12B
Wednesday, August 18, 1993
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
K-State ticket offer drowns in criticism
Newspapers decry AD's flood promotion
The Associated Press
MANHATTAN — Kansas State University's new athletic director is drawing some fire for promoting a plan to help flood victims by buying them season football tickets.
Two newspapers have sharply criticized the plan advance in an Aug. 2 letter to 50,000 Wildcat alumni and friends from Max Urick, the former Iowa State athletic director who got the Kansas State job in late June.
"Most of us thought the victims of recent flooding in Kansas had suffered enough, but the director of athletes at Kansas State University has found a way to make them suffer even more." wrote Bruce Buchanan, publisher of The Olathe Daily News.
Buchanan, himself a Kansas State graduate, called Urick's letter both inane and laughable.
"Unless, of course, he thinks letting the flood victims watch the disaster on K-State's football field will take their minds off the disaster on the river," Buchanan said in an editorial published Aug. 11.
On Thursday, *The Manhattan Mercury* said that while Urick's heart was in the right place, the idea "just doesn't work."
"He knows a football game can be wonderful entertainment for someone who has been stressed out by the floods," the newspaper said. "He worries that as purple passion begins to bleed all over this community some will think a Wildcat win more important than helping flood victims rebuild. That he worries says much about the man. Thank goodness KSU has hired someone who understands what sports and life are really about."
But The Mercury said the letter was a mistake, suggesting the university might better just take 500 tickets and give them away to flood victims.
"Unfortunately, for a man just getting his feet wet at KSU, the letter can be looked upon as an opportunistic way to sell football tickets, an attempt to manipulate a bad situation into a profit." The Mercury wrote.
Urick's letter spoke of July being a trying month for many Kansens hit by the flooding, which forced a number of Manhattan area residents from their homes.
"Disasters of this nature always seem so distant, but the flood of 1983 really hit home and obviously took a great financial and emotional toll on many people of Kansas," the letter said.
"Perhaps the most intriguing part of the last month was the sight of communities pulling together for the common good to fight off rising waters, it said. "These courageous people deserve special attention, so Kansas State University is offering a unique way to say thank you and help relieve the stress of the past month."
The Mercury said the introductory comment made it sound as if Kansas State was going to donate a percentage of football proceeds to flood victims, offer them discount tickets, let children in free, get corporations to buy a block of tickets for flood victims at a bulk rate or have a special day for those who helped their neighbors during the flood.
Instead, the letter went on to say the University was "offering you the opportunity to purchase a season ticket or a family season ticket for victims of the flood."
"The Red Cross has agreed to help us in our efforts and will make sure the tickets are put in the appropriate hands of the flood victims," Urick's letter said. "I hope you will agree that this is a unique opportunity to lessen the burden for our fellow Kansans during these times."
The proposal offered season tickets at regular prices, $120 each, or $168 for a family plan covering two adults and two children.
"As the sayings go, the road to hell is paved with good intentions," The Mercury said in its editorial. "At least four people so far have told us they were disgusted by the letter, seeing it as nothing more than a manipulative attempt to sell tickets."
Jack Key, the associate athletic director, said earlier he was aware some might view the appeal as trying to cash in on a disaster.
"Sure, we'd like to sell more tickets, but that was a low priority in this letter," Key said. "We aren't preying on flood victims. We didn't send letters to flood victims. We wanted to do something for them."
"Flood victims this year are going to be replacing refrigerators and cars and won't have much discretionary money," he said. "We thought this would be a unique way to relieve some stress."
Foot injury keeps Powell on the sidelines for now
By Matt Doyle
Kansan sportswriter
By Matt Doyle
Kansas junior linebacker/fullback Chris Powell is a throwback to an era of leather helmets
and two way play.
The 5-foot-9,20-pound Powell is considered one of the toughest and most durable
players on the jayhawk team. Powell admits that, if asked, he would run through a brick wall to help Kansas win a game. His
Chris Powell
durability showedinspiritual practice when he made a smooth transition from fullback to linebacker.
