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(08/05/13 3:21am)
The defining characteristic of new Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn and his famed Hurry Up, No Huddle offense is wide-open speed.
On Sunday, Malzahn said the pace of practice picked up as his players strapped on their shoulder pads for the first time in fall camp.
"We got a lot of reps today," Malzahn said. "It was very physical. I told our players at the end of practice that today was going to give us a lot of good information as far as evaluation."
Malzahn said Sunday's practice was divided into three groups--the two-deep depth chart from spring camp and a third group made up of newcomers.
"I just told (the players) that they are competing every day," Malzahn said.
Malzahn specifically mentioned a three-way competition at right tackle between Patrick Miller, Avery Young and Shon Coleman. Like the pace of practice, Malzahn referred to the position battle, along with the rest of the battles across the field, as "wide open."
The position battle that has most Auburn fans talking through the first three days of fall practice, the competition for the starting quarterback job, was also discussed on Sunday evening.
Malzahn said all four competing quarterbacks--Kiehl Frazier, Jeremy Johnson, Nick Marshall and Jonathan Wallace--rotated with all three groups. The newcomers to campus, junior college transfer Marshall and true freshman Wallace, got reps with the offense's veterans.
One of those returning offensive players, C.J. Uzomah, said he was impressed with the quarterback play during Sunday's practice.
"I think (the quarterbacks) looked really well today," Uzomah said. "They warmed up well, and we had a lot of individual periods with them. Once we got our timing down in seven-on-seven, one-on-one and team periods, they looked spectacular, really."
Like the quarterbacks, Uzomah says several other skill players are rotating with different groups--and in some cases, different positions.
"We're trying to learn big picture," Uzomah said. "I think that will help us in the long run."
The constant shifting and up-tempo nature of Sunday's practice could also be found on the defensive side of the ball, according to linebacker Kris Frost.
"We're all getting a lot of reps," Frost said. "We're all flying around the field, trying to get adjusted to everything. We feel like we know everything better than we did in the spring, and we're all getting better individually and as a team."
Two members of Auburn's squad were out on Sunday. Cornerback Demetruce McNeal missed his third straight day of practice with an injury. The team has not released any details about McNeal's injury, but Malzahn said on Friday he expects the cornerback to make a quick recovery.
Freshman punter Jimmy Hutchinson, who joins the Tigers after being rated the No. 1 high school punter in the country, missed his second day of practice in order to attend his father's funeral service on Sunday night. According to reports from Hutchinson's hometown in Georgia, Jim Hutchinson, 49, died last Wednesday.
(07/25/13 5:28pm)
It was a busy week for football recruiting with the Tigers hosting more than 500 recruits for the final summer camp of the year, gaining five commitments from top prospects around the nation.
(07/24/13 8:34pm)
On a global scale, there are just less than 1 billion people fighting hunger. On a national scale, there are approximately 13 million. And right here in Alabama, there are 214,200 households that are food insecure.
Food scarcity surrounds us everywhere we go. However, with the exception of the winter holidays, most carry on with their lives ignoring the empty stomachs and subsequent health hazards that plague millions. In fact, many will launch their body across their living room in hopes of grabbing the remote and changing the channel before those Sally Struthers' commercials have taken hold.
However, in east Alabama, Lee County specifically, hunger has created a movement that has organizations sprouting up and jumping at the chance to get involved and battle hunger. Students, adults and even the elderly have begun working together in order to help feed their community. It is not a position of power that motivates these individuals to help, but a basic instinct.
"It's our duty as humans to help each other out," said Tim King, adviser for student organizations at Auburn University.
King's belief is mirrored by many throughout the community, as evidenced by the hundreds of volunteers at the many donation locations.
Even in an area where most financial problems stem from large University loans and not from smaller grocery bills, Hunger is still widespread.
"I think it is easy to forget because it is so picturesque [at the University] and so many students don't need to worry about their next meal," King said. "But students have said that they see other college students coming in and getting food, so it's one of those things people often don't think about, but it is happening."
Among the many organizations King oversees, he is adviser to The AU Food Pantry. This project developed and run by students creates safe and private environment for students in need. The application to benefit from the pantry is simple and non-invasive. It is more of a record keeper for King and Katherine Hettinger, co-adviser to The AU Food Pantry, to see who is making use of the project.
Working with The AU Food Pantry is another organization, Campus Kitchens. A university branch of the original D.C. Kitchens, Campus Kitchens works to feed not only university students, but also those in the community. The organization was an idea of the hunger studies minor capstone class and is advised by Jennifer Commander, vista volunteer.
More than 30 percent of students in the Auburn/Opelika area are on the assisted lunch plan, eating a free or reduced lunch. Often the breakfast and lunch provided to them by the school are their only meals for the day. And some students may go from Friday afternoon to Monday morning without anything to eat.
Campus Kitchens partnered with professional golfer Jason Dufner and his wife, Amanda, in pursuit of success for the project Blessings in a Backpack. Campus Kitchens chose two elementary schools in the Auburn/Opelika Area, Yarborough Elementary and Carver Elementary, where more than 90 percent of students were on the free or reduced meal plan. The Dufners fund the local branch of Blessings in a Backpack, which allows Campus Kitchens to partner with Kevin Mortar of Walmart and assemble bags for students to take home for the weekend. The weekend bag includes a can of pork and beans, a can of SpaghettiOs, a packet of popcorn, applesauce, two packets of oatmeal and two granola bars.
"We had so many teachers coming back to us saying that they were noticing a drastic difference in how kids were behaving on Monday," Commander said. "They had much higher attention rates and more energy and weren't as lethargic, and they think it's because the food has been helping them."
A widespread misconception of those who benefit from food banks is they are all on welfare or they are looking for a free ride. Elsie Lott, Director of the Community Market explains that isn't always the case.
