Boren suffers stroke during Stoops ceremony
University of Oklahoma President had a minor stroke before the unveiling of a statue honoring former Oklahoma football coach
on Saturday morning and was taken away on a stretcher.
The school revealed his condition in a news release Saturday evening.
The 76-year-old Boren is a former U.S. senator and has been the university’s president since 1994. He had spoken earlier in the ceremony.
Stoops was being honored in front of a large crowd hours before Oklahoma’s spring game. Right before the uncovering of the statue, paramedics made their way to Boren and talked to him near the podium where athletic director was speaking. Castiglione told the crowd the paramedics were taking precautions and then implored the crowd to pray. Boren smiled as he was being taken away.
The school said Boren had discomfort and dizziness and he was transported to the OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City, where tests determined that he had a stroke. He had dinner with his family in the evening.
“He is alert and is communicating with family and his excellent team of medical professionals at OU Medical Center,” the news release said. “President and Mrs. Boren deeply appreciate the outpouring of love and support they have received.”
Boren is retiring in June. The school’s Board of Regents announced last month that will become the university’s 14th president on July 1.
Stoops retired months before the 2017 season. He went 190-48 at Oklahoma and is the school’s wins leader. He claimed a national title in 2000 and reached the national-title game three more times with the Sooners. fan favorite
visited the spring game Saturday and stood without assistance to cheers from the crowd at his alma mater.
The Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker is recovering from a devastating spinal injury suffered in a Dec. 4 game with the Bengals.
Shazier, an honorary captain of one of the squads, drove a golf cart to midfield and climbed out to stand briefly to fire up the crowd. He then embraced the other honorary captain, former Ohio State cornerback and current Philadelphia Eagles safety
and Ohio State Ohio State coach
He also spoke to the team before the game. Shazier told reporters, “I am feeling a lot better than I was.”
A fair catch on a kickoff received inside the 25-yard line will result in a touchback next season after a proposed rule change was approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel.
The NCAA announced Friday the adoption of several rule changes, including changes aimed at moving games along.
The most notable involved kickoffs, which both college and professional football rule-makers acknowledge produce an inordinate number of injuries. In the hopes of creating fewer returns and more touchbacks, kickoffs were moved from the 30-yard line to the 35 in 2012 and the starting position after a touchback was moved up from the 20 to the 25.
Since then a popular strategy has developed where teams instruct kickers to kick off high and often toward the sideline, short of the end zone, in an effort to pin the returner inside the 25. Now those kicks can be fair-caught and instead of the ball being placed at the spot of the catch, it will be placed at the 25.
Other changes approved include a package of rules regarding blocking below the waist.
Regarding pace of the panel approved proposals:
After a touchdown, the play clock will be set at 40 seconds to expedite the extra point or 2-point conversion attempt.
Following a kickoff, the play clock will be set to 40 seconds to restart play more quickly. play two