INDIANAPOLIS — High school baseball rules now will require a pitching restriction policy based on the number of pitches thrown in a game.
The revised pitching policy in Rule 6-2-6 was one of six rules changes approved by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Baseball Rules Committee at its June 5-7 meeting in Indianapolis. The rules changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
Each NFHS member state association will be required to develop its own pitching restriction policy based on the number of pitches thrown during a game to afford pitchers a required rest period between pitching appearances.
Colorado was one of the first states to adopt a pitch-count limit, which was implemented prior to last season.
“We’re pleased that the rules committee worked in conjunction with the NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee to find an acceptable and reasonable modification to this rule in order to emphasis the risk that occurs when pitchers overuse their throwing arm,” said Elliot Hopkins, NFHS director of sports and student services and staff liaison for baseball.
The Baseball Rules Committee also revised Rule 2-32-2 regarding sliding into home plate. The revised language states: “At home plate, it is permissible for the slider’s momentum to carry him through the plate in the baseline extended.” The committee altered this rule since the physical design of home plate makes it difficult for a runner to break momentum on a slide – as opposed to the other three elevated bases which are elevated.
The committee also revised Rule 3-3-1, which states the umpire has the ability to give three warnings to a coach or player before he or she is removed from the game.
“Officials now have the opportunity to provide a tiered warning system for coaches or players,” Hopkins said. “It provides the coaches or players with a teachable moment to change their unsportsmanlike behavior in order to stay in the game.”
A new article 6 was added to Rule 8-3 to provide a rules reference for an existing ruling in the Baseball Case Book. The new article reads: “When a plate umpire hinders, impedes or prevents a catcher’s throw attempting to prevent a stolen base or retire a runner on a pickoff play, if an out is not made at the end of the catcher’s initial throw, the ball shall be dead and all runners shall return to the bases occupied at the time of the interference.”
The rules committee also approved an addition to Rule 8-4-2, which states that any runner is out when he is physically assisted by a coach. This rule change supports a revision in Rule 3-2-2 Penalty, which states that the runner shall be called out immediately when he is physically assisted by a coach.
A complete listing of the baseball rules changes will be available on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org. Click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the home page, and select “Baseball.”
According to the 2015-16 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, there are 486,567 boys participating in baseball at 15,899 schools across the country, and 1,203 girls playing the sport in 260 schools.
INDIANAPOLIS — The 97th annual National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Summer Meeting will be held June 28-July 2 at the Peppermill Resort in Reno, Nevada. The NFHS is the national leadership organization for high school athletic and performing arts activities and is composed of state high school associations in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia.
More than 900 individuals are expected to attend the Summer Meeting, including staff members and board members from the 51 member associations. That includes the entire CHSAA administrative staff, as well as its Board of Directors.
Several CHSAA staff members will have prominent roles at the meeting:
Commissioner Paul Angelico will be interviewing Megan Bomgaars, her mother and coach during opening general session. Megan and Evergreen High School were first recipients of the Heart of the Arts Award. She is a special education student who was on the cheerleading squad.
Associate commissioner Tom Robinson is moderating the assistant/associate directors roundtable.
Assistant commissioners Harry Waterman (lacrosse) and Bud Ozzello (hockey) will moderate sport roundtables.
Assistant commissioner Bert Borgmann will be a part of the NFHS Network leadership circle, the first time the group is set to meet.
The 34th annual induction ceremony of the National High School Hall of Fame and discussion of several key issues affecting high school sports and performing arts highlight this year’s agenda.
Twelve individuals will be inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame, including Steve Spurrier and Marlin Briscoe.
Spurrier was one of the best multi-sport athletes in Tennessee history at Science Hill High School in Johnson City before his rise to prominence as a Heisman Trophy quarterback, a National Football League quarterback, and as one of the nation’s top college football coaches. Briscoe was an All-City running back in football as a senior at Omaha (Nebraska) South High School before becoming the first African-American starting quarterback in modern NFL history.
Other athletes who were chosen for this year’s class are Joni Huntley, a three-sport athlete at Sheridan (Oregon) High School in the early 1970s who later competed in the high jump at two Olympics; Tom Southall, who overcame a physical disability to become one of the best athletes in Colorado history at Steamboat Springs High School (1979-81), and the late Ken Beardslee, one of the top pitchers in high school baseball history during his three years (1947-49) at Vermontville (Michigan) High School.
