Clemson alum ROB MORGAN on Friday launched a new crowdfunding site, UBooster, with the "goal of soliciting payments for high school recruits from fans, and delivering the money to the athletes after their college careers end." The NCAA has "aggressively pushed back against efforts to pay athletes, including crowdfunding, and officials will most likely challenge this model, too." But Morgan said that he and his advisers "had examined the NCAA manual and believed they were not violating any current rules." Mogan said that the idea "is threefold: to ease the uncertainty of some athletic departments under legal and public pressure to do more for athletes; to provide a nest egg for players to start their lives after college; and to offer fans a direct role in recruiting." UBooster "takes 5 cents of every dollar pledged" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/12).
WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE? New Missouri football coach BARRY ODOM "will make a guaranteed salary" of $2.35M as part of his five-year contract. He "will make a base salary of $450,000, plus a guaranteed non-salary compensation amount" of $1.9M, which "covers four areas that each pay $475,000: radio appearances, TV appearances, apparel rights and public relations and stewardship appearances." Odom also "will receive an annuity payment of $100,000 a year" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 12/12).
PAY IT FORWARD: Colts P PAT MCAFEE who "picked up the month's electric bill" for 83 Indianapolis Power & Light customers. McAfee told the electric company he wanted to "cover an hour of the 'pay in person' line." Any IPL customer who came through the line Friday from 4:00-5:00pm "was told their money was no good; their bill had been paid." All told, McAfee "spent just over $18,000" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 12/13).
HONOR ROLL: Former U.S. Secretary Of State CONDOLEEZZA RICE "will receive the Gerald R. Ford Award," presented annually by the NCAA "to an individual who has demonstrated significant leadership by advocating on behalf of college sports." Rice "will receive the award during next month's NCAA convention in San Antonio" (AP, 12/11)....Speedway Motorsports has named Las Vegas Speedway Senior VP/Operations DAVID STETZER as the O. Bruton Smith Award recipient for '15. In addition, Texas Motor Speedway earned Track of the Year honors, while Bristol Motor Speedway GM JERRY CALDWELL was recognized as Promoter of the Year (SMI)....Triple-A PCL Omaha Storm Chasers Assistant GM/Operations ANDREA STAVA has been honored on Midlands Business Journals "40 Under 40" list (Storm Chasers).
NAMES: Actors HUGH JACKMAN and TARON EGERTON star in "EDDIE THE EAGLE," the "underdog tale" based on MICHAEL EDWARDS' "incredible leap to universal fame" as Great Britain’s first Olympic ski jumper who finished last in the '88 Winter Games. The film is set to hit theaters Feb. 26 and is directed by DEXTER FLETCHER (USA TODAY, 12/14)....Grizzlies President of Business Operations JASON WEXLER "has been elected" Chair of the Beale Street Tourism Development Authority BOD (Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 12/12)....The Dallas Stars Foundation, in conjunction with C JASON SPEZZA and Texas Land & Cattle announced plans for the hockey player's eponymous scholarship fund. The program will provide children from a wide range of ages and backgrounds the funds and equipment necessary to play the game of hockey (Stars)....MLB, MLBAM, MLB Network and the 30 clubs raised more than $200,000 for cancer research during the Winter Meetings through an MLB.com auction featuring over 80 experiences and items (MLB)....Ravens K JUSTIN TUCKER on Thursday performed at the Catholic Charities' Chirstmas Festival, where he "belted out 'Ave Maria' before a packed house at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Mount Vernon" (BALTIMORESUN.com, 12/11)....NFL Jets WR ERIC DECKER "performs a duet with his wife, country singer JESSIE JAMES DECKER, on her new Christmas album." The song is "BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE" (ESPN.com, 12/11)....Cubs 1B ANTHONY RIZZO on Friday "took the stage at country singer BRETT ELDREDGE's Chicago concert" (SUNTIMES.com, 12/12).
IN MEMORY: Longtime N.Y. Daily News reporter PHIL PEPE, whose career covering New York sports "spanned 50 years, died yesterday at the age of 80 at his home" in New Jersey. Pepe covered the Yankees for the paper from '68-81 and "succeeded DICK YOUNG" as the paper's sports columnist in '82. He left the paper in '89 for WCBS-AM, where he "did morning sports" for more than 15 years. Pepe was also a "prolific author, writing close to 50 books with some of sports' biggest names." He co-wrote BOB GIBSON's autobiography, and wrote books with MICKY MANTLE, WHITEY FORD, KEN GRIFFEY SR., JIM KAAT, GARY CARTER and BUD HARRELSON, as well as broadcasters HOWIE ROSE and TIM MCCARVER (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 12/14)....Blue Jackets Minority Owner HORN CHEN died last Monday in Illinois at the age of 83 (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 12/12).
