Plati-'tudes
August 7, 2000
A weekly notes column penned by David Plati, who is in his 17th year as Colorado's Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations.
A "Where Are They Now" bonanza and assorted other tidbits await as you read further into Plati-'Tudes for August 7... Things are heating up with less than four weeks until the first football, soccer and volleyball action of the 2000-01 season.
TRIVIA QUESTIONS... CU -- What uniform numbers did Buff basketball greats Shaun Vandiver and Vince Kelley wear? You'll find out why I'm asking as you dig deeper into this week's Plati-'Tudes. Godfather -- Who played young Clemenza in the Godfather II, and in what movies did he make more of a name for himself two decades later?
BARNETT ON CBS SPORTSLINE... Head coach Gary Barnett will be on a moderated chat on CBS SportsLine this Tuesday, August 8, at 2:00 p.m. Mountain Time. Those interested in taking part or observing can find information at the following web address: http://www.sportsline.com/u/chat/2000/ncaaf/barnett080800.htm.
GRASS UPDATE... Senior Associate AD Jon Burianek and Assistant AD/Facilities John Krueger have kept a watchful eye on CU's grass fields, which were struggling earlier this summer. Emphasis is on the word, "were," as Burianek, who walks the fields twice per week, is "amazed at how they have recovered since early June. The key was/is to stay off them as much as possible to give the root system a chance to strengthen and grow." The practice fields will be put to the test early, with August drills commencing on August 8 (newcomers) and 12 (varsity), while the stadium floor has the extra benefit of another month until the first Folsom game against Washington on Sept. 16. Re-evaluation of the fields, particularly the practice fields, will be on-going, as was intended to be the case.
McMAHON UPDATE... This is the fifth and last week of cancer treatment for Tom McMahon, CU's co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach who was diagnosed with lung cancer at the end of June. He began chemotherapy on July 7 and radiation treatments the following week, and has maintained pretty good health and spirits through it all. He will be re-evaluated next week, at which time doctors will determine if the cancer (growths on the windpipe and in one lymph node) is operable or if they'll proceed with a second round of treatments. He has worked through it all, and is expected to participate in everything the team has scheduled until the re-evaluation is complete and the next course of strategy is decided. He continues to thank all for the hundreds of cards, letters and E-mails he has received in support.
FOURTH OLYMPIAN... Colorado has a fourth Olympian this year in Sydney, as Hannah Cooper qualified in sprints/hurdles for Liberia. The 21-year old CU senior who is from Hawthorne, Calif., was born in Liberia, a small African nation located on the southwestern coast of the panhandle, bordering Sierra Leone, Guinea and Cte D'Ivoire.
AP VOTERS... There are 72 voters for the Associated Press football poll, and the two representatives from Colorado both happen to be CU beat writers: B.G. Brooks (Rocky Mountain News) and Adam Thompson (Denver Post). That has to make CU one of the few teams in the nation that has two of its beat people casting votes, though the formula for the number of voters from a state is based on the number of Division I-A teams in that state. While it's likely that it is pure chance that both voters would cover CU, the fact the Buffs play a national caliber schedule would afford Colorado media members the chance to see some of the teams who are expected to be among the nation's elite.
THIS WEEK'S NUMBERS... 11 of 12. That's the number of times that Colorado has been ranked in the Associated Press preseason football poll, including this year's rank of No. 24. CU had appeared in every AP preseason ballot between 1989 and 1997, ranked in the top 15 each year, before not gaining mention in the '98 poll following a 5-6 season. The Buffs reappeared in the '99 poll at No. 15, and rose to No. 14 prior to the season-opening loss to Colorado State. Only CU, Michigan, Nebraska and Florida State have been ranked 15th or higher at least 10 times in these 12 years, and CU is one of only 10 teams to be ranked in as many as 11 of the last 12 polls (see list below). This year's poll was dominated by the Big 10 (7 teams), Big 12 (5) and SEC (5). The ACC, Big East and Pacific 10 had two schools, with the poll being filled out by one school each from Conference-USA and the WAC.
"It's nice to have our players respected that way, and our team respected that way," Gary Barnett said. "It's a source of pride and tradition for the program to be ranked, and we owe that to the way this team finished the last half of last season. But seven weeks in (to the season), talk to me. Four of our first six opponents are in the nation's top 15 in this very same poll."
Number of times ranked in the Associated Press Preseason Poll, 1989-2000: Florida State 12, Michigan 12, Nebraska 12, Ohio State 12, Penn State 12, Colorado 11, Alabama 11, Miami, Fla. 11, Notre Dame 11, Tennessee 11.
