The University of Idaho student-athletes will be outfitted with the
Nike “Swoosh” next year after a 10-year relationship with Adidas comes
to an end.
Although the contract is pending the approval of the university, Idaho
Athletic Director Rob Spear said when students return in the fall, UI
will be a Nike school.
“You can argue that Nike is the No. 1 apparel company,” Spear
said. “Our goal is to be a premier athletic department so we’re going
to have the No. 1 apparel company outfit our student-athletes.”
Nike’s original offer included only outfitting the football program,
but when the school made it clear that it needed one vendor for all
sports, Nike returned with a deal the Vandals couldn’t pass up.
Senior thrower Russ Winger hardly needs extra motivation. Idaho
coach Julie Taylor said he’s been working even harder since hearing
about a three-event throwing feat which hasn’t been accomplished since
1984.
“Now that it’s kind of put a bug in his ear about the 200-200-70 foot
thing, I think that’s become something he wants to achieve,” Taylor
said.
The “200-200-70 foot thing” is an athlete throwing over 200 feet in
both the hammer throw and the discus. John Brenner of UCLA in 1984 was
the last person to achieve this landmark. Winger is closing in on
making history. He has thrown 66 feet, 9 3/4 inches so far this season
in the shot put. He launched a lifetime best of 203-2 in the hammer
throw last weekend at the Cougar Invitational, and he threw the discus
199-6 at the Stanford Invitational earlier this season.
Tim Mooney, left, talks with Mahmood Sheikh in his office in the Kibbie Dome on Thursday afternoon. Roger D. Rowles/Argonaut
Ex-University of Idaho baseball player Tim Mooney is returning to
his alma mater as the lead fundraiser for Idaho’s athletic department.
Mooney’s official title is the Associate Athletic Director for External
Operations.
Mooney will join the Idaho Athletic Department to manage the $35
million Kibbie Dome renovation project. Mooney will also be in charge
of all “external efforts,” such as marketing, promotions and media
relations.
“It’s an exciting time at Idaho,” Mooney said. “We have before us two
vital, transformational projects — the Kibbie Dome and fully funding
our scholarship effort. This is an opportunity that comes around once
in a generation.”
Mooney comes to Idaho from neighboring Washington State, where he has
worked as the associate director of development. Mooney also spent four
years coaching the Cougar baseball program.
Russell Grove practices on the University of Idaho Golf Course on April 18. Roger D. Rowles/Argonaut
The University of Idaho’s men’s golf team had its strongest finish
yet, as all five Vandals finished in the top 25, and the team took a
fourth place finish at the Western Athletic Conference Championship
earlier this week.
The men traveled to San Jose, Calif. after preparing in specific areas of their games for the WAC championship.
If you’re the last kid chosen on the playground for kickball, you suck
and probably belong on the tetherball courts. If you’re the last one
picked for a group project, you’re getting paired up with the smelly
kid. Nobody wants to be picked last.
David Vobora doesn’t belong on the tetherball courts with the other
kids who suffered playground natural selection. Congratulations are in
order for Vobora — the last pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, No. 252.
Elvie Williams lands with a spray of sand in the long jump during the Ninth Annual Cougar Invitational track meet in Pullman on Saturday. Williams' put up big numbers in the long and triple jump events taking first place in both. Perry Hanson/Argonaut
The University of Idaho track and field team continues to perform well
at the meets leading up to regionals, and for some athletes, nationals.
The track and field team will be in Boise this weekend for the Bronco
Twilight Invitational where they will compete against Boise State,
Idaho State, Brigham Young University and Utah State.
The team is coming off of a week where it hit 12 regional qualifying
marks, earned nine individual victories, beat two meet records and one
school record as the team split between the Oregon Relays and the
Cougar Invitational.
Idaho coach Wayne Phipps said the team plans on splitting again this week, but for a different purpose.
It used to irritate me when I’d listen to old guys gripe about athletes
being tougher during their era. Now, I think I’m turning into one of
them because as great as the NBA is right now, it was much better
during the previous two decades.
The current era is right up there with the 1980s and ‘90s in terms of
super star players. Sure, the ‘80s had Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Moses
Malone and Isaiah Thomas. The ‘90s gave us Michael Jordan, Hakeem
Olajuwon, Charles Barkley and Karl Malone.
The NBA now has stars such as Tim Duncan, Shaquile O’Neal, Kobe Bryant
and Kevin Garnett among many others. You can’t tell me the stars of
today don’t stack up to previous decades.
I can’t wait for October. If the fall race at Talladega is anything
like Sunday’s — or even the Saturday Nationwide race — was then it
should be one to remember.
Unless you are Dario Franchitti, aka Mr. Ashley Judd.
Franchitti, a past Indy 500 winner, is a rookie driver for Chip Ganassi
and races in Sprint Cup and a few nationwide races. During Saturday’s
Aaron’s 312, Franchitti was part of a hard wreck that ended with him
being carried out on a stretcher with a broken ankle. David Stremme —
he drove Franchitti’s No. 40 Dodge last season — took over for the
Aaron’s 499 on Sunday.
By getting hurt on Saturday, Franchitti avoided the Big One on Sunday.
The Big One came late and put race contenders Tony Stewart and Dale
Earnhardt, Jr., out of the lead. Junior managed to finish 10th for his
series-leading seventh top 10 finish. Stewart finished 38th.
Sports 
