Jeff Tucker has been the cheerleading coach for only seven weeks,
and it’s already making him lose his hair. “I told them, ‘If you nail it, I’ll let you shave my head,’” he said. “Well, not only did they nail it, but they got second place.” Besides placing second in the Division I spirit competition, both the all-girl and the coed squads got bids to go to the NCA competition in November. Super Frog won the most improved mascot award, and Dana Adams, a member of the coed squad, got a bid to join the Nationals’ staff. Tucker, a former TCU cheerleader, said he has been involved with cheerleading for the past 10 years, but his experience with gymnastics goes back almost 30 years. A 1981 graduate of Irving High School, he lettered in varsity gymnastics
all four years of high school. Though his school didn’t have
male cheerleaders, there were “spirit leaders” who assisted
with stunts. Tucker began working for the Fort Worth Fire Department as a firefighter when he was 20. He then worked for fire investigations and the bomb squad for five years. “I took apart bombs for a living,” he said. “I pretty much had all the stress I could handle, so I got out of that.” At 29, Tucker came to TCU and majored in history and philosophy. On top of a full class load, he said he continued to work at the fire station 56 hours a week. Tucker joined Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, and some of his brothers encouraged him to try out for a spot on the cheerleading squad. “I got a lot of grief from the guys at the fire station when I became a cheerleader here,” Tucker said. “My nickname at the station was ‘Rah Rah.’” He met his wife Tracy — who is now the program coordinator for Francis Sadler Hall in Worth Hills — on his first day of classes at TCU. They have been married for six years, and they have a 3-year-old daughter, McKenzie. In 1998, Tucker bought The Ale House, a restaurant and bar frequented by TCU students until it burned down in March 1999. “That was a sad night ... we miss it really bad,” Tucker said. “The cost to rebuild was more than what the insurance could pay. And the way I look at it is that The Ale House will rise again.” Tucker said part of why he loved The Ale House so much was the atmosphere
students brought. “Every Thursday night, the MBA students would come over, and we’d give them drink specials because we knew they were going through hell.” But Tucker found another way to share his “spirit” with TCU students. As the cheerleading coach, he said he wants to make several changes for the cheerleading program, including conditioning with weights and running to develop the cheerleaders’ athletic prowess. “Another goal is to set up a true endowment so they can at least get books,” Tucker said. “Some day maybe there will even be scholarships.” Tucker’s goals for the cheerleading squads may be forthcoming,
but he still has something to cheer about. Laura Head
By Chris Gibson TCU has a football team that is nationally ranked, the brand new multimillion dollar John Justin Athletic Center is finished just in time for the season and crews are putting the finishing touches on the newly renovated Foster Hall. Other than the obvious changes on campus, many new faces can also been seen around campus. One of those faces is TCU’s new Intramural Assistant Director Damien Abel. Abel comes to TCU with more than six years of experience with college intramurals at the University of Michigan and the University of Illinois. Abel said he hopes to bring some of what he has learned from those programs to TCU. “Working with intramurals at Illinois really gave me the opportunity
to see how things were run,” he said. “It also showed me
that there were many areas that could be improved upon and I hope
to do that here at TCU.” “(Abel’s hiring) is the result of a national search that included about 45 candidates,” Kintigh said. “He brings a lot of energy and maturity. Working at a huge program like Illinois will only help him to transfer that knowledge to TCU.” Abel began his career in recreational sports his sophomore year at Michigan where he began officiating games. From there he has served as intramural sports supervisor and recreational sports program assistant at Michigan, and he continued as a graduate assistant at Illinois. Abel finished his Master of Science and Recreational Management in May at Illinois and said he is excited about starting his program here at TCU. Hiring and training staff and officials for the program, making sure the facilities are top quality and safe, increasing the number of coed leagues and making sure everyone is having fun are his four main goals, Abel said. Although Abel has some ideas for improvements for the intramural department, the main changes may not be seen until next summer when proposed renovations to the Rickel Building will be complete. Chris Gibson
By Danny Horne The basketball programs look to gain more exposure locally this fall when they host the Fort Worth Classic at the Fort Worth Convention Center on Dec. 28. Rick Thompson, general manager of ESPN Regional, said the point of the event was to showcase TCU in a more downtown atmosphere. “We understand that students are most likely to be away for the holidays at that time, but it’s directed at a different audience,” Thompson said. “It will be a TV game, but the main goal is to inject it into a downtown audience as an attempt to reach out to the Fort Worth community. “We understand that it’s a Thursday night, but we hope that people will come straight from work.” The Classic will feature a double-header — one women’s game and one men’s game. The women will battle the Texas Longhorns and the men will play in the nightcap against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. “There are a lot of positives (that) will come from this event for TCU,” Thompson said. “Texas ech is a traditional rival for the men, and UT has been a top program
