Forum: Talk Seminoles

Baltimore neurosurgeon Benjamin S. Carson is a hot commodity these days. Two weeks ago, he received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Bush during a White House ceremony.

And then, last night I was watching a Season 4 episode of HBO’s highly acclaimed series “The Wire’’ and his name surfaced on the show. One of the West Side’s corner kids said he wanted to grow up and be a surgeon like Carson. Of course, if you’ve ever watched “The Wire,’’ you know the kid said it in a more colorful way.

Last summer I wrote a feature story about Myron Rolle’s academic pursuits and his stint studying overseas. During an interview with Rolle, I asked him who his role model was. I certainly didn’t expect his answer.

You guessed it, Dr. Carson, who grew up poor but worked hard and is now considered a gem of his profession. Carson is currently the director of pediatric neurosurgery at John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. He’s the guy who turned cerebral hemispherectomy surgery - a once-unpopular procedure that includes half the patient’s brain being removed during surgery - into a widely used operation to treat brain tumors during the past two decades.

After talking to Rolle, I decided to give Dr. Carson a call. He eventually called back, and when I informed him that Rolle considered him his role model, Carson was delighted.

Carson said he has never met Rolle, but had heard about him through someone mailing him a newspaper article.

“I like it when people in sports get inspired to do intellectual things,’’ Carson said. “It shows that they are not just jocks. I think they are very good role models for other students.’’

Who knows, maybe someday Rolle will be as famous as his idol.

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Florida State president T.K. Wetherell asked for Oct. 18, and he got Oct. 18. That’s the day FSU officials will meet with the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions in Indianapolis to discuss that minor disruption last year now known the world over simply as the “FSU academic misconduct scandal.’’

In case you wondered, Oct. 18 is a Saturday. The good news is that the Noles are off, so if FSU coach Bobby Bowden is required to attend, Jimbo Fisher won’t be making his head coaching debut that week. Anyway, here is short story running in tomorrow’s Tampa Tribune:

TALLAHASSEE—Florida State has received written notification that a tentative hearing before the NCAA’s Division I Committee on Infractions is scheduled for Oct. 18 in Indianapolis.

The hearing is to address the academic misconduct scandal that involved more than 50 student-athletes and made national headlines last fall. The football program was hit hardest, with more than 20 players implicated in the probe.

According to Coach Bobby Bowden, the Seminoles will open the season without at least six starters for the first three games and possibly without as many as 10 players on the two-deep roster.

FSU president T.K. Wetherell, who requested the Oct. 18 date in a letter to the NCAA on June 19, received a response from the Shepard C. Cooper, director of the infractions committee, on Tuesday notifying the school of the hearing. The meeting will take place before at least four members of the 10-member infractions committee. Former Miami athletic director Paul Dee, who retired last month but plans to remain involved with the NCAA, is one of the committee members.

Wetherell, athletic director Randy Spetman, compliance director Brian Battle, and possibly Bowden are expected to attend the hearing. FSU plays at N.C. State Oct. 16 and is open the weekend of the hearing.

According to the committee’s meeting guidelines posted on NCAA.org, “at a minimum, the following individuals from the involved institution should be in attendance: Chief executive officer, director of athletics, compliance director, faculty athletics representative, head coach of the involved sport(s), currently employed coaches or other officials “at risk.”

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USA Today baseball writer Bob Nightengale wrote an interesting story today on former Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire, who has basically been absent from the game since he retired in 2001.

At least publicly. Privately, McGwire has worked with a few major-leaguers and college hitters, including Florida State OF Jack Rye. McGwire lives in the same Southern California neighborhood as Rye, who recently completed his senior season.

Rye told the newspaper that McGwire was one of the first to text message him when he was drafted in the 13th round by the Yankees last month in the MLB draft.

“If I make it’’ to the big leagues, Rye said, “Mark will be a big reason why. He’s helped me so much. He took me under his wing and helped me become the player I am.’’

Rye finished his collegiate career with a .354 average, including hitting .371 with seven homers and 52 RBIs this season. Rye is also considered an excellent defensive right fielder.

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FSU’s talent isn’t what it once was, and increased recruiting efforts over the past year have addressed many of those shortcomings.