Lott said the application process to be a client at The Community Market is thorough so as not to allow any abuse of the system. Because she believes the need of all her clients, Lott works to stock the shelves with not just discarded cabinet items that most people donate, but with coveted brand named goods as well.
The Market works unlike most food banks. Once a client is accepted he or she is awarded either 75 or 100 pounds of food per week. However, the family can have unlimited produce and bread. Lott only weighs the meat and packaged items. Clients have a wide variety of choices and with shopping carts donated by local grocery stores, one would hardly notice the market was a food bank. There are even sections of the store devoted to personal hygiene care and infant supplies.
"I want it to feel like a real grocery store," Lott said. "This is a last resort for people, but why does that mean that because they've hit hard times they can't celebrate with a cake or that their kid can't enjoy the same Capri Sun as a kid who isn't struggling."
Even full-time students set aside their free afternoons and weekends to help out.
"Sometimes when I'm really busy, I think that I don't have time to go, but then I'll pass by the market and remember all the good it does. All of a sudden, I have time to volunteer," said Perrin Tamblyn, senior in nutrition and dietetics and frequent volunteer at The Community Market of East Alabama.
The movement to end hunger in east Alabama is a force to be recognized. Hundreds of students across the University's campus and across the county are teaming up to fight food scarcity and are hoping to bring their movement to a global level.
Cary Bayless, a member of the committee of 19, an organization to fight hunger, said he feels confident that awareness is key.
"Awareness is everything. If people don't know how serious food insecurity is, they won't be motivated to join the battle," he said.
(07/13/13 1:00pm)
For Dale Katechis, founder and owner of Oskar Blues Brewery, the bathtub is only the second strangest place he's ever put craft beer.
Many bar-goers and hop-heads in Auburn know the story of Katechis.
A 1992 Auburn alumnus, Katechis began brewing beer in 1990 in a trailer off Wire Road after getting a home brew kit for Christmas.
Then he began perfecting it.
Katechis' experimental brew became popular with a local home brewing club, and he eventually started brewing larger quantities of beer in his bathtub. Katechis earned a degree in finance from Auburn and moved to Colorado where he started Oskar Blues restaurant. That restaurant became a brew pub, that brew pub expanded into a brewery, and like a beer poured too quickly into a glass, Katechis' success was soon foaming over the rim.
Oskar Blues' rise to pub prominence from a home-brewing kit is remarkable enough; however, Katechis was not just trying to get into the business. He was trying to change it entirely.
In a market where product is heavily judged by the pack- age, Katechis began canning his prized pale ale in 2002, a head-scratching move consid- ering the top beers at the time were all sold in bottles.
"Nobody was doing it at the time," Katechis said. "Cans were frowned upon. The consumer in our industry believed it was an inferior package for craft beer, mainly due to the fact that large domestic brewers that were brewing lager-style beers (were canning) their beer. And craft brewers believed that in order for beer to be high quality, it had to be in a brown bottle only because that's the only vessel a craft beer had been served in other than a keg."
That bathtub brew, now known as Dale's Pale Ale, is the flagship beer of Oskar Blues, and although it's no longer made in the tub, it's recipe has not changed much, according to Katechis. Dale's Pale Ale was named the Top American Pale Ale by the New York Times in 2005 and won a gold medal at the 2010 world Beer Championships.
It was also named world's Best Canned Beer by Details Magazine.
Since first releasing Dale's Pale Ale, Oskar Blues has introduced six more beers. All of them are aggressively hopped, all of them come in cans, and all of that is good for the beer, according to Katechis.
Now he's trying to pour a pint of that knowledge for the consumer.
When beers were first mass-produced, many craft breweries favored green glass bottles. And yet, if a beer sat in those bottles for too long, it would acquire what Katechis called a "skunky taste" as a result of too much sunlight.
Brown bottles then took over the industry and are still a staple of many craft brewers today. However, Katechis argues that cans are the superior way to store beer.
"Brown bottles eliminated a lot of that light," Katechis said. "Well aluminum cans eliminated all of it. It was just the perception that we had to get over."
Since finding this out, he has begun a "debugging process" to show America that a great beer can be bought in a can.
"We decided to dispel that myth once we decided that cans were actually a superior package due to the fact that the beer had never seen sunlight, and the dissolved oxygen levels were lower, and the package was more environmentally friendly than a bottle," Katechis said. "The modern-day aluminum can has always had the water-based lining inside to keep the beer from sitting on metal. The package was really draft-like, and our job once we learned that was to educate the consumer that that was the case, and that's when we began this mission in 2002."
The Hound tavern and restaurant in downtown Auburn was the leading seller of Oskar Blues products in Auburn in 2012, according to owner and beverage director Matt Poirier.
Poirier said Katechis is a pioneer, and he has seen a similar consumer perception problem with wine.
"People have known for years that screw-tops are better for the wine," Poirier said. "They preserve it better. There's no loss of quality. The cork is more likely to fail. All kinds of things can go wrong with the cork. But for hundreds of years, it's been the cork. The idea is that screw-top wines are cheap wines and can't be good. Same thing with cans. Cans have been Budweiser and Bud Light, beers that aren't necessarily known for their quality."
In addition to blocking almost all sunlight and oxygen, the cans' size and shape makes them easier for retailers to store, all the while holding the same amount of beer as a heavier glass bottle.
These days, it seems Katechis' message is catching on.
"A lot of the big guys are following suit now," Poirier said. "A lot of the old-guard craft beer companies are now turning to cans."
And why not?
The modern day can is not only better for the brewery's bottom line, it's better for the beer and all who drink it.
Oskar Blues just recently celebrated its "Canniversary" honoring 10 years of mass producing its beers solely in kegs and cans. The brewery also just opened a new branch in Brevard, N.C. Despite this success, however, Katechis said he will continue to fight America's "brainwashing."
