Younger Craft doesn't owe Aztecs a thing
By: STEVE SCHOLFIELD - Senior Sports Columnist | ∞
News, notes and comments:
I don't blame quarterback Kevin Craft for transferring out of San Diego State. He has a chance at Mt. San Antonio College to play for his father, Tom Craft, the team's offensive coordinator.
By spending a year with his dad, the former Valley Center High star will be in a better position to transfer to a real NCAA Division I program.
Tom Craft was the head coach at San Diego State but was fired by athletic director Jeff Schemmel after compiling a 19-29 record in four seasons. Craft was making progress with the program and should not have been fired.
Given those circumstances, why should the younger Craft have any loyalty to the Aztecs? The answer is, he shouldn't.
- The more I see SDSU's underachieving programs, the more I think the Aztecs should seriously think about dropping Division I football.
The Aztecs are the only team from the Mountain West Conference not to go to a bowl game since the conference was formed in 1999. They have had nine winning seasons since 1980. Despite wonderful facilities, the Aztecs have not been able to recruit successfully against Pac-10 schools and conference foes Brigham Young and Utah.
They might be better off playing Division I-AA football against such schools at UC Davis and Cal Poly in the Great West Conference.
The other schools in that league include North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Northern Colorado and Southern Utah.
It would save the school a ton of money, and SDSU would have a better chance of being competitive.
- Last week's issue of Sports Illustrated is one of my favorites of the year. No, it is not the swimsuit edition; it's the "Where Are They Now" issue, profiling former athletes.
Julie Moss and Ed Marinaro, individuals with North County connections, are mentioned.
Moss, a Carlsbad High graduate, put the Ironman Triathlon on the map when she collapsed near the finish line during the 1982 race. She crawled the last few feet but finished second in an event that was filmed by ABC's "Wide World of Sports." More than anything, she lifted a sport into the public consciousness.
Today, Moss and her son, Mats, live in Santa Cruz, where she occasionally runs triathlons and does television commentary for races.
Marinaro's roots in the North County aren't as deep.
The former Cornell running back finished second in the 1971 Heisman Trophy balloting (to Auburn's Pat Sullivan) and went on to star in the television series "Hill Street Blues." Today, he splits time between his home in Hollywood and Fallbrook, where he is a member of the California Golf Club.
- This may come as a shock to Dodger fans, but Hall of Famer Duke Snider says Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is his favorite player.
"I love the way he plays the game and the way he handles himself," Snider said. "For him, the won-lost record is first and any individual achievements are secondary."
Snider said he had a long conversation with good friend Don Zimmer, a former Yankees bench coach, and Zimmer confirmed his opinion on Jeter.
- Race promoter Kathy Kinane reports that more than 600 people have signed up for the Nov. 22 Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot, a 5-kilometer road race event along the beach in Oceanside.
For every $25 adult entry fee, Kinane is donating $5 back to the Oceanside school of the participant's choice. So far, more than $3,000 has been earmarked for local schools. Oceanside High leads with 175 entries, followed by El Camino High (113) and South Oceanside Elementary (75).
This is another one of those grass-roots events that is positive for all. You can register by going online at osideturkeytrot.com.
- Did you know that Trevor Hoffman has as many singles as doubles in his career -- two each? The last time he batted was in 2001. His career batting average is .121 (4-for-33). No wonder the former shortstop switched to pitching.
-- Steve Scholfield is senior sports columnist for the North County Times. He can be reached at (760) 740-3509 or stevescho@cox.net.
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Monty Montezuma wrote on Jul 6, 2007 8:10 AM:Steve: Once again you have lost touch with reality. This was a carefully orchestrated move by Tom Craft to gain revenge on San Diego State for firing him. Chuck Long should have known this the minute Craft was hired at Mt. SAC. For him to think otherwise is either naive or stupid. I'm not sure which. As for Craft was making progress with his program, get real. How many bowl games did he go to? How many league games did he win? If that program was making progress, then it should have gone to a bowl game last year. A good coach would have improved that team but that's another topic entirely, isn't it?
