Thursday, October 7, 1999
The University Daily Kansan
Section B · Page 3
"I think Mark has always been willing to step in and do whatever is needed to be done to help his football team and his teammates."
Bill Snyder K-State Football Coach
Kansas State linebacker Mark Simoneau drags Nebraska 1-back Correll Buckhalter
in K-State's 40-30 victory against the
Simoneau has been the focal point of K-State's ninth-ranked defense this season. Photo courtesy of Kansas State Collegian
'Huskers in Manhattan last season.
haven't been the fairest of K.
Simoneau guides Wildcats
Senior linebacker leads strong defensive effort by Kansas State
By Michael Rigg sports@kansan.com Kansan sportswriter
It's fitting that Kansas State linebacker Mark Simoneau grew up in Smith Center, only fifteen miles from the geographical center of the United States. After all, the entire Wildcat football world has been revolving around Simoneau for a good part of 1999.
Simoneau has done it all this year. In the spring, he was elected as team captain. Simoneau was only the second Wildcat to ever be elected to the leadership position three times. In July, he was named the preseason Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and followed with preseason All-American honors in multiple publications, such as Lindy's and Athlon Sports.
On the field, Simoneau has been the anchor for the K-State defense, which currently is ranked as the nation's ninth best. Last Saturday, Simoneau almost handedly shut down the
Texas Longhorns in the second half of the Wildcats' 35-17 victory. Saturday's Simoneau carnage read as follows: seven tackles (three for losses), a forced fumble, a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown and frequent pressure on highly touted Texas quarterback Major Applewhite.
For his efforts, Simoneau was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week.
"Put him down as a strong candidate for the Butkus Award," said Brent Musburger of ABC Sports during the game. "This was an All-American performance as far as I'm concerned."
Despite all the on-the-field honors, no conversation about Simoneau is complete without mention of his intensity. Or his hair.
"He's about as intense of a football player as I have ever been associated with," K-State coach Bill Snyder said.
As for the hair, Simoneau hasn't seen the inside of a barber shop since April. The historically clean-cut Simoneau now sports locks that protrude from the back of his helmet and cover his ears. Despite the constant comparisons to Sampson of Biblical fame, Simoneau said he has no reason for the new look.
"I really don't know why I let it grow," Simoneau told the Wichita Eagle. "It's just a haircut — or a non-haircut. It's
not like I can't cut it."
However, Simoneau can't bring himself to make his hair one with scissors, although he admittedly nearly cut it off during halftime of Saturday's game in the sweltering Texas heat.
Long hair or short hair, Simoneau's — and the Wildcats' — performance this season has exceeded even the preseason expectations in many ways. The Wildcats lost four starters off last season's 11-2 team, and many outsiders picked this year's Kansas State team to falter under the high expectations. So much for the experts, as the Wildcats are ranked in the top 10 in both major polls.
Simoneau said he was playing the best football of his life, as he leads the Wildcats in four defensive categories. His dominating performances this year have excited even the normally subdued Snider.
"I think Mark has always been willing to step in and do whatever is needed to be done to help his football team and his teammates," Snyder said. "I think that being a senior and seeing that we have a smaller senior class than we've had in the past, he probably sees a little greater need than he did in previous years."
- Edited by Matt Gardner
Nebraska plans to shake up its backfield
The Associated Press
LINCOLN, Neb.— Moving up a yard or two and lining up at fullback is not a stretch for Nebraska running back Dan Alexander.
Alexander has played mostly I-back in his two-plus seasons with the Cornhuskers but has seen some time at fullback, his original position coming into the program.
At 6-foot, 245 pounds he has the size to play the position and because of some early-season injuries he probably will see more time there. Nebraska coach Frank Solich said.
"I think he's got great fullback potential. He's got a lot of what you look for there," said Solich, a fullback with the Huskers in the 1960s.
Alexander ran a few plays at fullback last week against Oklahoma State after starter Willie Miller left the game with an ankle injury. Alexander will play some
fullback Saturday night when Iowa State visits Memorial Stadium.
Alexander is not picky about where he lines up.
"Whatever they're going to ask me to do, I'm going to go to that," Alexander said. "The coaches, with their experience, know so much more about the sport than I do. I just kind of trust in their decisions."
Alexander has started the last three games at 1-back and leads Nebraska's running backs with 238 yards. His biggest game this season was 95 yards against Iowa. He has had three fumbles in games against Southern Mississippi and Missouri.
Solich will start Alexander at 1 back with Correll Buckhalter, the only 100-yard rusher for the Huskers (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) this
season, as his backup.
The Huskers are getting deeper at I-back with Dahrann Diedrick and Diante Grixby nearly recovered from injuries, and with Alexander's size it made sense to give him time at fullback.
"There is no question that Dan Alexander will block you as well as anybody will block you around the country from the running back spot." Solich said.
Miller and Tyrone Uhlir were the Cornhuskers' only healthy fullbacks coming into the last week's Oklahoma State game. Miller returned to practice Tuesday and is set to start again Saturday, but Solich expects to get Alexander in for at least a few clavs at fullback.