Needless to say, neither his passion nor his beer show any signs of going flat.
(07/12/13 1:00pm)
When World War I is mentioned, images of soldiers battling it out in the trenches come to mind for many.
Although their introduction became a turning point in the war, the first military airmen and their aircrafts are usually neglected in people's knowledge of World War I.
Members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Auburn University and other guests recently reminded people of the war's top flying aces at one of the institute's summer Brown Bag Lunch programs at the Clarion Inn & Suites.
John Tidwell, longtime OLLI member and popular lecturer, gave a brief history of aviation's role in The Great War before entertaining those in attendance with stories of over a dozen of the war's famous airmen.
Tidwell said he first became interested in a lecture on this subject while doing online searches about World War I, which began almost 100 years ago.
"While reading and thinking about the terrible tragedy of 'The War to End All Wars,' I wondered what role aircraft played in the conflict," Tidwell said. "Most of us have limited our knowledge to trench warfare, and I think it's time for us to look at what happened in the air--who the heroes were, where they came from, what kind of training they had and who designed and developed the planes that were used by both sides."
Tidwell began his lecture with a quote from Orville Wright, who invented the airplane with his brother Wilbur in Kitty Hawk, N.C.
"The sky is about to become another battlefield that is no less important than the ones on land and sea," Wright said in 1909, just six years after the brothers' first successful flight. "We had better get accustomed to this idea and prepare ourselves."
Tidwell then turned his attention towards other military aircraft pioneers such as French icon Roland Garros, who came up with the idea for a metal propeller.
The lecturer received a lot of feedback from his audience when he talked about the United States' late involvement in the war. Thirteen months after American planes first arrived in Europe, the war was over.
"This is what brought World War I to a screeching halt," Tidwell said.
The main portion of Tidwell's lecture was on the flying aces, those airmen who shot down five or more enemy planes during the war. While Tidwell spent time on legendary aviators such as Germany's Manfred "The Red Baron" von Richthofen and England's Lanoe Hawker, he focused on Eddie Rickenbacker, America's top ace in WWI.
Rickenbacker, who was a mechanic and race car driver before entering the Army, had 26 aerial victories in the war. He was later awarded the Medal of Honor and became a consultant for the U.S. military in the next World War.
Two audience members noted Rickenbacker had a connection to the University. Former history professor David Lewis wrote a biography on Rickenbacker, and the University libraries--ranked third in the United States for aviation history--have a large amount of information on the late flying great.
Tidwell, who ended his lecture by answering several questions from the audience, said he was pleased with the feedback he received.
"I want to share this information that I am interested in--I'm not trying to show people how smart I may think I am," Tidwell said. "I want to stimulate (the audience) so much that they'll say, 'I've got to learn more.'"
OLLI will continue its Brown Bag Lunches July 15 and 22 with programs on the 20th anniversary of the University's Rural Studio and Philip Henry Gosse's Letters from Alabama.
The institute is a membership program mainly for those interested in continued learning during their retirement years, but there are not any age or academic requirements to join.
For more information about OLLI or the remaining Brown Bag Lunch Programs, contact Linda Shook at 334-844-3105 or email olli@auburn.edu.
(07/12/13 5:15am)
Auburn senior Stephen Darby played in his first World Series of Poker event in Las Vegas June 16, and walked away as a winner.
While the event that Darby placed in is a part of the World Series of Poker, it was not the main event, which has become famous after being aired on ESPN.
"The most common question I get when I tell people I played in the World Series is 'Oh, the $10,000 event?'" Darby said. "I have to explain to people that it's called the World Series of Poker because it's literally a series. There are around 70 tournaments and I played in the 28th one, which was a $1,000, no-limit Texas Hold 'em tournament with 2,108 entries."
Darby placed 187th out of the 2,108 entrants and walked away with $1,935 for his effort.
216 entrants made the money in Darby's event, and he said that at the end of day one, the entire room knew how close they were to cashing in.
"Everyone was watching the table next to us, and as soon as we saw the last guy get knocked out we knew we had made the money," Darby said. "So everyone in the room started celebrating and clapping when they announced that we were in the money."
Chris Authement, a longtime friend of Darby's and a semipro poker player, has cashed in twice at WSOP events. Authement said that cashing at tournaments like these is no small feat.
"It's a great feeling for everyone in the room, and everyone feels a little bit better after hours of nonstop poker," Authement said. "But that's certainly not the end all be all. We all do this to win, but cashing for your first time is certainly a special feeling."
While Darby said that cashing in at his first WSOP event was a dream come true, the friends he made during the tournament was just as satisfying.
"I sat next to a professional (poker player) at one of my tables," Darby said. "He let me watch the British Open with him on his iPad. That table was really rowdy. Everyone was joking around and having a good time."
Darby also met some Auburn fans during his time in Las Vegas.
"I met a fellow Auburn fan at my second to last table. He kind of mentored me on a couple of our breaks and texted me the next day to wish me luck because he didn't make it," Darby said. "I met another Auburn fan later and we talked about Auburn football. He was telling me about some poker games in Atlanta and invited me to drive over from Auburn to play in an American Legion game there. I met some really good people on my trip."
Darby's road from his hometown of Andalusia to playing beside professional card players in Las Vegas started at an early age.
"Ten years ago they started playing the World Series Main Event on TV and I was just instantly mesmerized. We set up a game that weekend at a friend's house, and we would play no-limit tournaments with nickels and dimes," Darby said. "After that, the games became a lot more frequent. We moved from dimes to quarters and quarters to dollars pretty quickly."
When Darby reached the age to legally gamble, he started playing in casinos.
"When I turned 18 I started going to the dog tracks in Florida, because you can (legally) play poker at dog tracks down there. I would play the $200 buy-in games," Darby said. "Then I started playing online, where I won back to back tournaments one night for $1500 a piece."