Chuck Kyle, who has won 321 games and 11 state championships in 33 years as football coach at Cleveland (Ohio) St. Ignatius High School, is one of four coaches selected for the 2016 class. Other coaches who will be honored this year are Peg Kopec, who retired last year after winning 12 state championships in 42 years as girls volleyball coach at St. Francis High School in Wheaton, Illinois; Pete Boudreaux, who has won an amazing 44 state championships in cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field at Baton Rouge (Louisiana) Catholic High School; and Jack Holloway, who led his wrestling teams at New Castle (Delaware) William Penn High School to seven state championships and 13 undefeated seasons during his 25-year career.
Two administrators are part of the 2016 class – Tim Flannery, who served on the NFHS staff for 16 years and was responsible for starting the highly successful NFHS Coach Education Program; and Ennis Proctor, who retired in 2011 after 20 years as executive director of the Mississippi High School Activities Association. Rounding out the 2016 class is the late Eugene “Lefty” Wright, a cross country and track and field contest official in Minnesota for almost 50 years.
Among the topics that will be discussed at the 52 workshops during the NFHS Summer Meeting are inclusion of athletes with disabilities, multi-sport athletes, innovative marketing ideas, conflict resolution, transgender inclusion, social media public relations, competitive equity vs. school size and emerging sports.
The Summer Meeting will kick off on June 29 with the Opening General Session featuring a “We Are High School®” student program. Along with the ninth annual National High School Spirit of Sport Award ceremony, the NFHS will present its performing arts counterpart – the National High School Heart of the Arts Award – for the third time.
Ashley Carson of Ord (Nebraska) High School will receive the National High School Spirit of Sport Award, and the Midland City (Alabama) Dale County High School Marching Band and Band Director Sherri Miller will receive the National High School Heart of the Arts Award.
The Second General Session on June 30 will feature NFHS President Tom Welter, NFHS Executive Director Bob Gardner and Lance Taylor, executive director of the Arkansas Activities Association who will present the 2016-2021 NFHS Strategic Plan. The Closing General Session on Saturday, July 2, will feature Murray Banks, an educator and world champion athlete.
The Summer Meeting Luncheon will be held at 12 p.m. on July 1, and will feature the presentation of NFHS Citations to 12 individuals. State association honorees include Nina Van Erk of New York, Butch Cope of Kentucky, Gene Menees of Tennessee, Gina Mazzolini of Michigan, Kevin Merkle of Minnesota, Peter Contreras of Texas, Marc Ratner of Nevada and Brad Garrett of Oregon.
Other Citation recipients are Harold Cooper of Missouri (NFHS Officials Association), Richard Robertson of Alabama (NFHS Coaches Association), Jay Dunnahoo of Texas (NFHS Music Association) and Pam McComas of Kansas (NFHS Speech/Debate/Theatre Association).
The Summer Meeting will conclude at 6 p.m. July 2 with the induction of the 2016 class of the National High School Hall of Fame.
Sollie Raso, a Southern Colorado icon and member of the Colorado High School Activities Association Hall of Fame Class of 1992 has passed away. He was man with a passion for life and he shared that passion with students, coaches and the community of Pueblo.
“Sollie Raso holds a special spot in the hearts of all who knew him. He was a great coach and administrator and a wonderful representative to the CHSAA from Southern Colorado. His counsel and presence will be missed,” Commissioner Paul Angelico said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
Raso knew how to get things done, having developed a strong work ethic growing up in Denver during tough times. Just five months after Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Army Air Force where he was involved in 30 combat missions as a nose gunner on a B-17 bomber in World War II.
He became a teacher and coach at Pueblo’s Central High school where he coached football, basketball, wrestling and track. He had a 58-17 record in football coach, had numerous individual and state place winners in wrestling, along with individual district and league champions in while at Central.
He served 11 years as principal at Central, and then 15 years as Executive Director of Student Activities for Pueblo School District #60. He was instrumental in bringing girls’ athletics to District 60, adding basketball, swimming, gymnastics, track, cross country and tennis for girls.
He hosted the first ever CHSAA state track meet and conducted countless, district, regional and state level playoff events in all sports for the Association. He also served for 23 years, including 8 as chairman, of the CHSAA Basketball Committee. He also served on the organizations Board of Control (now Legislative Council) and was a member of the CHSAA Executive Committee (Board of Directors), serving as the Association’s president in 1970-71.
He also served two terms as a Pueblo County Commissioner beginning in 1984. He is a member of the Greater Pueblo Sports Hall of Fame and the Pueblo Hall of He and his wife, Betty Lou, had four children and were married for 62 years before she passed away in 2010.
The CHSAA office is unaware of any services at this point, but will add those as they become available.
AURORA – The Colorado High School Activities Association’s (CHSAA) Commissioner Paul Angelico and Assistant Commissioner Jenn Roberts-Uhlig, announced Children’s Hospital Colorado (Children’s Colorado) as the official hospital partner of the CHSAA, beginning in July 2016.
