Cheaters

[Olympic Fan]

Today, reading the front page update on the Eric Bledsoe case, I was struck by the phrase:

"This of course would be a singular accomplishment for coach John Calipari, who would have a nearly insurmountable lead when it comes to truly screwing different schools."

It made me think about the competition -- who are the guys he is competing against for all-time status as a widespread cheat (just to be clear, we're not talking about the WORST cheaters, but the most widespread)?

Here's my current top 5, counting down from No. 5 (and giving Calipari the benefit of the doubt on the Kentucky charges at the moment):

5 (tie) Hugh Durham -- FSU/Georgia -- Durham was such a notorious cheater at FSU that when he played in the 1972 Final Four, Coach Jerry Tarkanien complained that it was a black mark on college coaches that he was there. But he doesn't rank higher because he never got caught at FSU ... he did get caught at Georgia, earning probation and having his 1985 NCAA appearance vacated.

5. (tie) Kelvin Sampson, Oklahoma/Indiana -- Earned sanctions (but no postseason ban) at Oklahoma, then wrecked an Indiana program to the extent that they are still trying to recover (which is what they deserve for hiring a cheater, then turning him loose).

4. Larry Brown, UCLA/Kansas -- Managed to get UCLA's 1980 Final Four appearance vacated, then got Kansas put on probation for violations committed after winning the 1988 national title. Left two schools on probation. Special credit for screwing two of the five greatest programs of all time. Too bad he didn't get the UNC job when Guthridge retired (Dean wanted to hire him), then Brown could have made it three out of five.

3. John Calipari, UMass/Memphis -- managed to get Final Fours at both schools vacated. Note -- if the Bledsoe case blows up on him, he will obviously move up.

2. Jim Harrick, UCLA/Rhode island/Georgia --He was fired at UCLA for lying to his boss about expenses -- the reason that was important is that he was violating NCAA rules by paying for dinner for excess players at dinner during a recruiting visit. Harrick claims he has a letter from the NCAA exonerating him for any recruiting violations, but his actions clearly set back the UCLA program. At Rhode Island, he was charged with sexual harrassment and during the pre-trial investigation of that case, several NCAA violations came to light ... to shut that investigation down, the school made a generous settlement in the suit. Again, no penalty but he clearly damaged that program in a terrible way. At Georgia, he earned probation and national scorn for his son's involvement in a phony coaching class.

1. Jerry Tarkanien Long Beach State/UNLV/Fresno State -- What can you say -- the trifecta. Tark the Shark earned four NCAA probations at three schools (two at UNLV, although he got the first of those overturned by a sympathetic judge who was a UNLV season ticket holder). Even so, he left all three schools where he worked on probation. That's an accomplishment that's going to be hard to top, even if Calipari does get nailed at Kentucky.

This is off the top of my head. I must be missing two or three guys at least who screwed up at two or more schools. Help me out! We ought to be able to come up with a top 10 list.

PS Special mention to Bear Bryant, who accomplished the remarkable feat of getting Texas A&M BASKETBALL on probation while he was the FOOTBALL coach there. Now that takes talent!

[roywhite]

Good topic and good list so far.

I nominate Jim Calhoun and the UConn gang. From laptop theft to assault charges to recruiting violations, Calhoun has attracted kids who didn't belong in college, and skirted the rules.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Cheating can occur in a variety of ways. So far, this discussion seems to be focusing primarily on more recent occurrences. Let's go back a few more decades to the sort of cheating which was the center of a major scandal. Think back to college basketball in the fifties.... point shaving, pay for play.

[jimsumner]

Dana Kirk and Tates Locke have got to figure in here somewhere, despite the one-school limitation in the OP. Pure chutzpah has to be recognized.

[Heelkiller1]

Seeing all these scandals as of late makes me proud to be a fan of a consistently winnig program that does it "by the book" . It is truely a testament to a great coach and a respectable program. GO DUKE .

[Newton_14]

Can't remember his name but the coach at Baylor has to make the top ten list for trying to cover up a murder conspiracy.


Also, I assume this list in only for basketball coaches?

