UNO Magazine, Spring 2013 by UNO Magazine

spr ing 2013

100 0 YEARRS

OF MAVVS AT PLAY AY

An Omaha Original. “The Midtown Crossing store has momentum and is thriving. I’m going to focus on making it the absolute best it can be” - Mike Schwartz, Owner

FREE PARKING! Midtown Crossing, 33rd and Dodge Street 402-551-6875 | www.wohlners.com

vol. 4, no. 1 spring 2013 www.unoalumni.org/unomag

CREDITS Managing Editor

Anthony Flott associate Editor

Jennifer Arnold

Get to Know

Home Ice

Letter from the Chancellor

7 Alumni

Association

10 Philanthropy

Matters

14 Partners

Letter from the Editor

art direction

Emspace Group

Contributors

Dave Ahlers, Jeff Beiermann, Noelle Blood, Sarah Casey, Nancy Castilow, Rick Davis, John Fey, Colleen Kenney Fleischer, Eric Francis, Mark Joekel, Tim Kaldahl, Greg Kozol, Nate Pohlen, Lori Rice, Charley Reed, Jessica Renz, Bonnie Ryan, Terry Stickels, Sam Vrba, Mike Watkins, Jenna Zeorian.

The Colleges

cover illustration

Gary Pierazzi

UNO Magazine is published three times a year by the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the UNO Alumni Association and the University of Nebraska Foundation. Direct editorial inquiries to Managing Editor UNO Alumni Association 6705 Dodge St., Omaha, NE 68182-0010 Phone: (402) 554-2444 Toll-free: UNO-MAV-ALUM Fax: (402) 554-3787 Email: aflott@unoalumni.org Send all changes of address to attention of Records or visit www.unoalumni.org/records

Views expressed within this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the UNO Alumni Association or the NU Foundation.

Athletics Feeling Fit

Some behind-thescenes activity of a Division I basketball team on the road

5 Days in November

Two former UNO athletes chase the title of

Young & the Restless

Fittest on Earth

UNO researchers and trainers join the fight against head injuries

Head Games

Crossed Up Court Savvy

CLASS

NOTES

Sitting Pretty

Fields of Dreams

52 Sights & Sounds

Just For You

For Fun

FROM THE chancellor

Dear Alumni and Friends: With another year behind us and the anticipation of 2013 ahead, most of us, I believe, are taking a moment to reflect on the year past and the changes that have occurred. For UNO athletics, the past two years have been a time of significant change, as chronicled in this edition of UNO Magazine. Some of these changes — like the decision to discontinue our football and wrestling programs — were heart-wrenching. This was an action no one wanted to take. However, the ongoing stabilization of the athletic department budget required us to make hard choices. Our entry into the Summit League and DI athletics has been a positive step for our campus, our student athletes and our coaches, elevating the level of play and allowing us to compete with institutions with much in common to UNO. And, for the first time in more than a decade, the athletics budget has been stabilized and is in the black. Similarly, the recently announced arena project will, in my opinion, be a game-changer for UNO. It will further stabilize the program and provide a home for our student-athletes. Its impact on the university and community will be significant — enhancing student life, recruitment and enrollment; providing a much needed venue for campus events beyond hockey, like commencement; and room for community events. As you know, change is never easy. But I believe the changes we have made in our athletics program have laid the foundation for growth and capacity commensurate with the rest of the UNO campus. We Are Omaha’s Team, and everything we have done has prepared us to serve our students, campus and community well. These are exciting times to BE A MAV, and I invite you to experience Maverick Athletics firsthand in 2013. We are looking ahead to a great future, victory both on and off the field, and a new year filled with new accomplishments. I wish the same for you and your family. Until next time, Chancellor John E. Christensen

Letters to the Editor Reader feedback is key to making UNO Magazine among the best university publications in the country. Write us about the magazine, the university, or suggest a story. Letters must include the writer’s first and last names, address and phone number and may be edited for taste, accuracy, clarity and length. www.unoalumni.org/unomag-led

Carol Buffington Manager, UNO Student Publications FOODIE TO FOODIE As a fellow UNO grad “foodie,” I thoroughly enjoyed this piece! I love reading about others who follow their passion … even when it wasn’t their “intended” path. Christy Pooschke, ‘03 GroceryGeek.com Omaha

ON ALLERGIES I was reading UNO Magazine and noticed an article by you on food allergies [“Fun with Food Science”]. In essence, you stated that, although there is no definitive evidence, the rise in food allergies could be attributed to less exposure to pathogens over the years. I have had … several discussions with others about this and it is my contention that people today are more “pure” and not exposed so their resistance to bacteria is low. When I was a kid (I’m 77 now), we played in the dirt and drank water out of a spring. We also took sack lunches with lunchmeat sandwiches to school for noon meal and no refrigeration. The lunches sat at room temperature for several hours. So I was exposed to all kinds of bacteria and my immune system set up some sort of defense mechanism similar to how vaccines work. As a result, I’m seldom sick and can’t remember my last cold. I do 30 38 have age-related problems. I realize I’m28a study of only one, but I’m a FOOD strong supporter of the hygiene hypothesis. NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #301 OMAHA, NE

6001 Dodge Street Omaha, NE 68182-0510

FOOD FIGHT THE RISING COST OF GROCERIES IS PINCHING POCKETBOOKS

Gary Gillaspy, ‘60 Kearney, Neb.

FOODIES UNO IS NO CULINARY INSTITUTE, BUT IT PRODUCES PLENTY OF “FOODIES”

TONGUE TWISTING A LOOK INTO THE SCIENCE OF TASTE

VOL. 3, NO. 3

ON THE JOB Wow — what a great read … how am I suppose to get my work done when I have such wonderful material to peruse? Congrats.

UNO Magazine is the flagship publication of the University of Nebraska at Omaha and is published three times a year. It is mailed to all UNO graduates and to community leaders in and out of Nebraska. Please share your copy with anyone who might benefit from the work of our great university.

On Fall 2012 FALL 2012

FROM THE editor

CONNECT WITH WHAT’S NEXT IN TEACHER EDUCATION. Patricia Bejarano

Class of 2012 Master of Science in Elementary Education-Bilingual Education

Did you know? • Last year, over one million dollars of grant funded research was conducted in UNO’s Teacher Education Department (TED). • The 2013 Nebraska Teacher of the Year is a UNO TED graduate. • Thirty-five area teachers have received National Board Certification through a UNO TED cohort in the past six years. • Each year, twenty-five UNO TED faculty lead over 1,200 teacher candidates who provide 250,000 hours of service in public and parochial classrooms each year in Omaha.

UNO graduate degrees in Teacher Education: Master of Science in Elementary Education Master of Science in Secondary Education Master of Science in Reading

Offering coursework leading to State of Nebraska endorsements in: Bilingual Education

Reading Specialist

Early Childhood Education

Reading and Writing 7-12

ESL/ELL

School Library

unomaha.edu/coe/ted | facebook.com/TEDRH212 | 402-554-2212

FROM THE editor It was just a 30-second bike ride. On a stationary bicycle, no less. But when the pedaling was done I had to wobble to a chair before I collapsed. Then, I struggled to keep my lunch where I last left it. I had just performed a Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT) at UNO’s Exercise Physiology Laboratory, directed by Professors Kris Berg and Dustin Slivka. The WAnT measures lower-body peak power (strength and speed), anaerobic capacity, and fatigue index (the reduction of power). It’s one of several tests the lab’s fantastic staff conducted on UNO alumni and über athletes Kyle Kasperbauer and Staci Wemhoff Tovar (see “Feeling Fit” Page 36). Both registered elite scores. I decided to sign up for the same. In just half a minute I went from a cocky smile to very unmanly grunts and groans. I’m pretty sure I cried (I said it was just “eyeball sweat”), and I might have called for my mother. The test might not have been a problem for me back in 1985 when I came to UNO to play football. But that was two knee and two foot surgeries ago. I’ve also gained and lost 40-plus pounds at least four times since. Three years ago, during one of my “Fat Tony” phases, I started having chest pains and was having trouble breathing at night. According to “doctors,” the body apparently needs oxygen even while sleeping. That put a scare into me, and ever since I’ve gotten back into shape — and am determined to stay there. I wasn’t sure how good of shape, though, until the testing. I’m 45 and checked in at 6-foot and a half-inch and 216 pounds with 16.8 percent body fat — in the 90th percentile among men 40 to 49. I also finished in the 90th percentile on a treadmill test of “VO2 max,” the volume of oxygen the body can use to produce energy. On the WAnT test, Berg says I scored at an “elite” level compared to Division I college athletes. I didn’t feel that way when my bike ride was done. And I certainly didn’t feel that way three years ago. But if Fat Tony can do it, anyone can. Get off the couch — and start Feeling Fit.

Enjoy the read,

Anthony Flott Managing Editor

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

alumni Celebrating association 100 Years The UNO Alumni Association throughout 2013 will celebrate its 100th anniversary, focusing on the growth and power of the UNO alumni network worldwide. Plans include a fall campus celebration, the details of which will come soon. The Alumni Association was founded June 6, 1913, by the Class of 1913 — a group of 13 graduates. Since then the university has graduated nearly 110,000 alumni — more than 94,000 of whom are living. “From a small group of classmates to more than 100,000 alumni, our alumni are changing the world,” Association Chairman of the Board Garrett Anderson says. “This milestone moment gives us reason to celebrate that growth and our alumni, who are central to decision-making in all corners of the globe — not just Omaha.” The association in January began its celebrations by introducing a new logo and a “Show the O” campaign (see following). Other anniversary plans and activities will be posted on the association website at unoalumni.org/100. Anniversary news also will be published in UNO Magazine and on its various social media channels.

Association gets a new look in Year 100 The UNO Alumni Association in January debuted a new logo — one that incorporates the “O” brand recently adopted by the university. Throughout 2013 that logo will include a special “100” mark commemorating the association’s 100th anniversary June 6. The mark will be removed beginning in 2014. “The time is right because the new branding is really catching on with alumni,” Association President Lee Denker says. “Our alumni represent UNO as much as the university represents its alumni. Connecting them through the iconic ‘O’ reinforces the strong connection that has existed for a century now.“

Alumni asked to help “Show the O” The worldwide UNO alumni network is on the move — and the UNO Alumni Association wants them to help “Show the O” around the world. As part of its 100th anniversary celebrations the association has launched “Show the O,” a campaign that provides alumni with a large “O” flag then asks them to have themselves photographed holding the flag in front of some notable icon where they live or are traveling to. The photos are displayed on an interactive website — showtheo.com — that includes a clickable map and photo gallery indicating all the locations around the world where “O” flags have traveled, plus brief information about participants. Alumni, faculty, staff and students can visit the site and request that a flag be sent to them for the photo (flags are to be returned). Participants also can download an “O” flyer that can be printed and used for photos. The flags already have been to numerous destinations on four continents. To participate, visit showtheo.com or call toll-free UNO-MAV-ALUM (866-628-2586).

Citation issued to graduates James Freeman, Penny Parker The UNO Alumni Association bestowed its Citation for Alumni Achievement upon UNO graduates James Freeman and Penny Parker during the university’s Commencement ceremonies Saturday, Dec. 15, on the UNO campus. Freeman is director of UNO’s Office of Multicultural Affairs and Parker is executive director of Completely KIDS in Omaha. The citation, inaugurated in 1949, is issued at each UNO commencement. The association’s highest honor, it encompasses career achievement, community service, involvement in business and professional associations, and fidelity to the university. UNO Alumni Association President Lee Denker presented the awards to Freeman and Parker, who became the 159th and 160th Citation recipients, respectively. See more at unoalumni.org/citation-fall12

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Alumni fight, fight, fight for Mavericks through the UNO Annual Fund You’ve got your season tickets. You wear your crimson and black. You belt out every word of the fight song. All to help Maverick student-athletes to victory on the field. But did you know you also can help them succeed off the field — in classrooms, research labs and study halls? Maverick athletes become a formidable force when they band together. The same is true when alumni work together to build a greater university for all students and alumni through gifts to the UNO Annual Fund. Gifts to the UNO Annual Fund support the student-athlete experience by engaging the community through alumni communication, events at the Thompson Alumni Center, and programming such as the award-winning UNO Homecoming Tailgate Party and UNO Young Alumni Academy (which includes a behind-the-scenes session on athletics and its role in the university’s development). Gerald Karlin, a former Omaha University football player who graduated in 1960, has made gifts to the UNO Annual Fund and UNO Athletics for more than 40 years. Today, he gives to the Annual Fund because he believes many people “have not yet recognized what a great jewel UNO is for the Omaha area.”

Partnerships Credit The UNO Alumni Association partners with Capital One to offer members a wide range of credit card choices. Please visit the UNO Alumni Association at www.unoalumni.com/card for more information.

Insurance Are you in need of home, life, auto,

“Several things have changed since I attended Omaha University some 50 years ago, but one thing has remained consistent, and that is the quality of the education,” Karlin says. “The graduates of UNO now seem to be as well or better equipped than most university graduates from across the nation. The UNO Alumni Association does an excellent job in identifying and promoting the increasingly good reputation that UNO is developing.”

health or life insurance? The UNO Alumni

Karlin knows a strong Annual Fund enhances the prestige of UNO — athletically and academically.

www.unoalumni.org/insurance.

“Some of the best representation of UNO is from the athletic accomplishments. The athletes and former athletes become some of UNO’s best ambassadors,” Karlin says. “I encourage everyone to support both the Alumni Association and the Athletic Department to help UNO attain an even greater recognition as one of the best universities in the nation.” UNO’s student-athletes hear the crowd’s cheers while they are out on the field, court or rink, but they also say they pay attention to the message alumni send to students when they support the Annual Fund. “As a student and an athlete, I just want to say thanks to those UNO graduates who give back,” says UNO junior business major and men’s basketball player Caleb Steffensmeier. “Every donation helps build UNO into an even greater university, and everyone benefits, athletics included.” Adds Monica Bosiljevac, a soccer player and UNO junior marketing major: “It’s really encouraging to know that so many UNO alumni support me both as an athlete and as a student. I want to do the same when I graduate, because I realize alumni can make a huge impact from the stands and through their generosity.” Alumni and friends can give to the UNO Annual Fund via the envelope in the center of UNO Magazine, or online at www.unoalumni.org/give.

Association offers graduates insurance for these and other needs at discounted rates. See all the coverage available at

Annual Board Meeting The UNO Alumni Association will hold its annual meeting on Tuesday, May 21, at 4:30 p.m. at the Thompson Alumni Center. New board members and officers will be elected, and service awards will be presented. Contact Meri Kennedy at 402-554-4887 or mkennedy@unoalumni.org, for more information.

— Joel Gehringer, University of Nebraska Foundation

Chill out at Night on the Ice 10th annual event set for Saturday, March 2, at UNO-Wisconsin regular season finale Mark your calendars to join fellow grads and their families at the 10th annual UNO Alumni Night on the Ice Saturday, March 2, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Get ready for the Mavs’ final home regular season game, against the University of Wisconsin. The fun will include a buffet reception at CenturyLink Center, door prizes, Hockey 101 with former Mav hockey players, great Lower Bowl seating and more. All that for just $20 per adult, $15 per child age 2-12 (children under 2 attend free). Reception-only price: $12 per adult and $10 per child for those who already have game tickets

Adult fee includes one game ticket and pre-game buffet (pulled pork sandwiches, chips, salad, cookie, tea and lemonade). Cash bar available. Children’s fee includes game ticket and plated children’s meal. Hockey tickets are distributed at the reception.

alumni association

UNO Magazine, Association programs, coordinator honored at CASE conference For the third consecutive year, the UNO Alumni Association received special recognition for its programs and communications, and one member of the Association team received the inaugural “Rising Star” Award during the CASE VI conference held in Chicago in December. CASE — the Council for Advancement and Support of Education — is the professional organization for advancement professionals who work in alumni relations, communications, marketing, fundraising and other areas. CASE VI is one of eight regional districts, comprised of nearly 200 institutions from Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. More than 1,200 representatives of those institutions gathered Dec. 9-11 in Chicago for a joint CASE V and VI conference that included presentation of CASE VI Institutional Awards. The latter recognizes the best work in professional advancement completed from September 2011 through June 2012. More than 400 entries were peer-judged.

PRSA honors UNO Magazine UNO Magazine also won a 2012 Anvil Award from the Public Relations Society of America, Nebraska Chapter, during the PRSA annual Gala in December. The magazine won an award of merit in the category of Communications Tactics, External Newsletter or Magazine.

The Association received eight CASE VI Institutional Awards — including three gold awards. Five honor association work in alumni relations programs and three for UNO Magazine. The association has received 16 CASE awards since 2010, including its first-ever Silver award in CASE’s International Circle of Excellence awards program. Also in Chicago, UNOAA Programs Coordinator Elizabeth Kraemer received the first-ever CASE VI Rising Star Award, which recognizes a CASE professional of less than seven years who demonstrates potential for leadership, enthusiasm, commitment to their profession, and service to CASE. Kraemer, who joined the association in June 2009, oversees programs for UNO’s nearly 100,000 graduates. That includes Homecoming, Golden Circle luncheons, out-of-state “Mavs on the Move” events, student outreach and the UNO Young Alumni Academy. Her programs have been honored with 12 CASE awards since 2010 and she has served CASE on more than five committees since 2010. Following is a review of the awards the association received at the CASE VI conference. For more on these awards, visit unoalumni.org/case2012dec

Alumni Relations Programs Gold Regular Alumni Programs — UNO Young Alumni Academy Gold

Volunteer Engagement and Leadership — UNO Young Alumni Academy

Gold Programming for Special Constituencies — UNO Young Alumni Academy Bronze New Program Initiatives — UNO Young Alumni Academy Bronze Collaborative Programs — UNO Homecoming Tailgate

Communications & Marketing, Excellence In Design Silver Covers — UNO Magazine, Summer 2012 Bronze Illustrations — UNO Magazine Illustration, Summer 2012 Bronze Periodicals Design — UNO Magazine

33rd Scholarship Swing set for Sept. 9 The UNO Alumni Association is seeking sponsors and prizes for the 33rd annual UNO Chancellor’s Scholarship Swing — its largest annual fundraiser. Last year’s Swing netted more than $40,000, bringing the total to more than $750,000 since the Association began hosting the event in 1995. Almost 120 golfers and 50 sponsors participated in 2012. The 2013 Swing will be held Monday, Sept. 9, at Tiburon Golf Club. More information about the event is available at unoalumni.org/swing. To participate, contact Elizabeth Kraemer at 402-554-4802 or ekramer@unoalumni.org.

PHILANTHROPY MATTERS

Athletics — it’s all Academic UNO debuts Hamilton Academic Excellence Room for Student-Athlete Success Program by Jenna Zeorian, University of Nebraska Foundation

Student-Athlete Success Program staff, which works closely with administrators, coaches, faculty and other campus personnel to help student-athletes better balance the demands of academic responsibilities with participation in athletics.

Brian and Carey Hamilton made the leadership gift for the facility through the University A tour of UNO’s newly completed Hamilton of Nebraska Foundation. The Hamiltons are Academic Excellence Room makes one thing graduates and long-standing supporters of the immediately clear: Maverick Athletics wants to be University of Nebraska system. Omaha residents, as great off the field as it is on it. they own Midway Chevrolet Buick and Midway Chrysler Dodge Jeep in Kearney, Neb., and The new facility opened to the university’s more than 250 student-athletes in January, just in time Beardmore Chevrolet and Subaru in Bellevue, Neb. for the first semester of 2013. “I am so inspired by the work ethic of student“We need to be, and we want to be, reflective of all the great things happening on our campus,” says Josh White, associate athletic director. “Our goal is to have the best academic support in our league, and when we started looking at how we wanted to accomplish that, we knew it was imperative to have the space and the personnel dedicated to reaching our goal.” The Hamilton Academic Excellence Room delivers just that. Located in the Lee and Helene Sapp Fieldhouse, the 5,000-square-foot space houses computer labs and laptop terminals, printing stations, and areas for private or group study and tutorial support. It also houses the UNO

athletes,” Carey says. “They have extremely

We're extremely pleased to have the opportunity to help provide support for this academic demanding schedules yet they charge on with winning attitudes. This facility will provide our athletes with a conducive environment to learn and to excel and will provide the necessary resources to ensure their academic success. “The fact that the Academic Excellence Room was such a high priority for UNO’s Athletic Department speaks volumes for its leadership and vision.”

Supporters of academic excellence — Carey and Brian Hamilton.