“Children’s Hospital Colorado is one of the finest hospitals in the country, with sports medicine experts who are geared exclusively to growing athletes. We could not ask for a better partner to work with on health and injury prevention than Children’s Colorado,” Angelico said. “This is a huge step for protecting and educating our players and coaches.”
The partnership will include educational opportunities provided by Children’s Colorado experts to over 350 member schools in the CHSAA. Educational opportunities will highlight trending health issues that impact high school athletes such as concussion prevention and treatment, cardiac health, sports asthma programs, nutrition and hydration and all things sports medicine. Together, the CHSAA and Children’s Colorado will enhance sports safety for athletes and coaches.
“The overall missions for both CHSAA and Children’s Hospital Colorado strongly align to provide the safest environment possible for our young Colorado athletes through the most up-to-date policies and research-driven best practices,” said Aaron Provance, MD, medical director of the Sports Medicine Center at Children’s Colorado.
About Children’s Hospital Colorado
Children’s Hospital Colorado (Children’s Colorado) has defined and delivered pediatric health care excellence for more than 100 years. Founded in 1908, Children’s Colorado is a leading pediatric network entirely devoted to the health and well-being of children. Continually acknowledged as one of the nation’s outstanding pediatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report and ranked 5th on its Best Children’s Hospitals 2015-16 Honor Roll, Children’s Colorado is known for both its nationally and internationally recognized medical, research, education and advocacy programs, as well as comprehensive everyday care for kids throughout Colorado and surrounding states. Children’s Colorado is the winner of the 2015 American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize, and is a 2015 Most Wired hospital according to Hospitals & Health Networks magazine. Children’s Colorado also is recognized for excellence in nursing from the American Nurses Credentialing Centers and has been designated a Magnet® hospital since 2005. The hospital’s family-centered, collaborative approach combines the nation’s top pediatric doctors, nurses and researchers to pioneer new approaches to pediatric medicine. With urgent, emergency and specialty care locations throughout Metro Denver and Southern Colorado, including its campus on the Anschutz Medical Campus, Children’s Colorado provides a full spectrum of pediatric specialties. For more information, visit www.childrenscolorado.org and connect with Children’s Colorado on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
About the CHSAA
The Colorado High School Activities Association is a voluntary association of 353 member schools that includes public, private and charter schools. CHSAA has been the state’s governing body of high school sports and activities since 1921 and has been a national leader in high school educational sports throughout its history. Its mission is to serve its membership through the advancement of, and the student’s participation in, interscholastic activities, which are an integral component and a complement to the educational goals of its member schools. The CHSAA sponsors championship events in 27 boys’ and girls’ sports and events in student council, music and speech. Over 60% of the state’s students participate in at least one activity sponsored by the CHSAA. For more information, visit rcasey.wpengine.com.
INDIANAPOLIS — At its April 6-8 meeting in Indianapolis, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Wrestling Rules Committee added another maneuver to the list of potentially dangerous holds in high school wrestling.
The new potentially dangerous hold occurs when a wrestler, from a standing position, is placed in a body lock with one or both arms trapped and then is lifted and is unable to use his arm(s) to break the fall.
“The rear standing position with a trapped arm should be considered potentially dangerous and should be monitored very closely by the referee,” said Elliot Hopkins, NFHS director of sports and student services and liaison to the Wrestling Rules Committee. “Coaches, officials and competitors should be aware of the potential for injury in this situation if the defensive wrestler is returned to the mat and has no arm available to break the fall.”
The committee also approved a change in Rule 5-11-2 that will award penalty point(s) to the offensive wrestler in situations where the defensive wrestler exhibits inappropriate behavior in order to avoid being pinned.
Rule 5-11-2(i) will now read, “… when a defensive wrestler commits a technical violation, applies an illegal hold/maneuver, commits unnecessary roughness or unsportsmanlike act during an imminent or near fall situation, the offensive wrestler shall be awarded a penalty point(s) in addition to the near fall points in accordance with (subarticles) f-h at the next stoppage.”
“The committee felt that when the defensive wrestler uses unethical techniques to avoid being pinned, the offensive wrestler should not only be awarded the near fall or fall points, but should be awarded the appropriate penalty point(s) for that transgression at the next stoppage of the match,’ Hopkins said.
These rules changes recommended by the Wrestling Rules Committee were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
A complete listing of all rules changes will be available soon on the NFHS website at nfhs.org. Click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the home page, and select “Wrestling.”
