SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tuesday, October 26,1993
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NFL expansion decisions due today
St. Louis, Charlotte lead list of hopefuls
By Dave Goldberg The Associated Press
ROSEMONT, Ill. — The long wait is almost over.
St. Louis and Charlotte, N.C., are the favorites as five cities await the NFL's verdict on which two are in an expansion franchises. The owners begin meeting today, with a decision expected by the end of the day, said league representative Greg Aiello.
Baltimore, Jacksonville, Fla., and Memphis, Tenn., are the other cities in contention.
The league's first expansion since 1976 will give the NFL 30 teams when the new clubs begin play in 1995.
Given the record of NFL owners on major decisions, though, it could be a longer week than anticipated.
This morning, the league's combined expansion and finance committees are scheduled to recommend its choices. Then the 28 owners will vote, with a city needing 21 votes to be approved.
"I'm not sure we'll be able to get anything done quickly unless we amend the rules for the vote," said Cleveland Brown's owner Art Modell, referring to the three-quarters vote. He suggested a procedure similar to that used in voting for Super Bowl sites, where the city getting the fewest votes on each ballot is eliminated.
But one ranking league official noted that expansion franchises, for which the groups will pay the league $140 million, are a far more important long-term venture than Super Bowl sites. Last time the NFL expanded, the Tampa Bay and Seattle franchises paid $16 million each.
While most cities were set for today's decision, the St. Louis group yesterday ended its search for a lead investor when shopping mall magnate Stan Kroenke took control of the partnership.
Still, St. Louis and Charlotte appeared to be the front-runners, with Baltimore third if St. Louis is rejected. Most owners seem inclined to give one franchise to a city that lost one — St. Louis lost the Cardinals to Phoenix in 1988, and Baltimore lost the Colts to Indianapolis in 1984.
St. Louis also has a $258 million domed stadium under construction and is the largest television market in the nation without an NFL franchise.
Charlotte, meanwhile, would represent a new NFL market, the Atlantic south. It would fill a gap between Washington and Atlanta geographically in an area considered football territory, where an NBA expansion franchise has had success.
But both also have negatives.
Charlotte will play in a stadium where permanent seat licenses have been sold for between $60 to $5,500, a new and unique concept in sports. Until its new stadium is ready, it will play at Clemson, in South Carolina.
The prospective owner is former Colts wide receiver Jerry Richardson, and the prospective general manager is Mike McCormack, who used to run the Seattle Seahawks. Both have ties to the league, which should help.
But Richardson's food-service company owns Denny's and racism charges against the restaurant raised doubts. However, that was defused when the Charlotte group signed a Fair Share agreement with the NAACP.
The Memphis group has been in place the longest and is headed by William Dunavant, a cotton merchant.
Sophomore wins tournament
Slattery makes selection to national tournament
By Anne Felstet
Kansan sportswriter
Men's sophomore tennis player Reid Slattery defeated five opponents and won one match by default on his way to winning the Intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Rolex regional tournament in Wichita yesterday.
In the final round, Slattery defeated Oklahoma's Tomas Janda in two sets 6-4 6-4
Coach Michael Center said Slattery was the first Kansas player to win the tournament in five years.
MEN'S TENNIS
Slattery and Janda advance to the Rolex National Indoors Championships, which are Feb. 3-6.
The national tournament's field consists of the top two players from the eight collegiate tennis regions in the country plus players from an at-large pool. The at-large pool consists of players with the top collegiate tennis rankings. In all, approximately 30 collegiate players will compete in the national tournament.
Slattery had knee problems earlier this year, but that did not affect his performance this weekend. He suffers from patella tracking problems, which causes tendinitis. The condition kept him from practicing two weeks before the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Men's Tennis Championships in Texas.
Center said Slattery had an edge over the competition this weekend because of his solid performance throughout the tournament. Slattery also overpowered the competition on the court.
"He is big, strong and moves real well," Center said.
The national tournament will be Slattery's first national collegiate tournament of this caliber, but he already knows the competition. He said he competed against many of the other players in junior national tournaments.
He said the winner of the national indoor championships would be the player who had the best serve-and-volley game. A player who plays a serve-and-volley game plays close to the net after a serve.
Slattery said he would have a good chance of winning the tournament because he was a serve-and-volley player.
He said that he played his best on an indoor court.
To prepare himself for the national tournament, Slattery said he would continue to train like he had been. He trains throughout the year in hopes of reaching his goal of becoming a professional tennis player.