[tbyers11]

Can't remember his name but the coach at Baylor has to make the top ten list for trying to cover up a murder conspiracy.


Also, I assume this list in only for basketball coaches?

Dave Bliss. Who is now the head coach at a prestigious Texas prep school less than a 100 miles from Waco.

Who the heck made that hire?

[Newton_14]

Dave Bliss. Who is now the head coach at a prestigious Texas prep school less than a 100 miles from Waco.

Who the heck made that hire?

Thanks for the assist and link. I am with you, how does anyone hire this man to coach youngsters after what he did? Unbelievable.

It appears from this quote in the article that Bliss would be ranked Number 1 on our list if the author of the piece was voting...

BRYAN, Texas -- Dave Bliss, arguably the most disgraced college basketball coach to ever walk a sideline, has never been far away from basketball since his forced resignation at Baylor in 2003.

[Olympic Fan]

Guys,

You're trying to hijack the thread.

If you want a list of the WORST cheaters, then fine -- guys like Kirk and Bliss have to be on it. Indeed, Bliss -- for trying to cover up a murder (and telling his players to smear the name of the murder victim) -- is clearly No. 1.

Nothing John Calipari or Jerry Tarkanien ever did was close to that bad.

But the point of the thread is to come up with guys whose failings screwed multiple schools. I would submit that Harrick and Tarkanien are the only three-time losers I can think of. Calipari in on the verge of joining them (but he's not there yet) The other guys -- Larry Brown and Sampson did major damage to at least two schools. I probably shouldn't have included Durham ... although he cheated like heck at FSU, he never got the school in trouble, so Georgia is the only school he screwed.

I guess I could mention NC State's Everett Case. He got NC State on probation twice and also the Frankfurt (Ind.) Hot Dogs on probation twice, so that's a rare college/high school double play.

And in Calipari's case, you could include his racist remarks with the New York Nets that blew that pro franchise up ... so you could credit him for a pro/college double play.

[miramar]

I don't think anyone should criticize Jim Harrick unless he has passed his son's official Basketball 101 test. This article confirms that everyone who took the class received an A, and includes a link to the final (and only) exam:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=1750279

BTW, since we are on the subject of cheating, I will give you a couple of answers: 19A, 20D.

And here is an interesting list of cheaters, which dovetails nicely with the Calipari thread:

http://www.esquire.com/the-side/feat...l-history-2009

[Tommac]

How about SMU and the death penalty they were dealt? I can't recall the specifics, but I don't think SMU has ever fully recovered in football since then. Does anyone recall why their football program was killed?

[Dunkin]

Here is a link that mentions violations that occurred at SMU in their basketball program while Dave Bliss was coach there. Articles that I have read in the past substantiate what this article says about the investigation being stopped at SMU by the NCAA because SMU was already being punished after being dealt the death penalty in football. Bliss was allowed to quietly resign at SMU and go on to coach at New Mexico.

http://www.kbtx.com/sports/headlines/93137494.html

So Dave might qualify as a 2 time cheater except that the violations at SMU were not pursued by the NCAA.

SMU received the death penalty due to violations that involved their recruitment of Eric Dickerson, one of the members of their duo called The Pony Express. The school had already been put on probation two other times under two other coaches before the Dickerson violations and the NCAA imposed the Death Penalty in 1987 when the 3rd round of violations occurred under Ron Meyer.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/7015313.html

I have paid attention to this because I went to SMU undergrad. They now have Football Coach June Jones who took them to a bowl game in 2009. He seems to be turning the program around. No other coach has been able to do as well since the death penalty was imposed in 1987.

Unfortunately the SMU basketball coach is Matt Doherty, but that's another story.
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/spor...ed_of_matt.php

[Johnboy]

Here is a link that mentions violations that occurred at SMU in their basketball program while Dave Bliss was coach there. Articles that I have read in the past substantiate what this article says about the investigation being stopped at SMU by the NCAA because SMU was already being punished after being dealt the death penalty in football. Bliss was allowed to quietly resign at SMU and go on to coach at New Mexico.

http://www.kbtx.com/sports/headlines/93137494.html

So Dave might qualify as a 2 time cheater except that the violations at SMU were not pursued by the NCAA.