Darby plans on playing in three WSOP events next year. Meanwhile, he will enter in tournaments around the South to prepare himself.
"I hope to play in a tournament in Hollywood, Fla. at the beginning of August. They also have a big series in Biloxi (Mississippi) in January that I plan on entering, and I plan on going to a World Series of Poker circuit event in New Orleans next year right before the World Series starts," Darby said.
Darby is pursuing a double major in political science and economics with a minor in psychology. After graduation in May 2014, he hopes to begin a career practicing law.
"I hope to get into law school in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area," Darby said. "As far as long term, I want to work for a big law firm for a couple of years, and then dedicate my service to people who cannot afford adequate representation."
(06/30/13 3:14am)
Last week while watching the epic game seven of the NBA finals, one could not help but notice the awesome championship atmosphere that surrounded the game.
Miami's fan base became a part of the championship run, witnessed it first hand and then celebrated on their home court.
This raises a question. Should the college football national championship be played on college campuses, giving one team home field advantage?
It would not be hard to accomplish, even with the new The College Football Playoff starting in 2014.
The two semi-final games could be played in the traditional bowls, and then have the highest ranked team host the national championship game.
Simple, right? To quote ESPN college football analyst Lee Corso, "Not so fast my friend."
It is not that easy. There are negatives to this scenario.
The biggest issue is small college towns like Auburn, Clemson, S.C., and Athens, Ga., can't accommodate all the media, game sponsors and fans that would swarm into these towns for the game.
Also, the weather, even in the South, is not the best in January when the game would be played. Most players and coaches welcome playing in a dome stadium or a town with great weather like Los Angeles or Miami, instead of Ohio State or Michigan.
It would also give the home team an advantage by being able to practice and watch film in their own facilities, while the visiting team would have subpar accommodations right before the biggest game of their season.
Even with these negative points it still makes a lot of sense to have the championship game on a college campus.
A major benefit would be making the game easier to attend for fans, at least for the home teams fans. While a lot of Auburn fans traveled to Arizona in 2011, many did not, especially students.
Imagine what it would have been like for Auburn to have won the national championship game in Jordan Hare Stadium? It would have been an unbelievable atmosphere that many more Auburn fans would have been able to experience.
BCS game attendance has struggled the past few years. Having the national championship game on campuses would probably solve that problem.
Imagine the huge economic boost it would have given Auburn and the state of Alabama to host a national championship game.
Not to mention the economic boost of being able to host national championship games in 2010 and 2011. Both years Auburn and Alabama were ranked No. 1 before the national championship game, giving them home field advantage.
While this is a nice thought, it will never happen.
There is too much money being spent by the four BCS bowls (Orange, Rose, Sugar and Fiesta bowls) for the game to be moved to college campuses.
However, the national championship game should be moved to college campuses.
The positives out weigh the negatives.
College football is great because of the college campuses, stadiums, traditions, fans and most of all the students.
None of these things are being represented in the biggest game of the year.
(06/28/13 12:45am)
A group of nine current and former Auburn swimmers are competing this week in the Phillips 66 USA Swimming National Championships in Indianapolis for a chance to swim in the 2013 FINA World Championships.
Rising seniors Olivia Scott, Haley Krakoski and Zane Grothe joined by rising sophomore Jillian Vitarius are the four current Auburn swimmers competing in the meet.
Incoming freshman Kyle Darmody will also be competing against his future Auburn teammates as a member of the SwimMAC Carolina team. Darmody is rated as a top-ten national recruit from the class of 2013. The Charlotte, N.C. native chose the Tigers over family ties to the University of Texas where his older brother swims.
Former Auburn swimmers, including three former Olympians are also competing in the qualifying meet this week. Winner of a London 2012 gold medal, Tyler McGill is a top seed in the 50- and 100-meter butterfly. Two-time gold medalist Mark Gangloff will compete in multiple breaststroke events along with Mikah Lawrence. Karl Krug, a 2012 Auburn graduate, will compete in the sprint freestyle competitions.
The Phillips 66 USA Swimming National Championships are held June 25-29 at the IUPUI Natatorium in Indianapolis, home of the 2013 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships.
The finals in both the men's and women's 200-meter butterfly and 100-meter freestyle were on Tuesday, June 25. In the men's 100-meter freestyle Darmody finished in 12th with a time of 50.13, followed by a 50.42 by Krug placing him in 27th.
In the women's freestyle, Scott placed 34th following a 56.71 time. Scott did not qualify for the finals in the women's 200-meter butterfly event.
The FINA World Championships will be in Barcelona, Spain July 24-Aug. 4. The top-two competitors in each event will qualify for the U.S. National team.
(06/20/13 9:00pm)
Unless you are a professor, a member of the administrative staff, or have a building named after you or your family, parking on campus is a task best left to fools and madmen.
Parking services has no qualms about issuing tickets with inflated values. They'll even put a wheel lock on your car if you have more than two tickets, despite the fact it keeps your vehicle in the forbidden space longer. Sure, the people who work for parking services, the ones who give out the tickets, are only doing their jobs. It's not their fault parking on campus is an atrocity. They need to work like everybody else.
Don Andrae, manager of parking services and member of the Traffic and Safety Committee, said, "We've lost 3,000 spaces in five years... There are only 10,000 spaces for 26,000 students and 6,000 faculty."
The Traffic and Parking Committee, comprised of students, faculty and staff, definitely deserves some of the blame. They started the process of change claiming they wanted to make things better, and they came out giving us the metaphorical finger.
Yet, we bought it, and we're still buying it. We've allowed parking enforcement and regulation to become a big business. So we deserve the rest of the blame.
"I would be the first to admit that we have a problem. But we have to work together to satisfy student requirements," said Andrae.
