FCS offseason news.

Both Delaware and Delaware State have hired new athletic directors in recent
weeks, and the two schools have also signed an agreement to play each other
in the regular season for the first time on Sept. 19.

Additionally, UD and DSU have been drawn into a controversy involving the
state government's approval of legalized sports gambling, one that could
cost them the chance to host home playoff games.

But no story has received more attention than Delaware State's scheduling of
a non-conference game with Michigan on Oct. 17. Columnists throughout the
country have excoriated the Hornets for the decision to forfeit a
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game with North Carolina A&T in order to
take a $500,000 check from the Wolverines.

Sports Illustrated even labeled the story as last week's Sign of the
Apocalypse.

The story surrounding the forfeit is a complicated one. The contract with
Michigan was negotiated while Delaware State was interviewing for a new
athletic director, and it still isn't exactly clear who in the
administration approved the deal.

Derek Carter has taken the reigns as the new athletic director just in time
to address all of the questions about a decision he didn't make.

But there is plenty of blame to go around outside of Dover, DE.

North Carolina A&T was willing to adjust its schedule to accommodate the
Hornets, but at that point, even with MEAC commissioner Dennis Thomas
involved in the negotiations, things broke down.

A&T needed to move its Sept. 12 game with Norfolk State to an Oct. 3 open
date in order to allow Delaware State to play its game with the Aggies on
Sept. 12, but Norfolk State balked at a deal that would have forced the
Spartans to play 10 consecutive weeks.

It isn't unusual for conference members in other leagues to switch games to
help fellow members play contests of this nature. But in this case, no one
was willing to bail Delaware State out of its problem.

Much of the blame has to be shouldered by Thomas, who should have acted more
forcefully before this embarrassing situation came to public light. Instead,
Thomas now has to hope that DSU's forfeit will not have any adverse impact
on the 2009 MEAC championship race.

The quality of the teams involved could eventually help the league avoid an
additional P.R. hit.

Delaware State is rebuilding just two years after winning the 2007 MEAC
championship and isn't likely to be a championship contender. North Carolina
A&T, meanwhile, is trying to find its footing under new coach Alonzo Lee Jr.
after going 3-31 in the past three seasons.

Thomas has also hinted that he will sanction Delaware State for the forfeit,
though the type of penalty he might levy hasn't been revealed. Some are
calling for him to make DSU ineligible for the MEAC title in 2009, something
that might constitute harsh treatment for players and coaches who didn't ask
for this attention.

It is more likely that the penalty will involve some sort of fine, which
would hit the Hornet administration right in the place that led to the
scheduling of the Michigan game in the first place - the pocketbook.

Whatever Thomas decides, this incident is a black eye on Delaware State and
the MEAC - a bruise that won't heal quickly.

Some observers have speculated that this incident could leave cracks in the
MEAC foundation that could lead Delaware State to find another conference
affiliation, perhaps with the Big South.

Only time will tell how ugly this situation will get.
GAMBLING ON BETTING
Delaware Gov. Jack Markell is gambling that a sports lottery will help his
fiscally-challenged state pull itself out of the economic doldrums and the
Delaware Supreme Court ruled this week, as expected, that the state
constitution allows for sports betting.

But as mentioned, that decision could cost Delaware and Delaware State the
chance to host playoff games in the future.

The NCAA warned Delaware officials that it would prohibit those schools from
hosting playoff games if state officials passed gambling legislation. The
NFL is also expected to continue its legal fight against a state lottery.

Delaware State, which plays in 7,000-seat Alumni Stadium, has never hosted a
playoff game, but Delaware has been a frequent postseason host with its
20,000-seat facility.

The Blue Hens have hosted 15 playoff games since making their first FCS
postseason appearance in 1981.

One unexpected development is that another major playoff participant,
Montana, could also be affected by this ban. The state of Montana also runs
a sports lottery, and if the NCAA follows through on a betting ban for
Delaware, it might have to investigate the possibility of prohibiting
Montana and Montana State from hosting playoff games as well.

Montana has qualified for 16 consecutive playoff berths and its ability to
draw crowds of more than 20,000 fans has led to 31 home playoff games over
the years. The Grizzlies have also won a pair of NCAA championships, and
have reached the title game six times.

==================================

The Patriots announced the release of Omar Cuff

From the Brockton Enterprise

6/5/09 

The Patriots announced the release of four players, including six-year NFL
veteran defensive lineman Kenny Smith. Linebacker Angelo Craig, running back
Omar Cuff and safety Marcus McClinton were also cut loose by the team.

Cuff, 24, was originally signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted
free agent on May 2, 2008, and subsequently spent time on the practice
squads of the Cleveland Browns and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season. The
5-foot-9, 195-pounder from Delaware joined the Patriots as a free agent on
May 4 of this year.

=============================

UD football player attacked, stabbed

Newark Post

 June 3, 2009 

A University of Delaware football player reported he was attacked and
stabbed Saturday. The Newark Police Department was summoned to the
Christiana Hospital Emergency Room for a report of a stabbing victim. The
incident reportedly occurred in the area of East Cleveland Avenue near North
Chapel Street. The victim, a 22-year-old UD student and football player,
told officers that he was walking in the area of East Cleveland Avenue and
North Chapel Street when he was attacked by four white males. During the
incident, the victim was stabbed once in the right rib area and once in the
neck area. The victim was treated and released from the hospital.

One suspect is described as a white male in his early 20's, heavy set,
approximately 6'01" and 240 lbs., with short hair and wearing a white
t-shirt. The other three suspects were only described as white males around
the same age but smaller in stature. Anyone with additional information
about this incident should contact Detective Greg D'Elia at 302-366-7110
ext. 132 or Gregory.Delia@cj.state.de.us. You can send an anonymous text
message tip by texting 302NPD and your message to TIP411. Information can
also be provided anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, where a
reward may be available.
=====================================

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Sports betting may threaten playoff games in Montana
By AMY BETH HANSON Associated Press June 3, 2009

HELENA - State and university officials are working to prove that a Montana
law that allows fantasy sports leagues does not violate the NCAA's stance
against gambling on sporting events.

An NCAA spokeswoman recently said the University of Montana should not have
been allowed to host playoff games last season because the state has a form
of legalized sports gambling.

"We did have an administrative oversight previously, but that was an error
on our side and it's not going to happen again," NCAA spokeswoman Stacey
Osburn said last week. "We've taken steps to make sure it doesn't happen
again."
The issue came to light after NCAA officials, citing association rules,
threatened to ban all playoff games in Delaware if the state legalized
sports betting.

In the course of discussing the Delaware issue, it was noted that the
University of Montana hosted two football playoff games last fall despite
the fact that Montana is one of four states that allow sports gambling.

The "administrative oversight" comment concerned football fans and
administrators at the University of Montana and Montana State as well as
state gambling officials. The state law couldn't be changed unless the
legislature was in session.

The state would like to avoid going through changing the law and still have
Montana and Montana State eligible to host playoff games, giving the teams a
competitive edge as well as the revenue from an extra home game or two.

Montana's law allows people to win money in fantasy leagues - where fans
draft real players to form a fictitious team - but not the outcome of the
actual games. The state also has a pari-mutuel fantasy football game,
administered by the Montana Lottery, with some proceeds going to the Montana
Board of Horse Racing.

The NCAA rule states:

"No session of the championship may be conducted in a metropolitan area that
permits legal wagering that is based upon the outcome of any event (e.g.,
high school, college or professional) in a sport in which the NCAA conducts
a championship."

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell signed a bill into law earlier this month that
allows betting on the outcome of sporting events and the state's Supreme
Court ruled it constitutional on Thursday.

Montana law specifically states that its laws authorizing fantasy sports
leagues do not authorize betting or wagering on the outcome of an individual
sports event.

"We're looking at it very, very carefully to see what specifically the NCAA
doesn't permit, what the basis for that is," UM attorney David Aronofsky
said Friday. "We haven't formed any conclusions."

