Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
Despite finishing below .500 in his first season, Coach Ray Bechard is pleased with the improvement of the KU volleyball team.
Thursday
December 3, 1998
Section:
A
Page 10
Big 12 Football
SEE PAGE 9A
SEE PAGE 9A
Kansas State continued to dominate the conference by placing nine players on the 1st team AP All-Big 12 team
Baseball
The signings of Rafael Palmeiro an Robin Ventura highlighted a busy da in Major League Baseball.
Page 10
SEE PAGE 8A
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
Contact the Kansan
Sports Desk:
Sports Fax:
Sports e-mail:
(785) 864-4810
(785) 864-0391
sports@kansan.com
Allen to remain with Kansas football
Coach Terry Allen talks with assistant head coach Darrell Wyatt on the side-lines during the Jayhawks' game against the University of Alabama. Yesterday, Allen withdrew his name from the list of candidates for head coach at the University of Iowa. He will be staying in Lawrence for the next season. Photo by Jay Sheperd/
KANSAN
By Jodi M. Smith
Kansan sportswriter
Football coach Terry Allen has decided that Iowa may be where his family is, but Kansas is home.
Allen, who up until Monday was considering leaving the University of Kansas to take over the football program at Iowa, announced at a press conference yesterday that he isn't going anywhere.
Allen, who grew up in Iowa City, was first considered for the job after head coach Hayden Fry retired on Nov. 23 after 20 successful years at the University of Iowa.
Allen, who played college football at Northern Iowa and then coached there for 18 years, was considered the top candidate for the Iowa job after Bob Stoops accepted the Oklahoma top spot on Tuesday.
But after discussing the situation with his wife and then meeting with the searching committee in St. Louis this past weekend, Allen withdrew his name from the list.
"We feel very good to have the opportunity to sit down and say we're going to stay at the University of Kansas," Allen said.
After leaving St. Louis, Allen his wife and their children traveled to Iowa City to be with Allen's mother, who underwent bypass surgery yesterday.
"My brother and I had an opportunity to drive around Iowa City, and I had a very weird feeling at the time, it is very difficult to go home. As we pulled back into Lawrence, I felt like I was home again and that's really important to me."
While there, Allen and his brother drove through the city, and he said it just didn't feel like home.
"My brother and I had an opportunity to drive around Iowa City, and I had a very weird feeling at that time, it is very difficult to go home." Allen said. "As we pulled back into Lawrence, I felt like I was at home again and that's really important to me."
Allen met with the football team Tuesday evening to discuss off-season conditioning but did not bring up the Iowa job.
Staying at Kansas for his players and the football program was a primary factor in his decision.
After leading the Javhawks to
Kansas football coach
Terry Allen
"I had a really difficult time looking in the eyes of our players, knowing that I had let them down in some capacity." Allen said.
He has not officially met with the team to reveal his final decision, but assumes they understand what he has decided.
disappointing 5-6 and 4-7 seasons in his first two years, Alien knows that there is still work left to do, and he plans to be the man to do it.
"We don't have the program to the level of success that we want to have it at," he said. "We are going to work diligently to get that done. There's not a better place to live and coach and work than Lawrence, Kansas."
With the understanding that his consideration of the Iowa job may have hurt recruiting, Allen has talked with several of the recruits about his decision to stay.
He had plans yesterday to wait for encouraging news from the hospital and then hop a plane for a recruiting trip.
Iowa announces new head coach
The future of the Kansas football program is secure in his hands again, and Allen has no plans of leaving any time soon.
DES MOINES, Iowa — Baltimore Ravens assistant Kirk Ferentz, a former assistant at Iowa under Hayden Fry, was named yesterday to succeed his mentor.
The Associated Press
made.
"We're at a great institution in the premier football conference in the nation," he said. "Why would we want to be anywhere else?"
Ferentz moved to the top of the short list of candidates after Bob Stoops, who played for Fry on the Hawkeyes' 1981 Rose Bow team, accepted the head coaching job at Oklahoma hours after interviewing with Iowa on Monday.
Ferentz, 43, will replace Fry, who retired Nov. 23 after 20 years with the Hawkeyes. He will be introduced at a news conference in Iowa City tonight.
"Having spent a lot of time out there, I really have a love for that area and those people, no question about it," Ferentz said at the Ravens practice facility in Owings Mills, Md., before the announcement was
Earlier yesterday, Kansas coach
Terry Allen, an Iowa City native, withdrew his name from consideration after talking to his wife and meeting with Kansas athletics director Bob Frederick.
"It's not the right time or the right situation for me," Allen said. "I'm not a job-seeking guy, but Iowa is my native state. My family and friends are there, so it was important that I look into the job."
Ferentz, who is the Ravens' assistant head coach for offense and offensive line coach, was an assistant under Fry from 1981 to 1989 before leaving to become head coach at Maine.
"I am simply elated that one of my former coaches and a member of the Hawkeye family will be coming on board," Fry said. "Kirk is very intelligent, very knowledgeable, an outstanding teacher and an individual who will be an outstanding representative of Iowa football and the University of Iowa."
