U.S. OPEN Monica Seles continues her winning streak, Page 4.
BASEBALL An update on Cal Ripken, Page 6.
SPORTS IVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5,1995
Kansas women's soccer team makes history
By Jason Strait
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Sarah Korpi not only put the Kansas women's soccer team back into the game on Sunday, but she also made history.
Kansan sportswriter
In the second half of the Jayhawks' match against Evansville University, the freshman forward broke loose down the right side of the field and fired a 20-foot shot over the head of the Evansville goalkeeper. In the soccer program's first year as a varsity sport, Korpi scored Kansas' first goal.
"It was exciting to score the first goal in Kansas history," she said. "Being down 2-1, I thought it put us right back in the game."
But Korpi's inspiring goal wasn't enough
Kansas lost 5-1.
The Jayhawks, who started six freshmen and five sophomores, were outshot by Evansville 31-5 in a game that saw the Jayhawk defense tested often. Kansas goalkeeper Lisa Pille had seven saves, and sweeter Jackie Dowell, who is the last line of defense on the field, made several key defensive plays. Many of those plays came in the first half, when the Jayhawks held Evansville scoreless.
"Jackie did an outstanding job, and I know that anytime you give up five goals, it's a frustrating thing for the whole defense," Kansas women's soccer coach Lori Walker said.
In front of a crowd of more than 400, Evansville scored early in the second half, scoring consecutive goals in the first five minutes. Korpi scored the first goal in Kansas history
midway through the second half.
Kansas sophomore midfielder Audra Henderson, who was credited with an assist on the play, said the team played better than the 5-1 score indicated.
"Never once did I think we were going to lose," Henderson said. "They scored on a couple of cheap goals toward the end, and the score didn't indicate how close we played them."
Walker was pleased with her team's performance and saw many positive things the team could build on for future games.
"I felt it was an outstanding team effort by everybody," she said. "I thought we saw a lot of great things, especially when we kept the ball on the ground, we gave them a lot of problems on their attack."
Walker said the Jayhawk's performance in the second half was encouraging.
Evansville women's soccer coach Mick Lyon, whose program is in its third year, said Kansas handled itself well.
"At halftime, we talked about using our strength, which is playing on the ground." Walker said. "I think we had the first game jitters in the first half, balls were flying all over the place and up in the air, but once we settled down and got into a rhythm we played much better."
"It is obvious they are not just playing defense and trying to scrape together a few wins," he said. "They had a good, aggressive game plan and executed it well. I think they are probably further along than we were in our first year."
Timmons just keeps on coaching
Former Kansas track and field coach has three keys to success
Carol Thobae / KANSAN
By Adam Herschman Kansan sportswriter
As former Kansas cross country and track and field coach Bob Timmons was walking out of the track office last Wednesday afternoon, Clifford Wiley, a former Kansas track member whom Timmons had coached, walked in.
Timmons smiled. He was surprised to see Wiley. They exchanged greetings and talked for a few minutes. Then Timmons said goodbye and shut the door behind him as he left.
He walked quietly away.
Timmons has been a part of many championships. Kansas won 29 Big Eight Conference titles in cross country and track and field during his career at Kansas, but there is more to this man than his coaching accomplishments, Character, dedication and perseverance describe Timmons better then the awards his teams have won.
Former Kansas track and field coach Bob Timmons keeps an active role in the Jayhawks' program. He began coaching at the high school level in 1950.
Character
Timmons is very reserved when it comes to his coaching feats.
He said that there have been a lot of excit
Oak said, ing things in his career, but it was not for him to say what were his greatest coaching achievements.
"I think I'm just an average coach with highly talented kids. I think we worked hard." Timmons said. "I just shutter to think how little I know compared to some of the young people going into the coaching field now."
Timmons stressed academics as well as athletics and emphasized that it was the athlete's job to get his education, Wiley said.
"He is a top flight individual, his character is second to none," Schwartz said. "They broke the mold when they made Bob Timmons." Radiation
Wiley was a twelve-time all-American sprinter at Kansas. He is now an attorney and works for Kansas as a legal adviser.
Timmons started his coaching career immediately after he graduated from Kansas in 1950.
Timmons is from Joplin, Mo., but grew up in Pittsburg. Kan.
Gary Schwartz, Kansas cross country and track and field coach, was a senior co-captain on the track and field team during Timmons' first year.
He's a numble person," Wiley said of Timmons. "But you know where you stood as far as responsibility and obligation."
However, he did not start coaching at the college level. Nobody helped him get a high-profile coaching job right away.
Schwartz said Timmons was very energetic.
More than a decade of hard work and experience helped Timmons earn a coaching job at Kansas
"I started coaching in 1950, in a little 1-A high school called Caldwell." Timmons said.
Timmons coached for two years at Caldwell High School and then spent a year at Emporia High School.