Wrestling ranks No. 6 in popularity among boys at the high school level with 258,208 participants, according to the 2014-15 NFHS Athletics Participation Survey. In addition, 11,496 girls were involved in wrestling in 2014-15.
INDIANAPOLIS — A new rule regarding free-throw lane violations in high school basketball has been added for clarification. Players occupying the marked free-throw lane line spaces cannot enter the free-throw semicircle until the ball touches the ring or the free throw ends.
Rule 9-1-3h was one of five rules changes recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Basketball Rules Committee at its April 20-22 meeting in Indianapolis. The changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
After reviewing the entire free-throw process, the committee approved the addition to Rule 9-1-3 in an effort to make the rule easier to understand and to create a safer environment for the free-throw shooter.
“This new rule was approved by the committee in order to reduce rough play,” said Theresia Wynns, NFHS director of sports and officials and liaison to the rules committee. “Part of what we had observed over several seasons was pushing and the displacement of the free-throw shooter after he or she shot the ball. The new rule will hopefully stop rough play.”
In addition, the Basketball Rules Committee added Rule 1-20 regarding non-playing personnel – such as cheerleaders – on the court during a short time-out. The new rule states that “non-playing personnel shall remain outside of the playing area during a 30-second or less time-out during the game. Non-playing personnel shall stand outside the free-throw lane lines extended toward the sidelines throughout the game.”
By formalizing awareness of the standards set for non-playing personnel, game officials are able to direct non-playing personnel to an appropriate place outside the playing court.
“The main reason for this additional rule is to minimize risk for everyone,” Wynns said. “Whether a cheerleader or a photographer, having restrictions will help with the overall safety of those near the playing area.”
In addition to these new rules, the rules committee reduced the time to replace a disqualified or injured player from 20 seconds to 15 in Rule 2-12-5. The committee believed that the amount of time presently given is too long and allows for gamesmanship to be displayed.
“After coaches have seen a player get injured or foul out, they already have an idea of who they want in the game as a replacement,” Wynns said. “But they tend to use that time for other reasons, so lessening the time will help uphold the principle of the rule.”
The rules committee also removed restrictions pertaining to player equipment. All extra apparel is permitted to have one logo according to Rule 3-5-6. Last year the committee simplified the color requirements to be consistent on all sleeves, tights, wristbands and headbands. Adding the compression shorts to this rule will assist officials in simplifying enforcement of the uniform rules.
A complete listing of the basketball rules changes will be available on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org. Click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the home page, and select “Basketball.”
According to the 2014-15 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, basketball is the third-most popular boys sport nationwide with 541,479 participants and third-most popular girls sport with 429,504 participants. In terms of school sponsorship, it ranks No. 1 for both boys and girls with 18,072 schools for boys and 17,653 for girls.
INDIANAPOLIS — At its March 21-23 meeting in Indianapolis, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Swimming and Diving Rules Committee approved a change to the freestyle portion of the individual medley and medley relay as it relates to body position.
An addition to Rule 8-2-4c will read as follows: “The final leg of the individual medley and the medley relay requires the swimmer to be at or past vertical toward the breast before any stroke, kick or propulsive motion.”
This revision was one of several changes recommended by the Swimming and Diving Rules Committee and subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
The committee also approved a change in the current practice of determining a final time when a touch pad malfunctions in a lane. Searcy said that research has shown that the current practice of calculating the average difference between the primary and backup timing systems, and adjusting the backup time in the malfunctioning lane(s), does not improve the accuracy of the times.
“Using the backup time without adjustment results in a final time that is just as accurate and avoids a mathematical exercise which is both time-consuming and difficult to perform during a meet,” Searcy said.
In addition, the committee defined a deck change as “changing, in whole or in part, into or out of a swimsuit when wearing just one suit in an area other than a permanent or temporary locker room, bathroom, changing room or other space designated for changing purposes.” Beginning with the 2016-17 season, any team personnel/competitor involved in “deck changing” will be assessed a penalty for unsporting conduct, which would disqualify an individual from further participation in a meet.
In diving, the committee approved two rules changes and made three revisions in the official diving chart. In an effort to minimize risk, the committee ruled that a dive is failed if, in the diving referee’s opinion, the diver “performs an additional bounce(s) on the end of the board after the culminating hurdle.”
“The forward approach shall begin with not less than three steps and finish with a hurdle, defined as a jump off one foot to a landing on both feet at the end of the board,” Searcy said. “The diver should not be permitted to perform an additional bounce just prior to the takeoff.”
In Rule 9-5-5, the committee added clarity and consistency to the balk call, requiring a diver to actually commence, then stop the dive.
