Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 27

Reno Evening Gazette Wednesday, January 7, 198127 COLLEGE BASKETBALL 28 HOW THEY STAND 29 LOCAL BRIEFS 30 NBA ROUNDUP 30 Sports Chargers lead ADD iro pocks By BRU LOW1TT Writer AP Spo -v- titer jfoJL vV Fred Dean and tackle Gary Johnson. Winslow caught a league-high 89 passes for. 1,290 yards, Jefferson had an NFL-high 1,340 yards on 82 receptions and Joiner added 1,132 yards on 71 catches. That made the Chargers the first team with three receivers in a season. Along with Fouts, whose 4,715 yards passing shattered the record of 4,082 he set a year ago, the other second-team All-Pro Chargers are defensive tackle Louie Kelcher and place-kicker Rolf Benirschke.

The American Conference, which once again dominated interconference play, placed 16 players on the first team to 9 for the National Conference. The NFC had 14 second-team selections to 11 from the AFC. The Pittsburgh Steelers. the NFL's defending Super Bowl champions who failed All-pro, page 28, col. 1 NEW YORK Tight end Kellen Winslow and wide receivers John Jefferson and Charlie Joiner of the San Diego Chargers, who caught more than 1,000 yards in passes apiece to set a National Football League record, were named today to The Associated Press All-Pro Team for the 1980 season.

Cleveland's Brian Sipe, whose league-leading passing was instrumental in the Browns' resurgence, was selected The AP's All-Pro first-team quarterback. He beat out Dan Fouts, the Chargers' record-breaker. In all, San Diego had eight players on the first and second teams in the balloting by 84 sports writers and sports broadcasters, three from each NFL city. The other two Chargers starters are on defense end TV jr vJP A -4 JOHN JEFFERSON Charger wide receiver Sipe caught off guard by MVP award By CHUCK MEL VI AP Sports Writer quarterback, and I considered it a great honor just to be playing. Now, they're calling me the most valuable player in the league.

"I'm still a little bit caught off guard by it all." The 31-year-old quarterback, statistically the NFL's No. 1 passer in 1980, earned 47 of the 84 votes cast by a nationwide panel of sports writers and sports broadcasters, three from each NFL city. Houston running back Earl Campbell was a distant second in the voting with 22 votes. Philadelphia's Ron Jaworski and Atlanta's Steve Bartkowski tallied four each, and San Diego's Dan Fouts had three. No one else received more than two votes.

"I feel that' when a quarterback is recognized for something like this, the whole team is being recognized," said Sipe. "I hope everybody around me realizes that this, belongs to them, too." The 13th-round draft choice out of San Diego State was on the Browns' taxi squad his first two pro seasons and became a starter only after Mike Phipps was injured early in the 1976 season. He said it is no coincidence that his development as a quarterback has paralleled the rise of the AFC Central Division champion Browns. "There were some unsettling years Sipe, page 28, col. 3 CLEVELAND He was rdrely caught off guard by a blitzing linebacker, but quarterback Brian Sipe says he was entirely surprised by the latest post-season award to hit him.

The heart of the Cleveland Browns' celebrated passing attack, Sipe was named the National Football League's Most Valuable Player by The Associated Press on Tuesday. "This is one I had never anticipated," Sipe said. "It seems like just a little while ago I was fighting for credibility as an NFL AP file phoio was named the league's leading passer, Cleveland's Brian Sipe, Most Valuable Player. Sports digest Jefferson-Hayes a 'classic matchup' SAN DIEGO (AP) It's a made-in-heaven matchup, pro football's version of Bjorn Borg-John McEnroe, Magic Johnson-Larry Bird, and Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier. This time, it's the flair of John Jefferson against the finesse of Lester Hayes.

A national television audience will view Round 3 of the duel Sunday when the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders meet in the American Conference championship game. The game will be televised locally on KCRL, Channel 4 at 2 p.m. At stake in the showdown is a Super Bowl berth. "It's a classic matchup," said Jefferson, the Chargers' acrobatic wide receiver who led the National Football League with 1,340 yards in receptions on 82 catches. Hayes, the Raiders' All-Pro cornerback, was the NFL interception leader with 13, the most in 28 years.

He's added four in the playoffs, with two each in Oakland victories over Houston and Cleveland. Jefferson won Round One on Sept. 14 with a leaping catch for a 24-yard touchdown pass against Hayes in San Diego's 30-24 overtime victory. On the play, Jefferson fell several yards short of the end zone after catching the ball, then literally rolled into the end zone when Hayes failed to touch him. Hayes got a measure of revenge in Round Two on Oct.

12 when Oakland scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns in an 11 -second span for a 38-24 triumph. "You'll be watching probably the best wide receiver of this year against the best cornerback," said Jefferson. Both are Texas natives and are best known for their one-on-one skills. Jefferson, a native of Dallas, was a city sprint champion and Hayes, who grew up Raiders, page 28, col. 1 Quotebook 'If we traded Earl Campbell, my house would be burned and I'd have to get out of Ladd Herzeg, Oiler General Manager Campbell wants out; Bum talks to Saints HOUSTON (AP) Bum Phillips hasn't exactly ridden quietly off into the sunset since being fired last week as head coach and general manager of the Houston Oilers, but All-Pro running back Earl Campbell would like to.

Campbell, who earned a reported $500,000 under a renegotiated contract this season, has asked new Oiler General Manager Ladd Herzeg to renegotiate his six-year pact again. Herzeg has replied with an emphatic no "under any circumstances." The circumstances could lead to a "pay-me-or-trade-me" demand according to Campbell's agent Witt Stewart. Meanwhile, there is considerable speculation that Phillips has accepted the head-coaching job with the New Orleans Saints. Phillips, fired after taking the Oilers to the playoffs three straight years, met with Saints owner John Mecom Tuesday to discuss the job, a team spokesman said. Although no accusations have been at least one official of the Oilers believes there may have been some tampering (by Phillips) involving assistant coaches.

