Sports

College football downsizing to playing conference games only

July 16, 2020

Oklahoma State and Oklahoma are scrambling to piece together a fall football schedule as major conferences are eliminating nonconference games. The Big Ten Conference and the Pac-12 Conference have already decided to not have nonconference play this fall due to the Chinese coronarvirus pandemic. That applies to all sports – not just football. That decision…

Rescheduling request

July 16, 2020

Oklahoma has apparently applied for a waiver to move its home opening football game against Missouri State to August 29. That would give the Sooners two weeks between their first three games. The schedule would be Missouri State in Norman on August 29, Tennessee in Norman on September 12 and at Army on September 26….

Spring football not likely

July 16, 2020

Having football in the spring seems like a last resort. “We don’t have much of an appetite for spring football … we’re not confident that spring football, if we don’t play in the fall, will even happen,” American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco said. “Especially if there’s no vaccine. And we’re not really sure that…

Texas State Fair canceled

July 16, 2020

The State of Texas has abandoned holding the Texas State Fair in Dallas this year because of the Chinese coronavirus pandemic. How will that affect the annual Cotton Bowl game between Oklahoma and Texas? So far, the word from OU and UT is that the game is going to be played, probably in the Cotton…

Ivy League cancels games

July 16, 2020

Other college football programs are announcing cancelations. In Princteon, N.J., the Ivy League presidents unanimously decided to cancel all spring athletics practice and competition through the remainder of the academic year. Individual institutions will decide whether or not winter teams and athletes who have qualified for postseason play will participate. With guidance of public health…

Soccer is the first major sport to return

July 16, 2020 Jeff Brucculeri

Of all the major sports leagues, it appears Major League Soccer has beat all others to restarting their season. Since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down sports throughout the United States, in March, sports fans have been anxiously awaiting several leagues to resume. The “MLS is Back” tournament began on July 8, at the ESPN Wide…

Jeff Brucculeri has a long and storied history with ORU

July 9, 2020

Tulsa Beacon sportwriter Jeff Brucculeri was spotlight in Golden Eagles in Focus by Oral Roberts University. Here is that report. With a familiar voice to all ORU Athletics fans, Jeff Brucculeri has spent more than 30 years helping the department in a variety of ways to enhance the game day experience at every venue. He transferred…

Gundy agrees to a $1 million pay cut

July 9, 2020

Contract reduced from 5 years to 4-year term Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy, after meeting with OSU President Burns Hargis, voluntarily agreed to a million-a-year pay cut and a reduction in his contract from five years to four years. The decision was based partially on expected budget shortfalls for OSU due to the Chinese…

10% cuts for OU coaches making over $1 million a year

July 9, 2020

The University of Oklahoma Athletics Department has cut $13.7 million from its budget – including a 10% salary cut for anyone earning more than $1 million a year. The cuts are due to revenue shortfalls connected with the Chinese coronavirus pandemic. There are added expenses due to medical testing and added safety measures. That includes…

OSU’s Coach Boynton signs two more basketball players

July 9, 2020 Jeff Brucculeri

In this column, I usually try to avoid the controversial or political subjects. After all, you get enough of that in the rest of the paper or by watching and listening to the electronic media. Plus, this column is supposed to be about sports and travel related subjects. However, sometimes politics invades the world of…