september
Sports
Page 14 University Daily Kansan, February 10. 1983
Gottfried returns home as the'Hawks sign 13
By GINO STRIPPOLI
Sports Writer
Kansas head coach Mike Gottfred looked like a tired man, and he had every right to.
For the past month and a half, Gottried had been on the road recruiting players to play football at Kansas. His office was still bare in his uniform. Kansas football helmet and a desk full of letters.
Three of KU's newest Jayhawks, Darryl Gradington, 6-foot-4,
250-pound defensive lineman; John Brunet, 6-3, 215 pound punter;
and Ken Davis, 6-3, 275-pound defensive lineman, lifted weights
But this was a day of relaxation for the new Kansas coach, Gottfried, because of NCAA rules, could just sit back and wait for phone calls from his assistant coaches to tell him about their
"It got a culmination of a lot of things."
"Gettitried said yesterday." "Monday and Tuesday
1983 KANSAS SIGNEES
Eldridge Avery, defensive end
Dereck Berry, defensive back
Sebastian Bonner, linebacker
John Brunet, punter
Ken Davis, defensive lineman
Jim Davis, offensive lineman
Scott Fiss, offensive lineman
Darryl Gradington, defensive lineman
Freddy Harris, offensive tackle
Darren Hicks, defensive back
Sandy McGee, wide receiver
Mark Parks, tight end
Bob Pieper, offensive lineman
with the KU squad in Allen Field House yesterday after they signed to play for Kansas. All three are junior-college transfers who are enrolled at KU this semester.
were the big push days and after that we knew more or less where we stood. There are just a few last minute decisions."
GOTTFRIED LOST a couple of players that had ked kans on Kansas on the list until the final day.
Pat Boushka of Wichita-Kapua Mt. Carnell chose Stanford over Kansas and Nebraska. Gottfred said that he was disappointed that Boushka did not come here.
"We were disappointed," Gottfried said. "We sent him a letter, though, wishing the best of luck."
Another player that the 'Hawks thought they had a good chance at signing was John Graham, a 6-2, 35-10 defensive tackle from Aurora, Cole. Graham had decided to attend Kansas, but his mind when his mother wanted him to attend Womings closer to home. Graham will attend Womings.
OF THE 13 PLAYERS the Jayhawks signed, seven were lineman, five were backs and one was a specialist.
"You want one of everything, but you can't have everything." Gottfried said.
Gottried took action to shore up both the offensive and defensive lines. Gottfred brought in three defensive lineman, two of them were captain of the colleges. The other four are offensive linemen.
The linemen signed were:
The international spartan were Ken Davis, 63, 275, defensive lineman from Texarkana, Texas. Davis attended Taft Junior College in Bakersfield, Calif., and was one of the ones.
Top 20 junior college players in California, a state loaded with junior colleges.
"It came down to Oklahoma and us and Davis came here." Gottfried said. "He's an outstanding player and is as good a defensive lineman as any I've ever recruited."
Darryl Gradding, 6-4, 20-5, defensive lineman from Los Angeles, Calif. Gradding attended EJ Camino Junior College in Los Angeles for the past two seasons. Gottfried said that Gradding was an "outstanding player who should help out immediately." He chose Kansas over 15 schools.
Boe Pieler, 6-6, 250, offensive inman, from Evergreen High in Morrison, Colloe. Pieler, all-conference performer his senior year, chase Kansas over Colorado and Womzing.
"He's an outstanding big man," Gottfried said. "He made his mind on this morning."
Jim Davis, City 6-5, 245, from Rockhurst High in Kansas City, Mo. Davis, who led his team to the state title game, was considered the top offensive lineman in the Kansas City metro area.
