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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 21, 1990)
e Battalion PORTS ursday, June 21,1990 Nadja Sabawala Assistant Sports Editor tea nters le 9eStatioi Lawson, ODs WParlmj, '96-9578 PV stands to bse a lot more than just sports IE YTITIES 846-8345 $800 irate itlve ^ $800 $8K 100 $101 $1M trou- ia1 $iot hose 100! $100! IDY <1, ir- ; iarch $100! 300 Y $30 lood $3K ilood $3(( )en- $30 300 $3 CH LC Julius Becton, president of Prairie View A&M, announced May 25 that insufficient funding is causing the athletic program to reduce its sports. This eliminates 10 sports, leaving only the men’s and women’s track for five years, or until the university has the money to bring the program up to par. This outraged many students and alumni, who are intent on fighting the drop tooth-and-nail. Their main concern is that with the loss of sports, comes the loss of revenue, loss of students and ultimately, a loss of the school. The PV alumni association wants the university president to reverse his decision, re-evaluate the budget and appoint or hire someone to help him restore funding to the school. This “postponement” of Panther athletics is hurting more than just the present and future players — it’s hurting the school. PV has rich athletic traditions in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, and, just 30 years ago, had more than the average share of headlines. In its own regard, the Prairie View football squad has won five fictional national championships and 10 SWAC titles, including four in 1951-54. The school nurtured such NFL talents as Otis Taylor, Jim Mitchell, Alvin Reed and Kenny Houston. Undoubtedly, the ti^ck and field teams are one of the Panther’s finest sports. From 1934 to 1970, PV captured the men’s SWAC title 17 times, with four in a row from 1948-51. In 1966, the women’s track and field team was developed. Under the coaching of Barbara Jacket, they won 14 NA1A national titles, with six successive claims in 1982-87. But that was then ... The present men’s basketball coach, Jim Duplantier, believed this year’s team had a shot at the conference title. The team was working as a team. Then they found out there were no more scholarships to go out. This would drop PV from Division I to Division III. So, what the alumni fears may happen is certainly possible ... the players are going to leave followed by the students and faculty. What an unnecessary loss. SWC trying to keep Hogs from slipping away to SEC Attempts at changes could tempt Arkansas to stay ATT C ^ I T "NT / A D\ A L C ^-V1 » T» * » r *^*r~r* ^-1 ^ ^ ^ -M — .—. —- —. « —. 1 * _ _ ~. AUSTIN (AP) — A key Southwest Conference committee Wednesday discussed expanding the league and revising sports schedules so that ev ery SWC team might not play each otner in all sports. The discussion came in the wake of Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles’ comments that the Razor- backs are considering severing their 76-year association with the SWC to join the Southeastern Conference. SWC president James Vick em phasized that Wednesday’s 3'/2-hour discussion by the SWC executive committee was much broader than whether the league could survive without the Razoroacks. “I think everyone is concerned about what the conference will look like in five or 10 years, so we’re not just talking right now about whether Arkansas is going to change confer ences,” Vick said. There is speculation that confer ence powers Texas and Texas A&M might also be lured away by the SEC. And then there’s Texas Christian, a private school that joined the SWC in 1923, which wants Texas and Texas A&M to declare its intentions so it can plot its own future. A Texas Tech official said the Red Raiders are considering options, such as moving to the Big Eight or Western Athletic Conference, if Ar kansas should leave. There’s more. Some reports said that Big Eight power Oklahoma, a charter SWC member which left in 1920, might be a logical choice to re place Arkansas. Another suggestion that surfaced at the College Football Association meeting in Dallas earlier this month was the formation of a Big Southwest Conference, combin ing the SWC and Big Eight, said Vick, faculty representative at Texas. “Part of the problem is to make sure that we keep the whole confer ence strong and not just increase one team’s share or one school’s share” of television or gate receipts, Vick told a news conference. “I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of expanding the conference, be cause I think that’s the sense of what’s going on around the coun try,” he said. But Vick added, “It’s not clear that adding one team, adding three teams, combining conferences — it’s not clear that any one of those op tions really benefits the conference.” Asked if SWC member schools were “ticked off” at Arkansas for thinking of pulling out, Vick said, “I don’t think anybody really blames Arkansas for looking at the options. I think they may question whether it would be a wise decision for Arkan sas to change conferences.” “Everyone is concerned about what Arkansas might do, so I would say everyone wants to try to keep Ar kansas in the league. But I don’t really sense panic or overreaction to what has been in the press,” Vick said. As for Texas and Texas A&M leaving, Vick said prior to the meet ing, “There’s always conversation going on. There are rumors. There haven’t been any formal contacts.” First indoor World Cup in the U.S.? FLORENCE, Italy (AP) — The United States has been given per mission to consider domed stadi ums for the 1994 World Cup, cre ating the possibility of the first indoor games in tlie champion ship’s history. Scott LeTellier, president of the W’orld Gup ’94 Organizing Committee, said Tuesday that grass would be placet! on top of the artificial turf. All domed L'.S. stadiums currently have artificial surfaces, which are prohibited by FIFA, soccer’s governing body. LeTellier also said UFA had indicated it would allow games to start in the early evening and at night. Those matches would start from 1 1 p.m. on in Europe and possibly early in the morning, Le