University Daily Kansan / Wednesday, August 26, 1987
11
Sports
Frank Gansz, Jr. graduate assistant coach and son of Kansas City Chiefs coach Frank Gansz, leads players in stretching exercises.The team uses precision
KU coach shares more than name with father
By CRAIG ANDERSON
Staff writer
Frank Gansz Jr. said he couldn't imagine growing up without having football as a major part of his life.
Gansz, a graduate assistant coach for the University of Kansas, is also the son of Kansas City Chiefs' coach Frank Gansz.
"Whenever dad would switch jobs, we would move with him." Gansz said. "I always enjoyed traveling around the country with me."
As a child, Gansz remembers being a ball boy for National Football League teams and being able to associate with athletes that most children only dream about
meeting
"The professional athletes I met were all quality people," Gansz said. "Sometimes fans think of them only in terms of what they do on the field, but it takes a total package to be a great athlete."
He said his thoughts of becoming a professional athlete ended when he graduated from The Citadel in 1965. Gansz, who played both cornerback and safety in college, said he evaluated his athletic skills and decided he didn't have a legitimate chance to play in the National Football League.
Looking over his options, Gansz decided to sell real estate in Austin, Texas. But less than two years later, he became involved with
football again, helping coach wide receivers for the Kansas City Chiefs.
"Austin is an expanding town." Gansz said. "I did OK down there, but the chance to go to graduate school brought me back into football."
Gansz is now working on a degree in sports administration in addition to helping coach. He said he had coaching opportunities at many schools after leaving real estate, but chose Kansas because of his and his father's respect for Coach Bob Valente.
"Coach Val is a great guy to work for," Ganz said. "The communication that exists between him and the people around him
Any pressure that might exist in having a father coaching in the National Football League doesn't bother Gansz. He said he and his father had separate coaching careers and didn't influence each other.
"I can only be concerned, though, with my role at the present time."
helps things run much smoother."
"My father and I are really close," Gansz said "He's a very positive person.
Gansz's duties now include coaching a group of veteran receivers. The depth of the receiving corps is a positive factor, Gansz said. He said the depth would allow Kansas to run receivers in and out of the lineup throughout the game so many receivers would get playing time.
"I feel like most of our receivers are going to get chances to play in the NPL. 'Ganssz said.' That's the reason why it's important. It isn't important who starts."
Despite a disappointing season last year, Gansz said the attitude of this year's team has been good.
However the season turns out, Gansz said the experience of his first coaching job will help him greatly.
"I can't measure how much this experience will help me in the future," Gansz said. "It's a great way to start my coaching career"
Rules bar color use in guides
By ANNE LUSCOMBE Associate sports editor
The flashy, full-color centerfields in NCAA media guides are a thing of the past. New legislation by the NCAA, effective for the coming season, prohibits the use of color in the media guides.
The elaborate display of color photographs and pages many schools used during past seasons will be limited to the covers, and one color may be used on inside pages. The size of the guide is restricted also. The guides can be no bigger than the programs sold at the games.
The media guides, with photographs and short biographies of all the players and coaching staff members, as well as record listings and other team information, are provided for the media and sold to the public. However, most schools also use them as a recruiting tool.
Football coach Bob Valesente said media guides used as recruiting tools were overrated because the guides were used simply as a means to introduce the player to football at the university.
Potential players do not come to the school because of the elaborate guides. They come for an education and the football program itself, he said.
"It it got to be a game of keeping up with the Joneses," said Dave Didion, NCAA assistant director of enforcement. "It stems from the fact that some schools gave out posters and calendars as recruiting tools. Now there is a limit on the number of things schools can provide recruits."
Doug Vance, KU director of sports information, said the NCAA legislation originated as a cost containment measure, but that unfortunately it had not always worked.
"I personally don't have any problems with what was done. It gives me more of a reason to make the media guide for the press than as a recruiting tool." Vance said.
Kansas spent approximately $2.85 for each football media guide last year and ordered 7,000. This year the sum was considerably less, Vance said, but the bill had not arrived yet so the exact amount was unavailable.
Strong team efforts highlight of practice
Staff writer
Cornerback Bill Sutter has a bruised elbow, Valesete said, but the injury was not considered serious.
By CRAIG ANDERSON
A strong effort by the defensive unit and an overall good effort by the kicking team highlighted yesterday afternoon's practice. KU football coach Bob Valesene said.
All the news was not good, though. After a relatively injury-free week, Kansas now has a few injured players. Offensive tackle Jim Davis appeared to have the most serious injury as he was helped off the field after his knee buckled in a blocking drill. Davis, a key member of the offensive line, spent the rest of the practice on the sidelines. Defensive tackle Von Lacey sustained a hand injury and ended up riding a stationary bicycle for the last 20 minutes of practice.
"We've still got a long way to go before the opener," he said.
Valesente said the defensive unit was becoming more comfortable with its roles. The defense was particularly effective in stopping the offense in goal line situations.
On the offensive side, Arnold Snell has taken over as the starting tailback, Valesente said. Snell began fall practice on the second team, but with the move of senior Mike Rogers to fullback. Snell inherited the top spot.
The kicking game also pleased Valesente. At the end of practice, sophomore place-kicker Louis Klemp kicked a 30-yard field goal in his only attempt.
"We want to be successful in everything we do," Valesente said. "By ending practice like that, we should be leaving with a good attitude about ourselves."
Chiefs pick Blackledge to start at quarterback
"We're going to gear we want to his talents," he said. "He's a little more mobile than Bill, and I think at home he's the only one our offense we need that mobility."
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Todd Blackwell will open the National Football League season as the starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, coach Frank Gansz announced yesterday.