Perhaps it's complacency, perhaps most of us just like giving money to the University, the answer isn't clear. What is clear is the current parking system is a quagmire of arbitrary space designations and unfair policing of those spaces. Do we need so many A and B lots? What's wrong with driving on Mell Street. between 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.? Why can A and B permit holders park in C lots?
Registration for 2013-2014 permits begins July 1. You could pay the $60 for a C or $160 to be put in the lottery for a PC permit, or you could send the Traffic and Parking Committee an email demanding change. You could even say you won't purchase a pass until the cost for a permit is lowered to its 2010 price of $30 for a C permit. If you feel like it, remind them tuition has been increased, and there is less money to go around. After all, that's what this all about: money.
"We don't make any money from tickets," Andrae said.
According to Andrae, the current parking system has caused a reduction in the amount of money brought in by tickets, money which is put into the University's general fund, and that is a sign of the systems effectiveness.
For the 2011-12 academic year, Parking Services had a revenue of $611,000 from tickets. As opposed to the current 2012-13 academic year in which they only received $426,729.
"If anything, I should be hearing from the upper administration for losing money," Andrae said.
There are most certainly not enough spaces to go around. But controlling those spaces with a bureaucratic enforcement agency only serves to demean those of us who have to commute because they can't wait on a bus that takes thirty minutes to go just a few miles. We are more than willing to work with the Traffic and Parking Committee, but it has to show initiative too.
Having five students on your committee does not accurately represent the larger student voice. Asking us to rely more on Tiger Transit when the busses are anything but reliable is not right. They say they are always working to improve, so let's keep them on task.
(05/25/13 2:14am)
Although hundreds of miles away from Auburn, the tornado that hit Moore, Okla. on Monday, May 20 was far too close to home for Carson Stroud, junior in aviation management.
(05/16/13 12:01am)
It's 10 minutes before show time in the Eagle Eye TV office, and things are not going according to plan for the staff of "Wake Up, Auburn!"
(05/01/13 6:44pm)
Auburn coach Gus Malzahn went into spring practice with three goals for the football team on his mind: to get the team's edge back mentally and physically after last season's demoralizing campaign, for the team to have a basic understanding of the new offense and defense, and to develop a depth chart with two players at each position.
(04/24/13 7:21pm)
On Wednesday, April 10, Azeem Ahmed, a junior in finance and economics, was included in a list of 62 students receiving the Harry S. Truman Scholarship this year, making him the first recipient from Auburn University since 1985 and the third since the creation of the scholarship.
(02/24/13 12:36am)
An old saying states that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and in the case of school intrusions this can be potentially life-saving advice.
(04/22/13 4:46pm)
The allegations of Selena Roberts' Roopstigo.com report are compared here to facts provided by Auburn University.ALLEGATIONThe reporter wrote that Melodie Campbell claims the family didn’t get a call about the arrest of her son, Mike McNeil, until 3:30 p.m. on March 11, 2011. FACTPhone records show that Athletics Department employees talked with a member of the family three times before 3:30 p.m. and once afterward on March 11, 2011. Calls were made at 9:01 a.m. (3 minutes), 11:34 a.m. (9 minutes), 1:07 p.m. (7 minutes), and 4:45 p.m. (10 minutes).ALLEGATIONCampbell was also quoted as saying, “To this day, no one from the University has talked to the family.” FACTPhone records show that Athletics Department employees talked with a member of the family on March 12, 2011. Calls were made at 11:41 a.m. (1 minute) and 11:44 a.m. (5 minutes). Athletics employees also talked to a member of the family on March 13, 2011. Calls were made at 12:07 p.m. (1 minute) and 8:54 p.m. (18 minutes). In addition, Auburn’s team chaplain had continued conversations with a family member, including an 80-minute phone conversation on April 1, 2011.ALLEGATIONMcNeil’s defense attorney was quoted in the story as saying, “To show you how innocent he is, Mike is willing to go to trial because he says he didn’t do it.” FACTFive days after the publication of this story, McNeil pled guilty, accepting a deal for three years imprisonment and three years probation for first-degree robbery.ALLEGATIONRoopstigo wrote, “Three players say that before the 2011 BCS Championship game, the team was told that as many as nine of their teammates would not be able to play in the title game because they were academically ineligible. Roopstigo also quoted Mike Blanc as saying, “Auburn found ways to make those dudes eligible.” FACTAn internal review by Auburn Athletics and an independent review by Auburn University Internal Auditing found no evidence that improper grade changes occurred. In fact, six players were deemed academically ineligible for the game and did not travel with the team to Arizona. Mike Blanc later Tweeted his reaction to the story: “This article is outrageous and isn’t true. The media will do anything for a juicy story.”ALLEGATIONRoopstigo quoted Mike Blanc as saying, “We thought we would be without Michael Dyer because he was one of them.” FACTMr. Dyer was never in any jeopardy of being ineligible for the 2011 BCS game. He passed 15 hours during the fall. He only needed 6 to be eligible per NCAA rules. Mr. Dyer actually passed a total of 24 hours through the Summer and Fall semesters in 2010. He had a 2.8 GPA at the end of the Fall semester.ALLEGATIONMike McNeil is quoted as saying of a computer 1000 class, “I was doing B work, but missed too many classes; and I went to the instructor and said, ‘I really need this grade.” McNeil contends that his academic advisor got the grade changed from an F to a C. FACTMr. McNeil’s grade was changed after documented excused absences, due to medical reasons, were provided to his professor. The professor followed institutional policy in making the change.ALLEGATIONMr. McNeil says he recalls coaches giving him $500 to host Dre Kirkpatrick while Mr. Kirkpatrick was on an Official Visit to Auburn. FACTDre Kirkpatrick never attended Auburn on an official visit. After the article was published, Mr. Kirkpatrick publicly stated about his unofficial visit to Auburn, “Nobody gave me any money, and nobody spent any money on me that I know of. I don’t know what they would have spent it on. We went to a party, but nobody was paying to get in there. We just walked in like everybody else seemed to be doing.”ALLEGATIONMs. Roberts wrote, “As players recall, more than 40 players tested positive for recreational drugs after the National Championship.” FACTIn a six-month period from August 2010 through February 2011, three football players tested positive for recreational drugs out of 231 tests performed. In the two months after the National Championship game, an additional seven football players tested positive for synthetic marijuana, prior to synthetic marijuana being added to Auburn’s drug policy as a banned substance.ALLEGATIONRoopstigo quoted McNeil as saying, “When the new