Greek News
Delt Will Ferrell Receives the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
The 14th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor was awarded to Will Ferrell, a member of Delta Tau Delta at the University of Southern California, this past Sunday night at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. On hand to honor their friend/colleague at the toast & roast were Conan O'Brien, Ben Stiller, John C. Reilly, Paul Rudd (a member of Sigma Nu at the University of Kansas), Matthew Broderick, Larry King, Jack Black, Molly Shannon, Ed Asner, Maya Rudolph, Nathan Lane, Andy Samberg and Tim Meadows. In accepting the Twain Prize, Ferrell said "It's almost too much to handle. When you look at the past recipients....this is one award that truly honors the art form of humor. I've gotten to do a multitude of things and I've been given many opportunities."
Past winners of the Mark Twain Prize have included Richard Pryor, Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Newhart, Lilly Tomlin, Steve Martin and Bill Cosby. On Monday, October 31st, PBS stations will air the entire 90-minute Will Ferrell: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize telecast at 10:00PM on the east coast and 9:00PM in the central time zone. Those in other time zones should check their local TV listings for the start time.
Nominate Star Players for the 2011 NIC All-Fraternity Teams
The NIC's annual All-Fraternity All-American Football selections will be announced in several months after the bowl games conclude.
To see the current list of nominees being considered, click here.
There will be a separate first team for NCAA FBS/FCS schools and a first team for NCAA Division II/II & NAIA schools released on this website. Lengthy honorable mention lists of other standout players will also be announced, along with the names of leading Greek college head coaches. Nominations are being received from fraternity headquarters, Greek advisors at schools, IFCs, sports information directors at schools and interested undergraduates and alumni. The watch list will be updated with new names added every couple of weeks for the rest of the season.
Send nominations (names, school name, fraternity affiliation) to Jay Langhammer at Jlangha132@aol.com.
Two Greeks Tie For Sixth at the Latest PGA Event
At the PGA Tour's weekend tournament, The McGladrey Classic at St. Simons Island, GA, two players from NIC member groups tied for sixth place. Winning $125,000 each were Scott McCarron, a member of Beta Theta Pi at UCLA, and Kevin Streelman, a member of Delta Sigma Phi from Duke. McCarron's first round total of 64 was one of the tournament's lowest scores.
Business Magazines Feature Billionaire Greeks on the Cover
The October 24th issue of Forbes features Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon, a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at Duke University, in it's major eight page cover story titled "The Two Sides of Aubrey McClendon". Also on the newsstands is the November issue of Success magazine featuring Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, a member of Pi Lambda Phi from Indiana University. His eight page story is titled "The Ultimate Maverick" and talks about his other successful businesses besides basketball.
Luke Donald Places Third, Tops Money Winners List
Northwestern Sigma Chi Luke Donald continued with a third place tie at the Tour Championship in Atlanta last weekend and now is the 2011 leading money winner on the PGA Tour.Through his latest high finish, his total PGA Tour earnings for the year are $5,837,214. Eighty-five men have now gone over the $1,000,000 million, including the following Greeks from NIC organizations: #14 Brandt Snedeker (Kappa Alpha Order at Vanderbilt); #29 Bo Van Pelt (Sigma Chi at Oklahoma State); #36 Steve Marino (Beta Theta Pi at Virginia); #48 Brandt Jobe (Beta Theta Pi at UCLA); and #74 Kevin Streelman (Delta Sigma Phi at Duke).
Sigma Chi Golfer Luke Donald Places Fourth
The year's top Greek money earner on the PGA Tour, Luke Donald (Sigma Chi at Northwestern), had another high finish, placing fourth (10 under 274) and winning $384,000 at the BMW Championship in Lemont, Illinois. Placing ninth and earning $232,000 was Brandt Jobe (Beta Theta Pi at UCLA), who shot a low round of 64.
