University Daily Kansan / Friday, December 9, 1988
Sports
9
A disgruntled fan displayed his thoughts about Jim Schaaf, Kansas City Chiefs general manager, during the Chiefs-Jets game Sunday. Schaaf resigned yesterday after he was told that his contract would not be renewed next year. He had been with the Chiefs organization for 23 years.
Chiefs' top staff changes
President, general manager gone in shakeup
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jack Steadman resigned as president of the struggling Kansas City Chiefs yesterday in a front office shakeup that cost General Manager Jim Schaaf his job.
Team owner Lamar Hunt said there might be more changes.
"Pro football is the most difficult business venture I've ever been involved in," he said. "Sometimes you have to make difficult decisions."
Hunt said that the search for a new general manager was under way and that he expected to announce Schaaf's replacement by the end of the month. He said he was looking outside the Chiefs' organization for a general manager.
after. "The person we are looking for will have NFL experience." Hunt said.
Hunt said the new general manager would be given the freedom to assess the entire organization and make changes he felt were needed.
necessary Steadman, 60, has been chief executive officer since the franchise left in 1960 as the Dallas Texans. Other than Hunt, Steadman is the only other person who has been with the organization since Hunt founded the old American Football League in 1960.
Following Kansas City's 1969 Super Bowl victory and an absence from the playoffs from 1971 to 1986, it was Steadman who was the main focus of the media and of fan criticism.
Steadman, who seldom showed his emotions in public, wept and spoke in a broken pattern as he made his announcement at the news conference with Hunt at his side.
"The affect on Jim Schaef is very personal to me," Steadman said. "I feel badly that my career decision has affected Jim's. If I said negativity things don't affect him, that did not affect my decision.
"I haven't been able to provide the kind of time this organization needs. I felt I was cheating the organization, and if I didn't make this decision, I'd be cheating myself."
all responsibility for the Chiefs' financial operations in the new position of board chairman. He also is board chairman of Hunt Midwest Enterprises, which operates amusement parks, mining operations and real estate holdings in the Kansas City area.
Schaaf, whose contract expires in April 1989, had been in the Chiefs' front office for 23 years and was named general manager in 1975. Steadman told Schaaf on November 6 that he not be renewed, and Schaaf decided to leave his post immediately.
Steadman will continue his over-
Two years ago Schaaf, 50, was given control of all football operations for the Chiefs after Steadman announced that he was stepping away from the team's day-to-day operations. Schaaf's first move was to hire Frank Gansz as head coach
Gansz replaced John Mackovic, who coached the Chiefs to their first playoff berth since 1971. Popular with the players as the speculative target, Gansz has come under criticism since taking the head coaching job.
KU to face challenge in national TV game
By Arvin Donley
Kansan sportswriter
Even without Danny Manning, Temple basketball coach John Chaney thinks the Kansas Jayhawks are one of the better college basketball teams in America.
"I think they have as good a team as they did last year," said Chaney, whose team will play the Jayhawks at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Convention Center in Atlantic City, N.J. "They have a lot of weapons (in) that Team Kevin (Kevin) Richard and (Mark) Randall — all those guys are excellent athletes, and they have a lot of talent coming off the bench."
"They've played Missouri and Arizona (in the Tournament of Champions) and those are two teams ranked in the top 15," Williams said. "There are a lot of teams that would be 0-2 against those two teams. At the end of the season, I still think you'll see Temple with 23 or 24 wins."
Game 7
Williams said the Jayhawks must find a way to control Macon if they expect to win.
The Owls lost to 11th-ranked Missouri in two overtimes 917-4 and 10th-ranked Arizona 68-50. In those games, All-American guard Mark Macon scored 30 and 19 points, respectively.
Kansas coach Roy Williams was equally complimentary of the Owls despite their 0-2 start.
"I think he's one of the great offensive weapons in college basketball," Williams said. "There is no way to stop Mark Macon from scoring. What we'll have to do is keep his (field goal) percentage down. The teams that have been the best in the teams that have kept Macon's and (senior forward Mike) Vreeswyk's percentage down."