In the official listing of approved dives, the committee eliminated the Flying Back 1 SS (212) and the Flying Reverse SS (312), and added a new dive – the Forward 2 SS 1 Twist – with degrees of difficulty of 2.6 (tuck) and 2.7 (pike).
Swimming and diving ranks No. 8 in popularity among girls with 166,838 participants and No. 10 among boys with 137,087 participants, according to the 2014-15 NFHS Athletics Participation Survey.
INDIANAPOLIS — Tom Southall, who overcame a physical disability to become one of the best athletes in Colorado history at Steamboat Springs High School (1979-81), will be inducted into the NFHS Hall of Fame this summer.
He joins a 12-member class that will be honored during the annual Summer Meeting, set to be held this summer in Reno. It will be the 34th class to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and Southall will become the 22nd inductee from Colorado. Only Ohio (29) and Illinois (26) have more.
At Steamboat, Southall excelled in football, basketball, track and music. Born without his right hand and wrist, Southall was two-time football player of the year in Colorado and led his team to the 1979 Class 2A state championship. For years, he held the single-game rushing record at 412 yards, but that mark has since been broken.
In track and field, he set the state’s 2A long jump record in 1981 with a 23-4½ effort and helped Steamboat Springs to three consecutive Class 2A state titles. On the performing arts side, Southall was a member of the jazz band and concert band and was all-state in music on the trumpet.
In 1981, he won the Fred Steinmark Award, given to the top student-athlete in the state.
Southall is currently a teacher and coach at Cherokee Trail.
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Colorado members of the NFHS Hall of Fame
Athletes: Chauncey Billups (2013), Earl “Dutch” Clark (1995), Tanya Haave (2001), Tracy Hill (2012), Jayne Gibson-McHugh (1996), Joe Romig (1990), Byron White (1987).
Coaches: Jim Baggot (1994), Bill Fanning (1998), Lloyd Gaskill (1992), Laurice “Lo” Hunter (1999), Dick Katte (2004), Warren Mitchell (2008), Pat Panek (1995).
Officials: George Demetriou (2014, Kaye Garms (1995), Alvin Schalge (1996)
Performing Arts: Frank Sferra (2003)
Administrators: Alice Barron (2002), Ron Conklin (2002), Sharon Wilch(1998)
[divider] The full press release from the NFHS is below.
Steve Spurrier, Marlin Briscoe Headline 2016 Class of National High School Hall of Fame
Steve Spurrier, a three-sport standout at Science Hill High School in Johnson City, Tennessee, before his highly successful collegiate career as a player and coach, and Marlin Briscoe, an outstanding football and basketball player at Omaha (Nebraska) South High School prior to becoming the first African-American starting quarterback in the National Football League, are among 12 individuals selected for the 2016 class of the National High School Hall of Fame administered by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).
Other athletes who were chosen for this year’s class are Joni Huntley, a three-sport athlete at Sheridan (Oregon) High School in the early 1970s who later competed in the high jump at two Olympics; Tom Southall, who overcame a physical disability to become one of the best athletes in Colorado history at Steamboat Springs High School (1979-81), and the late Ken Beardslee, one of the top pitchers in high school baseball history during his three years (1947-49) at Vermontville (Michigan) High School.
Chuck Kyle, who has won 321 games and 11 state championships in 33 years as football coach at Cleveland (Ohio) St. Ignatius High School, is one of four coaches selected for the 2016 class. Other coaches who will be honored this year are Peg Kopec, who retired last year after winning 12 state championships in 42 years as girls volleyball coach at St. Francis High School in Wheaton, Illinois; Pete Boudreaux, who has won an amazing 43 state championships in cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field at Baton Rouge (Louisiana) Catholic High School; and Jack Holloway, who led his wrestling teams at New Castle (Delaware) William Penn High School to seven state championships and 13 undefeated seasons during his 25-year career.
Two administrators are part of the 2016 class – Tim Flannery, who served on the NFHS staff for 16 years and was responsible for starting the highly successful NFHS Coach Education Program; and Ennis Proctor, who retired in 2011 after 20 years as executive director of the Mississippi High School Activities Association. Rounding out the 2016 class is the late Eugene “Lefty” Wright, a cross country and track and field contest official in Minnesota for almost 50 years.
These five athletes, four coaches, two administrators and one contest official will be inducted into the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) National High School Hall of Fame July 2 at the Peppermill Resort in Reno, Nevada. The 34th Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be the closing event of the 97th annual NFHS Summer Meeting.
The National High School Hall of Fame was started in 1982 by the NFHS to honor high school athletes, coaches, contest officials, administrators, performing arts coaches/directors and others for their extraordinary achievements and accomplishments in high school sports and performing arts programs. This year’s class increases the number of individuals in the Hall of Fame to 447.