AztecDaddy wrote on Jul 6, 2007 8:16 AM:Craft was a JC coach for a reason. The fact that you still support him after his 4 terrible seasons shows that you will support anything 'North County' to keep your readers happy.
Don wrote on Jul 6, 2007 8:38 AM:"Despite wonderful facilities, the Aztecs have not been able to recruit successfully against Pac-10 schools and conference foes Brigham Young and Utah." SDSU football recruiting, year in and year out, is ranked in the top 3 in the MWC. Recruiting isn't the problem. Coaching is. SDSU should consider dropping Division 1 ( D1-AA is still Division 1) football because they underachieve? 4 years of that can be put on Coach Craft's shoulders. Coach Long needs time to reverse the culture surrounding SDSU football. He will get it done. It will just take time to repair the damage of years of losing.
Cory wrote on Jul 6, 2007 9:02 AM:Might want to check your facts about the Great West..Northern CO is in the Big Sky...not the Great West
El_Chup wrote on Jul 6, 2007 10:57 AM:Craft Sr. and Craft Jr. were the worst couple of father son tandem ever at SDSU. Steve, why do you blame SDSU for Craft's failures? He could not coach or recruit. I don't blame Craft Jr. at all. However, I do not like the fact that he stuck around and used up valuable practice time and denying snaps from the "loyal" SDSU backup quarterbacks. Craft Jr. should have let the "real" coach (Long) know in advance about his transfer plan after the previous season. Hmmm... This scumbag move was planned by the father and son combo. Craft SR. is still as vindictive as ever. GOOD RIDDANCE!
Spud wrote on Jul 6, 2007 1:29 PM:Steve is exactly what is (or more correctly WHAT WAS) wrong with our football program...defeatest attitudes. Yeah, lets just fold up shop because your favorite coach is no longer there. That'll solve the problem. Well Steve, you got what I guess you wanted...controversy surrounding your article...and that supposedly sells papers. It was too bad that SDSU had to hire a JC coach, and I blame the admin's at State for perpetuating the loosing atmosphere at State. But by hiring a coach from a big time program, they may have finally got their act together...how Coach Long will get over a lifetime of loosing and turn things around, I'll never know. But I'm behind him 100%.
Jer wrote on Jul 6, 2007 2:39 PM:If they do turn things around at SDSU, make sure that you crawl under a rock forever. Don't pull the "I'm actually happy to admit I was wrong" thing, and then become buddies with the program. Criticism is one thing. When you wrote, "the more I think the Aztecs should think seriously about dropping Division 1 football", you have stated your opinion. Make sure you stick to that opinion.
Dave wrote on Jul 6, 2007 3:20 PM:This is why you write for a lower tire level newspaper. Steve "Craft" whatever-your-last-name is.
Bubba wrote on Jul 6, 2007 3:50 PM:At virtually any D-1 school you make progress in year two or three. Craft did not do it in four and the sorry state he left in terms of talent is not Long's fault. Starting over will take time, but Long is on the right track. Brian Sipe certainly knows more about football than you or me and he feels Long is the long-term answer to the Aztecs becoming winners again.
bairdo wrote on Jul 6, 2007 5:31 PM:Do you really get paid for writing such nonsense? No question the program is a major underachiever. To say Craft was making progress makes you look foolish or terribly uninformed- or both. Tom had his shot! He left the program desperately wanting in talent which certainly is not progress. What Jr. owed the program was an honest, and early, notice of his pending departure. Instead, he back doored them with no chance to recruit a good JC backup. Real class act by father and son.
Gnu wrote on Jul 10, 2007 8:29 PM:I like the reasoning for SDSU to go to Division I - AA. It's the same reasoning why this author should continue writing for the NCT.
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