As if losing the Rose Bowl and coach Mike Price weren’t enough, Washington State apparently will end up paying $750,000 for unused tickets to the game.
The Cougars sold 26,000 of the school’s allotment of 32,000 tickets for the Rose Bowl, leaving 6,000 tickets at $125 apiece to be paid for. It’s the first time in 10 years a Pac-10 team failed to sell all its tickets to the game.
“As far as the Rose Bowl goes, unsold tickets become an expense on their side,” Pac-10 assistant commissioner Jim Muldoon said Tuesday.
The Pac-10 has asked Washington State athletic director Jim Sterk to submit a proposal for the conference to possibly help pay for the tickets.
Sterk said 3,000 to 5,000 Cougars fans bought tickets from Oklahoma after the Sooners satisfied their season ticket-holders and put the remaining tickets up for public sale. Fans chose guaranteed Oklahoma tickets over the risk of being shut out in the Washington State ticket system, which is what happened when the Cougars went to the 1998 Rose Bowl.
– Addressing the lack of minorities in head coaching jobs, the NCAA Division I board of directors approved funding for a “coaches’ academy” and a mentor program.
– Quarterback Adrian McPherson, who was kicked off the Florida State team in November after being charged with felony grand theft, has enrolled in classes at Murray State. Spokesman David Snow said Murray State is waiting until “the Florida State situation is resolved,” before deciding whether McPherson can play.