However, the folks who create the preseason watch lists for the Maxwell Award (nation’s top offensive player) and Bednarik Award (defensive player) recognize the Seminoles have some talented players returning in 2008.

QB Drew Weatherford, RB Antone Smith and WR Greg Carr are on the 75-player watch list for the Maxwell; DE Everette Brown, S Myron Rolle and LB Derek Nicholson are up for the Bednarik Award.

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The Gator Bowl Association is selling tickets to the Florida State-Colorado football game in Jacksonville starting Tuesday.

The game is Sept. 27 at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. FSU won at Colorado, 16-6, last season.

Tickets can be purchased on Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 904-353-3309.

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By SCOTT CARTER
The Tampa Tribune

TALLAHASSEE – Florida State sprinter Walter Dix qualified for the Beijing Olympics on Sunday, and Dix has yet to compete in his best event at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Ore.

Dix ran the fastest time of his career in the 100 meters Sunday night, a wind-aided 9.80 seconds to finish second to Tyson Gay. By running a personal-best in the 100 on Sunday, Dix qualified for the U.S. team and opens his quest to qualify in the 200 meters on Friday. Dix is a three-time NCAA champion in the 200.

“It’s so exciting for Walt and the program,’’ FSU coach Bob Braman said. “This really validates his decision to not go pro last year after having a great season or skip the NCAAs this year after he got injured. We’re so happy for Walt because he did it the right way. It sends such a great message that the money is going to be there, but you can go back to college to have fun and win championships. He used his last year to prepare for the big stage and now he’s ready.”

Dix spurned offers to go pro after winning the 100- and 200-meter NCAA titles as a junior, returning to FSU and helping the Seminoles win their third consecutive national outdoor title earlier this month. Dix’s senior season and Olympic hopes were in question when he pulled a hamstring in the Seminole Invitation on April 12, but Dix has rebounded and is now on his way to Beijing, the first FSU male athlete to qualify for the U.S. team since two-time Olympian Arthur Blake in 1992.

Dix isn’t the only FSU athlete going to Beijing. Freshmen Ngoni Makusa (long jump – Zimbabwe) and Gonzalo Barroilhet (decathlon – Chile) have also earned Olympic berths for their respective countries.

Reporter Scott Carter can be reached at (850) 294-3088 or scarter@tampatrib.com.

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If FSU catcher Buster Posey has half the major-league career of the man for whom Posey’s latest award is named, Posey will make San Francisco Giants fans very happy.

Posed was named winner of the 2008 Johnny Bench Award on Friday night, given annually to the nation’s top catcher.

The other two finalists were Stanford University’s Jason Castro and Coastal Carolina’s Dock Doyle.

“I am so excited for Buster,’’ said FSU coach Mike Martin, who was in attendance at the banquet in Wichita, Kan. “Buster had an outstanding season and is very deserving of this award. His outstanding play both on the offensive and defensive side played a major role in helping our ball club get back to the College World Series.’’

Posey was chosen fifth overall by the Giants in the MLB first-year player draft earlier this month. The negotiations are ongoing

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FSU volunteer assistant baseball coach Rod Delmonico, who spent 18 years as head coach at Tennessee, was passed over in his bid to become Florida Atlantic’s head coach.

Delmonico interviewed last week at FAU, but the Owls named 17-year assistant John McCormack as successor to Kevin Cooney, who retired after leading the program for 21 years.

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At first glance, the large picture of Xavier Lee on the cover of the Baltimore Sun’s sports section last week caught me off guard as I was heading out of my hotel in Washington for another day of vacation in the nation’s capital.

Lee looked thicker, and his long dreadlocks were dyed blond at the tips; oh, and that No. 82 Ravens jersey seemed an odd fit for the former Florida State quarterback.

But all seemed well in Lee’s bid to make the Ravens as a tight end after going undrafted in April. First-year Ravens coach John Harbaugh complimented Lee repeatedly during rookie minicamp, but in the end, that wasn’t enough to earn Lee a job in his first shot at the NFL.

The Ravens released Lee on Friday, which according to reporters covering the team, was somewhat of a surprise considering the Ravens’ depth issues at tight end.

“I think he was into it a little bit,’’ Harbaugh said of Lee during one minicamp. “He was running routes and catching the ball and he would have a chance athletically to play tight end. They were right at Florida State. He could be a heck of a tight end.’’

