Funds for football’s injured
LeGrand’s spinal injury leads to new assistance
In the wake of a tragic injury to Eric LeGrand of Rutgers, a group of football and business leaders have established a fund to support players who sustained serious injuries through college football.
The College Football Assistance Fund will provide help to ease the burden of medical costs associated with injuries such as joint replacement, spine treatment, neurological care and other related expenses.
The nonprofit, tax exempt organization based in Dallas says the fund was conceived by a group of college coaches and athletic administrators concerned about the limited resources available to injured football players and their families.
The group was moved to act after LeGrand suffered a spinal cord injury making a tackle against Army on Oct. 16.
Petersen staying in Boise
Chris Petersen says he wants to continue his highly successful run at Boise State.
The Broncos coach squelched chatter linking him to the opening at Stanford, saying he has no interest in other jobs. The Cardinal are looking for a coach after Jim Harbaugh left to take over the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers last week.
Petersen also brought back Brent Pease to coordinate the Broncos’ high-scoring offense. Last month, Pease accepted the same job at Indiana, but was lured back after former offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin moved on to Texas.
Third coach is a charm
Todd Graham has agreed to leave Tulsa and become Pitt’s third football coach in a month, a move designed to quickly bring stability to a program rocked by former coach Mike Haywood’s arrest last month.
Graham had a 36-17 record in four seasons at Tulsa, including a 10-3 record this season. He made $1.3 million at Tulsa, about $300,000 more than Dave Wannstedt made per year as Pitt’s coach from 2005 until this season. Graham is expected to be paid about $2 million per season at Pitt.
Quick kicks
Stanford fullback-linebacker Owen Marecic won the inaugural Paul Hornung Award. The award given out by the Louisville Sports Commission honors the most versatile player in college football. … Illinois middle linebacker Martez Wilson will skip his senior season and enter the NFL Draft. … Sophomore tailback Ryan Williams is leaving Virginia Tech with two years of eligibility remaining to make himself available for April’s NFL Draft.