University Daily Kansan / Wednesday, September 14, 1988
Sports
13
Jayhawks win golf championship; Sinovic places first with even par
By Ken Winford Kansan sportswriter
Kansas senior John Sinovie
make their way to the 11th green
yesterday in the final round of the
Kansas City International, the Alvarmar
Cinema Center.
Minutes earlier, Sinovic had saved par on the N. 18 hole to finish the day with an even par 72, good enough for a lead over Missouri's J.K. Knoseel.
Now, all he could do was wait and watch.
The team championship was already in the bag for Kansas as the Jayhawks would eventually top second place Missouri by 30 strokes. The only thing that remained in question was who would take top medalist banter.
Knoseel walked onto the green
path and pulled to sit in the brible
pit. He then approached appa-
tured and backed away from
the green area several times sizing up the 12-foot path.
All eyes followed the ball as it rolls across the green, stopping just a short distance over in disgust. Sinovic already was receiving hands and congratulations.
"I knew if I just kept plugging away I would have a chance to win matches. I'd finished with a three-round total of 115." "I was all over the place the last two holes, but I held my composition gave myself a chance and it paid."
KU golfer invited to tourney
Aansas golfer John Sinovic has been selected as one of 24 of golfers to complete in the prestigious Hancock College All-American Golf Class.
Bv a Kansan reporter
Sinovic is the first player in coach Ross Randall's nine years at Kansas to be selected for the Classic.
The tournament will be held Oct. 27-29 at the El Paso Country Club in El Paso, Texas.
Yesterday, Sinovic helped Kansas to a team victory in the Kansas Invitational at Alvamar Country Stadium, where he won the tournament's top medalist.
The Sun Bowl extends invita
tions to the top collegiate golfers in the country. Players qualify for invitations by being a member of the All-America first, second- or third team, being the U.S. Amateur, being the NCAA Division II or Division III medalists or honorable mention All-Americas.
The Hancock Sun Bowl Association donates a $1,000 scholarship to the golf program of each school represented at the tournament.
Sinovie was the only Kansas galerier to enjoy success in the tournament. Six of the top seven individual finishers were Jayhawks.
Sinovic, 22, led the Jayhawks last spring with a 741 stroke average. He finished second at the 1988 Big Eight Conference Championship and 19th at the NCAA Championship.
John Ogden, who shared the tournament lead with Sinovic and Nebraksa's John Dinehner after two games in 2015, followed by Kansas teammates Sean Thayat at 221, Jeff Johnson at 223, Clay Devers at 223 and Rudy Zapette at 224. Trevor Williams played individually and finished at
Kansas finished the tournament with a team score of 370. Missouri,
who beat the Jayhawks for third place in the Big Eight Conference tournament last year, was second with a total of 900, followed by Nebraska at 910. Wichita State at 871. Oklahoma City University at 862. Missouri State at 935. Kansas State at 943. Emperor State at 971.
As welcome as the individual victory was, Sinovic said Kansas' victory was more important to him.
"I'm glad I won because I didn't done that in a long time," said Sinivice, "all in America in the spring." "But it was 10 times more
important to me that we won the team championship. Right now, everybody on the team is playing and that makes it a lot of fun."
Kansas coach Ross Randall said he was pleased with the performances of all the golfers.
"The most impressive thing for me is how we worked together as a team," Randal said. "Golf is an extra skill that we all feel well because we worked together as a team. The most important thing was working together and we had that tournament."
Because of poor qualifying performances last week, Johnson played individually, not with the team.
The redshirt freshman played solidly through the 54-hole competition pitting rounds of 77, 73 and 72 to finish fifth.
**aupeet put everything together**
yet difficulty tying the tournament low
round of 70, after suffering two tough
scoring games and then he recorded
scores of 78 and 76
we said an advantage because it was played on our course," Randall said. "But this has to help us go into our next tournament. Between now and then we have a lot of work so we as should be, but in another week or two we should be ready to go."
Although he was happy with his team's victory, Randall said Kansas still had a long way to go.
Verdugo finding success at CSU
Jeff Johnson, 19, of Lawrence, finished fifth overall in the Kansas Invitational Golf Tournament. The tournament was held yesterday and Monday at the Alvamar Golf Course.
