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News Nuggets, 07.07.04
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Football tickets becoming hot commodity at Marshall

Excitement about the school's Sept. 11 football game at Ohio State and a home schedule that includes rival Miami (OH) has led to an unprecedented run on priority away game and season tickets, according to a recent announcement from the Marshall athletic department.

The Marshall ticket office accepted priority orders for the Ohio State game through the May 14th priority deadline and almost 6,600 ticket orders poured in, the announcement noted.

“We (Marshall) were only issued 5,600 tickets, and of that allotment, 600 tickets were designated for our students and marching band,” Marshall ticket director Michael Carpenter said. “This left us with 5,000 tickets available for distribution to those who pre-ordered by the priority deadline, and unfortunately we had to issue refunds for 1,600 tickets.”

The filling of ticket orders for the Ohio State game was prioritized based on Big Green priority points.

ABC plans to televise the OSU-Marshall contest.

There are still a limited number of priority tickets available to see the Thundering Herd take on the University of Georgia Bulldogs in Athens on Sept. 18, said the announcement.

The Marshall ticket office reported that more than 10,800 season tickets have been sold, well ahead of the 9,500 sold at this point last season, and the school expects demand for tickets to increase in future years.

“With Kansas State and a Conference USA home schedule in 2005, I highly recommend that fans join the Big Green and purchase 2004 season tickets now,” Carpenter said.

The Marshall Ticket Office plans to mail out football season tickets the first week of August, putting 2004 season tickets in the hands of the fans approximately one month prior to the season opener at home with Troy on Sept 4.

Student's message tugged at coach's heart

DURHAM — Andrew Humphries was distraught when he heard Mike Krzyzewski might leave Duke to coach the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Duke student, a Blue Devils fan since he was a kid, felt helpless. But he knew he had to try something to help persuade the Hall of Fame coach to stay.

So he did what any die-hard basketball fan with a connection to the Internet would do — he sent Krzyzewski an e-mail, asking him, "Please still be my coach."

It was impressive enough that Krzyzewski singled out Humphries when the coach held a news conference Monday to announce he was staying with the Blue Devils.

For Humphries, 19, an act of desperation turned into the thrill of his life.

"In the tiniest way, I was able to become a part of that history and lore that is Duke basketball," Humphries said Tuesday. "I'm not going into the record books or anything, but somewhere in there, my name is in the mix of things that happened in Duke basketball. So it's really special in that way.

"It's as good as it's ever gotten, outside of Duke winning national championships."

In the e-mail sent last Thursday night, Humphries, a junior biology major who grew up in Waynesboro, Va., recounted playing basketball in his driveway as a kid, pretending he was hitting shots to win the national championship for Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils.

Eventually, he realized that he would not play for the Blue Devils. But once he came to Duke, Humphries began camping out at "Krzyzewskiville" to attend games at Cameron Indoor Stadium as one of the "Cameron Crazies."

Even though he doesn't score points or grab rebounds, Humphries wrote, he feels he is part of the Blue Devils basketball family.

"I got to Duke. And discovered that, yes, I am going to play for Coach K," Humphries wrote. "I am going to be his sixth man.

"We get to Duke and we realize you are our coach. Not just the coach of our team, but you are also our coach, because you believe that we give you something no one else can and we know that you give us something that no one ever could."

Humphries closed the e-mail with his plea, "Please still be my coach."

Krzyzewski said the e-mail — one of many he received while considering the Lakers' offer — brought him to tears and reinforced the bond he feels with the school he had led to three national championships in his 24-year tenure.

"That's the type of relationship that has made this place just different, where it's not just been our team. It's been OUR team, with everybody involved," he said Monday. "And hopefully we can keep that going.

"If Andrew's listening, thanks a lot. You never know what's read."

Krzyzewski was reportedly offered a five-year deal worth $40 million by the Lakers to become their coach. He declined after spending the weekend thinking it over.

Humphries said Krzyzewski's wife, Mickie, left a message on his cell phone thanking him for the e-mail Monday morning. She invited him to the news conference, but he was unable to attend; he was taking summer classes at the university's marine laboratory in coastal Beaufort.

"She said the e-mail really meant a lot to her and her husband," Humphries said. "When Mrs. Krzyzewski called, I got goose bumps. I was tearing up a bit. It was unbelievable. When I heard I was mentioned at the press conference, it was the same thing."

The comment made Humphries an instant local celebrity. He drove back to Durham late Monday for an interview with ESPN's "SportsCenter" at Cameron. He also was mentioned in local newspapers and TV reports.

"When someone's afraid, they do something to make themselves feel a little empowered," Humphries said. "And it ended up being so much more than that."

Trouble escalates for VPI QB with famous last name

RICHMOND — Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick was suspended indefinitely from the team Tuesday, the same day it was revealed he was charged with reckless driving and possession of marijuana.

The younger brother of Atlanta Falcons quarterback and former Hokies star Michael Vick was charged after an early morning traffic stop on Saturday, state police said. He was convicted in May of three misdemeanors stemming from a drinking party with three underage girls.

The school said the latest charge prompted the indefinite suspension. Officials revealed Tuesday that Vick and two others convicted in May had been suspended for the first three games of the season.

Vick, a redshirt sophomore, was expected to challenge senior Bryan Randall for the starting job this season after the two essentially shared it last season.

Vick was clocked on radar at 86 mph, 21 mph above the speed limit, state police spokesman Gary B. Payne said.

"As a result of the traffic stop, he also was charged with possession of marijuana," Payne said.

Both charges are misdemeanors, he said.

In May, the 20-year-old Vick was sentenced to 30 days in jail and fined $2,250 on three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor after he and two teammates gave alcohol to 14- and 15-year-old girls at the players' apartment.

Tailback Mike Imoh, 19, was sentenced to 10 days in jail and fined $750. Wide receiver Brenden Hill, 19, was sentenced to 20 days in jail and fined $1,500.

After the trial, Virginia Tech athletic director Jim Weaver promised to punish the players, but refused to disclose what kind of disciplinary action he would take, citing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974.

On Tuesday, Weaver revealed that all three players had been suspended for the first three games of this season. School spokesman Larry Hincker said all three players had signed a waiver that allowed the school to detail the penalties.

"I believe that the actions this past winter of Mike Imoh, Brenden Hill, and Marcus Vick were inappropriate and contrary to the values of our university and sports communities, and should warrant sanction," Weaver said in a statement.

"Although these matters are on appeal in the criminal courts, I am moving forward in the best interests of all concerned with disciplinary action."

Coach Frank Beamer has declined to discuss the convictions, saying he wanted to wait until the appeals process has run its course. The university said in the release that Weaver would have nothing further to say and that he spoke for the university.

Vick has appealed his conviction and sentence to Montgomery County Circuit Court.

Vick was suspended for one game last season for a violation of team policy.

Virginia Tech does not automatically suspend students charged with a misdemeanor. Hincker said any student convicted of a misdemeanor is subject to disciplinary action levied by the university office of judicial affairs. Penalties range from a simple warning to dismissal from school.

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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