EI Club Newsletter

Women’s B
as
Opener vs. ketball
Il
Friday, Nov linois
ember 9
@ 7:0
0 pm
Men’s Bask
etball
Opener vs.
Harris Stow
e
Saturday, N
ovember 10
@ 7:0
0 pm
FALL 2007
D’Alessio Anchors Sports on CNN Headline News
(Reprinted with permission of the Charleston Times-Courier)
If asked, sure, CNN Headline News Sports anchor Ray
D’Alessio will talk about his days kicking for Eastern Illinois’s
football team.
That was as 29-yard field goal with 1:19 left, he can tell off the
top of his head of that game-winner when Eastern beat Northwestern Louisiana 23-22 in 1990.
“Oh yeah, I tell war stories,” D’Alessio said. “C’mon. I wouldn’t
even attempt to kick a field goal now. But I have to pull out the old
game films sometimes. The wife is the one whose nerves I really
get on and I tell the old war stories and I say yeah, I remember
when we played Northern Illinois and Stacey Robinson. . .”
These days D’Alessio is usually telling stories of others
whether it is results from the previous nights major-league baseball games from his anchor desk or standing in the pits of the
Daytona 500.
You know how Eastern was a big story a year ago when
Sean Payton became the school’s third graduate to be an NFL
head coach?
Well, CNN has two sports anchors and both went to Eastern
Illinois – D’Alessio of Decatur and Larry Smith of Mattoon.
Smith helped D’Alessio get into this deal of rising at 3 a.m.
in order to be at work by 4 and be on the air for your 6 a.m.
breakfast.
“Usually I’m in bed 8:30 or 9 o’clock,” he said of his night
life. “That’s my typical week. It’s not easy getting up at 3 o’clock.
Being out of work for those 18 months I said I would never complain. I get paid to talk about sports. How many people would
give their left arm about that? The hardest thing I do is get up.”
Between this current CNN gig that began and July 2001 and
covering the Indiana Firebirds for Fox Sports and anchoring an
ESPN morning radio show after earlier working for Fox covering
the Indianapolis Colts, D’Alessio learned how the less fortunate
lived.
“My contract was not renewed at Indianapolis, which happens in this business,” D’Alessio said. “I sold cars, I hung drywalls, I finished basements, anything to put food in the table.”
Through that time, Smith did not forget about the place-kicker
he met at Eastern. Changing his major from plans of being an
athletics trainer to the media and working for WEIU, D’Alessio
struck an impression with Smith, who quickly climbed through
the business to CNN.
A position opened, Smith called and told D’Alessio to send
a tape and CNN hired a second Eastern Illinois alum.“I owe so
much to Larry Smith,” D’Alessio said. “He was a good friend
before and now he’s a great friend.“Larry said ‘let’s talk; we’re
friends.’ He said ‘if you do this and do this and don’t do this you’ll
have a long career at CNN.’ ”
So far that has lasted six years with D’Alessio not talking
about going anywhere else. “You know what, if CNN wants an
overweight, receding hairline guy, if they can live with that, I’ll be
here,” he said. “A lot of people overlooked me when I was out
of work. They didn’t want to touch me. I owe a lot to CNN Vice
President) Bill Galvin, “It’s a great place to work. Coming from a
local TV station you hear horror stories about the network. We
don’t have that have that here. We all get along.”
D’Alessio does not mind saying he plays second fiddle to the
other Eastern Illinois product at the cable television network.
“Without a doubt Larry is the face of CNN sports,” D’Alessio
said. “He really is. He covers the major events like the Super
Bowl and World Series. There’s
no animosity that he gets to do
this and why can’t I do that? I get
to cover the Daytona 500 because
Larry knows my background and
my love for racing. I’ve got to go
to the Major league all-star game.
I’ve covered U.S. Open. I’ve been
at Kentucky Derby.”
Of course, neither D’Alessio
nor Smith goes as Eastern’s biggest personality in the sports
world these days.
“We’re overshadowed now
by Tony Romo,” D’Alessio said.
“I lot of people don’t even know
Larry and I went to school together. When Tony broke out on the
scene I had to go break out all the CNN Sports Anchor
EIU coffee cups and EIU banners.” Ray D’Alessio
The CNN anchormen may never reach the People Magazine
popularity that Romo has as a Dallas Cowboy after winning the
2002 Walter Payton Award as the NCAA Division I-AA football
player of the year as an EIU senior, but D’Alessio had his moments as a Panther as well.
