When I heard the news about Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel resigning, I was reminded of two things: (1) the greatest college sports scandals of yesteryear and (2) the obvious analogy between preachy-Tressel being a cheater and bible-thumping politicians playing “hide the Constitution” with Congressional Pages. This list will cover the former because the latter is so 2000-and-late. (Side note: the Black Eyed Peas make me hate the future). This top 5 doesn’t cover any scandal post-2006 because, according to old people, you need at least 5 years to pass before you can give a scandal an historical perspective. So, you’re welcome Reggie Bush and Kelvin Sampson.
————————————–
“Like” us on Facebook
5 Most Outrageous College Sports Scandals of All-Time
By ,
June 2, 2011 at 8:34 pm
If you were in a conversation with Marcus Vick, Maurice Clarrett and Lawrence Phillips who do you think would be the easiest speaker to understand? I'm going MC, MV, LP in that order. Who ya got?
For sure Marcus Vick. My sister used to date him.
I like the writing -- funny stuff on the Webber and Vick writeups -- but I have to disagree with your definition of "scandal." Clarrett, Phillips, and Vick are solitary figures committing crimes mostly unrelated to their sport. Perhaps they were put in position to be with some of those girls because they were football players, or perhaps Clarrett went off the deep end because he couldn't play ball, but there's no direct connection.
The Duke Lacrosse rape accusation; the UNLV basketball jacuzzi photo; the repeated rehiring of John Calipari, Jim Harrick, Kelvin Sampson, etc.; the entire process of Bob Knight's IU firing, from Neil Reed to Kent Harvey; even the old FSU football scandal that made the cover of SI (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/cover/featured/9432/index.htm) but is really no worse than the Fab Five or Terrell Pryor and the boys; the cross-sport point shaving at Northwestern in the mid-90s, or other point shaving incidents... those are all good examples of "scandals," I think.
Though I think the all-time biggest college sports scandal had to be the events that led to Western U.'s storied program ending on probation, including the downfall of legendary "clean" coach Pete Bell, and the point shaving of 1991 led by Tony...
If i don't have a definition of scandal, can you still disagree with it? Some food for thought.
Your thought-food smells delicious and seems well-prepared. I will eat it and wash it down with a glass of TR's contemplation tea.