By Mark Fagan
Kansan staff w
Leaving the University of Kansas was the last thing Kevin Verdago wanted to do.
Verdugo, who started at quarterback in four games last year, this transferred to Colorado
in Ft. Collins,
Colo., after
deeding that
business, co-
gien Glen
Mason's offense
wasn't for him.
"I you know,
I hate the place."
Verdugo
he said. "I don't. I still love the University of Kansas, probably more than anywhere else. it's where I've wanted to go and play football since was a kid. And that I had to leave, well, that kind of hurt me."
Under NCAA rules, players who transfer schools must sit out a season before being eligible to play. Verdugo is using this season as his redshirt year, and is working to learn College's complicated pre-ctype offense.
Verdugo said he didn't mind having to sit out a year.
"It's more a blessing in disguise than anything else," he said. "I practically cannot hear you much better; you pretty much sitting and learning the offense it is complicated, but I think I can learn it."
Colorado State coach Leon Fuller agreed.
"We've been very impressed," the paler passer, a dump-back passer, said of release and seems very mature for a girl who has played only one year of ball.
Fuller said Verdugo would be batting three other quarterbacks this spring for next year's start job.
"you can wipe be wide open," Füller said. "We've been very impressed with Kevin, and as he learns the offense he'll get even better."
Colorado State has a history of talented quarterbacks. Kelley Stoufler, a 1964 graduate, was picked in the first round of the NFL draft by the then St. Louis - now Phoenix - team. He was selected by Seattle Seahawks. Scotte Molander, this year's starter, threw for 3,182 yards last year, second in the West.
ern Athletic Conference
"We throw the football quite a bit," Fuller said. "The WAC Conference is pass-oriented anyway. If you want to play, you need to be in Colorado State is a good place."
Verdigo began学习 for another school after Kansas hired Mason, who replaced Bob Valesente last year.
"At the beginning of spring ball it went in and told Coach Mason that I had to come out. "He said, 'It's more a sprint-out, option-type coach, unlike coach Val. who was more of a drop-back type.' He told me, 'What did it mean, what it was like, so I stuck it out."
In the spring game, Verdugo quarterbacked the first team and completed 17 of 26 passes for 240 yards. He led the team in pass yards in Junior quarterback Kyle Donohoe, who split time with Verdugo throughout spring drills, completed 14 of 22 passes for 287 yards, had no intercepted passes in quarterbacking starting quarterback after the game.
But competition was nothing new for the two quarterbacks. The two battled for playing time last year, each starting one week end and
replacing the other the next, but it didn't carry off the field.
"Kelly and I never made it a competition, the media and coaches did." Verdugo said. "When we got off the field, football was gone."
"Both of us were going to real tough season together." Donohe said. "We stick together. We struggled through it together.
At Kansas, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Verdugo played in six games, completing 52 of 112 passes for 589 yards.
Verdigue had his best passing game in a 17-17 tie at Kansas State. He completed 10 of 25 passes for 165 yards and he ran for a touchdown.
His only touchdown pass came in 71-10 loss to Oklahoma. Verdugo hit Wilke Vaughn for a 30-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
"At the time, it didn't feel that great," he said. "We were getting thumped. I could have thrown for three touchdowns and it still would I have made it more difficult, and say that I played against two of the best teams in history — Oklahoma and Nebraska — they'll always be good memo."
Former Chiefs coach stable after surgery
The Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — Broadcast analyst Hank Stram, who coached the Kansas City Chiefs to three championships and a Super Bowl victory, was listed in stable condition yesterday after undergrowing a fracture.
Doctors at Methodist Hospital replaced Stirram aortic valve with an artificial one during surgery in 1987. A hospital brook, a hospital spokesman said.
Stram, 65, underwent the four-hour operation yesterday morning and was expected to be hospitalized as a spokesman Jon White said.
"Doctors report that the surgery went well and described it as routine." White said.
Stram was hospitalized Saturday after complaining of dizziness.
Hairhook, a cardiovascuar surgeon, said Stram was suffering from calcific aortic stenosis, a narrowing of the aortic valve. The
aorta is the main artery of the body and carries blood from the left chamber of the heart to all parts of the body.
Stram, a native of Gary, Ind,
who now lives in Covington, La.
was in Indianaapolis to work on the
Nationals. He played for the
National Football League game
between the Chicago Bears and
Indianaapolis Colts. He was scheduled to work the CBS radio broadcast between Dallas and Phoenix.
