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MEN'S GOLF Results from the Jayhawks' first tournament. Page3
BIG EIGHT A Lawrence Phillips update. Page 3
SPORTS
U N I V E R S I T Y D A I L Y K A N S A N
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19. 1995
The price is right for free fights
SECTION B
Irish and Italian immigrants used to gather in the back room of a bar to watch. Two men slid around on saw-dust-covered floors and went at it bare-knuckled. The matches went 30, 40, even 60 rounds.
The crowd cheered and jeered as they swilled stout and puffed on penny cigars. The tickets weren't expensive, and the fans always got what they paid for. Bets were won and lost. The fans came from the steel mills, factories, coal mines and construction sites of America. They were blue-collar workers, and boxing was their sport.
Finally, it will be again. Next month's Mike Tyson and Buster Mathis Jr. fight will be FREE! The fight will be aired on the Fox network because of an OK from Showtime, which has a lifetime contract with Tyson. It will be the first major
SPORTS COLUMNIST
heavyweight fight on network television since Muhammad Ali defended his title in 1978.
On a lesser note, former heavyweight champion Larry Holmes will fight Ed Donaldson on USA's Tuesday Night Fights tonight. The Foremanesque boxer will take his comeback try and 61-5 record on the road to St. Louis. While the fight is on cable, it is not on a pay channel.
In the last decade, boxing has become a sport for elitists. It costs a small fortune to view at home, and seats in the arena cost thousands of dollars.
A celebrity roll call is common before the main event. In some cases, it even takes longer than the main event. Boxing definitely hasn't been a blue-collar sport of late.
The Tyson-Mathis fight will coincide with the Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe fight on pay-per-view. I hope the Tyson-Mathis fight will prove once and for all that just as much money can be made on network television.
While the Bowe-Holyfield fight will be a good one, no one in his right mind would pay money to see it instead of the free Tyson-Mathis fight.
The Super Bowl obviously makes money even though it's on network television. The NBA Playoffs, the World Series, and even the U.S. Open also make enough money for everyone involved.
The Fox network is giving back to us regular Joes the sport we've missed for the last 17 years. Boxing is coming full circle and returning to the people. I can't wait for the rest of the boxing world to take note and give us more free title matches.
I realized I haven't watched Julio Cesar Chavez, supposedly one of the best lightweights ever, fight since he won the lightweight belt in 1987.
I hope he won't be as old as Holmes by the time I see him fight on regular television.
By Bill Petulla
Kansan sportswriter
Volleyball team keeps fighting
The Kansas volleyball team staged an unlikely comeback Saturday at the Kansas Invitational.
The Jayhawks went into their match against Western Michigan, their third match in the University of Kansas Invitational, with two wins, coming off victories against Texas-E Paso on Friday night and Cornell earlier on Saturday. But it appeared as though their luck had run out.
"Let's go 'Hawks, side out,
Kansas freshman outside hitter
Laura Rohde shouted from the bench.
Trailing Western Michigan 2-0 in games and by 10 points in game three, many fans filed out of Allen Field House quite confident that the Jayhawks would follow the same losing pattern that has plagued them since 1993 — the last time Kansas won three consecutive games.
But the long faces on Rohde and other players told the whole story. No one stopped cheering, but no one could deny this match was turning into one of the largest let-downs thus far in the season.
With the score at 8-0, Kansas volleyball coach Karen Schonewise signaled for three fresh players to enter the game. She got instant offense from the three as they scored the Jayhawks' first point.
But the momentum was short-lived, and Schonewise called a
"She told us to just chip away at the lead," Kansas sophomore setter Tiffany Sennett said.
After the timeout, the Jayhawks tightened the score to 12-4. Sensing a momentum shift, the Broncos called a timeout. The Broncs scored right after the timeout, putting them only two points away from winning the match.
timeout. Kansas was down 11-1.
But Western Michigan would not score again in the game.
The Jayhawks cut the margin to seven points before Western Michigan called another timeout.
The timeout didn't stop the Jayhawks' momentum, however, as they found gaps in the Bronco defense and tied the score at 13-13.
"I didn't even realize that we were so close until I looked up at the scoreboard, and it was 13-13," Kansas senior middle blocker Jenny Larson said.
Kansas completed its 14-2 run, won the game 15-13 and finished off Western Michigan in the final two games, outscoring the Broncos 30-14.
"This was a very exciting comeback," former Kansas volleyball player and Kansas associate athletics director Bety Stephenson said after the match. "The team showed a lot of character playing Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and two today, and they still came out with a lot of intensity."
Steve Puope / KANSAN
Kansas junior outside hitter Tracie Walt (8) pushes the ball over the net as sophomore setter Tiffany Sennett looks on. The Javahays came back from an 11-1 deficit to win a match with Western Michigan last weekend.
Former Jayhawks are reunited in the NFL
By Robert Sinclair
Kansan sportswriter
Since then their lives have taken different routes, although once again they have found themselves on the same team.
