OLYMPIC UPDATE
The 1996 Olympics are almost in the black. Organizers say the Atlanta Games are less than $15 million away from the $1.7 billion needed to break even. Still, several substantial bills and a few lawsuits will eat up some of the money. The Olympic stadium also must be reconfigured into a baseball field for the Atlanta Braves. The lawsuits pending include a claim by the Olympic stadium's designers for nearly $4.5 million in overtime work. Atlanta organizers have countersued for $6 million.
Atlanta1996
alleging that the designers must pay to fix design flaws. Organizers also insist there is enough cash in the bank to cover the outstanding bills, with more coming from auctions, royalties on licensed goods and final payments from sponsors.
SPORTS
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
DID YOU KNOW ... ?
The World Series champions NEW YORK YANKEES set a payroll record at $61.5 million this year, but baseball salaries remained stagnant, according to a study done by baseball management's Player Relations Committee. Milwaukee had the lowest payroll at $11.7 million, the lowest total for a major league team since Cleveland's $9.3 million payroll in 1992.
Despite a wrist injury that will keep him sidelined for the first part of this season, Kansas senior guard JACQUE VAUGHN was named to The Associated Press' All-America preseason team yesterday. Tim Duncan, senior center from Wake Forest, was the lone unanimous choice for
MEN'S BASKETBALL
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1996
them on the preseason All-America team were Utah forward Keith Van Horn, who was named on 63 ballots; Cincinnati forward Danny Fortson, 60; and Stanford guard Brevin Knight, 43. Vaughn was named on 47 ballots.
SECTION B
Fast BREAKS
Ineligible Texas Tech guard to play despite NCAA ruling
LUBBOCK, TEXAS — A judge's ruling has cleared the way for Texas Tech offensive guard Casey Jones to play the rest of the season, despite being ruled ineligible by the NCAA for academic shortcomings.
State District Judge John McFall signed a temporary injunction against the NCAA, which declared Jones out of action Aug. 30. McFall set a hearing on the matter for the first week of February, a month after the senior's college football career will have ended.
The NCAA could appeal. However, Jones probably would have played through the rest of the season and possible playoff competition by the time an Amarillo, Texas, appellate court would have ruled.
he has played in Tech's last three games against Nebraska, Texas A&M and Texas.
Jones missed the first six games before McFall issued a temporary restraining order against the NCAA on Oct. 17.
The NCAA disqualified Jones, a fifth-year senior, because of an eligibility question related to its "75 percent rule." The rule requires student athletes to have three-quarters of their courses completed toward a major by the ninth semester.
FBI may investigate player accused of tackling referee
GALLUP, N.M. — A high school principal says the FBI is debating whether to get involved in the case of an 18-year-old football player accused of tackling a referee who ejected him from a game.
If convicted of the felony charge, Jefferison could face up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
The teen, Gilbert Jefferson, was arraigned on Tuesday before McKinley County magistrate Karl Gillson, who set bond at $1,000 for the Wingate High School linebacker and running back.
Jefferson faces charges of battery on a school employee or aggravated battery on a school employee. A spokeswoman in Gillson's office said a preliminary hearing might be scheduled for Nov. 21.
Wingate High School principal Adam Bull said the FBI might get involved because the school was a Navajo boarding school operated by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Jefferson is accused of tackling referee Allen Bainter during a football game between Wingate and Crownpoint High School on Friday.
Bull said he had talked to an FBI agent in Gallup about the jurisdiction question but that no decision had been reached.
San Francisco mayor apologizes for remarks about quarterback
Brown said he was not aware of Grbac's personal problems involving Grbac's son, who suffers from spinal bifida, when he made the comments to reporters in a tele-conference on Tuesday.
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown apologized for calling Elvis Grbac an embarrassment to humankind because the 49ers backup quarterback committed costly turnovers in an overtime loss to Dallas.
"I'm sorry, frankly, that Elvis went through that," Brown said. "I'm sorry that I caused Elvis any pain. I don't know whether or not he will accept the apology or whether or not he will forgive me, but I hope he will."
Grbac said he had not been mentally or physically prepared for the game against the Cowboys because he and his wife had been worried about the condition of their 9-month-old son.
Grbac called Brown's criticism off-the wall and said the remarks probably had been made in haste.
"I don't understand how he can really criticize what we do on the field," grbac said. "The only people I can get criticism from are my coaches and the guys that I play with."
The mayor's remarks came in response to a question about whether the French would help invest in a new stadium for the 49ers.
-The Associated Press
Women's coach aims high
By Tommy Gallagher Kansan sportswriter
The lanky, 26-year-old man who hits one ball after another blitzkrieg-style to members of the Kansas women's tennis team could easily be mistaken for a player.
But he is a coach.
Roland Thornqvist was named the Kansas women's tennis coach on Oct. 17.
"This job is like a dream come true," Thornqvist said. "Kansas is impressive because it has an excellent academic tradition with an outstanding athletic department. I just feel privileged to be a part of it."
Academics and athletics have always been an important combination for Thomqvist, who left his native Sweden after high school in November 1989 to come to the United States. He said he moved to the United States because it was the only country in the world where he could receive a college degree while playing the sport he loved.
As a freshman at Elon College, a National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics school in North Carolina, Thornqvist led the men's tennis team to the NAIA national championship in 1990. He also won the national championship in singles, where he was 37-0, and doubles as he earned a plethora of honors for his accomplishments.
He was named the NAIA's National Rookie Tennis Player of the Year, National Tennis Player of the Year and MVP of its national tournament. NAIA also awarded him a national sportsmanship award.