Based on Lee’s performance in his first real stint playing tight end, expect another NFL team in need of help to at least take another shot at him during camp.

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The baseball team made it to the College World Series for the first time in eight years. The men’s track team, led by Olympic hopeful sprinter Walter Dix, captured its third consecutive NCAA Outdoor title.

What else? Well, the women’s soccer team advanced to the NCAA title game for the first time, and the women’s basketball team squeaked into the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season and nearly made it back to the Sweet 16.

Those are some of the highlights from Florida State’s 2007-08 athletic season, which officially came to a close when the baseball team was eliminated by Miami in the CWS.

Despite an academic cheating scandal involving more than 20 football players and 30 other student-athletes stealing most of the headlines last fall and winter, FSU began to move out from under that dark cloud by an impressive showing in the spring sports and in the classroom by many of its athletes.

As a result, the Seminoles finished 15th in the final U.S. Sports Academy Directors’ Cup standings, announced Thursday. The finish matched FSU’s best showing ever in the standings, accomplished first in 2007.

As for individual accolades, FSU catcher Buster Posey earned National Player of the Year from Collegiate Baseball, soccer midfielder Mami Yamaguchi became the first athlete in FSU history to receive the MAC Hermann Trophy as the top women’s soccer player in the nation, and Dix repeated as national champ in the 200 meters.

What’s holding the Noles back from moving up the standings?

The football team finished 7-6 – losing to Kentucky in the Music City Bowl – and the men’s basketball team failed to make it to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th consecutive year.

If those two headliner sports can somehow improve, then FSU could crack the Top 10 or higher.

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On July 16 in New York, Buster Posey will learn whether he is the 2008 Golden Spikes Award winner, considered amateur baseball’s most prestigious individual honor.

The other four finalists on this year’s ballot include Georgia’s Gordon Beckham, Missouri’s Aaron Crow, San Diego’s Brian Matusz and Arizona State’s Brett Wallace.

That said, Posey should become Florida State’s fourth winner of the Golden Spikes Award, joining J.D. Drew (1997), Mike Loynd (1986) and Mike Fuentes (1984). Well, that’s if the voters have any sense of history and appreciation of offensive numbers.

If you need more proof of how impressive a junior season the FSU catcher had, he became on the fourth player in Atlantic Coast Conference history to win the ACC Triple Crown. Posey led the league in hitting (an ACC and FSU record .463 average), home runs (26) and RBIs (92).

The other three players to do that are FSU’s Marshall McDougall (.419, 28, 106 in 1999), Maryland’s Derek Hacopian (.421, 23, 84 in 1992) and Clemson’s Denny Walling (.421, 13, 60 in 1975).

Do you think there is a chance Posey gets edged out for the award? If so, who do you like?

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Darin Kerns, former equipment manager for the Bucs under Tony Dungy, is Florida State’s new equipment manager. Kerns replaces Dave Delegal, who is leaving to take a job with Under Armour.

Kerns, who worked in the NFL for 18 years, spent last season at the University of Minnesota. Prior to working for the Bucs, he was on the Kansas City Chiefs’ equipment staff for several years.

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The Miami Heat’s rebuilding project evidently doesn’t include former Florida State player Alexander Johnson.

The Heat released Johnson on Monday. A power forward, Johnson signed with the Heat on Aug. 24 as a free agent, after spending his rookie season in 2006-07 with the Memphis Grizzlies, who selected him with the No. 45 pick in the 2006 NBA Draft.

The Heat faced a July 21 deadline with Johnson, who otherwise would have been guaranteed $798,000 for next season. Johnson, who left FSU after his junior season, earned $687,000 last season, playing in 43 games and averaging 4.2 points.

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Florida State softball coach JoAnne Graf, who amassed 1,437 victories during her 30 seasons, is retiring.

FSU athletic director Randy Spetman made the announcement Sunday afternoon. Graf took over the Seminoles in 1979 and is one of three FSU coaches to have a field named after them, joining football coach Bobby Bowden and baseball coach Mike Martin.

Here is the FSU press release:

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida State Director of Athletics Randy Spetman announced today the retirement of Dr. JoAnne Graf, head softball coach since 1979.  With 1,437 victories to her credit in her 30-year career, no coach in the history of college softball has won more games than Coach Graf.

