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News Nuggets, 02.20.04
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Rimpf recognized for off-the-field deeds

As Brian Rimpf undergoes the rigors of the currently ongoing NFL Combine in Indianapolis (Feb. 18-24), his honors for an exceptional college career keep piling up back at home.

Rimpf, a three-time All-Conference USA performer, has been selected as East Carolina's Coca-Cola Community All-American for his excellence in community service, according to a Thursday announcement from the ECU athletic department.

The Coca-Cola Community All-Americans program honors student-athletes for making a difference in their communities. Rimpf, a native of Raleigh, distinguished himself by dedicating an average of nine hours per week throughout the academic year to community service.

Among the programs Rimpf has worked with are Young Life, Sportsworks Ministries, church youth groups, Boys and Girls Clubs, a local juvenile dentention center, the Methodist Children's Home SummerFest, the Cerebral Palsey Telethon, Pitt County Historical Society, Boy Scouts, and reading in elementary schools.

A majority of Rimpf's volunteer efforts were done on his own and not part of a group function.

As a Coca-Cola Community All-American, Rimpf will be ECU's nominee at the national level. A panel of representatives from the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) will select six student-athletes from NCAA, NAIA and Junior/Community College member institutions as national Coca-Cola Community All-Americans.

Read a more comprehensive story on ECUPirates.com...

Wells leaving SID post

Craig Wells, East Carolina University's director of media relations since 2001, is departing the flatlands of Eastern North Carolina for a new job near the peaks of New Mexico.

Wells, a graduate of Western Carolina University, will be employed by the State of New Mexico as a publications manager.

During his tenure at ECU, Wells has reorganized aspects of the media relations office's operations and overseen a major overhaul of the official website of Pirate athletics, ECUPirates.com, while implementing a broad expansion of the dissemination of news about the Pirates' men's and women's sports programs.

Read Al Myatt's report on Craig Wells' decision to head west...

Bonnies sentenced to three years

OLEAN, NY — St. Bonaventure's men's basketball team was put on three years' probation Thursday and barred from the 2004 postseason for a player eligibility scandal.

Citing "a lack of institutional control," the NCAA also cut two of the team's scholarships for 2004 and one for 2005. In addition, recruiting visits by coaches and players were reduced.

Last year, the Bonnies were stripped of six victories and barred from the postseason by the Atlantic 10 after Jamil Terrell was ruled ineligible for violating junior college transfer guidelines. Terrell earned a certificate in welding at a community college before going to St. Bonaventure.

School president Robert Wickenheiser resigned and coach Jan van Breda Kolff was dismissed. A school investigation found a program lacking institutional control.

In July, the school submitted a report to the NCAA. A month later, William Swan, chairman of the school's trustees, committed suicide, in part because of a belief he had let down his alma mater.

This season, St. Bonaventure is 6-16 under first-year coach Anthony Solomon.

Ex-players speak up for beleaguered Barnett

BOULDER — A half-dozen former Colorado football players defended their suspended coach Thursday, saying he has provided discipline and morality amid accusations that recruits were lured with sex and alcohol.

Standing in front of a crowd of reporters, Scott Nemeth and Rashidi Barnes said the scandal at the school had gotten out of hand.

"We're losing focus here," Barnes said. "We have basketball, track, football and a number of athletes who are being bombarded by the media. They had nothing to do with anything, they don't know anything (and) we need to just let the kids get their education."

Coach Gary Barnett was put on paid leave late Wednesday for criticizing the ability of former player Katie Hnida after she said she had been raped by a teammate in 2000. He called her an "awful" and "terrible" player, comments university officials said were unacceptable given her allegation of sexual assault.

University president Elizabeth Hoffman also said she was dismayed by comments attributed to Barnett in a 2001 police report filed by another woman who said she was raped by a football player.

The report quoted an unidentified woman saying Barnett told her he "would back his player 100 percent" if rape charges were pursued. The woman declined to file charges.

Barnett was suspended amid a growing list of allegations involving the football program, including rape, alcohol-fueled recruiting parties, escort services and strippers.

University officials say Barnett's job status remains uncertain pending the outcome of an investigation into recruiting practices at the school, due by April 30.

Nemeth, however, said Barnett provided a steady hand at Colorado.

"His rules were strictly applied: suspending players or adding additional discipline for being late, dressing out of uniform or displaying any sort of conduct that did not meet the standards discussed in the player book," he said. "Gary Barnett is an upright, honest and moral man and I stand by him as my coach, my leader and my mentor."

Former quarterback Charles Johnson said the players decided on their own to show support.

"We believe coach Barnett is a man of high moral integrity," Johnson said. "We believe he is doing the right things. A balanced story is not being told."

News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2004 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007