Sports
University Daily Kansan / Tuesday, August 25, 1987
13
Kansas football players get together after practice to psych themselves up. The football team practiced yesterday afternoon at Memorial Stadium
Valesente says weather hinders progress
By CRAIG ANDERSON
Staff writer
The rainy weather was the worst thing that could happen to the Kansas football team, head coach Bob Vallees said yesterday.
Valesente said that when the Jayhawks go down to play Auburn, the weather would be hot and humid. He practiced there under those kind of conditions.
"We had to adjust our practice to the wet conditions." Valesene said. "This kind of weather is miserable to practice in."
Because of the rain, Kansas moved its practice to Memorial Stadium. During the two-hour workout, the Jayhawks worked on their inside running game and the punt formations. Valesente said he was pleased with both
Willie Vaughn worked out as a punt returner. Vaughn is currently a backup to last years standout, Milt Garnier. Vaughn also likeled him as a return man.
"Its great to see him back there," Valesen said. "Vaughn is a great athlete who can make big things happen."
The work on the inside running
game also went well, Valesente said. There is no shortage of candidates who will be competing for playing time. This is in contrast to last year when depth was a constant problem.
Valesente said the running backs have improved themselves, and said this improvement will be needed if the Jayhawks are to improve on a running game that averaged only 73 yards a game last year.
"Arnold Snell came in last year and did the best job he could." Valesenste said. "You have to remember that he was coming in after not having practiced with us in the spring."
Snail has not been the only running
bird who has shown improvement
over water.
"Mike Rogers was overweight for much of last year, and it hurt his production, and now ensemble said. 'He's in the way he's playing.'
The number of candidates at the tight end position also has made for some healthy competition. Kansas boasts a mix of veterans and newcomers who have been pushing each other, Valesente said. Receptions by the Kansas tight ends last year were
slim to none. Brad Wedel led the tight last year with 4 receptions.
John Baker has emerged as the top tight end on the depth chart, but he is being pushed by others. In the new offensive formations being used this year, two tight ends will sometimes be called an offensive coordinator Gary Huff said.
Someone who is pushing Baker is freshman Wolf Blaser. Blaser was leading his group in most of the sprints at the end of yesterday's practice.
The Jayhawk starting quarterback still hasn't been named. Valesente said he hopes to avoid any controversy that could occur in the competition for playing time. He said all the quarterbacks were helping each other improve by pushing each other.
"Wolf Blaser has made tremendous strides in the past three days," Valesente said. "He's starting to understand and the rest of the guys above him."
"It's great to have a choice as to who our starting quarterback will be." Valesente said. "Both Donohoe and Troy Wilson should be heed Big Eight quarterbacks."
back controversy tear this team apart," Valesente said. "I don't want people to start talking so much about our situation." The long sight of our overall team goals.
Valsente said he was also pleased with the progress of his injured offensive linemen. Bryan Howard returned to regular workouts yesterday. Jim Davis and Bob Pieper increased their playing time in regular team workouts.
"It it's great to see them out there working again." Valesente said. "Not just for their playing skills but also for their leadership abilities."
"I'm not going to let any quarter
The abilities of all the Kansas players will be tested when they play the Auburn Tigers in their opening game. Auburn is ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press pre-season top twenty poll. Valesen said he likes open with such a strong team.
"I don't like playing a safe schedule with mediocre opponents," Valesente said. "We want to strive to be as confident in the situation so we can see how good we are."
"I know it won't be easy, but nothing in life is ever easy. We need to learn that."
80 walk-on hopefuls show up at meeting for KU baseball team
By DAVID BOYCE Staff writer
While 10 KU basketball players yesterday performed in front of a nearly empty Allen Field House, about 80 baseball hopefuls listened in the stands to baseball coach Dave Bingham discuss walk-on procedures.
Many players attended the information meeting as if they were ready to play that day in the rain and mud. Some wore major league baseball caps, while others sported baseball pants and jerseys.
Kevin Everhart, Salina, freshman, said he was trying out because many of his high school friends received baseball scholarships at other schools, and he thought he had a legitimate chance at making KU's team.
Everhart he batted around 370 when he played for Salina South.