The 12 individuals were chosen after a two-level selection process involving a screening committee composed of active high school state association administrators, coaches and officials, and a final selection committee composed of coaches, former athletes, state association officials, media representatives and educational leaders. Nominations were made through NFHS member associations.
Following is biographical information on the 12 individuals in the 2016 class of the National High School Hall of Fame.
ATHLETES
The late Ken Beardslee has been proclaimed as “prep baseball’s first ace” in the NFHS National High School Sports Record Book for his incredible feats at Vermontville High School in Michigan in the late 1940s. In his three years on the mound for Vermontville, Beardslee won 24 of his 25 starts (the team was 31-1 during that time), but it was the dominance he displayed that was even more amazing. Beardslee’s 24 victories included eight no-hitters, including two perfect games, and seven one-hitters and a 0.32 career earned-run average. He set seven national records, and two of those marks still stand after 66 years. His per-game season strikeout mark of 19.0 and his per-game career strikeout mark of 18.1 remain the national records today. Beardslee was drafted by the New York Yankees immediately after graduating from high school and pitched in the minors from 1949 to 1956. An injury ended his playing career in 1956, and Beardslee then served as a scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates for 21 years.
Marlin Briscoe was an All-City running back in football as a junior and senior at Omaha (Nebraska) South High School in 1962 and 1963. Briscoe also played quarterback at times and led South High School to the Intercity Football Championship during his senior season, and then directed the South team to a victory in the Football Shrine game. Two weeks later, he was named MVP of Omaha’s All-City Basketball Classic. Briscoe was a standout quarterback at Omaha University (now the University of Nebraska-Omaha), where he set 22 school records and passed for 5,114 yards and 53 touchdowns, and earned NAIA first-team All-American honors. Nicknamed “The Magician,” Briscoe became the first African-American starting quarterback in modern NFL history in 1968 for the Denver Broncos. He was an all-pro wide receiver with the Buffalo Bills and earned two Super Bowl rings with the Miami Dolphins, including the undefeated 1972 team. After directing the Boys and Girls Club in southern California for many years, he continues to serve the organization today as a volunteer.
Joni Huntley participated in three sports at Sheridan (Oregon) High School, but track and field was her claim to fame. Huntley was a three-time state high jump champion and became the first American woman to clear 6 feet in the event as a high school senior in 1974. Huntley set national records in the high jump and 100-yard hurdles on the same day at a 1974 meet, and won state titles in the high jump, hurdles and 100-yard dash. She also competed in basketball and helped the school’s volleyball team to a state title in 1973. Huntley was the first female to receive an athletic scholarship to Oregon State University, where she participated in track and field and volleyball. Huntley placed fifth in the high jump at the 1976 Olympics and won the bronze medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. She was ranked No. 1 in the United States in the high jump five times and was in the top 10 for 13 consecutive years. Huntley is a retired kindergarten teacher and currently works in the Portland Public Schools.
Tom Southall excelled in football, basketball, track and music at Steamboat Springs (Colorado) High School. Born without his right hand and wrist, Southall was two-time football player of the year in Colorado and led his team to the 1979 Class 2A state championship. He set the state’s single-game rushing record in 1979 with 412 yards. In track and field, he set the state’s 2A long jump record in 1981 with a 23-4½ effort and helped Steamboat Springs to three consecutive Class 2A state titles. On the performing arts side, Southall was a member of the jazz band and concert band and was all-state in music on the trumpet. He received the Fred Steinmark Award as Colorado Male Student-Athlete of the Year in 1981. Southall’s success continued at Colorado College, where he led the nation in punt return yardage and set an NCAA Division III career mark for kickoff return yards. He was track MVP all four years at Colorado College and set school records in the long jump, 200-meter dash and 4×100-meter relay. Southall currently is a teacher and coach at Cherokee Trail High School in Aurora, Colorado.
Steve Spurrier was one of the best multi-sport athletes in Tennessee history during his playing days at Science Hill High School in Johnson City from 1960 to 1963. He passed for 16 touchdowns in football, averaged 22 points per game in basketball and was 7-0 as a pitcher in helping Science Hill to the state baseball championship – and was named all-state in all three sports and all-American in football. While football would be his sport of choice in college, his high school baseball accomplishments topped the list. He recorded a perfect 25-0 record as a pitcher and was a part of two state championship teams. Spurrier went on to win the Heisman Trophy at the University of Florida. As a three-year starter at quarterback, he passed for 4,848 yards and 37 touchdowns. Spurrier played nine seasons with the San Francisco 49ers before playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his final season in 1976. He then was one of the most successful college football coaches, compiling a 228-89-2 record in 25 seasons at Duke, Florida and South Carolina, which included a national championship at Florida. Spurrier also coached the Washington Redskins for two years.