Transferring from Illinois Valley Community College for his junior year as a walk-on, D’Alessio won EIU’s starting place-kicking
job that preseason and helped the Panthers to their last I-AA playoff win in 1989. That was when the 15th-ranked Panthers, featuring defensive tackle John Jurkovic who went on to play in the NFL
before getting his own radio job working for WMVP in Chicago, upset No. 4 Idaho which had future NFL quarterback John Friesz.
From that win at Idaho’s dome the Panthers the following week
went to the frozen field at Montana where one of D’Alessio’s
memorable moments came from just warming up on the sideline
during an EIU possession, slipping and falling on his behind.
Local television cameras just happened to be showing the EIU
kicker at the time as if the embarrassment was not enough just in
front of Montana spectators.
“I just remember the fans laughing at me and throwing snowballs at me,” D’Alessio said. “Those fans were absolutely ruthless.”
D’Alessio temporarily quieted the crowd by kicking a 31-yard field
goal cutting Montana’s lead to six points with 1:16 remaining. But
trying an onside kick on an icy field where the football could slide
forever, he tried to put the touch on the football that would give
teammates a chance to recover only for the ball to stop short of
the required 10 yards. “It went 9 ½ yards,” D’Alessio said. “We
had three guys ready to pounce on the thing when it rolled out of
bounds. I remember I was thinking of that the whole off-season if
it just would have gone another half yard.”
Instead, Montana managed the 25-19 win and D’Alessio’s
senior season, even with that winning field goal at Northwestern
Louisiana, wound up 5-6. “I would say I was an average kicker,”
he said. “Like every other kicker I had NFL aspirations but when I
was out a year I was like no, I don’t have the leg.”
He found he did have the skills to make it on national television, however. “I still look at those big CNN letters and just pinch
myself,” D’Alessio said. “I’ve been a very, very lucky individual. I
got to play college football and for (Eastern Illinois) coach (Bob)
Spoo and go to the playoffs and now I get to work at CNN.”
Volume 1, Issue 2
Call (217)
for ticket in581-2106
formation
Ken Baker Named Interim Athletic Director
Long-time Charleston resident Ken Baker was named the full-time interim athletic
director at Eastern Illinois University in midAugust.
In announcing the appointment, President
William L. Perry said, “Ken is well-known to
the campus and community; his integrity and
his devotion to EIU are second to none; and
his experience with athletics as a participant
and official makes him extremely knowledgeable of the athletic arena.
“His knowledge of fitness and his experience as a teacher and director of campus
recreation are indicative of his concerns for
the development of the whole student -- academically and physically,” Perry added.
“(Baker) is in complete agreement with
me that is it critical for our student-athletes
-- with the staff’s assistance, guidance and
coaching -- to achieve academically, give 100
percent athletically, and represent EIU with
honor both on and off the field.”
Baker was chosen for the interim position from among several nominees named
by members of Eastern’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. He will serve until a
permanent athletic director is in place, with a
national search expected to begin this fall.
It was also announced that intercollegiate
athletics will report to Dr. Dan Nadler, Vice
President for Student Affairs, until further notice.
As acting director, Baker will be responsible for the development and administration
of the intercollegiate athletics program. Duties include, but are not limited to:
•
Supervising, coordinating and administering all aspects and activities of the
program;
•
Providing leadership and commitment to the integrity and graduation of student-athletes;
•
Monitoring regulations of the various
conferences and regulatory agencies and assuming responsibility that all EIU athletic programs are in compliance;
Ken Baker Leads Athletics for 2007-2008
•
Working closely with the various
coaches in order to assure that the athletic
program is being conducted within the existing framework of policies and regulations of
the university and other regulatory agencies,
and rectifying any variance from established
rules;
•
Making recommendations to the
president/vice president concerning budgets
for athletics and assuming responsibility for
the appropriate use of funds;
•
Coordinating, supervising and administering fund-raising activities for intercollegiate athletics; and
•
Providing leadership in maintaining
quality staff through recruitment, retention
and development.
Before assuming the role of Eastern’s
director of Campus Recreation, Baker previously served as a physical education instructor at Eastern (1994-2000); an adjunct health
instructor at Lake Land College, Mattoon
(1993-1994); and optician (1977-1994).
In addition, he served as a football referee for the Big Ten Conference (1984-1990);
a referee for the National Football League
(1991-2001); and currently serves as a replay official for the National Football League
(2003-present).