"I am going into the tryout loose," he said. "I think I have a good shot at making the team, and I think I can add a winning attitude."
Everhart was like many of the other hopefuls who are eager to show coach Bingham the skills they displayed in high school.
Bingham said that when he coached Emporia State about 40 students annually tried out for his team as walk-in and of that, he kept four or seven.
When one potential walk-on asked
how many Bingham planned to keep this year, the coach said he did not know.
"KU was 15-39 last year," Bingham said. "I want to put the best 9 people on the field.
"I am looking for performance. I will go for guys who can play."
Bingham said he was a little surprised by the high walk-on turnout considering the one-day notice.
Bingham said that today, if weather permitted, he would look at speed and athletic ability. Tomorrow, Thursday and Friday the walk-onts will play intra-squad games against each other.
The walk-ons that Bingham keeps after Friday will play the varsity team at 3 p.m. Saturday at Quigley Field.
"I am sure some of the players who showed up are not really that good of athletes," he said. "But many people who do that they can do against varsity athletes."
He said any walk-on who possessed less than adequate baseball skills would not be asked back for the intra-soud games.
"I don't want to waste their time or mine," he said.
And as the meeting ended, an eleventh KU basketball player stepped onto the court. It was Danny Manning, just returning from the Pan Am games in Indianapolis.
Chiefs cut 10,reduce roster to seventy-seven
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY. Mo. — Wide receiver Craig Richardson, an 11th-round draft choice from Eastern Washington, was one of 10 players cut yesterday as the Kansas City Chiefs reduced their National Football League roster to 77.
play.
Also waived was Paul Bergmann, a veteran tight end who spent last season on the injured reserved list, and eight free agents. Bergmann, from UCLA, played two seasons in the United States Football League before making the Chiefs last year.
But he hurt a shoulder in the last exhibition game, and this year he missed three weeks of training camp after pulling a calf muscle. He had suited up for two of the three exhibition games but did not
The free agents waived by the team were wide receiver Mel Anderson, linebackers Randy Frazier and Ron Freeman, kicker James Gaetano, defensive back Chris Major, defensive back Mario Garango, running back Robert Parker and quarterback Matt Stevens.
All the cuts were finalized after the players passed physical exams.
With the Chiefs, Richardson did not catch a pass or return a kick in the three preseason games.
New softball coach Haack hopes to bring back KU's winning ways
Staff writer
By DARRIN STINEMAN
After coaching softball in Texas and Nebraska,softball coach Kalm Haack has found a home — and a more comfortable recruiting budget — at Kansas.
I think with the budget I have here we can compete with any school in the nation for any athlete.'
Kalum Haack
- Kalum Haack KU softball coach
Haack may need every advantage he can get to bring the softball program back to the pinnacle it reached two years ago when the team finished the season ranked sixth in the country with a 44-16 record. The task at hand seems to be to stop the Jayhawks' downward trend in the wake of Bob Stancilft's resignation as head coach. The Jayhawks finished the season with a 28-25 record and finished fifth in the Big Eight Conference standings last season.
Haack last coached at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, which has an enrollment of about 10,000. He said the move to a bigger program gives him much more freedom in recruiting new players.
"It was a big jump in budget compared to what I had at Sam Houston," he said. "I think with the budget I have here we can compete with any school in the nation for any athlete."
Getting the athletes to the university is an important part of recruiting, Haack said.
"Once you get the athlete in for a visit, I think the school can sell itself," he said.
season last year and the aftermath of Stancliff's May 14 resignation.
Haack, who was an assistant coached at Nebraska for two years and did all of their out-of-state recruiting, knows first hand how tough the Cornhuskers will be this season.
The program is trying to regroup after a relatively weak recruiting
"Wib Bob knowing he was going to leave, it was tough for him to get the knife," she said.
"Nebraska is the team to beat
again," he said. "The kids they have are ones I've recruited so I know they're tough. I know they've got the two best pitchers in the country."
