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Minnesota players from Ohio/RB Gary Russell Leaves School

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Taken from GoldenSports.net

<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>Minnesota sophomore running back Gary Russell is no longer in school, due to academics. Russell is not enrolled in classes for the 2006 spring semester and will attend a junior college with the hopes of becoming eligible next season. Russell rushed 164 times for 1,045 yards (6.4 yards per carry) and 18 rushing touchdowns this season.
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Gary Russell has been attending classes this semester but was not offically enrolled in the university.

If he is not able to rejoin the team, the Gophers would be very thin at running back with just Amir Pinnix having previous experience at the position. Freshman Jay Thomas suffered a torn ACL injury, which could force him to miss part of the upcoming season. The Gophers have returning fullback Justin Valentine, who could play runnning back, and newcomers Brylee Callender, E. J. Jones and Terrence Sherrer.

"I'm mostly frustrated and disappointed with myself because I could have avoided this problem," Russell told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "I messed up."

“While this is disappointing for everyone involved, we want what is best for Gary and will help him in any way allowable,” said Gopher head football coach Glen Mason. “Gary has been a part of our family and we will continue to support him.”

Russell, a sophomore running back, was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week as he set career highs in rushing attempts (28), yards (188) and touchdowns (3) to lead Minnesota to a road victory at Indiana for the first time since 1985 and bowl eligibility for the fourth straight season. With Big Ten rushing leader Laurence Maroney slowed by an ankle injury, Russell stepped up with his best effort of his college career.

Russell appeared in eight games as a freshman as he finished with 144 yards on 24 carries with a long of 15 yards.

Russell was a 2004 graduate of Walnut Ridge (OH) High and was named to the SuperPrep Midwest Team. He was an all-state selection, was a three-time all-city and all-conference performer and a two-time all-county and all-area choice. Russell gained 2,136 yards and scored 29 touchdowns his senior season after rushing for 1,800 yards and 29 scores his junior season. He played in the North-South All-Star Game and also lettered in wrestling and basketball. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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Taken from ESPN.com

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota running back Gary Russell is not enrolled in classes for spring semester, making him ineligible for the Gophers' spring practices.

The school revealed the news in a late Friday news release, which didn't specify the reason for or the length of Russell's departure. Team spokesman Shane Sandersfeld said he had no further information.

With leading rusher Laurence Maroney's declaration for the NFL draft, Russell is expected to be the featured back as a junior this fall. Maroney and Russell each surpassed the 1,000-yard mark last year, making Minnesota the first school in NCAA history to have two 1,000-yard rushers in three consecutive seasons.

"While this is disappointing for everyone involved, we want what is best for Gary and will help him in any way allowable," coach Glen Mason said in a prepared statement. "Gary has been a part of our family, and we will continue to support him."

Russell racked up 1,130 yards rushing on 186 carries with 19 total touchdowns as a sophomore last season.
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Dispatch

3/24/06

Rumblings....


Former Walnut Ridge running back Gary Russell, who was expected to be Minnesota’s top running back this season after rushing for 1,130 yards and 18 touchdowns as Laurence Maroney’s backup last fall, was dismissed from school after the fall semester for academic reasons, the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune reported this week.

Russell is enrolled at Inver Hills Community College near St. Paul, Minn., and the Star Tribune said "people inside the (Gophers) program say they believe the odds are 50-50 whether he will be readmitted" to the university this summer.
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Looks like Gary won't make it back in. Too bad for him, he's got talent. Minnesota is looking pretty thin at tailback.

Minnesota: Gary Russell Not in Summer School

RotoWire.com Staff - RotoWire.com
Friday, June 16, 2006

Update: Russell has not enrolled in summer school, making it very unlikely he'll be eligible to play football this fall, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Recommendation: He did take classes at a community college last spring, but then also needed to take summer courses at Minnesota. Amir Pinnix will take over as the starter with Russell gone, although freshman Jay Thomas and junior college transfer Brylee Callender could also be in the mix.

Updated on Friday, Jun 16, 2006 11:22 am EDT
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Excerpt from article on NFL Supplemental Draft:

Ex-Minnesota running back Gary Russell must wait until at least January 2007 in order to make himself eligible for the NFL. Russell, who isn't enrolled at the school after attending a local-area community college to work on his grades earlier this spring, would not qualify for the supplemental draft since he is not yet three years removed from his high school graduation. Russell's father, Gary Sr., has noted to several sources that his son will attempt to transfer to a lower level of college football, but that would have to be a NAIA program since Division I-AA, Division II and Division III schools all abide by the same academic eligibility rules as Division I-A schools (i.e., a student/athlete deemed ineligible cannot participate at any other NCAA level program).