The university is preparing its arguments for the NCAA.

Rick Ask, chief of the Operations Bureau of the state Gambling Control
Division, said he has given the NCAA information on Montana's gambling laws.

"They've been in touch with us to inquire about the activities that are
legal," Ask said. "We've sent them statutes and rules and are available if
they've got questions."

After being sent the state law Friday, Osburn would not address whether the
fantasy sports leagues violate NCAA rules. She responded with an e-mail to
the Associated Press saying the NCAA opposes all forms of legal and illegal
sports wagering.

"Sports wagering is a serious problem that threatens the well-being of
student-athletes and the integrity of college sports," Osburn wrote. "The
NCAA has been in contact with the Montana Gambling Control Division, but we
do not have any further comment at this time."

Montana State athletics director Peter Fields said he and Montana athletics
director Jim O'Day just learned of the issue last week at conference
meetings.

"Jim and I will work through the state to come to a resolution for this
issue," Fields wrote in an e-mail Wednesday, adding that he voted to support
an expansion of the NCAA's antigambling measure. The rule took effect in
2004 and applied only to basketball. It was expanded last August to apply to
all NCAA sports.

O'Day said Friday that NCAA committees will likely meet to discuss the issue
this summer.

"Most probably we won't know anything until late August," he said. "We just
need to know, what direction do we need to head."
============================================

NCAA may ban football playoff games in Missoula

Reporting from KPAX in Missoula

Derek Buerkle
MontanasNewsStation.com
29 May 2009

The Montana Grizzlies have made a trip to the FCS playoffs 16 straight
years, and many of those contests kicked off in Missoula.

But a NCAA rule could keep future postseason games away from
Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The NCAA does not allow playoff games in cities
where sports betting is allowed, and Montana recently started a fantasy
sports lottery game in towns like Missoula.

University of Montana Athletic Director Jim O'Day says the issue was brought
up in an ESPN story on new gambling legislation in Delaware. He tells
Montana's News Station that Delaware officials raised an objection to NCAA
policy pointing to Montana's playoff games and sports wagering.

O'Day said that an NCAA official said they had made an oversight with last
year's UM payoff games against Texas State and Weber State. O'Day says no
final ruling has been made, and the NCAA might not make a decision on what
happens to future playoff games in the state until football season starts
this fall.

==================================

Delaware Football Standout Jon Striefsky Taking Part in NCAA Student-Athlete Development Conference This Weekend

DATE: May 25, 2009 - UD Sports info

ORLANDO, Fla. – University of Delaware senior placekicker Jon Striefsky (at right), a 2007 All-American and one of the top kicking specialists in the country, is taking part in the annual NCAA National Student-Athlete Development Conference this weekend at the Walt Disney World Resort. 

Striefsky (pronounced “stri-eff-ski”), a finance major from Lansdale, Pa. (North Penn High School), will be one of nearly 600 student-athlete leaders who will gather together to discuss topics that affect them on their campuses and in their communities. The conference, which also enhance leadership skills, will continue through Wednesday. 

The conference is structured to enhance the skill set and knowledge base of student-athletes. Participants will also have the opportunity to hear from key figures in government and sports. A video presentation will feature U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, (R-OH); Reggie Love, personal aide to President Obama and a former student-athlete; former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater; and Angela Taylor, vice president and general manager for the Washington Mystics on the WNBA.

Representatives from U.S. Army also will present on energy management and attention control, and National City Bank personnel will conduct a session on financial responsibility, including credit card debt, investing and money management. 

Student-athletes also will discuss topics such as diversity, student-athlete well-being, substance abuse, personal branding and sportsmanship. They will work in teams on projects throughout the conference. Participants will also take part in initiative activities at Disney’s Wide World of Sports.

Coaches, athletics administrators and program facilitators also will attend, along with members from each division’s national SAAC. 

Participating student-athletes were selected from more than 2,000 nominations from college and university officials who represent Divisions I, II and III, and fall, winter and spring sports.

Striefsky was selected to attend by the NCAA from a list of four UD nominees that also included men’s lacrosse player Andrew Unthank, women’s lacrosse player Courtney Aburn, and women’s track and field runner Cristine Marquez. 

A two-year letterwinner for the Blue Hen football team, Striefsky earned first team All-Colonial Athletic Association and first team All-American honors by The Sports Network and Associated Press in 2007 when he led the Blue Hens to a berth in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision. He enjoyed a record-breaking season that year, scoring 127 points as he converted 21 of 24 field goals and 64 of 67 extra points. He tied for the NCAA leading in points by kicking and was No. 2 in the nation in field goals. 

He had another solid season in 2008 when he hit on all 26 extra point attempts and was 7 of 13 on field goals. He is on track to set numerous UD career records this coming fall.

====================================

2009 CAA TV package

The 2009 CAA TV package to be broadcast by Comcast. The schedule has 8 games
to be televised by Comcast Network Channel 8 (Replacing CN8) and 8 games by
Mid-Atlantic Comcast Sports Network MASN on Channel 53:

9/12 - Richmond @ Delaware - 3:30 - Comcast Network (CN)

9/19 - URI @ UMass - 3:30 - Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic (MASN)

9/26 - Northeastern @ Villanova - 3:30 - CN

10/3 - UNH @ Towson - 3:30 - MASN

10/3 - W&M @ Villanova - 7:00 - CN

10/10 - Richmond @ JMU - 12:00 - MASN

10/10 - Maine @ Hofstra - 1:00 - CN

10/17 - Richmond @ Maine - 12:00 - MASN

10/24 - JMU @ W&M - 12:00 - MASN

10/31 - JMU @ Delaware - 12:00 - CN

10/31 - UMass @ Maine - 3:30 - MASN

11/7 - URI @ UNH - 12:00 - CN

==================================

2009 CAA FOOTBALL PREVIEW 

Courtesy: CAAsports.com 05/20/2009

CAA Football: 2009 Preview

CAA Football’s opening season in 2007 was extremely successful, and the league backed that performance up with an even bigger show in 2008. An NCAA record-tying five CAA Football teams earned playoff berths, had 78 players earn All-America honors and garnered its fourth National Championship in 10 years when Richmond dominated Montana, 24-7, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Six squads return All-America honorees in 2009 including Delaware’s Charles Graves, James Madison’s Scotty McGee, Maine’s Jared Turcotte, Massachusetts’ Jeromy Miles, New Hampshire’s Scott Sicko and Richmond’s Eric McBride and Matt McCracken.

CAA Football, which holds a string of 18-consecutive seasons with multiple berths in the NCAA?Championships, has seen 10 of its 12 schools play at least one playoff game since 2001. CAA Football has produced four National Champions, seven National Finalists and close to 300 All-Americans. Delaware and James Madison won back-to-back National Championships in 2003 and 2004, marking the first time consecutive championships have gone to two different teams from the same league.

Over the last seven seasons league squads have earned 24 NCAA Championship berths and 35 NCAA?Championship wins. Richmond, which won the school’s first-ever National Championship in 2008, returns 16 starters in 2009 including nine to a defense which was among the nation’s elite last season.

CAA?Football squads have finished the season among the National Top-25 more than 85 times dating back to the league’s inception. Last season Richmond (No. 1), James Madison (No. 3), Villanova (No. 6), New Hampshire (No. 8), Maine (No. 18) and William and Mary (No. 20) were among the Top-20 in the final 2008 poll.

James Madison returns 13-of-22 starters from its Conference Championship team which advanced to the 2008 National Semifinals. Villanova, another projected CAA Football Championship contender in 2009, will rely on eight offensive starters and seven defensive starters who return. New Hampshire, which has beaten the last four FBS-level foes it has faced dating back to 2004, will be looking for its sixth-straight NCAA Championships berth in 2009.


The 2009 CAA Football Preview is now available online. Click on each of the links below to browse through each section in the 82-page book. Clicking on each of the cover images to the right will give you access to larger cover images.

