Ricks takes a long hard look at their sports program

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    By Sam Neff

    Ricks College coaches sat together as President Gordon B. Hinckley made the announcement Ricks College would become a four-year university.

    The initial reaction – excitement.

    Baseball head coach Jerry Schelgelmilch said he shook hands with men’s basketball head coach Clyde Nelson, who had been wanting to develop a four-year basketball program.

    Just a few seconds later the coaches’ jubilation, however, turned to shock when it was announced that the athletic program would not be a part of the new BYU-Idaho.

    “It’s devastatingly confusing at this point,” Shelgelmilch said. “We had no clue it what was going to happen. We were all sitting there in disbelief.”

    Ricks’ athletic program, which has been a powerhouse in the National Junior College Athletic Association, will be eliminated after the 2000-01 season, but not because of any lack of success.

    Ricks’ men’s and women’s cross were NJCAA champions in 1999. The football team has been ranked in the top 4 in the nation for the last 3 years. The wrestling team and women’s basketball team won Region 18 titles last year.

    The only place, it seems, that the Ricks athletic program didn’t fare well was in the financial department. President Hinckley said the decision was made to cut the program because it took “too much money, a great amount of time and energy.”

    The elimination of intercollegiate sports at Ricks may be felt at BYU, since many of Ricks top athletes transfer to BYU.

    On the football team, safety Jared Lee, who led the team in tackles last year, and offensive lineman John Skiba, are Ricks College transfers. Offensive lineman Matt Johnson, who was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts, also played at Ricks.

    “We’ve had a lot of good players coming from Ricks,” BYU football defensive coordinator Ken Schmidt said. “It’s going to hurt us a little.

    “It was an avenue for a lot of these kids. It was convenient for us.”

    Schmidt said while recruiting would not be affected a lot, Ricks had a good program that developed athletes well, and that would be the hardest thing to replace.

    Schmidt, who coached Ricks’ football team for two years, said the elimination of athletics would leave a void in the Rexburg community.

    “It really adds to the school’s identity,” Schmidt said. “It gets real cold in the winter, and there’s not much to do, so people go to the games.”

    Just as there were no signs pointing to Ricks becoming a four-year university, there were no signs that athletics would be cut.

    Schelgelmilch’s baseball team began playing in brand-new ballpark just two years ago. A million-dollar facility that Schelgelmilch designed himself. Schelgelmilch said he had a good recruiting class this year.

    “I’ve got a kid flying in from Venezuela this weekend, he’s a pitcher, I don’t think he knows yet,” Schelgelmilch said. He said the recruit could have signed with the Florida Marlins, but wanted to play at Ricks.

    With Ricks College student body making up over half of Rexburg’s population, some have questioned what effect the elimination of the athletic program will have on the local economy.

    “I think the positives of becoming a four-year university will outweigh the negatives,” Rexburg Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Donna Benfield said. “As grows Ricks, so grows Rexburg.”

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