Blackledge, the former Penn State star entering his fifth year in the league, again won out over nine-year veteran Bill Kenney, with whom he has shared duties the past three seasons.
After closing out the exhibition season by playing host to Buffalo on Saturday and playing the St. Louis Cardinals in Memphis on Sept. 6, the Chiefs open regular season play against San Diego at Arrowhead Stadium on Sept. 13.
"There's a pressure on an athlete to do his job, but you've got to understand that it's teamwork that's going to get it done."
An injured hand kept Kenney from starting in the playoff game against the New York Jets, a 35-15 loss, but ended up scoring 16 passes in the fourth quarter.
The nod also went to Blackledge a year ago when John Mackovic was coach, but Kenney replaced him as starter eight games into the season after coming off the bench against San Diego and leading the Chiefs to a 42-41 victory.
"But Todd's not any different from a left tackle, right guard or the center. If they don't do the job, they've got to be replaced.
Kenney started Saturday night's exhibition game against Atlanta and was to play the first half, but he sprained his right thumb on the first play and gave way to Blackledge after the first three series.
The coach said Blackledge had improved his mobility.
In three exhibition season games so far, Blackledge had 23 completions in 38 attempts for 270 yards,
we weighed all the factors and talked it over thoroughly, and that's the direction we're going to go." Gansz said. "At the present time, Todd will be our starter, there's no doubt about that.
Gansz said Blackledge had has a fut training camp and is improving
with one interception and no touchdowns. Kenney was 10 for 27 for 164 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions.
Football team makes grade this season
By BRIAN KABERLINE
Sports editor
Most of the excitement at the meeting of the University of Kansas Athletic Corporation yesterday was generated by the football team's first big victory of the year.
The victory in question did not come on the field — the first game is still two weeks away — but in the classroom.
Members of the corporation credited Coach Bob Valesente and cooperation between the Athletic Department and KU faculty for last week's announcement that all 107 members of the team were academically eligible for this season.
I want to commend Coach Valesen and his staff, along with Richard Lee and the faculty members who have worked long and hard to strengthen the academic position within the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics." Chancellor Gene A. Budig said.
nancien Gelle B. Doug sain
Lee, assistant athletic director in charge of
support services, reported that the overall grade point average of the football team has gone from 2.04 for spring 1986 to 2.57 for this past spring. The average for this year had earlier been reported at 2.48, he said, but was raised after some players finished work in classes in which they had received grades of incomplete.
Lee said the academic performance of student-athletes in general had improved. A measure of that success, he said, was that KU was second in the Big Eight Conference in the number of Academic All-America nominees.
Bob Frederick, athletic director, said many people didn't realize the constraints put on student-athletes. Many students take 16 hours in college, he said, and if they have difficulty, they can drop a class and come out with their GPAs intact. Athletes are often unable to drop classes because of NCAA requirements of satisfactory progress toward a degree, he said.
In other business, Frederick was officially
welcome to the board and stated his goal of adhering to the KUAC's long-range plans.
One thing he said he would like to do is to get students more involved with the Athletic Department. Frederick said he planned to visit as many living groups as possible this year to talk about the program and gather comments.
"It's the students where the enthusiasm starts for our athletic programs," he said, "and the students who eventually become the alumni."
r rederick said he also wanted to try to boost football revenues through the development of a year-round effort to market the team.
"Football is the key for us as far as paying the bills," he said.
The University has raised as much as it can expect to from private donations to non-revenue sports, and the only way to raise more money from the basketball program would be to raise ticket prices, Frederick said.
Coach's hiring begins new ERA for team
By DAVID BOYCE
Assistant sports edito
Wilson Kilmer has followed Kansas baseball coach Dave Bingham for the past nine years. Success has followed them both.
Kilmer was hired this summer as the Jayhawks' first full-time pitching coach and said he wanted to bring to Kansas the same success he and Bingham enjoyed at Emporia State.
"The feeling I want to get here is to see players proud of having the word Kansas on their chest and the fans proud of the team," Kilmer said.
Wilson Kilmer, new Kansas pitching coach, hits a ball to a pitcher to check his fielding form after the pitch.
Kilmer has a lot of work ahead of him. The Jahayhwis finished 15-39 last year, and the pitching staff had an earned run average of about nine.
While playing for Bingham at Emporia State, Kilmer helped lead the Hornets to the NAIA national championship in 198 as a pitcher. The following year, he became the pitching coach, staying with Emporia State from 1979 to 1984. In each of those years, Emporia State compiled a winning record.
After leaving Emporia State, Kilmer coached Dodge City Community College in 1985. He coached at Hutchinson Community College in 1986 and the spring of 1987 before coming to Kansas.
"The number one reason I came to Kansas is Coach Bingham," Kilmer said. "Both as a player and a coach he has helped me."
Kilner said he started out as a player with an average amount of talent, but Bingham helped him.
"When he showed me how to compete, that's when my talent really began to blossom out," Kilmer said. "He made me play better than I
thought you are a coach, Kilmer said Bingham showed him how to plan and organize a game and a season.
thought I could."
"My first year as a pitching coach, he basically ran the staff and I learned a lot from him," Kilmer said.
"It is a tough spot to be in. You go from being a teammate to going
orders. But we were all striving for the same thing, and that was to win."
"From what I have seen and heard about the pitching staff, it is full of
He said that this year he hoped to utilize Bingham's philosophy of giving a pitcher a plan and watching that pitcher grow to his fullest poten-
potential,” Kilmer said. “Basically they were put in a situation last year that they were not ready for.
"It's tough to send freshmen and sophomores to pitch against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State."
Oklahoma State won the Big Eight Tournament last year and finished second in the College World Series.