CAA Football Introduction -- Page 1-4 
Delaware Blue Hens -- Pages 5-8 
Hofstra Pride -- Pages 9-12 
James Madison Dukes -- Pages 13-16 
Maine Black Bears -- Pages 17-20 
Massachusetts Minutemen -- Pages 21-24 

More here: CAAsports.com

====================================

Delaware Hands Out Awards

May 21, 2009  - UD Sports Info
Blue Hens Honored

NEWARK, Del. -- Football standout Kheon Hendricks, who went from a walk-on
to captain to an All-American during his career with the Blue Hens, was
honored as the 2009 University of Delaware Outstanding Senior Male Athlete
of the Year at the annual UD Men's Athletics Awards Luncheon Thursday
afternoon at the Bob Carpenter Center.

Hendricks, who was selected in a vote by the head coaches of Delaware's

11 men's athletics teams, was among several athletes recognized during the
awards luncheon for their accomplishments not only on the playing field but
in the classroom and in the community. The annual UD Women's Intercollegiate
Awards Banquet will take place Thursday evening at the Trabant Student
Center.

One of the true success stories in University of Delaware football history,
Hendricks went from a walk-on to a two-time All-American and established
himself as one of the top centers in UD history. The Baltimore area native
has earned a tryout with the National Football League Baltimore Ravens later
this week where he will look to join former Blue Hen standout quarterback
Joe Flacco.

Flacco and teammate Omar Cuff shared the UD Outstanding Senior Male Athlete
of the Year last season. Hendricks becomes the 40th football player to earn
the award but the first offensive lineman since Hank Vollendorf in 1969.

Hendricks, a resident of Pikesville, Md. (Woodlawn High School) enjoyed an
outstanding four-year playing career for the Blue Hens, starting his career
as an offensive guard and closing it out as a two-time All-American at
center for head coach K.C. Keeler.

He led the Blue Hens to 26 wins over four season highlighted by the 2007
campaign when the Blue Hens, featuring one of the nation's most potent
offensive attacks led by Flacco and Cuff, went 11-4 and advanced all the way
to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision national title game
before falling to Appalachian State in the finals.

Hendricks moved into a starting spot at guard as a sophomore and moved to
center in 2007 when he led the Blue Hen offensive attack and earned
honorable mention The Sports Network All-American honors as well as being
selected to the All-Colonial Athletic Association first team.

He served as a team co-captain during the 2008 season and although the Hens
struggled to a 4-8 mark, he once again earned TSN honorable mention
All-American honors and was a second team All-CAA pick. In addition, he was
named to the College Sporting News Fabulous Fifty All-American squad and
earned the Blue Hen Touchdown Club Outstanding Senior Lineman Award. He
started each the final 38 games of his career on the Blue Hen offensive
line.

Hendricks earned his degree in biology from Delaware in 2008 and is
currently enrolled in graduate school at UD studying sociology.

FOOTBALL: Senior middle linebacker Erik Johnson (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport HS)
won the Alumni Association Most Valuable Player Award. A former walk-on,
Johnson capped his career by leading one of the top defensive units in the
Colonial Athletic Association. Despite an early season shoulder injury that
limited his action, he still played in

11 games and recorded 62 tackles to rank fourth on the team. The co-captain
also had 4.5 tackles for loss, broke up three passes, and had one
interception. A nine-time Blue Hen Touchdown Club Defensive Player of the
Game for his career, he was named the the Outstanding Senior Defensive
Player by the club for the 2008 campaign. An honor student as a health &
physical education major, he ranks among UD's all-time career tackles
leaders with 322 and also had seven interceptions.
===============================

Students' Chrysler film premieres
UD project documents history of Newark plant

By ANDREW EDER * The News Journal * May 21, 2009

After months of filming, dozens of interviews and a handful of sleepless
nights, 15 University of Delaware students screened their documentary film
Thursday to a standing-room-only crowd.
Advertisement

The subject of the documentary sat a short distance away on South College
Avenue: the Chrysler assembly plant, a 3.4-million-square-foot factory that
the now-bankrupt automaker closed in December.

More than 100 people, including some former Chrysler workers, packed a
classroom at UD's Gore Hall to watch the 40-minute film, which doubled as
the students' final project in professor Ralph Begleiter's broadcast news
documentary class.

"I think you got an A-plus there," a former union official told the students
after the conclusion of the film, titled "Left Behind: Chrysler's Newark
Assembly Plant Past, Present and Future."

The documentary used historical footage, interviews and a musical soundtrack
to tell the factory's story. Workers began building M48 Patton tanks for the
Korean War in 1952, after which Chrysler renovated the plant to build cars.

Along the way, the automaker's presence helped drive development of the
small university town of Newark, which went from 6,700 residents in 1950 to
25,000 in 1970, according to the film.

"The coming of Chrysler was a turning point," lifelong Newark resident Anne
Munyan said in one of the documentary's scenes.

The student journalists gained access to the abandoned plant during their
reporting, and the film showed a series of still photos documenting the
various items -- trash, coveralls, a calendar with the words LAST DAY
scrawled on it -- left behind at the shuttered plant.

The documentary explored the site's possible future as part of the
university, which is the only known bidder for the site. UD President
Patrick Harker has said he wants the site for a technology park that would
house university researchers and startup companies.

"The goal of the Chrysler site is really the future of the University of
Delaware," Harker said in one scene.

The student journalists also examined the plant's legacy of pollution,
including chemical spills that contaminated drinking-water supplies and a
$1.5 million fine -- later reduced to $300,000 -- against Chrysler in 1987
for exposing workers to toxic materials.
===================================

'Preferred Walk On' Linebacker Corey Olsen from St. Marks

From: Bluehenfootball.com

5/18/09

It was been reported to bluehenfootball.com that 1st team All-State Linebacker, Corey Olsen, of St. Marks decided not to take the full scholarship offer to West Chester University, and instead come to the University of Delaware as a 'Preferred Walk On'. His decision change was reported to Bluehenfootball.com after he visited with Head Coach K.C. Keeler last week. Corey's decision was reportedly based on additional academic opportunities at U.D. that he would not have at West Chester University. 

Corey is approximately 6' 208lbs, and was also a 1st team All-State Wrestler
at State Champion St. Marks this year. 

===================================

Del. sports betting legislation signed into law

Yahoo News - 5/14/09

NEWARK, Del. (AP)-Delaware becomes the only state east of the Mississippi

River to allow betting on sports after the governor signed the legislation.

Gov. Jack Markell signed the bill into law Thursday.

Officials say they expect to have sports betting running in three months and

table games such as poker, blackjack, craps and roulette, in play in no more

than six months.

The sports lottery is key to Markell's plan to address a projected shortfall

of more than $600 million for the coming fiscal year.

Delaware is one of only four states, along with Nevada, Montana and Oregon,

grandfathered under a 1992 federal law that bans sports gambling.

=======

A Preakness long shot's backstory

Tragedy, tenacity forge path to Triple Crown debut for trainer of 50-1 entry Tone It Down

Brent Jones 

Baltimore Sun

May 15, 2009 

William Komlo has spent the better part of his life juggling football and horse racing in a dogged pursuit to reach the highest levels of both sports.

Komlo, who will turn 74 this month, played fullback at the University of Maryland in the 1950s. He got a few feelers from the NFL but fell short of reaching football's pinnacle.

A half-century later, as Saturday's 134th Preakness approaches, Komlo has the chance to win on his other passion's grandest stage, a Triple Crown race, the first one he has reached.

Komlo will see whether Tone It Down, owned by his daughter Deborah and her husband, Mike Horning, can pull off one of the biggest upsets in Preakness history. The Potomac couple bought the horse last May in Timonium for $100,000 and persuaded Komlo to train him. Two wins and two second-place finishes in four races showed Komlo the family had something special.