in women’s basketball for years.” Danny Horne |
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By Rusty Simmons When the football coaches and the athletics administrative offices made the move from the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum to the more comfortable amenities at the John Justin Athletic Center this summer, the TCU Sports Information Department moved upstairs from the Coliseum’s basement. Athletics Director Eric Hyman is confident the department’s quality is making a similar move in the upward direction with the recent hiring of Steve Fink, director of media relations, and Drew Harris, associate director of media relations. “We couldn’t be more excited about having (Fink),” Hyman said. “He has numerous national contacts in the professional market, and brings a depth of experience with him to TCU.” Before he was hired on June 13, Fink served as the director of media relations for the Kansas City Royals for the last 13 years. He also served in a similar position for the Denver Zephyrs, a Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. Hyman said Fink’s experience as an assistant sports information director at Colorado from 1984-1986 was an important factor in his hire. But above all the experience Fink brings to TCU’s campus, Hyman said he was most impressed with Fink’s character. “When hiring, we always look at the person,” Hyman said. “(Fink) has good ethics and we won’t have to teach him TCU’s values. He already lives by them. “He’s going to be able to adapt to any situation, and he’ll give us the added dimension of being able to deal with the professional market.” After earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in marketing from Northern Iowa in 1982, Fink went on to Western Illinois, where he earned his Master of Science degree in physical education. Fink and his wife, Charlene, are the parents Lauren, 9, and Ryan, 6. Harris just joined Fink as the newcomer in the sports information department Monday, but the athletics administrator are already thrilled with the role he’ll play at TCU. Associate Athletics Director Marci Girton said four to five candidates emerged for the associate position, but Harris was the obvious choice because of his work with the Kansas City Wiz of Major League Soccer. “He really had to reach out to the media while working in the MLS,” Girton said. “Since he’s going to be working with women’s basketball, a less often covered sport, that ability is a great aspect to have.” Rusty Simmons |
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Hiking, backpacking, camping and other outdoor activities are often overlooked when discussing sports. But spending a month, a week or even a day climbing over and around treacherous terrain in all types of climatic conditions can be as strenuous and exhilarating as any football, basketball or baseball practice. Unfortunately, many people do not recognize the benefits of outdoor activities, simply because these sports do not garner the same amount of attention as others: hence, the purpose of this biweekly column. But first, this columnist must admit outright a somewhat limited expertise and knowledge of outdoor sports. At 22, I have not spent nearly as much time on long-term outdoor expeditions as others. However, hiking all 2,160 miles of the Appalachian Trail is high on my post-graduation things-to-do list. The trail, which runs from Georgia to Maine and takes five months to hike completely, is the longest linear national park in the country and the source of my inspiration to learn as much as I can about hiking and backpacking. I have done extensive research on this trail over the past four years, and that reading led me to explore other national and international trails. I also have studied what elements are needed to undertake such a feat and how to best prepare myself to accomplish it successfully. Thus, as a beginning, yet credible, hiker, I want to encourage you,
for the following reasons, to spend at least some time this semester
in The Great Outdoors: And have you ever checked out hikers’ legs? Their muscles become beautifully toned without ever entering a sweaty, smelly weight room. n Spiritual: I don’t know what you believe about how we got here or why and, frankly, I don’t care. But I would be surprised if any reader of this column could stand in the middle of the Rocky Mountains and deny that there is some sort of being higher than us. n Emotional: Spending time in the vastness of the outdoors tends to put things in perspective. When you wake up at 6 a.m. and realize you have to walk 31 miles before nightfall, that religion class you barely passed or the dork who dumped you because you didn’t reach across to unlock his door suddenly don’t matter. The purpose of this column is to encourage everyone, not just members of the TCU community, to spend time outdoors and to provide some of the knowledge needed to maximize the pleasure of those experiences. tart slowly. Do it more than once before giving up. Start with an hour-long hike and reward yourself with a week-long Spring Break hike. E-mail me with any questions, which will be included along with my answers, in the next column. And remember: I’m always looking for a new excuse to go hiking and a new partner to do it with. Happy hiking.