Baker received both his bachelor’s and
master’s degrees in education from Eastern in 1972 and 1973, respectively. He has
been actively involved in many community
activities, including the Community Unit #1
Board of Education, the Charleston Community Youth Baseball Association, the Parent-Teacher Organization, the United Way
Board, the Panther Club, the EIU Letterman
Club, the Trojan Booster Club and the Governor’s Council on Health and Fitness.
Baker’s full resume can be found at
http://www.eiu.edu/~staff
EI Club News is the official Athletic Department publication for former Eastern Illinois University Athletes and staff
Dan Steele Named Assistant at
Famed Oregon Track Program
Former Eastern Illinois track and
field national champion and 2002
Olympic Bronze Medalist Dan Steele
has been promoted to associate director of track and field at the University of Oregon according to Ducks Associate Athletics Director and Director
of Track and Field Vin Lananna.
In that capacity, Steele will be
responsible for managing the dayto-day operation of the men’s and
women’s track and field teams. His
promotion is another important step
toward establishing Oregon track and
field as the premier program in the
country.
Lananna, who has provided the
leadership and vision necessary to
help revitalize track and field at the
local as well as the national levels,
was instrumental in organizing efforts
to help Eugene/Springfield secure the
2008 U.S. Olympic Track and Field
Trials June 27-July 6. He will continue
to oversee the Ducks’ program while
also concentrating on the continued
development
of Hayward
Field and the
“... he knows
long-term
how to win, and
success of
track
and
his passion for
field at the
the University
University of
Oregon.
of Oregon is
“I
am
boundless.”
confident
that Dan is
Vin Lananna
an excellent
choice
to
oversee the
daily coaching, recruiting, and administrative decisions necessary for the University
of Oregon track and field teams to be
successful,” said Lananna. “He has
demonstrated throughout this athletic
and professional career that he knows
how to win, and his passion for the
University of Oregon is boundless.”
Dan Steele Coaching at Oregon Track
Steele has quickly emerged as one
of the nation’s most respected assistant coaches. Athletes under his guidance have captured four NCAA and
nine Pacific-10 Conference individual
titles, earned 41 All-America honors,
and broken school records 25 times.
In 2005 and 2007, he was honored
as the NCAA West Region Assistant
Coach of the Year in the category of
men’s sprints and hurdles while playing a pivotal role in the Pac-10 team
titles captured by the men’s track and
field team in those years.
The Moline, Ill., native has overseen the men’s sprinters and hurdlers
in his five seasons as a full-time Oregon assistant coach, in addition to
the men’s and women’s pole vaulters.
Prior to that, he served as a volunteer
assistant for the program in 2001.
Steele was the 1992 NCAA Division
I National Champion in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 49:79 sec-
onds, a mark that still stands as the
EIU school record. Steele also won
a bronze medal in the 2002 Salt Lake
City Winter Olympics as a member of
the USA Bobsled team.
“We have a special program
and Vin has created a structure that
maximizes our ability to become an
unprecedented leader in the sport of
track and field,” said Athletics Director
Pat Kilkenny. “While Vin focuses on
the long-range vision for our program
and its role at the University, in this
community, and in the entire sport,
Dan will be ensuring that the plans for
our teams’ success are implemented
successfully on a daily basis.”
“I am excited by the opportunity
that the University of Oregon and Vin
have provided me,” Steele said. “Vin
has articulated an ambitious vision
for our program, and I am eager to
work together with him and the staff
on making it happen.”
Comstock NCAA Senior Vice-President
Eastern Illinois alumnus Dr. Joni Comstock, Class of ’79, is in her second year
as the NCAA Senior Vice-President of
Championships and senior woman administrator.
She reports directly to NCAA President
Myles Brand and oversees 84 championships and a staff of 50. Comstock previously served as Director of Athletics at
American University (2003-2006) and at
North Carolina-Ashville (2000-2003). She
also was senior associate athletic director
at Purdue (1989-2000).
When selected to her current position in 2006, Brand said, “Joni emerged
from a very strong field of candidates as
the new senior vice president because of
her experience at the local, conference
and national levels. Her efforts at both the
University of North Carolina, Asheville and
at American University have been characterized by strong leadership and visionary
growth.”
The following is a Q & A with Dr. Comstock in regard to her position at the
NCAA, her views on intercollegiate athletics and her experience at EIU.
Q? Joni, let’s start with an easy
question. What’s the best part of your
job?
