Northern Kentucky Sports Chronicle

(This column was originally published on Jan. 9, 2019) O ne minute they’re on a flight to the state of Washington. Next is a long bus ride to Michigan. A few days later, they’re in Florida. Oh, and they do actually play a home game or two before jumping on the next jet to Texas. No, it’s not the Harlem Globetrotters. And, guess again, because it’s not an NBA team. It’s actually the women’s basketball team at Thomas More University — unbeaten at 22-0 and ranked No. 2 nationally in the NCAA Division III poll. How’d you like to go from Walla Walla, Washington, one weekend to Holland, Mich., the next? Not to mention a trip to Florida four days later. That’s six games in 12 days. And they’re college kids, not professionals. Despite all the travel and the challenges of being an NCAA Division III independent this season, Thomas More continues to win. They’ve beaten seven nationally ranked Division III teams, knocked off a pair of solid NAIA squads — including No. 18 Lindsey Wilson by 34 poi...

 (This column was originally published on Sept. 27, 2012) HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Under normal circumstances, these story links at nkunorse.com are reserved for Northern Kentucky University sports news and recaps. I also never give myself a byline on stories or recaps. Just ask my assistants. Having entered the twilight of my career as sports information director at NKU, I'm not looking for clips or Internet links for resume' fodder. I had to for this one, though. A simple phone call from a friend – and several emails, too - made it necessary to provide a history lesson today about the University of San Francisco men's basketball program. Yes, the two-time NCAA Division I national champion (1955 and '56) University of San Francisco Dons. The team that featured future NBA Hall of Famer Bill Russell, one of the greatest centers to ever play the sport. A program that later produced All-Americans in Bill Cartwright, Winford Boynes and Quintin Dailey, all of whom were first-...

(This column was published in The Kentucky Post on Jan. 30, 1997) Welcome to Homecoming 2003, Northern Kentucky University football style. This year's theme is "Getting By With Less." Today's opponent is Kentucky State, which has become the archrival of the Norse. Playing the same school 16 times in four seasons will have that effect. Football here apparently hasn't caught on yet with the school's alumni or students. Hard to believe, isn't it? It worked at Ohio State. It worked at Michigan. Why not NKU? It should be another record day at the gate, too. Let's see. A crowd of 276 x $4 per ticket should bring the overall athletic department deficit to $1.71 million. Sorry, I almost forgot about the game. It's two minutes to kickoff. I know that because Joe Multijob, the tight ends coach who also serves as assistant sports information director, is ready to introduce the lineups. He might be tough to hear, though. The hand-held MiniVox, the official aud...

(Article from The Kentucky Post that ran on March 10, 2005) HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — Northern Kentucky University is wasting no time studying whether to upgrade from NCAA Division II athletics to Division I. Just one day after the General Assembly approved $54 million for a special events center at NKU, university administrators on Wednesday briefed the school's board of regents about a study to evaluate the pros and cons of going to Division I or staying in Division II. School officials said they plan to have a recommendation ready for regents to vote on later this year. "The Board of Regents is very interested in this," NKU President Dr. James Votruba said. Jumping to Division I — the top level of college athletic competition — wouldn't have been even considered without a bigger basketball arena than the current 2,000-seat Regents Hall, NKU officials said. On Tuesday, the 2005 General Assembly authorized construction of The Bank of Kentucky Center on NKU's Highla...

(This column was published on April 2, 2021) T hey bury 3-pointers with the greatest of ease. Distance isn’t a problem. Think you can leave them open for that 28-footer straightaway? Swish. Go ahead, take that 34-footer. You wouldn’t dare shoot from out there in a game, right? Swish. Whoops. Not a good idea to leave these guys open. Welcome to the uncanny, unconscious, no-conscience world of Highlands basketball. The Bluebirds are a collection of long-range shooters blessed with a star who might be the best player in Kentucky. That player is Sam Vinson, who poured in 31 points Thursday as Highlands easily dispatched Muhlenberg County by an 88-60 score at Rupp Arena. Vinson buried six 3-pointers in seven attempts against Muhlenberg County. The 6-foot-5 senior drained five of those treys in the first half en route to 24 points as Highlands built a 46-30 advantage.  Sam Vinson drives for a basket. “I had an inkling, and you never expect it out of a player, but I thought Sam was going ...

Down 15 at halftime, Norse awake in final 20 minutes to win NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region championship NKU players celebrate after defeating Quincy in the 2003 Great Lakes Region championship game. (Story from March 17, 2003) Special to The Post INDIANAPOLIS — From every conceivable angle, they were gone. Not just simply beaten, but flat-out overwhelmed. It was halftime of Monday night’s NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region championship game, and Quincy University owned a 36-21 lead over Northern Kentucky University. The Lady Hawks had held the Norse to just 29.6 percent shooting from the field, won the rebounding battle by a whopping 28-13 margin and were preparing to make reservations for the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, a prize that awaited the winner of Monday’s contest. The Norse — playing without powerful inside presence Sharell Snardon, who was out with an injury — appeared to be 20 minutes away from calling it a season. Instead, they awoke. Maybe it’s the mammoth traditio...

NKU celebrates the 2000 NCAA Division II national title. (Photo by Jeff McCurry) (Don Owen column from Sept. 16, 2020) F or those who aren’t aware, Northern Kentucky University is celebrating its 50th anniversary of intercollegiate athletics during the 2020-21 academic year. NKU’s fall sports have been sidelined by the pandemic, but there is guarded optimism that basketball season will proceed in November or December. In the meantime, the 50th anniversary of NKU sports is an excellent diversion from all the current negativism surrounding the planet. It’s also a chance to celebrate the numerous outstanding achievements that have taken place in Highland Heights since 1971. And there have been plenty. So many, in fact, it’s difficult to place them in order of significance. But I tried about 3 ½ years ago. I received a pair of calls in early 2017 regarding the 50th anniversary of NKU, which was founded in 1968. A committee had been formed to put together a list of the 50 top accomplishmen...

(Article from Sept. 18, 2021) Beechwood defeated CovCath by a 27-7 score in 2021. (Photo by Jeff McCurry) FORT MITCHELL — Does it get any better than this — a resounding 27-7 victory over archrival Covington Catholic — for Beechwood players, coaches and fans? It could in December. That’s when Beechwood could be hoisting the Class 2A state championship trophy for the second straight year. But that’s three months away. As for the present, Friday night’s win over CovCath was memorable for several reasons. It marked Beechwood’s first victory against CovCath since 2014 and snapped a six-game losing streak against the Colonels. The Tigers also extended their winning streak to 13 games. Beechwood has not lost since dropping a 28-20 decision to Dixie Heights on Oct. 2, 2020. None of the current Beechwood players had ever walked off the field after defeating CovCath until Friday. The victory meant a great deal to quarterback Cameron Hergott, who ignited the jam-packed crowd with an electrifying...