Section B · Page 8
The University Daily Kansan
Friday, October 24, 1997
Video tribute to Jim Ryun hails his track achievements
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The video tape shows a lanky teen-ager taking the lead with 300 yards to go.
The American mile record holder tries to pass with 200 yards left, but the youngster picks up the pace and holds him off. Coming down the final stretch, a three-time Olympic champion makes an all-out sprint but falls short at the tape.
Cincinnati admits possible NCAA violations
Jim Ryun, an 18-year-old who had graduated from Wichita East High School just a month before, broke the U.S. mile record that night in San Diego.
It was one of the races that eventually inspired John Rinkenbaugh, a news producer at WDAF-TV in Kansas City, to make an hour-long video, "Jim Ryun: America's Greatest Miller."
"This is my salute to Jim Ryun because of his influence on me and probably hundreds, if not thousands, of other boys who got into running because of him," said Rinkenbaugh, whose video began as a graduate project at the University of Kansas.
Today, Ryun may be better known as a congressman, but for track fans and many Kansans, his name will always be linked to his place in running history.
Ryun went from his high school cross country B team to Olympian in two years and to world mile record holder in two more years. Along the way, he was named "Sports Illustrated"s Sportsman of the Year, won the Sullivan Award as Amateur Athlete of the Year and was named Athlete of the Year by "Track and Field News."
Rinkenbaugh's video, which uses clips from film archives dating back to the 1930s, captures the peaks and depths of Ryun's running career, from setting the still-standing high school record in the mile to the fall in the 1972 Olympic Games that caused him to turn away from the sport.
Timmons watched as a gangly teen-ager ran 4:25 to finish second in a high school race and saw in him the first high school runner to break 4 minutes in the mile.
The program also explores Ryun's relationship with Bob Timmons, whom Ryun credits with much of his success.
"In my mind, I just felt he could be first." Timmons said.
By late spring, Ryun had run 4:07 in the U.S. Track and Field Federation meet to qualify for the national championships. Timmons recalled.
A grayn, old film clip shows Ryun running against a pack of veteran milers at Compton, Calif. — finishing last, in 3:59.0, the first high schooler ever to break 4 minutes.
Team's supporter accused of giving favors to Patterson
Rinkenbaugh documents Ryun's other achievements — overtaking Jim Grelle later that year to win the third and final spot on the U.S. Olympic team; running 3:58.3 in the 1965 Kansas State Meet; twice breaking the world record in the mile; beating Kip Keino of Kenya in the 2-mile and 1,500 meters, and setting U.S. and world records.
Ryun calls his fall a "blessing in disguise."
"I would prefer to have my amateur career end another way, but as a Christian I know there are always disappointments in life," he said. "Those are real character builders."
And Rinkenbaugh documents the disappointments — Ryan's loss to Keino at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics; his 1971 comeback loss to Marty Liguori in the "dream mile;" and his fall in a 1,500-meter heat in the 1972 Olympics.
The Associated Press
"Jim Ryun: America's Greatest Miller," is scheduled for broadcast at 7 p.m. Nov. 6 on KTWU, Topeka public television.
CINCINNATI — A supporter of Cincinnati's basketball program did favors for forward Ruben Patterson that probably would be considered violations of NCAA rules, university officials said yesterday.
The university's self-investigation found only minor infractions by Patterson, although an assistant coach was put on paid leave and a team manager was fired.
Athletic director Bob Goin acknowledged that extra benefits given to Patterson included free lodging in a suburban condo provided by a former employer who also co-signed a car loan.
Published reports said that Patterson spent weekends and some weeknights at a condominium in Loveland owned by Robert Carter, who employed Patterson last summer at his business in suburban Blue Ash.
"I want us to do everything possible to move quickly on this matter, yet it is important for us to be very thorough," Goin said.
Patterson averaged 13.7 points and
5.6 rebounds per game last season.
Goin said his staff was gathering and confirming information to determine the value of the benefits Patterson would have to repay in order to apply for restoration of his eligibility.
Investigators found that assistant coach John Loyer arranged classes for Williams before he was enrolled at Cincinnati, that he talked to instructors when Williams struggled in class and had contact with a math instructor who bought the player a plane ticket home to Los Angeles for Christmas.
Patterson were revealed after the self-investigation was completed, Goin said. Patterson cannot apply for reinstatement of eligibility until those matters are resolved.
resenting the program.
Patterson, Charles Williams and John Carson were declared ineligible by the university after an internal investigation that was released Monday. Williams and Carson have made restitution for benefits they received, and their eligibility appeals have been completed and forwarded to the NCAA, Goin said.
Because he was a corporate sponsor of the basketball program in the early 1990s, Carter would meet the NCAA's interpretation of rep-
The extra benefits received by
Heismans, upsets and near misses
By Richard Rosenblatt The Associated Press
Halftime!
On the final weekend of October,
and with wintry weather on the way,
here's a sampling of high and
lows from the college football season:
Heisman Five
1. Peyton Manning, quarterback, Tennessee:
Despite another loss to Florida (33-20 Sep. 20),
Manning remains the heavy favorite to give the Volunteers their first Heisman winner.
