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News Nuggets, 08.17.05
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

Tulsa inks football coach to long-term pact

TULSA — A six-year contract extension will give Tulsa coach Steve Kragthorpe an opportunity to build on his early success in turning around a struggling football program, the university announced Tuesday.

Terms of the contract were not disclosed by the private university, where Kragthorpe is entering his third season as head coach as the Golden Hurricane prepares for its first season in Conference USA.

Tulsa went to its first bowl game in 12 years during Kragthorpe's first season in 2003. With seven more wins than the previous year at an 8-5 record, Tulsa posted the Division I-A's biggest turnaround.

The Golden Hurricane fell to 4-8 last year, but two of the losses came in overtime and a third on a last-second field goal against No. 18 Boise State. Tulsa's 37-35 victory over No. 24 UTEP was the first time it had defeated a ranked opponent in nine seasons.

``Steve has done a tremendous job rebuilding the Tulsa football program during his first two years. We are excited about the upcoming season, and an even brighter future beyond,'' TU President Steadman Upham said.

The contract extension keeps Kragthorpe employed through the 2010-11 academic year.

Kragthorpe said the contract, along with the school's move to C-USA and improvements at Skelly Stadium are evidence of the university's commitment to football.

``This action speaks very loudly in terms of the direction we are headed with our football program,'' he said.

Kragthorpe came to Tulsa after two years of coaching quarterbacks for the NFL's Buffalo Bills.

He was named the Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2003 and was also a candidate for numerous national coach of the year awards.

NCAA, NIT apparently come to terms in lawsuit

NEW YORK — The NCAA and the National Invitation Tournaments settled their differences in federal court Tuesday, likely ending a civil trial in which the NIT had claimed that the NCAA was trying to put it out of business.

A jury that had been listening to NIT witnesses and evidence in Manhattan was sent home for the day by U.S. District Judge Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum after lawyers said a deal had been struck to end the dispute.

``We anticipate a complete resolution of the entire litigation,'' NIT lawyer Jeffrey Kessler told Cedarbaum. ``We reached an oral agreement on all the principled terms, but it is complex so we are going to spend today writing it all up.''

An NCAA spokesman did not immediately return a telephone call for comment. Lawyers on both sides did not immediately return telephone calls for comment.

Kessler, in his opening statement two weeks ago, said the NCAA ``deliberately set out to get a monopoly, to eliminate competition, to make it impossible to compete.''

He argued that a long-standing NCAA rule requiring schools to accept invitations to its tournament over invitations to all others had severely damaged the NIT, which began its postseason tournament in 1938 — one year before the NCAA tournament started.

The NIT is sponsored by the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Basketball Association, which consists of Fordham University, Manhattan College, St. John's University, Wagner College and New York University.

NCAA lawyer Gregory L. Curtner told the jury that the NCAA was made up of 1,024 schools, including the schools that sponsor the NIT tournament.

He said the NIT damaged itself when it agreed in 1962 to let the NCAA choose teams for its tournament first.

He said the rule requiring member schools to accept an NCAA tournament invitation over all others ``has never had any impact in fact in the real world up to the present time. Zero, none.''

Curtner said the rule was left in place to prevent teams from abandoning tournament play and joining made-for-television specials for more money.

The trial featured videotaped testimony from Texas Tech coach Bobby Knight, who said the NCAA had created a monopoly.

``I have felt as long as I have been in coaching that the NCAA has wanted to eliminate the NIT,'' the Hall of Fame coach said.

Knight coached at Indiana University for 29 years until he was fired in 2000 by Indiana's president, Myles Brand, who is now president of the NCAA.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically based on material supplied by staff members; data published by ECU, Conference USA and its member schools; and reports from Associated Press and other sources. Copyright 2005 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007 12:27 PM