SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, December 1, 1993
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NFL adds Jacksonville to roster
Two former NFL cities shut out
The Associated Press
ROSEMONT, Ill.—The NFL took on a distinct Southeast tilt yesterday, selecting longshot Jacksonville, Fla., to join Charlotte, N.C., as its 1995 expansion teams.
"The Southeast is a terrific area for football," commissioner Paul Tagliabue said.
So it will be the Jacksonville Jaguars, the longest shot when the process began, playing in aqua shirts trimmed with yellow sleeves and black spots with an open-mouthed jaguar on the helmet.
They joined the Carolina Panthers, giving the expanded NFL 30 teams, by beating out St. Louis and Baltimore, as well as Memphis, Tenn. St. Louis and Baltimore each has lost teams in the past decade. Memphis was one of the favorites when the NFL first began discussing expansion six years ago.
Charlotte was chosen five weeks ago at a meeting in which the owners couldn't decide on a second team. This time they did decide.
The expansion and finance committees voted in tandem 10-2 for Jacksonville, with Robert Tisch of the New York Glants and Norman Braman of the Philadelphia Eagles supporting Baltimore. The final expansion vote was 26-2, with Braman and James Busch Orthwein of New England, an original member of the St. Louis group, voting against Jacksonville. Tisch's co-owner, Wellington Mara, switched the Giants' vote to the majority.
The Los Angeles Rams, Cincinnati Bengals and the Patriots all have indicated willingness to move. Baltimore is interested in the Rams and St. Louis is interested in the Patriots.
Tagliabue downplayed that possibility.
"We will follow our normal process for moving teams," he said, citing rules requiring owners to show they could do better in a new territory.
The Jacksonville group, headed by Connecticut shoe manufacturer Wayne Weaver, included former President George Bush's son Jeb.
The ownership also includes Deron
Cherry, the former All-Pro safety of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Walter Payton, the NFL's all-time leading rusher, was part of the St. Louis effort.
"How much does this hurt?" Payton asked. "There are no words to describe it. I think Jacksonville was the safest choice they could make. I wouldn't want to get into a situation where I'm going to be in court for the next 15 years."
That, rather than tilting the league to the Southeast, might have been a major factor in the decision. Some owners seemed to believe picking St. Louis and Baltimore would lead to court battles.
St. Louis lost the Cardinals to Phoenix in 1989, five years after Baltimore lost the Colts to Indianapolis.
Experienced Temple looms next for Kansas
By Mark Button Kansan sportswriter
After playing three top 20 teams in their first four games, things are not setting any easier for the Kansas Jayhawks.
Tonight's 8:30 game at Allen Field House poses the No. 3 Jayhawks, 4-0, against the No. 7 Temple Owls, who have yet to play a regular season game. Kansas already has defeated No. 6 California, No. 10 Minnesota and No. 18 Massachusetts, as ranked when they played Kansas.
Temple coach Don Chaney has five returning starters from last year's team that advanced to the final eight of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Michigan. He said that his players do not get caught up in the rankings, especially since this is their first game.
"We have some guys that have been around," Chaney said. "They fully understand that the ratings mean nothing. The basketball season is a long journey. It's not like football when you lose your first two or three games, and you're out. Our long-term goal is to get into the NCAA."
Headlining Temple's returning starters are senior guard Aaron McKie, 6-foot-5 and 247 pounds, and senior forward Eddie Jones, 6-6 and 190 pounds. McKie averaged 20.6 points and almost six rebounds a game last year, and Jones added 17 points and seven rebounds.
Kansas coach Roy Williams said he was aware of Temple's talent, especially Jones'.
"Ireally thought that the two best players at the Under-22 tryouts in Chicago last summer were Eddie Jones and Vashon Lenard," said Williams. "I think what you see is a young man with tremendous leaping ability who can take the ball to the basket and can also shoot the three-point shot."
The two teams are in completely different situations. Kansas, with four games and two exhibitions under its belt, enters the game knowing its strengths and weaknesses. Although its players know each other well and have shared success in the past and in two exhibition victories, Temple has not had the opportunity to prove anything yet this year.
Still, Williams said he was envious of Chaney.
"I'd rather be in John's shoes," Williams said. "Last year we had Indiana at Indiana. They had the NIT deal, and it was our second game. Everyone was saying there is no way you can beat Indiana at Indiana, and I love that. I would like to trade places with John right now because he has the same situation."