Having lost three starters — Howard Evans, Tim Perry and Ramon Rivas — from last year's 32-2 squad, they have three sophomores and a freshman.
"I'm not looking for Mark to score a lot of points every game," Chaney said. "Most importantly, he will have to win games with his leadership on the court."
But Macon is expected to do more than just score for Chaney this season.
Chaney said it would take time for the Owls to jell because of their youth.
"It's going to take a little while for our team to grow up," he said. "The key to helping a team measure how we did in the tournament and we like will
Kansas Jayhawks
Coach: Roy Williams
Record: 5-1
Temple Owls
Coach: John Chaney
Record: 0-2
PROBABLE STARTERS
Player Height PPG Player Height PPG
F-42 Mark Randall 6-9 18.3 F-Mike Vreeswyk 6-7 13.0
F-21 Milt Newton 6-4 15.5 F-Shaun Randolph 6-5 4.0
C-52 Sean Alvarado 6-10 5.2 C-Duane Causwell 6-11 9.5
G-10 Scooter Barry 6-4 6.0 G-Mark Macon 6-5 24.5
G-14 Kevin Pritchard 6-3 14.2 G-Michael Harden 6-2 6.0
COVERAGE: Tip-off will be at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow in Atlantic City, N.J. The game will be telecast on NBC (channels 4,27) and broadcast on KLZR 106-FM.
"1
I don't think we've played the kind of competition yet that will let us know whether we're a good team. I think (tomorrow's) game will give us a good indication of where we are as a team.'
Roy Williams Kansas basketball coach
(tomorrow) against Kansas."
(toniorow 7 against Kansas, 5-1, hasn't exactly played the toughest competition in the nation, having defeated two NAIA schools and an NCAA division II team. Williams said Temple would be the Jayhawks' biggest challenge of the season so far.
"I don't think we've played the kind of competition yet that will let us know whether we're a good team." Williams said. "I think (tomorrow)'s game will give us a good indication of where we are as a team."
where we are as a team. The Jayhawks are averaging 95.2 points a game, having passed the 100-point mark twice this season and scoring more than 90 points two other times.
Randall, a 6-foot-9 sophomore, leads the Jayhawks in scoring with 18.3 points per game. Forwards Mike Maddox and Freeman West are averaging 11.8 and 10.5 points, respectively off the bench for the Jayhawks.
Although the Kansas reserves have played a crucial role for Williams this season, the number of eligible scholarship players dwindled to nine this week when freshman guard Sean
Tunstall was found to have not met NCAA bylaw 5-1-(j), also known as Proposition 48.
Proposition 48 is an NCAA bylaw requiring incoming freshman student-athletes to have scored 700 on the SAT exam or 15 on the ACT exam and have a minimum high school grade point average of 2.0. If these provisions are not met, the student-athlete cannot compete or practice with the team and loses that year of eligibility.
Tunstall's former high school teammate, Malcolm Nash, was a Proposition 48 casualty earlier in the season for the Jayhawks. That leaves the Jayhawks with no freshman players on their roster.
All nine scholarship players have played at least 17 minutes in each game for the Jayhawks. Junior Brad Kampschroeder recently was moved up from the junior varsity team, despite having received only limited playing time.
Williams said he was grateful to have nine players who could contribute but he was worried about how injurious the trouble could affect the Jawhays.
"We do have nine solid players." Williams said. "Our problem is if we get an injury or get in a foul trouble situation, it would be nice to have somebody past that first nine to bring in for a couple of minutes."
Temple can empathize with the Jayhawks. Three of the four freshman Manchy brought in were ruled inelegible because of Proposition 48, including 6-foot-10 Donald Hodge, a prize recruit from D.C.
West, Jamison value juco experiences
West, Ja Adjustments hard despite preparation
■ Editors note: This story is the conclusion of a three-part series on junior college student-athlete transfers.
