THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2008
7B
Rays rout Red Sox 13-4, take command of series
PHOTOS BY ASSOCIATED PRESS
Above: Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria is walked to first by Boston pitcher Manny Delcarmen, left, with the bases loaded to score Akinori Iwamura in the sixth inning in Game 4 of the ALCS in Boston on Tuesday. The Rays lead the series 3-1 after routing the Red Sox 13-4.
Left: David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox walks off the field after grounding out in the fourth inning in Game 4 of the ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays in Boston. Tampa Bay is just one victory away from the World Series after finishing the 2007 season as baseball's worst team.
NFL
Chiefs running back faces assault charge
BY JOHN MARSHALL ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson has been charged with simple assault for allegedly pushing a woman at a Kansas City nightclub in February. It's the third time he has faced assault charges against a woman.
Johnson
Johnson, 28 was charged
Johnson of pushing the side of her head with an open hand, telling her "don't touch me" as he made his way through the club.
last month for a Feb. 24 incident at the Grand Emporium Saloom. A 26-year-old woman accused
Johnson is due to appear in Kansas City Municipal Court on Dec. 3 and faces a maximum jail term of six months and a $500 fine.
The Chiefs had no comment and Johnson was not available Tuesday. Johnson's attorney, Kevin E.J. Regan, was in court Tuesday morning and not available for comment.
Capt. Rich Lockhart, spokesman for the Kansas City Police Department, said the charges were filed more than six months after the incident.
816 W 24" St
Lawrence, KS 65046
(785) 749-5750
www.rlhngns.org
$40 TODAY
$80 THIS WEEK
FOR NEW DONORS
www.zlbplasma.com
ZLB Plasma
Tax and dormancy fees may vary. New dormitories please bring photos of license, address, and barcode security Card Wild only
EVERY Wednesday
35¢
Wings
after 6 p.m.
$2.50
Domestic
Longnecks
749-2999 www.henryts.com
Former football player merits recognition for performance Curtis McClinton was a star on and off the field
COMMENTARY
Curtis McClinton. His name laces the rim of Memorial Stadium, an omnipresent testimony to a Kansas football great. If you recognize McClinton's name at all, that's probably how. Before this weekend, I was similarly uninformed. Our loss.
With the recent release of the Ernie Davis biopic, "The Express," additional attention has justifiably been shifted to the too-often overlooked Syracuse tailback. As the trailers remind us, he was the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy. He led Syracuse to a national championship, defeating the undefeated Texas Longhorns in Dallas' Cotton Bowl.
Needless to say, Davis faced prejudices we can scarcely imagine today. Davis wasn't even allowed to attend the post-Cotton Bowl banquet, at which he was to be named the game's MVP.
From 1959 to 1961, Davis presented himself as a model student-athlete. Such was the respect for Davis that, when he was awarded the Heisman, President Kennedy sent him the following telegram: "Seldom has an athlete been more deserving of such a tribute. Your high standards of performance on the field and off the field reflect the finest qualities of competition, sportsmanship and citizenship. The nation has bestowed upon you its highest awards for your athletic achievements. It's a privilege for me to address you tonight as an outstanding American, and as a worthy example of our youth. I salute you."
Certainly, Davis was deserving of that salute. And Davis' story deserves the spotlight it now has. Americans, especially football fans, should know Ernie Davis.
Similarly, Kansas football fans
should know Curtis McClinton — and not just as a name plastered on Memorial Stadium's Ring of Honor.
First of all, McClinton was a fantastic football player. He was recognized as such and was named an All-American in 1961, and All-Big Eight from 1958-1961.
Despite primarily serving as a blocking back, McClinton managed to compile 1,377 yards during his three years at the University of Kansas (a more impressive total than it initially sounds like, considering the shorter seasons and lower-scoring games of the time). As if that weren't enough, McClinton won the Big Eight's hurdle championship all three years he competed.
McClinton would go on to find success at the professional level as well, playing eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs franchise (his rookie year was spent in Dallas before the team relocated to Kansas City). He was named AFL Rookie of the Year, and a three-time pro bowler.
— even garnering the game's MVP honors in 1962. He scored the first touchdown by an AFL player in Super Bowl history, and he played on the Chiefs' world championship team in January 1970. McClinton would eventually be named to the Chiefs Hall of Fame.
Had McClinton accomplished only that, he would merit being highly regarded. But for all of his success as a football player,
McClinton would further distin guish himself after his playing days ended.
He earned a master's degree, then a doctorate. His post-graduate studies were spent at Harvard's Kennedy school of government.
His scholastic endeavors finished. McClinton found employment with Amtrak. His next foray was into the world of government, where he moved on to the Department of Commerce. McClinton would also serve as the Deputy Mayor of Washington, D.C. McClinton then found his way back into the private sector, working in city development and investment banking.
In 1992, McClinton returned to the local area, establishing himself in Kansas City. His impact in the community was significant. McClinton was the founding president of the Black Economic Union of Greater Kansas City, an organization that has since worked to develop struggling minority communities
Years after he shelved his cleats, McClinton hadn't forgotten football. To help promote leadership, teamwork, and education to children in urban communities, McClinton established the Curtis McClinton Keys League. Hundreds of kids now benefit from that benevolence.
Unfortunately, I can't offer the kind of salute to McClinton that Kennedy did to Davis. The words of a President just so happen carry more weight than those of a college sports columnist of no particular repute. But that's fine — so long as more can now properly appreciate the man who is represented at the north end of Memorial Stadium.
Edited by Brenna Hawley
BRING YOUR BEERFACE!
KCBEERFEST.COM OCTOBER 18 @ THE LEGENDS
TIME WARNER
CABLE
Kansas City
The Pitch
a|o
SAIVA O'RENICK
BUY TICKETS ONLINE
www.pipelineproductions.com
The Bottleneck
737 Mass St • Lawrence Kansas
Wednesday, October 15th
MTV Choose or Lose Tour
Locksley
Saturday October 25th Bob Schnieder
Saturday November 8th Matt Nathanson
Wednesday November 19th Heartless Bastards
Saturday November 22nd Marc Broussard
EVERY TUESDAY IS $1.50 (just about) EVERYTHING