Allen's decision to stay will benefit recruitment
People will probably call them the Zack Attack.
They'll have to decided between themselves how to spell it, though.
Kansas is currently recruiting two quarterbacks for next year: Olathe South senior Zach Dyer and former Notre Dame quarterback Zak Kustok.
If they commit to Kansas, they will add to the current group of quarterbacks: Zac
Wegner, Jonas Weatherbie and Jake Letourneau.
Dyer, who officially committed to Kansas Monday night, led the Sunflower League in passing and combined offense this season.
Since Terry Allen announced yesterday that he would not be leaving the University of Kansas, the likelihood that both players will attend Kansas has increased.
ber after dropping on the depth chart.
Kustok threw for more than 3,500 career yards during his high school years. He was recruited by Notre Dame, red-shirted there his freshman year, and then left this Septem-
Prior to Allen's press conference, Kustok said that if Allen left Kansas for Iowa, his decision might have been affected.
Jodi M. Smith
Interim soccer coach named
Assistant coach takes charge while committee searches
Since that day, the University of K formed a search committee to find a new head coach. The committee yesterday named assistant coach Kevin Blokker the interim head coach.
One month ago today, Dan Magner resigned as coach of the Kansas soccer team
Blokker said that he is interested in becoming the permanent head coach.
The committee is led by Amy Perko, associate athletics director, and is made up of Dr. Bob Frederick, athletics director, Kim Polite, assistant director of facilities, Ray Bechard, volleyball coach, Fred Rodriguez, associate professor
"I have applied, but I've heard that there a lot of good candidates," he
Since that day, the University of Kansas has
1989 to 1993.
said. "I'll get the job, I'll be lucky because there are a lot of good coaches out there."
Blokker has served as men's and women's assistant coach at Fresno State and women's assistant coach at Wyoming. He played goalkeeper at the University of San Francisco from
and Jackie Dowell, a former captain.
Six Kansas soccer players were named to the Academic All-Big 12 team yesterday.
in the School of Education, and
Junior Cynthia Dahle, a two-time Academic All-Big 12 honorable mention, was named to the first team, along with senior Jackie Dowell, a three-time selection sonhomore
Meghann Haven, and senior Sarah Korpi,
another two-time honorable mention.
Junior Lindsey Loefler, a two-time first team selection, and senior Erin Hon, a former firstteam selection, were honorable mentions.
Brad Hallier
Windy city blues
Forward Kenny Gregory squeezes between two Kentucky defenders for a lay-up. Gregory had six points in last night's game at the United Center in Chicago. Photo by Dan Elavsky/KANSAN
Commentary Holiday reflections on the season's sports
Okay, so maybe the weather isn't quite in the holiday spirit, but I won't complain.
All the signs of Christmas are in the air houses are decorated with sparkling lights, shoppers are starting to flood the malls, little kids are going to see Santa and the temperatures are in the high 60's.
While it will still be another 22 days before it becomes official, the sports world has given out presents a few days early this year. Most of the activity during the past few weeks has occurred off the field. Universities have hired coaches, teams have received
bowl bids, and Mike Piazza got $91 million.
Place your gift here.
Well, some presents
are better than others...
Kansas State deserves to play for the national championship.
As much as the Wildcats success makes my stomach turn, they are the best team in college football. Barnnone.
The silver-lining, however, is that if K-State is the odd man out, it may force Bill Snyder to stop scheduling Northern Illinois and Indiana State every September.
Michael Bishop and the K-State defense are too entertaining and talented to be kept out of the Fiesta Bowl.
Karma, Bill. Karma. It looks like it will be coal in his stocking this year.
The most disgusting thing I have ever seen: Bryant Young's leg.
It's a good thing Joe Theismann wasn't doing the broadcast. Maybe he can lend Young his leg brace.
Although my early pick for the Heisman, Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch, has had a good season, the award should (and will) go to Texas' Ricky Williams.
Against Texas A&M, Williams turned in another brilliant performance. The only other player who is such an all-consuming offensive force is Bishop. But Williams should be rewarded for his career productivity.
Merry Christmas,Ricky
I think Kentucky just scored again.
"Like to interact with the fans"
— newly acquired slugger Albert
Belle at his Baltimore Orioles
news conference.
My question: Does that include when he throws baseballs at them and tries to run them over in his
Quote of the Week:
Merry Christmas, baseball fans of Baltimore. Look out for flying objects.
First Terry Bowden ditches his Auburn squad in mid-season. Now his younger brother, Tommy, will reportedly not finish out his magical season at Tulane. He will be skipping the Liberty Bowl in November.
take over at Clemson.
take over in Camden.
Like my momma always told
me: Never trust a Bowden.
Speaking of coaching decisions...
For the first time in a long while, the Oklahoma Athletic Department might have made a good decision concerning its football program.
During the past decade, Sooner officials have hired, in order; Gary Gibbs, Howard Schnellenberger and John Bluke.
By hiring Florida defensive coordinator Bob Stoops, Athletic Director Joe Castiglione may have finally begun to right a sinking ship.
Some real winners—let me tell ya.
Ratliff is a Norman, Okla. senior in journalism.
---