April 10, 2004

By Rob Wilson

PGA Star Hubert Green
The March issue of Golf Digest contains a moving story written by Dave Kindred about one of our favorite Seminoles (it can be obtained on line at golfdigest.com). I'm not sure how many FSU fans are aware that former U.S. Open and PGA Champion Hubert Green has been battling cancer that was found on the back of his tongue and tonsils inside of a year ago.

Kindred is a gifted writer and his story is beautifully crafted. FSU fans will focus in on the part about Green's four-hour chemotherapy sessions at the University of Florida Health Center in Gainesville. A nurse there relays the story that Green carried a stuffed-toy horse, Renegade, into the sessions which played the FSU fight song. She then bought a UF mascot that played their fight song and the chemo-ward of nine patients had a fight-song war.

Kindred goes on to point out in the article that Green, who won the Open in 1984 and the PGA a year later, was very close to becoming one of only six men (Nicklaus, Hogan, Sarazen, Player and Woods) with a career Grand Slam. He was one putt away from a playoff with Gary Player in 1977 for the Masters and needed only to move up from his third place finish at the British Open the same year.

I'm happy to report that at last contact Green was making great progress in battling the cancer. You can follow his recovery on his own website at HubertGreen.com. Green has been instrumental in the landmark facility improvements enjoyed by both our men's and women's golf programs and continues to be a champion for Florida State University.

FSU/NBA Connection
While Sam Cassell, who shared the March 1 Sports Illustrated cover with teammates Kevin Garnett and Latrell Sprewell, is stealing the show of FSU alums in the NBA with his All-Star selection and leadership position among the playoff bound Minnesota Timberwolves, a couple of other former Seminole players have also made the news.

Bob Sura left FSU with the all-time leading scorer title for men and has landed most recently in nearby Atlanta. He's played for four NBA teams already, but has lit it up as a Hawk in the six weeks he's been with the team. Sura stopped by to catch FSU's game at Georgia Tech in March and spent some time on the air with Gene Deckerhoff and Keith Jones. Sura, you will remember, was inducted into the FSU Hall of Fame this past fall.

Fans attending some of the home games in Tallahassee this year might have recognized one of the faces occasionally sitting at press row. Former FSU power forward Irving Thomas is now a scout with the Los Angeles Lakers. He is based out of Coral Springs. Thomas adds to the FSU connection in the front office of NBA teams. Former FSU assistant Kenny Williamson left the NY Knicks to become the Director of Scouting for the NBA's new Charlotte Bobcats.

Jones/Bradley Get Standing Ovation
If you did not read last week's dispatch and you did not catch it on our website, just let this sink in a minute. The FSU women's golf team gave 615 hours of community service or nearly 59 hours per student-athlete over the 2003-04 en route to winning the annual Director's Cup for Service award. The totals break down to an afternoon every month or one hour a week per student-athlete, which is even more impressive when you consider the challenges of juggling both academic and athletic responsibilities. The women's cross country team devoted 708 hours (the winners are based on total service hours divided by student-athlete on the team), men's cross country 406, women's swimming and diving 362 and women's basketball 227.

While we are on the subject of the Golden Nole banquet, it was heartening to see our student-athletes give long and enthusiastic standing ovations to two of their own. Senior running back Greg Jones and senior women's basketball player Lauren Bradley were named the winners of the annual Doc Fauls Award as the athletes who overcame injury or illness to excel at their sport.

14 of 16 Football Seniors Graduate
I'm guessing this will not make headlines in your hometown paper, but 14 of FSU's 16 senior football players will receive their diplomas this spring. In fact, FSU athletics will see 58 student-athletes receive their undergraduate degrees this semester, which is the most we have ever had graduate in a single semester.

In a long-overdue study, the NFL Players Association has recently compiled data which indicates that nearly 50 percent of the league's rank-and-file now have college degrees. The universities which have produced the most "degreed" players among the current NFL population: Notre Dame (35 players), Penn State (24), Nebraska (23), Miami (19), Florida State (18), Illinois (18), Michigan (18), California (17), Colorado (17), Syracuse (17), Georgia (16), North Carolina (16), Boston College (15), Iowa (15) and Southern California (15).

Famous Alums Keep FSU Close
I believe this dispatch is going to contain a column from Jerry Kutz about the truly remarkable effort by a number of former FSU players to make a strong connection with this current team and their University. Former tight end Pat Carter was one of those returning players. It reminded me of a talk he and I had about two months ago. We were just catching up when I asked for his email address. I would assume he wouldn't want me to give it out to the world so I won't, but what makes it a story is that the address contains his former FSU jersey number (#85). He acknowledged my inquiry with a big smile, "I still keep my FSU number on that address," he said. Here is a guy who played nine years in the NFL, owns two companies, and is being recruited to coach at the NFL level and when it comes down to determining something as personal as his private email, he choose to reflect on his FSU days.

The Carter story reminded me of visit to a golf shop with Corey Simon prior to the Blount/Bowden Charity Classic in Destin a couple of years ago. Simon's was (and is) with the Philadelphia Eagles and nearly makes the All-Pro team as a rookie. We are killing time at a discount golf shop before we head to the course. Suddenly, the FSU fight song chimes out of his cellular phone to alert him of a call. The guy behind the counter nearly jumped out of his Footjoys. "I knew that was you - I called my boss and told him I thought Corey Simon was here," he said. Again, a very personal decision and what does Simon choose for his ringer - not "I'm in the Money," not "Philadelphia Freedom," not even his favorite hymn - he programs in the fight song. The pro shop still charged him for the brand new driver he picked out by the way.

Tennis/Softball in the Spotlight

So much more is going on. I hope you'll visit our website (seminoles.com) and read about all our ACC players of the week in each sport. The softball team has a winner nearly every week and has spent the better part of the last month ranked among the nation's Top Five. They are fresh off a shutout of the Gators in Tallahasssee on Wednesday and swept ACC rival Georgia Tech the weekend before.

Women's tennis star Mihaela Moldovan became the first player in FSU history to go through an entire regular season undefeated as the junior finished 22-0 this year. On the men's side of the net, Chris Westerhof (Durban, South Africa) and Jeff Groslimond (Atlanta, GA) have a chance to break the school record for doubles victories. They have already tied the record with 25 wins this season with a few matches left to play.

Keep an eye out for the results from ACC Championships in track and field, golf, and tennis over the next couple of weeks.