By Mark E. McCormick Kansan sportswriter
Otis Livingston and Joe Young were recruited last year to play basketball at Kansas. Neither is at the University today.
young, from Dodge City Community College, barely had time to learn the campus before he was declared academically ineligible to play and transferred to Washburn University. Livingston, from EI Camino Junior College in San Pedro, Calif., left the team late in the fall after a squabble with former Kansas coach Larry Brown. He now plays for the University of Idaho.
This year's team added junior college transfers Freeman West, from Paris Junior College in Paris, Texas, and Alonzo Jamison, from Rancho Santiago Junior College in Santa Ana, Calif.
While West has contributed scoring and rebounds already this season, Jamison cannot compete because he did not meet the Big Eight Conference junior college transfer requirements.
Despite the problems of adjusting to a larger campus, a larger workload and larger athletic challenges, each maintain that their respective junior colleges adequately prepared them.
"Yes, it prepared us," said Jamison, a 6-foot 22, 650 pound, sophomore. "If you look around these days, you can see most teams have jucy play. You can see what most people think. They just need a couple of years to mature."
"They were two great years," West said. "Coming out of high school, I was really young and immature. When I got to the junior college, it slowed me down a little bit and I started acting like a young adult."
West said his two yeas at Paris were well spent.
"I in dealing with the large crowds, I just tried to put my feelings aside and do what I had to do," Jamison said. "The seniors have helped the most. They tried to help us along with all the tradition newcomers have to go through. Hopefully, when I'm an adult, I'll get to help out everybody else."
Jamison said although he'd adjusted well, it was hard to get used to the crowd size and the increased athletic demands.
Despite the preparation, making the transition hasn't been easy for either of them.
West said he had made steady progress since coming to Kansas.
West, the only Jayhawk newcomer eligible to play this season, said a tougher academic schedule and a move from guarding枪 to strong forward had complicated his adjustment. He said he once considered
At first, it was tough, and it's still pretty tough," he said. "But it's slowly but surely coming around."
"I was thinking about sitting out a year, getting my feet wet a little bit," West said. "But when the going gets tough, the tough get going. I just didn't want to get away from basketball. I love playing in games and I like the competition.
As far as being to go the junior college route, West and Jamison said they had no regrets about their decision.
"I'm not going to give up. I'm going to keep pushing and keep triving till the end."
"I wouldn't change a thing." West said. "I'd do it again, and I'd recommend it to someone coming out of high school who felt like they had taken their education for granted."
Jamison said he was comfortable with his choice to go the junior college route.
sitting out a year.
"If I had it to do over again, I'd probably (still) go through the junior college." Jamison said. "I just wasn't ready to go to a major college. It gives you those couple of years to mature. It's kind of like training wheels."
Sports Briefs
SWIM TEAM RANKED: The Kansas men's swim team was ranked 20th in the country Wednesday by a college coaches poll.
up. Web sat.
Kansas 'only loss this fall was to 10th-ranked Arizona State, 64-49, on Nov. 12. The Jayhawks defeated ninth-ranked Arizona 63-53 the day before.
Kansas assistant coach Brad Wells said the poll was voted on in November, and that after the Jayhawks victory in the Harvard Invitational last week, Kansas should be ranked higher in the December poll.
Kansas defeated 18th-ranked Georgia 876.5 to 780.5 in the invitational, which also included Arkansas. Air Force, Brown, Boston University and Harvard.
"After these Harvard results, I think we'll have the potential to move up." Wells said.
Kansas next swims against Arkan sas Jan. 13 in Fayetteville.
FOOTBALL PLAYERS HONORED
Vaughn finished the season with 39 receptions for 812 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged 20.8 yards a catch and also scored a touchdown rushing.
Senior wide receiver Willie Vaughn, sophomore inside line-backer Curtis Moore and senior defensive back Peda Samuel were the Jayhawks honored.
Samuel made 60 tackles and had four interceptions, one which he returned for a 65-yard touchdown against California at Berkeley.
Three Kansas football players received honorable mention All American yesterday by the The Associated Press.
Moore was the Jayhawks' leading tackler this season with 170, 129 unassisted.
