(5/6) College Football HOF honors Oklahoma Back, Policy Changes on the way and more!

Friday, May 6, 2005 Notes & Articles

College Football Hall of Fame Honors Oklahoma Back: Running back Prentice Gautt, Oklahoma's first black football player, will be honored posthumously by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. Gautt, who died March 17, was selected to receive the Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award, the foundation announced Thursday. The honor will be presented at a luncheon Dec. 6 in New York City. Gautt led Oklahoma in rushing in 1958 and 1959 and was an all-Big Eight selection both seasons. He rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown on only six carries and was named the MVP of the 1959 Orange Bowl, which Oklahoma won 21-6. (ESPN)

University of Oklahoma Reexamines Policy: The University of Oklahoma has begun re-examining its gameday operations at all sporting events to ensure the safety of fans and players, athletic director Joe Castiglione said Thursday. In an interview with The Associated Press, Castiglione said the school would restrict the on-field presence of a student spirit group that had a member injured last season in a pregame collision with a Nebraska player. Castiglione said the RUF/NEKS would be prohibited from entering Owen Field more than 20 minutes prior to the start of a game so they would not be present when the teams are engaged in pregame drills. The change is part of a continuing re-evaluation of gameday policies that the university conducts from time to time, Castiglione said. The focus of the investigation is widespread, Castiglione said, and does not concentrate on the incident, which led to a recent criminal trial. Incidents between fans and players at Major League Baseball and National Basketball Association games also demonstrate problems event managers have to consider, he said. (ESPN)

White gets shot with Titans: The Oklahoman

Ruf/Nek injury prompts examination of policy: Norman Transcript

Prentice Gautt honored with an OCAP Award: SoonerSports.com