Culture

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080718/SOUTHERNMISS/807180313/1050 Southern Miss assistant football coach Barney Farrar has been diagnosed with throat cancer, making him the second USM assistant to battle the disease in as many years. Former USM defensive coordinator Jay Hopson was treated for testicular cancer last year. Farrar will soon begin radiation and chemotherapy treatment and has been told his type of cancer has a 65-70 percent cure rate. "It was a huge surprise," Farrar said Thursday. "It caught me way off guard. I had no idea." Farrar noticed a growth in his throat when he previously worked in the Iowa State athletic department, but doctors treated it with antibiotics. After a visit with USM team physician Dr. Stephen Beam, he was advised to see an oncologist at Wesley Medical Center. A biopsy and thorough examination confirmed that the growth was cancerous. "(The doctor) said it's just a thing that happens from time to time," Farrar said. "You didn't ask for it, but you've got it. We are going to find a way to cure it and get well." Farrar said the growth caused no pain, but he noticed an obvious change in his stamina. "I was at Iowa State in the fall and I just felt tired a lot, and more than normal," the 48-year-old said. "I just couldn't get enough rest, but I just thought I was just getting older. I didn't think about the lump that came up in my throat, but it just started growing larger and larger." hattiesburg American 7/18/08

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200807190630/SPORTS/807190307 Southern Miss legend Brett Favre may be going through a contentious situation with the Green Bay Packers, but he was all smiles Friday during a workout with the Oak Grove High School football team at Warrior Field. The quarterback seemed in good spirits as he made throws to receivers and handed out bits of instruction to the players. "As much as they say that it helps them, it's kept me young," Favre said. "It would be hard to do it on my own. I enjoy it. "They keep me energized and poke a little fun. They're good kids but they're talented kids too. It's not like I'm throwing to no one. These kids are pretty good." Favre spoke with the media on the condition that there would be no questions in relation to his rift with Packers' management over his desire to play again after announcing his retirement in March. The matter is in limbo at the moment with the Packers refusing to release Favre, only suggesting that he could come back as the substitute for starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Green Bay management hasn't discussed a potential trade yet. Southern Miss freshman quarterback Austin Davis took part in the Oak Grove workout along with Favre, giving him a chance to meet the future Hall of Famer for the first time. "You always hear stories that he's like a little kid and loves the game," Davis said. "You can definitely see that when he comes out here and tosses it around with these guys. If you didn't know, you wouldn't notice the difference between him and anyone out here." Hattiesburg American 7/19/08

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080721/SPORTS030104/807210336/1287/SPORTS&referrer=NEWSFRONTCAROUSEL MEMPHIS — Southern Miss football coach Larry Fedora had good reason to smile on Sunday during the Conference USA Media Day. Not only did he have his preseason C-USA players of the year Damion Fletcher and Gerald McRath in tow, he had been informed in the morning that star recruit DeAndre Brown had been officially ruled eligible to play by the NCAA Eligibility Center. "For me, it's not like any kind of special news because it was something that was expected," Fedora said. "We had a plan and DeAndre followed the plan and we expected him to be eligible. The only satisfying thing is the deal that the clearinghouse finally put the stamp on it. "I'm very proud of the young man, I really am. Because he believed in what we told him and he did what we asked him to do." USM officials and coaches may have expected Brown's approval, but Fedora knows there were doubters in the coaching community. "There are a lot of people that said when he signed with Southern Miss that he wouldn't make it," Fedora said. "That's why he didn't go to their place. I'm not naming any names. "The kid decided he wanted to go to Southern Miss because he knew he could reach all of his dreams and goals an hour and a half from home." The 6-foot-6 receiver from Ocean Springs, who is considered the top recruit in Fedora's first class of signees, took a pair of online courses through BYU in the summer to meet eligibility requirements. Clarion ledger 7/21/08

http://www.sunherald.com/238/story/693427.html Top football recruit DeAndre Brown has been ruled eligible by the NCAA to play for Southern Miss this fall. Associate athletic director Jason Gray says Sunday that Brown has met eligibility requirements after taking a pair of classes online through Brigham Young University. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound wide receiver from Ocean Springs was among the top recruits available last year. He spurned LSU and other top programs to join first-year coach Larry Fedora's wide-open offense. MORE FOOTBALL • Redskins get Jason Taylor from Dolphins- Jason Taylor is leaving the only NFL team he's known, going from the Miami Dolphins to the Washington Redskins in a trade Sunday. The Redskins gave the Dolphins a second-round pick in 2009 and a sixth-round choice in 2010 for Taylor. The six-time Pro Bowl defensive end - who was the 2006 NFL Defensive Player of the Year - fell out of favor in Miami after spending his offseason on the TV show "Dancing With the Stars" rather than working out with teammates. • Gordon makes oral commitment to Arkansas - Cornerback David Gordon has made an oral commitment to Arkansas over LSU and Oklahoma, among more than 20 scholarship offers. SunHerald.com 7/21/08

http://www.sunherald.com/sports/story/693442.html MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Conference USA football enters the 2008 season a league in search of a new set of marquee players - and perhaps a marquee team to push it onto the Bowl Championship Series radar. Gone are consensus All-America running back Kevin Smith of defending league champion Central Florida, NFL first-round draft pick running back Chris Johnson of East Carolina and 5,000-yard passer Paul Smith of league runner-up Tulsa. George O'Leary, 0-11 his first season at UCF in 2004, coached the Knights to the league title a year ago, led by Smith's 2,567 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns. O'Leary told reporters at the league's media day on Sunday that he believes his team will keep its balance. "You don't replace a consensus All-America, but we have two-three guys who can produce by committee, and a defense with nine starters who we think will be very, very good," said O'Leary of a unit led by cornerback Joe Burnett, who intercepted six passes last season. He is also the preseason C-USA Special Teams player of the year, averaging better than 13 yards a punt return with three career return TDs. "Coach O'Leary has taught us the things we needed to do to win," Burnett said. "To see it happen has been special." UCF is favored in the coaches' poll to win the league's East Division title again over East Carolina and Southern Mississippi. Tulsa is a unanimous choice of the league's 12 coaches to repeat in the West, ahead of Houston. SunHerald 7/21/08