On Aug 7, 13:20, [log in to unmask] wrote:
>I recall hearing on TV during a BYU football game that there is some rule
>that allows for a certain period of service which allows their recruits to
>go on those mormon missions, yet still come back for four years after
>that.  Maybe that applies here in some cases.
 
This is a different rule, referring to the length of time you have to use up
your four years of eligibility.  Unless there have been some changes, a college
athlete has five years (from the date of matriculation?) to use up his/her four
years of eligibility -- hence, the "redshirts" who burn a year (usually their
freshman year) and can still play a full four seasons -- but there are two NCAA-
approved circumstances in which the time allotment can be increased to seven
years.  The first is the situation Nathan mentioned above; students who go on
religious "missions" (and as far as I know, Mormon students are the only ones
who regularly do so, though the rule is not restricted to them) can increase the
five-year clock to seven.  And yes, it's been said that this gives BYU the
"advantage" of populating their teams with 25-year-old seniors.  The other
situation in which this rule kicks in, I believe, is military service.
 
--
Disclaimer -- Unless otherwise noted, all opinions expressed above are
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Bill Fenwick
Cornell '86 and '95
LET'S GO RED!!                                                  DJF  5/27/94
"They're multi-purpose.  Not only do they put the clips on, they also take
 them off."
-- Defense contractor, explaining why his company charged the Pentagon $1,000
   for a pair of pliers (from "The 776 Stupidest Things Ever Said")
 
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