He likens this week's preparation at Laurel Park, where the colt is based, to what a football team goes through leading up to Sunday, with the crescendo at kickoff.

"We're not really hyped up, saying we're going to be the giant killer," said Komlo, whose horse has 50-1 odds, longest in the field. "We're going into this race saying I hope we can compete well, and I hope everyone stays safe. No matter what happens in the outcome, I hope the horse comes back OK because I think he's got a future."

If horse racing followers find these words familiar, they should. Handlers for Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, who won that race at 50-1 odds, were spouting similar sentiments two weeks ago.

Even after the historic win, trainer Chip Woolley was as shocked as anyone, but this week he said the victory was one for the underdogs like Tone It Down.

"It really was something for the smaller people to be part of in the business," Woolley said.

In many respects, a Tone It Down win would be more surprising. The top four Derby finishers are at the Preakness, along with prized filly Rachel Alexandra, the betting line favorite.

But Tone It Down is the only horse familiar with the track, having finished third in the Federico Tesio Stakes this month.

Komlo will transport Tone It Down from Laurel on Saturday, arriving with his family, a quiet confidence and a heavy heart. Komlo's son, a former NFL quarterback, died in a single-car accident in Athens, Greece, in March.

William "Jeff" Komlo played five seasons in the NFL after an All-America career at Delaware in the 1970s. An injury ended Jeff Komlo's NFL career prematurely, and life took a wicked turn for him afterward.

Four years ago, Komlo fled the country as a fugitive wanted in two states; authorities say he failed to show up for sentencing on a drunken-driving conviction in Pennsylvania, and was wanted for alleged cocaine possession in Florida.

The family had little contact with Jeff Komlo before his death. His father said he is not sure what happened in the accident and has not received an autopsy report.

"It's affected our family in a profound way," Komlo said. "We were always concerned about where he was, what he was doing. Then we got that phone call on March 13 that he was involved in that fatal car accident.

"We've accepted it. We did our grieving for about 30 days, the whole family," Komlo later added through several pauses and in a quivering voice. "It was a hurtful experience. Jeff was pretty special to me. You go on with life, and that's what you have to do. You get up every day and face the challenge."

Komlo's devotion has teetered between horse racing and football, and at times he has sacrificed one for the other.

He bought his first horse in 1960 and spent the next 15 years honing his stable. Komlo and his wife, Jackie, raised four children in College Park, and when it was time for the two boys to learn how to throw spirals, he gave up horses to teach them.

Training horses was replaced with football exercises, Little League games and basketball tournaments. He worked in insurance during the day and devoted time to the boys in the evenings, molding the raw potential in his sons.

"I had a strong desire with my two boys, because I didn't make it [to the NFL], to get them there." Komlo said.

Drew followed his father to Maryland, where he was a backup quarterback, and had several NFL tryouts, while Jeff starred at Delaware.

With his children grown, Komlo returned to horse training full time eight years ago.

Family members say they're learning to live with Jeff's death and are galvanized by Saturday's race.

"It's a tragic thing. I've never seen my father-in-law as upset or disheartened as he was when that happened. He worked so hard with Jeff. He got him to the NFL," Horning said. "To me, this would be something that would go along way toward helping them get over such a tragic family thing. If we can just hit the board ... we'll see. People may laugh at us."

But no one's laughing at Mine That Bird since the Derby win two weeks ago.

Can it happen? Komlo says sure. But if it doesn't, he has gone through enough this year alone to help him cope.

"I would be terribly nervous maybe five, 10 years ago, but now I've been through enough that I'm trying to do everything to prepare this horse to go into this race with the right demeanor," Komlo said. "I'm experienced now that I've been through the ups and downs of the world to say, 'I hope everything turns out well.' "

============================================

College sports at delawareonline.com
Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Offensive line transfer To Delaware

By KEVIN TRESOLINI

The depth on the University of Delaware's offensive line was one of the
concerns the coaches had coming out of spring practice. One quick way to
make it better, and not put too much of a burden on a talented group of
incoming freshmen, is to seek help via transfer. One potential candidate is
in for a visit today, according to his former high school coach. It's
6-foot-3, 290-pound Gino Gradkowski, who has spent the last two seasons at
West Virginia and could bolster the Hens at guard or center.

The Pittsburgh native was a three-time all-conference and two-time All-State
pick at Seton-La Salle and played in the Big 33 all-star game, which is
definitely a feather in one's helmet. Seton-La Salle coach Greg Perry said
Gradkowski felt a change of scenery was needed after last year's WVU
coaching staff changes and plans to look at Delaware, Youngstown State and
perhaps some other schools. But if his visit to Delaware goes well, the way
these things happen, he may not need to take another trip.

Gradkowski's older brother, Bruce, is a former Toledo standout quarterback
who started 11 games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a rookie in 2006 and
is now with Oakland.

"He's a real athletic boy, he moves well, has good feet and finishes plays,"
said Perry, whose father, Herbert, lives in Elkton, Md. There are other
ties, too, as the Gradkowski and Perry families have close links with
Pittsburgh resident Jon Herrman, who just completed his UD career as a
starting offensive lineman, and his family.

Maybe those bonds are about to become stronger.

===================

Family, not NFL career, is Henry's greatest success

Matthew Burglund

Indiana (PA) Gazette

12 May 2009

For all the things he is, what's most important about Jack Henry is what he is not.

(This is the first in a series of profiles of 2009 inductees to the Indiana County Sports Hall of Fame.)

He's a demanding coach, but he doesn't ask his players to do more than they're capable. He's a proud father, but he's not the kind who pushes his children to be what they're not. He's a confident man, but not the kind who flaunts what he's good at.

Those ideals, along with many other reasons, is why Jack Henry is the man he is.

Coach. Teacher. Father. Husband. Friend. Hall of Famer.

``People like to look for heroes,'' said Henry's son, Chad, ``and I didn't have to look too far - just down the hall.''

Odd thing is, the cape doesn't quite fit Henry. He never set out to be a hero. He just wanted to play football.

He was a standout at Chartiers-Houston High, went on to play two years at Penn State, then transferred to Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where he was the captain of what is widely regarded as the best team in school history. Then came a nomadic 38-year coaching career that covered the college and pro ranks.

``He was our captain; he was our leader,'' said Wally Blucas, who played quarterback on the same IUP teams that Henry played guard on. ``He just loved the game of football.''

And now at 63, Henry will be honored Sunday night when he is inducted into the Indiana County Sports Hall of Fame.

``I'm truly honored,'' Henry said. ``I'm humbled. I just think these are things that happen to you in your life that you have no anticipation for them. Induction into the hall of fame was never one of my goals, so when it happens, it's very humbling.''

While other members of the Class of 2009 are bigger names for their exploits locally, Henry has made a name for himself across the country as one of the most respected offensive line coaches in the National Football League. He's had stints with four teams (Steelers 1990-91, Chargers 1996 and 2006-08, Lions 1997-99 and Saints 2000-04), and he coached several Pro Bowl players along the way.

For a kid who grew up in rural Washington County, the beaches of San Diego and the French Quarter of New Orleans might as well have been on the moon. But at the age of 15, Henry decided he wanted to have a career in the NFL. He didn't know how he'd get there or what he'd do when he got there, but he knew it was the place for him.

All he wanted was to be part of something special - a team.

``That's probably something I learned from my father,'' Jack Henry said. ``I saw the way he conducted his life. It was a great example for me. One of the great things about team athletics is that, to me, there is no place for individuality and calling attention to yourself. I just adhere to that. I was taught that team sports was the way to go.''

Henry grew up the son of Clyde and Peggy Henry, two people who believed hard work paid off and who wanted their son to reap the rewards. They encouraged him to go to college, and when he graduated from IUP in 1969, he was the first in his family to earn a college diploma.

``It was never, ever questioned that I would go to college,'' Henry said. ``It was just where I was supposed to go. My parents went through the Depression and they wanted something better for their kids.''

