Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 2, 1988)
Sports The Battalion Wednesday, Nov. 2, 1988 Page 11 NCAA slaps Kansas for rules violations kcrs and theirfc MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Kansas, the defending na tional college basketball champion, was put on a three- year probation Tuesday by the NCAA for recruiting viola tions and will not be allowed to defend its title. •Iman, presidem se Fund, said, t they both rat. to deal with er ive health i ies. The it into money! Larry Brown’s reaction/Page 12 Reports have linked former Memphis State guard Vin cent Askew to the probe although the NCAA announce ment did not identify anyone. Askew was recruited by Kansas and then-coach Larry Brown and spent the summer of 1986 on campus. He then returned to Memphis without playing for the Jayhawks. ABC concept,k; only to stak i billion. ; skins, ilties for he death pen- roup and the stry have come > for increased serves and bet- •ds. cd to be sub- iuncil, or Cab : will be a blow doesn’t ratify Let’s make the Hurricane Bowl an annual event! t TMI which the fuel e Pennsylvania , uranium fuel e vital cooling vers it, causing langcrousiy in c, based on an : accident, was tent figure pre- ar Regulaton 987 by Donald artment of En- minate In addition to being barred from postseason play in the first-year of the probation, the Jayhawks will not be al lowed to have paid campus recruiting visits in 1989 and will be stripped of one scholarship during that period. The NCAA also ordered the school to “show cause” why it should not be penalized further if it fails to disasso ciate three unnamed boosters from the program “based upon their involvement in violations of NCAA rules.” The NCAA seriously considered imposing the most ex treme sanction —“the death penalty” — which would have shut down the basketball program for an entire year. Only Southern Methodist’s football program has felt the wrath of that punishment. “Kansas was on the bubble, so to speak,” said David Berst, assistant NCAA director for enforcement. “I’m sure there was a lot of discussion on that point, but no se vere violations involved any of the players who were on the team. It was a tough decision.” The report by the Infractions Committee said the investi gation which uncovered the violations at Kansas was started by telephone call from a ‘"confidential informant” dealing with the recruitment of a “highly visible transfer student-athlete.” Milt Newton, a senior forward and key member of the squad that beat Oklahoma 73-89 in last April’s NCAA title game, broke down weeping during a news conference on the Lawrence, Kan. campus and left the room. He returned a few minutes later to say the probation “hit me like a ton of bricks.” ”1 thought I wasn't going to be seriously affected by it, but I am, ’ Newton said. “We still have a couple of goals to shoot for, like winning the conference and the Big Eight tournament. 1 think it will make us play harder.” Kansas officials who complained about the delay in de ciding the case had no idea the program stood on the edge of the death penalty. Berst said the delay was caused partly by deliberations on whether to give Kansas the death penalty. But instead of being the second school to get that pen alty, the Jayhawks become the first NCAA basketball champions prohibited from defending their title. “Because we believe the university effectively pre sented its case, and wc believe the NCAA committee gave us a fair hearing, we will not appeal,” Bob Frederick, ath letic director, said at the campus news conference. A&M prepares for Bulldogs after week of injury-resting By Doug Walker Assistant Sports Editor Texas A&M used this past weekend’s open date as an opportunity to rest some injured players and prepare for the sea son’s final stretch which begins with Sat urday’s game against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Kyle Field, A&M Head Football Coach Jackie Sherrill said at his weekly press conference Tuesday. “Starting this Saturday we’ve got five games and every game is one which we cannot overlook,” Sherrill said. “It’s not like we can look ahead.” After playing seven games in a 10- week span the Aggies close the season with five games in five weeks. The absence of Southern Methodist from the schedule has forced the Aggies to schedule the Louisiana Tech game during a week in which A&M would normally be off. In a normal year A&M would face SMU before having an open date and closing the year with games against Ar kansas, Texas Christian and Texas. The off week before the Arkansas game usually provides a chance to heal wounded players while getting extra pre paration for the Razorbacks. Since A&M has a game the week before the show down in the Ozarks, several Aggie re serves may see more playing time than usual. “Ne 'rt year this will be our off week because we’ll be playing SMU again.” Sherrill aid he looks for the Aggies to improve as he year winds down because of the return of several players from inju ries. “We’ve goi a lot of things left to do and goals to accomplish,” Sherrill said. “We still have a lot of goals to accompl ish in the last five games. The biggest thing in the last part of the season is to improve and it helps to have people healthy.” Lewis, free safety Gary Jones, de fensive end Terry Price and offensive guard Richmond Webb were mentioned as players that benefitted from the week off to heal injuries. Sherrrill warned against overlooking the Bulldogs and looking ahead to Ar kansas. The Bulldogs have been blown out by both Houston (60-0) and Florida State (66-3) this season and squeaked by lowly Kansas State (31-28) after trailing big at halftime. “They’ve got some good players,” Sherrill said. “People have been making big plays against them, but they haven’t been able to sustain anything. Their style of defense is the kind that’s gonna do that. They blitz every play.” Florida State scored with the aid of several big plays by the special teams, and Houston killed them through the air. Sherrill complimented Tech’s line backers as a solid group that plays in the style of A&M’s touted group. “They’re a good group,” Sherri! said. “Especially