Manning, who has completed 162 of 259 pass
attempts for 1,975 yards and 19 touchdowns, has also thrown for more than 300 yards in each of the Vols' six games.
2. Ryan Leaf, quarterback, Washington State: Leaf, who has thrown 105 completions in 184 pass attempts for 1,885 yards and 19 touchdowns, is one of the most exciting players in the country. Last week, he completed only 13 passes — for 332 yards and a schoolrecord tying five touchdowns — in a 63-37 victory against California. He is the main reason the 10th-ranked Cougars (6-0) are the Pac10's only unbeaten team and have equaled their highest ranking in history.
"He's a Sunday quarterback playing on Saturdays," one Pac-10 official said.
3. Tim Couch, quarterback, Kentucky: Didn't take long for Couch to catch on to new coach Hal Mumme's pass-happy offense. The sophomore, who has 229 completions in 340 pass attempts for
5. Jacquez Green, wide receiver, Florida: Green has been the star for the Gators, pulling off a trifecta of
2,506 yards and 29 touchdowns, has stirred interest in Wildcat football. Last week, he set a school record with 424 yards passing in a 49-14 victory against Northeast Louisiana.
4. Randy Moss, wide receiver,
Marshall: Although playing in the
Mid-American Conference, the
sophomore's 17 touchdown catches
— five short of the NCAA division I-A record of 22 set by the University of Houston's Manny Hazard in 1899 — are impressive. It's tough to imagine his numbers slipping much if he played for a Top 25 team. He has 54 catches for 1,003 yards, including a 13-catch, 205-yard, school-record five-touch-down effort in a 42-16 win against Ball State.
sorts in last week's win at Auburn.
He threw a touchdown pass, caught a touchdown pass and ran for a touchdown in the 24-10 win.
Green has 42 catches for 627 yards and nine touchdowns, along with three other touchdowns — one passing, one running and one on a punt return.
Upsetting U
Looking back, some games that were upsets don't seem so upsetting anymore. Such as anyone defeating Notre Dame — the Irish are 2-5 under new coach Bob Davie
1. Louisiana State 28, Florida 21 (Oct. 11): The seemingly invincible Gators marched into Death Valley ranked No. 1 and owners of a 25-game SEC winning streak. But the 14th-ranked Tigers avenged a 56-13 loss in '16 by scoring two touchdowns in a 93-second span of the fourth quarter to break a 14-tie tide.
— or Alabama — the Crimson Tide is 3-3 under new coach Mike DuBose. Put Colorado, Miami and Texas in the same category.
2. Miami, Ohio 24, Virginia Tech 17 (Oct. 4): The Hokies had their sights set on an undefeated season and a third straight alliance bowl, but the RedHawks, 20-point underdogs, went to Blacksburg and scored on a blocked punt and fake field goal for the upset.
Before the game, the Tigers lost to Auburn (Sept. 20) and narrowly beat Vanderbilt 7-6 (Oct. 4).
3. Central Florida 17, Nebraska 14 (Sept. 13): Oops! That's a halftime score, folks. The Corn-
huskers rallied to win 38-24, but just the fact a 42-point underdog led at the half — at Lincoln — was a big enough upset to qualify.
North Carolina State 32, Syracuse 31, overtime (Aug. 30); Toledo 36, Purdue 22 (Sept. 6); Northwestern 19, Michigan State 17 (Oct. 18).
Honorable mention:
Near Misses
Every season, there's dozens of
coulda, coulda, shoulda games,
where heavy underdogs are poised
to pull off the upset but can't quite
finish it off.
1. Penn State 16, Minnesota 15 (Oct. 18): Yes, the narrow win
dropped the Nittany Lions from No. 1, but the Gophers should have won. They led 15-3 in the fourth quarter, but a fumble at their 10 led to Curtis Enis'
touchdown with 3:59 left — his second of the period. The Nittany Lions, 24-point favorites, survived.
GOLDEN GOPE
2. Louisiana State 7, Vanderbilt 6 (Oct. 4): Vandy scored with 12 seconds left, but was penalized twice for delay of game as it tried to get off a game-winning 2-point conversion. So the kicker came on, LSU blocked the 30-yard extra point try and the Tigers came away with the win at Nashville.
3. Colorado 20, Wyoming 19
(Sept. 27) At the time, the Buffaloes
were No. 16
and down 19-10
late in the
game. But Ben
Kelly returned
a kickoff 99
yards for a
touchdown
and Jeremy
Aldrich
kicked an 18-yard field goal with three seconds left at Boulder.
Honorable mention: Mississippi 24, Central Florida 23, overtime (Aug. 30); Wisconsin 28, Boise State 24 (Sept. 6); Kansas State 23, Ohio 20 (Sept. 13).
Let's Hear It For
1. Washington State (6-0): Washington was supposed to be the undefeated team in the Pac-10, not the Cougars. But Ryan Leaf is throwing touchdowns at a pace that could land the high-scoring Cougars (40.8 points per game) in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1931.