“That’s probably the best thing about the whole situation is we both came here as fullbacks and we've been best friends since we've been roommates,” Alexander said.
Alexander said the adjustment from I-back to fullback is not easy, but Miller, his roommate, is helping.
Visit by moms may mean Tiger recruiting violation
The Associated Press
The NCAA has reinstated the eligibility of two basketball recruits to play at Missouri amid an investigation into whether it broke any rules about the players' mothers accompanying them on a campus visit.
Missouri athletic director Mike Alden notified the NCAA last Friday that the university may have violated recruiting rules by allowing the mothers of Detroit basketball standouts Arthur Johnson and Rickey Paulding join their sons on a chartered plane to Columbia, Mo.
As part of that notification, Missouri declared the pair ineligible to play for the Tigers and requested that the NCAA reinstate that eligibility. Mary Ann Austin, Missouri's director of compliance, said
Tuesday's decision by the NCAA will allow Pauling and Johnson to sign national letters of intent to play at Missouri next month.
Tuesday's decision did not include a finding on Missouri's possible violation. But Austin said she thought the NCAA would not have reinstated the two players if it didn't plan to issue a ruling against the school later.
While it's possible the NCAA will issue sanctions against the school, Missouri hopes the organization will accept the school's self-imposed sanctions, Austin said.
According to the statement released Tuesday night by Missouri, the NCAA's
decision to reinstate the eligibility of the two recruits is "conditioned upon additional remuneration, by the parents, to further account for a portion of the charter flight costs."
The university said it would appeal the terms.
"The university is grateful for the resolution of this issue," it read. "MU continues to accept full responsibility for its actions, but will appeal the terms of the reinstatement based on the punitive impact to the prospect's families."
While the school didn't get the official word until Tuesday afternoon, a senior NCAA official told The Kansas City Star that the alleged violations likely wouldn't prevent the recruits from playing at Missouri. Steve Mallonee, the NCAA's director of membership services, refused to comment to The Associated Press later in the day.
"In theory, until that gets taken care of or cleared up, the prospects are not eligible to play there," Mallonee told The Star. "In most cases, again, it's as simple as the institution acknowledges the violation, they seek reinstatement. The reinstatement will occur with some conditions, or whatever the conditions imposed by the committee, and then the institution will continue to recruit the kid."
Only severe infractions result in a player being declared permanently ineligible.
Both Paulding and Johnson's mothers paid the university between $200 and $300 each for their tickets prior to flying from Detroit to Columbia Regional Airport Sept. 17 and returning Sept. 19. Alen said the university thought the NCAA rules allow a prospect to be accompanied on a noncommercial flight if the extra party paid fair market value for the ticket.
Houston pays $700 million for expansion franchise
The Associated Press
ATLANTA — Houston rejoined the NFL yesterday, paying a record $700 million for an expansion franchise and beating out Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest television market.
The vote, announced by Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, was 29-0. Arizona and St. Louis abstained. Only 24 votes were needed for approval.
Los Angeles business leaders were unable to agree on several proposals for a stadium site. The city lost the Raiders to Oakland and the Rams to St. Louis after the 1944 season.
The vote awarding Houston businessman Bob McNair the team followed months of indecision in which the NFL at one point conditionally awarded a franchise to Los Angeles. A deadline for Los Angeles to come up with a suitable stadium proposal came and went, eventually putting Houston back into the picture.
"I think after a while we all got tired of it, thought it was time to make a decision," McNair said.
The $700 million fee is the highest for a sports team in the United States. With a $310 million stadium included, the Houston deal would be worth more than $1 billion — a first for the NFL.
The vote returns an NFL team to Houston, which lost the Oilers to Tennessee after the 1996 season and is the nation's No. 11 television market.
The name of the Houston team is not set, but Tagliabue said it would not be "Oilers." When Cleveland lost its franchise to Baltimore after the 1995 season, the NFL backed a team to Cleveland, along with
its traditional nickname, colors and records.
Owners also voted to adjust the league alignment to eight divisions of four teams each. Right now, there are six divisions — one with six teams and the rest with five.
Houston will be placed in the AFC, where the old Oilers played. That would mean one AFC team would have to switch to the NFC. Arizona and St. Louis abstained because of questions about the proposed alignment.
McNair said a retractable-roof stadium would be completed in time for Houston to play its first season in 2002. Public funds of $195 million would go into the project.
The league's expansion committee met with McNair on Tuesday evening and also heard Michael Ovitz make another pitch for giving Los Angeles the 32nd team.
Ovitz, who most recently proposed building a stadium at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif., and another group seeking a team for the Los Angeles Coliseum apparently did not make an offer anywhere to the one by Houston.
Ovitz and his backers hold an option on a parcel of land at Hollywood Park. But he obtained the option last week, so any plan for that site would have to be in the early stages.
The league soon narrowed in on the Coliseum, eliminating a proposal by Ovitz that featured a new stadium in suburban Carson. But the negotiations with the Coliseum stalled last summer after the NFL failed to receive a promise of $150 million in public funds to go toward the Coliseum project.
Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley- Thomas said the Coliseum group never received a clear idea of what the NFL wanted in LA.