A! Whether it’s the 25 years I spent on
college campuses or here at the NCAA,
it is knowing that you are supporting the
dreams of student-athletes…giving them
an opportunity to excel at every level:”
Q? What is the most challenging aspect of working at the NCAA national
office?
A! I believe working with institutions to
try to be sure they are supporting a strong
intercollegiate athletic program while continuing to deal with the issues related to
funding…the financial piece of intercollegiate athletics gets tougher every year…I
knew this first hand as an athletic director…but even now when I’m removed from
the day to day aspect of directing an intercollegiate program, I still get calls from
institutions and conferences who are dealing with this critical financial part of intercollegiate athletics.”
Q? You made the decision to transition from athletic director to the NCAA
national office. Do you miss being on
a college campus where you had more
direct contact with student-athletes?
A! Yes, I certainly miss the day to day
interaction with the coaches and students…but even though I’m one step
removed, I still try to find time to go to
campuses…visit with coaches and students…and attend as many championships
as possible…the NCAA sponsors 88 total
championships and has separate administrative staffs for men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and the football championship subdivision…so there are 50 people
who assist in managing the other 84 championships under my direction.”
Q? Where are we in regard to gender
equity and opportunities for women in
collegiate athletics. Is it a level playing
field or a constant vigil to assure programs are following Title IX?
A! “As I reflect back to 1979 when I left
Eastern, there certainly has been dramatic
progress…both in quantity and the quality
of women’s athletics…I tell current studentathletes how women shared locker rooms
and uniforms and how we traveled…they
can’t believe it…so indeed there has been
considerable progress but we still have a
long way to go…and much of that is in the
visibility of women’s sports…and that increased visibility goes hand in hand with
the financial challenges which make it much
more difficult to increase and improve these
opportunities today.”
Q? There seems to be fewer women
interested in a coaching career in intercollegiate athletics, at least when we
look at the pool of candidates…is that a
fair comment or not?
A! Yes it is…this is a major area of
concern for the NCAA…as I mentioned we
have seen increased support for women’s
athletics but there has been a corresponding decline in female coaches…and it’s in
all sports at all levels although I would say
that softball and basketball have held up
the best…but we’ve started programs to
encourage women to consider coaching
and administrative positions…but it’s also
most important that young people are exposed to great professional role models,
regardless of gender.”
Q? What or who initially influenced
your involvement in athletics, and when
did this occur?
A! As probably is the case with a lot of
women, it started with my father…he had
a huge amount of influence on me…growing up in Lincoln in the 60s and 70s there
weren’t very many organized athletic programs for women…so my Dad and I spent a
lot of time in the backyard and in the neighborhood playing whatever sport was in season…my interscholastic activities started
as a sophomore and were swimming and
tennis…so I credit my father by encourag-
ing me a great deal.”
Q? What sport or
sports were you involved with at EIU?
A! I had a great
experience at Eastern…Joan Schmidt,
Helen
Riley
and
Margie Wright were
the women who I respected…I
played
volleyball…Joan was
thecoach the first two Dr. Joni Comstock
years and then Margie Wright took over…
Margie was great with young people and
she was a real competitor in whatever
sport she was involved with…she wanted
to win…and taught me some great lessons on how to be competitive.”
Q? If you had not become a college
athletic administrator, what would U be
doing now?
A! I think I would still be on a college
campus but in a different role….when I left
my first job at Lincoln College to get my
doctorate degree at Illinois, I thought I was
finished with athletics because my intent
was to pursue a career in higher education
administration…but I had the opportunity
to get an assistantship with the athletic association at the University of Illinois and
work with Karol Kahrs (now retired Associate AD and senior woman administrator
at the University of Illinois)…she was very
influential on my career…really mentored
me and gave me an opportunity…and
here I am today still in college athletics.”
Q? When you have time to relax
what do you enjoy doing?
A! I have been a bit of a golfer…but my
first year with the NCAA hasn’t allowed for
much extra time on the golf course…but
the one thing that is a plus living in Indianapolis is that I’m only three hours from my
parents and sister so it’s nice to be able to
get back to the Springfield and Lincoln areas and spend some time with family.”
Q? If you were speaking with a group
of EIU student-athletes what would be
your advice?
A! Take advantage of everything that
college offers…experience the entire environment so that you can get a great education at EIU…I know Eastern graduates
have accomplished some great things
and it’s due to their abilities…but also due
to the opportunities they were offered so
work hard and enjoy the experience.”
