MAGIC JOHNSON
Powerful drugs have reduced the AIDS virus in MAGIC JOHNSON's body to undetectable levels, but the basketball star isn't cured, his doctors said.
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN SPORTS
In an interview Friday night, Johnson said he believed his good health was a result of prayers by friends and family and his faith in God.
Johnson, 37, played for the Los Angeles Lakers.
7. played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1979 to 1992. In November 1991, he announced he was HIV-positive. He coached the team for the final 16 games of the 1993-94 season and came out of retirement to play the second half of last season before retiring permanently.
WASHBURN PLAYER GOING PROFESSIONAL
Washburn forward DAN BUIE gave up his senior year to enter the NBA draft.
The 6-foot-8 Bule, scored 24.4 points a game and averaged 9.2 rebounds for the
Ichabods in 1996-97
Bule, 25, had said previously that he was having financial difficulties.
WOODEN AWARD
MONDAY, APRIL 7,1997
Wake Forest center TIM DUNCAN, who averaged 20.8 points and 14.7 rebounds this season, won the 21st annual John R. Wooden Award, which goes to the male college basketball player of the year.
The 6-foot10 senior was a runaway winner,
receiving 4.764 points.
Horn finished second.
Horn finished second with 4,017 points followed by Raef LaFrentz of Kansas with 2,870. Ron Mercer of Kentucky with 2,840 and Jacue Vaughn of Kansas with 1,956.
Redskins owner dies of cardiac arrest at 84
WASHINGTON — Jack Kent Cooke, the flamboyant entrepreneur who entertained celebrities in his Washington Redskins box, died yesterday. He was 84.
The NPL owner was pronounced dead shortly after noon, said Merle Goldberg, spokeswoman for George Washington University Hospital. Cardiac arrest was the preliminary apparent cause, she said. Cooke had been taken to the hospital yesterday morning after complaining of chest pains.
During his 23 years as majority owner of the Redskins, Cooke's team won three Super Bowl titles.
"Nobody's going to write a book about me 50 years from now because nobody's going to find anything worth writing a book about," Cooke told The Associated Press in the spring of 1995.
This mind set helped Cooke brush aside those who raised eyebrows over his scandal-sheet personal life and his abrasive public persona in pursuit of becoming one of the most successful sports team owners in modern American history.
Brazilian driver breaks leg in crash at Indy Car race
Fittipalli was trapped inside his car after the accident, in which he was clipped from behind by de Ferran. Medical and emergency officials removed Fittipalli from the car after about 10 minutes.
Race announcers estimated that Fittipaldi had been traveling at about 150 mph at the time of the accident.
SURFERS PARADISE, Australia Brazilian driver Christian Fittipaldi broke his right leg yesterday when he was involved in a spectacular crash with Gil de Ferran on the second lap of the Australian Indy Carnival Indy Car race.
Fittipaldi, with an oxygen mask over his face, was conscious when he was taken by stretcher to the trackside hospital. After being stabilized, he was taken to a hospital where he was scheduled to undergo surgery last night for a compound fracture to his right leg.
SECTION B
Parts of Fittipidi'i's car flew around the track at the end of the straight-away at the start of the second lap with bouncing tires coming dangerously close to going over the wall and into the spectators.
Bull-riding champ grabs victory despite injuries
LAS VEGAS — Terry Don West won $287,500 in the Wrangler Bull Riders Only World Championship Saturday, scoring 91 points aboard Wooly Bully.
West, of Hennyetta, Okla., won the event two nights after he sustained a concussion, deep facial cuts and a slipped lower-back disc when Bana-narama pinned him against the back of the chute.
West won a Bull Riders Only record
$409,123 this year.
Shane Thurston was the only other rider to make the whistle in the third round. He hung on to Nitro to win $162,500, pushing his season earnings to $211,673. Defending champion Justin Andrade failed to stay on Switchblade but still finished third with winnings of $117,933.
West, 31, has won four major bull riding titles, including the 1985 and 1991 International Pro Rodeo Association crowns and the 1996 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association championship. His latter title came in the National Finals Rodeo at Las Vegas' Thomas & Mack Center.
Three years ago, West, his wife and sons Chance, 12, and Trey Don, 5 months old, were living in a single-wide trailer on seven acres. They recently purchased an 80-acre ranch.
