DMN / Katrina's effects hit teams

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Katrina's effects hit teams

Tulane football team to stay at SMU; games canceled, postponed

09:32 PM CDT on Tuesday, August 30, 2005

By KEITH WHITMIRE / The Dallas Morning News

Hurricane Katrina's impact on the sports world reached all the way to the Dallas area Tuesday.

North Texas' football game at LSU, scheduled for Saturday in Baton Rouge, La., has been postponed indefinitely.

Tulane's football team, which plays its home games in the hurricane-damaged Louisiana Superdome, is moving its practices to SMU. Tulane's game at Southern Miss on Sunday has been postponed to Nov. 26.

The Southland Conference, headquartered in Plano, had three of its seven games this week affected by hurricane-related problems.

One of the problems administrators faced Tuesday was getting phone calls through to officials at the campuses affected by Katrina's destruction.

While some stadiums escaped extensive damage, such as LSU's Tiger Stadium, the greater concern is that attempting to stage college football games could interfere with evacuation and rescue efforts.

"Baton Rouge is becoming a triage unit for much of the New Orleans area," UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal said. "We have to be concerned about the game, but in the same vein, we have to respect and make sure that LSU and the people of Baton Rouge have time to take care of a natural disaster that may be as bad as any they have ever experienced."

LSU and North Texas do not have matching open dates. North Texas is looking at the possibility of moving other games on its schedule to fit the LSU game in.

North Texas is to receive a $500,000 guarantee from LSU for playing the game. UNT's athletic budget for the fiscal year ending today is $12.2 million.

"If we have to cancel it, we would have to find a way to raise additional money or cut money from the budget as we go along in the year to meet the bottom line," Villarreal said. "Right now we are not thinking about money, but it is part of the decision-making process."

Tulane had moved its football team to Jackson State's campus in Jackson, Miss. However, when Katrina came ashore Monday morning, it turned east and knocked out power at Jackson State.

SMU's administrators offered to let Tulane, a fellow member of Conference USA, share its practice facilities, and an area hotel is providing accommodations. The Green Wave was expected to reach Dallas early this morning.

Donna Turner, Tulane's sports information director, said it was too early at this stage in the relief efforts to determine where Tulane will play its home games.

The Green Wave is scheduled to play Mississippi State at home on Sept. 17. If that game is postponed, Tulane's first game would be Sept. 24 at SMU.

Southern Miss has moved its operations to Memphis.

At TCU, safety Marvin White said he was worried about family members back in his hometown of Port Barre, La., an hour northwest of New Orleans.

"I called my mom, and she told me the only thing they got was rain and some heavy winds," White said. "It was a significant relief to hear that."

Southeastern Louisiana was supposed to open the season Thursday night against Jacksonville but, with power still out in the Hammond, La., area, that game was postponed.

McNeese State in Lake Charles, La., canceled its Saturday home game with Southern, which is in Baton Rouge.

Nicholls State in Thibodaux, La., has postponed its game at Utah State scheduled for Saturday.

Southland commissioner Tom Burnett said Nicholls State's campus, "is still without electricity, and many coaches, staff and student-athletes are with families in or near the affected areas of the storm. Also, it appears air travel to and from the New Orleans area may be suspended for quite some time."

Louisiana Tech in Ruston, La., canceled football practice Tuesday. The players instead went to nearby shelters to comfort storm victims.