Henry enrolled at Penn State as a walk-on, but quickly became one of the top young players in the program, although he kept getting shuffled between offense and defense. And when the team got a new head coach in the spring of 1967, Henry wasn't quite sure where he fit in with Joe Paterno's system.

So he went home, a little battered, his ego bruised.

``I just didn't feel like it was working there,'' he said. ``Maybe I was a bit hasty in leaving, but it wasn't working.''

IUP coach Chuck Klausing, who was in the midst of building a powerhouse program from the ground up, remembered Henry from his previous job at Army, where he unsuccessfully tried to recruit Henry to West Point. Peggy Henry called Klausing and asked him to bring her son to Indiana, and Henry's life was never the same after that.

``I'm very strong in my beliefs,'' he said, ``and I believe God wanted me there. I had an absolutely marvelous experience at IUP.''

But it wasn't all sunshine. Henry had to use his work ethic to find his way to the playing field. And he needed a pep talk to get him going.

Soon after enrolling at IUP, Henry found himself as a backup guard. By the midpoint of his junior year, 1967, he still hadn't cracked the starting lineup and he wondered if he ever would.

When the Indians took on, and beat, chief rival Clarion on homecoming, Henry didn't even get into the game. So, he thought about quitting college again. He thought about going home and finding a blue-collar job. He thought about leaving football in the dust.

Then one night, in his dorm room at Rooney Hall, Henry sought the advice of his roommate, fellow lineman Duke Dellavechio. Henry told his linemate that he thought he should leave, but Dellavechio wouldn't hear it.

``I was like, `You know maybe this isn't the right thing,''' Henry said. ``But (Dellavechio) talked me into staying with it. On Monday, I became the starter at left guard, and I started the rest of my games at IUP.''

Dellavechio said he doesn't remember much about the conversation, and he shies away from taking the credit. But he remembers Henry needing a boost.

``Jack was one of those guys who could get down on himself,'' he said. ``We just encouraged him to hang in there, to wait for his chance, and obviously he did very well with it.''

From that point, the Indians lost only two games with Henry in the lineup.

One of those losses is one that still stings more than four decades later.

On Dec. 14, 1968, IUP took on regional power Delaware in the Boardwalk Bowl in Atlantic City, N.J. Few outside Indiana, and probably even fewer inside it, thought the 9-0 Indians had a chance of knocking off the Blue Hens, but it nearly happened.

The Indians led 24-23 with 60 seconds to play, but allowed the game-winning drive in the closing minute, and Delaware escaped - in every sense of the word - with a 31-24 win.

``My greatest thrill in athletics,'' Henry said, ``was that game.''

It's a game that carries 41 years of heartache, but 41 years of pride.

``Athletically, it would have been my high point, too,'' Dellavechio said ``It would have been even better if we had held on and won.''

Chad Henry said he always enjoys hearing his father talk about that game, even if it ended in sorrow.

``My dad is very humble,'' he said. ``He's not a self-promoter. He doesn't like to talk about himself very much. But he enjoys talking about his time at IUP because that was a great memory for him.''

Blucas, who scored two touchdowns in the Boardwalk Bowl and threw for another behind the blocking of Henry, Dellavechio and company, said the loss has cast a shadow over an otherwise standout season.

``As competitive as we all are,'' he said, ``it's one of those things where we had a lot of great wins, but it's that loss that sticks in our heads. We had some opportunities.''

Opportunities came for Henry after that season to get on with his life, but the coaching ranks beckoned - and he listened.

Over the years he bounced around, beginning at Blairsville High School as a teacher and coach, then on to the college ranks, from West Virginia, to Edinboro, to Louisville, to Millersville, to Southern Illinois, back to West Virginia, to Appalachian State and to Wake Forest before new IUP head coach Frank Cignetti asked Henry to return to his alma mater in 1986.

Henry said it's one of the best decisions he's ever made.

``I have a great love for IUP,'' he said. ``I really wanted my children to have a western Pennsylvania hometown because I love the values of that area. People always ask me why I came back. `I'm from western Pa., that's why,' is what I tell them. I always wanted my kids to have some place to go back to.''

Chad Henry said all the moving was tough to handle, but he now calls Indiana home.

``I went to five elementary schools in four towns in three states,'' he said. ``When we moved to Indiana at the end of eighth grade, I was so bitter. That lasted about a week. I made friends and started playing baseball, and now Indiana is my hometown.''

In 1990, Henry's childhood dream was fulfilled when Pittsburgh Steelers coach Chuck Noll gave him a call. It was the first of five NFL jobs with four teams, and it led him to the top of his field.

``The fact that he was so intelligent and always looking to do things the right way would tend to make him a good leader,'' said Blucas. ``Jack going into coaching was not a surprise.''

Henry said his greatest success, though, is his family. His wife, the former Carol Highberger, of Blairsville, has been with him through it all, from the East Coast to the West Coast, from North to South.

Chad Henry, who has been a scout for the NFL's Detroit Lions for a number of years, said he often sees something in today's players that reminds him of how good he has it.

``Meeting so many people who don't know who their dad is really makes me sad,'' he said. ``My dad has been my role model my whole life. I couldn't ask for a better father.''

A few years after Chad Henry was born, his sister, Jacqueline, followed. It was then that Jack Henry realized what his priorities should be. Henry said he realized the first time he held Jacqueline in his arms that football was what he did, but it didn't define him as a man.

``It just dawned on me, What in the hell are you doing? That's when the transformation started to take place,'' he said. ``Football is what I do, but it is not who I am. That's one of the reasons I am married to the woman I am married to. She loved me and didn't know anything about football. It wasn't about what I did. That's not who I am. I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to do what I do.''

That opportunity, for the moment, is on hold. Henry's final game of last season, a loss to the Steelers in the NFL playoffs, may have marked the end of his career, he's just not sure.

The Chargers opted not to renew Henry's contract, and he and Carol packed up their belongings and moved to Greensburg, where they plan to spend the upcoming season without football.

``I'm in transition,'' he said. ``That's the best way of putting it. I didn't pursue work this offseason. But I don't want to say I'm retired.''

Henry said he might be interested in coaching again if the right situation came along. But for now, he's trying to catch up on lost time. He's planning to spend even more time with his family, and he hopes to see more of his former IUP teammates since he'll be closer to the area.

And come Sunday night, Henry will join four other men and one woman to form the Indiana County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2009.

For Henry, the honor is special, especially considering he began with a notion as a 15-year old to get to the NFL.

``I am honored,'' he said. ``I am humbled, but I am appreciative. I've lived my life, in the NFL at least, under a very glaring spotlight. I've become used to functioning in that. But I never let it change me. I'm the same guy who coached at Blairsville High School a long time ago.''

JACK HENRY: 

Age: 63 

Family: Wife Carol (Highberger); son, Chad; and daughter, Jacqueline.

Residence: Greensburg 

Occupation: NFL offensive line coach in transition, he said. That’s the best way of putting it. I didn’t pursue work this offseason. But I don’t want to say I’m retired.

Career highlights: After transferring to IUP in 1967, he led the Indians to a 17-2 record in his two seasons on the football team. After a brief stint as a teacher and coach at Blairsville High School, he jumped to the college coaching ranks and had stints at 10 universities, including IUP from 1986 to 1990. He then jumped to the NFL, where he worked for the Steelers, Lions, Saints and Chargers.

================================

One logical step: Div. I FBS football

By MARTIN FRANK * The News Journal * May 14, 2009

NEWARK -- Bernard Muir had heard all the code words when he was interviewing

for the athletic director position at the University of Delaware.

He had heard how the program was described as "a sleeping giant," that there

is a "vision for the future" and that the athletic program needs "to build

upon the foundation already in place."

In many ways, that is all a euphemism for moving the football program up to

Division I FBS.

