If there is a 2020-2021 NCAA Men’s Hockey season, the Denver Pioneers now know exactly who will be taking the ice at Magness Arena. This morning, the program announced that it has finalized its nine-player incoming class comprised of seven incoming freshmen and two graduate transfers. Among them, there are four forwards, four defensemen, and one goalie. Continue reading Denver Hockey finalizes and announces 2020-2021 recruiting class
Category Archives: Men’s Sports
DU Loses Dynamic Leader Joy Burns
Joy Burns, President and CEO of the D.C. Burns Realty and Trust Company and the owner of the former Burnsley Hotel, passed away from a prolonged illness at age 92. Burns was one of the most dynamic contributors of the University of Denver for over 30 years. Originally from Houston, Texas, Burns was married to Frank L. Burns for 39 years. Continue reading DU Loses Dynamic Leader Joy Burns
It’s Finally Official, Tommies Officially Join Summit League
It won’t begin until next year, but the St. Thomas Tommies will be officially joining the Summit League for the 2021-2022 season. The NCAA notified the University of St. Thomas Wednesday that it will officially become the 10th member of The Summit League. The NCAA Division I Council made the unconventional call to provided the Tommies with a waiver to make the jump from DIII to DI. Continue reading It’s Finally Official, Tommies Officially Join Summit League
Denver Hockey’s opening weekend road trip destination changes from Madison to Tempe
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on in the United States, sports at all levels are rushing to adapt. Schedule changes, season truncation, and attendance adjustments all appear to be in the offing. But today, a major scheduling change for DU Hockey – an opening weekend matchup with the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison is now a road trip to Tempe to play the Arizona State Sun Devils – has absolutely nothing to do with the spread of the virus. In fact, it has to do with another college sport whose immediate future is in question: football. Continue reading Denver Hockey’s opening weekend road trip destination changes from Madison to Tempe
College Athletics Begin Discussing Crowded Spring Season
As athletic departments struggle to plan for the 2020-2021 athletic season in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and as the virus spread among younger age groups, the prospect of a fall season appears particularly vexing for athletic departments, athletes, and even fans. One solution, now much more widely discussed than it was just a few weeks ago, is moving college fall sports to spring. Continue reading College Athletics Begin Discussing Crowded Spring Season
DU Assistant Coaches among COVID-19 Departures, Men’s Head Golf Coach Exits
Denver Athletics was instructed by the University of Denver administration to make significant cuts to its budget in the wake of COVID-19. In recent weeks, the Athletic Department’s web directory now shows that the Pioneers were likely forced to eliminate associate head coaching and/or assistant coaching positions in men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis and in the skiing program (Co-ed). This round of coaching cuts to DU’s small-roster sports had to be particularly difficult for DU Athletic Director Karlton Creech, who has a well-documented reputation of strongly supporting his coaching staff both at Maine (where he was AD before Denver) and here at DU. Our attempts to confirm/clarify these specific coaching cuts have been met with silence from DU Athletics to date, likely (and understandably) out of respect for their former co-workers. Continue reading DU Assistant Coaches among COVID-19 Departures, Men’s Head Golf Coach Exits
St. Thomas is (almost) in
The NCAA issued a statement today which allows St. Thomas (DIII) to reclassify and move to the DI Summit league. The statement read that while the new guidelines for reclassification are under consideration, “the Council indicated it would be receptive to a formal waiver request from Division III St. Thomas (Minnesota) and the Summit League that would allow the school to begin the reclassification process.” Continue reading St. Thomas is (almost) in
St. Thomas University to Get NCAA Hearing, Decision this Week
The April membership vote was delayed by COVID-19 but the NCAA 40-man committee reconvenes this week to determine if St Thomas University can make the unorthodox jump from DIII to DI and the Summit League. The Tommies certainly have the capability to make the move after being rejected by their old conference, the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, for being ‘too good’. Continue reading St. Thomas University to Get NCAA Hearing, Decision this Week
Non-Revenue DU Athletes May Be Big Beneficiaries of Name, Image and Likeness Guidelines
Want a golf lesson from DU golf phenom, Anna Zanusso? You may have to pay for it.
The NCAA is moving to a standard approach to Name Image and Likeness (NIL) for student-athletes beginning in 2021. While details are currently being worked out, a surprising beneficiary of the new regulations may be non-revenue athletes. Continue reading Non-Revenue DU Athletes May Be Big Beneficiaries of Name, Image and Likeness Guidelines
DU’s own response to racism juxtaposed with national reaction and reflection
As if everyone already doesn’t know, there has been a lot of disturbing news lately. Not just nationally with COVID-19 and the racist murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and most recently, George Floyd, but in our own backyard as well. A photograph showed a prospective DU student, who was slated to enroll this fall, wearing blackface with a racist caption (his admission was later rightly revoked by DU), and a 40-year-old DU yearbook photo resurfaced showing a DU residence hall floor dressed in white robes surrounding a black student. In response, current DU students have initiated a petition and are demanding special accommodations for students of color during this time. Continue reading DU’s own response to racism juxtaposed with national reaction and reflection