Victories against UCLA and Southern California marked the first time Washington State has defeated both schools in the same season.
2. Michigan (6-0): For a team with four losses in each of the past four years, the Wolverines are
doing well in
doing well in '97.
The defense, under new coordinator Jim Herrmann, is second nation in scoring and total defense.
allowing 8.3 points and 207.7 yards per game. The Wolverines already have wins over three teams that were in the Top 25.
3. Oklahoma State (6-0): Looking for their first bowl game since 1988, the Cowboys defeated Texas
and Colorado in their last two games and are off to their best start since 1945. Honorable
due (5-1); New Mexico (6-1); Kentucky (4-3).
Eye-Opener
1. UCLA 66, Texas 3 (Sept. 13):
At Austin, Texas, the Longhorns came into the game ranked No. 11, the Bruins were 0-2. What happens? UCLA hands Texas its worst
home defeat in 105 years of Longhorns football, prompting coach John Mackovic to
say: "What do you say to friends and family who see this score?"
Cade McNown threw a school record five touchdown passes, Skip Hicks ran for four touchdowns and UCLA led 38-0 at the half.
Since that game, the Bruins have won five in a row and are ranked 13th, while the Longhorns lost to Oklahoma State and Missouri and are 3-3.
Honorable mention: See Upsetting U, No. 3.
Defining Game
1. Nebraska 27, Washington 14 (Sept. 20): At the start of the season, three teams — Penn State, Florida and Washington — were picked as the top title contenders. Nebraska was not among the top five in most preseason picks, and were No. 6 in The Associated Press preseason poll.
But the Huskers went to Seattle as an underdog for the first time in four years and dominated Washington, with Scott Frost running for two touchdowns and the defense holding the Huskies to 43 yards rushing.
Now Nebraska is No.1 and aiming for its third national title in four years.
Wait 'Til Next Year
1. Notre Dame (2-5): After a lovestead preseason at Davie, plus
a season-opening win over Georgia Tech in their renovated stadium, the Irish posted their first four-game losing streak since 1963.
"I honestly don't know what the hell is going on," said Irish center Rick Kaczenski after a loss to Stanford. "I'm at a loss for words."
After a 45-21 win over Pittsburgh, the Irish lost to Southern Cal 20-17 last week.
2. Alabama (3-3): DuBose has his work cut out for him, too. First there was a 17-16 loss to Arkansas at Tuscaloosa, then Kentucky stunned the Tide 40-14 in overtime at Lexington, Ky., the Wildcats' first win over Alabama since 1922.
Last week, Tennessee outclassed 'Bama 38-21 for its third straight win against the Tide and second straight blowout at Birmingham.
"Obviously, we've got a long way to go before we're in the class again," DuBose said of the Vols.
3. Miami, Fla. (2-4): The Hurricanes, winners of four national titles since 1983, defeated a weak Baylor team before dropping four in a row for their longest losing streak since World War II.
A 47-0 loss to Florida State was Miami's worst since a 70-14 defeat by Texas A&M in 1944.
Notre Dame quarterback not satisfying expectations
The Associated Press
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Ron Powlus, the quarterback who was going to win national championships and Heisman Trophies, left Notre Dame Stadium with boos and jeers ringing in his ears.
His parents and wife were heckled so unmercifully last weekend that his mother was in tears. As if that weren't bad enough, he got demoted two days later.
Oh sure, he's still Notre Dame's starting quarterback, but backup Jarious Jackson — who has yet to throw a pass this year — will get plenty of playing time this weekend against Boston College (2-5).
It has not been a good week. Then again, it hasn't exactly been a good four years, either.
"To me, this is another challenge, another test," Powlus said. "I don't like it, but I feel confident in myself that I'll be able to overcome this."
This wasn't the way things were supposed to go when he arrived at Notre Dame. He was going to lead the Irish to the promised land of national championships. ESPN analyst Beano Cook predicted he'd win not one, but two Heisman Trophies.
But things unraveled quickly. He missed his entire freshman season with a twice-broken collarbone and two games of the 1995 season with a broken arm. He's 24-15-1 as a starter. Notre Dame has lost more games in his four years than it did from 1987-93.
"He has been remarkable to me the way he has handled every situation," coach Bob Davie said. "I would hope my son would grow up to be like Ron Ponlus."
Powlus came back for a fifth season with hopes of finally winning a national championship and improving his standing in the NFL draft. And with a new offense practically made for his talent as a drop-back passer, the season looked promising.
Instead, everything fell apart. The Irish are averaging 361.7 yards of offense per game, down from the 463.3 yards they averaged last year. They've scored a total of just 10 points in the third quarter. The running game is going nowhere, and without a breakaway receiver, the passing game has been mediocre at best.
Powlus has put up some of the best numbers of his career. He threw for a career-high 293 yards in the loss to Purdue and completed 20 of 27 passes in the loss to Michigan. He will hold virtually every Irish passing record by the end of the year.
"I feel like I've done some improving as a quarterback this year," he added. "But the bottom line is wins and losses, and it's hard to step away and really evaluate anything without looking at the wins and losses."
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