At 39 years old, Tim “Pops” Frisby finally got to see his first college football game — from the playing field, that is.
The father of six recently retired from the Army after 20 years and lined up at wide receiver for South Carolina on Saturday night late in the Gamecocks’ 17-7 win over Troy.
As he took the field, the Desert Storm and Kosovo veteran received a resounding ovation from the 79,700 fans at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C.
“I’m just glad Coach (Lou Holtz) put the trust in me to go out there,” he said. “I was just glad to be a part of it.”
Frisby’s debut had been delayed by the NCAA due to eligibility questions. But last week the NCAA informed the 39-year-old walk-on he was cleared to play.
“It’s a dream come true,” Frisby said. “I’ve wanted to do this for so long.”
Frisby has earned plenty of airtime for his feat. He was featured on CNN and ESPN’s “Cold Pizza” on Wednesday, and a segment about him ran Tuesday on “SportsCenter.”
Frisby’s taking to the camera is hardly surprising: He has a 3.8 GPA in broadcast journalism.
UNLV Coach to Retire
UNLV head coach John Robinson announced he will retire at the end of the season.
The 69-year-old, now in his sixth year with the Rebels, said family issues were behind his decision.
“There are some ongoing health issues in my family that are not going away,” Robinson said. “I just feel like it’s time.”
UNLV’s struggles also have contributed to Robinson’s decision, as the Rebels are now 0-4 after Saturday’s home loss to Utah State.
“Obviously there is a pressure building up on this team surrounding all of this,” Robinson said.
Robinson’s record is 26-37 at UNLV, including this year’s poor showing. But in 2000 — his second season — Robinson was named the Mountain West Conference co-Coach of the Year and his team won the Las Vegas Bowl.
At the time, the team was only one year removed from a 16-game losing streak Robinson inherited when he took the job in 1998.
Despite his struggles with the Rebels, Robinson will leave the NCAA with a winning legacy. He holds a career mark of 130-72-4 as the coach of UNLV and USC, which ranks him 18th among active Division 1-A coaches.
Robinson was named head coach at USC in 1976, and his Trojans were co-national champions in 1978.
After two additional trips to the Rose Bowl, Robinson moved to the NFL, where he coached the Los Angeles Rams for nine years. He then returned to Southern California, and the team reached the 1996 Rose Bowl.
Robinson’s retirement comes with one year remaining on his contract.
a Not-so-Incognito move
A former Nebraska all-Big 12 center has found a new home with Oregon and could see action as soon as next season, according to Ducks coach Mike Bellotti.
Richie Incognito, who was suspended indefinitely by the Cornhuskers and withdrew from the university, has enrolled at Oregon and will take the practice field after he passes the university’s physical exam.
But he will be ineligible to play until next season due to NCAA regulations — players who change from one Division I-A school to another must sit out a full calendar year.
The 6-foot-3, 300-pound junior committed multiple rules violations, Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said, including three assault charges after an altercation at a party in February.
He was found guilty of one misdemeanor assault charge in June and ordered to pay a fine of $500 but was found not guilty of another charge, and the third was dropped.
Bellotti has ordered Incognito to take a course in anger management.
“He is committed to it,” Bellotti said. “His parents are committed to it. He will be going through certain things that will help if he has anger-management issues.”
Incognito, also considered a top pro prospect, has one year of eligibility remaining.
Reach Patrick Dorsey at [email protected].
The Associated Press, The New York Times and ESPN.com contributed to this report.
39-year-old takes field for Gamecocks
