EMMITT'SOK
Dallas Cowboy running back Emmitt Smith was released from Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago yesterday afternoon. The Cowboy's star spent the night in a hospital after being injured in a 22-6 loss to the Chicago Bears.
Dallas Cowboys' team physician Dr. Robert Vandermeer said he was fairly positive Smith would not be able to play Sunday against the New York Giants. Since joining the
kr grants. Since joining the
Cowboys Smith has only won 27
Cowbies Smith has only missed one game due to injury.
Smith, a four-time NFL rushing champion, was hurt with less than four minutes left Monday night when he carried out a fake, dived in the air and appeared to land on his shoulder.
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KANSAS FOOTBALL UPDATE
A computer program designed by The NCAA News rated Kansas as having the second hardest schedule. Factors included in the poll were games against other teams of .500 or better records last season and games versus schools
that played in bowl games last season. Oklahoma ranked No. 1 in the poll. Nebraska (3), Iowa State (4), Texas Tech (6), Colorado (7), Kansas State (8) and Texas (9) rounded out the Big 12 representatives in the top 10.
Nebraska senior linebacker Terrell Farley broke down and cried when he talked to his Nebraska teammates about being
NEBRASKA UPDATE
WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 4,1996
charged with drunken driving.
Comhusker football coach Tom Osborn said that the incident involving Farley would be carefully examined.
"We're not going to just do a slap-dash deal with him," Osborn said. "It will be darn thorough."
"If he doesn't conform, and if he doesn't come around and do the things we want, then we'll go without him. We're prepared to do that," Osborn said.
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SECTION B
Olympic medalist fears for his life in hometown
BETHAL, SOUTH AFRICA — Josia Thugwane raced to fame and fortune when he won the Olympic marathon in Atlanta. Now he questions if it was worth it.
Thugwane's family has moved from
the snack that was his longtime home, and he wonders if he'll be killed because of the thousands of dollars in prizes he has earned from his Olympic victory.
"Everyone is talking about the plan to kill me," Thwugane told The Star newspaper.
of Johannesburg in a story published yesterday. "I do not know who these crooks are, but if they say they will kill someone, they always do."
Thugwane, 25, said news of the rewards for his performance at Atlanta had spread throughout the impoverished black settlement of Emzinoni, where he lived with his wife and four children.
"They think I'm rich now," he said. "More than my life, I fear for my wife and family."
As in most poor areas, success and wealth can breed jealousy and attempts by neighbors and gangs to grab some of the money.
Crime is ever-present in black townships, and Tuwanehbare survived an attempt by a jealous countryman earlier this year to take a car he won in a road race. He jumped out of the moving vehicle, and his chin was sliced open by an errant bullet.
Baseball deal may be near
NEW YORK — It appears baseball players and owners may complete a labor deal this week.
A management source, speaking on the condition he not be identified, said acting commissioner Bud Selig was on the verge of giving negotiator Randy Levine permission to conclude a labor agreement that would give all players service time for the 75 regular-season days wiped out by the 1994-95 strike.
"I certainly hope there will be a push to get it done," union head Donald Fehr said Monday. "I can't believe anyone would want to leave it hanging. We have a virtual agreement anyway."
Selig declined to comment Monday on whether he would give Levine that permission. Levine, according to several sources, has said he hoped a deal would be ready for a vote when owners meet next week in Seattle.
National League names August players of month
NEW YORK — Ken Caminiti and Kevin Brown were selected yesterday as the National League player and
pitcher, respectively, for August. Caminiti, the third baseman for the San Diego Padres, hit .344 in the month, with 33 hits in 96 at bats. He had 14 home
The Associated Press
Both Caminiti and Brown won the award for the first time.
runs and 38 RBI, scored 24 runs,
stole three bases and had a slugging
percentage of .844.
Brown, a right-handed starter for the Florida Marlins, was 5-1 in August with a 1.71 LRA. In 47 1-3 innings, he struck out 42 batters, allowed 32 hits, four homers and four walks. He had one complete game.
Autumn slow for 'Hawks
Football team won't see September home action
By Dan Geiston
Kansan sportswriter
Don't tell Kansas coach Glen Mason the Jayhawks have two weeks off.
"I wouldn't call this time off by any means," he said.
"We have a couple of off weeks and a couple of days off for practice, but all it does is give us more time to prepare."
A quirk in this year's schedule forced Kansas to play the oldest schedule in team history.
Kansas senior running back
June Henley carries the ball in last Thursday's home opener against Ball State. The Jayhawks will play Texas Christian Sept. 14 in Fort Worth, Texas.
The jayhawks, who defeated Ball State 35-10 Thursday, don't play again until Sept. 14 when they travel to Fort Worth, Texas, for a game against Texas Christian.
Steve Puppe
/KANSAN
Then they have another bye week and play Sept. 28 at Utah.
That's two games, none at home, for the month of September.
Kansas starts October on the road at Oklahoma and doesn't return to Lawrence until an Oct. 12 game against Texas Tech.
The 43-day gap between home games (Aug 29 - Oct. 12) is the largest in school history.
The previous record was 41 days in 1945, with the Jayhawks spending the month of November on the
See Football, Page4B.
Volleyball player copes with injury
Kansan sportswriter
By Adam Herschman
A photo of junior outside hitter Leslie Purkeypile is featured on this season's Kansas Voleyball schedule card and season ticket order form.
"I thought it was a big honor to be selected." Purkevile said. "It got me more
Steve Puppe/KANSAN
Kansas outside hitter Leslie Purkeyleip helps coach Karen Schonewise in practice. Purkeyleip is injured and can't play this season.