Why else would UD hire Muir as athletic director Monday, knowing that it

needs to undertake a massive fundraising effort to build new facilities,

improve the current ones, all while keeping athletics competitive?

"Our aspirations are pretty clear," Delaware president Patrick Harker said.

"We want to be viewed as one of the very impactful public institutions in

America. And athletics is a part of that. We want to attract the best in

everything we do, including athletics."

That doesn't happen without I FBS football, which drives every successful

athletic program.

Neither Harker nor Muir would address the possibility of moving football to

I FBS, but they wouldn't discount it either. This, of course, is a drastic

change from the past, when UD was always content to be a big fish in a small

pond, rather than try to become a big fish in a big pond.

It was easy for UD to stay contented at Division I FCS. Delaware draws

22,000 fans to every home game. Its teams are consistently among the better

ones in the nation. And its football program has made enough money to

sustain the other athletic programs.

But that's not enough anymore.

The facilities at UD are aging. Costs are rising across the board. It

doesn't help that the economy is in a recession.

So when current athletic director Edgar Johnson announced his retirement in

March, Harker knew he needed someone who "understands the modern athletic

department."

Muir understands it. He spent the last four years as the athletic director

at Georgetown, which has been a Big East power in basketball for decades.

Before that, he served as a senior associate athletic director at Notre

Dame, a national power in football.

============

Hoyas' Muir set to be AD for Hens

Barker Davis 

Washington Times

May 12, 2009 

Georgetown announced Monday that athletic director Bernard Muir was resigning to accept the same post at the University of Delaware. 

Georgetown's search for Muir's replacement will begin immediately. 

"I am grateful for the contributions that Bernard Muir has made to Georgetown," Georgetown President John J. DeGioia said in a statement. "Bernard has recruited outstanding new coaches and bolstered academic support and leadership development opportunities for our student athletes." 

Muir, 40, arrived at Georgetown in 2005, the year after John Thompson III took over as coach of the men's basketball team. Formerly a deputy athletic director at Notre Dame and an operations director for the NCAA, Muir came to the Hilltop with a reputation as one of the rising stars in sports administration. 

His tenure at Georgetown was defined by the basketball team's success, including an appearance in the 2006 Final Four. In 2007, SportsBusiness Journal named him one of its "Forty under 40," recognizing him as one of the bright young administrators of the sports world. 

But success on the hardwood didn't translate to other programs. The football program continues to languish in the Patriot League, compiling a conference-worst 3-20 record in league play during Muir's stay. Coaching turnover reached an all-time high during his reign, and Muir gained little or no traction on the multisport and basketball practice facilities considered vital to the school's future athletic viability. 

Sources close to the program said Muir's relationship with DeGioia became strained when he interviewed for openings at Duke and Northwestern in the past year. 

Delaware has excelled in football in the Football Championship Subdivision. Since that level - previously known as Division I-AA - was established in 1978, the Blue Hens have twice finished as the runner-up for the title and won it in 2003. At the Division II level, Delaware won the 1979 title and finished second in 1974 and 1978. 

"Delaware athletics is getting a terrific leader in Bernard Muir," Thompson said. "His energy and enthusiasm will be missed here at Georgetown. On a personal level, I will miss working with him. He is intelligent, insightful and always has the well-being of the student-athlete at his forefront." 

One possible candidate to replace Muir is Adam Brick, George Mason's senior associate athletic director for external affairs. A 1986 graduate of the Georgetown School of Business and a 1990 graduate of Georgetown Law, Brick was part of the Georgetown athletic department from 1990 to 2005. After athletic director Joe Lang retired in 2004, Brick spent his last year at Georgetown as interim AD.

==================================

From CasualHoya.com:  

Athletic Director Bernard Muir to leave Georgetown for Delaware

CasualHoya 

May 11, 2009

The University of Delaware is expected to name Hoyas AD Bernard Muir as its new AD at a press conference today.

I was just as impressed with Joe Flacco last season as anyone, but Delaware ? Really?

 Muir's seemingly odd move from the Big East to the Colonial Athletic Association has been linked to a variety of factors, ranging from his relationship with Georgetown President Jack DeGioia after interviewing for the same post at both Duke and Northwestern, his tense relationship with John Thompson (II), and simply a desire to go to a school that has a better football program, which is how AD's really make their mark.

Aside from receiving a few letters each year that had Muir's signature on it, I'm not sure how this move will really impact us as Hoyas fans, and it is doubtful that it will impact the hoops squad to any degree, other than the possibility that he will be replaced by someone who, if the rumors are true, shares similar views about how the Department should be run as JT2.

I would suggest that the turnover at the highest level of the Department perhaps calls for the sounding of some alarm (especially given the hoops team's recent success), but I can't blame Muir for leaving the Hilltop for a school with a better football program, even if that school happens to be in a state which aside from a punishing number of toll booths, doesn't seem to have much else to offer.

Casually.

==================================

University of Delaware Selects Bernard Muir as New Director of Athletics and Recreation Services

DATE: May 11, 2009 - UD Sports Info

http://www.bluehens.com/sportsinfo/football/news09-muirhire.html

NEWARK, Del. - University of Delaware President Patrick Harker announced today that Bernard Muir will be the new Director of Athletics and Recreation Services. Muir, a former collegiate athlete, will begin his duties on Monday, July 6. Muir has served as director of athletics (Francis X. Rienzo Chair) at Georgetown University of the Big East Conference since 2005.

"Following the retirement of Edgar Johnson, who led the Blue Hen athletics program during his 25-year tenure, UD undertook a national search for a new leader who has the vision, experience and character to help us reach a new level of excellence in athletic competition and academic success," stated President Harker. He continued, Bernard continues a proud legacy as only the fourth person to hold this position at Delaware since 1940. He comes to the University of Delaware with more than 20 years of athletic administration experience at some of the leading universities in this country. 

Harker said Muir (pronounced myour ) brings expertise and a record of success at external cultivation and fundraising, fiscal and budget management, strategic planning, university relations, NCAA compliance, sport management, facilities management and event management.

I commend the thorough process conducted by our search committee that included Dave Brond, Bonnie Kenny, Joe McGrail, Matt Robinson and Monica Taylor. They reviewed the credentials of 57 candidates and I truly believe that Bernard is ready to work with our coaches and our athletics, recreation, and academic support staffs to further the tradition of excellence established by our student-athletes on the field and in the classroom, stated Harker.

Mike Brey, a 2007 inductee to UD's Athletics Hall of Fame and former men basketball head coach from 1995 to 2000, issued this statement. The University of Delaware holds a very special spot in my heart and I am thrilled that the University was able to land Bernard Muir as its athletic director. I worked closely with him when he was here at Notre Dame and its a grand slam for the school to have Bernard and his family come into the state of Delaware. He is the total package. 

"I am excited about the opportunity to be a part of the University of Delaware's future and about this position both personally and professionally, said Muir. I want to thank Dr. Harker and the search committee. I am both grateful and humbled by the confidence they have shown in me."

"The hiring of Bernard Muir is a real coup for Delaware as he is one of the outstanding young athletic directors in the country, said Colonial Athletic Association Commissioner Tom Yeager. He arrives with impeccable credentials, energy, and vision for the future to build on the outstanding foundation of Delaware's athletic programs."

Muir, 40, a native of Gainesville, Fla., said he was attracted to the University of Delaware after learning more about the leadership, direction and progressiveness of the University.

Dr. Harker, the University, and I all agree that the mission and vision of any university should be student-centered while developing global citizens who will be lifelong learners and leaders in our society, he said, adding In addition, Blue Hen Athletics is a tremendous source of pride and passion for the people of Delaware. I look forward to working with the entire University of Delaware community to create the ideal environment for our student-athletes to succeed both academically and athletically. 

Before joining the athletics administration at Georgetown, Muir served as deputy director of athletics/administration and facilities at the University of Notre Dame from 2004-2005. He also served at Notre Dame as senior associate athletic director for student welfare and development from 2003-2004 and as associate athletic director for student welfare and development from 2000-2003.