The next eleven years were split between Wichita West High School, where Timmons spent two years, and Wichita East High School, where he spent nine years.
Timmons spent fourteen years coaching at the high school level, but cross country and track and field were not the only sports he coached. He also coached tennis, basketball, swimming and football.
"They broke the mold when they made Bob Timmons."
In 1964, Timmons got his break. He was hired to be Kansas' assistant cross country and track and field coach by former coach Bill Easton.
"I wanted to come back here, and I wanted to be an assistant to coach Bill Easton, who was one of the all-time great coaches in U.S.
history." Timmons said.
Gary Schwartz Kansas track and field coach
One year later, Timmons was named Kansas 'cross country and track and field coach.
Kansas won many titles during Timmons' long career. Timmons won 13 Big Eight indoor titles and 14 outdoor titles, including winning the NCAA indoor championship title three times in 1966, 1969 and 1970. He also won consecutive Big Eight cross country titles
in 1968 and 1969.
Timmons was also the high school and college coach of three-time Olympian and fourtime NCAA individual track champion Jim Ryan.
But there was a time when Timmons wanted to leave Kansas.
"The student unrest was really bad in the late '60s and early '70s, and I thought about going to the Peace Corps," Timmons said. "I'm glad I didn't go because I wasn't going for positive reasons. I wanted to get away from all the problems on this campus. In the
end I was glad that I didn't leave."
His coaching went beyond sports. He wanted to educate his athletes about life, too.
"I expected them to do their best, I hoped that that could be a way of life. That wasn't just do your best in cross country and forget about the rest. Do your best with whatever you do," Timmons said. "I'm proud of the athletes that I have had an opportunity to coach. Overall I enjoyed KU."
Perseverance.
After coaching at Kansas for 21 years, Timmons decided to retire in 1987.
"At that time, my wife had problems with cancer, and I had some heart problems," Timmons said. "And I just felt like maybe she and I needed to do some things that we had never had a chance to do, and maybe I needed a different approach to life than as a coach."
He has traveled with his wife, Pat, a Kansas graduate, whom he met in college. They have traveled to Africa and Europe. They also went on church missions to China and Mexico.
Timmons, who has four children, has kept himself very busy since he left Kansas.
some poetry, and I've done a little painting." Timmons said.
He works with a youth center in Topeka assisting teenage boys who have been in trouble. Timmons also aids the American Red Cross Disaster Program. He spent time in Puerto Rico to help out after Hurricane Hugo.
immons is involved in community service and other charitable events.
"I've done a little sculpting, and I've written
He still is involved with Kansas' cross country program. He owns Rim Rock Farm, which is the Jayhawks' home cross country course and will be the location of the last Big Eight Cross Country Championships this year on Oct. 27.
Timmons is now coaching cross country and track for junior high students and volleyball at Baldwin High School in Baldwin City.
BRIEF
"I'm not sure how important track by itself is, or any sport," Timmons said. "The byproducts are a lot more important than the sport itself. The byproducts of character development, cooperation, teamwork, hard work, dedication, achieving of high goals and all those things I think influence a person's adult life."
"It's exciting to win the gold medal," Haase said. "We put in a lot of hard work, and now we're reaping the rewards from it."
Kansas Basketball Notes
Seven U.S. players scored double figures, led by Georgetown sophomore guard Allen Iverson's 26 points. The USA team won all seven games it played at the World University Games.
The USA Men's World University Games team won a fourth consecutive World University Games gold medal Saturday by defeating Japan 141-81.
Kansas junior guard Jerod Haase scored nine points and had four assists in 15 minutes. Haase made three of his five three-point attempts.
The field has been set and tickets have gone on sale for the DIRECTV Great Eight in Auburn Hills, Mich. Kansas will play Virginia at 9 p.m. on Wednesday Nov.29.
Volleyball team starts with 1-2 record
The Great Eight features two double-headers, one on Tuesday, Nov. 28, and the other on Wednesday, Nov. 29.
Arkansas will play Michigan State, and Kentucky will play Massachusetts Nov. 28.
Wake Forest will play Oklahoma State Nov. 29.
Compiled by Kansan sportwriter Matt Irwin
"I'm happy with the ending," said Kansas volleyball coach Karen Schonewise, referring to the final day's win. But she said that the team had some areas, including offense, that it needed to improve.
The Jayhawks lost their first two matches against Northern Iowa and Loyola Marymount but defeated New Mexico, which was ranked in the national preseason Top 25 poll.
The Kansas volleyball team went 1-2 last weekend in the two-day Jones Intercable Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M.
Kansan staff report
Kansas opened the tournament against Northern Iowa Friday night. The Jay hawks played competitively in the first game but lost 15-13.
In the second game, Kansas busted out to a 8-5 lead but did not score again, losing 15-8. By the third game the momentum had shifted to the Panthers' direction as the Javahawks lost 15-1.