COACHES
Pete Boudreaux has been coaching cross country and track and field at Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for 48 years and is still going strong at the age of 74. He has led his teams to 16 state cross country championships, 12 state indoor track titles and 15 state outdoor track championships – an amazing grand total of 43. In addition, his teams have finished second 21 times in the three combined sports. Boudreaux has coached 13 individual state champions in cross country and his 1975 team compiled the only perfect score (15) ever recorded in state history. In track, 23 Catholic High School athletes have set state records under Boudreaux’s guidance. A graduate of Catholic High School, Boudreaux also served as the school’s athletic director for 30 years and currently is a guidance counselor and physical education teacher in addition to his coaching responsibilities.
Jack Holloway was one of the top high school wrestling coaches in the country during his 25-year stint at William Penn High School in New Castle, Delaware (1978-2002). Holloway’s coaching mark was 297-35 (.894 percentage), which included 13 undefeated seasons, and he led his teams to seven state championships. He coached 39 individual state champions and was named National High School Wrestling Coach of the Year in 2000. During his final 14 years at William Penn, Holloway also served as the school’s athletic director. A former all-American as a football player at Salesianum High School in Wilmington, Holloway was named executive director of the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association in 2002 and served in that role for three years. During this time, Holloway was instrumental in making Delaware one of the first states to adopt new NFHS weight management protocols. Since 2005, Holloway has been director of athletics at Tower Hill High School in Wilmington.
Peg Kopec concluded her outstanding career as volleyball coach at St. Francis High School in Wheaton, Illinois, this past November with yet another Illinois High School Association (IHSA) state championship. During her 42 years as St. Francis coach, Kopec led her teams to 12 IHSA state titles, including four in a row to conclude her career – the first in state history to accomplish that feat. Kopec registered 30 or more victories in 30 seasons and eclipsed 40 wins on three occasions and finished with an overall record of 1,248-260-2 (.827 winning percentage) – good for fifth on the all-time list in the NFHS National High School Sports Record Book. In addition to her 12 state titles, Kopec’s teams clamed 25 sectional titles and 31 regional titles and compiled a 43-9 record in state finals competition.
Chuck Kyle has led his alma mater – St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio – to 11 Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) state football championships – all in the state’s largest division. After serving as an assistant coach for 10 years, Kyle assumed head coaching duties in 1983 and has registered a 321-83-1 record (.794 winning percentage) in 33 years. He ranks No. 1 in state football titles and set a state record by qualifying for the playoffs in 22 consecutive years (1988-2009). Kyle’s teams were undefeated on five occasions and received recognition by media outlets as the nation’s top team three times (1989, 1993, 1995). On four separate occasions, his teams registered winning streaks of 25 or more games, with a best of 39 straight victories. In addition to football, Kyle has coached track and field at St. Ignatius for 43 years and his team claimed the 2001 OHSAA large-division state championship.
OFFICIAL
The late Eugene “Lefty” Wright had a profound impact on track and field and cross country – as a coach and official and at the state and national levels – for more than 50 years before his death last year at the age of 79. Wright was meet director of the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) cross country championship for 46 years and was the lead official at the MSHSL state track and field meet for 22 years. He was the MSHSL rules clinician for both sports for 46 years and developed a procedure to minimize disqualifications by creating a form that was adopted in official NFHS rules. Wright coached track and field and cross country at St. Louis Park High School in suburban Minneapolis from 1958 to 1969 and won four state track titles and one state cross country championship.
ADMINISTRATORS
Tim Flannery saved the best for last during his remarkable 46-year career in education. After concluding his 30-year career in Ohio with 15 years as director of athletics of the North Olmsted City Schools, Flannery joined the NFHS staff in 1998. During his first nine years on the staff, Flannery directed the NFHS Coaches Association, was editor of the Soccer Rules Book and Swimming and Diving Rules Book, and was in charge of the NFHS Officials Association for two years. In 2007, he started the NFHS Coach Education Program and by the time he retired in 2014 had built one of the most successful programs in the organization’s history. Today, the program features 41 online education courses, and more than four million courses have been delivered to coaches, administrators, parents and students. Flannery also was heavily involved in the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) for 30 years, including a term as president in 1995 during which time the Leadership Training Program was initiated.