Muir worked for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) from 1998-2000 as director of operations for the Division I mens national basketball championship and from 1992-1998 as assistant director of the Division I mens national basketball championship. He began his career in athletics administration as an athletic administrative assistant at Butler University in 1990, and subsequently held positions with Auburn University and Streetball Partners International of Dallas.

In 2007 Muir was named to Street & Smiths Sports Business Journals Top 40 Under 40. 

Muir earned a bachelors degree in organizational behavior and management from Brown University in 1990 and a masters in sports administration from Ohio University in 1992. As an undergraduate at Brown University he was a four-year letter winner and co-captain of the men's basketball team his senior year.

Muir and his wife Liz have two daughters, Libby and Millie. Liz is a former NCAA membership services representative.

The focus of athletics and recreation services should be on student-athletes and a positive student-athlete experience, one that starts with academic success culminating with graduation. It also encompasses athletic success that not only includes being competitive within our conference but contending for postseason consideration, he said. A positive student-athlete experience also includes personal, social, and civic development and responsibility."

Muir said he will be meeting with the head coaches and staff to set the course and direction of the department.

He said he wants to ensure that intercollegiate athletics and recreation services are an integral part of the University, promoting the University's Path to Prominence through the engagement of students, faculty, staff, and community.

In addition, he said, it is important that we actively reach out to the entire UD community with a renewed emphasis on our former student-athletes. I am looking forward to visiting with our alumni and former student-athletes about the future of Blue Hen athletics. 

"I am grateful for the contributions that Bernard Muir has made to Georgetown Athletics during his tenure as Director of Athletics, said Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia.At Georgetown Bernard has recruited outstanding new coaches and bolstered academic support and leadership development opportunities for our student athletes I appreciate Bernard's collegiality and work with many members of not only our campus community but also senior colleagues in the NCAA, Big East and Patriot League. I am proud that our 29 women's and men's athletics programs represented Georgetown with integrity and commitment during Bernard's tenure and wish him every success in his new role at the University of Delaware."

AGATE:

University of Delaware Directors of Athletics

Bernard M. Muir - 2009

Edgar N. Johnson - 1984-2009

David M. Nelson - 1951-84

William D. "Bill" Murray - 1940-51

Bernard Muir Timeline

2005-2009 - Director of Athletics - Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

2004-2005 - Deputy Director of Athletics/Administration & Facilities - University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind.

2003-2004 - Senior Associate Athletic Director for Student Welfare & Development - University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind.

2000-2003 - Associate Athletic Director for Student Welfare & Development, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind.

1998-2000 - Director of Operations, NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, Indianapolis, Ind.

1992-1998 - Assistant Director, NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, Indianapolis, Ind.

1992 - Executive Director, Streetball Partners International, Dallas, Tex.

1991-1992 - Athletics Compliance Assistant, Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.

1990-1991 - Athletics Administrative Assistant, Butler University, Indianapolis, Ind.

1986-1990- Four-Year Letterwinner in Basketball, Senior Co-Captain, Brown University, Providence, R.I.

About the University of Delaware

Tracing its heritage back to 1743, the University of Delaware is a state-assisted, privately controlled institution with an enrollment of more than 16,000 undergraduates, 3,500 graduate students and 1,000 professional and continuing study students. UD offers degrees in a broad range of disciplines across seven colleges, and is a land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant institution. The University is classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a research university with very high research activity designation accorded fewer than 3 percent of U.S. colleges and universities. UD intercollegiate athletics fields 23 teams with more than 650 student-athletes. UD recreation services provide support for club, intramural and recreation activities for more than half of the student body.

=======================================

Ex-Nittany Lion likes Delaware fit

Jeff McLane

Philadelphia Inquirer 

May 6, 2009

NEWARK, Del. - On a recent showery Wednesday, Pat Devlin arrived at the University of Delaware's Bob Carpenter Center shaking the raindrops from his clothes.

"Are we practicing outside?" he asked.

If Devlin, now a Blue Hens quarterback, were still at Penn State, there would be no need for such a question. If it rains in precipitous Happy Valley, the football team simply moves inside the 118,000-square-foot Holuba Hall.

At Division I-AA Delaware, if it rains - if it pours - the Blue Hens practice outside. Only in unsafe conditions do they relocate to the 43-year-old, turf-less Delaware Field House.

The downgrade in facilities is just one of the changes Devlin has faced since transferring out of Penn State and arriving in the First State over the winter. Everything is smaller - the classes, the campus, the weight room, the stadium - and there are fewer perks than the typical Division I-A athlete is accustomed to.

But for Devlin, there's one thing Delaware has that Penn State doesn't: a starting spot.

For major college quarterbacks looking for an out, Delaware has become a refuge. Most recently and most notably, Joe Flacco came here and in two years developed into an NFL first-round draft pick.

For Devlin, following in Flacco's footsteps was part of the allure. But the junior wanted, most of all, to play. Faced with another season on the bench behind Daryll Clark, Devlin left Penn State in December in what was a touchy public divorce.

Even though he may not officially have the job yet - it's a no-brainer - when Devlin lines up under center for the Blue Hens' opener in September, it will be his first start since his senior all-American season at Downingtown East High in 2005.

"I'm so excited to finally get back on the field," Devlin said. "It's been almost four years. I've been aching for it. . . . I don't feel like I'm going out there with something to prove. I just want to play my game."

Still, with the wounds fresh, Devlin's success or failure will be closely watched by two camps. And that could be the problem for a player of his stature. Devlin and Delaware want to look to the future, but Penn State and the past keep creeping up from behind.

"All our kids care about is having success here at Delaware," Blue Hens coach K.C. Keeler said. "Your stories at Penn State - they're interesting, but don't let that cloud what the reality is here. You're here to be a Blue Hen."

Devlin has done his best to assimilate. In January, a month before enrolling, he moved into an off-campus apartment with several other players. When jerseys were being assigned, he asked for a number other than his usual No. 7, knowing another player had worn it the previous season. One try later and he chose No. 17 - Clark's number.

On the field, he's split the first-team snaps with junior Sean Hakes, a transfer from Akron. Last spring, Devlin split reps with Clark in a competition that boiled through the summer until the week before the opener. Even if he hasn't yet earned Keeler's endorsement, those closest to Devlin notice a change a year later.

"I had the opportunity to go down there last week and watch practice and sit in the meeting room with Pat, [offensive coordinator] Jim Hofher, and Coach Keeler," said Dan Ellis, Devlin's offensive coordinator at Downingtown East. "I've coached Pat since the 10th grade, and it was very refreshing to see him and hear how excited he was about football again because I knew that had not been the case."

Devlin's departure from Penn State was met with some criticism. He was cited as just another petulant athlete who, when things weren't going his way, took his ball and ran away.

"There's a point in your career where you have to make the selfish decision, 'What's going to be best for me over the long haul?' " Keeler said.

For Devlin, Penn State no longer offered enough promise. He was a redshirt his first year, third string the next, and the backup last year. Another season sitting behind Clark beckoned, leaving Devlin just his senior year as the possible starter.

"I didn't feel like one year was enough for me," Devlin said. "I felt like if I was going to sit on the bench for four years, it was going to take some time to knock off that rust in that fifth year."

How it ended

Like Flacco, Devlin could have transferred just before the season when he learned Clark had won the job. But there was always the possibility that coach Joe Paterno wouldn't have granted his release - as Pittsburgh wouldn't to Flacco - and Devlin had been given every indication that he might supplant Clark.

"It didn't really make much sense to me to skip out on the team right before the season after we put in all the work during the spring and summer," Devlin said. "I just tried to stay with it and see what happened."

After four games, it became abundantly clear that Clark was cemented as the starter. Even after the third game, against Syracuse, when Devlin was sharper, Clark played the bulk of the following week against Temple. And when the Big Ten schedule started in Week 5 with Illinois, Devlin never left the sidelines.