Dan Steele Named Assistant at
Famed Oregon Track Program
Former Eastern Illinois track and
field national champion and 2002
Olympic Bronze Medalist Dan Steele
has been promoted to associate director of track and field at the University of Oregon according to Ducks Associate Athletics Director and Director
of Track and Field Vin Lananna.
In that capacity, Steele will be
responsible for managing the dayto-day operation of the men’s and
women’s track and field teams. His
promotion is another important step
toward establishing Oregon track and
field as the premier program in the
country.
Lananna, who has provided the
leadership and vision necessary to
help revitalize track and field at the
local as well as the national levels,
was instrumental in organizing efforts
to help Eugene/Springfield secure the
2008 U.S. Olympic Track and Field
Trials June 27-July 6. He will continue
to oversee the Ducks’ program while
also concentrating on the continued
development
of Hayward
Field and the
“... he knows
long-term
how to win, and
success of
track
and
his passion for
field at the
the University
University of
Oregon.
of Oregon is
“I
am
boundless.”
confident
that Dan is
Vin Lananna
an excellent
choice
to
oversee the
daily coaching, recruiting, and administrative decisions necessary for the University
of Oregon track and field teams to be
successful,” said Lananna. “He has
demonstrated throughout this athletic
and professional career that he knows
how to win, and his passion for the
University of Oregon is boundless.”
Dan Steele Coaching at Oregon Track
Steele has quickly emerged as one
of the nation’s most respected assistant coaches. Athletes under his guidance have captured four NCAA and
nine Pacific-10 Conference individual
titles, earned 41 All-America honors,
and broken school records 25 times.
In 2005 and 2007, he was honored
as the NCAA West Region Assistant
Coach of the Year in the category of
men’s sprints and hurdles while playing a pivotal role in the Pac-10 team
titles captured by the men’s track and
field team in those years.
The Moline, Ill., native has overseen the men’s sprinters and hurdlers
in his five seasons as a full-time Oregon assistant coach, in addition to
the men’s and women’s pole vaulters.
Prior to that, he served as a volunteer
assistant for the program in 2001.
Steele was the 1992 NCAA Division
I National Champion in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 49:79 sec-
onds, a mark that still stands as the
EIU school record. Steele also won
a bronze medal in the 2002 Salt Lake
City Winter Olympics as a member of
the USA Bobsled team.
“We have a special program
and Vin has created a structure that
maximizes our ability to become an
unprecedented leader in the sport of
track and field,” said Athletics Director
Pat Kilkenny. “While Vin focuses on
the long-range vision for our program
and its role at the University, in this
community, and in the entire sport,
Dan will be ensuring that the plans for
our teams’ success are implemented
successfully on a daily basis.”
“I am excited by the opportunity
that the University of Oregon and Vin
have provided me,” Steele said. “Vin
has articulated an ambitious vision
for our program, and I am eager to
work together with him and the staff
on making it happen.”
Comstock NCAA Senior Vice-President
Eastern Illinois alumnus Dr. Joni Comstock, Class of ’79, is in her second year
as the NCAA Senior Vice-President of
Championships and senior woman administrator.
She reports directly to NCAA President
Myles Brand and oversees 84 championships and a staff of 50. Comstock previously served as Director of Athletics at
American University (2003-2006) and at
North Carolina-Ashville (2000-2003). She
also was senior associate athletic director
at Purdue (1989-2000).
When selected to her current position in 2006, Brand said, “Joni emerged
from a very strong field of candidates as
the new senior vice president because of
her experience at the local, conference
and national levels. Her efforts at both the
University of North Carolina, Asheville and
at American University have been characterized by strong leadership and visionary
growth.”
The following is a Q & A with Dr. Comstock in regard to her position at the
NCAA, her views on intercollegiate athletics and her experience at EIU.
Q? Joni, let’s start with an easy
question. What’s the best part of your
job?
A! Whether it’s the 25 years I spent on
college campuses or here at the NCAA,
it is knowing that you are supporting the
dreams of student-athletes…giving them
an opportunity to excel at every level:”
Q? What is the most challenging aspect of working at the NCAA national
office?
A! I believe working with institutions to
try to be sure they are supporting a strong
intercollegiate athletic program while continuing to deal with the issues related to
funding…the financial piece of intercollegiate athletics gets tougher every year…I
knew this first hand as an athletic director…but even now when I’m removed from
the day to day aspect of directing an intercollegiate program, I still get calls from
institutions and conferences who are dealing with this critical financial part of intercollegiate athletics.”