PAGE 3B
"Our setting was inconsistent, and we stopped moving in the third game," Schonewise said.
"Oursetting was inconsistent,and we stopped moving in the third game."
Karen Schonowise Kansas volleyball coach
Freshman outside hitter Laura Rohde and senior middle blocker Jenny Larson, who was named to the all-tournament team, led the Javahwks with 12 kills each.
Sophomore middle blocker Maggie Mohrfeld dislocated her finger against Northern Iowa. The gritty sophomore, however, remained in the game and finished the tournament with the injury.
In its next match against Loyola Marymount, Kansas seemed to fall apart.
10 kills, was one of the few bright spots against the Lions.
Purkeypile's effort, however, was not enough as Kansas got dropped by the Lions 15-3, 15-9 and 15-4. Kim Blankinship and tournament MVP Sarah Norlega paced Loyola Marymount and finished the match with double digits in kills.
"We needed more offensive fire power," Schonewise said.
Not wanting to end the weekend without a win, the Jayhawks took on the home team, New Mexico, and played what could be considered their best volleyball of the tournament.
Sophomore outside hitter Leslie Purkeypile came off the bench and, with
Kansas beat the Top 25-ranked Lobos 15-12, 15-8, 6-15 and 15-8. Rohde had 10 kills, and Larson scored 20 kills with only 3 errors.
"It was a total team effort," Schonewise said.
But I won't forget. And right now, I'm not smiling either.
Chonewise praised the play of Larson and sophomore setter Trisha Lindgren. She also was impressed with Purkeypile, who might find her way into the starting lineup for next weekend as Kansas travels to Muncie, Ind., to play in the Ball State tournament.
Maybe the Jayhawks and Coach Glen Mason were smiling because they knew that in a couple of weeks, everyone would forget that they almost lost to a team that was 2-8-1 last year.
Wanted: bigger linemen
Saturday's victory brought to light all of the Jayhawks' shortcomings: faltering pass defense, bad play selection (Whoever heard of passing on a team's first six downs? OK Glen, you made your point.) and a nearly transparent offensive line.
Members of the Kansas football team were grinding from ear to ear after Saturday's 23-18 victory against Cincinnati.
But the greatest of these is a nearly transparent line.
SPORTS EDITOR
1
The college football teams that have been most successful during the past several years had mammoth offensive lines. Nebraska's 1994 edition of its offensive line is a prime example. The way to the
national championship was led by 6-foot-5, 315-pound Rob Zatechka; 6-5, 300-pound Brenden Stai; and 6-5, 300-pound Zach Wiegert.
Guys like that can make the difference.
They all turned around and yelled, "Look out!" as the defensive line busted its way into the backfield.
I wonder how many times Kansas quarterback Mark Williams had to scramble out of an ever-crumbling pocket on Saturday. He only got sacked once officially. But the offensive linemen took the "look out" approach.
With Kansas' new emphasis on passing, Williams needs to have time to set up and find a receiver. It's too late for this year, but increasing the size of the offensive line will be key if the Jayhawks hope to continue their pro-style offensive set in the future.
Most of the linemen are about 6-2, with right guard Cleve Roberts and left tackle Scott Whittaker the exceptions at 6-6. Of the healthy linemen, no one tops 300 pounds, and few come within 15 pounds of that.
I have a feeling that Kansas junior running back June Henley is as good as Phillips. Jayhawk fans just will never get a chance to see it, because when Henley gets the ball, he immediately must start sidestepping defenders and trying to create his own seam in the defense.
Now take a gander at the Nebraska offensive line this year. Of the first- and second-stringers, one guy weighs in at 275 pounds, but the rest hover around 290 or 295 pounds. Being 6-4 or 6-5 is not uncommon. It's a rule.
Another luxury that comes with a good offensive line is fewer injuries, especially to the quarterbacks and running backs.
And Lawrence Phillips, Nebraska i-back, is a Heisman Trophy candidate partially because of the line that is blocking for him. When he gets the ball, the line gives him an opening and time to assess the defense.
Yeah, I know Nebraska is one of the nation's best teams, but I think building a top program starts with the offensive line. You don't see quarterback Tommie Frazier (or is it Brook Berringer?) scrambling out of the pocket unless he wants to.
I hate to keep going to Nebraska as an example, but I'm going back to Nebraska as an example. The Cornhuskers don't have to worry about season-ending injuries to a top running back such as Phillips. The linemen probably take a personal interest in keeping him healthy.
That must be a nagging concern for Mason when he goes out to recruit. The Jayhawks have stocked their roster with 11 running backs.
That means that Nebraska doesn't need to recruit so many running backs.
Maybe Tom Osborne uses the scholarship for — oh, I don't know — offensive linemen.