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. By Danny Horne This time last year, Jeff Mittie had just accepted the job as TCU women’s head basketball coach and was introducing himself to his new players. What a difference a year makes. Mittie’s first recruiting class (ranked 22nd in country) was the only class from either the Western Athletic Conference or Conference USA to crack the Top 25 in the All-Star Girls Report. “It’s amazing to think about where we were last year, and then to see where we are now,” Mittie said. “Think about it. We have basically known our recruits just as long as we have known our returning players.” The Lady Frogs signed four freshman and two junior college transfers to scholarships. “We obviously feel like it’s a good class,” Mittie said. “It has to be an overall evaluation over the course of the recruiting season. We look for athletic ability and character and kids who really want to be a part of this program. I have found in my year here that my best players are those who are committed to both academics and athletics. “Our program stresses that players must be committed in both areas. If it’s determined that they’re not, then they will be dealt with on an individual basis. We do feel we’ve found that commitment in our six signees.” Among the key signings was 6-foot3-inch power forward and Slovakia native Katie Safaritova. She averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds last season at Weatherford Junior College en route to being a second team All-American. “We feel she can do a little of everything and will definitely make our team better,” Mittie said. “But we feel that way with all of our recruits. With our new additions, we will be able to play the more up-tempo, pressing style we’ve wanted.” The other transfer was Shanti Nix, a junior point guard from Howard Junior College, who led the conference in assists and steals last season. “On top of that, she was also an academic All-America, which goes to show that our staff does a great job at finding the well-rounded student athlete,” Mittie said. Mittie said he is confident in the four freshman signees’ abilities on and off the court. “In the recruiting process, the basketball evaluations almost always occur first and are definitely the easiest,” Mittie said. “Character evaluations are made difficult by the NCAA and that they limit the amount of contact we can have with recruits.” The NCAA limits the amount of face-to-face contact to three encounters, and the number of phone calls to one per week. Mittie said he prefers in-person meetings to phone calls, but finds it difficult to get a full assessment of a student’s character with only three meetings. “Despite that, we feel we’ve definitely found a balance with both athletics and academics,” Mittie said. “My staff and I worked very hard to put together a class that’s academically strong and ranked 22nd in the nation athletically.” TCU athletics director Eric Hyman said he is pleased with the steps that have been taken by Mittie and his staff to put a good basketball team on the court and in the classroom. “This program is no longer walking against a head-wind,” Hyman said. “Mittie has the program getting better and better, and then to have the recruiting season he had bodes well for women’s basketball and the entire university.” Danny Horne .
By Matt Stiver Brian Carter and Darris Manciel, both junior-college transfers signed by Tubbs last spring, were declared academically ineligible and will not enroll at TCU. Corey Hightower opted to enter the NBA draft, where the San Antonio Spurs selected him in the second round. Tubbs’ four other recruits, Marlon Dumont, James Davis, Nucleus Smith and Corey Valsin, all qualified. Junior guard Greedy Daniels, who sat out last year after transferring from Nevada-Las Vegas, will also become eligible this fall. Tubbs said freshmen Davis, Smith and Vaslin address the team’s need for perimeter play. All three will provide depth at either point or shooting guard. Dumont, a 6-foot-10-inch junior-college transfer from Seminole State in Oklahoma, will help fill the scoring and rebounding void left when Marquise Gainous exhausted his eligibility last spring, Tubbs said. TCU basketball officials knew Carter and Manciel might not meet admission standards. “We don’t consider them a loss because we knew when they signed it would be close,” Tubbs said. “We’re not talking about them because they’re not here. “We’re focusing on the players we do have,” Tubbs said. “They will be the future of TCU basketball.” The fate of Carter and Manciel remains undecided. Both have enrolled in preparatory schools and will attempt to qualify for the 2001-2002 academic year. Tubbs said while he could not comment on the two because they did not enroll at TCU, he would attempt to recruit them for next season. Seeking to add guard depth, last week Tubbs signed Smith, a 6-foot-2-inch guard from Maine Central Institute. Smith will likely spend time at shooting guard. Smith spent last season at MCI, where he averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds a game, after failing to qualify academically at the University of Dayton. Following his senior year at Pontiac (Mich.) Northern High School, Smith was named first-team All-Detroit by the Detroit Free Press. With TCU entering Conference USA next season, Tubbs said recruiting quality must continue increasing. “(With this class) we were not only looking at this season, but the future of TCU basketball,” Tubbs said. “Our recruiting class next year needs to be our strongest class ever.” Tubbs said the team is not looking ahead at the C-USA. “We’re still in Conference WAC,” Tubbs said. “We would like to finish up conference champions. Certainly we’re building for C-USA. We will concentrate on the WAC this year, but obviously we’ll need to be preparing to enter C-USA next year.” With six seniors and 10 returning lettermen on the squad, Tubbs said experience will be a strength of the team. “Right now we’re looking to improve ourselves, just like everyone else,” Tubbs said. Matt Stiver . |
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