Scott Fess, 64, 240, from Shawnee Mission South in Overland Park, Fiss, who was selected to the All-Sunflower League first team, is the third member of his family to play for the Jayhawk. He is the son of former Kansas great Justin McCormack, who Bob was a center for the Kansas football team
Freddy Harris, 6-2, 278, offensive tackle from Tampa, Fla.; Harris, who played high school ball at Robinson High in Tampa, is the biggest player to sign a letter-of-intent with the 'Hawks.
Eldridge Avery, 6-3, 215, defensive end from Carson, Calif. Avery played at Bannin High School and will probably play a defensive-end position in Gottfried's wide-tackle six defense.
Gottried, who has nearly his entire offensive team coming back, signed just three offensive players. He also signed two defensive backs, one linebacker and a punter.
The backs and receivers were
Derek Berry, 64, 210, defensive back from Assumption High in East St. Louis, Ill. Berry, who will join his brother Tony on the Kansas squad, chose between Kansas, Iowa State and Missouri. He was selected as one of the top 11 players in the St. Louis metropolitan area after his senior year. He had intercepted 10 passes while playing free safety.
"I feel he has so much ability that he hasn't even scratched the surface," Berry's high school coach, Monk Jenken, said. "He is very coachable, he is very proud of his choice to attend Kansas."
Sebastian Bonner, 6-4, 21, linebacker from Assumption High in East St. Louis, Ill. Bonner, an all-met selection, chose Kansas over Iowa State. Monken said that Bonner, a high school teammate of Berry's, was one of the main teammates who was in the state semifinals the past two years.
Mark Parks, 65, 215, tight end from Bliwatha Parks, who also plays basketball at Iowa.
Darren Hicks, 6-1, 175, defensive backlinebacker from Oulet Lake. The hicks is small by Big Eight standards, but his speed should make up for it. He has been clocked in the 40 yard dash at 4.2 seconds. Hicks had visited Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma before deciding on Kansas.
"He'll be playing out of position, but we're
going to give him a shot," Gottfried said. "He has fantastic speed."
Sandy McGee, 63, 195, wide receiver from Boston. McGee was a top performer for the past two seasons at Golden West Junior College before picking Kansas to continue his career.
The specialist is:
John Brunt, 6-3, 215, punter-quarterback from Freemont, Calif. Brunt, who attended Merrit Junior College in Oakland, Calif., possibly is the heir to Bucky Scribner, KU's
Brunet, Gradington and Ken Davis are all presently enrolled at Kansas this semester and will participate in spring workouts.
"I wouldn't trade these players for any others," Gottfried said. "When I was at Cincinnati, everybody thought I had been shot but, out of five of those players were drafted.
"This recruiting class also has six players who are going to major in engineering. These players had over 3.5 grade point averages in high school, so they'll be around."
EVER AFTER TODAY, Goffriek won't know exactly how good his recruiting crop is. Three
players, Mike Orth, a quarterback from Liberal; Kent Dean, a tight end from Derby; and Les Miller, a 6-8, 250-pound lineman from Arkansas City, will not make their choices until the weekend. Miller was considered the best line prospect in Kansas.
"That will determine how the year will go for us," Gottfried said. "We like Orth a lot. He is the only quarterback that we're recruiting in the state.
"We'll hold a few of the scholarships back and see what happens in the spring. We'll see how the players play in all-star games, because sometimes good players get left out."
BIG EIGHT NOTES — Kansas high school football had what was considered an off-year, and it showed with the number of area players that Kansas signed. Last year, Kansas signed 29 players on the first day, 13 from inside the state. The second round included 15 players on the first day, three from Kansas.
Nebraska got the biggest new group of players when they signed 23 players yesterday. They took one player, Shannon Davidson of Park Hill in Kansas City, Mo., from the Kansas area.
Colorado was next in line, landing 22 players yesterday. One of the players was Brad Coehran, who has transferred to Colorado from the University of Michigan.
Oklahoma State grabbed 16 prospects on the first day, while Oklahoma signed 13. Neither team signed any players from Kansas.