—The Associated Press
Geoff Krieger / KANSAN
'Hawks mess with Texas
First baseman Shannon Stanwix reaches out for a pitch in the first its double-headers this weekend, beating Texas A&M on Saturday and game of Kansas' double-breaker against Texas A&M. Kansas won both then sweeping Texas yesterday.
Softball team wins weekend double-headers
By Matt Woodruff Kansan sportswriter
The only thing lower than the chilly weekend temperatures was pitcher Sara Workman's ERA.
Workman started all four of Kansas' two double-headers during the weekend, completing three of them and giving up just six runs in 25 innings.
The team won 3-0 and 8-1 against Texas (21-16) yesterday and defeated Texas A&M (22-21) on Saturday 4-2 and 7-4.
Kansas, ranked No. 25 in the CNN/USA Today Softball Poll, is now 26-12 overall with an 8-0 record in the Big 12 Conference, trying them with No. 12 Missouri (32-8) for first place.
Kansas had to battle the weekend weather as well as its opponents, but coach Tracy Bunge said that had given Kansas an advantage.
"I don't think Texas was too used to playing in the cold, so I think it really had a negative effect on them," Bunge said. "It's hard to keep your concentration when the wind is blowing like this, and when it's cold, it makes things worse. We probably dealt with it a little bit better than Texas did."
Yesterday's first game turned out to be a pitcher's duel between Workman and Longhorn pitcher Christy Guidorizzi with Kansas scoring all three of its runs off of Longhorn errors.
Two of those runs came in the bottom of the second inning.
First baseman Shannon Stanwix led things off with a triple that hit the top of the Jayhawk Field right field wall.
It was followed by shortstop Michelle Hubler who drew a walk
after smashing a ball that the wind blew foul before it cleared the outfield fence.
Two batters later, centerfielder Julie True grounded a shot to Longhorn third baseman Robyn Krieg.
Krieg mishandled the ball allowing Stanwix to score and Hubler to advance to third.
True was caught in a rundown between first and second while trying to steal, allowing Hubler to come home for the second run.
Kansas added the third run in the bottom of the sixth when Hubler doubled, scoring Stanwyk who also reached base on an error.
Workman said the team had played well defensively.
"We've been playing really well on defense and offense," Workman said. "Pretty much everything is coming together."
In the second game Kansas scored eight runs as pitchers Workman and Christy McPhail gave up just five hits and one run in seven innings.
**SOFTBALL:** Box score of Kansas' second game against Texas, Page 6B.
second game against Texas, Page 6B.
Workman pitched a pair of complete games Saturday against the Aggies, giving up five earned runs in 14 innings and striking out 10 batters.
Catcher Kristina Johnson and third baseman Sarah McCann led the way, combining for five hits and five RBI.
Holland was 5-for-8 at the plate with two runs, two RBI and a double. Johnson was 3-for-6 with two runs and an RBI.
"Kristina Johnson was on the ball hard, and Hubler was on the ball probably as hard as I've seen her all year," she said. "She hit one foul ball out there that might still be going. And I can't say enough about the job that Shannon Stanwix is doing. For a freshman, she's doing a super job just pounding the ball."
Bunge credited the middle of the batting order for its strong hitting over the weekend.
KU baseball scores in Big 12
Jayhawks win two of three over Baylor, move to fourth in league
By Harley V. Ratliff
Kansan sportswriter
With the Big 12 Conference baseball season halfway over, the Kansas baseball team moved into fourth place in the Big 12, winning two of three games against the Baylor Bears this weekend at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium.
"Two out of three in this league is a positive for sure," shortstop Joe DeMarco said. "Baylor is a solid team—they took two of three from Texas and two of three from Texas A&M. These were two good wins."
Kansas won both games of Saturday's doubleheader, 10-9 and 8-7, before falling to the Bears 7-2 yesterday afternoon.
However, Baylor, aided by four Kansas errors, posted six runs in the sixth to take an 8-16 lead. Both Baylor and Kansas added runs in the seventh. With Baylor ahead 9-7 in the eighth, Jayhawk second baseman Andy Judy led off the bottom of the inning with a single to center field. One out later, catcher Josh Dimmick walked. After another out, right-fielder Les Walrond came to the
After Friday's game was postponed due to rain, the Jayhawks got off to a quick start on Saturday jumping to an early 6-2 lead.