The network said it did not expect Starm to return to the broadcast booth for at least three weeks.
Stam coached the Chefs from 1960 to 1974, compiling a 12-74-10 record. He took the club to two games, including the first game in 1987.
*super Bowl I, Green Bay defeated Kansas City 35-10. The Chiefs beat the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 three years later.
Brad Fleeman, Kansas place kicker, watches the ball go through the uprights. Fleeman, a junior walk-on from Wichita, was working on his kicking skills on the practice field behind Anschutz Sporta Pavilion yesterday.
Kicker still optimistic despite disappointment in first game
By Jeff Euston
Last year, Brad Fleeman wasn't sure if he would play football again.
Fleeman, Wichita junior, started his college kickin' career at Wichita State University. After two seasons as the Shockers' regular kicker, he went to Stale State to train Wichita State folded its football program in 1986.
Kansan sportswriter
This season, Fleeman is the top extra point man and short field goal kicker for the Kansas football team.
But Fleeman was redshirted last season because athletes who transfer are required to sit out one season.
Fleeman joined the Jayhawks dur-
ing spring drills last semester,
but wasn't sure if he would play football.
"I came back here and kind of hau,
planned to get on the team, but
I was really not ready," he said. "I went out the last
three or four weeks of spring ball,
just to show up and get some kicks in.
But even then I wasn't really in for it."
"But this summer, I started thinking about it, and I didn't think I could just give it up altogether, so I decided to give it one more shot. I'm glad it works."
Fleeman, who kicked at Kapau-Mount Carmel High School, led the Shockers in scoring as a freshman. His sophomore year, Fleeman was the team's second - 13-sing score and tied for first in goal. "I goal," the longest of his career.
longest of his career.
Fleeman said he was surprised when Wichita State dropped its football program.
"We heard the rumors, but even the day that it happened it was a
surprise," he said. "We had a terri-
bile year, but it was a pretty big
decision to drop the whole thing."
Scholarship players at Wichita State, including Fleeman, were given six years to graduate under full scholarship.
Fleeman transferred to Ball State, but decided to come to Kansas after sitting out last season.
"I was never really happy at Ball State," he said. "I wasn't kicking well at all and thought I wasn't going to be able to start there.
Coming to Kansas was a big decision because he would not be on scholarship and would have to walk on the team, Fleeman said.
"I've always kind of wanted to come to KU anyway," he said. "I thought about football, but I also had a lot of friends here."
Fleeman entered a crowded battle for the Jayhawks' kicking job. He challenged junior Louis Klemp and B.J. Losen and new fresh Alex Coach.
Fleeman said Kleemp's decision to quit was a shock.
About a week before the Baylor game, coach Glen Mason said the battle was down to Fleeman and Lamar. Kansas' regular kicker last season.
Klemp quit the team when it appeared that Fleeman had won the job.
"I was surprised he quit," he said. "I knew he was upset about the game, but I didn't really beat him out. We were even, and I was put on first string. I don't know if I really deserved to be or not. I really didn't want to say I did. I don't know if he thought me
Fleeman said he had not been around a coach like Mason before.
would be given a fair enough chance."
"He's very intense," Fleeman said. "He's a good motivator, which is good for a team like this.
"At Wichita State, we had some pretty good talent on the team, but we'd give up in the second half. Coach Mason is trying to get the team to play hard the whole game, which is good."
Fleeman said another difference he had noticed at Kansas was the fans.
"We never had 43,000 people at Wichita State," he said. "The student body here is so much bigger. That's the biggest crowd I ever saw at Iowa."
On Saturday, Fleeman attempted his first field goal as a Jayhawk, and it was one he won't soon forget.
His 46-yard try was blocked by Baylor and returned for a touchdown. It was the first time one of his players been blocked and returned for a score.
When I kicked it, I just got hit.
he said. "I just remember looking up
on the wall. He had seen me if the ball made it or not. I didn't
even see if got blocked until I sat up and looked around and they were to
yards downfield. I didn't even see
Fleeman said he was not disappointed his first field goal was blocked.
"I know keeping a positive attitude is important," he said. "I know I'm going to get another shot at it."
Fleeman said he had just one goal. "Never miss." he said.