Two Pikes Win Top Honors at the Emmy Awards
For the second straight year, Jim Parsons, a member of Pi Kappa Alpha at Houston, won the Emmy as Best Actor in The Big Bang Theory comedy series. Also winning the Emmy again for Oustanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series was Jon Stewart, a member of Pi Kappa Alpha at William & Mary, for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Other Greeks who were nominated for their acting performances in drama or comedy were Beau Bridges (Sigma Alpha Epsilon at UCLA), Greg Kinnear (Alpha Tau Omega at Arizona), Eric Stonestreet (Pi Kappa Alpha at Kansas State) and James Woods (Theta Delta Chi at MIT).
Pi Kappa Alpha’s Bowden Reveals 2007 Cancer Treatment
One of college football's greatest football coaches, Bobby Bowden, a member of Pi Kappa Alpha at Samford, has gone public on ABC's Good Morning America and in USA TODAY about his prostrate cancer treatment in the spring of 2007. The longtime Florida State head man, who won 377 games over his 44-year career, is now a spokesman for On The Line, a national prostate cancer education initiative, but initially guarded information on his 2007 treatment for fear that opponents would use the knowledge against FSU in recruiting players.The Tallahasse doctor who took the biopsy and did the procedure was Dr. Joe Camps, who was a former Seminoles defensive back and Bowden's first captain at FSU in 1976.
Three Greeks Finish in Top Seven at Latest PGA Event
The PGA Tour's Deutsche Bank Championship at Norton, Massachusetts wrapped up on Monday with three Greeks finishing among the top seven money winners. Tying for third place and a $416,000 paycheck each were Luke Donald (Sigma Chi at Northwestern University) and Brandt Snedeker (Kappa Alpha Order at Vanderbilt University). Both shot a four round total of 271 strokes, 13 under par. Placing seventh with a 273 total (11 under par) was Bo Van Pelt (Sigma Chi at Oklahoma State University), who earned $268,000.
New Football Book by Beta Theta Pi’s Jim Dent is in Stores
New Football Book by Beta Theta Pi's Jim Dent is in Stores
The latest work by Jim Dent, one of America's top football authors, is Courage Beyond the Game, which covers the short life of University of Texas safety Freddie Steinmark, who helped inspire the Longhorns to the 1969 national championship. Dent, a Beta Theta Pi from Southern Methodist University, researched his ninth book by interviewing players and coaches from the '68 and '69 teams, which included a large number of Greeks, plus close friends and family of Steinmark, who lost his left leg to a cancerous tumor several weeks before the 1970 Cotton Bowl between Texas and Notre Dame. Also providing their memories were former head coaches Darrell Royal, a member of Delta Upsilon at Oklahoma, and Fred Akers, a member of Sigma Chi at Arkansas. Steinmark made it to the Cotton Bowl on crutches several weeks after surgery and supported his teammates on the sideline. After a short stint as a coaching assistant, his cancer returned and he passed away on June 6th of 1971.
The book's foreword was written by Longhorns head coach Mack Brown, a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon from Florida State, who was asked to keep the Steinmark legend alive after he became head coach in 1998. He later installed a large photo and plaque of Steinmark in the tunnel to the playing field. Previously, the stadium scoreboard was dedicated to Steinmark in 1971 and coach Royal installed a Steinmark plaque near the dressing room. Players touch the Steinmark photo/plaque with the Hook 'Em Horns salute each time they head to the field. Among Longhorn Greek starters on the '69 title team were co-captains Glen Halsell (Delta Tau Delta) and Ted Koy (Sigma Nu), offensive guard Bobby Mitchell (Sigma Alpha Epsilon and high school friend of Steinmark's), fullback Steve Worster (Sigma Phi Epsilon), linebacker Scott Henderson (Delta Tau Delta), halfback Jim Bertelsen (Beta Theta Pi), defensive back Mike Campbell (Phi Gamma Delta), defensive end Bill Zapalac (Delta Tau Delta), receiver Cotton Speyrer (Pi Kappa Alpha), center Forrest Wiegand (Alpha Tau Omega), offensive guard Mike Dean (Phi Gamma Delta), defensive tackle Leo Brooks (Lambda Chi Alpha), offensive guard Danny Abbott (Sigma Nu), halfback Billy Dale (Delta Tau Delta), defensive end David Arledge (Delta Tau Delta), kicker Happy Feller (Sigma Nu) and punter Scooter Monzingo (Delta Tau Delta).