Purkeyple said she set high goals for this season, including to be selected first team all-conference.
Her goals, however, will have to wait until next season because of an injury.
Purkeypile to her medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee July 6 while she was water skiing. Purkeypile will undergo a knee operation on Sept. 12.
"It was a really good day to ski," Purkeypile said. "I was just skiing, and my ski slipped out from undemeath me."
rurkeypile said she was in severe pain and screamed while she was waiting for the boat to turn around and pick her up.
The pain eased after a half hour, but Purkeville still was unset.
"She was a featured player on the ticket brochure and the schedule card because she was going to be one of our stronger players this year," said Kansas volleyball coach Karen Schonewise.
Purkepile, third on the team last year with 187 kills, will have to sit out the entire fall season, but she will not lose her playing eligibility this year.
"I just started thinking 'I'm not going to play volleyball.'" she said.
Despite her injury, Purkeypile still has to attend practice, but instead of playing, she shags volleyballs and advises her teammates. She travels with the team and watches games from the bench.
"Basically, I try to give feedback to people
See Volleyball, Page 4B.
Big 12 softball teams look to improve in new season
Bv Cameron Heeg
Kansan sportswriter
The recent softball additions from the Lone Star state will try to make their mark on the Big 12 Conference during the upcoming season.
Baylor, Texas and Texas Tech all started new softball programs last season.
Baylor had a softball team from 1981-88. After the eight-year break, the Bears hired former head coach Paula Young to lead the team.
Baylor was 35-26 last season. The Bears defeated Texas Tech three times but lost twice to Texas A&M. The team has nine players returning and added a new assistant coach.
Young hired assistant coach Lori Reimer thinking of Big 12 competition.
Texas Tech's 11-year hiatus from softball also ended last season. The Red Raiders finished last in the conference with a 1-20 record.
Texas Tech lost four games to Texas A&M, three games to Baylor and two games to Kansas.
"Her knowledge of the Big 12 will be a great benefit to us." Young said.
The final school to enter Big 12 softball was Texas. The 1996 season marked the first season for softball at the university.
The Longhorns hired former 1987 Team USA pitcher Connie Clark to coach. Last season Clark set goals.
"Our goals this year are just for us to hit the
fundamentals hard.
have a good time with it and do the best we can," she said. The team was 1-23 overall.
Texas A&M hired Jo Evans as its head coach. Evans coached at the University of Utah for seven years, taking the Utes to the College Softball World Series in 1991 and 1994. She plans to bring back national-ranking softball to College Station, Texas.
"I want to put the program in a position to be in the top 10 nationally and have an opportunity to bring another national championship to Texas A&M." Evans said.
Kansas will play Texas Tech April 5 and Texas April 6 in Lawrence. Games with the other Texas teams may take place during the Big 12 Fall Preview Oct. 4 to 6 in Adair, Mo., and at the Big 12 Tournament May 2 to 4.
Bomb threat not enough to stop Petulla's pen
Since I received a bomb threat from an ardent Notre Dame supporter who didn't take too kindly to my Ron Powls comment (Aug. 28— "Not since Hugh Grant has someone done so little with his talent, yet received so much media attention"). I've been laying low.
Although my mother and my roommate would prefer I seek residence elsewhere, I think that if a Scud has my name on it, then I may as well go out with a bang — no pun intended.
So as I sleep with one eye open, let me see whose feathers I can ruffle today.
All of this talk that Houston is better than they are given credit for is hogwash. The Chiefs opened the season the same way they ended last season — playing down to the
This game should have been a cakewalk for the Chiefs, but instead, they took it down to the wire. Something tells me that the "Schottenheimer Magic" of last season that snatched victory from the grasp of defeat several times might be running out — especially after Schottenheimer was awarded the greatest kiss of death to ever enter the world of sports: the cover of Sports Illustrated.
I really wanted to write a told-you-so letter to Jason Whitlock, but to tell the truth, my hands were worn out from all of that waving the wheat during the Ball State game.
level of their opponent.
Attention passengers; departure on the Dallas Cowboys bandwagon will begin immediately.
mas in September.
DEAR BILL — Who do you think should start, Johner or Rutz?
Well sports fans, today is Wednesday so it's time to empty my mailbox.
Michael Irvin is mopping floors in a Dallas hospital to serve his community service hours; the Cowboys dropped their opener against the Bears and every reporter from Dallas to Duluth, Minn., is criticizing America's Team — abbb Christ
DEAR BILL — Did Michael Irvin
get off too easy?
Do a one-legged duck swim in circles? Next question!
Forget for a moment that Ball State is by far the weakest team Kansas will face all season. Forget that their secondary had more cushions than an oversized couch. Forget that this was a team who only had one player, the punter, shine last Thursday. Matt Johner turned in a solid performance and Ben Rutz, quite frankly, looked like he still has a few knickers to work out.
Will Rutz be ready by Sept. 14 when Kansas travels to Texas Christian? My guess is yes. But if he's not, I've got confidence that Johner can do the job.
DEAR BILL — How long will Bruce Seldon last against Mike
Tyson on Saturday?
T'll say 10 minutes. That's including the time it takes for the fighters to walk into the ring, the introductions and a commercial.
DEAR BILL - Why did Kansas drop out of the top 25?
RESPECT.
Texas A&M loses to BYU of the world's most overrated conference — the WAC. Kansas State barely won against hapless Texas Tech. North Carolina blows out a traditional college powerhouse (Clemson) who is going to have one of the worst years in its football history. And who loses their top 25 ranking? The same college that most reporters still see as being solely a basketball school.
1. ___