Sports Illustrated: Jim Tressel’s history of NCAA violations started at YSU

Yesterday Jim Tressel was forced to resign/stepped down as Ohio State's head football coach. Tressel leaves OSU amid allegations that he lied to NCAA investigators about violations from a tattoo-parlor scandal.

Being the Marshall Thundering Blog I have no interest in further exploring Tressel’s wrong doings at Ohio State. What I am interested in is Tressel’s history of deception at Youngstown State.

In the early 90’s their was no bigger rivalry in division I-AA football than Marshall and Youngstown State. In a span of seven years (1991-1997) either Marshall or Youngstown State appeared in the I-AA title game. During those years Marshall won two NCAA championships while Youngstown captured four. Jim Tressel was the coach of those YSU teams and lead the Penguins to three championship games against Marshall, wining two of them.

According to Sports Illustrated those Youngstown State teams committed numerous NCAA violations. Most of those violations center around former Pengiuns star quarterback Ray Isaac and prominent YSU booster Mickey Monus.

From SI:

In 1988, according to court documents from a jury-tampering trial involving Mickey Monus, a wealthy school trustee and the founder of the Phar-Mor chain of drug stores, Tressel had called Monus about arranging a job for Isaac. The player and the CEO had never met, but Isaac told SI that he had heard of Monus's "philanthropist-type hand" from two basketball players. At his first meeting with Monus, Isaac received $150. According to the court documents, by the time he left Youngstown State, in 1992, Isaac had collected more than $10,000 in cash and checks from Monus and Monus's associates and employees.

For more on Jim Tressel’s history of NCAA violations at Youngstown read the entire Sports Illustrated report here: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/magazine/05/30/jim.tressel/index.html#ixzz1NwLxGZ94

Today's Marshall Sports News 5/31/11

From the Charleston Daily Mail, Marshall football: Holliday talks post-spring depth chart

http://www.dailymail.com/Sports/MUSports/201105301062

From the Charleston Daily Mail, Current football depth chart. Discuss.

http://blogs.dailymail.com/marshall/2011/05/31/current-football-depth-chart-discuss/

From the Charleston Daily Mail, Russ Wilson, Cam Newton and Brian Anderson

http://blogs.dailymail.com/marshall/2011/05/28/russ-wilson-cam-newton-and-brian-anderson/

From the Herald Dispatch, Chuck Landon: HHS field perfect for MU baseball in short run

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1656189571/Chuck-Landon-HHS-field-perfect-for-MU-baseball-in-short-run

From the Herald Dispatch, C-USA fields 4 teams in NCAA baseball tourney

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1656189569/C-USA-fields-4-teams-in-NCAA-baseball-tourney

Out Today - 5/30/11

The Marshall Thundering Blog will not be updated 5/30/11. Enjoy your memorial day, we will return to regularly scheduled blogging tomorrow.

Marshall Football: Bluefield’s Joe Woodrum to walk on with Herd

Joe Woodrum, a 6’5, 230 pound wide receiver from Bluefield High School (WV) has accepted a preferred walk on spot at Marshall. Woodrum only played football his senior year at Bluefield, catching 22 passes for 580 yards and five touchdowns.

For more on Woodrum follow the links below:

Bluefield Daily Telegraph article on Woodrum’s commitment, http://news.google.com/news/more?hl=en&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=marshall+university&cp=12&um=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1003&bih=545&wrapid=tlif130650217540410&ie=UTF8&ncl=dz4MwFr2aP0J9TMFKKKY8hwEEVG9M&ei=J6TfTbWeBMydgQf_l8DTCg&sa=X&oi=news_result&ct=more-results&resnum=1&ved=0CCwQqgIwAA

WBOY.com article on Woodrum’s commitment, http://www.wboy.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=100334

Bluefield Daily Telegraph story on Woodrum’s transition from basketball to football, http://bdtonline.com/localsports/x892104223/Woodrum-making-an-impact-in-gridiron-debut/stripped?device=mobile

MaxPreps.com profile, http://www.maxpreps.com/athletes/oFmSp24W6U2xLQHdHeNVgA/football-fall-10/profile-joe-woodrum.htm

Hudl.com profile (Video), http://www.hudl.com/athlete/159390/joe-woodrum

Today's Marshall Sports News 5/27/11

From the Herald Dispatch, Marshall doubles duo defeated at NCAA

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x580912169/Marshall-doubles-duo-defeated-at-NCAA

Today's Marshall Sports News 5/26/11

From the Charleston Gazette, Herd’s Curry Picked on All American Team

http://www.wvgazette.com/Sports/Marshall/201105251384

From the Charleston Gazette, 10 Picked for MU Hall of Fame

http://www.wvgazette.com/Sports/Marshall/201105251382

From the Charleston Gazette, On Herrion, a strength coach, scholarships and Chipper Jones

http://www.dailymail.com/Sports/201105251097

From the Herald Dispatch, Chaump leads 2011 Marshall Hall of Fame induction class

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1541159033/Chaump-leads-2011-Marshall-Hall-of-Fame-induction-class

From the Herald Dispatch, Marshall's Kissell bounced from NCAAS

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1280373159/Marshalls-Kissell-bounced-from-NCAAS

From the Herald Dispatch, Chuck Landon: Tulane has boorish big mouth for its coach

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1541159027/Tulane-has-boorish-big-mouth-for-its-coach

Those in glass houses should not throw stones

As you know Tulane baseball coach Rick Jones received a reprimand from Conference USA for making disparaging public comments about Marshall University during a live-audience radio show in New Orleans.

If you have not read the story check the Charleston Gazette for full details: http://www.wvgazette.com/Sports/Marshall/201105241284?page=2&build=cache

What upset me most about Jones misplaced tirade was this comment:

"What do they (Marshall University) bring to our league? What do they bring to our league? And I'm talking about across the board. Things need to be cleaned up there."

That comment brings me back to the title of this post, those in glass houses should not throw stones. What exactly, if any thing, does Tulane bring to C-USA? Lets take a closer look at Green Wave athletics to find out.

The two biggest sports in college athletics are football and men’s basketball. Since Marshall joined C-USA Tulane has been awful in both. The Green Wave had to over come major issues after hurricane Katrina but both programs were not performing well before hand.

Tulane’s last winning season in football was 2002. Marshall has played Tulane four times since joining C-USA and defeated the Green Wave in every meeting. Tulane plays it’s home football games in the cavernous Louisiana Super Dome to little fan fair. Despite a 13 – 35 record as Tulane’s football coach Bob Toledo still has a job.

The basketball program is even worse. In 2009 Dave Dickerson was fired as Tulane’s head basketball coach after compiling a record of 71-85 over five seasons. Dickerson was replaced by Ed Conroy who had one winning season to his name before taking over at Tulane. This past year Conroy could only manage three conference wins and a 13 – 17 over all record. Tulane play’s its home basketball game at Fogelman Arena, a woefully inadequate facility built in 1933 with only 3,600 seats. The school is building a new basketball practice facility but games will remain at Fogelman.

Tulane recently added two athletic programs to comply with the NCAA’s minimum requirement of 16 teams for division one status. Both of the sports added by Tulane, woman’s bowling and sand volleyball are not sanctioned by C-USA. Woman’s bowling is only supported by 33 division one programs and sand volleyball was just recognized as a NCAA sport less than a year ago.

So I ask you Tulane fans, if such a thing exist, what do you bring to C-USA?