Kansas State, the Jayhawks' biggest recruiting rival, signed 15 players to national letters-of-intent. The key players signed by the Wildcats were Curtis Hurgis of Wyndotte High, Grady Newton of Bonner Springs and Brian Farley of Rockhurst high in Kansas City, Mo.
Missouri and Iowa State had the worst signing dates of any of the Big Eight schools. Missouri, which did not sign a player in the Kansas City team, lost to Iowa and landed a total of eight on the first day.
Iowa State lost its coach Donnie Duncan when he decided to go into private business a little over two weeks ago and it showed as the Cyclones signed just seven players to national letters-of-intent.
All signings were as of 8 p.m. yesterday.
OU, Cowboys fight to win close Big Eight games
By United Press International
Oklahoma and Oklahoma State had to bust, but both teams won close games in the first half.
Lorenza Andrews scored 19 points to lead Oklahoma State to a 71-63 victory in double OT. Andrew Woodson scored 10 points.
Wayman Tisdale's short jump shot from the low post with three seconds left lifted Oklahoma to a 64-62 victory over Kansas State at Manhattan, Kan.
Defense kept the Cowboys in the contest at the end of regulation time, and then, after a lackluster first overtime, they scored 18 points in the second overtime.
TISDALE'S BASKET saved the Sooners after they had blown a 12-point lead in the final nine minutes. It gave Oklahoma its first
win in three Big Eight road games this season.
Oklahoma led by six at halftime and got 10 points from Tisdale and eight from Charles 'Big Time' Jones to open up a 59-47 lead over K-State with 9:32 remaining.
But the Wildcats scored eight straight points and 13 of the next 14 to tie the game at 60-6 on a three-point play by Jim Roper with 3:50 remaining. David Little gave the Sooners a 62-60 lead on a jump shot from the deep left corner 21 seconds later but Eddie Elder tied it a final time for K-State on a basket from the left baseline with 1:47 left.
OKLAHOMA THEN worked for the last shot with Little making the pass to Tisdale at his customary spot on the lower left post to hand the Wildcats their third loss in 12 home games this season.
KU, Buffs battle to avoid cellar
By JEFF CRAVENS
Sports Writer
The Colorado Buffaloes invade Allen Field House tonight to face the struggling Kansas Jayhawks in a battle of the seven-place teams in the Big Eight. Tipoff is set for 7-40.
The Jayhawks, who are 1-5 in conference action and 9-10 overall, have not lost to Colorado at home since 1976. The Buffaloes have an 11-8 record to go along with their 1-5 conference win.
Colorado is facing the Jayhawks after two impressive performances. The team struggled, but lost to nationally-ranked Missouri in two overtime contests and four overtime contest, both played in Boulder.
"THEY'E SHOWN GREAT potential," said kansas coach Ted Owens. "They have all of the skills."
year. Billy Houston, a 6-1 senior who teams with Humphries in the backcourt, is averaging 13.5 points a game.
Jay Humphries, a 6-foot 3 junior guard is leading the team in scoring, averaging 13.8 points a game. Humphries scored 22 points in Colorado's 88-80 win over the Jayhawks last
Vince Kelley, a 6-7 forward, is scoring 11.5 points a game while leading Colorado in rebounding with an 8.9 average. Joining Kelley is Derek Amos, a 7-4 guard averaging 10.8 points a game. Freshman Randy
'Our turnovers are getting old. We are shooting well enough to win but we keep killing ourselves with the mistakes.'
—Ted Owens KU head coach
Downs, who averages 12.1 points a game, rounds out the starting five at center.
"Apparently their freshmen have done fine for them," Owens said. "This has
allowed them to move Kelley back to his normal position and that made them a better team.
KANSAS WILL count with Jeff Guot and Carl Henry at the guards, Kerry Boagni and Calvin Thompson at forward, and either Kelly Knight or Brian Martin at center.
The Jayhawks are coming off a disappointing 68-16 loss at Nebraska last Saturday. In that game, KU committed 24 turnovers, a number that does not please Owens.