He transferred to North Carolina after his freshman year and was an All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection the final three years of his college career. He also became the first Tar Heel ever to win a collegiate grand slam event — the Rolex
National Indoor singles championship — in 1993, and he was awarded the Rafael Osuna Sportsmanship Award in 1992 and 1993.
After graduating in 1993, he spent a year on the pro circuit before he decided to become a coach.
"The lifestyle of the touring professional didn't suit my lifestyle," Thornqvist said. "I had recently been married to a grad student, and I didn't want to leave her alone for 35 weeks of the year. Besides, coaching always appealed to me as a career to pursue when my playing days were over."
Thornqvist returned to North Carolina in 1994, where he was an assistant coach for the men's tennis team for three years. Although being young has its advantages, Thornqvist said that sometimes it was difficult to coach players whom he had competed with a year before.
Thorngvist learned how to run an NCAA tennis program from North Carolina men's tennis coach Sam Paul, who said that his former assistant would be remembered for his accomplishments away from the court.
"Roland is well-known around these parts for the player he was, but he's better known for his attributes as a person," Paul said. "Winning national sportsmanship awards three of four years in college speaks volumes of the kind of guy he is."
Kansas and Drake University in Iowa pursued Thornqvist this fall for coaching jobs.
Thornqvist said he wants to turn kansas' program, ranked No. 19 nationally, into a perennial national power.
"I want to make Kansas women's tennis into a top-eight program, year-in and year-out," he said. "We have the ability to be a powerhouse here in Kansas and, hopefully, that time comes sooner than later."
Roland Thornqvist, the new Kansas women's tennis coach, said his newly acquired job was like a dream come true. Thornqvist became coach on Oct. 17 and said he hoped to help the team become ranked in the top eight nationally.
Chris Hamilton / KANSAN
Haase choosing shots carefully
Senior guard had seven assists in season opener
By Evan Blackwell Kansan sportswriter
Jerod Haase found one sure way to alleviate his shooting woes in Tuesday's season opener.
He just didn't shoot.
Technically, Haase was 2-for-4 from the field, but the senior guard on the Kansas men's basketball team didn't throw a three-point shot in the Jayhawks' 115-80 victory against Geelong, Australia.
Haase shot just 29 percent from the perimeter last season. His struggle last season has become the focus of speculation this season.
"I enjoy looking at the stat sheet and seeing my assist/turnover ratio." Haase said of his six-point, seven-assist and one-turnover performance. "I enjoy seeing that high-shooting percentage for the team, and I enjoy the win."
The same questions asked last season about Haase's perimeter shooting came up after Tuesday's game, even after the Jayhawks shot 56 percent from the field.
Kansas coach Roy Williams said Haase's shot selection was part of the team's strategy this season.
"He's (Haase) really taken it to heart about trying to get the great shot, get the ball to the basket," Williams said. "We want to get the ball to the basket and not be content just to shoot the first three-point shot you look at."
"He'll get a little more into it, and he'll find that comfortable spot," Williams said. "He's taken in a little bit too far right now, but I think it's much easier to release some of that later than it is to pull back right
Although Williams said he loved Haase's patience in the season opener, there was at least one time when Haase should have shot from the perimeter.
Kansas senior guard Jerod Haase lays the ball in Tuesday night's game against Geelong, Australia. The Jayhawks shot 56 percent from the floor and defeated Australia 115-80.
Haase said he did not intend to make drastic changes, especially if the Jayhawks continued to play as they did on Tuesday.
now."
"It's going good right now. I haven't been told to fire away or anything." Haase said. "I think the team's confident about getting the ball inside, so that's what we're going to do."
Athletic revenues and expenses
Results show that the revenue for University men's sports greatly exceeds the revenue for University women's sports.
SPORT REVENUE EXPENSES
Football $4,026,122 $2,276,911
Men's Basketball 4,271,535 778,253
All Other Men's Sports 25,418 1,093,265
Unallocated 158,649 3,131,727
Total Revenue-Men 8,481,724 7,280,156
Women's Basketball 112,038 579,229
All Other Women's Sports 17,105 1,631,852
Unallocated 81,581 332,294
Total Revenue-Women 210,724 2,739,369
Noah Musser/KANSAN
Athletics provide equity at Kansas
By Cameron Heeg Kansan staff writer
The University of Kansas finished first in the Big 12 Conference in one of the toughest athletic struggles every school faces: gender equity among athletes.
Kansas has 246 female athletes and was the only university in the Big 12 to have 200 or more, according to reports from the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act.
The act requires every NCAA university to provide information about gender equity, including the number of athletes, recruitment and operating expenses of the various athletic teams.
Kansas State, Baylor and Oklahoma State reported fewer than 100 female athletes. Kansas State and other universities blamed the gender gaps on large football squads, which can exceed 100 players.
"There are disparities in numbers concerning football, but it is a matter of commitment to women's athletics," said Bob Frederick, athletic director. "Starting the fiscal year of '92, we made a major commitment to achieving equity in our athletics program. We are in the second year of a five-year plan that will allow us to be equitable in every area."
The 99 football players at Kansas were balanced by establishing the rowing and soccer teams, which combine for a total of 82 female participants and increase the number of women's teams to 10, compared to eight men's teams.
The Athletic Department and the University have kept their commitments, increasing the women's athletic budget from $1.4 million to $3.4 million since 1992.
Amy Perko, associate athletic director,
See EQUITY,Page 4B