SPORTS UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 1996
Stars battle students in games
PAGE 6A
Rvan Hasler/KANSAN
Jill Grothsen, Scott City resident, returns the ball during a match at Robinson courts on Sunday. Grothsen competed in the mixed doubles during the Sunflower State Games.
Craig Weishar was never so happy after a loss.
By Dan Gelston
Kansan sportswriter
"That was one of the coolest things I've done," he said.
Weishaar, Topeka junior, was a member of the Topeka Heights basketball team participating in last weekend's Sunflower State Games basketball tournament. His team had just been crushed 90-61 in the opening round, but Weishaar was all smiles.
That's because Topeka Heights lost to KU #1; a team comprised of current and former Jayhawk basketball players that included Nicky Bradford, Sean Pearson, Calvin Rayford, Jacque Vaughn and B.J. Williams.
"It was quite an opportunity to be able to play against them," Weishaar said. "Trying to defend these guys is impossible so we're just out there having fun."
Despite all its talent, the KU #1 team lost in the third round to a team called MAC. The Wichita Pacers won the gold.
Famous athletes and ordinary students were part of the opening weekend events.
Basketball, soccer and tennis kicked off the action, and more than 25 sports will start on Friday and finish on Sunday.
The Sunflower State Games is Kansas' largest amateur competition, with more than 7,000 athletes and 12,000 visitors expected to be in Lawrence.
Events will occur around Lawrence, but mostly will be held on the KU campus.
Participating athletes like the events for a variety of reasons.
"I think this is the greatest thing that has happened to the state of Kansas in a long time," said Jack
Last weekend was the first time Bradford, an incoming freshman on the basketball team, played with his future teammates in a competitive
situation.
"It was a good opportunity because we were able to play together," Bradford said. "They're learning about me, and I'm learning about them."
Volunteers are welcome to help in this weekend's events. Anyone interested can call 842-7774. The opening ceremonies are 8 p.m. Friday at Hoglund-Maupin Stadium.
Bradford also shed more light on why he choose Kansas.
up in the attention from the media.
He described Kansas athletes as "real people" who don't get caught
"But I want a ring. I want that championship ring, and I think we can win it all here."
Alliance launches first true football title game
The Associated Press
Granddaddy gave in, and a true college football championship game was created.
The Rose Bowl, a bowl alliance outsider which watched as its classic diminished in importance, completed the national picture picture yesterday when ABC announced a four-year deal to televise a championship game beginning after the 1988 season.
ABC Sports and four conferences announced the formation of a super alliance that brings the oldest of the bowl games, the Rose Bowl, together with the bowl alliance in a system that guarantees a championship game for the next four years.
"This is the super alliance," said Gene Corrigan, commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference. "This is the ultimate, and this is what we really wanted."
Beginning with the 1998 season, the champion will be decided from among the six major conference champions and two at-large selections. The conferences are the ACC, Big East, SEC, Big 12, all from the bowl alliance, and the Pac-10 and Big Ten, until now bound by contract to send their champions to the Rose Bowl.
Coaches heralded the announcement as a giant advance for college football.
John Robinson, whose 1978 team at Southern Cal was forced to share the national title when the AP and UPI polls differed at season's end, said the agreement should prevent similar circumstances in the future.
"This should be something that will be good for college football
and for the fans of the game," Robinson said. "I'm a big fan of the Rose Bowl, but I'm also a big fan of finding a way to crown a true national champion."
Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who has had four unbeaten teams denied a share of the crown, said, "It's always been my contention that teams should have the opportunity to win championships on the field."
Some coaches said they hoped computer rankings would eventually play a role in determining Nos.1 and 2.
Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz said that it was always going to be a judgment call who gets in there, as long as it's determined by voters.
"I hope they allow the computers to enter into it somewhat," he said.
Until the new alliance goes into effect, the Sugar Bowl will sponsor the championship game this year and the Orange Bowl will sponsor it next year. Those games won't include Big Ten or Pac-10 schools, because those联赛 remain obligated to send their champions to the Rose Bowl.
Harriman Cronk, chairman of the football committee of the Tournament of Roses Association, said the Rose Bowl worked out the best deal it could.
"This was a desire on the part of the tournament to satisfy what the presidents of the universities wanted, and that was that they did not want any type of a playoff," Cronk said. "At the same time, they said we would like to play for a national championship."
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