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News Nuggets, 01.31.04
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

C-USA well-represented at Super Bowl

Conference USA will be represented by seven former players in Super Bowl XXXVIII on Sunday in Houston. One Carolina Panther and six New England Patriots players hail from league schools and will battle each other in pro football's biggest game.

A trio of Panthers assistant coaches with C-USA ties will also be involved in the game, which will be played at Reliant Stadium.

New England running back Antowain Smith, the 1996 Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year, will be returning to the city where he starred in college as a Houston Cougar. Smith will be looking to secure his second Super Bowl ring in three years as the centerpiece of the Patriots ground game.

Also looking for that second ring is Patriots defensive end Bobby Hamilton, a former star at Southern Miss, who has been a starter for New England's traditionally-strong defense for the last four seasons.

Four other Patriots, including three former Louisville standouts, will be seeking their first Super Bowl rings. Massive defensive tackle Ted Washington, wide receiver Deion Branch and back up running back Frank Moreau will give U of L a significant presence in the game, while former Houston offensive lineman Wilbert Brown spells Damien Woody at left guard.

Carolina's player representative from C-USA is starting cornerback Reggie Howard, a third-year pro from Memphis.

The Panthers coaching staff included wide receivers coach Richard Williamson, head coach at Memphis from 1975-80; tight ends coach Dave Magazu, offensive line coach at Memphis in 1997-98; and defensive line coach Sal Sunseri, who served as Louisville's linebackers coach from 1995-97.

Pitino launches 'full-bore' return

LOUISVILLE — Rick Pitino wouldn't say what caused him to take a two-day medical leave, but the Louisville coach said Friday that there was nothing seriously wrong with him.

"There is a diagnosis to it all, but it's really not worth going into," Pitino said. "All I can say is this will not take away from me coaching Louisville for another eight or 10 years. I've got a clean bill of health."

The 51-year-old Pitino rejoined his team Thursday after two days of tests at the Cleveland Clinic probed the cause of a "urological-related" pain that has persisted in his left side for months. Pitino announced Tuesday that the source of the pain was not cancer-related or life-threatening.

"I know what I don't have, but I had to have answers," Pitino said of his visit to the clinic.

But Pitino said he was still feeling discomfort. "I have a few minor problems that are causing the pain, but we'll get through it," Pitino said. "I think I'll be fine."

Pitino first noticed the pain while playing golf with friends last August. He put off treatment for three months, then finally went for tests at Louisville's Jewish Hospital. He said doctors there ruled out prostate and bladder cancer, but still gave him "a little bit of a scare."

Pitino cited several reasons for going to the Cleveland Clinic — to protect his privacy, to address the condition quickly and to avoid the temptation of coaching his team.

"I had to get away," he said. "I didn't have the time to drag this out the whole season. I felt it was going to drag out another two or three weeks. I couldn't do that mentally or physically."

Pitino and his wife, Joanne, flew to the clinic Monday and returned home Wednesday — in time to watch the fourth-ranked Cardinals beat Houston 64-48. Assistant coach Kevin Willard ran the team in Pitino's absence.

Pitino's son, Michael, who attended the news conference on Friday, said his father paced and yelled at the television during the game. "That was terrible," Michael Pitino said. "We sat down and he said, 'I've never been more nervous before a game in my entire life.' He was pretty stressed out."

Pitino ran Louisville's practice Thursday afternoon and worked into the evening, sports information director Kenny Klein said.

"I'm going back full-bore," Pitino said. "If there are some little, lingering problems at the end of the season, I'll take care of it. I'm going to coach a long time, just because I love it."

The Cardinals (16-1, 6-0 Conference USA) go for their 17th consecutive victory against Marquette (12-5, 3-3) on Saturday at Freedom Hall.

College and pro champ Switzer still getting awards

The Jim Thorpe Association has announced it will present former Oklahoma football coach Barry Switzer its Lifetime Achievement Award. Switzer is only the seventh person in the 18-year history of the Thorpe Association to receive the award.

The Thorpe Association says the award is given only occasionally and to a person the organization's board of directors believes has made significant contributions to sports, the Thorpe Association, Oklahoma and humanity.

Among past winners were former Oklahoma Governor George Nigh, longtime Texas basketball coach Abe Lemons and former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne.

Switzer retired as a college coach in 1989 with a career record of 157-29-4 and three national championships. He coached the Dallas Cowboys from 1994-1997, winning the Super Bowl in 1995.

The award will be presented during the Thorpe Association's annual banquet on Feb. 9 in Oklahoma City.

The banquet will include the presentation of the Jim Thorpe Award to Oklahoma's Derrick Strait as the outstanding college defensive back in the nation.

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.

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