ESPN Top 25 interesting people list

[AdaSooner]

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...esting-alumni-top-25-college-basketball-teams

This "top 25 interesting people list" on ESPN got me to thinking when I noticed right away that OU is not on the list. Surely there is an interesting OU alum or two who are more than worthy to be on this list. James Garner, for example, one of my favorite movie and television actors of all time. How about Toby Keith and Garth Brooks, two hall of fame worthy country singers. Brooks stands alone on Forbes top annual earnings list with a $90 million income last year.

That's just three of the OU alums I came up with off of the top of my head. But to show how ESPN's staff missed the mark in putting this list together, here's a link to the famous people with an OU connection.

http://www.ranker.com/list/famous-university-of-oklahoma-alumni-and-students/reference

Even if you eliminated the football players, seems to me there are plenty of others who deserved to be on this list. Does this demonstrate a clear bias against OU, or are the ESPN talking heads just plain stupid?

So, it's the off season and I'm bored!

 

[SuperHoops]

It looks to me like the list is one interesting alum from each school in someone's preseason Top 25. Just a guess. And I don't think Garth Brooks is an OU alum.

 

[ksSooner13]

It looks to me like the list is one interesting alum from each school in someone's preseason Top 25. Just a guess. And I don't think Garth Brooks is an OU alum.

He went and did track for OSU...

 

[boksooner]

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...esting-alumni-top-25-college-basketball-teams

This "top 25 interesting people list" on ESPN got me to thinking when I noticed right away that OU is not on the list. Surely there is an interesting OU alum or two who are more than worthy to be on this list. James Garner, for example, one of my favorite movie and television actors of all time. How about Toby Keith and Garth Brooks, two hall of fame worthy country singers. Brooks stands alone on Forbes top annual earnings list with a $90 million income last year.

That's just three of the OU alums I came up with off of the top of my head. But to show how ESPN's staff missed the mark in putting this list together, here's a link to the famous people with an OU connection.

http://www.ranker.com/list/famous-university-of-oklahoma-alumni-and-students/reference

Even if you eliminated the football players, seems to me there are plenty of others who deserved to be on this list. Does this demonstrate a clear bias against OU, or are the ESPN talking heads just plain stupid?

So, it's the off season and I'm bored!

It looks to me like the list is one interesting alum from each school in someone's preseason Top 25. Just a guess. And I don't think Garth Brooks is an OU alum.

From the article:

Among the first things you hear at freshman orientation is the list of notable people who came before you and walked the halls of your school. Using the Way-Too-Early Top 25 as our guide, we identified some of the most interesting alumni from each of the top 25 teams' institutions.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...23/revised-way-too-early-top-25-some-movement

OU is not ranked, which is why they were left out.


Also, Olivia Munn >>>>>>>> Toby Keith

 

[MNsooner]

Rockford Files is one of my all time favorite TV Shows, so I am partial to James Garner.

 

[skyvue]

But to show how ESPN's staff missed the mark in putting this list together, here's a link to the famous people with an OU connection.

http://www.ranker.com/list/famous-university-of-oklahoma-alumni-and-students/reference

Not sure, but I think that Ranker list is an open submission thing -- anyone can add a name. And there are several incorrect inclusions on that list.

Mickey Mantle didn't go to OU, though he was offered a football scholarship there. Troy Aikman was not an OU alum. Huey Long attended OU Law School briefly, but didn't graduate from there (his law degree was from Tulane). Alice Ghostley attended OU School of Drama for a while, but didn't graduate.

 

[SuperHoops]

Not sure, but I think that Ranker list is an open submission thing -- anyone can add a name. And there are several incorrect inclusions on that list.

Mickey Mantle didn't go to OU, though he was offered a football scholarship there. Troy Aikman was not an OU alum. Huey Long attended OU Law School briefly, but didn't graduate from there (his law degree was from Tulane). Alice Ghostley attended OU School of Drama for a while, but didn't graduate.

I'm pretty sure that by definition anyone who attends a school is considered an alum. Like Adrian Peterson or Blake Griffin.

 

[SoonerSpock]

I'm pretty sure that by definition anyone who attends a school is considered an alum. Like Adrian Peterson or Blake Griffin.

By definition an alum or alumnus is a graduate of a school not an attendee. I think the media frequently misuses the term alum to mean played there when referencing athletes.

 

[SoonerSpock]

I'm pretty sure that by definition anyone who attends a school is considered an alum. Like Adrian Peterson or Blake Griffin.

By definition an alum or alumnus is a graduate of a school not an student/attendee. I think the media frequently misuses the term alum to mean played there when referencing athletes. Shameful to see journalist being so grammatically incorrect.

 

[skyvue]

OU is not ranked, which is why they were left out.

Why is Rhode Island, which went 17-15 last season and is, y'know, Rhode Island, ranked?

 

[Northbase]

My God Mother was in the OU drama school with Bob Weaver, who changed his name to Dennis Weaver.

Football player Jack Ging had a pretty good career acting. He played the Police Chief in Rockford Files, along with several other credits.

 

[skyvue]

Actor Ed Harris attended OU as a grad student, though I don't know if he earned his graduate degree or not.

 

[SuperHoops]

By definition an alum or alumnus is a graduate of a school not an attendee. I think the media frequently misuses the term alum to mean played there when referencing athletes.

Every online dictionary I could find on Google says otherwise. Almost every one defines it as a graduate or former student.

 

[skyvue]

Every online dictionary I could find on Google says otherwise. Almost every one defines it as a graduate or former student.

I'd very surprised if that's not a relatively recent change of its meaning, but I stand corrected.

I know a guy who works for the OED, but he doesn't like to be bugged with questions like this. I might risk it though.

 

[SoonerSpock]

Every online dictionary I could find on Google says otherwise. Almost every one defines it as a graduate or former student.[/QUOTE

I stand corrected. The definition of alumus has evolved over time. My much older two dictionaries that I have define an alumnus as a male graduate of a school. As does the Business Dictionary linked below.

However the preponderance of the internet definitions have evolved to alumni meaning student or graduate. Goes to show that our language is dynamic and and changes over time. Also shows I am not staying current. Too much of an old fogie, I am.


http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/alumni.html

 

[BanjoCharley]

Ed Harris is an OU alum .

 

[AdaSooner]

Every online dictionary I could find on Google says otherwise. Almost every one defines it as a graduate or former student.[/QUOTE

I stand corrected. The definition of alumus has evolved over time. My much older two dictionaries that I have define an alumnus as a male graduate of a school. As does the Business Dictionary linked below.

However the preponderance of the internet definitions have evolved to alumni meaning student or graduate. Goes to show that our language is dynamic and and changes over time. Also shows I am not staying current. Too much of an old fogie, I am.


http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/alumni.html

I think "alum" in this instance may mean anyone who was a former student, or maybe someone who had a strong connection to a university. ESPN even admitted that they had "used the term 'alum' expansively" (see the write up on Nova).

In any event, I accomplished what I was hoping for on this thread: generate a discussion on any topic during the summer doldrums.

November can't get here too soon from my perspective!