Says Sam Murphy, a freshman member of the baseball team: “There has been a lot of buzz surrounding our new resource room. It’s absolutely stunning.” That’s exactly what UNO leaders had in mind when designing the facility. “We took a look at where we were and where we want to be and built the most modern, functional academic space possible … and we’re continuing to build from there,” says White, who supervises UNO’s Division I reclassification, academics and student-athlete development. “Something we have always focused on answering is, ‘How are our student-athletes developing here?’” UNO student-athletes generally are high-achievers and well organized, he says. The average GPA

PHILANTHROPY MATTERS for Maverick student-athletes in 2011-2012 was 3.206. Of the 272 student-athletes who competed last year, 173 made the dean’s list (3.5 GPA or better) and 58 made the chancellor’s list (4.0). With the transition from Division II to Division I, UNO has placed even greater emphasis on academics. A strong push exists for athlete eligibility and retention in Division I athletics, with the NCAA measuring the success of a program moving its athletes toward graduation using an Academic Progress Rate (APR). Teams scoring below certain APR thresholds can face real-time sanctions. Last August, UNO Athletics hired Lindsey Stineman as its first full-time director of academic success, providing leadership for all 15 UNO sports. In addition to ensuring student-athletes have the necessary tools and resources for academic excellence, Stineman also coordinates a team of tutors, academic coordinators and educational assistants. “In a nutshell, I want our student-athletes to be confident learners,” Stineman says. “I want to see them mirror their level of comfort and commitment in the classroom to the comfort and commitment they have on the ice, court or field.” Chance Lindley, head coach of the women’s basketball team, says because of the time demands placed on student-athletes at the Division I level, schools must have a significant amount of academic support. He says the UNO administration has made considerable progress toward supporting student-athletes off the court. “The staff is second-to-none and the new Hamilton Academic Excellence Room is one of the finest facilities in our conference,” Lindley says. The Hamiltons are aware of the impact their gift has made on student-athletes today and on those who will wear a Mavericks jersey in the future. “We’re extremely pleased to have the opportunity to help provide support for this academic facility,” Brian says. “We want UNO studentathletes to have the tools they need to be successful both academically and athletically. The more resources they have, the better students they are — and the better prepared they will be to enter the workforce and to support the Omaha community.”

Maverick Varsity Club celebrates third year The camaraderie and generosity of UNO’s former student-athletes drives success of the Maverick Varsity Club for a third year. Started in 2009 in partnership with UNO and the University of Nebraska Foundation, the Varsity Club gives former student-athletes an opportunity to reconnect with their college athletic roots. Its goal is to keep former Mavericks and Omaha University Indians in touch with the current events involving Omaha’s Team. “Where the Mavericks are going is in large part a product of where we have been and where previous athletes have led us,” said Trev Alberts, director of athletics. “As the exciting evolution of Maverick Athletics continues, I hope more of our alumni will consider joining or rejoining Maverick Varsity Club.”

Maverick Varsity Club also provides an important connection to current student-athletes. The club is now an annual sponsor of the Maverick Senior Banquet and other support opportunities for graduating seniors. Members of the Varsity Club receive a varsity O to recognize their commitment to UNO athletics. In addition, they receive invitations to Varsity Club events and discounts on Maverick apparel. Varsity Club membership begins at only $25, and anyone who has competed for the Mavericks or the Indians qualifies. A registration form is available at omavs.com. For more information, contact Terry Hanna at the University of Nebraska Foundation at thanna@nufoundation.org or 402-502-4106.

Scoring in the Classroom UNO Director of Academic Success Lindsey Stineman offers tips for student athletes. • Take responsibility for your own personal success. • Be invested in your academic, athletic and personal success. Build your personal brand in a positive light. Take as much pride in the classroom as you do on the field/court/ice. • Maintain positive and frequent communication with your professors. • It is important that professors know your name and recognize your commitment to academics; reach out and build a professional relationship with them — they are your best and most vital resource. • Treat each class like it’s game day and put in the extra work to excel. • Become an expert on your course syllabi. • Know when assignments are due. Be prepared when you walk into class on exam day. Professors, just like your coach, expect you to be organized and prepared each day. • Take advantage of your planner and write down important due dates for each course. Include your travel and competition dates so you can plan ahead for each class. • Attend and engage in class! • You wouldn’t show up to practice late, so do not expect to go to class late. Your professor is passionate about their particular subject or field, just as you are about your sport. Be respectful of that and invest in the course. Participate and add to the classroom environment. • Utilize the resources and services that are provided to you. • Take advantage of tutors and professor office hours. Attend study groups. Meet with your academic advisor and athletic coordinator. These tools are vital to your success as a student-athlete. — Jenna Zeorian, University of Nebraska Foundation

PHILANTHROPY MATTERS

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT OmAhA Amount Raised Toward $150 Million Campaign Goal

2005

$164,707,215

89%

497

UNO CAmPAIGN PRIORITIES • Building the educated workforce of tomorrow.

new funds have been established during the campaign to support UNO.

• Engaging our community.

of UNO campaign gifts are from Nebraska households/organizations.

9,969

individuals have made donations to UNO during the campaign.

• Enriching campus and community life.

57% 80%

of UNO donors have donated for the first time during the campaign.

2014

The Campaign for Nebraska is a four-campus fundraising campaign benefiting the University of Nebraska.

of UNO students apply for financial assistance.

campaignfornebraska.org/uno All statistics as of November 30, 2012. The Campaign for Nebraska began in July 2005 and will conclude December 2014.

Supporting our student-athletes

Donors Connie and Ron Brasel join their hockey scholarship recipients, Johnnie Searfoss and Brent Gwidt, members of the UNO hockey team.

Scholarships are essential for recruiting the nation’s best and brightest student-athletes. That’s why UNO is committed to offering athletic scholarship opportunities to attract and support top-level student-athletes. Today, the average expenses for in-state student-athletes at UNO total more than $15,000. These costs include tuition/fees, room and board, equipment and travel. As a Division I athletic department, nearly all of UNO’s athletic scholarships are funded through private support. Donors have created more than 50 scholarship opportunities for UNO student-athletes. But more private support is needed for UNO to continue to attract the best and brightest student-athletes. For more information about scholarship giving opportunities, contact the University of Nebraska Foundation’s Terry Hanna at 402-502-4106 or thanna@nufoundation.org.

Making a Pitch

UNO taking steps to transform Caniglia Field into a new home for soccer programs In the United States, the word “pitch” often is associated with America’s favorite pastime. But in many other countries, “pitch” refers to a game with goalkeepers and penalty kicks rather than centerfielders and strikes.

Jeff Beiermann, University Relations

PHILANTHROPY MATTERS

UNO Soccer Coaches Jason Mims, left, and Don Klosterman.

as college athletes and as young men and women,” Kemp says. “But this facility will not only assist our soccer programs, it will enhance the collegiate experience for all UNO students and be a great asset for the local community, especially for youth soccer.”

A pitch — the surface where soccer is played — is a key component in the transformation The first phase, a $1.2 million project, calls for redeveloping Caniglia Field into an of UNO’s athletic facilities. NCAA-regulation-sized soccer pitch. This UNO and the University of Nebraska requires removal of the existing turf, the Foundation are “closing in” on their fundnorth and east grandstands and the track raising goal for the first phase of a project that encircles the field. to repurpose Caniglia Field into a state-ofthe-art soccer complex, says UNO Associate UNO hopes to have teams playing on the new field by mid-summer 2013. Future Athletic Director Mike Kemp. plans include renovation of Caniglia Field’s It will become home to UNO’s Division I concession space, the west grandstands, men’s and women’s soccer teams, right in locker rooms and main-entry plaza into a the heart of campus. It also will be an adtop-quality soccer complex. ditional venue for campus to accommodate Both UNO head soccer coaches view the the growing demand for intramural and recreation space and for community events. new facility as an important element to their This project is part of UNO’s plan to enrich teams’ success in Division I. Previously, home games were played at the UNO Soccer its campus life and expand outreach to the Field at 6808 Spring St., just south of South community. Campus. “With our move to Division I and the ad“Creating a state-of-the-art soccer facility dition of men’s soccer, it is critical that we will be a monumental improvement,” says invest in support facilities for our studentathletes, so they can develop and mature

Don Klosterman, UNO women’s soccer coach. “The new pitch will add to our tradition, especially now in Division I.” UNO women’s soccer program has a history of success with four trips to the Division II national semifinals and a national championship, all under Klosterman. Jason Mims, the head UNO men’s soccer coach, agrees. “This soccer complex will be a crucial part of building a nationally known Division I men’s soccer team that competes at the highest level,” he says. Mims joined UNO in 2011 to build the first men’s soccer program in the University of Nebraska system. The new soccer complex also will be a source of pride and recognition for UNO and Omaha. “With the completion of this facility UNO will have one of the finest soccer facilities in the nation,” Kemp says. “It will be a facility that will enhance the lives of our students, our athletes and the Omaha sports community at large.” — Jennifer Arnold, Associate Editor University of Nebraska Foundation

Partners Hospital in Dallas. He then completed a Sports Medicine Fellowship with the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic in Vail, Colo., prior to settling in Omaha. Hutton says the team at OrthoWest is seeing similar injuries to those prevalent in his playing days — ACL tears, shoulder dislocations, sprains — but the treatment is much different today. Rather than surgery involving large, open incisions, athletes are treated arthroscopically with minimally invasive procedures. “We use a lighted camera that goes directly into the joint, which allows us look at a television screen while performing surgery,” he said. “Today, you are looking at three or four tiny holes the size of a pencil head when the procedure is finished.” Another benefit of the partnership beyond the operating room has been the invaluable relationship between UNO’s athletic training staff and OrthoWest’s physicians, many of whom can be seen on the sidelines or at the hockey rink caring for Mavericks.

partnership Putting a UNO’s with OrthoWest to 1980 — shoulder into dates and includes a Mav now the care of former caring for UNO athletes today’s Mavs by Don Kohler

It was nearly 30 years ago that Kirk Hutton lie motionless on the turf at Al Caniglia Field, holding onto his badly injured shoulder — and to thoughts that his stellar career at UNO might be over. “I remember there was a tight end coming across the middle and I went to tackle him,” says the 1984 UNO graduate (pictured). “I tried to arm-tackle him and my shoulder dislocated. I was able to go through rehabilitation and finish my senior year, and that was important to me.” Helping to get the standout strong safety back on the field was a young doctor named Mike Walsh, one of the founding partners of OrthoWest Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Specialists of Omaha. Since 1980, OrthoWest has served as a key partner with UNO, providing a wide array of sports medicine treatments to thousands of student-athletes. Hutton, who finished his UNO career as a two-time Academic All-American, benefited from an NCAA postgraduate scholarship and went on to pursue his dreams of helping other athletes get back in the game. “I had my share of sports-related injuries, so this field is something I was always interested in,” says Hutton, who joined the OrthoWest team in 1994 as an orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in — yep — shoulder injuries. “Dr. Walsh has operated on both of my shoulders, so I was interested in the practice,” Hutton says. Hutton received his medical degree from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine and completed an orthopaedic surgery residency at Parkland Memorial

Mike Roberts, head trainer for UNO athletics, says the benefits that the athletic training department and student-athletes have reaped during the four decades of the OrthoWest partnership are immeasurable. The UNO training department has five full-time certified staff members, two certified graduate assistant athletic trainers, and about 40 student trainers.

“Students get to observe the physicians when they come to the athletic training room to see athletes during clinics or games,” Roberts says. They also complete observation hours at OrthoWest with the team orthopaedists, allowing them to observe their evaluation methods and patient interaction, and observe surgeries. The staff at OrthoWest also is actively involved in the classroom education component with physicians and their physician assistants, giving lectures on specialty orthopaedic topics and teaching various casting methods. “OrthoWest has some of the top orthopaedic physicians in the country and can handle almost any orthopaedic specialty in-house,” Roberts says. “Probably the biggest benefit that we see with the OrthoWest physicians is that they are readily accessible. We can get in contact with our physicians or their staff during clinic hours, or can get in touch with them on the evenings and weekends if we have a question regarding the care of our athletes.” Gary Freeman, UNO’s associate athletic director for advancement, said it is difficult to put a value on the partnership with OrthoWest and its founder, Walsh, recipient of the UNO Athletics Lifetime Achievement Award. “The amount of time that doctors have spent covering athletic events is in the tens of thousands of hours,” Freeman says. “OrthoWest’s involvement in our program and the university goes beyond the specialized care. Financially, they are also dedicated corporate sponsors, and to me that is a great statement about their commitment to UNO Athletics.” Walsh is recently retired. But Hutton remains to carry the torch, serving his alma mater as doctor and teacher. “It is rewarding for me to work with these young student-athletes because as a young athlete I saw the importance of the physicians who helped with my recovery,” Hutton says. “So hopefully now I can give that back actively working with young athletes in all sports.”

the colleges With Toler as his inspiration, Lewis wrote to the NFL and received a rulebook. From that point on, he was determined to follow Toler’s lead in the NFL. He started small, acting as a line judge at the North Omaha Boys Club. The volunteer position was a “labor of love,” Lewis says, but it earned him a club award as Boy of the Year. He went on to ref at high school and college levels. Finally, in 1997, he got the call he’d been waiting on for nearly 30 years. “After the Alamo Bowl in ’96, I got a call from the NFL telling me I was one of their finalists,” he says. “They have a system where they scout officials they want to come into the league, then the applicants go through a process involving background checks and psychological interviews.” He traveled to New York, where he was subjected to a battery of questions from a variety of specialists, including a psychologist. “I never did find out if I passed that exam or not,” he says with a grin. He made the cut and reffed 244 games in the NFL since then, 210 on the field as a line judge and 34 as a replay official. A faculty member for the College of Business Administration’s Finance, Banking & Real Estate Office department, Lewis says skills he learns on the field transfer to the classroom. “I’ll try anything that works,” he says, but his main challenge is staying calm under pressure. It’s necessary because “as an official, you’re only liked half the time … unless you’re a replacement, when you’re not liked any time,” he says. The next skill, compassion, ties directly to common sense, which Lewis says is the ability to discern and apply the intent of a rule, rather than following it to the letter. He says too many people have been fired because the rulebook is too technical.

Reffing It An inside look at the NFL career of UNO Professor Darryll Lewis

by Noelle Lynn Blood, College of Business Administration Darryll Lewis, associate professor of law at UNO, first was motivated to pursue a position in the National Football League in the mid-1960s. But it wasn’t as a player. Lewis was watching his family’s small black and white television when he saw Burl Toler, the NFL’s first black referee, officiating a Chicago Bears game. “I ran upstairs to my parents and said, ‘Hey! There’s a colored guy on TV!,’” Lewis says.

“You have to know the intent,” he says, “because it takes a long time to get where you want to go [in the league] and there’s no guarantees.” This lack of enduring promises led to the league locking its officials out for about seven weeks at the start of this season as labor disputes including compensation, pensions and job security were hashed out. The final agreement, which will last for eight years, calls for a continuation of the pension plan, compensation for lost wages during the lockout, and the hiring of some younger officials. “We didn’t get what we deserved, we got what we negotiated,” Lewis says. “During the lockout, the officials missed doing what we enjoy the most — officiating.” Keeping a pension plan is important, Lewis says, because 82 of 117 total officials are older than 50 — including Lewis. “We were informed at the end of last season that we should be prepared to sit out the entire season if necessary to assert the importance of not removing our pensions,” he says. “I’m 59, so I have many more years behind me than in front of me in regards to working.” How many more years? For Lewis, that’s to be determined. “I would like to officiate as long as the body, enjoyment and good spirit hold out,” he says.

the colleges

Professor Rounding UNO Dave Ogden is a big when it comes the hitto researching Bases baseball His father was a Cardinals fan, his mother a Cubs fan. Somehow, Dave Ogden’s parents made their marriage work, raising a son in the proverbial heart of baseball country in Lewiston, Ill. “It made for a dysfunctional household, but you couldn't escape baseball in that area of the country in the 1950s, when I was in grade school,” Ogden says. To be safe, Ogden grew up a Pittsburgh Pirates fan. He also played the game through junior high, though not without some challenges. “I was slow, skinny, short, and couldn’t hit a fastball — or curveball for that matter,” Ogden says. “And my fielding was worse.” Today, though, he might be UNO’s best hit when it comes to studying baseball. He’s written extensively on baseball history and culture, researching topics ranging from myth-making to anti-spit tobacco campaigns to the Negro Leagues. He has presented his research numerous times at the Cooperstown Conference on Baseball and Culture, sponsored annually by the Baseball Hall of Fame. Ogden has been at it since his days as a student, making baseball the subject of his UNO master’s thesis and UNL dissertation. Among the areas he’s studied most is youth baseball, an interest sparked when his son played on traveling select teams. “It surprised me how few African-American youths were on those teams,” Ogden says. “I started observing other select teams and have found over the years that my initial observation was substantiated.”

“Nine out of 10 players have played select baseball, so almost two-thirds of those drafted by the big leagues during the June draft are veterans of select baseball,” Ogden says.

Ogden found that less than 4 percent of players on the more than 750 teams from 28 states he observed were black. “It's a stark contrast to the history of involvement of African-Americans in baseball,” he says, “especially when you compare what's happening today to the earliest days of the Negro Leagues.” Ogden also has partnered with UNO adjunct professor Kevin Warneke to study how youth select baseball has changed major league ball.

Ogden currently is on sabbatical, but he’s staying busy. He and Warneke are teaming with Iowa Western Community College Professor John Shorey to survey those who attend Omaha Storm Chasers and Iowa Cubs games to determine what they pay attention to at minor league games (Baseball? Fellow fans? On-field promos?). He and Warneke also are writing a journal article exploring how umpires view attempts by baseball coaches to dispute calls. And Ogden on his own is writing a chapter on Negro League baseball at Rosenblatt Stadium. That book, on Rosenblatt, is to be published by McFarland Press.

Extra Innings

— Sarah Casey, University Relations

A few other things Ogden has unearthed in his baseball studies:

• Stacking by Race Research has shown for years that black players in the major leagues usually play outfield. Very few become pitchers (though that’s slowly changing) or catchers (there wasn’t a single black catcher in MLB in 2001 or 2012). Stacking, though, doesn’t start in the Bigs: “I'm finding evidence of that at the youth select level, where last year I found that most of the black players on select teams that I saw played the outfield,” Ogden says.

• Local is Better “There are some very creative ways to interest inner city kids in baseball, and most of them have come from locally started programs,” Ogden says, “not national ones like Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities. Around here (Omaha), the Memorial Park League is a good example.”

• Baseball or Bust The national survey of college players Ogden performed with Warneke found that more than 40 percent played nothing but baseball as kids. “We also found in that survey that college players tended to play the same positions they did in select ball, especially shortstops, catchers and pitchers.”

the colleges

Instant Replay

Clubbin' It

By Lori Rice

UNO’s Missouri Valley History Conference to get athletic at its 2013 gathering For 56 years, the Missouri Valley History Conference (MVHC) has been an annual rite of spring for the midwestern historical community. Founded and organized by the UNO history department, the conference is the longest-standing professional gathering of historians in the region. In 2013, the MVHC turns its focus to fun and games with a theme of “Life Must Be Lived as Play: Competition, Sport and Leisure in Human History.”

They may not have NCAA varsity status, fancy team duffel bags or even a coach, but student-initiated and student-led sports clubs at UNO have become a Maverick tradition now in a fifth decade. Club sports got their start at UNO in the late 1970s with offerings such as soccer and martial arts. Hockey even was a club sport at UNO. The nationally ranked varsity program’s first coach, Mike Kemp, first led the university’s club team in 1976.

The conference runs March 7-9 at the Embassy Suites Downtown/Old Market.

Today the university offers 13 recognized sports clubs involving more than 150 students. That includes equestrian, badminton, lacrosse, ultimate Frisbee and, yes, even bass fishing.

Dr. W. Lindsay Adams from the University of Utah and president of the Association of Ancient Historians will deliver the March 8 keynote address: “The Olympics: Ancient and Modern.”

“Students come in with these ideas and we'll take them and see how far we can push them,” says Lisa Medina, assistant director of sports clubs and youth programs at UNO. “I can't make the club for them, but we are here to help every step of the way.”