coaches came in under Chizik, they implemented new rules and it was kind of no tolerance, but it always seemed to be aimed at black guys. Chizik didn’t like tattoos and he didn’t like dreads.” FACTNumerous players on the 2010, 2001 and 2012 teams wore dreadlocks. Specifically from the 2010 team, they included Darvin Adams, T’Sharvan Bell, Josh Bynes, Kenneth Carter, AJ Greene, Byron Isom, Mike McNeil and Ryan Smith. None were made to cut them off.ALLEGATIONThe story claims McNeil was not read his Miranda rights. FACTIn the “Affidavit Charging Crime” document available to the public, it is stated, “All four suspects made rights-advised statements admitting involvement in the robbery.”ALLEGATIONRoberts contends that Auburn obstructed McNeil’s transfer process to Livingstone College. FACTAfter his arrest, Mr. McNeil did not properly withdraw from Auburn University, making him academically ineligible to transfer per NCAA rules. Auburn Athletics Compliance and the Office of General Counsel assisted Mr. McNeil in addressing those issues with the NCAA. Those efforts ultimately rendered him eligible to play at Livingstone College.
(04/22/13 4:40pm)
Dear Auburn Family,In response to an article published by Roopstigo.com earlier this month, we have reviewed the allegations of academic fraud made in the story. Even though many of the sources interviewed for the article criticized the reporter for misquoting or misrepresenting them as soon as the story appeared, the allegations were serious enough to prompt an internal review.The attached document illustrates that there are numerous inaccuracies and misrepresentations in the story.The most serious allegation is the claim that academic fraud occurred prior to the 2011 BCS National Championship game. Auburn Athletics and Auburn University Internal Auditing have completed independent reviews of the academic allegations. There is no evidence academic fraud occurred.The article alleges improper grade changes took place to make nine student-athletes eligible for the 2011 BCS National Championship Game. That is false. In fact, six players were academically ineligible for the BCS National Championship game, and none of them made the trip to Arizona with the team.The article also states that former football student-athlete Michael Dyer was academically ineligible prior to the BCS National Championship game. That is also false. Mr. Dyer was never in danger of academic ineligibility. In fact, he passed 15 hours during the fall of 2010 (nine more than required by the NCAA) and had a 2.8 GPA at the end of the fall semester. Mr. Dyer actually passed a combined 24 hours in the summer and fall semesters.The article also implies that an academic counselor who works with the athletic department kept Mike McNeil eligible by changing his grade in a course from an F to a C. The article fails to point out that the professor changed Mr. McNeil’s grade after documented reasons were provided, including excused absences from classes for medical reasons. The independent review by Auburn University Internal Auditing showed that all institutional policies regarding grade changes for excused absences were followed.It is also worth noting that while Mr. McNeil also alleges that former Auburn assistant coach Will Muschamp paid him during the 2007 season, Coach Muschamp immediately and publicly denied the allegations, as was widely reported throughout the media.The article also claims that Mr. McNeil recalls receiving $500 cash to entertain a former prospect, Dre Kirkpatrick, while Mr. Kirkpatrick was on an official visit to Auburn. Mr. Kirkpatrick never took an official visit to Auburn. Mr. Kirkpatrick has since publicly stated that no one at Auburn gave him money or spent money on him during unofficial visits to our campus.As Auburn's Athletics Director, it's my job—no matter how proud I am of Auburn— to carefully review charges made against our program when warranted.As the facts demonstrate, the article is clearly flawed. I want you to know that I will always act on the basis of facts. I will continue to fight for Auburn University, and I will continue to defend this great institution against such attacks.One more thing needs to be said about this story, which unfairly attacked former Head Coach Gene Chizik. Coach Chizik came to Auburn with a strong record of rules compliance and a reputation as a man of the utmost character and integrity. I have enormous respect for Coach Chizik, the way he ran his program throughout his entire tenure at Auburn and also the way he left—with dignity and class.Auburn will bounce backThere is no question that this has been a tough year for Auburn Athletics. We all expect better, and we know we have to win. As disappointing as this year has been, rest assured we will bounce back. We always have.As part of our efforts to get better, we are also committed to being as transparent as possible with our stakeholders. That is why I wanted to let you know that a top-notch team of current and former coaches, athletics administrators, student-athletes and business executives will be coming in to give us a comprehensive evaluation. We welcome this review.The review committee, which was selected by President Gogue, is comprised of individuals whose expertise and experience puts them in position to independently and objectively evaluate the Athletics Department—while also offering insight into our strengths as well as the areas in which we must improve.It will be a top-to-bottom review, but Dr. Gogue has asked the committee to focus on five specific areas. They include the following: academic and support services for our student-athletes; the department’s financial management and health; the gameday experience for fans and customer service; all aspects of competition, including sportsmanship, compliance and winning; and the department’s management structure, including the effectiveness of its leadership.This review of athletics is part of Dr. Gogue’s regular evaluation process that takes place annually for all senior administrators and campus units.An A-Day to remember, a title to celebrateIn closing, I want to thank all 83,401 of you who came to Saturday’s A-Day game. I also want to thank the tens of thousands who came to the celebration at Toomer’s Corner. It was a day none of us will ever forget.It is fitting that Saturday’s celebration ended up not being the last time to roll the historic oaks. Coach Greg Williams and the Auburn Equestrian team gave us one more good excuse to roll them again last night.I know you join me in congratulating the Equestrian team on winning both the overall and Hunt Seat National Championships in Waco this weekend. The wins marked the program’s third overall National Championship and its third Hunt Seat title.The trees might be dead, but the Auburn spirit is alive. And it’s stronger than ever. God Bless and War Eagle!Jay Jacobs Director of AthleticsThe committee members who will conduct the "top-to-bottom" review of the Athletics department are as follows:Pete Boone, former Ole Miss athletics director.Dave Maggard, former athletics director at Houston, California and Mimi.Mac Crawford, former chairman of the board of CVS/Caremark, and Caremark RX Inc., and a former Auburn fullback.Quentin Riggins, former vice president for governmental relations at Alabama Power Company, and a former Auburn linebacker. Judy Southard, LSU senior women's athletics director.John Irwin, senior vice president at Bellsouth Telecommunications.