Former Kansas football players Kwamie Lassiter and Chris Maumalanga were both juniors on defense when the Jayhawks won the 1992 Jeep Eagle Aloha Bowl.
The year after the Aloha Bowl victory, Lassiter's senior season came to a screeching halt when he broke his collarbone while playing on the kickoff team against Western Carolina in Kansas' home opener. The NCAA looked at the defensive back's situation and granted him an extra year of eligibility.
Maualanga's senior campaign as a defensive tackle, on the other hand, consisted of team highs for games played (12), sacks (5) and fumbles caused (3). His numbers were good enough for him to be an All-Big Eight Conference first-team selection.
His statistics were good enough for the New York Giants to draft him in the fourth round of the 1993 NFL draft.
"A lot of my memories came in '92, basically just turning the program around," the Hawthorne, Calif., native said. "I still live in Kansas, but I miss Lawrence. I'm trying to do my best to represent Kansas."
Maumalanga still has fond memories of the Aloa Bowl Championship season.
Lassiter finally was given the chance to play out his final year of eligibility as a part of last year's team. He played in 11 games, had three interceptions and five passes broken up. He was named to the All-Big Eight second team.
Although he wasn't drafted, Lassiter made the Arizona Cardinals team this year as an unrestricted free agent.
"Maum — when it was time to play — was very intense. He was a good guy. He was definitely a team player." Rodgers said. "Kwamie had a knack for finding the ball, getting the big hit or whatever. He had a really good change of direction."
Keith Rodgers, senior outside linebacker, had the opportunity to play with both players.
Maumalanga and Lassiter's numbers stack up well against others in the Kansas football record book.
Maumalanga is 10th on the all-time list for career tackles for a loss (19), eighth for tackles (167) and fifth for sacks (10.5). He also is tied for eighth in sacks (5) and 11th for tackles in a single season (77).
"Off the field he was pretty laid-back; he had a pretty good sense of humor," Rodgers said. "I sat at the same table as him one year at the team banquet. He had me laughing the whole time."
However, there was more to Maualanga than his contributions on the field.
In 1992, Lassiter won the Willie Pless Tackler of the Year Award. He is the 11th
After playing for the Glants for one year, Maumalanga was released at the beginning of this season. He understands that's all part of the game.
"My advice is to take care of the things you have control over and not worry about being cut," Maumalanga said. "It was a lot more fun playing in high school and college because it wasn't as much of a business. It's still fun, but not quite the same."
all-time career tackle leader for a defensive back (163). Lassiter is tied for ninth on the career interception list with seven including one he returned 25 yards against Missouri last year.
Last weekend Maumalanga was picked up by Arizona. Now both are playing for the Cardinals and defensive-minded coach Buddy Ryan. Lassiter is playing on the special teams and is listed as second-string at strong safety and right cornerback. Maumalanga is the third-string defensive tackle.
Rodgers is proud of what his teammates have done — especially when he got to see Lassiter play on television in a preseason game against Kansas City.
"It just kind of makes you proud thinking, 'Hey! I played with him. I was on defense with him for three years,'" Rodgers said.
"From what I saw when he played the Chiefs, he did really well. I saw him make three pretty big hits.
Just seeing the 'Lassiter' on the back of his jersey just made me smile.
Former Jayhawks in the NFL (name, position, team and year graduated):
Professional 'Hawks
Dana Stubblefield, DT, San Francisco,
1992
Doug Terry, DB, Kansas City, 1991 Keith Loneker, OT, St. Louis, 1992 Gerald McBurrows, DB, St. Louis, 1994 Kwamie Lassiter, DB, Arizona, 1994 Hessley Hempstead, OG, Detroit, 1994 Gilbert Brown, DT, Green Bay, 1992 Elvis Patterson, DB, Dallas, 1983 Broderick Thompson, OT, Denver, 1982 Chris Maumalanga, DT, Arizona, 1993 Steve Harvey, ILB, Buffalo (injured reserve 1994
Don Davis, OLB, Kansas City (practice squad), 1994
John Jones, OG, Dallas (practice squad), 1994
Cut or waived this year:
Rodney Harris, WR, Dellas, 1994
Sylvester Wright, OLB, Philadelphia, 1994
BRIEF
Walk-on tryouts for baseball team set
New Kansas baseball coach Booby Randall has released information regarding walk-on tryouts.
An informational meeting will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday in the Olympic Sports Film Room, 220 Allen Field House.
Any student with health insurance coverage is eligible to participate. For those without insurance, information on student health plans is available at Watkins Memorial Health Center.
Tryouts will be held at 4 p.m. on Sunday at Houghton-Maurin Stadium.
For more information regarding walk-on tryouts, contact the Kansas baseball office, 864-7907.
Dumped from Haugen staff reports.
Gimme the ball
Members of the Kansas men's rugby club team scamper to get possession of the ball in Saturday's game with Emporia State at Broken Arrow Park, 31st and Louisiana streets. The Jawhays easily defeated the Hornats 49-0.
Kathleen Driscoll / KANBAN
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