Seven theme panels, meanwhile, will touch on topics such as Jim Thorpe, Title IX and women athletes, “Basketball, the American Indian Sport,” and “Super(man) Athlete: From Phidippides to Muhammad Ali.” MVCH is open to history professionals and faculty with doctorates in history or related fields, but also to graduate and undergraduate students. It offers several prizes for the best student papers. “Roughly half the papers are presented by students —mostly grad students but the occasional promising undergrad,” says MVHC Coordinator Jeanne Reames, UNO associate professor of history. “The number of presenters and participants each year for the past 10 or 15 has been well over 100, and we often see far more participants by way of our audiences.” For more information on MVHC, or to register, visit unomaha.edu/mvhc

Unlike hockey and other varsity sports, club sports operate without the funding of varsity athletics. There are no athletic scholarships and very limited university funding. Members mostly rely on fundraising to help offset out-ofpocket expenses for training, traveling and competitions. The clubs, offered through the Office of Campus Recreation, range from recreational to highly competitive teams that travel and compete against club teams from other universities. “We have a growing student enrollment and a lot of them had been athletes in high school and want to have some sort of competition, or even just surround themselves with people that had been competitive at some point and have that desire for being active,” Medina says. UNO student Ben Seiker, for instance, had been trapshooting for 12 years prior to coming to UNO. He joined the UNO trap and skeet club three years ago. It’s one of the more competitive clubs on campus. Members travel to several competitions each semester and every fall host one of the largest collegiate trapshooting competitions in the country. Money raised from the competition goes toward helping club members pay for travel costs to attend the National ACUI Trap Shooting Collegiate Championship in Texas each spring. “We meet a lot of fun guys and form a lot of friendships,” says Seiker, a junior and former president of the club who now serves as an advisor. “I still end up traveling and hanging out with different friends I met at different colleges.” Senior Alix Wayne found her niche as a member of the Quidditch club, which takes the Harry Potter magical flying broomstick game to the ground in an amalgam of soccer, dodge ball and rugby. “You don't have to be the best athlete in the world to play,” Wayne says. “It's a great social thing … and it's just a fun game to play.” Medina says sports clubs provide an opportunity to live a balanced life academically, athletically and socially. They offer a happy medium between intramural sports and varsity athletics. “Unlike an athletic department, where your life kind of starts with athletics and you piece things around it,” Medina says. Students in club sports, she says, “are able to still be competitive, still be active, but have it balanced out a little between work and school — because a lot of students here at UNO work full time.”

the colleges

We found that there was a 4 percent increase in ball velocity...

Grunt Work

In tennis it’s known as “the grunt.”

Some of the best tennis players in the world grunt — Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal and others. While some view it as a trademark representing intensity and effort, others see it as an unnecessary annoyance.

grunting. At the end of each hitting series results were given in ball velocity and how hard each player was working. Results were aggregated with men and women. The findings? Grunting works.

So when discussions began to ban grunting at Wimbledon for women’s tennis, Emily Callison decided to explore grunting in depth.

“By the end of it we found that there was a 4 percent increase in ball velocity when they grunted compared to when they didn’t grunt,” Callison says.

“We wanted to look at how grunting affects players on the court in their ball velocity and in their VO2 (maximum oxygen uptake),” Callison says. “With all the controversy going around we thought it would be a fun topic to do and explore the results.”

Plus, players didn’t expend extra energy when grunting.

Callison knows grunting firsthand — she played tennis for the University of North Dakota from 2005 to 2009 and helped coach UNO’s team last year. And, yes, she was a grunter. “But not a loud one,” she says. Now she’s a graduate student for Professor Kris Berg in the Exercise Physiology Laboratory and Fitness Center. Callison thought a real-world application of her thesis would be useful to athletes and other tennis players of all levels.

“We didn’t see any change in VO2,” Callison says, “so you don’t necessarily work harder when you grunt.” In a sport where decisions and reactions need to be made in a split-second, does a 4 percent increase in ball velocity have an effect on players? “I personally think it does, and I’m sure some of the more competitive players would say the same,” Callison says. So what’s her research mean for those who want to ban grunting? Should grunting be banned if it’s going to adversely affect a player’s performance?

Using players from the UNO men’s and women’s tennis team, Callison and Berg devised a series of tests with different equipment to measure results.

Some argue that tennis has always been a game of elegance and appropriate mannerisms, similar to golf. Grunting, they say, can be a distraction for not only the opponent but also for spectators.

“We measured ball velocity with a standard radar gun. The players were also hooked up to a portable metabolic device so they were able to hit a series of shots while getting their oxygen measured,” Callison says.

It’s not been banned yet. But people are talking — and research like Callison’s gives them something even more to discuss.

Players went through five two-minute periods during which they hit for two minutes while grunting then took a short break before hitting another two minutes without

“It’s in the back of my mind every time I play so I’ll be interested to see what happens in the future with grunting” Callison says. — Mark Joekel, assistant director marketing and external relations, Campus Recreation

the colleges

UNO is among the nation’s leaders in preparing athletic trainers

In Training If you’ve ever seen a player get injured during a sporting event, chances are you’ve also seen someone running from the bench to help her. Most of the time, that’s an athletic trainer — those folks responsible for the health and well-being of athletes from little leaguers to Olympians. And few universities do a better job of educating them than UNO. UNO has offered courses in athletic training for three decades in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER). The university’s athletic training program prepares students to earn certification so they can move directly from school into a job. “We’re the leaders in developing this route to certification,” says Melanie McGrath, associate professor and athletic training program director. “We actually just went through reaccreditation and were granted another 10 years, which is the maximum length. That basically means we’ve met every single standard and met it well.” McGrath points to at least 23 UNO alumni working as high school athletic trainers in the Omaha metropolitan area. Of those, 13 received their athletic training degrees from UNO and the other 10 received master’s degrees in related fields. At least three athletic trainers in Lincoln Public Schools also are UNO alumni. No other athletic training education program is represented as heavily in eastern Nebraska. Even more impressive is that UNO’s program is one of only five in the country that offers entry-level degrees for both undergraduates and graduates. In fact, UNO was the first institution anywhere to offer a graduatelevel professional degree for athletic training. Today, 25 other institutions do the same. Jessica O’Neel, an alumna of the athletic training program, graduated in 2003 and earned her accreditation soon after. She is now a credentialing specialist for the Board of Certification for the Athletic

McGrath (inset) says UNO students receive 1,200 to 1,800 hours of clinical experience during their athletic training program studies.

Trainer, located in Omaha. It’s the only accredited certification program in the United States. “Growing up, I was always interested in service and health care professions,” O’Neel says. “Athletic training was a natural fit for me when I had the opportunity to blend service and health care together as an athletic training student aide.” O’Neel chose UNO based on the recommendation of Lincoln Southeast High School’s then-assistant athletic trainer Cindy Barker Benda, also a UNO grad. “While at UNO, I was fortunate to have many experiences with a variety of sports. Working at Millard South High School was one of my favorite rotations,” she says. “I transitioned into graduate school … with confidence because of my academic and clinical education at UNO.”

Advancing the Field Athletic training, O’Neel says, didn’t get its start until 1950, when there were about 200 athletic trainers. Today, she says, 41,000 athletic trainers are certified in the United States. UNO began its program in the 1980s. Just since then the profession has made significant advancements. For example, McGrath says, “Our management of concussions and head injuries is dramatically different.” (See “Head Games” on Page 44). “Back when I was in school we were taught that if an athlete had a head injury but didn’t show any

symptoms in 15 minutes then they could go back out to a practice or game, or whatever it was,” McGrath says. “We know better now — we really know better.” And they know more about more. At UNO, students are required to dedicate 20 hours a week doing applied clinical work at UNO, Creighton University and 11 area high schools every semester in the program. That’s on top of coursework, tests and research papers. “I don’t think that people really recognize how well educated athletic trainers are,” McGrath says. “By the time a student graduates from UNO they have 1,200 to 1,800 hours of clinical experience. “UNO's athletic training program has a major impact on the lives of thousands of student-athletes in the Omaha Metro.” The UNO program also holds regular events for local high school students interested in the profession, including a high school “athletic training day” every December. That usually attracts from 25 to 45 students. All of it is time well spent, O’Neel says. “Ask yourself, who is taking care of your kids?” she says. “Athletic trainers take responsibility and reduce risk and liability. Athletic trainers save lives. Everybody’s body deserves an athletic trainer.” — Charley Reed, University Relations

the colleges

Hate Soccer? Maybe You’re a Conservative UNO professor researches the links among the world’s most popular sport, globalization and culture wars Forget the familiar election map that shows America divided into red states and blue states. One UNO professor has found a more reliable way to determine a person’s stance on controversial issues associated with this country’s “culture wars.” Don’t ask about political leanings … ask if they watched the World Cup. “We tried to get some measure about how people feel about globalization,” says Daniel Hawkins, a UNO sociology professor. “Soccer might feed into that. People see it as a European sport.” Hawkins and Andrew Lindner, from Concordia College in Minnesota, published

“Globalization, Culture Wars and Attitudes Toward Soccer in America: An Empirical Assessment of How Soccer Explains the World.” The idea for the study, published in the Sociological Quarterly, came after Hawkins read the book, “How Soccer Explains the World.” “The book said Americans are kind of scared about globalization and the world influence on us,” Hawkins says. “We thought we could test that.” The authors surveyed Nebraskans and found that attitudes about soccer closely parallel views on globalization — more so than political affiliation or social class. Someone who supports immigration likely is to take a favorable view of soccer, the most popular sport in the world. Conversely,

someone who dislikes soccer — even viewing the sport as “un-American” — is likely to see international courts as a threat to American sovereignty. “Conservatives were more likely to be against globalization and have anti-soccer attitudes,” says Hawkins, a professed sports fan whose research touches other sports (see “Court Savvy” on Page 42). Overall, though, many surveyed were moderate in their views on globalization and ambivalent about soccer. Only 8 percent of respondents truly hate soccer. “The language of a culture war conjures up images of hostility, strife and marked polarization,” the authors wrote. “Our research indicates that most of the public is not engaged in a highly polarized culture war.” — Greg Kozol

The Flying Mavs: UNO’s Aviation Athletes For the past four years, not even the sky has been the limit for UNO’s Aviation Institute and its competitive flight team, the Flying Mavs. Early in 2012 the institute received the Loening Trophy for being named top program in the nation, while the Flying Mavs placed 11th in the country at the annual SAFECON competition, organized annually by the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA). Scott Vlasek, director of the Aviation Institute, calls the Loening Trophy “the Stanley Cup” of aviation, having been handled by aviation greats like Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh. The institute, founded in 1992, has won first in its regional competition in 2009, 2010 and 2011. “Three years in a row was a great feat for us,” Vlasek says. This past October UNO placed third in the regional competition, qualifying for nationals, which will be held in May 2013 in Columbus, Ohio. Consisting of up to a dozen events that assess students’ abilities on the ground, in a simulator and in flight, the regional and national competitions are mentally taxing for students. Training for each event

requires seven hours of practice a week beyond whatever other time might be spent on research. “It is definitely a time commitment,” says James Slabaugh, a graduate assistant for the Aviation Institute and former member of the Flying Mavs. “That is one thing I tell [new students]. It’s not like an organization where you just join and check a box to put it on your resume.” Slabaugh and Vlasek say the effort put into training and competing is worth it. “Networking is extremely important in the aviation industry,” Slabaugh says. “And flight team is a really good way for these kids to network.” Vlasek agrees, adding that many students on the team go into careers in the aviation field, including becoming pilots and air-traffic controllers. However, the program has helped UNO, as well.

“Our recent successes have gotten UNO’s name out to people who otherwise probably wouldn’t have known we even existed,” Vlasek says. And while people may not consider aviation to be physically demanding like athletics, there are more similarities than differences. “You are going up against other students from other programs to showcase your skills and talents,” Vlasek says. “That competition is there.” — Charley Reed, University Relations

get to know he answered Who is your favorite athlete? I honestly have never had any one athlete who I would call my favorite. I respect and admire those male and female athletes who truly dedicate themselves to their sport through hard work, commitment and sacrifice and whose attitudes and life choices make them good role models.

we asked

ChaNCe Lindley UNO Women’s Basketball Coach

What was your first job? I organized and ran basketball camps and leagues during high school and my early years of college. My first “real” job was as assistant basketball coach for the boys JV team at a private high school in Wichita, Kan., while I was finishing up my degree. What was the best advice you HAVE ever received? Tough to pick only one because I have been given great advice and support from my parents … and I still value their advice … However, the two things that come to mind would be: 1) treat every day at work like it is your first day on the job; and, 2) surround yourself with positive people. What is your secret to happiness? For me, happiness involves keeping my priorities in the right order and doing my best to have a wise balance between work, family and fun.

we asked

Who is your favorite athlete?

My current favorite athlete is Aaron Rodgers, quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. Being from Green Bay myself, I was very aware of the intense pressure he’d be under in replacing the legendary Brett Favre. Rodgers has done so more successfully and with more class than could ever be expected. Plus, he’s won me a few fantasy football leagues.

Being an old hockey fan from Colorado, my answer has to be Patrick Roy. I will never forget watching the Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup back in 2001. Roy used to step over all of the lines on the ice because he was superstitious. He was fun to watch.

answered Kate O’Dell Editor, Gateway

Bill Russell. The ultimate goal for all of us involved in team sports is to lead our teams to championships. Russell won three high school state championships … two NCAA Championships at San Francisco, led the United States to a gold medal in the 1956 Olympic Games and won 11 NBA Championships in only 13 NBA seasons for the Boston Celtics.

answered

Daniel Hawkins Assistant Professor, Sociology

Eric Behrens (‘99, ‘05) Head Coach, Central High School basketball

Text, photos by Jenna Zeorian, University of Nebraska Foundation

Muhammad Ali because he stood up for what he believed, he was a marketing genius and he had an incredible drive to succeed. I admire the way he maintained a positive attitude despite the fact that he had known both sadness and joy. He had the amazing ability to illustrate great confidence and ego. He could entertain the masses and give hope to the disadvantaged.

answered Mollie Anderson Director, Human Resources

Bobby Orr. As a kid falling in love with pucks while following the Central Hockey League's Omaha Knights at Aksarben Coliseum, Orr was revolutionizing hockey with his offensive capabilities from the defenseman position. I even combed my hair like Bobby Orr. Like his contemporary, Joe Namath, who knows what Orr would have done with healthy knees.

answered Terry Leahy UNO Hockey radio analyst

athletics

Getting Her Kicks UNO soccer player Monica Bosiljevac helping underprivileged children through Football For the World

A Grand Gift

Connie Claussen contributes $100,000 to UNO Athletics

For some, soccer is a universal language. Monica Bosiljevac, a junior midfielder on the UNO women’s soccer team, discovered just that last year while studying abroad in Botswana and serving as a volunteer coach in Tanzania. Bosiljevac’s love for soccer developed an instant rapport with children she met.

Connie Claussen has made plenty of news during her 50 years working for UNO.

“As soon as the kids in Botswana found out I played soccer, they were all like, ‘Oh, come on! Let’s go play!’” Bosiljevac says. “We’d have a great time, and some of them were even better than I was. We played on dirt. We played barefoot, which was cool. I stepped on a ton of rocks.”

And in November she did it again, contributing $100,000 to UNO Athletics.

The experience was eye-opening, she says.

“I'm very fortunate, and UNO has been very good to me,” she told the Omaha World-Herald. “So many positive things are happening here, and I just want to be a part of it.”

Bosiljevac is taking steps to change that.

Claussen (pictured with Don Leahy) has been a big part of those happenings. A UNO graduate, she began teaching physical education at UNO in 1963 and two years later chaired the department. In 1969, the Omaha Softball Association asked Claussen to help start the Women’s College World Series. Since UNO was the host school, Claussen coached a softball team to compete in the WCWS. That was the beginning of NCAA women’s athletics at UNO. In 1975 she led UNO to the national softball championship. In 1979 she was manager of the USA Women’s Softball team that won the gold medal at the Pan American Games. Other sports were added at UNO, helping it become one of the top women’s athletic programs in NCAA Division II. That was furthered in large measure by what first was known as the Diet Pepsi/UNO Women’s Walk, a fundraiser Claussen founded in 1986 and which raised more than $4 million for women’s athletics. Claussen, the first woman inducted into the UNO Athletics Hall of Fame, retired as the associate athletic director in 1998. She continues with the department in an advisory role as UNO athletic director emeritus.

“These kids in underprivileged countries, they don’t even have a soccer ball to play soccer with,” Bosiljevac says. “Sometimes they would be kicking around garbage bags. Whatever they could find.” While in Tanzania she met Alikhan Popat, who had just started Football for the World (FFTW), a nonprofit organization that provides donated soccer equipment — shoes, soccer balls, socks, jerseys, shorts, shin guards, etc. — to underprivileged children worldwide. “He had seen these kids in other countries play soccer without even having a soccer ball to play with, and he said ‘I have a bunch of this stuff back home. All my friends do,’” Bosiljevac says. “So he collected some things and sent them abroad. I knew I wanted to help out right away.” Bosiljevac, who started 10 games for UNO in 2012 and scored one goal before injuring her knee, has seen her fair share of soccer equipment. “I get two pairs of soccer cleats every year that I break in, and they sit in a closet or I throw them away at the end of the season,” she says. “When I was there, I had a desire to help these kids, and it worked out perfectly that Ali had this infrastructure that he built, so I teamed up with him to do the same thing.” FFTW’s last drive sent soccer equipment to Mexico and Columbia. “As a group we raised over 1,000 items,” Bosiljevac says. “From my group we raised about 300 of those, and that was from collecting cleats from fans at a UNO soccer game this fall. UNO also donated our old soccer jerseys, which was awesome.” Some of her UNO teammates have contributed as well, and she’s asked all her Facebook friends to like the Football for the World Facebook page. She’s also established collection bins at St. Margaret Mary and St. Cecilia grade schools and hopes to collect equipment via area soccer clubs and at the state soccer tournament this spring. A marketing major, she hopes to continue helping FFTW after she graduates. Perhaps she could land a job with FFTW or with another nonprofit entity related to sports. Anything to help. “Soccer has always been something I’ve enjoyed, and after seeing the kids abroad that aren’t as fortunate as we are, it makes a lot of sense,” she says. “I think it’s a really good way to make other kids happy. They benefit so much.” See more at www.footballfortheworld.org — Nate Pohlen, UNO Athletic Communications

athletics

What’s in a Name? For Maverick Athletics, it’s all about becoming Omaha’s Team

For years, “NE-OM” scrolled across the score ticker of sports networks, leaving many fans confused at to who, what and where NE-OM was. So to distinguish itself at the Division I level, Maverick Athletics has chosen — like many other schools — to forego the use of the “at” or hyphen in its name. Now, UNO athletic teams highlight the city they call home, referring to themselves simply as “Omaha.” “Ultimately, I think you're defined by the way people refer to you,” Director of Athletics Trev Alberts says. “And we've tried as we've made decisions to look at peer institutions — major metropolitan campuses that are part of university systems — to see what others have done.” UNC-Charlotte, for instance, now goes by Charlotte. Wisconsin-Green Bay switched to Green Bay and Wisconsin-Milwaukee to Milwaukee. Fellow Summit League universities also have changed their monikers. UMKC and IPFW have updated their names to more easily identify their city homes — Kansas City and Fort Wayne, respectively. The change isn’t just on tickers. The UNO hockey team this year began wearing jerseys with “Omaha” emblazoned on the front, while other Maverick squads — including basketball, baseball and softball — have sported the Omaha name for several years already. And the athletic department has used Omaha to refer to its teams in news releases. Alberts stressed that the move is not intended to separate the school from the University of Nebraska system. In fact, it’s still a key part of a new logo that debuted in 2011 — a distinctive “O” design formed by a red “N” and a black “U.” “Our desire is not to in any way disassociate ourselves from the University of Nebraska system — that's one of the strongest pieces we have,” Alberts says. “This is an effort to best show who we are on a national level.” On a local level, the school still will go by UNO or Mavericks for fans familiar with the more traditional references. But on the national stage, it’s too easy to be confused with the University of New Orleans, UNO pizza, or the UNO card game, Alberts says. Now in Division I, Omaha wants to take advantage of its new branding opportunities to showcase the university and its surrounding community. “We want people to know who we are,” Alberts says. “No one knows who ‘NE-OM’ is, but people have heard of Omaha. And we're proud that we're the public institution in Omaha and proud to be able to drive our brand and reflect what we think is one of the best communities in the country.” — Sam Vrba, UNO Athletic Communications

Change in Venue April 20 Claussen-Leahy Run/Walk detours to Pacific Street campus One of UNO Athletics’ marquee fundraisers will move to the Pacific Street campus in its second year. The Claussen-Leahy Run/Walk — formerly the UNO/Diet Pepsi Women’s Walk — will be held Saturday, April 20, beginning at 8:30 a.m. at Stinson Park in Aksarben Village. The temporary move is necessary because of ongoing construction near Caniglia Field. The event features 5K and 2K runs and walks and an 800-meter Kids’ Race and Elders Walk. UNO student-athletes will also host Mini Sports Clinics for children. The event is an outgrowth of the UNO Women’s Walk, held for 26 years as the primary fundraiser for women’s athletic scholarships. That event was founded in 1986 by UNO Athletic Director Emeritus Connie Claussen, one of the namesakes of the current event with Athletic Director Emeritus Don Leahy. The Run/Walk benefits all UNO student-athletes and allows participants to designate which teams they would like to support or if that support should go to the general athletics fund. Last year, the event raised more than $200,000. Karen Hawkins and Ande Hawkins Johnson are co-chairs of the 2013 Run/Walk. — Dave Ahlers, director of UNO Athletic Communications

A Night to Remember Six former Mavericks enter UNO Athletics Hall of Fame The UNO Athletic department welcomed more than 300 guests Oct. 18 for its annual Night with the Mavs dinner, staged in the new Ralston Arena. The evening also included induction of six members into the UNO Athletics Hall of Fame. Athletes Nikki (Mastny) Bails (volleyball), Steve Costanzo (wrestling), Beth McGill (soccer), Ali Petersen (swimming) and Adam Wright (football) joined the Hall based on contributions to Maverick athletics. Football Coach Sandy Buda also was inducted. Bios for each inductee can be found in the Hall of Fame section of OMavs.com. UNO athletics also recognized people, companies and organizations in the community with a series of awards. The law firm of Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather was recognized as Corporate Citizens of the Year. Distinguished Persons of the Year were Brian and Carey Hamilton, who made a significant gift toward construction of the Brian and Carey Hamilton Academic Success Room in Sapp Fieldhouse. Maverick Newcomer of the Year was the Ethel S. Abbott Foundation, which helped UNO create the Ethel S. Abbott Foundation Student-Athlete Development Center, also in Sapp Fieldhouse. Dr. Mike Walsh received the Bob and Marcia Kruger Family Lifetime Achievement Award. Walsh worked with UNO student-athletes for 33 years in sports medicine, treating the injuries of athletes across many sports. The evening concluded with a live and silent auction with money raised benefiting UNO student-athletes. — Dave Ahlers, director of UNO Athletic Communications

athletics

Bits of the Bull Springing Into Action

Shaking off the winter, seven Maverick teams begin new seasons

Spring is eagerly anticipated by many who have weathered a typical Midwestern winter, but that excitement is intensified in the world of athletics. It compels baseball coaches to chop ice out of long-dormant dugouts and gets tennis players to shovel the last mounds of snow from the baseline. The heat of competition — at least for a while — will stave off any lingering chill. Following are previews of the seven teams springing into action at UNO in 2013.