(04/21/13 5:55pm)
Quarterbacks - An obvious area of emphasis for coach Malzahan, look for sophomore Jonathan Wallace and junior Kiehl Frazier to battle for the starting position, while sophomores Ben Durand and Tate O’Connor continue to adjust to the past-paced, no huddle offense.As seen during Malzahan’s tenure prior to coaching Arkansas State, the quarterbacks in his system tend to thrive. Cam Newton started one season for Auburn in Malzahan’s system, winning the national championship and the Heisman trophy along the way. Don’t expect a Cam-tacular explosion from the start this year, but do expect cohesive and consistent play from whoever starts Saturday, August 31, against Washington State. Malzahan is preaching the basics to his players this year who, at times last season, were lacking. A much more composed and prepared leader of the huddle should arise this year in Malzahn’s system.Runningbacks - Junior Tre Mason was last season’s highlight reel, and coming into a new offensive scheme where anyone has the opportunity to shine, expect Mason to continue where he left off last year. Offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee won’t be afraid to spread the ball around, giving Mason even more touches with catches out of the backfield and a well-rounded screen game.Junior Corey Grant, who saw limited action last season, is a formidable backup for Mason, but sophomores Andrew Williams and Chandler Shakespeare, as well as junior Patrick Lymon and Cameron Artis-Payne could also see time, especially with the fast-paced tempo Malzahan is known for.Fullback Jay Prosch is possibly the strongest man on the team, leaving Lashlee and Malzahn with endless possibilities. Prosch should be seen as the Phillip Lutzenkirchen of 2010, catching passes from the tight end position and out of the backfield. More carried from Prosch is also likely, as his linebacker-like stature is ideal for short-yardage situations.Tight Ends - Junior Brandon Fulse and C.J. Uzomah have starting experience from last season, although Uzomah was injured toward the end of the season. Both are experienced pass catchers as well as blockers capable of snagging passes in the middle of the field to split the defense or in the red zone with their height advantage.Redshirt freshman Spencer Smith, Ricky Parks and Michael Clifton are excellent candidates to learn and become solid prospects for years to come, but expect Fulse and Uzomah to see most of the starting time.Wide Receivers - In a report on al.com, Lashlee said junior Jaylon Denson is someone to count on, a player most Auburn fans aren’t familiar with.Sophomore Sammie Coates should also continue his consistent performance in 2013. Sophomore Ricardo Lewis is another young receiver the coaches have been talking about during spring practice, while junior Trovon Reed and Quan Bray should still be utilized as mostly outside threats, with Reed remaining a dangerous punt and kickoff return man as well.Offensive Lineman - The 2013 offensive line will have no seniors to lead the charge, but with the coaching of new offensive line coach J.B. Grimes, the Tigers should have a much more consistent and effective line than last season to steer Malzahan’s power-running attack.Expected starters include sophomore Greg Robinson at left tackle, Dismukes at center, junior Chad Slad at right guard and sophomore Patrick Miller at right tackle.Malzahan does have a knack for developing young talent, so don’t be surprised if younger players, such as redshirt freshman Jordan Diamond, step up throughout the season.
(04/06/13 4:09pm)
Roopstigo.com founder and former Plainsman sports editor Selena Roberts agreed to answer questions about her recent controversial article, "Auburn's Tainted Title: Victims, Violations and Vendettas for Glory," and the subsequent national reaction.
(04/05/13 6:59pm)
As players ran suicides in the team's indoor training facility Friday morning, Gus Malzahn paced around the middle of the field repeating two points as players got within earshot.