1,800 watch Carson win By RAY HAGAR Shortly Baseball Three seasons ago, a basketball game at Hug High School was a good place to take a nap. There were almost as many fans in the stands as players on the court. The coach, George Shoenberger, preferred road games so his team could play in front of a crowd. After the 1977-1978 season, Shoenberger exited and Steve Weist arrived. During his first year, Weist's team also played to no-show home crowds.

But as the former University of Idaho player returned the Hawks to a Northern Nevada power, people began taking interest. Tuesday, the Hug gym looked like a basketball hotbed as an overflow crowd of 1,800 crammed in to watch the Hawks battle two-time Northern AAA champion Carson. Carson won the league-season opener in overtime, 56-54, but anyone could notice the change in atmosphere. Hug opened the show with spotlight introductions of its players, patterned after Nevada-Las Vegas. Hug's run-and-shoot offense and fourth-quarter comeback were just as entertaining.

Add Hug's unique cheering section "The Bleacher Creatures" and loud pep band and you can see why watching basketball has become fun at Hug. Sure, people wonder how Hug landed so many talented transfers since Wejst arrived, but he has established one of the winningest programs in Nevada. Despite the loss to Carson. Hug has a 7-3 record. The JV team is 6-1 and the freshmen are undefeated at 7-0.

"This has become a very tough place to play," Carson Coach Pete Padgett said. "You've got to give Steve (Weist) a lot of credit. All the teams in the program are strong." Added Hug JV coach Tim Fuetsch: "Coach Weist is just a salesman. People come to the games because they know it'll be exciting." The Hug gym was full of excitement Tuesday, as the Hawks scored 19 points to Carson's six in the Carson, page 29, col. 1 FRANK ROBINSON, who served as major league baseball's first black manager for years with Cleveland, is one of the top candidates to fill the vacant manager's post in San Francisco.

But the 45-year-old former star outfielder, who met with Giants' owner BOB LURIE for two hours on Tuesday, said he's not going to hold his breath over the prospect. "My name has been tossed around every time a managing job opens up, but nothing ever happens," said Robinson, who was fired from Cleveland in 1977. He is now the first-base coach for the Baltimore Orioles. Pitcher GAYLORD PERRY, a 42-year-old free agent just 11 victories short of 300. will try to reach that baseball plateau as an Atlanta Brave, his agent said Tuesday.

ALAN HENDRICKS said that the veteran right-hander has reached agreement with the National League team on a one-year contract. Gazette photo by Marilyn Newton Hug's Damon Ingram knocks the ball loose from Bruce Barnes' hands into the waiting arms of teammates Taggart Martinez (43) and Skip Luckadoo Tuesday night during the Hawks' game with the Carson Senators. The Senators won in overtime. The management of the Cleveland Indians says there's no "for sale" sign planted outside the club's offices at Municipal Stadium. A deal that would have given a 60 percent interest in the baseball club to a syndicate headed by New Yorker JAMES NEDERLANDER and Califor-nian NEIL PAPIANO fell through on Tuesday, and principal owner F.J.

O'NEILL said he intends to return to business as usual. Idaho favorite to lead Big Sky Skiing Sweden's INGEMAR STENMARK clocked an overall time of 3:06.26 to score a solid victory Tuesday at Morzine, France in the men's World Cup giant slalom, the speciality he has dominated since 1975. Swiss teen-ager JOEL GASPOZ wound up second overall in 3:06.77. less than five percent JC transfers." In the Big Sky, 23 out of the 40 starters (57.5 percent) are transfers. Forty-seven out of the 107 players on pre-season rosters (44 percent) are junior college transfers.

And 55 percent of the new recruits are JC transfers. The influx of new players has given the Big Sky a different appearance. And the ly ranked in the top 20 in the nation. "Teams would get in there for a cup of coffee but we were a legitimate 15th or 16th all season," Weber State Coach Neil McCarthy said. That Weber State team had a 26-3 record and won the conference title with a 13-1 record.

The Wildcats won't be the dominant team this season, however. Weber State has fallen on hard times an has a 3-10 rec- By FRANK DELL'APA Lumberjacks. Backwoods basketball. Wide-open spaces and close-to-the-vest games. These images of the Big Sky Conference die hard.

A Ron Boone, Willie Sojourner, Michael Ray Richardson or Gene Ransom every once in a while isn't enough to dispel thoughts of "second-rale" basketball. Until last season, no Big Sky team had ever been "When I was back East, I basically thought the Big Sky had the stereotypical big, farmboy white kids," said NAU Coach Joedy Gardner, who was formerly at West Virginia. "I don't think that stereotype holds true." However, the Big Sky does not get the "best" players. "In the "better' conferences, there are more freshmen," UNR Coach Sonny Allen said. "You go to JC players for immediate help.

Tjhe ACC has ord going into the first conference games of the season. There will be two games Thursday (Weber State at Idaho and Idaho State at Boise State) and two games Friday (Nevada-Reno at Montana and Northern Arizona at Montana State) as the Big Sky begins its 18th season. Big Sky coaches feel that while their conference can't compete with the Big Ten, for instance, it deserves more respect than it gey. i Auto racing The British-made eight-cylinder Cosworths engines, the turbocharged power plants that have been dominating Indianapolis-type auto racing, will be banned by NASCAR beginning in 1982. Big Sky, 28, col.

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