I'm posting this on the football board because of the OSU issue, and my belief that Thad Matta will be defrocked next.

During the recent Akron stop of the Bobcat Caravan, one of the first things mentioned by Jim Schaus was that Ohio has never been found to have committed a major NCAA infraction. (Upon hearing that, John Groce knocked on his formica table surface.)

But that got me to thinking about our history, and specifically the Danny Nee years.  It is said that Nee went to President Ping with a proposal to de-emphasize football and significantly increase the investment in basketball in order to build a big-time program.  Anyone else believe that if Ping had done that, we might have ended up with some embarrassing recruiting issues?  After all, Nee had the likes of Franny F. and Billy Hahn on his staff.  I just have a feeling.


 

Well, the fact that he had been recruited by Ohio (via an alumnus' family) since he was practically in grade school and that we had one of the best coaches in the United States (Jim Snyder) might have had something to do with it.  

Also, no-show jobs were very standard back in the late '50s and through the '60s.  I remember hearing football players talk about the jobs they had that didn't require regular attendance to get paid.  These things were not well policed back then, and the rules were not clear that this was even a violation.  Frankly, when I heard about these "jobs" I kind of thought of it as a perk that athletes had and not has a violation of some NCAA rule.  Things are entirely different, today, of course.  

The way I heard it, one of Jim Snyder's greatest regrets was bringing Luckett to Ohio and one of the reasons he retired when he did was because he couldn't relate to Luckett and the others of similar ilk who came after him.

I think that well meaning alumni should have left well enough alone but they  just had to emulate Adolph's evil empire slightly to the Southwest

The thought of Ulice Payne as a prima donna just made coffee come out my nose!  Thanks!

Walter Luckett may have received some undiclosed benefits for his hoop exploits but even if it was "normal" then, it doesn't explain his decision to come to Ohio.  Just about any school in the East, the ACC or Big Ten could have done more for him - had they wanted to.  Walter was a good guy and doesn't deserve to see his name dragged through the mud today because of the failings of the Vest.

I "heard" that in 1946 Coach Hess routinely got the oil changed in his Desota at the Sohio station on Court Street free of charge. He even let them occasionally lube his rear end. He never reported it.

What a thread!