Baseball The UNO baseball team begins its season at a San Antonio tournament the first weekend in March. The Mavs’ first home series is the following weekend when they host North Dakota on Omaha Westside High School’s artificial turf field. The Mavericks follow that series with one far north, albeit in the comfortable confines of the Minneapolis Metrodome for a date with Minnesota. Most intriguing for UNO fans will be seven non-conference games UNO plays at Werner Park, the home of the Omaha Storm Chasers. The Mavericks open the sevengame slate March 22-24 against Northern Colorado. Other games at Werner Park include matchups with Creighton (March 30), Air Force (April 9), Kansas State (April 10), and Iowa (April 16). “We played a pair of games at Werner Park last season, and it was a great stage for our

players to compete on,” says Bob Herold, UNO’s head coach. “The seven games we have there this year will give fans a chance to see some competitive baseball in an outstanding facility.” UNO opens its first full season in the Summit League when it hosts Fort Wayne April 5. The Mavericks are coming off a 12-36 season in which they became the first UNO team, other than hockey, to play a full Division I schedule. It’s valuable experience for those players who return, including four starting position players and four starting pitchers. The pitching staff is led by senior righthander Matt Tew, who posted 48 strikeouts in 62.2 innings pitched in 2012.

Scarpello has reason to be excited. Dana Elsasser returns for her junior season as the Mavs’ ace. Elsasser recorded a 13-9 record and a 1.07 ERA and was named Great West Conference Pitcher of the Year. Kat Barrow (9-7, 1.62 ERA) and Ashton Hughes (2-2, 4.47 ERA) also return. Junior Amber Lutmer is the Mavs’ top returning hitter. Lutmer hit .333 last season with a team-high 11 home runs and 43 RBIs. In all, five starting hitters return for Omaha this season.

Sophomore Alex Mortensen returns after batting .292 with four home runs, nine doubles and 26 RBI in 2012.

UNO also added former Creighton standout Allie Mathewson, who transferred during the offseason. The Papillion native played one season for the Blue Jays and hit .339 while starting all 54 games in the outfield or at first base. She earned All-Missouri Valley Conference Second-Team honors.

Softball

Tennis

The UNO softball team was 24-18 last season, playing almost a full Division I schedule. Like the baseball team, it begins its season in warmer climes. The Mavericks will play 15 games in February alone, traveling to Wilmington, N.C., Denton, Texas and Jackson, Miss. In all, they’ll play in five tournaments before opening their home schedule with Nebraska at Westside Field March 12. They follow that with their Summit League opener, a three-game slate with North Dakota State March 15-16.

The UNO men’s and women’s tennis teams played in a handful of events in the fall, but the regular season begins in the spring for both.

“We are excited about the opportunity to begin playing a full Summit League schedule this year,” head coach Jeanne Scarpello says. “We have a lot of great players returning and are excited about our new players as well. We hope to see some of them contributing from day one.”

The men return a wealth of experience. Senior Matt Frost and junior Eric McKnight are back after redshirting last season, and both should contribute significantly to the lineup. Senior Peter Greteman and juniors Carlos Ramos Salazar and Anthony Forcucci also bring a wealth of experience. Sophomore Connor Larson returns after posting one of the Mavs’ top records in 2011-12 at 5-8, and

ATHLETICS

sophomore Nathan Greteman is back after going 8-10 in doubles play last year. “We are looking forward to seeing how much we can improve throughout the season,” says head coach Mike Saniuk, who guides the men’s and women’s teams. “It’s nice to get players like Frost and McKnight back after not having them available last season, and we had some good performances in our fall season that have me encouraged for the upcoming spring season.” UNO opens the season Jan. 20 when it hosts Arkansas. The Mavs begin their first full season in the Summit League with home matches against Western Illinois, UMKC and South Dakota State. Other home matches include North Dakota, Oral Roberts and Bradley. The women open its 2013 season Feb. 1, hosting Nebraska Wesleyan at Hanscom Tennis Center. It’s one of three-straight home matches that also include dates with North Dakota and Arkansas-Little Rock. UNO returns four letterwinners this season: senior Lindsay Weideman and sophomores Alex Tran, Rachel Pierson and Jacqueline Baude. The Mavericks have six Summit league matches on the slate, beginning with Western Illinois and Fort Wayne March 15 in Kansas City, Mo.

Track and Field UNO track and field makes the transition from indoor to outdoor in the spring, again relying on standout seniors like sprinter Maja Mihalinec and distance specialist Amanda Vorthmann, and multi-eventer Sami Spenner, a junior. The performance of Spenner will be of particular note. Last year, competing unattached, she missed qualifying for

the Olympic heptathlon trials by just seven points. In addition, Vorthmann will look to cap her senior season in style. Last year, she set two school records and during this year’s cross country season, she ran the fastest 5-kilometer time in school history for either track or cross country. The Mavericks also should get solid contributions from senior throwers Lianne McNaughton and Liz Thompson, both of whom redshirted last season, and junior jumper Kathie-Lee Laidley who set a school record in the long jump outdoors last season while winning the event in five of six meets. “There’s no question our seniors are going to lead our team this year,” says Steve Smith, UNO’s head track and field coach. “They have the potential to score a lot of points for us in the Summit League Outdoor Championship.” Among the schedule highlights for the Mavericks are an invite to the University of the West Indies in Jamaica in March (training ground for Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt); the annual appearance at the prestigious Drake Relays April 24-27; and

their first competition in the Summit League outdoor championships May 9-11.

Golf The Maverick men’s and women’s golf teams will finish UNO’s only split season when they compete in the spring. The men played 14 rounds in the fall, winning the Concordia Invitational in mid-September to highlight their schedule to date. Sophomore Karl Krieser and junior college transfer Alex Overfelt led the Mavericks in scoring with a stroke average of 77. Krieser posted UNO’s top three 18hole rounds of the fall and tied the school’s Division I 54-hole tournament record with a score of 219 at Houston Baptist. The women played in 15 rounds last fall and were led by newcomer Sophie Peters, a Fremont, Neb., native who transferred from Morningside. She finished the first half of the season with a team-leading stroke average of 82. She had seven of the top eight 18-hole scores for UNO and fired the second-best 54-hole score in UNO history at Missouri State in mid-October. “Both of our teams showed improvement throughout the fall,” says Tim Nelson, UNO’s Director of Golf. “Our goal now is to pick up from where we left off and hopefully be playing our best golf by the time the Summit League Championships are held in late April.” The spring schedules for both UNO golf teams were not available at press time. — Dave Ahlers, director of UNO Athletic Communications

H me Ice 12

Great expectations are building with the proposal of a UNO sports arena

An artist’s rendition of arena that only serves as a “place holder” until the real design is created.

It will hold around 7,500 people, a much smaller capacity than the CenturyLink Center where the Mavs now play. But that’s a huge downtown venue designed with concerts in mind — not hockey. UNO’s home arena will be packed with home fans, home flavor and home cheers so loud they help sway momentum. “It will be awesome,” says Nick Seeler, a freshman defenseman for the Mav hockey team who might get to play there if it’s completed before his senior season. “It will be great to have a rink on campus, and it will make our team more tightknit. It also should help us get more student fans. “It’s going to be great for our program.”

By Colleen Kenney Fleischer, University of Nebraska Foundation

It doesn’t take long to realize that a replay of 103 years of UNO athletics is about much more than sports. To adequately recount athletics at UNO you’d need a book (and perhaps something like that is long overdue). What UNO Magazine offers here only scratches the surface with year-by-year snapshots of champions, challenges and changes. Perhaps it’s the changes, though, that are most surprising. Athletics at UNO has survived economic depressions, multiple wars and a flu pandemic. Women were provided opportunities, then minorities.

In October, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved the first step in the arena process, the signing of a letter of intent with private developers Scott-Woodbury-Wiegert.

Nicknames have come and gone and fans have followed OU teams on new inventions like the radio, television and Internet. Its teams have gone from ragtag assemblies of novices taking on (and losing to) high school teams to Division I teams stocked with some of the nation’s best athletes.

Though many details are yet to be determined before the arena becomes a reality — including the actual design and timeline for completion — UNO officials say Mav athletes and fans should expect the arena to take UNO to another level. “It’s one thing to say you’re a hockey school,” Athletic Director Trev Alberts says. “It’s another thing to take the steps that ensure you’re a hockey school. “This arena sends the message that we’re serious.” The arena will be paid for mostly through private money. The plan calls for the new arena to be built and financed and then for UNO to acquire it through a lease-purchase agreement. The arena should cost around $76.3 million. HDR has done the initial conceptual work and

First athletic team formed — a basketball squad coached by Stanford alum Gus Miller. Team wins half its six games.

103 Y EA RS of UNO Athletics

One thing hasn’t changed, though — the competitive Maverick spirit.

1910

It will be loud. That’s one thing for sure about UNO’s proposed new sports arena to be built on the south edge of campus, likely in the next few years. It will be designed with hockey in mind to give the Mavericks a home-ice advantage. And their fans a heck of a hockey experience.

Construction starts on Jacob’s Gymnasium, built partially with marble removed from Douglas County Courthouse, discarded streetcar rails and brick hauled by faculty in wheelbarrows from demolished church nearby.

It will provide an exciting new home to Mav basketball and volleyball.

This arena sends the message that we’re serious.

And proposed fields near the arena would be homes to UNO baseball and softball. Says volleyball player Kelley Wollak: “I think it’ll be an amazing place to play our home matches because it will be a new place to leave a legacy of being a Division I program.”

probably will continue to be involved, Albert says, though no designer or builder has been chosen yet.

It will help recruit students. The new arena, a likely venue for on-campus commencement ceremonies, will improve student life and help UNO meet its goal of growing to 20,000 students by 2020, says UNO Chancellor John Christensen.

No timeframe for groundbreaking or completion has been set. “There are too many variables at this point to understand potential completion dates,” Alberts says. “But as you can imagine, our desire is for the project to move quickly.”

The quality of academics tops the list of factors students and parents look at in choosing a school, the chancellor says. But the student-life experience is a significant factor, too.

Expectations already are in place, though. Among them:

Alberts agrees.

It will help recruit athletes.

“You can’t study 24 hours a day,” he says. “Wouldn’t it be nice for our students to walk out of one of our new dorms built here, walk down and catch a basketball game or a hockey game or a volleyball game? That’s part of the whole student experience.”

Recruiting “is the lifeblood” of the athletic department, Alberts says. To attract the best athletes, having the best facilities helps. UNO’s arena will be designed with Mav studentathletes in mind, maximizing convenience with its great location — between the Papio Creek and 67th Street, just south of Center Street.

It will help connect alumni to campus.

Mav hockey players no longer will have to drive all the way to the CenturyLink Center to get their gear, then haul it to rented ice arenas around town for practices, then haul everything back to the CenturyLink to shower, then drive back to UNO to lift weights.

To catch a “home” game now, Mav fans must travel downtown to the CenturyLink for hockey or to the Ralston Arena in Ralston to watch men’s basketball or to Boys Town to watch baseball. Says Chancellor Christensen: “The alums I’ve talked to about this project are incredibly excited. And so am I.”

All they need will be in one place.

First football game: OU defeats Nebraska Deaf and Dumb Institute 25-0.

1912

1911

OU loses inaugural game in new Jacob’s Gymnasium, falling 29-8 to Omaha High School. Reports the school paper: “We lost for three reasons. One of them was Burkenroad (an opposing player) and the other was our captain, who played with a local YMCA team when he should have been here. This last reason counts as double.”

It will help connect the greater Omaha area with UNO. When UNO isn’t using the arena, people from the community can use it for ice time or events. Some area high schools already have expressed interest in having their graduations there. People will come onto the UNO campus and see how beautiful it is, the chancellor says — people who otherwise would have no reason to set foot on campus. “It will really serve as a front door to UNO,” he says.

It will be designed with input from top hockey experts. Two of the best in the country, Alberts says, already are at UNO — Head Coach Dean Blais, a two-time NCAA champion as head coach at North Dakota, and former head coach Mike Kemp, who now serves as associate athletic director. Their advice will help create the right atmosphere.

It will make UNO — and Omaha — proud. The new arena will put UNO on a level playing field with its peer group, Chancellor Christensen says, because UNO is the city’s only higher education institution that doesn’t have an oncampus facility like this. “At the end of the day, it will serve the university very well,” he says. “It will serve athletics extremely well. It will service student life very well. And it will serve our community — as well as the large number of alums we have in this community — very well. “It’s going to bring people back to campus.”

OU’s worst football defeat ever: 128-0 to Creighton. OU teams known as the “Crimson and Black.”

1914

1913

Tennis Club forms with play on court opposite OU’s 24th and Pratt Streets locale. Membership dues were 25 cents.

5 12

days in

N O V E M B E R

Cotner defeats OU in basketball game played “with no out of bounds.”

Alumni committee chooses red and black as official school colors.

1918 Still no football due to the war and Spanish Flu pandemic.

Senior Huskies, women’s basketball team, win a championship. Athletics discontinued, due in large measure to so many male students serving in the Great War.

1919

1917

1916

1915

Football returns after two-year absence. OU closes season with 7-6 win over Fort Omaha in heavy snow on Thanksgiving Day.

The new course for UNO Athletics —

reclassification to NCAA Division I status in all sports — began in 2011. These are exciting days for Maverick teams and Maverick Nation, but they’re not without some growing pains. That’s included long stretches on the road and a step up in competition resulting in tough losses. The Maverick men’s basketball team got a taste of all that like never before in November when it hit the road for a grueling three-game stretch in five days against BCS teams Texas Tech, Tulane and Nebraska. It was the start of 10-straight road games, but never before in program history had UNO played such powerful opponents back-to-back-to-back.

See m and ore ph o v w w w ideo at tos .uno alum ni.o rg / 5 days

UNO Magazine editor Anthony Flott followed the Mavericks on the five-day trip, accompanying them from departure in Omaha via chartered jet to Lubbock, Texas, on to New Orleans, then to Lincoln, Neb. Following are photographs and notes capturing some of the behind-the-scenes activity of a Division I basketball team on the road.

On the road, in the sky

1921

Some OU teams known as “Maroons.”

Football player James Lewis becomes university’s first black athlete. “He helped make a line that could stand against any line in the west.”

Female students organize Women’s Athletic Association. Activities include pyramid-building.

1923

Varsity Club established, comprised of members who win varsity “Os.”

1922

As the UNO contingent discovered, private charter is the only way to fly. To accommodate UNO in its schedule, Texas Tech rented a private jet to get the Mavericks to Lubbock then to the team’s next destination, New Orleans.

192 0

Student David Robel composes official School Song: U. of O. we’re here to boost you While our colors fly, Always true in all you do We’ll hold your banners high. We will always stand behind you Backing up that line — FIGHT. O-ma-ha we praise forever U. of O.

University hosts first Gala Day track meet as part of festivities celebrating arrival of spring. Freshmen win interclass title.

1924 OU teams officially known as Cardinals.

Three games in five days on three BCS courts — Texas Tech, Tulane and Nebraska.

Cracking the Books

1926 Women’s Athletic Association receives national charter.

192 8

OU debuts new football field, Saratoga Field at 24th and Ames Avenue — several blocks from campus and built with help from North Omaha Business Mens’ Association. In commemoration, Overland Tire Company donates a ball, dropped from low-flying airplane as game’s kickoff.

1927

1925

Director of Academic Success Lindsey Stineman makes sure Maverick student-athletes make the grade. On the road with UNO, that meant reserving hotel space in New Orleans for mandatory study time for the Mavs, including junior accounting major Caleb Steffensmeier.

Junior Hilma Peterson starts on one of school’s best women’s basketball teams to date. She later returns as head coach.

Game Time There would be no upsets on UNO’s trip: the Mavs lost to Texas Tech 91-63, Tulane 76-52 and Nebraska 75-62. The Mavs led the Huskers 46-44 with 15 minutes left in the second half, but Nebraska went on a 12-2 run and kept the lead thereafter.

1929

First-ever Homecoming features a five-block-long parade, pep rallies and dinner. OU football team bus gets stuck in mud on way to game against Tarkio in Missouri. Players hitchhike rest of way, getting to Tarkio on cattle trucks. OU wins 6-3.

Eats UNO Director of Basketball Operations Tyler

Bullock is in charge of making sure bellies are filled, including a called-in order at Jimmy John’s. Other stops included Raising Cane’s, Chick-fil-A, PepperJax, and Mother’s Restaurant in New Orleans.

Plots and Plans UNO Assistant Coaches Randall Herbst, Pat Eberhart and Tyler Erwin each take turns scouting an upcoming opponent then putting together game plans for them. Those are discussed with Coach Hansen then provided to players on and off court. On the road, that sometimes means finding meeting space in unkempt hotel rooms to go over video and printouts. At home in the fieldhouse, Coach Hansen has better accommodations as the Mavericks prepare for instate rival Nebraska.

OU becomes perhaps first NCAA football team to travel to game by airplane, flying to Fremont to play Midland Lutheran College. Game ends in 0-0 tie. Because of poor lighting, OU returns to campus by bus. A plaque with photo of OU team and its ride was included in College Football Hall of Fame exhibit. Knute Rockne visits Omaha and spends time with OU assistant coach John Doarn, one of his former players at Notre Dame.

1931

1930

“O” Club issues lettermen-members lifetime pass to any OU athletic contest.

University begins charging 5 cents per half-hour for students playing table tennis in gym.

1932 OU men’s basketball team goes 20-0.

1934

Alumni Association provides homecoming BBQ at League Park. Pep squad abolished due in part to “inability to secure sweaters” costing $2.50 each. Omaha Fire Department, Station No. 22, rescues football kicked into tree. Firemen lay 200 feet of hose through several backyards and spray the ball out of tree.

Student Tom Organ wins fourth consecutive Midwest Rifle Association championship.