SMU received the death penalty due to violations that involved their recruitment of Eric Dickerson, one of the members of their duo called The Pony Express. The school had already been put on probation two other times under two other coaches before the Dickerson violations and the NCAA imposed the Death Penalty in 1987 when the 3rd round of violations occurred under Ron Meyer.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/7015313.html

I have paid attention to this because I went to SMU undergrad. They now have Football Coach June Jones who took them to a bowl game in 2009. He seems to be turning the program around. No other coach has been able to do as well since the death penalty was imposed in 1987.

Unfortunately the SMU basketball coach is Matt Doherty, but that's another story.
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/spor...ed_of_matt.php

The man who became President of SMU and cleaned up the place after their death penalty was none other than Duke's Chancellor (and one of the best professors I ever had) - the late, great Kenneth Pye, who left us at the too-young age of 62.

[Indoor66]

The man who became President of SMU and cleaned up the place after their death penalty was none other than Duke's Chancellor (and one of the best professors I ever had) - the late, great Kenneth Pye, who left us at the too-young age of 62.

Ken Pye was also Dean of the Duke Law School in the 60's - succeeding Hodge O'Neal (O'Neal on Close Corporations) who succeeded the great E. R. Latty as Dean.

[SharkD]

Tom Penders -- high-tailed it out of Austin, leaving NCAA violations in his wake.

He brought his loose style of ethics to GWU, thanks to his best friend, GWU AD Jack Kvancz, which resulted in:

• Penders attempting to cover up the criminal acts of an as-yet-ineligible transfer, Attila Cosby, who was charged with nine misdemeanors for on-campus sexual assault, on-campus weapons violations and theft;
  
• Pender's son, an Assistant Coach, racking up $1,400 in personal phone calls on a University phone card, and then providing it to student athletes, for another $500-600 in personal call charges, earning GW an NCAA violation;
  
• Standout sophomore SirValiant Brown failing to pass any of his classes, thus losing all eligibility.

I'm just waiting for Houston to announce an NCAA investigation, earning Penders the trifecta.

[james]

Even more interesting to note are the schools that are repeaters: UCLA and Georgia have hired two of your top five most notorious cheaters. What does that say about those programs?

Today, reading the front page update on the Eric Bledsoe case, I was struck by the phrase:

"This of course would be a singular accomplishment for coach John Calipari, who would have a nearly insurmountable lead when it comes to truly screwing different schools."

It made me think about the competition -- who are the guys he is competing against for all-time status as a widespread cheat (just to be clear, we're not talking about the WORST cheaters, but the most widespread)?

Here's my current top 5, counting down from No. 5 (and giving Calipari the benefit of the doubt on the Kentucky charges at the moment):

5 (tie) Hugh Durham -- FSU/Georgia -- Durham was such a notorious cheater at FSU that when he played in the 1972 Final Four, Coach Jerry Tarkanien complained that it was a black mark on college coaches that he was there. But he doesn't rank higher because he never got caught at FSU ... he did get caught at Georgia, earning probation and having his 1985 NCAA appearance vacated.

5. (tie) Kelvin Sampson, Oklahoma/Indiana -- Earned sanctions (but no postseason ban) at Oklahoma, then wrecked an Indiana program to the extent that they are still trying to recover (which is what they deserve for hiring a cheater, then turning him loose).

4. Larry Brown, UCLA/Kansas -- Managed to get UCLA's 1980 Final Four appearance vacated, then got Kansas put on probation for violations committed after winning the 1988 national title. Left two schools on probation. Special credit for screwing two of the five greatest programs of all time. Too bad he didn't get the UNC job when Guthridge retired (Dean wanted to hire him), then Brown could have made it three out of five.

3. John Calipari, UMass/Memphis -- managed to get Final Fours at both schools vacated. Note -- if the Bledsoe case blows up on him, he will obviously move up.

