NFL Jets Owner WOODY JOHNSON "will serve as national finance chairman for JEB BUSH's presidential campaign." The announcement "isn't unexpected," considering Johnson's visibility, standing by Bush "throughout his recent trip to Europe and flying him there on his private jet." Johnson is "seen as one of the GOP’s top fundraisers for his ability to convene top Wall Street financiers and heirs to some of the country’s fortunes." He was a "top rainmaker for the past two Republican nominees, former Massachusetts Gov. MITT ROMNEY and Arizona Sen. JOHN MCCAIN, with a reputation for making as many as 50 calls a day on behalf of the candidates he supports." Johnson is credited with raising $7M for McCain "in a single night" during the '08 campaign (WSJ.com, 6/24).
THE DEAN'S LIST: The U.S. Basketball Writers Association and the Univ. of North Carolina yesterday announced the creation of the Dean Smith Award, "presented annually to someone in college basketball -- a player or coach, an official, an administrator -- who embodies" the legacy of late Basketball HOFer DEAN SMITH. Washington Post Columnist and author JOHN FEINSTEIN late last college basketball season "brought the idea for the award to USBWA officials" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 6/25). Yahoo Sports columnist and USBWA President PAT FORDE said, "We should have done this 15 years ago" (Greensboro NEWS & RECORD, 6/25).
BENEFITS PACKAGE: New Oregon State Univ. AD TODD STANSBURY "has signed a five-year contract worth an annual base salary of $500,000," with bonuses up to $30,000 per year for the football or men's basketball teams "reaching certain milestones: Pac-12 championship game, bowl game, NCAA Tournament." Stansbury also "will earn an extra $10,000 when other programs win the Pac-12" and could receive "up to $30,000 annually in APR academic success bonuses." He cannot "earn more than $685,000 any given year" (OREGONLIVE.com, 6/24).
NAMES: A judge yesterday “pushed back the trial start date in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum corruption case until next year.” The ruling “came on the heels of a hearing over defense allegations of ‘outrageous prosecutorial misconduct.’” The three defendants, former Events Manager TODD DESTEFANO and promoters PASQUALE ROTELLA and REZA GERAMI, “are accused in an alleged bribery and conspiracy scheme” (L.A. TIMES, 6/25)....FIBA VP XIAO TIAN “has been placed under investigation for possible corruption in his native China” (AP, 6/25)....U.S. swimmer MISSY FRANKLIN in a new film entitled “THE CURRENT” is “shown swimming with dolphins near Bimini with paralympic gold medalist MALLORY WEGGEMANN.” The film airs on Saturday at 7:00pm on Denver-based KUSA-NBC (DENVER POST, 6/24)....Sources said that former FS1 analyst MATT LEINART’s Flag Football League, a for-profit company, used his non-profit foundation to “secure access and special rates for sports fields around Orange County that otherwise would not have been available to the league.” During one three-month period last spring in Costa Mesa alone, the league’s non-profit status “allowed it to pay nearly $50,000 less in rental fees than it would have as a for-profit group.” The Costa Mesa Parks & Recreation Commission last week decided that it would “recommend the flag football league be granted a one-year extension” and “is expected to approve the recommendation” today. At least one Orange County school, Sage Hill School, “stopped providing the Leinart league with field access because of concerns about the flag football league’s for-profit status” (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 6/25).