Q? You made the decision to transition from athletic director to the NCAA
national office. Do you miss being on
a college campus where you had more
direct contact with student-athletes?
A! Yes, I certainly miss the day to day
interaction with the coaches and students…but even though I’m one step
removed, I still try to find time to go to
campuses…visit with coaches and students…and attend as many championships
as possible…the NCAA sponsors 88 total
championships and has separate administrative staffs for men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and the football championship subdivision…so there are 50 people
who assist in managing the other 84 championships under my direction.”
Q? Where are we in regard to gender
equity and opportunities for women in
collegiate athletics. Is it a level playing
field or a constant vigil to assure programs are following Title IX?
A! “As I reflect back to 1979 when I left
Eastern, there certainly has been dramatic
progress…both in quantity and the quality
of women’s athletics…I tell current studentathletes how women shared locker rooms
and uniforms and how we traveled…they
can’t believe it…so indeed there has been
considerable progress but we still have a
long way to go…and much of that is in the
visibility of women’s sports…and that increased visibility goes hand in hand with
the financial challenges which make it much
more difficult to increase and improve these
opportunities today.”
Q? There seems to be fewer women
interested in a coaching career in intercollegiate athletics, at least when we
look at the pool of candidates…is that a
fair comment or not?
A! Yes it is…this is a major area of
concern for the NCAA…as I mentioned we
have seen increased support for women’s
athletics but there has been a corresponding decline in female coaches…and it’s in
all sports at all levels although I would say
that softball and basketball have held up
the best…but we’ve started programs to
encourage women to consider coaching
and administrative positions…but it’s also
most important that young people are exposed to great professional role models,
regardless of gender.”
Q? What or who initially influenced
your involvement in athletics, and when
did this occur?
A! As probably is the case with a lot of
women, it started with my father…he had
a huge amount of influence on me…growing up in Lincoln in the 60s and 70s there
weren’t very many organized athletic programs for women…so my Dad and I spent a
lot of time in the backyard and in the neighborhood playing whatever sport was in season…my interscholastic activities started
as a sophomore and were swimming and
tennis…so I credit my father by encourag-
ing me a great deal.”
Q? What sport or
sports were you involved with at EIU?
A! I had a great
experience at Eastern…Joan Schmidt,
Helen
Riley
and
Margie Wright were
the women who I respected…I
played
volleyball…Joan was
thecoach the first two Dr. Joni Comstock
years and then Margie Wright took over…
Margie was great with young people and
she was a real competitor in whatever
sport she was involved with…she wanted
to win…and taught me some great lessons on how to be competitive.”
Q? If you had not become a college
athletic administrator, what would U be
doing now?
A! I think I would still be on a college
campus but in a different role….when I left
my first job at Lincoln College to get my
doctorate degree at Illinois, I thought I was
finished with athletics because my intent
was to pursue a career in higher education
administration…but I had the opportunity
to get an assistantship with the athletic association at the University of Illinois and
work with Karol Kahrs (now retired Associate AD and senior woman administrator
at the University of Illinois)…she was very
influential on my career…really mentored
me and gave me an opportunity…and
here I am today still in college athletics.”
Q? When you have time to relax
what do you enjoy doing?
A! I have been a bit of a golfer…but my
first year with the NCAA hasn’t allowed for
much extra time on the golf course…but
the one thing that is a plus living in Indianapolis is that I’m only three hours from my
parents and sister so it’s nice to be able to
get back to the Springfield and Lincoln areas and spend some time with family.”
Q? If you were speaking with a group
of EIU student-athletes what would be
your advice?
A! Take advantage of everything that
college offers…experience the entire environment so that you can get a great education at EIU…I know Eastern graduates
have accomplished some great things
and it’s due to their abilities…but also due
to the opportunities they were offered so
work hard and enjoy the experience.”
Women’s B
as
Opener vs. ketball
Il
Friday, Nov linois
ember 9
@ 7:0
0 pm
Men’s Bask
etball
Opener vs.
Harris Stow
e
Saturday, N
ovember 10
@ 7:0
0 pm
FALL 2007
D’Alessio Anchors Sports on CNN Headline News
(Reprinted with permission of the Charleston Times-Courier)
If asked, sure, CNN Headline News Sports anchor Ray
D’Alessio will talk about his days kicking for Eastern Illinois’s
football team.