2. Jim Harrick, UCLA/Rhode island/Georgia --He was fired at UCLA for lying to his boss about expenses -- the reason that was important is that he was violating NCAA rules by paying for dinner for excess players at dinner during a recruiting visit. Harrick claims he has a letter from the NCAA exonerating him for any recruiting violations, but his actions clearly set back the UCLA program. At Rhode Island, he was charged with sexual harrassment and during the pre-trial investigation of that case, several NCAA violations came to light ... to shut that investigation down, the school made a generous settlement in the suit. Again, no penalty but he clearly damaged that program in a terrible way. At Georgia, he earned probation and national scorn for his son's involvement in a phony coaching class.

1. Jerry Tarkanien Long Beach State/UNLV/Fresno State -- What can you say -- the trifecta. Tark the Shark earned four NCAA probations at three schools (two at UNLV, although he got the first of those overturned by a sympathetic judge who was a UNLV season ticket holder). Even so, he left all three schools where he worked on probation. That's an accomplishment that's going to be hard to top, even if Calipari does get nailed at Kentucky.

This is off the top of my head. I must be missing two or three guys at least who screwed up at two or more schools. Help me out! We ought to be able to come up with a top 10 list.

PS Special mention to Bear Bryant, who accomplished the remarkable feat of getting Texas A&M BASKETBALL on probation while he was the FOOTBALL coach there. Now that takes talent!

[sagegrouse]

SMU received the death penalty due to violations that involved their recruitment of Eric Dickerson, one of the members of their duo called The Pony Express. The school had already been put on probation two other times under two other coaches before the Dickerson violations and the NCAA imposed the Death Penalty in 1987 when the 3rd round of violations occurred under Ron Meyer.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/7015313.html

I have paid attention to this because I went to SMU undergrad. They now have Football Coach June Jones who took them to a bowl game in 2009. He seems to be turning the program around. No other coach has been able to do as well since the death penalty was imposed in 1987.

Unfortunately the SMU basketball coach is Matt Doherty, but that's another story.
http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/spor...ed_of_matt.php

The fact that the 'Death Penalty' essentially ruined SMU's football program for over 20 years means that it won't be applied again unless the NCAA decides to put the offending school out of competition forever in that sport.

sagegrouse
'"Death is dead," in A Generous Man, Reynolds Price (1966) on the fate of a snake named Death that escaped from a carnival'

[blueprofessor]

Ken Pye was also Dean of the Duke Law School in the 60's - succeeding Hodge O'Neal (O'Neal on Close Corporations) who succeeded the great E. R. Latty as Dean.

Ken was dean 1968-70 (left to become Duke Chancellor) and 1973-76 (when Dean Joseph Sneed left to become Deputy Attorney General). Sneed (who died in 2009,IIRC) had a daughter,former HP head Carly Fiorina.

The Duke Law faculty of the 1950s through the mid 1970s had numerous leading scholars and was among the top 3 or 4 in the country.

Jack Latty (dean 1987-66) created the concept of "piercing the corporate veil" in a law review article (Columbia, I believe) around 1939.

Pye was the perfect man to clean up SMU--he was a no-nonsense Marine who was as honest as he was honorable.

Needless to say, if the late Ken Pye were president of Kentucky, Cal would never have been interviewed.

Too many college presidents are easy riders who will not rock the boat---a real barrier to maintaining integrity in college athletics.

Best regards--Blueprofessor

[DukieBoy]

5. (tie) Kelvin Sampson, Oklahoma/Indiana -- Earned sanctions (but no postseason ban) at Oklahoma, then wrecked an Indiana program to the extent that they are still trying to recover (which is what they deserve for hiring a cheater, then turning him loose).

Not sure the punishment was fair here in terms of what we've went through. I never liked the hiring of Sampson, but IU still isn't out of the hole of Sampson and it's been 2 years, going on 3.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Good topic and good list so far.

I nominate Jim Calhoun and the UConn gang. From laptop theft to assault charges to recruiting violations, Calhoun has attracted kids who didn't belong in college, and skirted the rules.

You're right. Kids who make mistakes at the age of 19 and 20 should never be allowed to go to college. College is for those who are perfect...

(FYI - sarcasm light bulb should be going off right now)