(04/05/13 1:52am)
Former head coach Gene Chizik and Athletic Director Jay Jacobs both released statements Thursday, April 4 addressing former Auburn safety Mike McNeil's allegations of multiple NCAA violations as told to Selena Roberts.Chizik released a statement denying multiple NCAA violations as alleged by McNeil and asserting that Roberts' story is "short on facts and logic."Gene Chizik's full statement:"During my tenure at Auburn, the NCAA conducted a multi-year investigation into the Auburn football program that they called “fair and thorough.” The NCAA focused intently on widespread accusations about Auburn players being paid and other alleged recruiting violations. The NCAA conducted 80 interviews. In October 2011, the NCAA rejected “rampant public speculation online and in the media.” Unfortunately, the recent story published by Selena Roberts is more of the same. It once again portrays Auburn University, current and former coaches, professors, fans, supporters and community officials in a false light.Unfortunately, Ms. Roberts’ story is long on accusation and inference, but short on facts and logic. It is noteworthy that the story comes just days before a player mentioned most prominently in the article is set to go to trial for felony armed robbery. The statements are very generalized accusations devoid of substance. During my time as Auburn’s head coach, I never authorized, instructed or directed anyone to change any player’s grade or provide any type of illegal payment to any student-athlete. Likewise, I am not aware of any alleged grade change or illegal payment by any member of my coaching staff, support staff or anyone else.As for logic, the notion that the conduct inferred by Ms. Roberts was occurring under the NCAA’s nose, at the very same time the NCAA is conducting its thorough investigation, lacks merit. Further, the notion that there was ever an attempt to sabotage any Auburn student-athlete’s attempt to play professional football is outrageous. Auburn’s success in transitioning student-athletes to the NFL benefits both the student-athlete and the Auburn program.I remain part of the Auburn family and take these attacks on myself, the University and community seriously. During my time at Auburn, the administrators, professors and academic staff were of the highest integrity. Additionally, the inference that there was academic support staff that worked together with professors to change grades is absurd. As an Auburn resident, I take great pride in the quality and integrity of our police department. They enforce the law equally and fairly and my dealings with police Chief Tommy Dawson and his staff have been nothing short of excellent. He has handled many high profile cases with the upmost integrity and professionalism. To imply anything otherwise is simply wrong.If there is a sad truth here, it is that there are no repercussions for bloggers who blast out widespread, venomous allegations and inferences in such an irresponsible manner. To make bold and outrageous conclusions on such thin support is a travesty.During my tenure as Auburn’s head coach, we kept the well-being of our student- athletes at the forefront of every decision. We ran our program with the highest level of integrity and accountability. Period. I make absolutely no apologies for that. I stand firm in my statements, my support of Auburn University, its student- athletes (present and former), faculty, staff and community officials. As I stated during the NCAA investigation, I am comforted knowing that the truth always prevails."Jacobs also released a statement Thursday, April 4 saying that Auburn was misled by the premise of a Selena Roberts article.Full statement from Jay Jacobs:"Anytime accusations are made against Auburn, we take them seriously. We have no reason to believe these allegations are either accurate or credible. However, as a matter of procedure, we are reviewing them carefully.It is important to note that several of the sources in this story have since indicated they were either misquoted, quoted out of context or denied the allegations.Unfortunately, the reporter who published this story did not fully represent to us what the story was about when requesting an interview. We were only told that the reporter was working on a story about the alleged armed robbery involving four former football players, which occurred over two years ago.We were never told the story would include allegations about academic fraud or improper benefits. Had we known that, we would have responded immediately with the statement above."The Selena Roberts article and backstoryFormer Auburn safety Mike McNeil, with the help of Roopstigo.com writer Selena Roberts, has accused the football program of multiple NCAA violations dating back to the Tommy Tuberville era in 2007.The report, released just days before McNeil’s trial for his involvement in a 2011 armed robbery, cited cash transactions, academic fraud and recruiting violations were committed during his time at the University.The story features testimony from McNeil, former Auburn wide receiver Darvin Adams and former defensive end Mike Blanc.The report accuses the Auburn football program going back to current Florida head coach Will Muschamp's tenure as defensive coordinator at Auburn in 2007. McNeil told Roberts he had received $400 from Muschamp after a difficult day of practice. Muschamp has since denied the payment through a University of Florida spokesperson.Payments were also allegedly offered to Adams to remain at Auburn for his senior season as quoted in the article by McNeil and Blanc. Adams confirmed in the article that he was offered money to stay, but since its publication multiple quoted players have denied what was reported by Roberts.Blanc took to Twitter and denied his involvement and the validity of the article.“Man this article is outrageous and isn’t true. The media will do anything for a juicy story smh #sad,” read Blanc’s tweet.The article, which is titled “Auburn’s Tainted Title: Victims Violations and Vendettas for Glory,” published Wednesday, April 3, has become the center of a large debate regarding its legitimacy.The author, Selena Roberts, is known for her controversial stories that according to the Kansas City Star include comparing the Duke Lacrosse team members acquitted of rape to gang members and career criminals. She was also a former New York Times columnist and Sports Illustrated writer before creating Roopstigo.com where the story was originally published.Former Auburn linebacker Neiko Thorpe was quoted in the article as saying “Auburn does what Auburn wants,” in regard to the football program’s operations without NCAA knowledge, has since defended himself and bashed Roberts.“While I have spoke to Selena Roberts about (McNeil) I have just read her article & not only am I misquoted, but my words are very out of context,” said Thorpe on Twitter. “We didn’t talk about NCAA violations or recruiting.”Since the article was published, Thorpe, Blanc and former Auburn linebacker Darren Bates have all extensively criticized Roberts’ reporting.Further into the content of the article, McNeil was reported saying Auburn changed his grade in a computer science class in order to be eligible to play in the national championship game.After receiving an F for attendance, McNeil went to his professor and a higher-ranking administrator. Unsuccessful in getting the grade changed, McNeil consulted his athletics counselor and the grade was allegedly raised to a C within a few days, allowing him to play.Former head coach Gene Chizik was portrayed in the article as a paranoid, power hungry football coach who ran a regime in the football department laced with player surveillance, excessive drug testing and prejudiced opinions.While Chizik was known to be distant from his players, the evidence in the report sheds new light on his era as the leader of Auburn football. Allegedly Chizik was a part of a “culture war” among the players and coaches, asking athletes to cut their dreads and maintain a specific image.The article cited Chizik and his coaches as distributing hundreds of drug tests throughout the season and that more than 40 players tested positive for recreational drugs in the days after the national championship.Former defensive end Antoine Carter was quoted as saying, “If you were black and had dreadlocks and tattoos, you were somehow tested more in what was called random testing.”Furthermore, McNeil said he was given $500 to help recruit former star Alabama defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick in an effort to get him to commit to Auburn.
