College Sports Insider With Jack Ford

Several college athletes die after workouts every year. Deaths don’t have to be training’s inevitable byproducts, yet they long have been. A Champion magazine writer explored the issue in a summer 2018 story that focused on the strength and conditioning profession’s efforts to help remove tragedy from training. Jack Ford with Brian Burnsed, Champion magazine associate editor.

“Leadership” is often tossed about without precision, its meaning elusive. But how does it manifest? In sports, what does it look like and sound like? The answers vary depending on perspective, but a former walk-on turned team captain at one of the nation’s top soccer programs shares what he learned about leadership on his rise through the ranks. Jack Ford with Paul Kapsalis, former Indiana soccer player and author.

The NCAA adopted sweeping college basketball reforms in August. How might they reshape the sport? How will the recruiting landscape shift this season and beyond? As basketball undergoes seismic changes, a top NCAA executive reflects on the rapidly evolving game. Jack Ford with Dan Gavitt, NCAA senior vice president of basketball.

Driven by new health and safety guidelines and better understanding about the value of nutrition and proper conditioning, football has changed rapidly in recent years. Are smaller schools able to keep pace? One Division III football coach thinks so. Jack Ford with James Catanzaro, Lake Forest head football coach.

A significant portion of the Commission on College Basketball’s recently released recommendations pertained to reshaping how major infractions cases are investigated and adjudicated. How might those changes be implemented? The current chair of the Division I Committee on Infractions shares his perspective on how that vital process may soon be altered. Jack Ford with Greg Christopher, Xavier director of athletics and chair of the Division I Committee on Infractions.

The Commission on College Basketball shared its recommendations to reform the sport last week. Now, the responsibility of putting those proposed changes into practice falls to the NCAA’s highest governing bodies. How will they translate 52 pages of commission recommendations into amended rules and procedures? And how quickly might they be able to accomplish it? Jack Ford with Blake James, Miami (Florida) athletic director and Division I Council chair.

Last October, in the wake of federal indictments that sent shockwaves through the college basketball world, the NCAA convened an independent body to examine the sport and bring forward proposals to reshape it. This week, the Commission on College Basketball delivered those recommendations. Hear directly from commission members about the intricacies of that process. Jack Ford with a trio of Commission on College Basketball members: Gene Smith, Ohio State director of athletics; John Thompson III, former Georgetown men’s basketball coach; and Grant Hill; Atlanta Hawks vice chairman and former NBA and college basketball star.

To some, the NCAA’s slew of committees and councils are little more than nameless, faceless entities. But they are composed of athletics administrators, coaches and student-athletes who volunteer their time to help college sports continue to evolve. What does that committee service entail? One longtime member details the experience. Jack Ford with Shantey Hill, St. Joseph’s (Long Island) assistant vice president and senior director of athletics and recreation.

The NCAA recently adopted charging guidelines that offer clarity on the methods enforcement staff members use to evaluate cases and bring charges. What are those guidelines and who are the people making those crucial decisions? Jack Ford with Derrick Crawford, NCAA enforcement managing director.

Between sports, studies and sleep, it seems there would be little time for college athletes to engage in other areas on their campuses. Not the case: Campus student-athlete advisory committees offer a venue for athletes who want to find ways to impact their schools or offer input on the NCAA rules that affect their lives. One SAAC president offers his perspective. Jack Ford with Josh Ebikwo, Purdue sprinter and supply chain management technology major.

Team physicians shoulder a great deal of responsibility — and, for many, the role isn’t even their day job. How do they balance their lives in athletics with other professional obligations? And how has the position evolved in recent years? Jack Ford with Dr. Doug Ramos, Creighton team physician.

Athletics departments are increasingly realizing the importance of having qualified mental health professionals at the ready. A look inside a vital profession and how it’s impacting college athletes, particularly those facing intense pressure in their academic and athletic lives. Jack Ford with Jessica Mohler, a clinical and sports psychologist and assistant director of Navy’s Midshipmen Development Center.

Amid an ongoing FBI investigation and calls for reform, what challenges lie ahead for college basketball and how might the sport soon change? NCAA.com’s Andy Katz, NCAA President Mark Emmert, Minnesota President Eric Kaler and Stanford Director of Athletics Bernard Muir address those questions in an in-depth discussion about the future of college basketball.

David Morrow helped his team win a Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship and was named national player of the year at Princeton. More importantly, he solved a problem. The 1993 Princeton graduate and his father fabricated durable, lightweight lacrosse shafts for his team, replacing the heavy or brittle ones they had been using. That idea spawned Warrior, a global sports equipment and apparel company that, 25 years later, has exceeded $2 billion in sales. Jack Ford with Morrow, Warrior Sports founder.

Recent changes that relaxed rules regarding what schools can feed their college athletes have enhanced sports dietitians’ and nutritionists’ roles at many athletics departments. How do people in those important positions ensure every athlete is getting adequate fuel? And how do they navigate the complicated world of supplementation? Jack Ford with Randy Bird, Virginia director of sports nutrition.

The lives of the nation’s nearly 500,000 college athletes vary, but all are bound by the need to balance a commitment to their sports with their academic endeavors. How do they manage it? And how do some excel in both? A track and field national champion details his college experience, which helped him launch a career in the field of renewable energy. Jack Ford with Deko Ricketts, 2017 Washington U. in St. Louis graduate and project engineer at Azimuth Energy.

Athletic trainers are often athletics departments’ unheralded heroes. They’re tasked with treating injuries, responding in dire situations and keeping college athletes’ spirits up as they battle through aches and pains or arduous rehab sessions. They’re often seen rushing onto the field on game day, but what does the rest of their job entail? Jack Ford with John Chandler, Coe athletic trainer.

The senior woman administrator is the highest-ranking female involved in the management of a school’s athletics program. But, for those who fill the role, what does that designation entail? And what obstacles do female administrators face, even today? Jack Ford with Kate Roy, associate director of athletics, compliance coordinator and SWA at Lyndon State.

In October, the U.S. Olympic Committee assembled the Collegiate Advisory Council, a body that includes athletics directors from prominent programs around the country and is tasked with evaluating and strengthening Olympic sport offerings at the collegiate level. A look at the group’s goals and how the USOC is strengthening its ties with NCAA schools. Jack Ford with Sarah Wilhelmi, USOC director of collegiate partnerships.

Quality sleep raises GPAs and lowers the number of dropped classes. On the field, it speeds reaction times and decreases injury risk. So how can college athletes get more of it? One Division III school has committed itself to ensuring that they do. Those efforts were detailed in a January Champion magazine story. Jack Ford with Roxanne Prichard, scientific director of the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) Center for College Sleep.