In N.Y., Richard Sandomir writes late broadcaster PAT SUMMERALL's death on Tuesday leaves a "hole in the sportscasting landscape." Summerall was that "rare athlete who became a play-by-play announcer instead of an analyst." He "became one of the few big-game voices who could handle football, tennis and golf without egotism, shtick, hackneyed phrases or trademark calls." Fox NFL Producer BOB STENNER said, "What he did is very difficult to do. He had a gift. It’s hard to say a lot in a minimal amount of words" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/18). SI.com's Bruce Jenkins wrote to "hear his voice was to know, instantly, that something important was taking place." It could "be any Sunday in any NFL season, the matchup irrelevant." If Summerall was "working the game, everything about it felt right" (SI.com, 4/17).
BALL SO HARD: In Indiana, Thomas St. Myer wrote Ball State Univ. AD BILL SCHOLL completed his first year on the job on Tuesday, and it has been a "smashing success by any standards," with the future "arguably as bright as it’s been since [UNC AD] BUBBA CUNNINGHAM occupied that same office in the early 2000s." Scholl is "confident he has made some inroads in his first year that will hopefully someday lead to facility renovations." Time will "tell how successful he’ll be at Ball State as a fundraiser, but his personnel moves thus far have unquestionably been money" (MUNCIE STAR, 4/16).
COURT REPORT: Former Illinois Sports Facilities Authority Exec Dir PERRI IRMER has sued former Gov. and ISFA Chair JIM THOMPSON and White Sox Chair JERRY REINSDORF, "alleging that she was wrongfully fired two years ago." She alleged that after her '04 arrival at the authority, some of her efforts at "raising revenue and reforming the agency were rebuffed by Reinsdorf and Thompson" and that they "wielded their influence to get her fired in April 2011." The lawsuit indicated that she is "seeking unspecified damages for 'substantial economic losses'" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 4/17)....Atlanta resident EVAN CHAGGARIS yesterday in court admitted for a second time that he "threatened sports broadcasters in letters he mailed" to ESPN's Bristol HQs. He "pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Hartford" to "mailing 25 letters to ESPN management." He "criticized and threatened to harm or kill broadcasters" in them (HARTFORD COURANT, 4/18)....A federal indictment unsealed Tuesday states that former Univ. of Georgia football coach JIM DONNAN and a business partner “face charges that they operated a Ponzi scheme” (AP, 4/16)....The employment discrimination suit against UConn women’s basketball coach GENO AURIEMMA and USA Basketball “has been dismissed.” The suit alleged that NBA security official KELLEY HARDWICK was removed from the security detail of the U.S. Women’s National team because she “spurned the sexual advances of Auriemma in Europe" in '09 (CTPOST.com, 4/17).
NAMES: The PGA Tour Canada Players Cup yesterday announced that the True North Foundation, the charitable arm of the NHL Jets, will be the “primary recipient of money raised at its tournament for the next three years.” The $150,000 event is “held each July at Pine Ridge Golf Club” (WINNIPEG SUN, 4/18)....Former SEC Commissioner and BCS Coordinator ROY KRAMER tonight will receive the Duffy Daugherty Memorial Award, given each year to someone who has “made outstanding contributions to college football” (FREEP.com, 4/18)....The Univ. of Virginia Magazine released its “Influential Alumni In Sports” list, including former WNBA President VAL ACKERMAN, PGA Tour Commissioner TIM FINCHEM, ESPN Senior Communications Dir BILL HOFHEIMER, MLB Exec VP & CFO JONATHAN MARINER and NFLPA Exec Dir DEMAURICE SMITH (UVAMAGAZINE.org, 4/15).
