Page 12/The BattalionThursday, November 29, 1984
Bell dies
from rare
United Press International
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — For
mer USC football star Ricky Bell,
runnerup for the 1976 Heisman
Trophy who went on to play for
the NFL’s Tampa Bay Bucca
neers and San Diego Chargers,
died Wednesday from a cardiac
arrest caused by a rare degenera
tive disease.
Bell, 29, died at 11:06 a.m. at
Daniel Freeman Hospital,
spokeswoman Christie Plank said.
The running back learned in
November 1982 that he suffered
from dermatomyositis, a rare in
flammatory muscle disease that
attacks the heart, muscles and
skin, his physician, Dr. Allen
Metzger, said.
Plank said the disease caused a
major vessel to rupture, and sub
sequent bleeding into the left side
of the chest caused the cardiac ar
rest.
Bell’s 10-year-old son, Ricky
Jr., and his brother, Nathan, were
with him when he died. Bell’s
wife did not reach the hospital be
fore his death.
While at USC from 1974-76,
Bell carried on the tradition of
outstanding Trojan tailbacks by
rushing for 3,689 yards for a 5.2-
yard average and 28 touchdowns.
Bell was the nation’s leading
rusher with 1,875 yards as a ju
nior and Finished third in the
Heisman voting in 1975. He fin
ished second to Tony Dorsett for
the coveted award in his senior
year. He was an All-America both
years.
The Fremont High School
graduate was a first-round pick of
Tampa Bay in 1977, where he
played under his old USC coach,
John McKay.
He was traded to the Chargers
in 1982, but appeared in only
four games and rushed for six
yards before the disease ended
Chargers spokesman Bill
Johnston said Bell weighed 225
pounds when he joined the club
but dropped to 196 by the end of
the season, his lightest weight
since high school.
Bell was placed on non-footbal!
injury reserve and retired during
training camp of the 1983 season.
Nash tells his squad
to swim in a ‘school’
By TAMARA BELL
Sports Writer
Behind A&M Swim Coach Mel
Nash’s carefree exterior lurks a per
fectionist striving to make his Texas
A&M Women’s Swimming team No.
1 in the Southwest Conference.
“One of Coach Nash’s favorite
sayings is ‘practice doesn’t make per
fect, perfect practice makes per
fect,”’ A&M swimmer Melanie Sch-
mauch said, “and he enforces this
philosophy when instructing some
one on the little things such as turns
that can make a good swimmer
great.”
Combining the men’s and wom
en’s swim teams for practice, makes
that extra lap bearable.
“As a transfer student from Texas
Tech, where I also participated in
the swimming program, I remember
watching the A&M team at meets re
acting as a unit, not as a group of in
dividuals,” Schmauch said.
“Since both the men and women’s
teams workout together, which is an
unusual coaching technique, a family
atmosphere is created. The support
they (the men) lend during practice
and meets helps build our confiden
ce.”
Although swimming is an individ
ual sport, Nash aims for a team ef
fort when swimming in meets.
“It’s difficult for swimmers to
think in terms of ‘team’ and ‘unity’
because meets are usually swam on a
one-to-one basis,” Nash said, “but at
A&M, because of the University’s
emphasis on traditions, it’s easy to
integrate this concept into the pro
gram.”
Team unity is further enhanced
by the lack of one “superstar” swim
mer. Instead the team boasts 15 “su-
stay low key,” Nash said. “I don’t
want them to get too fired up, with
nostrils flaring, because they’ll get
burnt out before the major competi
tion begins.
“If we’re facing a major compet
itor, I’ll talk to them. Sometimes tney
fall asleep, but sometimes they listen
and take note.”
One of Nash’s pet peeves involves
the amount of time wasted in prac
tice.
perstar swimmers.
“Because the talent is evenly dis
tributed throughout the team, the
women’s team is not reliant on a few
good swimmers. They all contribute
to the victory,” Nash said.
Before a meet, Nash’s coaching
technique varies according to the
level of competition the Aggie
.women will face.
“If we’re pitted against a weak
team, I’ll instruct the swimmers to
“We train for four hours a day,”
Nash said. “Somedays they just go
through the motions and waste the
practice time. If they have to be at
the pool anyway, they might as well
apply themselves and perform as
close to perfection as possible. This
would make it easy during a meet
because the motions would be natu
ral.”
Motivating swimmers is often dif
ficult Nash said. He approaches mo
tivating swimmers from a practical
standpoint.
Ifs tougher to be a basketball loser
NBA draft rules altered for ’85
United Press International
is not without its
NEW YORK — It’s not unusual to
hear talk of teams near the bottom
of the NBA standings looking for
ward to the No. 1 selection in the col
lege draft.
But when some talked about it in
mid-November — when the season
was scarcely 15 games old — well,
that was strange. Pro basketball’s
new lottery system could be the
cause.
The NBA was concerned that
teams close to the cellar at the end of
the season would rather lose, hoping
to become one of two clubs to partic
ipate in a coin fljp to determine who
got the top selection.
Now, for the First time, the seven
teams this year that do not make the
playoffs will toss their names into a
hat and Commissioner David Stern,
will pick the winner of NBA Lotto.
This system
faults.