Shortstop Joe DeMarco turns to throw for a double play after getting the out at second. Kansas played Baylor in a three-game series over the weekend, winning both games of a doubleheader on Saturday but dropping the last game yesterday.
Geoff Krieger / KANSAN
BASEBALL: Jayhawks beat Baylor, see box score. Page 6B
Walrond, a hard-hitting left-hander from Tulsa, Okla., smacked a dramatic three-run home run into gusty winds over the right field wall to give the Jayhawks a 10-9 lead.
plate with two out and two on.
His home run proved to be the game winner, as Kansas reliever Josh Wingerd recorded his fifth save of the season by shutting down the Bears in the ninth inning.
"I've been kind of struggling this year. Coach Randall just wanted me to work and try to hit the ball to the opposite field," Walron said. "It's amazing how you can pull the ball when you're trying to hit it the other way."
Walrond said his intentions at the plate were simply to get a hit and keep the inning alive for the Jayhawks.
Kansas continued the dramatics in the second game of the doubleheader. After building a 7-4 lead with three early home runs, two by Juday, Kansas appeared to have a comfortable lead heading into the ninth inning.
However, the Bears managed to tie
the game 7-7, sending it into extra innings.
After squandering two possible scoring chances in the ninth and tenth innings, Kansas finally broke the tie in the eleventh.
Baylor pitcher Jason Jennings started the inning by hitting Dimnick. After a wild pitch advanced Dimnick to second, the Bears intentionally walked Jayhawk pinch-hit Shane Wedd. With one out and two on, first baseman Chad King, who had been held hilft in the
The Baylor left-hander cruised through the game, allowing just two runs on eight hits and picking up his conference-best seventh win of the season.
series, knocked in Dimmick with a double down the right field line.
Wary of the Jayhawks take many, heroes on Saturday, Baylor pitcher Kris Lambert made sure Kansas never had a chance yesterday. Lambert, regarded as one of the best pitchers in the Big 12, diced up the Jayhawk hitters all afternoon.
Kansas diving coach resigns
Fearon wanted more control over program
Kansan sportswriter
By Kelly Cannon Kansas sportwriter
Kansas diving coach Don Fearon resigned from his position after eight years with the University of Kansas.
Fearon said that he had been considering other options besides coaching since January 1996.
"I am thank-
"I am thankful for the opportunity to work eight years and to build the best p r o g r a m Kansas has ever seen," he said. "But in the course of eight years, my beliefs and philosophies
Don Fearon
Fearon was an assistant coach under swimming coach Garv Kempf.
have changed, but my position did not. I wanted more responsibility of overseeing the dive team."
The NCAA allows for diving coaches to be in head coaching positions but leaves the decision up to the individual universities, Fearon said.
"My position is considered an assistant coach," Fearon said. "The issue is not just institutional. There was a lot of talk at the NCAA championships among the diving coaches about the struggle to have autonomy to run a diving program. I would say 95 percent of the programs are set up with the diving coach as an assistant position."
Kempf said that Kansas only wanted one head coach.
"This is a swimming and diving program," he said. "The University only wanted one head coach, and I was named that 20 years ago."
Fearon was under a one-year contract to coach, which was supposed to run out in June.
"The department allowed me a leave of absence," Fearon said.
Fearon was named Big Eight men's diving coach of the year three times and the women's coach of the year four times while at Kansas.
Last season, he coached Michelle Rojohn to the NCAA championship in the three meter competition.
The athletic department is already looking for a new diving coach, Kempf said. He said the deadline for applications is April 14.
"The only way I would return to collegiate coaching is if I had full responsibility and autonomy," he said. "By being able to make decisions that I think are best for the diving program."
Fearon is exploring many options for the future, including starting his own diving program in the Kansas City area.
Diver Christian Paschall said she understood Fearon's decision.
"We're upset and sad that he is leaving," she said. "But we know that he is not happy. We know that if he goes elsewhere, he will be happy, and we want him to be happy."
Although it is currently the offseason for the diving team, the divers are spending eight hours a week doing strength training and running. Fearon said.
In the end, Fearon said it was a personal decision to leave.
"The position remained the same. It was me that changed," he said.