"There was no real point during the season when I said, 'Aw, man, I need to get out of here,' " Devlin said. "But don't get me wrong, I wish I had my shot in every game."

Clark guided Penn State to an 8-0 start, and by the time the Lions traveled to Ohio State, they were ranked No. 3 in the nation. The dual-threat quarterback, though, was knocked unconscious in the second half with Penn State trailing, 6-3. Although he threw only one pass, Devlin came in and scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard sneak as the Lions rallied to win, 13-6.

After a bye week, Clark was cleared to play at Iowa. To shield him from further injury, however, the Penn State coaches had wide receiver Derrick Williams take direct snaps in the "Wildcat" formation. It didn't help Clark's passing. He was 9 of 23 for 86 yards through the air and threw a costly interception that eventually led to the Hawkeyes' game-winning field goal.

Devlin, meanwhile, never replaced his headphones with a helmet.

"He genuinely thought he had earned playing time," said Ellis, a former quarterback at Virginia. "And by their own estimation it was close. . . . So if you have such a capable backup quarterback that just barely lost the starting quarterback competition, and Daryll Clark can't throw the ball very well against Iowa, why isn't he playing?"

Three weeks later, after an 11-1 championship regular season, Devlin sat down with his parents - Mark and Connie - and Ellis. Ten days later, as the Big Ten champions prepared for the Rose Bowl, the Devlins met with Paterno.

"Because some schools start Jan. 5 and I needed to be enrolled by then to play spring ball, I couldn't wait until after the bowl game to get a time to sit down with Joe to talk," Devlin said. "So I had to do it then."

Devlin informed Paterno that he was transferring and asked for permission to speak with I-AA schools. The coach didn't agree with his decision, but granted his request.

"He's got to do what's best for him," Paterno said last month. "We're in the business of trying to help people, not hurt them."

However, two days after the meeting, Devlin called to ask if he was still traveling to the Rose Bowl, and he found out that Paterno had decided it would be a distraction. Twenty minutes after the conversation, Devlin went to the Lasch Building to work out and ran into equipment manager Spider Caldwell.

"He said, 'Joe just called me and told me to clean out your locker,' " Devlin recalled. "So I grabbed a trash bag and threw everything in my locker and left. That's kind of how it ended."

Devlin still talks to several of his former teammates. The only coach who stays in contact is defensive coordinator Tom Bradley. Devlin never developed a close relationship with quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno, according to those close to the 21-year-old.

"What's a relationship? You want to go in and get coached, and that's the extent of it," Devlin said. "We weren't going out and having barbecues every weekend. We had a fine relationship - a fine working relationship."

Size doesn't matter

Devlin said he doesn't regret his three years at Penn State. But the Pennsylvania scholastic record holder in passing yards, a player who could have gone almost anywhere, admitted landing at Delaware is not what he envisioned.

"Things could have turned out better," said Devlin, who originally committed to Miami. "I could have gone to a school and I could have played the first three years. But that's just the way the world works."

"The ultimate goal," though, is still the same.

"He still wants to play in the NFL," Ellis said. "Obviously, the Flacco part of it helped. Is there a I-AA program other than Delaware that's produced NFL quarterbacks recently?"

Before Flacco there was Andy Hall, a Georgia Tech transfer who was drafted by the Eagles. Sonny Riccio left Missouri for Delaware and had a fine collegiate career. Last year, Robby Schoenhoft transferred from Ohio State, but he struggled and quit after a 4-8 season.

Devlin arrives with a high profile, a new coordinator, and a system that should play to his strengths.

"There's a comfortableness he has with the offense because it's a lot of the same things he did in high school," Keeler said. "This is not throwing the ball on streak routes 40-50 yards downfield. This is precision passing. This is a short, three-step game."

In Delaware's spring game April 24, Devlin threw for 304 yards and a touchdown on 24-of-31 passing. An announced 3,000 fans caught a glimpse of the new Blue Hens quarterback. At Penn State, 76,500 showed up at Beaver Stadium for the Lions' Blue-White scrimmage.

For the low-key Devlin - using Delaware's much smaller weight room as a metaphor - it's not all about the size.

"It's about how hard you work when you're in there," he said.

Said Ellis: "It's what you make of it. He likes the coaches, he likes the players. So what if Delaware doesn't have a Holuba Hall?"

Find this article at: 

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/20090506_Ex-Nittany_Lion_likes_Delaware_fit.html?viewAll=y&c=

==============================

Five University of Delaware Football Walk-Ons Earn Scholarship Money for Blue Hens

DATE: May 4, 2009

UD SPORTS INFO

NEWARK, Del. - University of Delaware head football coach K.C. Keeler has announced that five former walk-on players have earned full or partial scholarship money.

Junior defensive tackle Siddiq Haynes (at right) has earned a full scholarship for the remainder of his career, sophomore linebacker Andrew Harrison and sophomore offensive lineman Sam Burrows earned full scholarships for the current spring semester, and sophomore offensive lineman Ben Grant and junior defensive back Josh Ulrich earned partial scholarships for the spring semester.

"It is a special honor for a University of Delaware football player to come here as a walk-on and eventually earn scholarship money," said Keeler, who will begin his eighth season at the helm this fall. "We are very pleased to be able to reward these players for their hard work and commitment to our program and we look forward to their continued contributions in the future."

Haynes, a 6-1, 285 lb. junior defensive tackle from Durham, N.C. (Jordan High School), has been a key member of the Blue Hen defensive front the past two seasons and is a two-year letter winner. He appeared in nine games as a sophomore in 2008, missing the final three with an injury, and recorded seven tackles, including two for losses. He had two tackles vs. top-ranked James Madison. As a freshman in 2007, he appeared in 14 games for the national runner-up Blue Hens and recorded nine tackles. He is a political science major with a minor in journalism at Delaware. Harrison, a 6-1, 205 lb. sophomore linebacker from Richmond, Va. (Highland Springs HS), was one of the team's most pleasant surprises in 2008 as he was a consistent and reliable defender for a unit that ranked among the Colonial Athletic Association leaders. As a redshirt freshman, he played in all 12 games, started seven contests, and ranked No. 2 on the team in tackles with 75. He had 33 solo stops, recorded seven tackles for loss, three sacks, five pass breakups, and two forced fumbles. He posted a career-high 14 tackles in the season finale vs. Villanova and also had 12 stops each vs. James Madison and William & Mary. He is an honor student as a civil engineering major.

Burrows, a 6-3, 286 lb. sophomore offensive lineman from Wilmington, Del. (Concord HS), did not see action in his first two seasons with the Blue Hens due to injuries that also kept him out of spring drills this year. A former All-State player and state Lineman of the Year, he led Concord High School to two state titles in 2003 and 2004. An agriculture business management major at Delaware, he will battle for a starting spot this fall. Grant, a 6-3, 288 lb. sophomore offensive lineman from Wrightstown, N.J.

(Notre Dame HS), served as a backup defensive tackle as a redshirt freshman in 2008 after sitting out the 2007 season. He was moved to the offensive line this spring and will battle for a key backup role there this fall. He appeared in one game at defensive tackle in 2008. An honor student as an accounting major at Delaware, he was a two-time all-area selection in high school.

Ulrich, a 5-9, 180 lb. defensive back from Wilmington, N.C. (Hanover HS) and a second-year transfer from Navy, will look to return to action this fall after missing all this spring with a knee injury suffered during the 2008 season. He appeared in two games in a special teams role in 2008, seeing action vs. Massachusetts before being injured against William & Mary. An honor student as wildlife conservation major at Delaware, he was a three-sport star in football, track, and wrestling in high school.

Delaware, which closed out spring practice April 24, will begin the 2009 season Sept. 4 when the Blue Hen host long-time rival West Chester at 7 p.m. at Delaware Stadium. Pre-season practice will begin in early August.