That was as 29-yard field goal with 1:19 left, he can tell off the
top of his head of that game-winner when Eastern beat Northwestern Louisiana 23-22 in 1990.
“Oh yeah, I tell war stories,” D’Alessio said. “C’mon. I wouldn’t
even attempt to kick a field goal now. But I have to pull out the old
game films sometimes. The wife is the one whose nerves I really
get on and I tell the old war stories and I say yeah, I remember
when we played Northern Illinois and Stacey Robinson. . .”
These days D’Alessio is usually telling stories of others
whether it is results from the previous nights major-league baseball games from his anchor desk or standing in the pits of the
Daytona 500.
You know how Eastern was a big story a year ago when
Sean Payton became the school’s third graduate to be an NFL
head coach?
Well, CNN has two sports anchors and both went to Eastern
Illinois – D’Alessio of Decatur and Larry Smith of Mattoon.
Smith helped D’Alessio get into this deal of rising at 3 a.m.
in order to be at work by 4 and be on the air for your 6 a.m.
breakfast.
“Usually I’m in bed 8:30 or 9 o’clock,” he said of his night
life. “That’s my typical week. It’s not easy getting up at 3 o’clock.
Being out of work for those 18 months I said I would never complain. I get paid to talk about sports. How many people would
give their left arm about that? The hardest thing I do is get up.”
Between this current CNN gig that began and July 2001 and
covering the Indiana Firebirds for Fox Sports and anchoring an
ESPN morning radio show after earlier working for Fox covering
the Indianapolis Colts, D’Alessio learned how the less fortunate
lived.
“My contract was not renewed at Indianapolis, which happens in this business,” D’Alessio said. “I sold cars, I hung drywalls, I finished basements, anything to put food in the table.”
Through that time, Smith did not forget about the place-kicker
he met at Eastern. Changing his major from plans of being an
athletics trainer to the media and working for WEIU, D’Alessio
struck an impression with Smith, who quickly climbed through
the business to CNN.
A position opened, Smith called and told D’Alessio to send
a tape and CNN hired a second Eastern Illinois alum.“I owe so
much to Larry Smith,” D’Alessio said. “He was a good friend
before and now he’s a great friend.“Larry said ‘let’s talk; we’re
friends.’ He said ‘if you do this and do this and don’t do this you’ll
have a long career at CNN.’ ”
So far that has lasted six years with D’Alessio not talking
about going anywhere else. “You know what, if CNN wants an
overweight, receding hairline guy, if they can live with that, I’ll be
here,” he said. “A lot of people overlooked me when I was out
of work. They didn’t want to touch me. I owe a lot to CNN Vice
President) Bill Galvin, “It’s a great place to work. Coming from a
local TV station you hear horror stories about the network. We
don’t have that have that here. We all get along.”
D’Alessio does not mind saying he plays second fiddle to the
other Eastern Illinois product at the cable television network.
“Without a doubt Larry is the face of CNN sports,” D’Alessio
said. “He really is. He covers the major events like the Super
Bowl and World Series. There’s
no animosity that he gets to do
this and why can’t I do that? I get
to cover the Daytona 500 because
Larry knows my background and
my love for racing. I’ve got to go
to the Major league all-star game.
I’ve covered U.S. Open. I’ve been
at Kentucky Derby.”
Of course, neither D’Alessio
nor Smith goes as Eastern’s biggest personality in the sports
world these days.
“We’re overshadowed now
by Tony Romo,” D’Alessio said.
“I lot of people don’t even know
Larry and I went to school together. When Tony broke out on the
scene I had to go break out all the CNN Sports Anchor
EIU coffee cups and EIU banners.” Ray D’Alessio
The CNN anchormen may never reach the People Magazine
popularity that Romo has as a Dallas Cowboy after winning the
2002 Walter Payton Award as the NCAA Division I-AA football
player of the year as an EIU senior, but D’Alessio had his moments as a Panther as well.
Transferring from Illinois Valley Community College for his junior year as a walk-on, D’Alessio won EIU’s starting place-kicking
job that preseason and helped the Panthers to their last I-AA playoff win in 1989. That was when the 15th-ranked Panthers, featuring defensive tackle John Jurkovic who went on to play in the NFL
before getting his own radio job working for WMVP in Chicago, upset No. 4 Idaho which had future NFL quarterback John Friesz.