BIRD RECOVERING WELL: Larry Bird said yesterday his recovery
from surgery on both heels was ahead of schedule. Still, he wasn't ready to revisie the projected mid-credit period or for his return to the Boston Celtics.
Bird had surgery Nov. 19 to remove bone spurs that had been irritating his Achilles tendons. Team physician Arnold Scheller said minutes after performing the operation that he made ready to play in three to four months.
"I'm feeling a lot better and moving a lot better than everybody anticipated," he said. "I have some soreness but I feel really good."
"I think I'm ahead of schedule," Bird said in his first news conference since the operation.
ROCKER WINS AGAIN: Auburn defensive tackle Tracy Rocker won his second national award of the week last night when he received the Lombardi Award as the nation's
Rocker, who earlier won the won Outland Trophy as the top interior lineman, won the 19th Lombardi over linebackers Broderick Thurston and Robert Brooks of Alabama and defensive tackle Mark Messner of Michigan.
outstanding lineman.
The Lombardi Award goes to the top offensive or defensive lineman and nonmates can include linebacker detected to enter or "down" linemen.
Rocker, a finalist for the Lombardi last season, paced an Auburn defense that led the nation in scoring defense at 7.2 points a game, total defense at 218.1 yards, and rushing defense at 68.2.
HURST TO PADRES: The San Diego Padres won the Bruce Hurst sweepsptest yesterday, getting the free agent pitcher for a three-year contract worth $5.25 million.
Kansas women find challenge against Gophers
By Ken Winford Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas women's basketball team will attempt to advance to 2-0 against Big 10 Conference opponents when it plays Minnesota at 3 p.m. Sunday in Allen Field House.
The Jayhawks, 4-1, have already defeated Big 10 favorite Iowa this season. Kansas defeated the sevent-ranked Hawkeyes 67-63 in the finals of the Lady Jayhawk Dial Class Saturday in Allen Field House.
Kansas won its third straight game Wednesday night, defeating Wichita State 67-42 in Wichita.
The 3-1 Gophers are also on a winning streak. After losing their season opener 90-77 to Big Eight Conference power Nebraska, Minnesota has strung together victories against Washington State, Radford University in Virginia and Texas & M.
Minnesota defeated TAA&M
79-67 Saturday in the championship game of the Lady Gopher Dial Classic.
Classic:
Kansas coach Marian Washington said the Minnesota inside game would be hard to handle.
"They are a very big and physical team." Washington said. "Because they are bigger, we are really going to have to block out well and keep them off the boards or we could be in trouble."
Point guard Leah Blackwell is the only starter on the Minnesota roster under 6 feet. The 5-8 foot junior leads the Gophers in scoring, averaging 18.5 points a game this season. Blackwell led the team All Big 10 Conference, is averaging five assists a game.
Kansas assistant coach Kevin
Cook said the Jayhawks would watch Blackwell closely.
"She is the key to their ball club," Cook said. "She is a lot like (Kansas junior) Lisa Braddy in that she makes everybody else on the floor better."
Joining Blackwell in the back court is shooting guard Cindy McGraw. The 6-foot senior is averaging 13 points and six rebounds a game.
At one forward spot, the Gophers are at one forward spot, the Gophers are at 6-foot sophomore Ellen Kramer, who averages 14 points and 10.3 rebounds a game.
Jennifer Hall, a 6-foot junior, will also start at forward. She is averaging 14 points and four rebounds a game.
Sue Renner starts at center. The 6-5 junior is averaging 9.8 points and 7.3 rebounds a game.
Cook said the Gophers used their size advantage well.
"They control the boards with their height," he said. "They also are very tough defensively. There's only been one opponent that shot above 40 percent (No less than 35%) to must them this season. It will be a test for us to block out and get position for the rebounds."
Minnesota also has enjoyed a large advantage in rebounding this season. The Gophers are averaging 48.3 rebounds a game, while their opponents are averaging only 37.5 rebounds.
"They are like the Australian (junior national) team in that they hit the boards very hard." Washington said. "We'll try to get into an up-tempo game and see if the can stay with us. It should be a good game."