number 43. He could play for anybody.” That linebacker Sherrill mentioned is middle linebacker Glenell Sanders, a six- foot, 227-pound junior that spearheads a defensive unit that held A&M to 254 to tal yards in last year’s 32-3 Aggie win. Sherrill said he’s looking to this week’s game to get the team rolling after the week off. “If we finish 9-3 we’ll have a great year because it’ll be a big turnaround,” Sherrill said. “But that’s a big if.” Sherrill added he feels the team will not overlook the Bulldogs and that no special efforts will be necessary to moti vate the Aggies. “I don’t think we have to do that be cause we have some young players that love to play,” Sherrill said. When an NCAA investigation and postpone- nent of a game because of a hurricane should idd up to a dismal season, the Texas A&M foot- )all team is blessed with an opportunity un- cnown to the college football world. The Aggies lave been given a Kyle Field-size dose of mercy n having their game against Alabama pushed jack to Dec. 1. For Texas A&M, any game played after the u. skirmish can be considered a bowl game — it least Aggies would like to think of it that way. Only in Aggieland could a probation-deserving ootball team get a chance to play such a post season game. It’s comforting to be in a place where mercy is falling so generously. But don’t think it wasn’t hard on maroon bleeding Aggies football fans to stare at a bowl less season. Taking away the Cotton Bowl was like taking the Cow Hop from Northside. And think how much worse the whole situa tion was made by having the Alabama game temporarily canceled because of a puny hurri cane. But no sooner than Aggies everywhere got Jerry Bolz Sports writer their sobs under control, Hurricane Gilbert and the University of Alabama became a gift. And one the NCAA can’t unwrap. So instead of the Aggies packing things up af ter Thanksgiving, or waiting over a month to go freeze in Dallas, they get the comfort of College Station for an extra week, and national television for two weeks in a row. If 1 might say, “Grace, Mercy, and Hurricane Bowls — Only at Texas A&M. In a season that looked to be at least a tempo rary sputter in the big maroon Aggie machine, they are given a new opportunity that could pay off big this year and in the future. Very few teams ever play a bowl game on their home field, which has all sorts of benefits, including added revenue, convenience, national recognition and home-field advantage. On top of that, a gracious ESPN plans to cover the game, even though they will have to ditch a couple of college basketball games to do it. What that means to A&M fans is that for the first time in a few years, those who want to watch the Aggies play a bowl game don’t have to deal with the antics of CBS. With a 4-3 record so far this season, the Ag gies are already getting a few votes on the AP Top 20 ballots. And not only is it imagineable, it’s downright likely that the Aggies will win their next four games — against Lousiana Tech, Arkansas, TCU and Texas. That would give the Aggies an 8-3 record and a victory over Top 20 team Arkansas going into the Hurricane Bowl. With all of the losses in the early season, A&M could easily find itself in the Top 20. If the Aggies beat Alabama, in a game they should win, they would be 9-3. The Aggies are the only team to ever receive bowl sanctions the same season they scheduled an extra game, and got to play that game after the season should have been over. With college football gaining popularity in general every year, it’s easy to imagine how a game like the Hurri cane Bowl could become a new tradition for Texas A&M. Of course something has to happen twice to be a tradition at A&M, and Jackie Sherrill would have to pull some pretty slick strings to get an other Hurricane Bowl next year. But in future scheduling, I could easily see Sherrill getting the OK to play an early post-season game around the first of December. Just like the Kickoff Classic, which is the rea son for the Aggies extended schedule this year, a yearly Hurricane Bowl would only gain in popu larity. Of course, like the New Jersey game, an annual game at Kyle Field would have to have new teams every year. With teams like Alabama and A&M, the pres tige of the Hurricane Bowl should be near the top from the start. That would bring more honor than Aggieland could bear. It could easily outdo games like the Bluebonnet, Freedom, Liberty and other less-known bowls. Of course the Hurricane Bowl would need a sponsor to really get underway. That could be the most humorous part of the game. Several sponsors and names come to my mind: “The Second Annual Hurricane Office Supply Hurri cane Bowl”; “The Second Annual Sticky Chins Hurricane Bowl”; or how about, “ Old Army Lou’s Second Annual Calculator Sale and Hurri cane Bowl Classic.” Seriously though, there are plenty of Texas businessmen that would love to take on the fi nancial burden of a big bowl game and help A&M out in a legal manner. They could call it something like “The John ‘good Ag’ Doe En dowed Hurricane Bowl Scholarship.” aurt ruling thai i publications eriodicals nei- otection righls titutionally re- arch and stale, through Octe ts and newspa- subject to the MiVEERSAL STUDIOS TOUR A»Si MCA COMPANY hlishcd or dis- faith that con- promulgating faith” were poll law jse ot tears ; hampered Minnesota where they restrictions ngent they polls. ' ork lawyer and NBC. sota law vi- uld prevent sking each they were npaign est during the aps the pollut- ustion engines the high ust. paign encour- te six-county r cars at home . and on high- e end of Jan- -burning bans ; some com- try bans ury cutbacks ^ador uii ^Giiuition ere four civil- imander Col. z received a l, the spokes- El Salvador's part in coun- mce, the new itaff, said the y urban com- do Marti Na- the umbrella errilla organi- guard head- that about 15 tack. Full Meal Deal Includes: • 2 Pieces of Chicken (Combination Orders Only) • Mashed Potatoes ^ Gravy • Corn • Buttermilk Biscuit • Hot Apple Pie $8.89 PLUS TAX Offer Good Ail Day—Everyday Kentucky Fried Chicken GOOD AT THESE KFC LOCATIONS: 3330 South Texas Ave. 3501 Texas Ave. Bryan College Station 1