ON THE SIDELINES : Ex-College Player Testifies Administrator Gave Him $8,000

Former University of Minnesota quarterback Rickey Foggie today testified that he received about $8,000 in cash, clothing, food and gasoline over a four-year period from Luther Darville, a former university administrator charged with stealing money from the school.

Foggie, who played in 1984 and 1985 under Coach Lou Holtz, now head coach at Notre Dame, and in 1986 and 1987 under Holtz’s successor, John Gutekunst, testified for the prosecution that he met Darville in the fall of 1984. He said he considered Darville a good friend and still does.

Over the four-year period, Foggie said, Darville would give him cash in amounts ranging from $50 to $100. Foggie estimated he got $4,000 to $5,000 in cash, about $540 worth of clothing Darville bought him, such as sweatsuits and tennis shoes, $2,500 in food and $60 for gasoline.

Darville is charged with swindling nearly $186,000 over five years from the university’s Office of Minority and Special Student Affairs, which he headed until he was fired in the midst of the investigation last year.