1935

1933

Photo: Eric Francis

OU students vote 257 to 16 to adopt “Indians” as OU’s new nickname.

Leo Pearey becomes first All-American football player (honorable mention). Debut of “First Down,” a brown female terrier owned by player Tippy Tyler, as mascot of OU football team in 19-6 win over Wayne. First Down wore a white jersey with scarlet and black stripes — previously one of player Leo Pearey’s socks. First Down later gives birth to five puppies — each taken by an OU player. Among the pups was “Ten to Go.”

More youth than ever before are playing sports.

But is that a good thing?

By Greg Kozol

On a perfect summer day, anything seems possible. Maybe the next Derek Jeter will park his bicycle against the chain-link fence and learn to turn a double play on a dusty infield. Or perhaps the next Albert Pujols is gliding through the green grass, shagging flyballs with his buddies. Instead, many ballfields remain vacant — much to the chagrin of Bob Herold. “You can drive by any park in the Midwest. There is no one playing ball anymore,” says Herold, UNO’s head baseball coach. “There might be one guy out there with his son.” Oh, kids still play baseball. Just not on the neighborhood sandlots of Herold’s younger days in Central Omaha. Today’s up-and-coming baseball players — some as young as 8 — start practicing in January when the suburban fields still are frozen. Their seasons often stretch into 50 games. Parents monitor progress on league websites and out-of-state tournaments beckon teams that show promise. “I think it has taken on a personality of its own,” Herold says. “I’m not sure how much fun those guys have.”

1937 For second year in a row OU plays football game in middle of dust bowl storm, beating Wayne 19-6. Reported the Gateway: “At times the dust was blowing so thick that spectators could hardly distinguish the two teams. Players that came off the field were hardly recognizable.”

1939

OU football loses 46-0 to DePaul at Wrigley Field. Players stay following day to watch Detroit Lions-Chicago Bears.

1938

1936

From T-ball to highly competitive traveling teams, sports more than ever are a rite of passage for youth in the United States. The National Council of Youth Sports estimates that 44 million boys and girls participated in youth sports in 2008, a 37 percent increase from 1997. Many get their first taste of athletics before the age of 6. That includes UNO’s Mini Mav Kids Sport Development, a six-week program that introduces children ages 3 to 5 to a variety of sports in a low-pressure environment.

OU football team plays under new floodlights at Benson Field. Estimated electric cost — $25 per game.

International table tennis champion Tibor Hazi and his wife, Magda, both of Hungary and “winners of more than 1,000 different titles,” host campus exhibition. Campus demonstration by Albert Tangora, world record holder in speed typing.

Royce “Jug” Brown becomes first graduate to play professional football, with Cincinnati Bengals.

Increased participation is widely applauded. But some find other trends harder to embrace. Chuck Johnston, who has spent 34 years in the Papillion-La Vista School District as a coach and administrator, has watched the explosion of “select” youth leagues that provide a high level of competition, travel and specialized coaching before a student enters high school. “There’s no question it’s been one of the most evident trends I’ve seen,” says Johnston, athletic and activities director at PapillionLa Vista High School in Nebraska. “It’s gone haywire, somewhat. It’s gone from very little organized youth activities to over-the-top organized youth activities.”

Nothing about select sports is necessarily bad. Players get the same benefits as those who participate in sports operated through schools or municipal recreation leagues — only to a greater degree. “You can learn so many things,” says Rose Shires, head volleyball coach at UNO. “You learn how to work well with others. Learning how to take lessons from both winning and losing is positive for a young person.” Shires, UNO’s head coach since 1990, says one of the biggest changes in youth sports is the length of the season. What once was an eight-week fall volleyball schedule, followed by basketball in the winter and another sport in the spring, has grown into club season that starts in November and runs into July. “In many clubs, they are sending their high school-aged kids to Europe and Brazil,” she says.

OU student Dorothy Hodges wins 220 ice skating race at Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum in Birthday Ball fundraiser for infantile paralysis (polio) relief drive. OU students build outdoor ice skating rink just south of Arts & Sciences Hall, in hopes of forming intramural hockey teams. OU basketball team opens season against Chihuahua Teachers College in Chihuahua, Mexico; later plays No. 1-ranked Phillips 66 Oilers.

1942

1940

Select programs are available in baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, basketball and more. With extended seasons for each one, some young players are forced to pick a single sport before they even enter high school.

Photo:: Eric Francis

Too much too soon?

1941

“It’s a tough deal,” Herold says. “Nobody is willing to give in.” Johnston says young players need to get an early start in softball, baseball and volleyball, because those sports require a specific set of skills. But Johnston and Herold both encourage young athletes to play as many sports as possible for as long as possible, rather than specialize. Johnston, who has a master’s degree from UNO, believes multiple sports allow an athlete to work different muscles and avoid repetitive motion injuries. Shires sees it both ways. She tries to recruit athletes who specialized because of their higher “volleyball IQ” and understanding of skills and tactics. But someone who played multiple sports in high school might show more raw ability and potential as a college athlete.

Because of war, OU makes PE compulsory for all students. Exercises based on those used in Army — potato races, five types of ropeskipping, 15- and 20-mile hikes, commando tactics training, boxing, wrestling and a hazard course. “Boys who have left for the service have praised our system highly,” says Stu Baller, director of OU’s physical fitness program. “Almost all of them mention the value of pushups, leg pullups, bar-chinning and all types of track.”

1943 Women’s Athletics Association hosts spring carnival fundraiser complete with a merry-go-round and tunnel of love.

“The athlete who specializes, they become very good at their sport early,” she says. “The challenge becomes having the ability to continue to grow. They don’t grow as much at the college level. We recruit both types of athletes.”

Equal access concerns Not all athletes, though, are able to participate in club and youth sports — that having more to do with money than ability.

“That was something we had to talk about,” he says. “Now we’ve got to travel to Illinois. Now you’ve got to travel to Dallas. I’m somewhat conflicted by youth sports.” Noting the increased use of private facilities, the National Council of Youth Sports urged a renewed focus on school and municipal infrastructure. David Ogden, a UNO communication professor, studied the issue and found that only 3.5 percent of select baseball players were African-American. Ogden’s research also found that 90 percent of college baseball players in his survey participated on a select team as a youth.

“At the very least, we’re talking about exclusivity,” he says. “Try finding a nicely groomed baseball diamond in a lowerincome neighborhood.” All this puts pressure on the young athlete and can lead to hard feelings.

give up the sport or don’t get playing time in high school. Some freshman or junior varsity players object to the quality of uniforms in high school or the lack of travel opportunities they experienced in the select leagues, Johnston says. Ask a 12-year-old boy if he’d like to play 50 baseball games before the Fourth of July, and there’s a good chance the answer will be yes.

Yet the child’s enthusiasm can diminish if it becomes more chore than game. Kim Lodice, a club coach for Omaha Wave volleyball, urges parents and coaches to ask a simple question. “For us, it comes down to, ‘Are you having fun?’” says Lodice, whose son plays select baseball. “We wouldn’t be sacrificing if the kid doesn’t like the sport.” Lodice tries to communicate with parents about the travel and practice demands, but she’s willing to give her player the flexibility to pursue other activities during a volleyball season that runs from Thanksgiving past Easter. Parents see the intense competition at the youth level and feel the pressure to keep up. Lodice says she has seen a look of fear in the eyes of parents whose children are thinking of leaving a sport. Johnston, too, has witnessed something similar in parents who are desperate for their children to keep up. “It’s a Catch-22 for a parent,” he says. “You feel if you don’t let your kids do these things, they’re going to be left behind.” Sports are fun and competition is a good thing. But before taking the plunge, most coaches and sports officials urge parents to have a conversation with their children. Is this their dream or yours? “You have to read your own kids,” Johnston says. “You have to see where their interests lie and enhance what it is they want to do. If that means extra time at the batting cage, that’s great. If that means piano lessons, that’s great. “The kids may not want the same things you want.”

Men’s basketball canceled for 1944-45 due to World War II. Basketball returns under Coach Harold Johnk. Team goes 4-15.

1946

1945

1944

Johnston says parents who invested considerable money for years of select competition can express frustration if their children

They can get burned out or they can get spoiled.

Many select teams are located in more affluent suburban areas. Fees might start at $900 for a season but can go to $5,000 or more for teams traveling extensively. Johnston recalls the mixed emotions when his son’s 10-year-old select baseball team advanced to regional tournaments.

That’s significant because select sports increasingly are seen as the conduit to a college scholarship.

1948

Full athletics program reinstituted.

Debut of Quonset huts — home to women’s athletics until 1980 when space frees in fieldhouse with start of HPER building.

1947

Chicago Tribune Sports Editor Arch Ward, originator of pro baseball all-star game and Golden Gloves tournament, is main speaker at football banquet.

University sponsors student hockey team, which plays twice against Omaha Amateur Hockey League All-Stars. OU continues sponsorship for three more seasons in OAHL.

FEELING FIT Think you’re fit? At UNO, they can tell you just how fit (and fat!) you really are.

1,200 see debut of first wrestling team in OU history. Indians lose to NCAA champion Oklahoma A&M, which features two Olympic champions.

1950

By Rick Davis

Four OU athletes appear on KMTV quiz show “Penny Auction.” The players dress in OU uniforms different from the sports in which they compete and try to stump a contestant as to which sport they play.

Alumni Association presents university with first athletic pennant used by OU.

Northern Illinois beats OU 27-8 in first football game played at what becomes Al Caniglia Field. First TV broadcast from OU campus — a 60-26 St. Ambrose win over Indians.

1951

1949

OU’s new AFROTC program and Alumni Association cosponsor “Junior Jets” program, which gives free tickets to area grade school students for home football games. AFROTC begins rifle team — competing on rifle range in fieldhouse. ROTC “Angels” also use the range.

Photo: Jeff Beiermann, University Relations

begins to walk on the treadmill — the computer to his left taking readings as he goes.

As UNO graduate and former football player Kyle Kasperbauer stands on the treadmill being fitted with a computer-connected mouthpiece of plastic tubing, one thing becomes readily clear: This is NOT going to be a run-of-themill mile physical fitness test. “This will tell us how much oxygen he is consuming,” says Matt Heesch, a graduate student in UNO’s new exercise science doctoral program. “This is the best determinant of aerobic fitness.” Kris Berg, professor and co-director of UNO’s Exercise Physiology Laboratory and Fitness Center, chimes in. “You’ll start out walking 3 mph for two minutes,” Berg explains, adding that the speed will be increased every two minutes. “And the last couple of minutes, you’ll run uphill. “I’ll ask you a couple of times how you are doing. Just give me the high sign. We want you to go as hard as you can for as long as you can. Just let it rip.”

1952

OU student John Wiren wins Omaha Golden Gloves heavyweight crown by knockout, despite giving up 48 pounds to opponent.

OU Fieldhouse hosts finals and consolation finals of first worldwide Air Force basketball playoffs, concluding an eight-team tournament that began at Offutt Field. Finals tape-delayed broadcast over Armed Forces Radio.

Kasperbauer grabs the treadmill’s handrails and slows his pace, exhausted. “They call it a ‘max’ test for a reason,” Berg says with a smile.

Cutting-edge Heesch pricks Kasperbauer’s finger for a blood lactate test — a measure of muscle fatigue. “He was exercising at an extremely high intensity,” Heesch says. The “VO2 max” test, as it’s called, is one of a variety of tests offered at UNO’s Exercise Physiology Laboratory — to athletes and the general public — that combine the latest scientific research with the latest in fitness-testing technology. Fellow former Mav and CrossFitter Stacie Wemhoff Tovar is being tested alongside Kasperbauer. Other tests on the pair will include hydrostatic (underwater) weighing, the gold standard of estimating body fat; a Wingate test, which measures anaerobic power as participants ride a A full list of tests and prices can be found online stationary bike fullat coe.unomaha.edu/hper/fit/testing.php out for 30 seconds while resistance is continually increased; and a Doppler ultrasound femoral blood flow test, which measures blood flow to the leg.

1954

Students, faculty and alumni complete “The Great Run of 1952.” Participants run the 102 miles from Omaha to Crete in one-mile legs in 16 hours, 6 minutes. Omaha Mayor Glenn Cunningham, an OU grad, runs first leg. Alumni Association acting president Charles Ammons runs last mile and delivers OU-Doane homecoming game ticket to Crete Mayor Fred Kerst.

Kasperbauer, who holds a bachelor’s degree in exercise science (2007) and a master’s degree in sports medicine athletic training (2010), is sweating, breathing hard, and churning his legs. “Last part of the race,” Berg says. “Kick it out; 20 seconds left. Beautiful work.”

1953

And with that, Kasperbauer, who finished third in the world at the 2012 CrossFit Games (see “Crossed Up,” Page 40 ),

Soon, he is up to 10 mph – a six-minute mile pace. “That a boy, Kyle, you’re knocking them down,” encourages Berg. Now come the inclines — and more encouragement. “This is some serious work now,” Berg exclaims. “As long as you can, as hard as you can.”

“Lupe” Joe Arenas finishes season with San Francisco 49ers as NFL’s leading kickoff returner — 551 yards on 16 returns.

OU defeats Eastern Kentucky State 7-6 in Tangerine Bowl, capping 10-0 season. OU basketball team defeats Creighton University for first time, 95-86. Senior class presents university with “Victory Bell,” (now missing).

Pat Cosford named College World Series Queen — the first of 14 OU students to wear that crown.

Sophomore Bill Barnes ties national record in low hurdles at NAIA championships.

1955

Berg, a professor at UNO for 42 years, has seen plenty of advances in his field and at UNO. “When I came here, there wasn’t a lab,” Berg says. “There was a classroom with a broken-down treadmill that you had to hand-crank. There was literally nothing.”

Berg says, motioning toward the ultrasound device.

With support from the university and community, the program began to grow. The current School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) Building opened in 1980, and this fall semester, UNO introduced its doctoral

Normally, only hospitals have this. But we do studies on how we can best improve blood flow through exercise. It’s pretty cutting-edge stuff. degree program in Exercise Science — the first of its kind in Nebraska.

“I don’t know of any other university that offers science-based fitness testing and exercise programs like this for the general public,” Berg says. “For a nominal fee, a person can come in and have these sophisticated tests using state-of-the-art research equipment interpreted by researchers. The treadmill test, for example, costs only $90.” UNO athletes are primarily tested in connection with research studies. Berg has studied athletes in men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, football, hockey and track and field. The VO2 max — the volume of oxygen the body is able to use to produce energy — is critical to the elite athlete. “This capacity doubles in the elite endurance athlete. Consequently, huge amounts of oxygen are delivered to muscle, allowing the professional cyclist or elite marathoner to travel about twice as fast as a recreational cyclist or jogger.” To enhance competitive performance, the training of today’s athlete is very sport-specific. “We specify what exact stimuli are needed to make the muscle, heart, nerves most effective for a particular type of physical activity,” Berg says.

Filling a Need

Realizing Potentials

Cleveland quarterback Otto Graham addresses OU Quarterback Club Football Banquet.

1958

“Exercise physiology is very much dedicated to meeting the needs of the community,” Berg says. “The major health problems of today, such as heart disease, obesity, hypertension, and Type 2 diabetes, are brought on by lifestyle. And physical activity, along with not smoking, are the key determinants of our overall health.”

National champion fly fisherman Don Allen hosts Fly and Bait Casting Exhibition Clinic in Fieldhouse.

OU institutes new test for students in Women’s Physical Education. Students negotiate a zigzag course around nine chairs, roll over on a mat, climb over a table, run around a small circle, go between two benches, crawl up six steps of a ladder, throw a basketball over a rope, then run for the finish line. “The American nation as a whole is soft and weak,” says Catherine Schaake, head of women’s PE. “Physical education is one means to bring about physical fitness.” OU hosts NAIA cross-country championship.

Through the Exercise Physiology Laboratory, UNO offers the general public sophisticated testing normally only available to those in research studies.

“Many of our students come here today because they want a degree in exercise science,” Berg says. “So we expanded the curriculum, so there is much more science that underlies their training.”

And these graduates are needed, with rising rates of obesity and other diseases related to a lack of physical activity.

1956

Berg’s work extends beyond athletes. About 15 years ago, he began offering a six-month course titled Special Exercise for Life and Fitness (SELF), initially for those with diabetes and now open to people with any chronic illnesses — from peripheral arterial disease to arthritis to fibromyalgia. “Working with diabetics has been one of my passions for years,” Berg says. “When I was 12 years old, I was diagnosed as a Type 1 diabetic.” Berg’s younger brother died from diabetic complications at age 33.

1959

1957

OU baseball team finishes second in NAIA championship tournament, falling 10-2 to Southern in final game.

“With this program, we just see powerful effects in people,” Berg says. “Many are able to reduce the number of medications they are on. But most impressive is the improvement in their overall physical ability to move. The program received national recognition in 2009 as an exemplary exercise program for seniors.” He also began a course called Strong Bones, initiated about three years ago following osteoporosis research he conducted with colleagues in the College of Nursing at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. “In both of these programs, people can start anytime; it’s open enrollment,” Berg says. “They come in twice a week. We show them exactly what they need to do in order to optimize their improvement in overall fitness but, in particular, their functional capacity to walk stairs, carry a sack of groceries, lift an object overhead, etc.” “We train them much like the athlete, but we tone it down so it’s proportional to their capacity. And that makes them much more efficient movers.

Rudy Haluza, later a 1966 OU grad, competes in Rome Olympics in 20 kilometer race walk. He becomes ill and finishes 24th. He later competes in 1968 Mexico City Olympics and places fourth, still the highest Olympic finish ever by an American race walker. Jack Vaccaro leads NAIA with .491 batting average.

1962

1961

1960

“Exercise is medicine,” Berg says. “We all have the potential. We just have to make it a priority.”

Photo: Jeff Beiermann, University Relations

Berg says the disease started him on his professional path as a researcher. “I started treating myself as an experiment.” He shared his story in the 1986 book Diabetic’s Guide to Health and Fitness, and he has lectured nationally on the subject.

By the Numbers

Brent Hassenstab, left, and Dr. Kris Berg put Stacie Wemhoff Tovar through the paces during a VO2 Max test.”

So how did CrossFit standouts Kyle Kasperbauer and Stacie Wemhoff Tovar perform on their UNO Exercise Physiology Laboratory tests? Look at the photos of them competing and take a guess. Yep, they rocked it. Perhaps most impressive was Tovar’s strength and Kasper’s body composition. Tovar, 28, ripped off an astounding 13 pull-ups — the difficult kind with palms facing forward and chin clearing the bar with each rep. “A remarkable score,” says Kris Berg, professor and co-director of UNO’s Exercise Physiology Laboratory and Fitness Center. “There are no norms for females because so few women can even do one pull-up.” Kasperbauer, 5-foot-8 and 185 pounds, performed 21 pull-ups. There are no pull-up norms for male athletes either, Berg says, but Kasperbauer’s performance was “remarkably high and indicates excellent strength-tobody-weight ratio.” The 30-year-old Kasperbauer also checked in at a remarkably low 5.3 percent body fat. That was measured with hydrostatic (underwater) weighing, the “gold standard” of estimating body fat. “That’s extremely lean and rivals that of elite distance runners,” Berg says. “In most young males his age about 15 percent of body weight is fat.”

Roger “Rocket” Sayers defeats eventual world-record holder Bob Hayes of Florida A&M in 100-yard dash, winning NAIA championship in 9.5 seconds. Sayers defends championship in 1963 and adds 200-yard title. Older brother of NFL Hall of Famer Gale Sayers, the Rocket was headed for a rematch with Hayes in 1964 U.S. Olympic Trials but was sidelined by injury. Sayers also used his speed for OU football team, scoring on a 99-yard pass play to set NAIA record.

Tovar, 5-5 and 144 pounds, had 15.5 percent body fat. Women typically carry more body fat than men, Berg says, and Tovar measured leaner than 85 percent of females her age (the average is 25 percent body fat). Kasperbauer also excelled in the “VO2 max” test, which measures the volume of oxygen the body is able to use to produce energy. That was determined by a run then walk on a treadmill at increasingly difficult paces and inclines. Scores are the best determinant of aerobic fitness. The former Maverick running back’s official numbers were 61 ml/kg per minute — better than 99 percent of males his age (the average 30-year-old comes in at 44 ml/kg/min). Tovar’s VO2 max was 47.5 ml/kg/min, higher than 68 percent of females her age. Finally, Tovar’s bloodflow through her femoral artery after exercise was 10 times greater than at rest. “That indicates elastic arteries and excellent ability for arteries to dilate,” Berg says. Kasper’s blood flow was similarly high. “Overall, both athletes are extremely fit in terms of aerobic capacity, muscular strength and endurance, and body composition,” Berg says. “They are athletes in their prime and the test results explain the unique physiology underlying their capacity to perform at the elite level.”