Center said Slattery's win at the regional tournament was good not only for Slattery but also for the team. He said the team gained confidence in its playing abilities by playing against a national caliber player in practice.
Photo courtesy of KU Sports Information
Sophomore tennis player Reid Statter takes a shot during practice. Statter won the intercollegiate Tennis Coaches Rolex regional tournament in Wichita yesterday, advancing to the Rolex National Indoors Championships in February.
McCartney sees Husker-Buffalo rivalry as norm
By Matt Doyle
Kansan sportswriter
When Bill McCartney became Colorado coach in 1982, he designated Nebraska as the Buffaloees' chief rival. In the last four seasons, the Nebraska-Colorado game has decided the Big Eight's representative for the Orange Bowl.
BIG EIGHT COACHES BRIEFING
The berth for the Orange Bowl will be on the line again when the Cornhuskers travel to Boulder Saturday. Nebraska is 7-0 and 3-0 in Big Eight play. Colorado is 4-2-1 overall and 2-0-1 in conference play
"Rivalries are very good for college football, and this rivalry is very healthy on the field," McCartney said.
However, the rivalry is not healthy off the field. Nebraska fans have accused McCartney of making this game "behind fun" for fans of both schools.
"Nebraska fans are really upset. Their mind set is that the rivalry is not healthy," McCartney said.Nebraska fans took every opportunity to let the Colorado team and fans know they were not welcome in last year's game in Lincoln, Neb.
After Nebraska's 52-7 victory against Colorado last year, Husker fans pelted Colorado players and fans with objects and insults.
Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said the fans' reaction last year was a first-time occurrence as far as he could remember.
"Last year, for the first time, Colorado people came here and were treated poorly," Osborne说. "We've never had a problem like that before. In the past, the fans that left Lincoln were treated well."
McCartney said he hoped that the behavior of the Colorado fans would not be similar to the behavior of the Nebraska fans last year.
Snyder Defends Decision
Kansas State coach Bill Snyder said he had never played for a tie in his five seasons at K-State. But the decision to let Tate Wright kick a 35-yard, game-tying field goal with 21 seconds left in Saturday's game with Colorado was the most difficult decision he has made. Snyder said.
Wright made the field goal to tie the Buffaloes 16-16 in Miahattan.
"It seemed to be in our best interests since our situation with the conference championship and Orange Bowl were out the question for us," Snyder said. "The tie gives us a better chance to finish as high as we could. Our players have had sights set on high goals and bowl possibilities."
K-State needs two more victories to get the required minimum of six victories against Division I-A competition to qualify for a bowl berth.
Oklahoma will replace its 13-year old artificial turf playing surface at Owen Field at the end of this season.
Turf Concerns at Oklahoma
Oklahoma athletic director Donnie Duncan will survey members of the Sooner program at the end of the season on whether they prefer artificial turf or grass for the new playing surface.
Sooner coach Gary Gibbs said a few years ago that he would have preferred to maintain a fast, artificial surface track. But now Gibbs seems to be changing bistune.
"We've certainly played on some outstanding grass fields that are fast tracks." Gibbs said.
If Oklahoma switches to a grass playing surface, they will be the only school in the Big Eight with that type of playing surface. Missouri was the last conference school to play its home games on grass, but changed to artificial turf before the 1985 season.
Viking defense wins 19-12 against Bears
The Associated Press
CHICAGO — The Minnesota Vikings' offense has had trouble putting the ball in the end zone all season. So the defense took over last night.
Audray McMillian returned an interception 22 yards for a touchdown, and the defense forced a fumble to set up a 26-yard touchdown run by Robert Smith as the Vikings beat the Chicago Bears 19-12 to move within a half game of the lead in the NFC Central.
Smith, the Vikings' first-round draft choice, had the best game of his short pro career, gaining 80 yards in 14 carries as the Vikings improved to 4-2 and ended a three-game winning streak by the Bears (3-3). Smith left in the third quarter with a cramp in his thigh.
But it was the defense that did the work for a team that had scored only five touchdowns in it first five games and did little better this time. Jim McMahon was just 14 of 27 for 87 yards before leaving in the fourth quarter with a concussion in his first appearance at Soldier Field since being traded by the Bears in 1989.
In addition to scoring once and setting up the other touchdown, the Minnesota defense sacked Jim Harbaugh eight times, with John Randle credited for 3% sacks.