“What Coach Graf has meant to Florida State and its softball program the past 30 years is beyond words,” Spetman said.  “We thank her for her tremendous dedication to our university, our athletics department and our student-athletes.”

Graf will begin a new chapter in her life in the fall when she starts teaching in Florida State’s School of Education.

“I earned my PhD anticipating that one day when my coaching career was over that I would move into teaching,” Graf said. “The opportunity to join Florida State’s outstanding Sport Administration faculty presented itself and I decided to accept the invitation to join them.  I’ve been very fortunate to have both played at Florida State and then coached 30 years as a head coach at my alma mater.  It is a privilege that very few people are able to experience.  I will miss the players, the coaches and the staff but I feel that at some point, your coaching career ends.  We have a solid group of players returning plus some exciting newcomers so I feel very comfortable that I am leaving the program in very good shape.”

The first collegiate softball coach to earn 1400 victories, Graf’s numerous achievements with Florida State softball include AIAW slowpitch national championships in 1981 and 1982, seven trips to the Women’s College World Series, with the first coming in 1986 – just four years after FSU went to NCAA fastpitch softball, 21 NCAA Regional appearances and 10 Atlantic Coast Conference titles.

Named the ACC Coach of the Year six times, Graf’s coaching has produced players that have earned 25 All-America awards, 96 All-Region awards and 74 players who have earned All-ACC honors.  Over the past 30 years, the Seminoles have averaged 48 wins per year and have recorded 25 seasons of 40 or more victories, 15 seasons of 50 or more victories and three seasons where the team surpassed the 60-win mark.  Graf was pegged the South Region Coach of the Year in 1986 and she and her staff earned Southeast Coaching Staff of the Year honors in 2001, 2002 and 2004.

Florida State’s ACC dominance under Graf was never illustrated more clearly than in 1996 when 23 Seminoles were named to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary softball team. FSU players comprised 43 percent of the 53-player roster.

On April 2, 2005, Florida State University President Dr. T.K. Wetherell officially renamed the softball stadium “JoAnne Graf Field at the Seminole Softball Complex,” making her among only two active softball coaches with fields named after them.

“With a lot of hard work and determination, Coach Graf has made Seminole softball what it is today,” Wetherell said.  “I commend Coach Graf for her 30 years of service to the university and our athletics department and look forward to continuing our relationship with her as she becomes a member of our faculty.”

One of the most prolific coaches in collegiate softball, Graf will conclude her career having won 75 percent of her games (1437-478-6), including a 1218-425-6 (.740) mark in NCAA Division I play.  Florida State’s average of 50.75 wins per year since beginning NCAA play is tops in the country.

Graf is a 1975 graduate of Florida State.  In 1992, she added “Dr.” to her name after completing her doctorate degree in athletic administration at FSU.

SEMINOLE SOFTBALL UNDER DR. JOANNE GRAF

1979 26-15 .634

1980 37-10 .787

1981 54-7 .882

1982 56-10 .848

1983 46-11 .807

1984 41-5-2 .875

1985 50-12-2 .797

1986 42- 7 .857

1987 50-14 .781

1988 44-14 .759

1989 39-14 .736

1990 47-16 .750

1991 62-12 .838

1992 63-9 .875

1993 52-9 .852

1994 50-19 .724

1995 58-15 .795

1996 51-21 .708

1997 45-19-1 .700

1998 51-21 .708

1999 40-25-1 .614

2000 51-27 .654

2001 58-12 .829

2002 55-20 .733

2003 46-33 .807

2004 62-12 .838

2005 35-28 .556

2006 44-30 .681

2007 44-25 .638

2008 38-28 .576

Career 1437-478-6 .750

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Florida State track coach Bob Braman earned his fourth consecutive NCAA South Region Coach of the Year award on Wednesday.

In addition, the U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association named FSU assistant Karen Harvey the South Region Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year, and sophomore Hannah England, the 1,500-meter region champion, as South Region Women’s Athlete of the Year.

“It’s always nice to be recognized by your peers, but this is more of a reflection of the efforts of the entire staff,’’ Braman said. “Every one of our assistants are at or near the top of their events and any one of them could have picked up the men’s assistant award.’’

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