Northridge to Forfeit Two Football Victories
Cal State Northridge must forfeit two of last season’s nonconference football victories because the Matadors used three ineligible players, Athletic Director Paul Bubb said Thursday.
The Matadors forfeited a 63-23 victory against Boise State on Aug. 30 and a 63-21 victory against Azusa Pacific on Sept. 20, dropping their record to 4-8. Bubb said the forfeits are the first for Northridge in any sport.
Northridge reported to the NCAA in October that starting receiver Brian Comer, reserve running back Derrick Charles and reserve defensive end Tyrone Gunn should not have been granted eligibility because they had violated a rule that allows players to transfer only once from one four-year school to another without sitting out a year.
All three players had attended more than one four-year school before transferring to Northridge. At the time Bubb said he did not believe Northridge would have to forfeit the two victories in which the players participated.
“The NCAA believed we had the information to avoid this problem and that our interpretation of the players’ eligibility was incorrect,” Bubb said.
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New role: Northridge President Blenda J. Wilson was chosen to chair the committee of Big Sky Conference presidents at the semi-annual conference meeting earlier this week.
The committee chair assists Big Sky President Doug Fullerton in the day-to-day operations of the conference.
“This will in fact increase my involvement in athletic issues and will be a role in which I look forward to learning a lot from my colleague presidents,” Wilson said.
Fullerton said Wilson is the first African-American woman to serve in the role.
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Add Wilson: Prompted in part by concern this week among presidents of Big Sky member schools that Northridge is slow in building a new football stadium, Wilson will form a committee that will decide by October on sites for several athletic facilities.
Northridge recently removed a football stadium from development plans on the university’s North Campus because neighbors complained. An open forum for neighbors to discuss concerns with Northridge administrators will be held June 2 at 6 p.m. in the Grand Salon of the University Student Union.
Bubb said the committee will also exam sites for a multi-use arena, baseball stadium and softball stadium.
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Meeting: The Valley Sports Authority, a group trying to build athletic facilities at Northridge through private funding, will hold a public meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the university’s performing arts center.
The centerpiece of the proposed complex, “The Oasis Events Center,” is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena for Northridge basketball and volleyball teams. The center also would host concerts and other events.
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No luck: Big West Conference baseball coaches lastk voted not to expand the conference for next season, preventing any chance for Northridge to join. The Matadors have been without a conference affiliation since the Western Athletic Conference dropped them after the 1996 season. The Northridge softball team is an associate member of the Big West and the baseball team has held hopes for a similar arrangement.