Four-lane bowling alley in student center dedicated.

World champion billiards player Willie Mosconi holds exhibition in student center. OU football team defeats East Central Oklahoma 34-21 in All-Sports Bowl.

“More than 20,000 CrossFitters worldwide tried to qualify for the CrossFit Games in 2011, and that number jumped to 75,000 in 2012,” Tovar says.

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The games (games.crossfit.com) start with open competitions at 17 regional sites worldwide beginning in February. The top 60 men and 60 women advance to regionals, where the top three qualify for the world championship, held in July at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. One man and one woman are crowned champions.

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Kasperbauer, 30, has competed both as an individual and in team competition in the CrossFit Games. He finished 37th as an individual at the world championship in 2009; took second and 19th in team competition in 2010 and 2011, respectively; and placed first at regionals and third in the world championship as an individual in 2012. He is excited to compete again in 2013.

George Crenshaw is first OU wrestler to win national championship, capturing 167-pound NAIA title.

Sophomore Terry Williams ties world indoor 60-yard dash record of 6.0 seconds during home meet. Omaha Municipal Stadium renamed Rosenblatt Stadium in honor of former Omaha Mayor Johnny Rosenblatt, a 1929 OU student who played basketball and baseball for the school.

OU wins NAIA national bowling championship — OU’s first national title in any sport.

1966

Don Benning hired as OU’s head wrestling coach, becoming one of first black coaches at a predominantly white university. He also coaches football and was the first black assistant professor at the school.

1965

“You know that the competition is going to get better o UNO g r a du conte and better, but I feel great; I feel strong; I feel good for it ate nd Game ers in the s were am being the off-season of our sport,” Kasperbauer says. His on s 2 Fittes , competin 012 Reebo g the top goal for 2013 is simple: “To win.” k C ro g for t t on E ssFit he titl a r th . new fi Like Kasperbauer, Tovar, 28, had her best finish at the Cr e t f unct ness conce ossFit is a of world championship in 2012, placing 12th overall. She io re p loads nal movem t that focus latively finished 37th in 2009; 14th in 2010; and 37th in 2011, , long es on ent — d m i s when she also placed first at regionals. o t a v Form nces, er UNO quick ing large ly. (footb athlet “My goal for 2013 is to win regionals and enjoy my time at a (volle ll) and Stac es Kyle K a the CrossFit Games,” says Tovar, a 2007 UNO exercise sciyb sp ie cham all) have a Wemhoff erbauer ence graduate. pions T d ovar v a nced hip ev The fi to th CrossFit Games events are usually not announced until the er rs 20 07, t CrossFit y year sinc e world competition — so that athletes are training for overall fitness G a e ever y nd its pop ames were 20 09. and not a particular event. In 2012, Tovar says the toughest ularit year. y has held in event was a “sprint triathlon” (swimming, biking, running). In grown

1967

1964

1963

87 student-members of Ski Club trek to Breckenridge, Colo.

The United States, with OU Baseball Coach Virg Yelkin one of its coaches, defeats Cuba in final game of three-game playoff to win Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It remains the only Pan Am Games U.S. baseball has won.

2009, Kasperbauer for one event rowed for 500 meters then pounded a five-foot stake into the ground with a sledgehammer.

Heating Up … and Cooling Down

“And we had to do that three times,” he says. Both Tovar and Kasperbauer were introduced to CrossFit through UNO strength coaches at the time, Joe Westerlin and Ricky Frausto, themselves UNO graduates and former UNO athletes, football and wrestling, respectively.

Both Tovar and Kasperbauer squeeze in training between full-time jobs. Tovar is a business development specialist at SimplyWell, a wellness company in Omaha, and an assistant volleyball coach at Skutt Catholic High School. She is married to another CrossFitter, two-time UNO All-American wrestler Dustin Tovar. Kasperbauer is an athletic trainer and rehabilitation specialist at LifeTime Fitness. He and his wife have a 17-month-old daughter and a son due in February.

Marlin Briscoe becomes first black quarterback to start a pro game, leading Denver against American Football League foe Boston. His 14 TD passes that year remain a team record.

1969

1968

Could Tovar and Kasperbauer win it all in 2013? “Absolutely, I think they have a shot,” says their trainer Westerlin. “It’s a daunting task, but they have the potential.”

OU hosts NAIA national wrestling tournament.

That’s a question being studied by Dustin Slivka (above), assistant professor and co-director of UNO’s Exercise Physiology Laboratory and Fitness Center, through a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Specifically, Slivka is studying how exposure to hot or cold temperatures during and after exercise affects the mitochondria — the power producers of our cells. “We’ve recently published data indicating the potential of environmental cold exposure to hasten mitochondrial adaptations and heat exposure to blunt mitochondrial adaptations,” Slivka says. “These implications dealing with mitochondria could be far-reaching. Many aspects of diabetes, aging and peripheral artery disease, for example, have been attributed to mitochondrial dysfunction.” From the military’s perspective, the research has implications for developing the best training environment for soldiers.

“We’re working toward finding that temperatureoptimized training program that may help with any number of diseases, but also with performance,” Slivka says. “In the DoD’s case, war-fighter performance.” As part of the study, subjects exercise and recover in a temperature-controlled environmental chamber or with ice or heat applied to the muscle. Slivka takes a small muscle biopsy from their thigh before and after exercise. “The biopsy allows us to look at all these changes in metabolism,” Slivka says, providing a snapshot of what genes are involved in delivering signals to the muscle to develop more mitochondria. “We’re not necessarily training the research participants. We’re looking at their acute responses — what we call gene expression. “Once we have that established, which we’re getting very close to, then we’ll put them through a longer training program to see (how the muscle) is able to adapt in such a way that optimizes physical performance. “It’s fun stuff.”

—Rick Davis

UNO wins NAIA national wrestling title, capping season that includes title at the University of Iowa tournament and dual win over eventual NCAA champion Oklahoma State. $400,000 renovation program covers dirt floor in Fieldhouse with finished court and track and poweroperated bleachers.

1971

When Westerlin and Frausto opened their own CrossFit gym in Omaha in 2008, Kasperbauer and Tovar both joined and have since become training partners. They train five to six days a week for an hour to three hours per day — and more often as competition nears.

Can environmental temperature — both during and after a workout — affect the outcomes of fitness training at the cellular level?

1970

Kasperbauer vividly remembers his first CrossFit workout. “It was tough, and I thought I was in pretty good shape. I did a rope climb, and I just remember my arms were about ready to explode. … From that point on, I just kind of got hooked.”

A Maverick researcher with Department of Defense backing studies how temperature might optimize training

Students vote to stop using “Indians” as school mascot, answering movement that began with request for such by Omaha Indian Center. “Mavericks” voted school’s new name, edging runner-up “Unicorns” 566-515.

Math Madness

March Madness. Once participating teams are announced, college basketball fans across the country rush to complete tournament brackets with the hope of winning office pools, online contests or just bragging rights. Filling out an NCAA bracket — predicting the outcome of each game within the tournament — is to March Madness what lighting fireworks is to the Fourth of July or eating turkey is to Thanksgiving. It’s become a part of American culture.

In 2009, Swift used a statistical model he developed to complete his tournament bracket. “The challenge in predicting tournament results is deciding, ‘How good is a team?’” he says. “So the idea, the basic premise of what I did, was quantify each team’s strength.” To do this, he developed a statistical model that assigned each qualifying team a “strength factor.” The higher the value of the strength factor, the better the team. “I kept it really simple,” says Swift. “I looked at two factors from every regular season game for every team — the result of the game and whether the game site was home, away or neutral.

“The appeal of everyone filling out a bracket is a big pull,” says Andrew Swift, an associate professor of mathematics who has been at UNO since 2006. “I’m not what you would call a huge basketball fan, but I do love the tournament.”

A UNO student assisted him with the time-consuming project. “Then we took all of the data and fed it into the statistical model that related the resulting data to a strength factor.”

Many bracket-fillers are quasi-fans like Swift. Others complete brackets without watching a single regular season game. They might base their predictions on the classic “gut feeling” — or simply pick the team with the cooler mascot.

Using the strength factors, he ranked the teams from highest to lowest then used the rankings to make his predictions.

Swift makes his predictions in less typical — but more analytical — fashion. He uses math. A native of England, Swift has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Oxford. The self-proclaimed sports fan (“I can watch any sport,” he says) also has a doctor of science in operations research from George Washington University. He’s also an active member in the American Statistical Association’s section on Statistics in Sports who has served as a resource for various media outlets, including ESPN. It’s clear he enjoys applying what he knows to the subjects that pull his interest.

That year, the top four seeds — the same top four Swift predicted — made it to the Final Four. It was the first time in the tourney’s history that the top seeds had done so. Swift used the same statistical model to make predictions for the 2010 tournament but opted out in more recent years due to time constraints and other projects. He hopes to rejoin the bracket-filling masses for the 2013 tournament.

Cou Sav By Jenna Zeorian, University of Nebraska Foundation

“It’s a fun way to combine my love for sports and statistics,” he says. And he may have a better chance at winning an office pool than the Madness fan who chooses blue jerseys over orange jerseys.

A Longhorn Maverick steer — Sudden Sam — debuts at homecoming for his only appearance (he proves too unruly for handlers). Alumni Association Director Jim Leslie 1972 hauls the steer to Fort Niobrara Refuge in Valentine and trades him for a 6-month-old 300-pound calf — Longhorn Steer, U.S. 324. He’s later named Victor E. Maverick and debuts in 1973. Three students selected as handlers and outfitted with black Stetsons and UNO windbreaker jackets. Victor is kept in a pen at the north end of Caniglia Field. By 1977, his horns spread to nearly six feet, Victor is retired to a farm in Arlington, Neb.

Student Tim Rock organizes a UNO hockey team. One year later university grants it club status under coach Mike Kemp (later varsity coach). Marlin Briscoe becomes first OU grad to play in a Super Bowl (VII), helping Miami win 14-7 over Washington. He also plays in Super Bowl VIII, catching two passes for 19 yards in 24-7 Dolphin win over Minnesota.

1974

With March comes madness — the month-long NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament in which 68 teams begin single-elimination play and just one emerges as national champion.

1973

Walter Payton scores six touchdowns to lead Jackson State to 75-0 win over UNO.

UNO beats University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 28-13 in first football game played on Caniglia Field’s Astroturf surface.

College hoops polls: Hoopla? When Daniel Hawkins was an undergraduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the late 1990s, he was a season ticket holder for the men’s basketball team.

Hawkins concluded that recent performance and all-time performance in the NCAA tournament is related to being overrated, while having highly-ranked recruiting classes is linked to being underrated.

A big-time fan.

He provides more insight into his findings from a sociological perspective.

His Badgers did well, typically ending the season ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. But, Hawkins noticed, each year the team slipped through the cracks of the preseason AP Top 25. The Badgers were perennially underrated. Today Hawkins is at UNO, in his sixth year as an associate professor of sociology whose primary research interests is family sociology with a focus on fatherhood, parentchild relationships and marital quality. But he’s also interested in sports, and not just as a fan. Most recently he’s published a paper examining the relationship between attitudes toward globalization and toward soccer (see “Hate Soccer,” Page 20).

urt vvy

Another project in the works is fueled by curiosity related to his alma mater’s preseason and postseason poll standings. Hawkins examines whether certain Division I college basketball programs are consistently overrated or underrated in the AP Top 25 poll by comparing their preseason rank to their end-of-season rank though a span of about 20 years of polling. He also examines the characteristics of each basketball program and university — from recent tournament appearances to tenure of the head coach to size of the student body — and how those characteristics might predict a team being overrated or underrated. The preliminary research shows that some of the most overrated teams in the sample — such as UCLA, Georgetown and Indiana — were consistently rated on average at least five spots higher in the poll at the beginning of the season than at the end. Ohio State, Xavier and Wisconsin were among the most consistently underrated teams.

“We know that social institutions, such as the media, are inherently conservative and slow to change,” Hawkins says. “The sports reporters who are part of the AP poll probably rely heavily on basketball programs’ historical reputation and recent performance when creating their rankings, rather than speculating about the contributions of the incoming and untested freshmen class. “Since the reporters can’t research all of the Division I basketball programs in depth, they need a shorthand method for making their rankings. And they would probably rather be incorrect with conservative guesses than risk making predictions that are well outside the mainstream.” Being ranked or unranked in the AP Top 25 has real implications for basketball programs. Teams that are consistently overrated may have an unfair advantage in exposure and financial opportunity over those that are underrated, Hawkins says. Television networks are more interested in airing games between ranked teams, which results in more revenue for those programs, for example. The good news for the unranked underdogs? They shouldn’t be counted out of the Big Dance in March simply because they didn’t show up in the polls. “The polls are fun to get conversations started among basketball fans,” says Hawkins. “Fortunately, they don’t seem to matter too much when it comes to which teams ultimately get invited to or succeed in the NCAA tournament.”

UNO wins women’s College World Series softball national title.

1976

UNO Athletic Hall of Fame begins.

Baseball team finishes second in NCAA Division II regional tournament.

Former President Gerald Ford — once a football player at Michigan — visits campus and talks to football team.

1978

1975

Photos: Jeff Beiermann

1977

Steve Jones finishes second in 800 meters at NCAA Division II National Outdoor Track Championships in Macomb, Ill., posting second-fastest time in Division II history (winner Evans White sets record). Former UNO baseball player Bruce Benedict makes major league debut with Atlanta Braves — on his 23rd birthday. A catcher, he went 1-for-1 in 1-0 Braves win over St. Louis. UNO’s first-ever NCAA football playoff appearance, a 21-14 loss to Youngstown State.

Fortunately, he can remember to do so. After suffering multiple concussions his senior year as the starting center for the Mavericks, Carr, a native of Merlin, Ontario, was advised after his third concussion in a three-month period that it was in his best interest to stop playing.

Former world record miler Jim Ryun appears at Oktoberfest Fun Run sponsored by UNO School of HPER in Elmwood Park.

1980

“What we’re finding is that more are being reported today because people know what to look for when they happen.”

1982

Because most concussions are easily treatable with rest, it’s also been the proactive willingness to act — pulling athletes from practice or competition when symptoms

Maverick Dave Poulicek plays for U.S. team in Japan-U.S. College World Series in Omaha. Other Mavs team with area players in exhibitions against Japanese and U.S. All-Stars. UNO hosts Firecracker Senior Swimming Meet for about 350 of Midwest’s top swimmers.

$6.9 million HPER building dedicated.

1983

1981

Concussions — for decades considered nothing more than a “bump on the head” — today are known to be first steps toward brain injuries that, if not diagnosed and remedied, can lead to permanent and sometimes severe damage. By definition, a concussion is caused by a bump, blow or jolt to either the head or the body that causes the brain to move rapidly inside the skull.

Walter Cooper, dean of health, physical education and recreation at University of Southern Mississippi, speaks on campus regarding proposed bill of rights for young athletes.

“Our research hasn’t shown that there are more concussions today mostly because there were very limited records of them in the past,” says Melanie McGrath, assistant professor in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation and program director of UNO’s Athletic Training Education program.

More than a Bump

UNO Women’s Athletics joins the NCAA, ending 10-years with Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.

But where real progress has been made is in the effort to recognize and diagnose concussion symptoms and subsequently take appropriate action.

“I still have headaches from time to time, although I don’t know that they are related to the concussions. But if I hadn’t stopped and I would have had more concussions, it’s scary to imagine what my life might be like today or if I’d be here at all.”

UNO’s Connie Claussen manages USA Women’s Softball team to gold medal at Pan American Games.

There have been advancements in protective equipment — use of mandatory mouth guards; chin straps with sensors to indicate a possible concussion; safer, redesigned helmets; and even more forgiving boards and glass in hockey rinks. Rules changes also have helped limit the number of opportunities for concussionproducing actions.

“I was a very competitive athlete who had aspirations of playing professionally, so if it had been up to me, I probably would have continued to play,” says Carr, who played for UNO from 1997 to 2001 and now works as a strategic account manager for Cox Business in Omaha. “Now, as I look back, I hate to think of what might have happened if I hadn’t stopped when I did.

By Mike Watkins

Estimates put the numbers nationally at between 1.6 and 3.8 million sports- and recreation-related concussions each year — and those numbers could be conservative as many go unreported. For males, the majority of concussions occur while playing football and hockey. Females, meanwhile, have seen a significant increase in reported concussions over the past few years, most often from playing soccer.

Eleven years later, Allan Carr still can’t thank UNO trainers and medical staff enough for convincing him to end his hockey career when he did.

UNO researchers and trainers join the fight against head injuries

HEAD GAMES

1979

UNO engineering student Kent Bryant wins contest by sliding down four-story water slide at Peony Park 1,710 times in 87 hours and 19 minutes.

occur — that has decreased the number of second or multiple concussions. “When adequate time hasn’t been allowed to let the brain heal properly after the first concussion — the real danger becomes very evident,” says McGrath, who reluctantly stopped playing high school soccer after suffering a second concussion in a short period of time her senior year. “A second concussion in a short amount of time can result in something called second impact syndrome, where the brain swells rapidly before symptoms from an earlier concussion have subsided. It could be days, weeks or even just minutes after the initial concussion, and the condition is almost always fatal. “Because competitive athletes generally want to play through the pain and don’t often see that there’s a problem, it really becomes the responsibility of coaches, trainers, when available, and parents to monitor the signs and take action.” Along with observing signs like blurry vision, headaches and nausea and vomiting, a variety of pre- and post-injury tests are used to determine whether or not a concussion has occurred.

Passing the Test

1984

The first and most widely used computerized concussion evaluation system is ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing), developed in the early 1990s to provide useful information to assist qualified practitioners in making sound returnto-play decisions. Because concussions are very individualized, managing

Clarke Lange, a third baseman on 1982 UNO baseball team, plays in College World Series with Miami Hurricanes, becoming the only UNO student ever to have played in CWS.

them by implementing baseline testing and/or post-injury neurocognitive testing is important. Another method of measuring concussions is the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT), which evaluates athletes based on a checklist of 16 to 17 symptoms. If they show signs of those symptoms, an athlete is held out of practice and competition until the symptoms have dissipated. In Nebraska, one of the leading advocates for concussion prevention and treatment is former UNO athletic trainer Rusty McKune, now coordinator of the Nebraska Medical Center Sports Medicine program. In 2011, he played a pivotal role in the Nebraska Legislature’s passage of LB260 — the Concussion Awareness Act — to protect younger athletes who have suffered concussions. He’s taken a hands-on approach, too, starting a concussion-testing program for Omaha Public Schools and Bellevue Public Schools junior high football players, who typically don’t have access to athletic training care. He devised baseline testing for those athletes in order to track and compare results for any child who suffers a concussion. “We’ve seen the long-term effects of concussions in professional athletes and that’s happening to an older brain,” McKune says. “Imagine what it’s doing to maturing brains.” Just ask Allan Carr. He’s happy to say he can remember to tell you.

UNO’s Division II heavyweight champ Mark Rigatuso places fourth at Division I championships, despite competing at 205 pounds. He defeats 440-pound Tab Thacker of North Carolina State to reach consolation finals.

UNO Marching Maverick Band performs at halftime of Kansas City Chiefs-Los Angeles Raiders game, the first of a handful of appearances it would have at NFL games.

Former UNO wrestler Abdurrahim Kuzu places fourth at 1984 Los Angeles Olympics in Greco-Roman wrestling.

See the Signs

What to look for if you suspect a concussion Signs of a concussion may occur immediately after a blow to the head — or not until several days after the injury. If someone has one or more of the following symptoms, they may have a concussion: • Headache • Nausea or vomiting • Balance problems or dizziness • Double vision/blurry vision • Sensitivity to light or sound • Feeling sluggish, foggy, or groggy • Difficulty concentrating • Memory problems/forgetfulness • Confusion • “Just not feeling right” • Clumsy movement • Blank stare • Slow to answer questions • Loss of memory (for events prior to, or after, the injury) • Mood/behavior changes If the symptoms above worsen, or if there is loss of consciousness or complaint of severe symptoms, the person should be taken immediately to the nearest emergency room or a call made to 911. If you suspect that your child has a concussion: • Immediately stop participation in sports and other physical activities. Continuing to do so increases the risk of prolonged symptoms, brain swelling and even death. • If possible, seek the attention of a health care professional trained in identifying and treating concussions (athletic trainer, neurologist, pediatrician with training). • Tell coaches, teachers and the school nurse about the injury. • Rest. Work with a healthcare provider to determine how much rest is needed. This may mean staying home from school for a day or two. • Follow a gradual return-to-play program when symptom-free. Provided with input from Melanie McGrath, program director of UNO’s Athletic Training Education program

1986

1985

UNO sets Division II record for UNO volleyball team defeats attendance at a volleyball game defending Big 8 champion and No. 4-ranked Nebraska in five sets. Mavs with 3,004 fans seeing Mavs beat North Dakota State. Today finish fourth in country after entire it ranks 11th most. team hit with flu during Final Four. About 100 women participate in first UNO Women’s Walk, raising $12,000.