"Our turnovers are getting old." Owens said.
"We are shooting well enough to win but we keep
turnovers on the line."
Senior co-captain Jeff Dishman has been the 'Hawks best shooter in the conference schedule. He is hitting 70.8 percent of his shots from the field and 90 percent from the free-throw line. Against Nebraska, he scored 16 points and grabbed a game-high of 10 rebounds.
Following tonight's game, KU will host the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday. Tipoff for that game will be 2 p.m. Oklahoma State has won two in the Big Eight, and it is currently tied for third in the Big Eight race.
Ex-Jayhawk Steve Renko signs to pitch for Kansas City Royals
By United Press International
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals announced the signing yesterday of veteran free-agent pitcher Steve Renko, who won 11 games last season for the American League Western Division champion California Angels.
Renko, who graduated from the University of Kansas in 1964, still holds the single-season pitching record for lowest earned run average by a Jashawk with 0.99 for the 1964 season.
Renko began the 1982 season 7-4 for the Angels before finishing 11-6 with a 4.44 earned run average in 31 appearances. The 38-year-old right-hander has compiled a 128-135 win record. He was the No. 1 receiver for Montreal, both the Chicago Cubs and White Sox, Oakland and Boston in addition to the Angels.
Renko, a native of Kansas City who has lived there throughout his 14-year career, signed a one-year contract plus an option year with the Rovals.
Javhawks face hot Colorado team
KU women seek fourth straight win
The KU women's basketball team will be looking for its fourth straight victory when the Colorado Lady Buffaloes come to visit tonight in the first game of a double header with the men at
The Jayhawks, who haven't lost since dropping an 80-74 decision to Kansas State Jan. 26, currently are tied for second with Missouri in the final four and third in 3-1 record. K-State leads the conference at 7-9.
But the Lady Bucks, 16-5 and 4-3, have been hot too. Colorado has won four of its last five games, but it wasn't enough to keep them from losing.
"We've been playing some pretty good ball lately," Colorado coach Sox Walseth said. "We're not a real big team, but we do have four or five players that are playing real well."
The Lady Buffs feature two of the best scores in the conference in 6-foot-3 center Lisa VantGoor and guard Diane Hemmett. The second-half score, 17.4 points, sits in the conference in scoring, averaging 17.1 points per player.
Heimstra, also a junior, averages 15.9 points a game.
KU coach Marian Washington said she was looking for Colorado to come to Lawrence intent.
The Jayhawks also have one of the league's top scorers in Angie Snider. The Big Eight Player of the Week last week after scoring 43 points and grabbing 22 rebounds in victories over Oklahoma and Nebraska, Snider's 19.7 points per game is the third best in the conference.
game. She also leads the team in rebounding, averaging 10.4 boards a game.
"We're expecting them to play a lot of zone," Washington said. "Colorado is a well-balanced team with good inside and outside shooting. VanGoor is an excellent shooter and we'll have the right equipment in the arena is an excellent shooter too. There's no question she has the ability to score at will."
Washington will also be facing a tough coach in Walseth. After sounding 19 years as head coach
of the men's team, where he compiled a 262-248 record and won two Big Eight titles, Walseth took over the reins of the women's program in 1980. As the women's coach, he has a 70-18 record and has won two straight Intermountain Conference titles. The Lady Buffs played in the Intermountain Conference before the Big Eight began women's conference play this year.
"Sox is an experienced coach and one not to be taken for granted." Washington said. "He has been really good for the conference and women's basketball. I have a lot of respect for him."
For the second straight game, KU will be without starting point guard Mary Myers. Myers still is nursing a strained upper left calf muscle she suffered in last week's 81-79 win over Oklahoma. Cindy Platt has been filling in for the rest of the season with starters, fronts Snider and Barbara Adkins, 6-6 center Philicia Allen, and guard Angela Taylor, are expected to play.
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