Now that three or four teams are
vying for the right to pick No. 1,
there is a possibility of twice that
many deriving long-term benefits
from losing a late-season game.
Last year, five teams had a shot at
participating in the coin flip. If the
lottery system had been in effect,
however, the two other non-playoff
clubs and three others would have
been within four victories of gaining
entrance to the lottery.
Might they sacriFice a few playoff
games for a l-in-7 chance to grab a
franchise-turner like Pat Ewing or
Wayman Tisdale? Maybe. Would
they say so publicly? Never.
“It wouldn’t be fair to manage
ment, the players or the fans,” Ber
nard King said after his Knicks got
off to a 2-9 start. “I’m not ready to
throw away the season. I don’t like
losing.”
The system received near-unani
mous support from general man
agers during the NBA meetings in
Salt Lake City last summer.
Philadelphia general manager Pat
Williams thinks the new procedure is
the best one the NBA could have ar
rived at.
“Yes, there’s no foolproof solu
tion,” he said, “but it’s designed to
prevent a late-season nose-dive like
Houston had last year. We’ve elimi
nated the coin flip so even if a team
plays like Houston did, sure, they
might pick No. 1 — but they might
pick No. 7.
Williams outlined a possible April
scenario for a team on the edge of
making the playof fs or the lottery.
“It’s down to the last few games,
your team is Fighting for the play
offs,” Williams said. “The playoffs
have a magic ring to them. In the
heat of battle, players and coaches
are going to go for it. They will not
back off from the challenge. The
public pressure to make the playoffs
will see to that.”
The worst situation that can arise
with this format would be when one
team is overwhelmingly the worst. In
the 1972-73 season, the 76ers were
9-73 and it would seem a crime to
deprive a club as bad as that of an
automatic No. 1 pick.
“I understand that,” Williams
said. “Take Golden State for in
stance. Their center is unsigned,
they are shorthanded and they are
legitimately working hard. They
could clearly deserve the No. 1 pick
and shouldn’t have to go into a lot
tery. That’s a valid criticism.”
Notice
COMPANY
P.O. BOX 10121 • LUBBOCK, TX 79408 • 806/744-4592
Notice
Notice
STUDENT ASSISTANCE
Notice SALES PROGRAM Notice
You need to live
in one of these
counties:
Dear Student:
Terra Seed Co. of Lubbock, Texas needs your help. At
Terra Seed we are looking for students to work in their home
town or county while on Christmas vacation.
We will have a group information meeting on Thursday, Novem
ber 29 at 6:00 p.m. We will meet in Room 310 at Rudder Tower.
No previous experience is required and Freshmen through upper
classmen are urged to attend.
Through Terra Seed’s Student Assistance Sales Program, you as
a student, can achieve the following:
Sizable income
Gain valuable work experience
Win a $500 Scholarship
If you can not attend this meeting, but are interested in working over
the holidays, please call collect (512) 578-3327
e Boot
ROPERS
$jcoo
■ The Lowest Prices & Largest
'Selection in The Brazos Valley.
Over 2000 Pairs On
Display! Ropers,
Exotics, Bullhides,
Cowhides, Silver
Laced Belts,
Wrangler Jeans.
United
I INDIAN
t jie Nation
Wednesday
juction plan
economic re
jlid to liglne
I funding to,:
li.Sams for i-' 1
j! In its ollii
l‘i85, the le
2.5 Miles East of Brazos Center
on FM 1179 (Briarcrest Dr.)
M-F 10-7
Sat. 10-6 O^”
CELEBRATE BONFIRE..,
EAT MORE BEVO!
On Thursday,
November 29, 1984
In honor of
Bonfire Night.
Chanello’s Pizza
Is pleased to offer
the most
the nation.
B League n
faced withli
hetplace un<
unemploynn
cil. In a polii
some 3,000
League’s 0
League end
tax increase!
no cuts inei
the poor.
|| The pol
guides tne
lobbying eft
money forti
the creation
bank to hel
decaying ro
ILiTT
IE All
WEIKNITCS7:
KRISTY MtNKHt
MICHAEL ONTKE
just the way
you are
&
Amadecj
WEEKNITES: 7:
FREE
Ground beef on any pizza!
Just for the asking!
chg
tOud
TNE
YEA!
err IDE
CHANELLO’S
PIZZA
$250!
WE DELIVER
Southside (& lunch) 696-0234
Northgate 846-37if
Campus (only) Lunch Special I I a.m.-4 p.m.
fEACHEl
I-item $5
^ pizza & coke
I I-item $8
■ U pizza & coke
MISSING
NIGHT P>
void with “happy hour coupon”, tax inch expires 12-14-84
Spectacular
Pre Christmas
Sale!
30-60 %
Off
■
30% off
Cocktail rings and wedding Bands
30% off
Watches and Pocket watches (excluding
Pierre Cardin)
40% off
String Beads, semi precious stones and pe
of all kinds! Diamond pendants and
50% on
Loose diamonds and 14kt Gold
chains and Bracelets
60% on
Twisties, Gold plate, Fossils, Synthetic
Pearls, etc.
Let Kay & Co. help you with your Christmas
Shopping.
[PariongTnthe rear and side available!