Unfortunately, Powell will not be helping the Jayhawks win any games from either position for the first month of the season. On the first day of fall practice, Aug. 7, Powell suffered a fractured fifth metatarsal in his left foot and is expected to miss the first three or four games of the season.
The injury occurred 45 minutes into the first noncontact practice of the season.
"I planted my left foot two ways, and then I heard a crack in the foot," Powell said.
Powell's role on the team was undefined entering this season. After spending last season as Monte Cozzens' backup at fullback, Powell was moved to middle linebacker in the spring after a rash of injuries affected the death at the position.
Powell underwent surgery on the foot last week and is currently rehabilitating the foot.
Larry Thiel was out of spring drills while recovering from broken left ankle. Steve Harvey suffered an injury to his right Achilles' tendon early in spring drills, and Dick Holt was held out with an injury to his left shoulder.
Powell said he prepared for the season knowing he would start off at middle linebacker, but with the strong possibility of returning to fullback.
"The coaches told me that I was going to stay at linebacker while
they evaluated Larry and Dick," he said.
Kansas coach Glen Mason said that all along he had planned on moving Powell back to fullback Thiel and Holt were healthy.
"Right now it hurt our depth at fullback," Mason said. "However, we have the ability to run out of the one-back set."
Powell said he knew how Thel felt when his injury, suffered against Colorado last season, had been made worse. Bowl against Brigham Young.
"I was looking forward to playing against Florida State more than any game I ever played in," Powell said. "It was my dream ever since I was a little kid to play against the No. 1 team in the nation."
NFL preview: Standings and schedule
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
**East**
Miami 2 0 0 1.000 47 37
Indianapolis 1 1 0 .500 23 37
Buffalo 1 2 0 .333 43 41
New England 0 2 0 .000 16 37
N.Y. Jets 0 2 0 .000 26 41
**Central**
Pittsburgh 2 1 0 .667 54 51
Cincinnati 1 1 0 .500 40 34
Cleveland 1 1 0 .500 24 50
Houston 0 1 0 .000 28 37
**West**
San Diego 2 0 0 1.000 36 24
Denver 1 0 0 1.000 23 7
Kansas City 1 1 0 .500 36 51
LA Raiders 1 2 0 .333 26 43
Seattle 0 2 0 .000 23 39
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
**East**
Phoenix 2 0 0 1.000 35 23
Philadelphia 2 1 0 .667 53 50
Dallas 1 1 1 .500 33 33
N.Y. Giants 1 1 0 .500 44 39
Washington 1 1 0 .500 51 31
**Central**
Minnesota 3 0 0 1.000 56 23
Detroit 1 0 1 .750 27 20
Chicago 0 2 0 .000 19 24
Tampa Bay 0 2 0 .000 17 43
Green Bay 0 3 0 .000 41 74
**West**
New Orleans 3 0 0 1.000 91 61
San Francisco 2 0 0 1.000 48 14
Atlanta 1 1 0 .500 47 38
LA Rams 0 2 0 .000 30 47
Friday. Aug. 20
Green Bay at New England, 7 p.m.
Cincinnati at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Raiders at Indianapolis,
8 p.m.
Miami at Denver
Saturdav. Aug. 21
Dallas vs. Houston at San Antonio
12:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Rams at Cleveland, 7 p.m.
Buffalo vs. Tampa Bay at Orlando Fla. 7:30 p.m.
Atlanta at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota at Kansas City, 8 p.m.
New York Jets vs. New York Giants
9 p.m.
Phoenix at San Diego, 9 p.m.
San Francisco at Seattle, 10 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 22
Washington at Pittsburgh. S.p.m
Monday, Aug. 23
Chicago at New Orleans, 8 p.m.
The Associated Press
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Reality Checks Available
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