From that win at Idaho’s dome the Panthers the following week
went to the frozen field at Montana where one of D’Alessio’s
memorable moments came from just warming up on the sideline
during an EIU possession, slipping and falling on his behind.
Local television cameras just happened to be showing the EIU
kicker at the time as if the embarrassment was not enough just in
front of Montana spectators.
“I just remember the fans laughing at me and throwing snowballs at me,” D’Alessio said. “Those fans were absolutely ruthless.”
D’Alessio temporarily quieted the crowd by kicking a 31-yard field
goal cutting Montana’s lead to six points with 1:16 remaining. But
trying an onside kick on an icy field where the football could slide
forever, he tried to put the touch on the football that would give
teammates a chance to recover only for the ball to stop short of
the required 10 yards. “It went 9 ½ yards,” D’Alessio said. “We
had three guys ready to pounce on the thing when it rolled out of
bounds. I remember I was thinking of that the whole off-season if
it just would have gone another half yard.”
Instead, Montana managed the 25-19 win and D’Alessio’s
senior season, even with that winning field goal at Northwestern
Louisiana, wound up 5-6. “I would say I was an average kicker,”
he said. “Like every other kicker I had NFL aspirations but when I
was out a year I was like no, I don’t have the leg.”
He found he did have the skills to make it on national television, however. “I still look at those big CNN letters and just pinch
myself,” D’Alessio said. “I’ve been a very, very lucky individual. I
got to play college football and for (Eastern Illinois) coach (Bob)
Spoo and go to the playoffs and now I get to work at CNN.”
Volume 1, Issue 2
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Ken Baker Named Interim Athletic Director
Long-time Charleston resident Ken Baker was named the full-time interim athletic
director at Eastern Illinois University in midAugust.
In announcing the appointment, President
William L. Perry said, “Ken is well-known to
the campus and community; his integrity and
his devotion to EIU are second to none; and
his experience with athletics as a participant
and official makes him extremely knowledgeable of the athletic arena.
“His knowledge of fitness and his experience as a teacher and director of campus
recreation are indicative of his concerns for
the development of the whole student -- academically and physically,” Perry added.
“(Baker) is in complete agreement with
me that is it critical for our student-athletes
-- with the staff’s assistance, guidance and
coaching -- to achieve academically, give 100
percent athletically, and represent EIU with
honor both on and off the field.”
Baker was chosen for the interim position from among several nominees named
by members of Eastern’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. He will serve until a
permanent athletic director is in place, with a
national search expected to begin this fall.
It was also announced that intercollegiate
athletics will report to Dr. Dan Nadler, Vice
President for Student Affairs, until further notice.
As acting director, Baker will be responsible for the development and administration
of the intercollegiate athletics program. Duties include, but are not limited to:
•
Supervising, coordinating and administering all aspects and activities of the
program;
•
Providing leadership and commitment to the integrity and graduation of student-athletes;
•
Monitoring regulations of the various
conferences and regulatory agencies and assuming responsibility that all EIU athletic programs are in compliance;
Ken Baker Leads Athletics for 2007-2008
•
Working closely with the various
coaches in order to assure that the athletic
program is being conducted within the existing framework of policies and regulations of
the university and other regulatory agencies,
and rectifying any variance from established
rules;
•
Making recommendations to the
president/vice president concerning budgets
for athletics and assuming responsibility for
the appropriate use of funds;
•
Coordinating, supervising and administering fund-raising activities for intercollegiate athletics; and
•
Providing leadership in maintaining
quality staff through recruitment, retention
and development.
Before assuming the role of Eastern’s
director of Campus Recreation, Baker previously served as a physical education instructor at Eastern (1994-2000); an adjunct health
instructor at Lake Land College, Mattoon
(1993-1994); and optician (1977-1994).
In addition, he served as a football referee for the Big Ten Conference (1984-1990);
a referee for the National Football League
(1991-2001); and currently serves as a replay official for the National Football League
(2003-present).
Baker received both his bachelor’s and
master’s degrees in education from Eastern in 1972 and 1973, respectively. He has
been actively involved in many community
activities, including the Community Unit #1
Board of Education, the Charleston Community Youth Baseball Association, the Parent-Teacher Organization, the United Way
Board, the Panther Club, the EIU Letterman
Club, the Trojan Booster Club and the Governor’s Council on Health and Fitness.
Baker’s full resume can be found at
http://www.eiu.edu/~staff
EI Club News is the official Athletic Department publication for former Eastern Illinois University Athletes and staff