The Jayhawks defeated Indiana 74-69 in that game.
Kansas players said they knew that they needed to execute better than they did in Monday night's 98-82 double-overtime defeat against the Australian National team. And, in some cases, they thought the loss helped.
"I think it could help us," said senior forward Patrick Richey. "It knocks us down to reality. We know that we can't rely on last week's success."
Note: It is possible that Kansas might not be able to rely on senior guard Steve Woodberry. Woodberry sustained a knee injury in Monday's game that caused swelling and forced him to sit out of practice last night. Williams, however, said he anticipated that Woodberry would play tonight.
senior guard Steve Woodberry shoots over Gregg Hubbard of the Australian national team. The Jayhawks will take on No. 7 Temple at Allen Field House at 8:30 tonight.
Swim, dive teams head to U.S. Open
By Kent Hohlfeld
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas swimming and diving team will travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., for the U.S. Open Swim Meet, which starts tomorrow.
The meet is an open competition that invites some of the best swim clubs and collegiate teams in the country. The competition also features some of the best high school talent from around country along with several Olympians.
The impact of the team's performance on recruiting possibilities is not lost on Kansas coach Gary Kempf.
"You take a chance. If you go in and do well, you look good," Kempf said. "If you don't, people start wondering what's going on in Kansas."
"Michigan is one of the best teams in the country," Kempf said. "Quance is probably one of the best women's swimmers right now."
He said that the field in this weekend's meet would give the team some stiff competition. Michigan, which has the home pool advantage, will have a strong showing as will Texas and Southern California, which will send most of its team — including Kristin Quance, who is considered one of the best female swimmers in the country.
Senior swimmer Michele Riffel said that going into this meet was a little different than going to an
average collegiate meet.
"It's more individualized." Riffel said. "For me, my personal time is very important in this meet."
She said that the team was at a pivotal point in the season and that a successful meet this weekend could help carry the team into competition next semester. The meet will be the team's last before semester break.
"The U.S. Open allows us to compete against some of the elite competition in the country," Riffel said. "It also gives us an opportunity to see where we are against international-level competition."
Freshman swimmer Erik Jorgensen said that he saw the meet as a springboard for the rest of the year. He said the competition was more focused on the individual performances than the team's previous competitions.
"It's a good way to see how we're doing at the national level," Jorgensen said.
Kempf said that his goal for the team was for them to swim a fast race without lightening the team's practice, or "tapering," for the meet.
Kempf said that because of injuries and slow performances, his team hadn't been seen at full strength. He said that this weekend would be a good chance for his team show what it could do.
"We're going to need some people to step up for us this weekend," Kempf said.
'KU Past and Present scores bowling fame
By Anne Felstet
Kancon shortwriter
Kansan sportswriter
'KU Past and Present' may not have brought fortune to the University's club bowling squad, but it may have brought fame.
Each of the five members of the team paid $100 to bowl in the World Team Challenge Nov. 13 and 14 in Edmond, Okla.
'KU Past and Present' finished third, and out of the money, in the tournament broadcast on Prime Sports Network, cable channel 45 in Lawrence. The tournament was one of 13 qualifying rounds prior to the final tournament to be held in June in Reno, Nev. The winning team in Reno will receive $125,000.
Senior John Colfax, a member of Kansas' bowling team, organized the five-man team, which consisted of past and present bowlers associated with the Kansas bowling team. Colfax asked his coach Tim DeMars, his teammate senior Jay Kriertzer, and Robert Glass, an assistant scientist at the University's Institute for Public Policy and Business Research, to join him on the team.
"Bob is the man about bowling in Lawrence." Colfax said.
Glass was the Kansas bowling coach in 1980 and 1981. Colfax, who works at the Jaybowl, said Glass practiced almost every day at the lanes.
Glass participates in regional professional bowling tournaments on the weekends and in one or two national tournaments a year.
During his Kansas coaching days,
Glass coached the fifth member of the team, Brian Goebel, now a professional bowler.
Glass and Goebel are used to bowling in televised tournaments, but this was the first experience on television for the others.
"The lights were real bright and pretty hot," DeMars said. "I don't know about the others, but I was sweating."
