Points of light show accomplishment, promise

Points of light show accomplishment, promise

By Greg Burke, NSU Director of Athletics

It is hard to believe that the first quarter of the new academic year has already passed and the semester is about halfway over!  While the results of the fall sports season are still in the balance, this quarterly report includes some outstanding accomplishments in areas such as academics, facility enhancement, and development. 

I am especially delighted that in spite of the struggling economy, support for the NSU athletic program through annual support, endowed scholarships, and sponsorships has resulted in a record first quarter (2009-10 fiscal year) attainment for the NSU Athletic Association! 

Finally, the announcement of the new Athletic Department slogan - "Great Tradition - Brighter Future" - is something which will be an enduring battle cry for our student-athletes, coaches, staff, and fans in the coming years as we, together, strive to create more great moments which will further embellish the great tradition of NSU Athletics.  So, without further ado, here are the 2009 third quarter highlights:

Sports Information/Media:

  • The NSU Demon Sports radio network is again carrying NSU football broadcasts in the Central Louisiana and Shreveport-Bossier markets with the broadcasts originating from flagship station KZBL in Natchitoches.  Men's and women's basketball games are also carried in Shreveport-Bossier.  Revenue nearing $30,000 is generated to pay for the network broadcasts.
  • The N-Side Demon television/internet coaches' show again airs in partnership with local television station KNTS.  Revenue totaling $15,000 is generated to pay for production and air time.
  • The September 19 football home opener was carried on the Southland Conference TV network, generating exposure for NSU in hundreds of thousands of homes in a three-state area.
  • The SID Office launched a Northwestern State Demons Facebook page on September 1 and in the first month had 2,500+ friends receiving updates on all NSU athletic news.  Facebook posts are also sent to Twitter followers of NSU Athletics.

Track and Field:

  • Led by four-time All-American javelin thrower Cody Fillinich, NSU placed nine track and field athletes on the All-Louisiana Collegiate Track and Field team.           

Academics:

  • Former All-Academic SLC Lady Demon soccer player Carrie Crowell was hired as Assistant Academic Coordinator
  • The annual "Academic Achievement" banquet was held on September 23 at The Landing Restaurant with more than 130 student-athletes as honored guests. The Landing owner Kent Gresham donates the cost of the dinner each year.   

Women's Basketball:

  • The 21st annual "Don't Die Wondering" golf tournament to benefit Lady Demon basketball realized a profit of $8,000.

Women's Soccer:

  • The Lady Demon soccer team reached a ranking as high as 54th in the TopDrawerSoccer.com Tournament 64 women's soccer national poll.

Football:

  • It was announced that NSU has signed a contract to play at LSU on September 10, 2011.   

Volleyball:

  • The first sand volleyball tournament to generate funds for the NSU volleyball program was successful in terms of public relations and fund raising (net profit of close to $1,000).

Tennis:

  • The Lady Demons were one of only 43 Division I teams nationally to have five players (Kathrin Lange, Adna Curukovic, Dragana Colic, Brooke Humphries, and Bianca Schulz) on the ITA Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll for the 2009 season.
  • The annual Church Street Inn Lady Demon Tennis Classic fund raiser netted $6,000.

Community Service/Leadership/NCAA CHAMP-Life Skills:

  • It was announced that NSU student-athletes contributed a record 2,200 hours of community service to the City of Natchitoches and beyond for the 2009-09 year.
  • Senior Lady Demon basketball player Lyndzee Greene was one of two keynote speakers at the 2009 "Freshman Convocation," marking the second straight year that an NSU student-athlete has had this distinction.

Facility Enhancement

  • The $1.065 million Vibra Turf project at Turpin Stadium was completed and includes a stunning design which features the new NSU athletic marks.  In addition, several cosmetic enhancements - painting of the grandstand exterior, VIP Boxes exterior, and press box exterior; banners for marking the newly branded "Inferno" student section and the East Side stands; new landscaping in Clayton Plaza - to the stadium have it looking as good as it has in over 30 years.

Development:

  • It was announced the that NSU Athletic Association's Demon Victory Fund established records during the 2008-09 year for Demon Victory Fund drive totals, "Select 100" donors, gift-in-kind donations, total licensing royalties, and Board of Directors fund raising.  This also marked the third consecutive year that total attainment for the NSU Athletic Association totaled over $1 million with a record $1.36 secured in gifts. 
  • First quarter attainment of $831,653 for all cash/in-kind gifts marks the most successful quarter in the history of the NSU Athletic Association.
  • The 11th biennial "Scholarship Auction" netted $46,000.
  • Led by NSU alumnus Roy Connell, friends and players for former NSU Coach H. Lee Prather rallied to raise over $8,000 to elevate the scholarship in his name to permanent endowed status.
  • For the first time in over a decade, the VIP Boxes at Turpin Stadium were completely sold out.
  • A gift from the estate of Richard Davis in honor of his father, a former two-sport athlete at NSU when it was known at Louisiana Normal, in the amount of $315,000 was designated to the athletic scholarship endowment for student-athletes from Vernon and Beauregard Parishes.  This is the largest gift in the history of the Athletic Department.
  • Four endowed scholarship commitments were secured in the first quarter, including the Hugh and Henry Bernard Scholarship, the Sampite Family Scholarship, the Jeremy and Linzie Hebert Athletic Scholarship, and the aforementioned Davis Scholarship.

Ticket Office:

  • Football season ticket revenue increased by $7,000 over the final total of a year ago and included more than 100 new season tickets sold.

Miscellaneous:

  • Former NSU Demon Demetrius Bell was named the starting left offensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills in just his second year on the team.
  • The NSU Athletic Department introduced a new slogan - "Great Tradition - Brighter Future" - at its annual "Welcome Back Student-Athlete BBQ" and plans are in place to promote and market the slogan on an ongoing basis and in a myriad of ways.
  • Two new pre-game rituals for home football games - the "Demon Walk" by the NSU team through the tailgating area and a march through the tailgating area by the "Spirit of Northwestern" marching band were initiated at the home opener on September 19.