>
> Coaches Pokecheck Prop. 31
> --------------------------
>
>    "One of the pieces of legislation passed at the recent NCAA Convention
> held in Dallas which is sure to impact on college hockey is the so-called
> Proposition 31 rule.  This rule - which takes effect on Aug. 1 - requires
> that financial aid for players receiving any kind of support be limited to
> not more than 30 athletes [I'm confused - surely most DivI football schools
> hand out more than 30 scholarships/year ??].  It further mandates that
> athletes who participate in more than one sport, and who receive financial
> aid, be listed under the guidelines of the hockey program, which now will
> be limited to 18 full scholarships [down from the current limit of 20 for
> DivI programs] .... Reportedly, the WCHA was the formal sponsor of Prop. 31.
 
I think the key to this might be the last sentence.  I don't know which schools
 are formally classified as Div. I, but the WCHA seems to have a lot that I
 suspect are Div. II or lower (UMD, St. Cloud State, CC, Denver, MTU, NMU,
 etc.).  Could it be that they got tired of seeing more than 20 scholarship
 athletes on some of the other teams?  As Jim noted later in his message, I'll
 bet there are lot of smaller scholarship sports at the Big 10 schools that
 could be used to hide an extra player or two.  Now that the NCAA has mandated a
 maximum of 18 hockey scholarships (a number that I still think is too
 low....you need 20 just to field a full team and have a backup goalie) perhaps
 they feared that this problem (if it exists) could get worse.
>
>    Nearly every college hockey sextet has used players on scholarship from
> another sport.  For instance, former players Mike Kelfer and John Bradley
> all received BU baseball scholarships .... Current Maine junior right wing
> Justin Tomberlin hit 0.262 with 4 homers and 23 RBI as a platooned out-
> fielder on scholarship for the Maine baseball team.  He currently has 15
> points in 13 games for S. Walsh's #1 ranked Black Bear hockey squad.  BC
> hockey in the past has used baseball scholarship players such as Shawn
> Kennedy and Hobey Baker Award recipient David Emma, a catcher.  Ex-PC co-
> captain Mike Boback was on a Friar golf scholarship as a freshman.
 
I don't think you'll find many golf scholarships at Lake Superior, RPI,
 UMass-Lowell, etc......I note that all the coaches who were quoted as being
 outraged were at schools that would be able to possibly "hide" an extra player
 via a scholarship in another sport.  Frankly, I don't see anything wrong with
 saying that if Merrimack can only have 18 scholarship athletes playing hockey
 than Michigan State has the same limitation.
 
> -- Jim
>    Go Blue !!
>
Jon Greene
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