Olympia Soccer Club, featuring several members of UNO’s soccer club, defeats Vienna Fortuna, a top team from Austria, in soccer game at Al Caniglia Field. Mark Spitz, who won seven gold medals at 1972 Olympics, conducts clinic in HPER building.

Photos: John Armuth, World Organisation Volleyball for Disabled

Ten years after a crippling accident, former Mav baseball standout Brent Rasmussen competes internationally as a sitting volleyball standout By John Fey

A Ralston, Neb., native, he’d had a stellar baseball career at UNO, leading the Mavs in hitting as a junior, then in pitching as a senior, when he was named all-North Central Conference. That led to a contract with the Kansas City Royals, with whom he pitched for their Class A Gulf Coast team. He’d also returned to UNO to finish his studies, earning a business degree in 2001.

But as Rasmussen helped, a second car also slid off the Interstate and barreled right toward him. “It hit my car, slid down in the ravine and hit my legs while I was standing still,” Rasmussen says. “I didn’t see it coming.”

Minnesota Vikings select UNO tight end Brad Beckman in seventh round of NFL draft. Beckman dies in auto accident in 1989 after playing that season for Atlanta Falcons. Diet Pepsi presents $15,000 donation to UNO Women’s Walk, its first contribution to the event.

1991

Various outlets begin selling UNO Pickles — $1 cards of chance. Maverick Boosters Club is legal pickle seller with proceeds benefitting UNO Athletics. Program continues today with UNO Alumni Association providing oversight.

198 8

Nothing but blue skies ahead.

Rasmussen was on his way home to Omaha from Lincoln. Near the Greenwood exit he noticed a woman’s car had slid off the slick pavement. He didn’t hesitate to help — someone had done him the same favor a few years earlier.

The car struck him in the right femur, breaking it in three spots, and shattered the right ankle. Worse, his left foot was severed. He never lost consciousness but remembers being in excruciating pain. “At first, after the accident, I was so scared not to be able to walk again or to just walk normally,” Rasmussen says. “That freaked me out.” And yet the accident also brought a strange sense of relief. “I was so happy that I could be an average person,” he says. “I was tired of working out. I was tired of making (sports) a fulltime job. I was ready to go back to just a normal life.”

Rose Shires begins as head coach of Maverick volleyball after two seasons as a UNO assistant. In 23 seasons since she has won 435 games.

Coach Mike Denney leads UNO to NCAA Division II wrestling national championship — the first of six national titles under his direction.

1992

He was following the road to happiness.

But all that changed on a snowy night in February 2002 — right at mile marker 422 on Interstate 80.

1990

Brent Rasmussen had his life mapped out.

1989

1987

1993 New UNO Mascot named “Durango” in student homecoming vote.

Dean Blais — today UNO’s hockey coach — is assistant coach for U.S. hockey team that finishes fourth in 1992 Albertville Olympic Games.

Eventually, though, Rasmussen’s competitive juices began to flow again. He was fitted with his first prosthetic leg five months after the accident and soon thereafter was competing in wheelchair softball. He quickly became a standout with the Nebraska Barons — he was named most valuable player in his first tournament and broke records for home runs, doubles and more in the national tournament. Mike Kult, assistant facilities director for HPER, was impressed the first time he saw Rasmussen play. “I’ve seen every wheelchair softball player in the country, but he’s by far the best player I’ve ever seen,” says Kult, who is wheelchair-bound. “He’s changed the game. He really has.” Next Rasmussen picked up sitting volleyball. Unlike most sports available to disabled athletes, sitting volleyball can be played by anyone. The court is smaller than college volleyball and the net lower, at 45 inches high. Players must maintain contact with the floor when hitting the ball. Other rules mirror the stand-up game. “The speed of the game is four times faster than standing volleyball,” Rasmussen says. “The good teams in the world, you can’t even see the ball it’s so fast.” Rasmussen soared to even greater heights sitting down, reaching the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens as captain of the U.S. men’s sitting volleyball team. The team placed sixth.

By John Fey Mike Kult wasn’t about to let life in a wheelchair keep him from participating in sports. And he doesn’t let others stay on the sidelines, either. Assistant director of facilities for UNO’s HPER building, Kult has been playing wheelchair basketball since 1977. He’s used a wheelchair for even longer. At 4, Kult was playing near a cattle-loading chute. Other children were playing on the chute, which rolled and fell onto Kult, breaking his back. He was paralyzed at the T 11-12 vertebrae, leaving him with limited use of his legs. “I used to walk with crutches all the time and did not start using a wheelchair until my 20s,” he says. “But due to wear and tear on my leg and shoulders, I only use the crutches for short distances.”

“He’s an incredible guy, very positive,” says Maverick Baseball Coach Bob Herold, who helped Rasmussen sign with the Royals. “He’s very generous with his time and resources.”

Using a wheelchair gets him mobile — and championships. These days Kult coaches his own team — the Nebraska Red Dawgs — drawing players from Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa. He currently has around 20 players in his program, age 7 through 12th grade, on three teams.

Rasmussen credits his UNO athletic career for his ability to overcome his handicap and to lead a successful life.

“We try to find the high school and junior high kids,” Kult says. “If I see a kid limping or see a kid on crutches, I lose all shyness.”

“You always wanted to be the better person or better player than everybody else,” he says, “and that kind of carried over in my life.”

And sometimes Kult has to make his case to mom and dad. “We find that some parents are more resistant than the kids,” Kult says. “They’re afraid they’ll get hurt, but the wheelchair takes the collision. We’ve shown socially they become much more adjusted to the team.”

He doesn’t dwell on the “what ifs” when he reflects on that 2002 night. And he doesn’t think twice about helping others in distress.

Rasmussen also has played wheelchair basketball, traveling to tournaments around the country for seven seasons. Eventually,

“Life can change. A lot of it is about planning a little bit for life. It’s also about setting little goals.”

The Red Dawgs have won four national championships playing in the National Wheelchair Basketball Association, including the last two in the varsity division (earning a segment earlier this year on MSNBC). The Red Dawgs practice Saturdays at HPER from September to April but play all over the country. Kult is proud of the success of his players on and off the court. “Every kid has graduated from high school,” he says, “and many go to college.” For more information on wheelchair athletics, call Kult at 402-554-3232 or visit www.enwaa.org.

Men’s basketball coach Bob Hanson retires after 25 years with 382 wins. UNO Cycling Club forms.

1997

1994

Now he’s helping others do the same

He’s got plenty to keep him busy otherwise. Rasmussen shares joint custody of his 4-year-old son, Drew, with ex-wife Kim (Gerdes), a former UNO volleyball player. He also owns Mortgage Specialists in Omaha, sits on the UNO baseball booster club’s Diamond Club Board, and frequently delivers motivational speeches.

It was just two years since his accident.

1995

Mike Kult made a name for himself in wheelchair athletics

he gave up basketball to concentrate on volleyball. He’s competed in Mexico, Egypt, Brazil, the Netherlands and elsewhere. In 2010 he was one of only two U.S. players to start all 26 sets during the Sitting World Championships. The U.S. team didn’t qualify for the 2012 London Paralympics, but Rasmussen is pondering a run at the 2016 Olympics.

“I still stop many times and get out,” he says. “I’m more cautious and look around my surroundings. When you stop and help somebody, you can’t control what’s going to happen.

Don Leahy returns to UNO for second stint as athletic director.

BIG WHEELS

Back Competing

United States Masters Swimming names Omaha Maverick Adult Swimming Program Director Todd Samland coach of the year.

1996

UNO plays first NCAA hockey game, vs. Manitoba at Civic Auditorium.

Mavs win NCAA Division II national volleyball championship.

UNO starts varsity swimming and diving program.

1998

UNO dedicates newly named Lee & Helene Sapp Fieldhouse following $6.6 million expansion/renovation.

From coast to coast, former Mavs are working in a variety of careers in athletics By Tim Kaldahl

Pitch-Perfect Former UNO pitcher Tyler Cloyd has found a home with the Philadelphia Phillies. Plans call for the 25-year-old from Bellevue to be at spring training with the big league club instead of fighting his way through the minor leagues. That’s the route he took last season on the way to making his MLB debut against the New York Mets.

Last year, Cloyd threw 200 innings in Double-A and Triple-A baseball. He was a combined 15-1 with a 2.26 ERA in 26 starts, earning him the club’s Paul Owens Award for being the best pitcher in the organization’s farm system. Philadelphia liked what it saw and called him up in August. He went 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA in six starts. This spring he hopes home starts in Philadelphia.

1999

College World Series installs statue outside Rosenblatt Stadium, “The Road to Omaha,” designed by former UNO student John Labja. He uses 13 UNO students as models while designing the statue.

Women’s soccer debuts with 14-0 loss to defending Big 12 Conference champ Nebraska.

Former Mav MarTay Jenkins sets stillstanding NFL records for most kickoff returns (82) and kickoff return yards (2,186) in a season. An Arizona Cardinal, he also ties record for most games in a season with 100 or more all-purpose yards (15).

Mav recruit Dan Ellis becomes first UNO player chosen in NHL draft in second-round. Defenseman Greg Zanon chosen in fifth round.

UNO freshman Brian Cullin finishes eighth in 2001 Deaf World Games in Rome, competing in Greco-Roman wrestling. UNO wins NCAA Division II softball national championship.

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2000

Career Swoosh The easy way to start a story about Kevin Donnelly is to write that he “just did it” and ended with a dream job at Nike. But his career track wasn’t so simple. Like many UNO graduates, Donnelly worked hard — and smart — to achieve what he wanted. In 2012, Nike promoted Donnelly to supply chain director of NIKEiD (www.nike.com/ iD), a service that lets customers customize Nike merchandise. Want to change the standard white swoosh to mulberry on a black men’s running shoe? Customers can log in with that or just about any other request — and Nike will just do it. Donnelly’s job is to make sure the shoe is done right, done on time and sent to the right place.

“We make it, ship it and get it to them,” he says. The hundreds of customization choices and thousands of possible combinations are what many are coming to expect.

“The people who do best are the people who have worked a few other places,” he says. Midwesterners do well, too. After UPS, he worked as the director for logistics and supply chain at Bowflex/Nautilus.

“It’s a different world,” Donnelly says. “People are willing to pay top dollar.”

Finally, in 2004, he landed at Nike.

Donnelly moved to Portland in 1990, a year after graduating from UNO with a marketing degree — with the idea of getting a job at Nike. He also loved the idea of working in the northwest. His parents thought he was nuts for making the leap.

Donnelly’s work with the world’s No. 1 sports industry company means traveling the world — from Brazil to Japan to Europe. It also means that on the Nike campus, he can bump into LeBron James or Tiger Woods.

During those first years, Donnelly couldn’t buy an interview with Nike. So he worked his way up at another big corporation — UPS — for 11 years. And he learned. At Nike, he’s seen thousands of resumes.

“It’s a company built on trust,” he says. “You don’t have to punch a clock to get work done. You just have to get work done.”

Just Kickin’ It

Second, he can go long. Zuerlein made a solid 60-yarder against Seattle, breaking a Rams record he’d set earlier that game at 58 yards. All at just 6 feet and 190 pounds — but with a powerful leg that’s earned him the moniker “Legatron.” But you wouldn’t know he’s capable of such by looking at his team photo — which makes him appear younger than his 24 years. His mother joked about it in a New York Times article on the UNO graduate and former Maverick kicker. She told the paper her son always was picked last for teams when he was growing up in Lincoln, Neb. He wasn’t the Rams’ first pick — they nabbed him in the sixth round of the NFL draft.

Ali Petersen becomes UNO’s first swimmer to win NCAA championship, claiming Division II crown in 100 and 200 backstroke. Her time in 200 sets national mark of 2:00.54.

2 0 03

Adjunct Professor Mark Hoeger premieres, Full Ride, on the WB network. The film, centering on high school football players, was partly filmed at UNO. Maverick women’s program wins North Central Conference All-Sports Award.

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But with the way he’s kicking, he’s first to be called when the game’s on the line and a 3 is in need.

Former Mav Dan Ellis becomes first player in UNO history to play in NHL game, notching win in goal as Dallas Stars beat Los Angeles Kings 4-3. Two-dozen players set Guinness World Record for longest wheelchair basketball game, playing 26 hours and three minutes in Fieldhouse.

Women’s soccer team wins national championship.

2 0 05

Mavs post highest finish ever, second, in National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Directors’ Cup standings, finishing 10th among 213 Division II schools for performance of all teams.

Rams team photographer Newman Lowrance.

Anyone logging onto the St. Louis Rams website to look up rookie kicker Greg Zuerlein is immediately struck by a few things. First, the guy is deadly accurate up through 50 yards with an overall made percentage of 80-plus.

Trying to uncover the humanity of the story is something for which her staff strives. They go beyond the scores, often veering into business, government, education and societal issues. Janovy does it well enough that she’s won two Sports Emmys and been nominated for four additional Sports Emmys for her work as a coordinating producer.

Janovy (pictured), a 1998 grad, works at the network’s home office in Bristol, Conn. Merrill, who worked on the Gateway in the early 1990s, now lives in Omaha, but travels extensively for the network. Both received a wealth of reporting experience at the Omaha World-Herald before moving on to other news outlets and eventually to ESPN. Janovy joined ESPN in 2006 and now is deputy editor for enterprise/Investigations. She plans, assigns, edits and produces online stories and long-form, cross-platform features (3,000- to 10,000 words) in collaboration with network brands “Outside the Lines,” “E:60” and ESPN The Magazine.

Les Sigman becomes fourth NCAA Division II wrestler to win four national championships. UNO also captures third-straight team title.

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“We look for stories around the world,” she says. “We send reporters around the world to tell the best stories they can find.”

“The goal that we have in our group is to create an inviting and rich experience,” Janovy says. Janovy helped bring Merrill to ESPN in 2007. Merrill says Janovy was a great editor and mentor when they worked together at the Omaha World-Herald in the 1990s. Merrill had been working at the Kansas City Star covering the Chiefs when the ESPN offer came. A Star editor advised her that working for a website sounded risky. She’s glad she didn’t take the warning.

Being a firefighter sounds exciting. For former UNO wrestler Jason Brilz, firefighting is the day job. Away from the firehouse he’s a mixed martial artist with an 18-5-1 record. The world of MMA fighting, which makes boxing look like square dancing, is a pumped-up, youthoriented, Internet-driven sport. Brilz is no kid, though. He’s 37 and earned bachelor’s degrees in biology and sociology while compiling a 63-34 career wrestling record. His training, understandably, has to be adjusted around his “rotating work schedule and having to drop and pick up my kiddos from school,” according the to Ultimate Fighting Championship website.

And technology can take great storytelling to a higher level. In this media-dense age, written stories can get enriched with online slideshows, video and audio, and writers and editors can get feedback from readers back faster than ever. “They have so many different mediums,” Merrill says. “That’s another exciting thing about ESPN.”

Maverick baseball team goes 1-2 in first-ever appearance in NCAA Division II College World Series.

UNO graduate student Pallav Deka wins gold medal in badminton at State Games of America. He also teams with Anh Nguyen of Lincoln to win men’s doubles championship.

Terry Forsberg marks 50 years as public address announcer for Maverick sporting events — a streak of more than 1,000 games.

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“There are a few places left that are committed to find the best stories,” she says. Occasionally, Merrill says, she misses being in a newsroom, but technology — phone calls, emails and more — keep her in touch.

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Two sports journalists with UNO ties — Jena Janovy and Liz Merrill — think of themselves as extremely lucky to work for ESPN.com.

Mixing It Up

Telling Stories — with ESPN

It comes down to storytelling. A good, compelling story still needs to get out and needs to be told the right way — even in 2013.

Mavs join Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. UNO hosts swimming events of National Veterans Wheelchair Games, which feature more than 500 athletes from U.S. and U.K.

Former Hockey Player Brian Haaland, a member of Red Bull pit crew, helps team win NASCAR pit crew challenge, a speed race at All-Star weekend.

2 010

University dedicates a renovated HPER Building, completing a two-year, $36.8 million expansion project.

Mavs win North Central Conference basketball tournament, beating North Dakota 75-68.

Four on the Floor

Zuffa, LLC/Getty Images

Defending a title is just flat-out hard. At Omaha Central High School, the boys basketball team this season is going for its third defense — and an unprecedented fourth-straight state championship. They’re led by Eric Behrens, who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UNO. His Eagles went 33-0 last year, pushing his 11-year coaching record at Central to 235-49. He’ll add wins. We’ll see about another state title.

AD of the Year

He’s done pretty well himself, so much so that this April the NAIA Athletic Directors Association will present him with an award as 2011-12 Athletic Director of the Year, honoring his 18 years as Vanguard AD.

Wilson, who has a master’s degree in secondary education from UNO, has a long NAIA history. He coached basketball for 24 years before retiring in 1995 with more than 385 wins. He was president of the Basketball Coaches Association and served as chairman of the NAIA Basketball Tournament. He’s also a member of the Council of Athletic Administrators, past president of the Athletic Directors Association, and has a spot in the NAIA Men’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

2 012

Bob Wilson has made a long-lasting impression at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, Calif., where he expects his athletes to excel in the classroom as well as on the playing field.

UNO announces that it will go Division I in all sports, adding men’s soccer and golf while dropping football and wrestling. All teams except hockey will compete in the Summit League. UNO announces that hockey team will join newly formed National Collegiate Hockey Conference beginning in 2013-14.

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What do you buy the hockey fan who has everything? How about a golf club that looks like a hockey stick? Former UNO hockey player David Graham, class of 2003, came up with the idea while looking for a Christmas gift for his father. Creating what was to become Hockey Stick Putters (hockeystickputters.com) took years and involved creating the design, finding a factory in China and securing licensing rights. He’s helped with wife and fellow UNO grad Angela (Batchelder, ‘01) The $115 putters are real (and popular) and available in a variety of NHL, college and vintage styles.

Former UNO track star Pinar Saka competes at London Olympics, becoming first woman from Turkey to compete in an Olympics in 400 meters. Saka finishes fourth in her heat, .07 seconds from qualifying for semifinals.

Former Mav Tyler Cloyd makes MLB debut as Philadelphia’s starting pitcher in loss to Mets.

UNO wrestling team wins third-straight national championship and sixth in eight years. UNO men’s basketball team records first victory over an NCAA Division I team while playing as a Division I team, beating Northern Illinois 77-72.

Sticking it to Golfers

American Football Coaches Association presents its Amos Alonzo Stagg Award to 1952 UNO graduate Frosty Westering, who ended his coaching career with Pacific Lutheran University in 2003 with 305 wins, ninth most among all coaches in any division. Westering won three NAIA national championships and one NCAA Division III title.

sights & sounds

SIGHTS Scenes on and off campus

Keeping Vigil UNO’s Air Force’s ROTC, Detachment 470, hosted its annual 24-hour guard vigil on campus Nov. 8 in honor of American Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action. The ceremony took place in the UNO Pep Bowl.

Back at Play UNO transitioned from one sports season to another since the last UNO Magazine was mailed, with seasons opening for men’s and women’s basketball, women’s swimming and diving, hockey and indoor track. For the latest scores and Maverick news, visit www.omavs.com

Commence Smiling There were plenty of smiles during UNO’s commencement ceremonies in December, held in the Sapp Fieldhouse on the UNO campus. UNO hosted two ceremonies, each featuring speeches from an undergraduate and graduate student and student marshals to represent each college and their peers. As part of UNO’s continuing efforts as a military-friendly campus, UNO also provided veteran students with red-white-andblue honor cords for the ceremonies. The UNO Alumni Association issued its Citation of Alumni Achievement to two graduates — James Freeman, director of UNO’s Multicultural Affairs office, and Penny Parker, executive director of Completely KIDS (see story Page 7).