Jack Del Rio also blunted a final drive by the Bears, who moved from their own 4-yard line to the Minnesota 25 in the last two minutes. With Chicago looking to even the
And when Chicago got close the Viking defense stood fast, forcing the Bears to settle for four field goals by Kevin Butler. One was a 55-yarder, the longest of his 9-year career. Butler was more successful with his feet than his hands — after a Mark Carrier interception early in the third period, he dropped a pass from holder Chris Gardock on a fake field goal.
score, Del Rio intercepted Harbaugh's pass to the end zone with three seconds left.
But the Vikings, who beat Chicago 10-7 in Minneapolis the second week of the season, responded with 10 points in just 30 seconds to take the lead for good.
The first three came on Reveiz '94 field goal at the end of a 60-yard drive. Then, on the second play from scrimmage, Del Rio forced tight end Chris Gedney to fumble after catching a pass from Harbaugh, and Carlos Jenkins recovered at the 26-yard line.
Curtis Conway's 55-yard return of the opening kickoff had set up a field goal by Butler that gave the Bears a 3-0 lead just 2:07 into the game.
On the next play, Smith slashed through the middle and cut left down the sideline for his first NFL touchdown to make it 10-3.
By halftime, it was 13-9, thanks to two more field goals by Butler, including the 55-yarder and a 25-yarder at the end of the half by Revelz.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Injury puts lineman out for the season
Sophomore starting right tackle Mark Allison will miss the remainder of the football season because of a knee injury suffered in the third quarter of Saturday's 38-23 loss at Oklahoma.
Redshirt freshman Scott Whittaker replaced Allison at Oklahoma, but Kansas coach Glen Mason said Whittaker may not get the starting assignment this week at Oklahoma State.
Allison injured the medial collateral ligament in his left knee.
"We're going to play the five best offensive linemen." Mason said on his weekly radio show last night. "We may juggle some
Mark Allison
Volleyball coach names co-captain
people around on the line to get that."
VOLLEYBALL
After losing senior co-captain Barb Bella two weeks ago to medical disqualification, Kansas volleyball coach Frankie Albizt had to choose
She chose senior middle blocker and rightside player Erin Kramer as co-captain. Kramer will assist senior middle blocker Cyndee Kanabel with the duties.
another player for the position.
Albitz said the captains were important because they were the only ones on
Erin Kramer
SPORTS in brief
the team that could talk to referees.
"Iused to have the team choose one of the captains," Albitz said. "I'm choosing them both now. I have to have someone who is assertive and knows the rules of the game. I just thought Erin would do a good job."
Kramer had not seen much action on the court until last week against Colorado and Southwest Missouri State. She led the team in kills with eight and hitting percentage at .300 against Colorado, but Kansas lost in three games. In the Southwest Missouri State match, Kramer had six kills and led the team in block assists with three in the Javahawks' 3-0 defeat of the Bears.
Albiz said that Kramer played well against Colorado, so she left her in the match.
"She's not playing all the time, but no one on this team is," she said. "She handled it well. I think she deserved it."
injury sidelines freshman hitter
she sustained in practice last Tuesday, volleyball coach Frankie Albitz said yesterday.
Kansas lost against Colorado Friday 3-0 butreturned Saturday and defeated Southwest Missouri State 3-0
Karaus was without freshman outside hitter Lara Izkailosi last weekend because of an injury injury
Albiz said lzokaitis' inability to play did not change the team's strategy.
Lara Izokaltis
"If someone else would have went down, we would have been in trouble," Albitz said.
Izokaitis, 5-foot-11 redshirt freshman, played one game in the Nebraska match Oct. 16. The Cornhuskers defeated the Jayhawks in three games.
"It was a shame," Albitz said of the injury. "When I put her in the Nebraska game she looked pretty good."
Izokaitis is expected to return to the team for its match tomorrow night against Missouri in Columbia.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Basketball tryouts Saturday
Tryouts for the Kansas junior varsity men's basketball team will take place Saturday.
The tryouts, which will be held in Allen Field House, start at 9 a.m. and run until noon. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and practice starts at 10 a.m. Tryouts are open to all students. Assistant coach Steve Robinson, who will coach the junior varsity squad, encourages anyone who is interested to come to the tryouts. Those who make the team will play a competitive schedule against junior college teams in the Midwest.
Compiled by Kansan staff writers Gerry Fey, Matt Doyle and Mark Button
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