Colfax said the lights were hot, but the silence struck him more than the heat.
"It was eerie being the only one bowling with 40 other lanes empty," he said. "You can't not notice that it's quiet."
Besides having a perfectly still bowling alley, the bowlers had to stop for commercial breaks, and a 25-second shot clock was used to keep the pace moving.
DeMars said the shot clock sped up his rhythm because he had to get ready quicker.
Colfax did not have that problem. He said he glanced at the clock, but ignored it because he knew he did not take that much time to bowl.
Before this tournament, Goebel was the only one who had not bowled with his teammates before.
Colfax said he had met Goebel before, but had never bowled with him.
Despite never bowling together, the team, Colfax said, was happy with the way it bowled.
"Everybody was pleased with their performance," he said. "We got national notoriety for KU and the bowling team."
SPORTS BRIEF
K-State accepts Copper Bowl bid
The Associated Press
The Wildcats, who under Snyder have progressed steadily from one of the worst programs ever, will play Wyoming in the game Dec. 29 in Tucson. Ariz. Kansas State was 8-13 this year and finished third in the Big Eight.
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Kansas State accepted a bid to the Copper Bowl yesterday in a step that Coach Bill Snyder said took his program up another notch.
By contract, the Aloha was required to take the Big Eight's third place team if that team was available and eligible. But the Aloha preferred second-place Colorado, and Kansas State wanted to go to Tucson, enabling more fans to attend the game.
The Copper wanted Kansas State because the Wildcats would bring an estimated 12,000 fans with them, Snyder said.
Junior guard/forward Angela Aycock calls a play while Creighton guard Tracy Landuyt plays defense. The No. 15 Jayhawks will take on the Shockers at Wichita State tonight.
Kin Chin/KANSAN
Jayhawks' No.15 ranking will be Shockers' incentive
By Gerry Fey
Kansan sportwriter
Kansan sportswriter
Two women's basketball teams have something to prove at 7:30 tonight when Kansas plays at Wichita State.
No. 15 Kansas
sively as it
comes off a
shaky 74-68 victory against Creighton Friday, and the Shockers are playing their first game of the season.
No. 15 Kansas must improve defen-
WOMEN'S
BASKETBALL
Kansas freshman guard Tamecke Dixon said the Jayhawks had not played to their capabilities in their first game during the Thanksgiving holiday — even though it was the team's first victory against Creighton's Lady Jays in three years.
"Being that we didn't play well against Creighton, we should take it out on them," Dixon said of the Shockers.
Wichita State has an incentive to defeat the Jawhaws.
"Every team that plays us, as long as we're nationally ranked, will be trying to beat us," said Kansas coach Marian
if it's a chance to measure yourself against a nationally ranked team," she said. "I told my team they have to realize that most of these teams are going to play their best basketball against Kenyon."
Washington. "That's all the incentive you need."
As Kansas goes through the season, the Shockers will not be the only team looking for the upset, Washington said.
Wichita State hopes that holds true.
"I'm excited to have the opportunity to play Kansas," said Wichita State coach Linda Hargrove. "We have great respect for them."
Wichita state hopes that nofits true. The Shockers are coming off one of their best seasons in years, finishing fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 15-12 overall record. They are also returning all five starters from last year, including senior forward Anna Sanders.
Hargrove said the Jayhawks were a little inexperienced, but the Shockers were a young team. Sanders is the only senior on the Wichita State team. Kansas returns four starters from last year, but all four freshmen have seen time on the court, playing more than
10 minutes in each game.
"I really don't consider them young when they have Lisa Tate, Angela Aycock, Charisse Sampson and Ericka Muncy." Hargrove said. "I would never think we have an advantage against Kansas. It may be an advantage that we're playing at home, which is good, but this is our first game, and Kansas is already into the season."
Kansas uses a fast-paced offense, which is dependent on its defense forcing turnovers. Hargrove said Wichita State needed to play well defensively and players needed to hustle back after an offensive set.
"Our transition defense is going to have to be very good," Hargrove said. "We can't allow them a lot of fast-break opportunities."
Despite Kansas' national ranking, Hargrove said, Wichita State would not be intimidated.
"It's not like we're going to be in awe of these nationally ranked teams," she said. The Shockers also will play No. 3 Texas Tech later this season. "We want to eventually get this program to the caliber of these other programs."
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