Tellier said. He said it was very likely that starting times would not be set until the countries in each game were known. T his would enable more matches with non-Euro pean teams to be played at night. A total of 27 cities and 31 stadi ums have indicated they will bid for the 1994 tournament, the first in the United States. Between eight and 12 cities will be selected next year. The use of domes allows addi tional bids to be made by New Or leans (Superdome); Indianapolis (Hoosier Dome), Pontiac, Mich. (Silverdome); Syracuse, N.Y. (Carrier Dome), and Tacoma, Wash. (Tacoma Dome). Thomas hurt inside Aguirre expresses fear for teammate to FBI NEW YORK (AP) — Isiah Thomas, the most valuable player in the NBA championship series, said Wednesday he was deeply disturbed by reports that he was involved in an FBI gambling probe. “It hurt,” he said at a ceremony in a midtown hotel, where he was pre sented with the MVP trophy and a new car. “I can’t say it didn’t affect me at all.” Thomas’ name became involved in the investigation when Mark Aguirre, his Detroit Pis tons’ teammate, met with a former FBI agent to express con cern about his longtime friend’s association with gamblers, according to sources quoted by a De troit television station and Detroit area news papers. “I asked Mark about it,” Thomas said. “He said he didn’t have any thing to do with it. When I talked with the FBI, they said they hadn’t talked with Mark and they said Mark hadn't talked with them. “As long as the government said I wasn’t the focus, I don’t think there are any more questions to be an swered.” Reports last week —just two days after Thomas and the Pistons had beaten the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA Finals —said a grand jury had subpoenaed checks totaling at least $100,000 that Thomas cashed at a grocery store owned by a neigh bor and friend, Imad Denha. The sources said authorities had linked Denha to Henry Allen Hilf, the central figure in the gambling in vestigation. Federal authorities con sider Hilf to be Michigan’s largest bookmaker, and Denha is a sus pected money launderer, they said. The reports also said Thomas ran high-stakes dice games at his home. Afterward, Thomas angrily den ied he was the target of an investiga tion and his lawyers issued a statement saying, “In none of these (dice) games would his wagers be considered ‘high sta kes.’” “The only thing I’ve understood is that it’s a rumor,” Thomas said of the investigation. “In terms of fact-finding, there hasn’t been any. It’s not true. It’s false.” As for the check-cashing, Thomas said, “My friend runs a supermar ket. He cashes my checks, comes home and gives me the money. There is nothing illegal about it.” “It’s easy, it’s simple,” Thomas said. “It’s not wrong. I don’t even have a checking account. My wife handles all the (business) deals.” After the story broke, the U.S. at torney in the Eastern District of Michigan said that Thomas was not being investigated. Meanwhile, NBA commissioner David Stern praised Thomas for his unselfish play. 7 Sports Editor Clay Rasmussen 845-2688 Photo by Sbndra N. Robbins Dale Marable, a junior industrial distribution major from Sher man, takes a swing in intermediate golf class at the Intramural Sports Complex field on the west side of campus. Softball coach Brock named regional coach of the year From Staff and Wire Reports Texas A&M softball coach Bob Brock has been named the Central Region Coach of the Year for the 1990 season. Brock will be honored by the Na tional Softball Coaches Association at the Victory Club and Coach of the Year Banquet. The ceremony is held in conjunc tion with the NSCA Annual Conven tion this November in San Antonio. Brock was excited about the award, but gave credit to his team’s performance. “I’m happy to receive this recogni tion,” Brock said. “This is quite an honor. “I’ve always felt like the teams are what gets a coach these honors.” Brock guided the Lady Aggies to a 47-20 record this year, gaining a berth in the NCAA playoffs this past spring. Just a year before, Brock’s Lady Aggies struggled to a 31-27 record and missed the NCAA playoffs for the first time in Brock’s nine years at A&M. He turned the program around in 1990, fielding a young team that in cluded seven freshmen and four sophomores. The Lady Aggies gained a top ten ranking in both the NCAA and the NSCA polls and reach the playoffs for the seventh time. “We had a good year,” Brock said. “I’m excited that we were able to turn things around so quickly.” This year’s award marks the third time that Brock has been named the Regional Coach of the Year honors. In 1986 and 1987, he was named as the top regional coach. He has led the Aggies to two national titles, one AIWA title and a NCAA title. 50.00 S2.50 itury. lay. TT =1D -jjing u Tei# TtheHilj 0 ' ity Dr 569 OVtSC ‘Dinner Dfieatre and ftggie DCayers present 6 %jns (Riv Vu June 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30 di Buffet dinner zoidBe served at 6 pm in the Rudder ‘EffiiBit T(aCC ‘Buffets offered include: June 21 and June 29--‘Te?(as BarBeque June 22 and June 30--Cajun June 23--International June 28--Italian The theatre zvill Begin at 8 pm in Rudder Rorum 6 Rms Riv ( Vu is a nezvspaper advertisement which catches the eye of prospective tenants for this vacant apartment zvith a river ztiew; among them a man and a woman who have never met Before. Jis they are the last to leave, they find themselves locked in the apartment and commence to get to know one another in a very humorous fashion. Tickets may Be purchased at the Rudder Bot^ Office Students: $13 includes dinner and theatre $3 theatre only Jdgnstudents: $20 includes dinner and theatre SUPERCUTS The Nation’s #1 Hair Styling Salon Now open in Culpepper Plaza! Supercut - $8 • Students & Professors with I.D.-$7 • Children 13 and under-$6 Introductory Offer for Texas A&M Students & Faculty Bennigan’s Texas Ave. Supercuts l Safeway $2.00 off Harvey Rd. A Regular $8.00 Supercut with this coupon Expires Aug. 25,1990 Mon.-Fri. 9-9 Sat. 9-8 Sun. 10-6 CALL 696-1155 1519 S. Texas (Between Bennigans and Cowhop Junction) - Culpepper Plaza