8B
Thursday, August 29, 1996
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
California basketball coach quits
Todd Bozeman resigns amid NCAA investigation
The Associated Press
BERKELEY, Calif. — California basketball coach Todd Bozeman resigned after a meeting yesterday with athletic director John Kasser and other university officials, the San Francisco Examiner reported.
The newspaper, quoting anonymous sources close to the athletic department, said Bozeman, 32, was forced out after 31/2 years in the wake of a series of NCAA investigations and a pending civil action.
On Aug. 14 an Alameda County Superior Court judge issued a temporary restraining order against him after a former student said he had threatened her and harassed her sexually.
Also cited was Bozeman's involvement in a gift club that might be considered a pyramid scheme, the Examiner said.
A hearing was scheduled for tomorrow on the former student's allegations.
Bozeman's basketball program is under NCAA investigation for major rules violations and faces penalties that could be announced as early as next month.
California was investigated twice last year, and forward Tremaine Fowlkes was suspended for 14 games.
The program also received a minor sanction in its recruitment of Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
After Lou Campanelli was fired during the 1993 season, Bozeman, then an assistant, was named interim coach.
The Bears had an 11-2 record the rest of the season and made it to the final 16.
Bozeman compiled a 63-35 record as head coach, taking the Bears to three NCAA Tournament appearances.
Cornerback comes back running
Defenseman at Georgia finds success in offense
The Associated Press
ATHENS, Ga. — No one had a clue.
Robert Edwards was a defensive star in high school. He spent his first two years at Georgia knocking down passes and trying to keep up with other teams' receivers. He heading into his junior year, he had all the makings of an all-star. An all-star cornerback, that is.
There were no clues, not even a hint, that Edwards was about to become the most intriguing Georgia running back since Herschel Walker, a man voted to the All-Southeastern Conference team before he even played two full games at that position.
"It was the last week of spring ball, we were doing some goal-line situations, and they threw him back there," said offensive tackle Adam Meadows, remembering that landmark day in the spring of 1995 when the Bulldogs asked Edwards to carry the ball for the first time. "I thought they were just toying around with him."
Edwards didn't know what to expect, either. He played a little running back in high school, but that was more than two years earlier. He had not played a lick of offense since he arrived in Athens.
"I had no thoughts in the world that I would play run
But the Bulldogs were desperate to find a runner, so they moved Edwards to the backfield for the final week of spring practice. That was all it took for him to earn the starting job.
ning back," said Edwards, an 11-game starter at cornerback in 1994, who ranked second on the team with four interceptions. "I was a defensive back ... I thought that was where I was going to stay until I left."
"I just go out there and run," he said nonchanty,
"find the open hole and try to run through it."
He ran right through South Carolina and Tennessee in the first two games of the 1995 season. In the most dynamic debut for a Georgia runner since Walker in 1980, Edwards rushed for nation-leading 325 yards — 7.2 yards every time he touched the ball — and scored seven touchdowns.
And just like that he was gone. A fractured left foot, suffered in the third quarter of a tie game against Tennessee, ended his season — and Georgia's hopes along with it. The Bulldogs lost to Tennessee on a last-second field goal, finished the season 6-6 and fired coach Ray Goff.
"It was very tough to sit and watch your team play, and you can't be out there," Edwards recalled. "I dwelled on that for about two weeks, then I finally got over it. I took it in and knew there was nothing I could do to change it. I decided to see if my rehab could work toward this point where I'm at now."
What he is now is an enigma.
Even though he has played less than two full games at running back, Edwards was voted to the preseason All-SEC team. Even though he was held out of most of the heavy contact work in practice as a precaution, Edwards is being counted on to transform the Bulldogs from also-ran to SEC power — just like Herschel did 16 years ago.
"Robert Edwards is ready to rock 'n' roll," said new coach Jim Doman. "As I've mentioned on numerous occasions, though, I think before we give him too many accolades, we've got to make sure he does it week after week."
Edwards' teammates are ready to climb on the bandwagon.
"There's no doubt in my mind that if he didn't get hurt last year, he possibly could have rushed for around 2,000 yards," Meadows said. "I really believe that. He's a big strong kid who's got a lot of ability, a lot of speed. A lot of running just comes natural to him."
Said quarterback Mike Bobo, "There is no doubt in my mind, either. Robert Edwards still amazes me every day when we go out there. We can just be throwing the ball around, and you still see the athleticism he has. He's by far the best athlete on the team."
If he can inspire those kinds of words after six-plus quarters, imagine what he could do with a whole season. All-American? Heisman Trophy?
Rice's new contract saves 49ers from losing another star
"I'm not really worried about all that," Edwards said. "I'm just worried about staying healthy and trying to help my team win as many games as possible."
Seven-year deal promises $32 million, signing bonus
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Jerry Rice, the NFL's career leader in touchdowns, receptions and receiving yardage, now has security, peace of mind and a heftier contract to go with the lofty numbers he's put up on the field.
The seven-year pact, worth $32 million, runs through 2002 and replaces a contract due to expire following the 1997 season.
The deal included a $4 million signing bonus.
Rice said coming to terms on the new deal frees him to concentrate on football.
"This is the position I wanted to be in a long time ago. Now it's just football."
Asked how much longer he plans to play, Rice said, "My goal is to finish this contract."
"I don't have to worry about my contract any more. That's behind me," Rice said during a news conference.
Club president Carmen Policy said the contract was designed to keep Rice in a 49ers uniform for the rest of his career. San Francisco has seen such superstars as Joe Montana and Ronnie Lott finish their careers elsewhere and Policy said the organization didn't want to lose Rice in the same way it had lost these others.
Policy made it perfectly clear to Rice and his agent, Jim Steiner, that the
"Whatever happened in the past, whatever the circumstances may have been, however difficult the situation may have developed, we weren't going to allow that to happen with Jerry," he said.
Jerry Rice San Francisco 49ers
organization did not want to even run the risk of having Rice consider the possibility of the free agent market, he said.
Rice said he wanted the same thing. "I can't see myself going anywhere else and putting on a different uniform, and trying to start all over again," he said.
Steiner said the new deal makes Rice one of the top 10-12 paid players in the league.
The 49ers cleared room under the salary cap by reworking the contracts of linebacker Lee Woodall and cornerback Marquez Pope.
Rice, who turns 34 in October, is coming off a record-breaking season in which he caught 122 passes for an NFL-record 1,848 vards.
He enters 1996 with career records for most touchdowns (156), most TD receptions (146) most receiving yards (15,123), most past receptions (942) and most 100-yard receiving games (58) among others.
Rice said the money won't change the way he plays the game.
"I don't think my play is going to decrease," he said. "If anything I think it's going to get better."
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