Haack should know. He pitched for the Houston Flyers, a team that qualified for the world softball tournament which was held three weeks ago. The tournament consists of the best softball teams from the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Haack and KU's newest arrival, strength coach Brad Roll, played football together at Blinn Junior College in Brenhan, Texas. Roll said he and Haack were good friends, and said Haack was the only linebacker I ever knew who looked like he was wearing roller skates while he was playing." But more seriously, Roll described Haack as "a very competitive and outgoing individual."
It's that type of attitude—competitive and aggressive—that Haack hopes to instill in his players. Although the Jayhawks probably won't have the most talented team in the conference, Haack said they will be the most aggressive.
"We're going to be a very aggressive team," he said. "We're going to make things happen. We're going to steal a lot of bases and make the other team make mistakes."
Sports Briefs
Basketball meeting slated for walk-ons
Women's basketball coach Marian Washington has scheduled an informational meeting for walk-ins in room 101 in Allen Field Houses.
The team will begin a conditioning program Sept. 2. Washington said all information concerning practice and tryout procedures would be given at the meeting.
Last year four players tried out, and Washington kept two.
Scoreboard
Baseball
American League
Chicago 6, Boston 3
Minnesota 5, Detroit 4
Texas 4, Kansas City 2
Oakland 7, Baltimore 3
Toronto 7, Seattle 3
National League
New York 1, Los Angeles 0
San Francisco 6, Philadelphia 1
Pittsburgh 5, Cincinnati 4
Houston 5, St. Louis 2
L A Rauch/KANSAN
Steve King, Independence junior, asks KU Crew coach Cliff Elliot about the sport. KU sports clubs such as crew and rugby worked to recruit new members outside the Kansas University during fee payments last week.
Word of mouth helps club sports
By ROBERT WHITMAN
Staff writer
Recruiting athletes for club sports at the University of Kansas is a matter of letting people know you exist and telling them how they can join the club.
The clubs do that through newspaper advertisements, posting fliers at high-traffic locations around campus, setting up booths at the Kansas Union during the two fee payment days, and other methods.
But the most effective recruitment tool may be spreading the word from club sports' participants to their friends and acquaintances.
"The most effective (method) is personal contact," said Cliff Elliott, KU Crew coach. "I can think of several examples of a member talking to a friend, and they'll come down to a meeting and row for three of four years."
Rick Renfro, KU Rugby Football Club coach, said he thought most of the 24 new players for the club heard about it through word of mouth.
"But I'm going to give the new guys a questionnaire at practice Thursday to find out where they found out about the club," Renfro said.
Nine athletic clubs set up booths at
the southeast entrance to the Union during fee payment last week, said London Bonds, assistant director of the organization and activities center. The clubs set up the booths to take advantage of the large number of students going into the Union.
Crew began last year with about 225 members and had about 135 by the end of the year. Elliott said.
Elliott said Crew would do other things soon to recruit new members.
"This week we should have fliers around campus, we'll be advertising in the Kansan, and next Monday and Tuesday, we'll have a shell on display in front of Strong Hall," Elliott said.
In addition to the booth it puts up during fee payment, Rugby club representatives make short speeches to fraternities and residence hall
"It is important that we start early in the year," Elliott said. "We had some people start at the semester and it really hard for them to catch up."
The beginning of the school year is the best time to attract new members, because they can start physical conditioning and become familiar with the equipment, Elliott said. He said he planned on attracting as many as 300 members this year.
groups during meal times and post fiers in Lawrence bars. Renfo said.
iners in Lawrence 8485, Reedh, Said. Renro said that 24 of the club's players threw all we were to the club with the new players constituted the best batch of recruits in his 12 years with the club as a player and coach.
"Twenty-two of the 24 are good athletes. They have a good chance of playing." Renfo said.
The men's soccer club also has a booth outside the Union during fee payment, but soccer club treasurer Ted Nelson said his phone had been ringing off the hook lately with people who had heard about the club from someone else.
Although word of mouth is the Ultimate Frisbee club's best recruiting method, Ken Wicker, club organizer, said the women's team, Betty, would soon place fiwers throughout the campus in a major recruiting effort.
But retaining recruits is another matter for athletic clubs.
"Trying to build a competitive program takes time and dedication from the people." Elliott said.
It also takes money. Lack of money and lack of time are the two biggest reasons Crew loses members during the year, Elliott said.