Ennis Proctor concluded his 20 years as executive director of the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) – and 47 years overall in education – in 2011 after transforming the organization that was in dire financial straits when he started in 1991. During his tenure, the MHSAA added 15 sports, including many new opportunities for female athletes, and enacted reforms that judged individuals on their own without regard to race or gender. Proctor left the MSHAA in 2011 with a $2 million reserve after inheriting an organization with just $100,000. Prior to joining the MSHAA, Proctor was a football and baseball coach and then spent 13 years as an assistant principal and principal before joining the MHSAA staff. Nationally, Proctor served on the NFHS Board of Directors and was president in 2009-10. During his tenure, Proctor guided the organization’s selection of a new executive director.
AURORA – The 95th year of Colorado High School Activities Association spring sports practice begins just as the state basketball regional and state tournaments are gearing up.
Official practice starts Monday, February 29 for baseball, girls’ golf, boys’ & girls’ lacrosse, girls’ soccer, boys’ swimming, girls’ tennis and boys’ & girls’ track & field. Teams may begin interscholastic scrimmages on Saturday, March 5, while the first contests begin Thursday, March 10.
In May, 1921, a group of superintendents and principals met in Boulder and organized the Colorado High School Athletic Conference. The purpose of this organization was to better regulate and develop the interscholastic school athletic program.
There were nine leagues by the time the first constitution was published, including the Northern, North Central, Western Slope, Suburban, Southeastern, Arkansas Valley, South Central and San Juan Basin leagues.
The first champions crowned that school year were Colorado Springs in football, Greeley in basketball, and Fort Collins in track and field.
In 1924, the Colorado High School Athletic Conference joined the National Federation of State High School Associations and has remained an active member of that organization ever since.
Loveland’s R.W. Truscott was the Association’s first president and Eaton’s J.C. Casey its first secretary (commissioner). Truscott replaced Casey as secretary in December, 1926 and held that post until July, 1948 when Glenn T. Wilson became commissioner. Ray C. Ball took over the commissioner’s post in 1966 and remained in the office until August, 1986 when Ray Plutko assumed the duties. Bob Ottewill became the Association’s sixth commissioner in July, 1990, followed by Bill Reader who served as Commissioner from 2002 until 2010. Angelico assumed the reins on July 1, 2010.
The CHSAA has had 59 presidents dating back to 1921. Its current president, Boulder High School Athletic Director Eddie Hartnett, is in the first year of a two-year term as president.
INDIANAPOLIS — The elimination of clipping from high school football is the latest attempt to reduce the risk of injury made by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Football Rules Committee.
The decision to eliminate clipping in the free-blocking zone (Rule 2-17-3) was the most significant of three rules changes recommended by the NFHS Football Rules Committee at its January 22-24 meeting in Indianapolis. All rules changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
“With very few major rules changes approved by the NFHS Football Rules Committee for the 2016 season, it indicates that the committee feels that the rules of the game are in pretty good shape,” said Bob Colgate, director of sports and sports medicine at the NFHS and staff liaison for football.
Clipping, as previously stated in Rule 2-17-3, was permitted in the free-blocking zone when it met three conditions; however, clipping is now illegal anywhere on the field at any time. According to the rule, the free-blocking zone is defined as a rectangular area extending laterally 4 yards either side of the spot of the snap and 3 yards behind each line of scrimmage.
“The NFHS Football Rules Committee’s action this year on making clipping illegal in the free-blocking zone once again reinforces its continued effort to minimize risk within the game,” Colgate said.
“I look forward to ongoing conversations about how best to limit exposure to harm within the free-blocking zone and in situations involving defenseless players,” said Brad Garrett, chair of the NFHS Football Rules Committee and assistant executive director of the Oregon School Activities Association.
Other changes for the 2016 season will include those made to football protective equipment and gloves in Rules 1-5-1d(5)a and 1-5-2b.
“The committee expanded the options on what can now be worn as a legal tooth and mouth protector and also football gloves,” Colgate said.
Tooth and mouth protectors that are completely clear or completely white are no longer illegal. Rule 1-5-1d(5)a continues to require that tooth and mouth protectors include an occlusal (protecting and separating the biting surfaces) portion and a labial (protecting the teeth and supporting structures) portion, and that they cover the posterior teeth with adequate thickness.
In Rule 1-5-2b, football gloves are now required to meet either the new Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) specifications or the existing National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) test standard at the time of manufacture.
“I give my compliments to the voting members of the NFHS Football Rules Committee as they continue to put the health and safety of student-athletes at the forefront of all committee discussions regarding the future of the game,” Garrett said.
A complete listing of all rules changes will be available soon on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org. Click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the home page, and select “Football.”
According to the 2014-15 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, football is the most popular sport for boys at the high school level with 1,083,617 participants in 11-player football. Another combined 28,938 boys participated in 6
