Playing College Basketball As A Septuagenarian
In 2007, Mink contacted several colleges in the Knoxville area to see if any would allow him to play basketball. Roane State coach, Randy Nesbit, expressed interest. Nesbit has said that he was curious about potential athletic performance of a septuagenarian who had kept himself in good physical condition. Mink enrolled as a student at Roane State and joined the team.
Mink was fouled in the game against King College, giving him the opportunity to shoot two free throws, scoring on both. He continued to participate as a member of Roane State's 2008–2009 team, playing in seven games and scoring in three. On January 24, 2009, he scored a two-point field goal in a game against Hiwassee College, becoming the oldest person to ever score a field goal in a college basketball game. His participation on the Roane State team generated worldwide media attention and increased average attendance at Roane State's home games from about 100 to 400. Mink was ruled ineligible to play during the second semester and Roane State was forced to forfeit a game for using an ineligible player. Mink had failed a Spanish class during the first semester that resulted in the shortage of the 12-hour minimum credit hours. According to Mink, he was "administratively ineligible for the second semester because of a technical requirement regarding the reporting of an online course." Roane State appealed the ruling, noting that Mink successfully completed a course from Strayer University to achieve the required number of credits for the semester. However, the appeal was denied.
Mike Sutton, basketball coach for Tennessee Tech University, invited Mink to be a walk-on player for the 2010-11 season, but the NCAA told Sutton that Mink had no more NCAA college eligibility because of the 5-4 Rule, which requires NCAA athletes to complete their four years of eligibility in five-year period.
Read more about this topic: Ken Mink
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