ONLY MATT RUSSELL... CU's ' 96 Butkus Award winning linebacker Matt Russell always had a special flair for doing things, and proposing to long-time girlfriend and CU volleyball team member Sonja Nielsen was no different. Last Thursday night, Matt pretended to have lost his keys on the floor of Folsom Field. Dodging the sprinklers, he feigned looking for them with her at his side when his proposal popped up on the BuffVision video boards (she said yes). They will marry next July 7 in the San Diego area.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW... Recently caught up with Michele Kohler, who is now Michele Nelson, a four-year letterwinner in volleyball between 1989 and 1992. She came to CU from Del Norte High School in Crescent City, Calif., and graduated in the spring of 1993. She went into coaching upon graduation, spending two years as the top assistant at Missouri (1994-95), and was the named head coach at Missouri-Kansas City in '96. She coached there for two years, and was named the coach-of-the-year in the Mid-Continent Conference for the '97 season. While at UMKC, she earned her Master's in Administration. She got out of coaching to work for a sports recruiting company (called NAMES), where she worked two years before taking a Human Resource Manager position with the United States District Court in Kansas City this past spring, though she still does some consulting with NAMES (evaluating high school volleyball players). She has been married for four years and has "two adorable dogs, Suki and Niko." She loves living in the Kansas City area, and has annually attended at least one CU football game but hasn't had her schedule match up where could attend a volleyball match in awhile, a fact she hopes to reverse this fall.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW II... Shaun Vandiver stopped by the other day to say hello. What's he been up to? He's been playing basketball in Madrid, Spain, for the Adecco Estudiantes club team in European Professional League. This will be his fourth season with the franchise, and he's coming off a season where he averaged 14 points and seven rebounds per game. The season runs from August through June and the schedule consists of 56 games, including playoffs. He and wife Danielle have two girls, Aubrey (12) and Amber (8) and son Garin (6). During the season, they reside in Madrid, and in the offseason, in Westminster (Colo.). He says he's never been tempted to participate in "The Running of the Bulls" in nearby Pomploma, but actually went there in '97 to watch the spectacle. His feelings on it, "You have to be extremely crazy to participate. I saw one guy get trampled, he just bruised, but he got trampled." Shaun's pretty sure this will his last go-round on the European circuit and plans to relocate to Colorado full-time, hoping to be a part of the University of Colorado in some way. The Shaun Vandiver Farewell Tour will take him to such as countries as France (Paris), Greece (Athens), Lithuania (Zalgris), Italy (Bologna) and Croatia. As the whereabouts of some of his 1990-91 teammates (his senior year), he keeps in contact with many and shared what they are doing: Stevie Wise: working with the Denver Sheriff's Department;
Rodell "House" Guest: is playing professional basketball in the second division in Spain (relocated there after previously living along the Front Range);
Cody Walters: has his own dental practice in Dodge City, Kan., and plays on Dodge City's USBL franchise (or as Shaun so eloquently put it, "Dentist by day, hooper by night.");
Reggie Morton: owns his own furniture business in Lakewood;
Johnny Terrell: a teacher in the Denver Public School system. He also knows what '88-89 teammate Jeff Penix is up to... he's part of Shaquille O'Neal's "design team" with Dunk, Inc.
WHERE ARE THEY NOW III... Yes, it was a very good week hearing from some of the old guard. Got an E-mail from Vince Kelley, half of CU's Inglewood-combo on the men's basketball team from the early 1980s (the other half being Jay Humphries). He is still playing professional basketball, currently in his second stint in Australia. That's where he went after CU, playing in Sydney from 1985 to 1987, before relocating to play two years in Portugal. He returned to Australia, to Perth this time around in 1990 and that's where he's been ever since. Or as Vince put it, "Almost living the life of a gypsy, traveling around the world with a suitcase and meeting very interesting people." He averaged 23.4 points for the Mandurah Magic last year, good for fifth in the SBL-the Southwestern Basketball League of Australia. He is married (Debbie, a native Australian), and they have a four-year old daughter, Desiree Rose. He is hoping to bring his family to Colorado one day to show them where he spent is college years, as it's been over 10 years since he's visited Boulder. You can follow Vince and the SBL at www.goldencity.com.au/sblonline.
IRONY... Football media guides are coming out nationally, and the only two I've seen so far that feature helmets are ironically Colorado and Colorado State. The two schools open the year against each other on Sept. 2 and arguably have two of the sharpest looking helmets in all of college football. An interesting story on the CU helmet that Lou Holtz and/or Notre Dame may never admit to: Back in 1985, when Lou did the color commentary for the Freedom Bowl, he asked for a can of the spray paint we touched our helmets up with. Did he like it better than the Notre Dame gold? He never really said, but only they know if they ever made any kind of switch. (Those of you who have ordered the CU media guide, they will be put into the mail no later than August 14.)
TRIVIA ANSWERS... CU -- Shaun wore No. 35, Vince wore No. 25. Godfather -- Bruno Kirby, Jr. (who was listed in the credits as B.Kirby, Jr.). He later had major roles in City Slickers and When Harry Met Sally, appearing as one of Billy Crystal's best friends in both pictures.
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"Plati-'Tudes" features notes and stories that may not get much play from the mainstream media; offers CU's take on issues raised by those who have an interest in the program; answers questions and concerns; and provides CU's point of view if we should disagree with what may have been written or broadcast.
Have a question or want to know CU's take on something? E-mail Dave at david.plati@colorado.edu, and the subject may appear in the next Plati-'Tudes.