Photos: Jeff Beiermann, University Relations

CLASS

NO T E S

class notes

Send your classnotes to www.unoalumni.org/classnotes. Or, post your note on the UNO Alumni Association Facebook site: www.facebook.com/UNOAlumni

WALLY RANKIN (BS) last fall “took a cruise to Alaska with a 90-year-old companion.” He lives in a retirement complex in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Probation and Parole since 1999. He lives latest performance in Chicago in 2011 as well as the release of his second CD, in Valrico, Fla., and is vice chair of the “Counting Crows.” Council of Area Agency on Aging and a Just wrapped the volunteer at James A. Haley VA Hospital. production of a He has chaired 13 annual alumni new independent breakfasts to raise funds to keep St. Peter ROBERT WHITEHOUSE film, ‘Scrooge & Claver Catholic School in continuous (ms) recently was inducted into Marley,’ which existence since 1894. It’s the elementary the Omaha Public Schools opened nationwide school Bodden attended. He is “very Athletic Hall of Fame, honored Dec. 1. Matt involved with church activities.” as a community caymanb@verizon.net performed the contributor. soundtrack to the Whitehouse with RICHARD ULMER (BS) film, which stars a lot of Chicago-based OPS was a teacher, published “Yorktown: Growing talent, plus Bruce Vilanch (comedy writer coach, athletic up in Small-Town Iowa,” a for most of the awards shows as well as director and memoir of his boyhood in for Whoopi Goldberg, Bette Midler and principal. He was a Southwest Iowa, Lily Tomlin). The soundtrack was founding member of where his father ran composed by Barbra Streisand’s writing the National a Lutheran school. team. I continue to sing professionally Interscholastic It is available on with Chicago’s Windy City Performing Athletic Administrators Association Amazon.com and Arts throughout the year, as well as in (NIAAA) and is a past president of the elsewhere via News the annual production of ‘Too Hot To Nebraska Coaches Association and Ink Books. Ulmer is Handel’ at the Auditorium Theatre in Nebraska Athletic Directors Association. a former Gateway honor and celebration of the legacy of He is chairman of the University of editor who spent 10 Martin Luther King. Think Handel’s Nebraska Board of Regents. He received years as a reporter for the Omaha Sun, ‘Messiah’ on steroids and you get a sense the UNO Alumni Association’s highest Lincoln Journal-Star and Omaha of the high-energy intensity of the honor, the Citation for Alumni World-Herald. He changed careers in the performance. It’s a jazz / gospel version Achievement, in 2007. mid-1980s, went to Stanford Law School, of Handel's Messiah.” and had a successful career as a Silicon NormCratty@yahoo.com WILLARD KEARNEY Valley lawyer. Since 2009 he has been a (BGS) is retired from the U.S. LEO ADAM BIGA (BS) superior court judge in San Francisco. Army as a Lt. Col. and writes lives in Omaha and is an from Newport News, Va., NORM CRATTY (BA) author-journalist-blogger. “Enjoying retirement, family, beach house. lives in Chicago and writes: “My writing covers diverse Would like contact with old friends.” “My interest and involvement topics, but the work of Oscar-winning wpkandsmk@msn.com in the music/entertainment filmmaker Alexander Payne is a special and film industries continues. For the VERNARD HAUGER (BS) past several years I have freelanced as an focus. Long before Payne became a household name I recognized him as an lives in Omaha and is retired agent for a Los Angeles-based singer/ important artist and cultivated a from the Omaha Police songwriter (Matt Alber). I promoted his relationship with him. Over time he's Department as a lieutenant

44 67

after 30 years of service. He recently published a book, “On the Job,” an Omaha Police Officer’s Story 1958-88. He writes that the book has “street stories” that “provide life lessons for us all.” The book can be purchased online from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. It also is available on Kindle and Nook. Vern and his wife, Myrta Mae Sales Hauger, have been married 58 years. They are active in the Florence Area of the city volunteering with the Florence Historical Foundation. vernhauger@cox.net

JOSEPH BODDEN (BGS) has been retired from the U.S. Army since 1986 and from the Pennsylvania Board of

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granted me unprecedented access to his creative process. I have collected my extensive journalism about the writer-director into a new book, ‘Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film – A Reporter’s Perspective 1998-2012.’ It is the first comprehensive look at this major cinema force. Endorsements for the book have come from actress Laura Dern (the star of Payne’s first feature, ‘Citizen Ruth’), novelist Kurt Andersen and film critic Leonard Maltin. Available everywhere books are sold, ‘Alexander Payne: His Journey in Film’ offers readers an insider’s glimpse at Payne. Preview the book at www.facebook.com/LeoAdamBiga. The book is likely not my last about Payne, who's invited me to write about the making of one of his future films. Outside of Payne, I write historical and contemporary pieces on Omaha institutions, events, trends and personalities. For a showcase of my work, visit leoadambiga.wordpress.com. leo32158@cox.net

HENRY CORDES (BS) last fall published Unbeatable: Tom Osborne and the Greatest Era of Nebraska Football (Omaha World-Herald, $29.95). The book recounts the five years when Osborne’s teams went 60-3 and won three national championships in four years. Cordes is a staff writer for the World-Herald.

class notes

JEFFREY RUE (BSBA) last fall was, “Working here in Omaha to help the County Party take back our electoral vote.”

mailtorue@yahoo.com

TRACY PRINCE (MA) lives in Portland, Ore., and recently published two books — “Culture Wars in British Literature” (2012, McFarland) and “Portland's Goose Hollow” (2011, Arcadia). “Since my time at UNO I also earned a Ph.D. (University of NebraskaLincoln, 1997).” tprince@pdx.edu

BRIAN J. NASTASE (BA) lives in Midland, Mich., and is COO of the new Michigan Crossroads Council, Boy Scouts of America. “This is a bold move forward for the Boy Scouts in reorganizing the business of Scouting to position the organization for exceptional membership growth throughout the state of Michigan,” Nastase writes. With this reorganization of nine geographic councils to one, it now is the largest Boy Scout Council in the Country serving more than 73,000 youth.

brian.nastase@Scouting.org

JIM BEGLEY (MPA) was elected to a six-year term on the Metropolitan Utilities District (MUD) Board of Directors in Omaha. He also was inducted into the Pi Alpha Alpha National Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration.

Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) chapter and was elected to the CCIM Institute Board of Directors and CCIM Tech Board of Directors.

CHRISTY POOSCHKE (ma) lives in Omaha and is

the author of Eating Additive-Free: A Natural Cookbook & Shopping Guide. Christy also is the creator of GroceryGeek.com and CompletelyNourished.com. She writes: “Since resolving my own chronic illness (Fibromyalgia) through dietary changes in 2007, I have been on a mission to educate others about the importance of minimizing their reliance on processed foods. Through my book, websites, articles, videos and speaking engagements, I teach others how to shop for and prepare natural, additive-free foods.”

BORIS MOROZOV (MBA) is a coordinator of

the Public Finance and Budgeting Section for the Western Social Science Association, an international community for scientists that draws on scholars and others in

some 30 disciplines, convenes at an annual conference, conducts research competitions for faculty and students and publishes the Social Science Journal, a juried, quarterly research journal, and WSSA News, the association's newsletter. Morozov is the Jon D. “Jay” and Marguerite “Cissy” Doles Babb/AXA Foundation Developing Scholar Professor in the LSU Public Administration Institute. B.L.Morozov@gmail.com MICHELLE ERICKSON WEATHERLY (BSBA) was promoted to vice president of business development with Hyperion Integrators, an Omaha-based security integrator. She joined Hyperion in January 2011 as marketing manager.

FRANCES PATTERSON (BS) was named CAREgiver of

the year for the Omaha branch of Home Instead Senior Care.

JACKIE CHAVEZ (BA) lives in Los Angeles is a coordinator for film/TV and A&R at peermusic, one of the country’s largest independent music

publishing companies. She previously worked at Universal Studios Hollywood and did some production work on American Film Institute student films. "Moving from Omaha to LA was tough, especially without a job,” Chavez writes. “Taking this leap of faith has generated some amazing rewards, I am so blessed to have this position in the music industry that uses everything I have learned through school and experienced in college. I can't think of a better place to work that caters to my love of film and music together!" Check out our facebook page www.facebook.com/peermusic jackie.chavez19@yahoo.com

MICHAEL SUSTAITA (BA) is a student in the clinical psychology doctoral program at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. “My beautiful wife and fellow 2010 UNO alum, Stacy, will complete her law degree from NebraskaLincoln in December and recently accepted a clerkship with the 72nd District Court of Texas. We are proud to be Mavs and look forward to catching a hockey game when we come to visit in the fall.” sustaita.michael@gmail.com

SHAHZAIB HASHMI (MS) lives in Karachi and

writes: “Am 38 now, working as corporate AVP at an asset management company. Just got engaged — I tell my fiancé about UNO, Omaha and Nebraska here in Karachi and told her that we’ll have to visit Omaha one day. I also wrote an article here in our country's leading newspaper, “Dawn” highlighting Nebraska’s talent. You can look it up by searching under my name. Love my alma mater.” shahzaibh@usa.com

NICHOLAS MINER (BSBA) joined Orion Investment Real Estate as vice president in its Scottsdale office. He has 15 years of experience in the industry and focuses on multi-tenant retail investments. He has been involved in more than 100 transactions totaling roughly $150 million in consideration. He also served as president of the Central Arizona

“The opportunities I’ve had are endless.” A UNO senior public relations major, Devin Bertelsen has been involved in numerous campus groups and activities, traveled abroad to London as part of her studies, and this year, has served as student government president and UNO’s student representative on the Board of Regents. All of this was possible because Devin received a scholarship from the UNO Alumni Association, which keeps alumni and friends of UNO connected and supporting UNO’s students through the UNO Annual Fund. This year, the UNO Alumni Association celebrates 100 years of building a better university for students like Devin. Make your gift to the UNO Annual Fund today to continue our vital and important mission. See Devin’s video story at www.unoalumni.org/scholarships

Make your gift at www.unoalumni.org/makeadonation

class notes ASHLEY HAMERNIK (BFA) lives in Chicago and writes that after graduating from UNO in 2011 she took the year off and worked as a part-time teen specialist for Saddlebrook Library. She moved to Chicago and now is enrolled at Columbia College Chicago working toward an MFA in film directing.

STEPHEN VELASQUEZ (BGS) was awarded the Air Force Health Professions Scholarship at the University of Southern California to pursue a master’s degree in social work. He credited UNO “for my success” in an article published by the USC School of Social work. According to the article, Velasquez, who joined the U.S. Army in 2002, deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and saw several of his friends struggle with traumatic experiences from their time in the combat zone — “experiences that destroyed families, led to alcohol abuse, and in one instance, suicide.” Velasquez was quoted as

saying: "I want to help my fellow service members overcome the challenges that arise in military life, and the Air Force was the best way." Velasquez was on track to finish earning his MSW in December, when he was to enter active duty with the Air Force. stephen.velasquez@gmail.com

future ALUMS

in memoriam

Submit a birth announcement (within 1 year of birth) and we’ll send you a certificate and an Ador-A-Bull T-shirt! Include baby’s name, date of birth, parents’ or grandparents’ names and graduation year(s).  Mail to UNO Magazine, 67th & Dodge Streets, Omaha, NE 68182-0010 or online at www.unoalumni/ futurealums

Alumni 1958 Gary Vicker 1959 Billy Beal 1971 Patricia Sheppard Felton

1986 Robert S.

Masters Jr.

Faculty Clarke Mullen John Kerrigan

Khloe Elizabeth Schreck , daughter Ryan and Michele (Muhlbauer, ’01) Schreck of Carroll, Iowa and granddaughter of Richard Muhlbauer (’74) of Carroll. Anna Victoria Bauer , daughter of Elizabeth and Michael (’00) Bauer and granddaughter of Ruth (’75) and Gordon (’76) Sather of Blair, Neb. Max Paul McMeekin and Owen Andrew McMeekin, sons of Kelly and Paul (’08) McMeekin of Elkhorn, Neb. Charlotte Ryan Dye, daughter of Stephanie and Brendan (’07) Williams of Papillion, Neb., and granddaughter of David Dye (’80) of Council Bluffs, Iowa. Ali Marie Green, daughter of Michael and Jessica

(Bazan’06) Green of Harker Heights, Texas. Mitchell William Junker , son of Allison and Wade (’01) Junker of Omaha. Blake Matthew Schaecher , son of Matthew and Jenna (Grotelueschen, ’10) Schaecher of Omaha. Jace Robert Shoemaker , son of Jennifer and John (’02) Shoemaker of Omaha. Nolan Reid Chesnut, son of Mindy and Nic (’02) Chesnut of Omaha. Noah Xavier SoMmerfeld, son of Jason and Melinda (Marshall, ’01) Sommerfeld of Omaha. Miah Mae Dasovic , daughter of Jeremiah and Jennifer (Voss, ’08) Dasovic of Plattsmouth, Neb., and granddaughter of Laurie Voss (’80) of Plattsmouth.

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just for you The 1999 UNO graduate’s full-time post is as assistant budget director in the UNO Budget Office. But the numbers she’s after in her boot camps have less to do with budgets and more to do with exercise counts, beads of sweat, lost pounds, and minutes holding planks.

Fit Like a Rock? Want to get

Stacking Up

So — Just For You — UNO Magazine provides a handful of some of Rock’s workouts. For many of them, all you need is a bit of space at home. Others can be done at a track or in a gym. Having access to some stairs and a timer helps, too. Fit like UNO Boot Camp Instructor Jenni Anderson Rock, that is. Rock has led boot camp workouts in UNO’s HPER building for nearly three years, directing sometimes nearly two dozen UNO faculty, staff and students in sweatinducing sessions every Monday and Wednesday at noon. She also has taught group exercise for Fit in the City, a company based out of Ralston, Neb. And Rock can be seen frequently in HPER on her own putting herself through the exercise ringer.

Just 1 Minute

1. Pushups 2. Squat jumps 3. Tricep dips 4. High knees 5. Grasshoppers 6. Dynamic jumping jacks 7. Burpees 8. Jump lunges 9. V-Sits 10. Bicycles

Do each exercise for 1 minute with minimal rest between. Rest and repeat.

Do Exercise 1 for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds.

Jump rope Squat jumps

Next, do Exercise 1 for 30 seconds, Exercise 2 for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds.

Jump rope Burpees

Next, do Exercise 1 for 30 seconds, Exercise 2 for 30 seconds, Exercise 3 for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds. Continue “stacking” exercises to the routine — resting for only 30 seconds between sets — until you finish performing all 10 exercises consecutively for 30 seconds each. Repeat if desired.

Jump rope Dynamic Jacks Jump rope Mountain climbers Jump rope Speed skaters Jump rope High knees

Jump rope Wall jumps Jump rope Grasshoppers Jump rope

By 10s

10 Tuck Jumps 20 Squat jumps 30 Lunges (pairs) 40 Glute Lifts

For the real thing, consider attending one of Rock’s boot camp classes by purchasing a membership to the HPER building through UNO’s Campus Recreation. Classes are free for members! Memberships are available to alumni with a current UNO Alumni Card. See more at unoalumni.org/hper. For links to descriptions of exercises provided here, visit unoalumni.org/ unomag-Spring13/justforyou.

Great at a Football Field 30 Jumping Jacks 15 Squats 30 High Knees 15 Tricep Dips Sprint 2 laps around a track/field Traveling Burpees, 50 yards Walking lunges, 50 yards Traveling Burpees, 50 yards Walking lunges, 50 yards Sprint 2 laps around a track/field 100 mountain climbers 50 reverse crunches 100 mountain climbers 50 sit-ups Sprint 2 laps around a track/field 30 Jumping Jacks 20 Spidermans 30 Tuck Jumps 20 SPLIT SQUAT LUNGES Sprint 2 laps around a track/field

50 Speed Skaters 30 Lunges (pairs) 200 Jump Rope 20 Squat Jumps 50 Slide Skaters 10 Tuck Jumps 40 Glute Lifts

Be a Superhero

20 Jumping Jacks 10 Burpees 20 Lunges 5 Sprints in a gym or on a track 10 Push-ups 10 Dips 20 Lunges 5 Sprints 20 Supermans 2 0 Spidermans 2 0 Bicycles 5 Sprints

Repeat above but change sprints to stair runs or whatever high intensity cardio you choose.

More Workouts Online

Want more workouts? See "A Smarter Workout," a 30-minute workout provided by UNO Strength and Conditioning Director David Noonan, published in the Fall 2010 UNO Magazine. It is available online at unoalumni.org/unomagazine/fall2010/ justforyou

just for you

Run smarter, run faster — With Jessica Renz, undergraduate researcher, Nebraska Biomechanics Core Facility

If you’re having trouble with your feet because of running, perhaps you should make a stop at the home of UNO’s “Shoe Guy” — Dr. Nick Stergiou. He’s got a great, “pedi”gree, after all. Director of UNO’s Nebraska Biomechanics Core Facility (NBCF), Stergiou received his Ph.D. from the University of Oregon — home to Nike and the center of the running universe. There he worked with world-famous runners and, more importantly, world-famous running researchers. Today he uses his experience and knowledge to help people with numerous types of movement-related difficulties resulting from causes such as aging, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy and more. That’s made the NBCF a world leader in the field of biomechanics — the study of human movement and the forces that produce it. Today UNO is constructing a new home for the NBCF, a 23,000-square-foot facility that will be the first building of its kind anywhere. Such a facility will advance UNO research on those whose body might be out of kilter — including runners. NBCF has been helping runners since 1997, using gait analysis to determine proper body mechanics while training and what type of shoe to wear. Thousands of runners have been tested, from marathoners who run daily to elderly who exercise only a few times a week. NBCF staff begin a gait analysis with a brief interview that covers physical activity and injury histories. Then, 14 static measurements are taken to look at knee alignment, arch height, angle of gait, limb length, lower limb flexibility, and foot motion. Next, an analysis is performed on a treadmill while walking and running at self-selected speeds. A short video segment is taken at each speed, helping determine dynamic pronation angles (how much the ankle rolls when bearing weight on each foot).

Tips for runners: • Avoid any type of abrupt change it’s the No. 1 reason NBCF sees for injury, whether it is related to a new type of shoe, a change in mileage or a change in running surface. When running, change should be gradual.

• Avoid running on pavement it puts runners at risk for a number of different injuries. • DO run on dirt trails or other soft surfaces that provide more landing support.

Detailed shoe recommendations are made based on the static and dynamic measurements in order to match a runner’s foot, ankle and leg anatomy characteristics and gait pattern. Staff also provide stretches needed to maintain or improve flexibility. A gait analysis can be performed for $70. Monies are used to help NBCF students participate in and present research at national meetings. To schedule an appointment, call 402-554-3225. More information is available at unomaha.edu/biomech/inside/gait

for fun Test your brainpower with these puzzles created by UNO graduate (and former football player) Terry Stickels (’76). An author, speaker and puzzle maker, Stickels’ FRAME GAMES is published by USA Weekend magazine and in 600 newspapers. For more information on Stickels, or to order any of his books, visit www.terrystickels.com

Visual

Below is a scrambled 15-letter word known to all. See how long it takes you to arrange the letters correctly.

Logic

I have a friend who collects autographed baseballs. All but three of the baseballs are from the Saint Louis Cardinals, all but three of them are from the Texas Rangers, all but three of them are from the Chicago Cubs, and all but three of them are from the Minnesota Twins. How many total baseballs does he own.

Mathematics

A publisher is printing an article of 48,000 words. Two sizes of type will be used: one where a page consists of 900 words. The other will have 1,500 words on a page. The article will be 40 pages long. How many pages of each type will be used?

Language

Match the words with their randomly listed meanings. There’s one extra meaning on the right as an additional challenge: The Study Of …

1. Vexillology 2. Enology 3. Pomology 4. Sitology 5. Campanology 6. Orology 7. Spelelogy

a. Mountains b. Nutrition c. Caves d. Bell Ringing e. Fruits f. Land Measurement g. Wine-Making h. Flags

stickelers Answers Logic: He owns four baseballs. Mathematics: 20 pages of 900 words and 20 pages of 1,500 words. Here’s one way to view this: 1. 900x + 1500y = 48,000 2. x + y = 40 3. x = 40 – y 4. Substituting, 900(40 – y_ + 1500y = 48,000 5. 36,000 – 900y + 1500y = 48,000 6. 600y = 12,000 7. y = 20, therefore, x = 20 language: 1-h; 2-g; 3-e; 4-b; 5-d; 6-a; 7-c Visual: Internationally

Word

Puzzles taken from “The Big Brain Puzzle Book,” created by Terry Stickels for the Alzheimer’s Association

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