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jm-brooks062406&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
 
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si.com

Plans are under way for academically ineligible Minnesota running back Gary Russell to reapply for admission for January classes. Russell, who will miss this season because of academics, would have two seasons of eligibility left. Russell would have been the Gophers' starting running back this season.
-- St. Paul Pioneer Press
 
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lvbuckeye said:
watch. Minny will still rush for about 3,000 yards, even though they lost two 1,000 yard backs...
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Yeah. the government is seeing to it, by drugging opposing defenses, planting trace amounts of sleeping gas residue in the lockerroom and buying off the air traff.... er... officials to look the other way. All so they can start drilling for oil in Minnesota.


Sorry, lv. Had to do it...
 
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Here's what I like about this, despite the unfortunate consequences for Russell...

Mason's recruiting argument in Columbus has been, "Hey, I was on Woody's last NC team. I live, breathe and sweat the same values. Minneapolis and Columbus people are pretty much the same. We endorse the same traditions and values that made Ohio State great, just like you do. But, if send your kid to me, it will get him away from the bad influences on his life. We'll get him through school, get him that degree, and give him the best chance possible to get into the NFL."

Russell's difficulties now make that ring pretty hollow. I have nothing against Glen and I admire what he was as a Buckeye player but this isn't about that. This is about recruiting Ohio talent that belong in Ohio. I hope Russell will go back and get his degree but this story isn't hurting Ohio State at all!
 
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Posted on Wed, Aug. 02, 2006email thisprint thisreprint or license this
Russell's departure to haunt Gophers?
U officials accept some blame for back's academic failures
BY JOHN SHIPLEY
Pioneer Press

CHICAGO — Glen Mason doesn't want to talk about Gary Russell anymore, and truth be told he's probably not alone. Russell, a tailback who scored a school-record 18 touchdowns and rushed for 1,130 yards as a sophomore last season, will not be back this season.

And that's that.

"It's a non-story as far as the 2006 football team," Mason said.

Well, yes and no. Certainly Russell, an academic casualty early this year, never will play football for the University of Minnesota again. But his story has ramifications beyond this season, and beyond the football field.

Russell was a star who slipped through the academic cracks so deeply he needed to enroll in summer school, and then reapply to school and be accepted, to gain eligibility this fall. In the end, he didn't come close. Was it his fault, or the school's?

Whenever a player flunks out of school, Mason said Tuesday at the Big Ten Conference's football media day, "it's a failure, and there's a lot of responsibility that goes with failure, on both sides. And that's all that matters."

Asked whether Russell might ever return to Minnesota, Mason was incredulous.

"He's not on my to-do list, I can tell you that," he said.

The loss leaves Minnesota's vaunted ground attack in the rare of position of being thin. After producing two 1,000-rushers in each of the past three seasons, an NCAA record, the Gophers might be lucky to produce one this year. Redshirt junior Amir Pinnix has shown potential, but he is inexperienced, and his durability is unproven. Behind him are backs with even less experience.

Beyond that, Russell's story is an example of exactly what Minnesota doesn't want in its football program, particularly as the NCAA launches an academic reform package based on what it calls the Academic Performance Rating (APR). The bottom line is, if this were next year, and Minnesota had the same APR of 918, the Gophers likely wouldn't be able to replace Russell's scholarship.

Starting next season, individual athletics programs must have APRs of at least 925 or risk losing up to 10 percent of their scholarships. Repeat offenders will be subject to other sanctions, the worst of which would be expulsion from the NCAA. Some programs already are being docked scholarships this season.

The football and men's basketball (885) teams are the only Minnesota programs below 925 in the NCAA's latest ratings, compiled during the 2004-05 season.

The APR is aimed at improving graduation rates by tracking progress semester by semester. It awards student-athletes one point each semester for a) returning to school and b) returning to school academically eligible. If a student leaves for reasons other than graduating, and wouldn't be eligible if he or she had, that's 0 for 2.

Only 0-for-2 scholarships are subject to repeal. And that means the one once held by Russell, who by all accounts was a bright, personable young man with tremendous talent.

Yet many drop out of college. But Division I athletes have a lot of academic services available to them, many of which are less readily available to regular students. What happened with Russell?

"I think there are a lot of people to blame. We need to prevent those things from happening," Minnesota athletics director Joel Maturi said. "I think we could have done more, and we need to minimize that."

One member of Mason's recruiting class, receiver Jamar Howard of Cincinnati, was turned down by Minnesota admissions despite being declared eligible by the NCAA Clearinghouse and since has enrolled at Cincinnati.

John Shipley can be reached at [email protected].
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http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/sports/15175805.htm
 
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Plans are for academically ineligible Minnesota running back Gary Russell to enroll at a junior college near Columbus, Ohio, soon, then try to regain eligibility by enrolling in January classes at Minnesota. Otherwise, Russell could opt for the 2007 NFL draft. Russell will have to lose a lot of weight to get back into playing condition.
-- St. Paul Pioneer-Press
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/scorecard/08/21/truth.rumors.college/index.html
 
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