The Akron Beacon Journal from Akron, Ohio • Page 37

1 yr1 SECTION Thursday, March 30, 1978 Akron Beacon Journal ports Fitzgerald tired of KSU ttles Kent State John Sea burn Jf JV Now, perhaps, Dennis Fitzgerald will derive something from coaching football that will be proportionate with what he believes he is able to contribute. And if he gets his wish, he will succeed in doing so without facing such obstacles as student apathy and mounting financial pressures. Fitzgerald, 42, cited those two points Wednesday as major reasons why he resigned as head football coach at Kent State University to become defensive coordinator at Syracuse University. "I have no bitterness toward Kent," Fitzgerald said. "But it is apparent that the school needs (student) support and is struggling with mounting financial problems.

"This is particularly true in the athletic department. And while I could not control that I should not have been able to, as football coach it's obvious that something needs to be done to shore up Kent's athletics. "I have a sincere belief that President (Brage) Golding wants a good and winning program. But I felt that my effectiveness was diminished." FITZGERALD said he believed that because football at Kent takes the biggest bite out of the athletic budget, many students singled out him, his staff and his players as targets of their resentment. "Those students came to believe that the football program and everyone associated with it was living high off the hog.

That simply wasn't so. We constantly made drastic cuts in our finances just to survive, just to keep the program going." Fitzgerald said he often found himself at odds with what he called "the radical element in the student body at Kent State," and said, "I'm a conservative person and people with such radical views on good a job as I could. As a matter of fact, the Syracuse position only recently became available. And I've decided to take it because it offers me a good opportunity." Syracuse head coach Frank Ma-loney said, "Fitzgerald has outstanding credentials for this position, due to his rich experience as a defensive coordinator and head coach. "The position came open through an emergency on our staff.

But Fitzgerald would have been my No. 1 choice anyhow." IT WAS believed that Dennis Fryzel, Syracuse's defensive coordinator, is leaving to accept a position with the Michigan State football staff. Maloney would neither confirm nor deny that. Maloney and Fitzgerald were teammates and later served as assistant coaches at the University of Michigan. Ron Blackledge, Kent's offensive coordinator, said Fitzgerald's decision came as a shock.

"It certainly wasn't expected by anyone, as far as I know," he said. "Fitzgerald had scheduled separate meetings with the offensive staff and players and with the defensive staff and players, but he came in and was gone in less than five minutes. "Later, after he had told us, the coaches tried to let on to the players that it was nothing to get excited about, that we knew all about what was going on. We even scheduled meetings for today, just like usual. "But we didn't know any more than anyone else." KENT Athletic Director Don Dufek said he expected to receive a letter of resignation from Fitzgerald sometime this morning.

"This came as a surprise to me," See FITZGERALD, page C-3 every issue that came up made me uncomfortable." Fitzgerald, whom it was said had displayed weaknesses in recruiting, admitted he did not fare well in attempts to bring in local players. "Sure, we got shut out locally," Fitzgerald said. "But we managed to get some good recruits this year. In fact, they might be as good as any we've had in three seasons." HE DENIED that thoughts of leaving Kent and taking a position with Syracuse had popped up during recruiting, diminishing his effectiveness. "While recruiting was going on, I had no other thoughts but to do as Dennis Fitzgerald Tom Melody Mary Hartman has nothing on Kent State You've heard about how the wife is always the last tS know? Well, at Kent State, the athletic director apparently is the last to know.

When staffer John Seaburn called Dufek Wednesday evening, Dufek said he did not know for sure that the school had lost its head football coach. So Seaburn hung up the phone, walked into the wire room and discovered an Associated Press story saying that "Kent State officials" had confirmed that Fitzgerald had resigned, effective immediately. "Hey, Seaburn yelled to staffer Jim Deren-dal, "I'll trade you even the Kent State beat for the Akron beat, and I'll throw in a case of Excedrin and the rights to that chapter I'm writing for Ripley's Believe It Or Not." "Sorry," Derendal said. "I'll keep Akron. I'm working on a big story about a guy on the rifle team who's allergic to gun powder." OH, WELL, can't blame Seaburn for trying.

Earlier in the evening, he had called Dufek's home and had been told to call back-later; Dufek couldn't come to the phone just then. So Seaburn did and this time he was told that Dufek had gone out to dinner with the basketball coach. Not a bad idea, really. One coach in the hand is better than one on the road to Capital and one on the road to Syracuse. And speaking of roads.

More than ever before, and that's saying something, Kent State seems to be on the road to nowhere in athletics. Maybe they ought to close down the whole sideshow for five years and then start all over again. Could be that by then Chickerella will have decided that he'd rather coach basketball at Kent State than teach positive thinking at Capital. Maybe, too, by then there'll be an assistant football coach at an Eastern school with head coaching experience who is just positive that he can get the job done at Kent State. Why not? After all, stranger things have happened at Kent State.

OK, let's pretend that you have been out of touch for 24 hours. No radio. No television. No morning newspaper. And let's pretend that somebody asked you to name the school that had lost its head football coach less than two weeks before the beginning of spring The guy had given no warning whatsoever.

Just walked into the assistant coaches' offices and said something close to, "See you guys; I'm going to Syracuse." VINCE CHICKERELLA at Capital University? No, couldn't be. He's a basketball coach or at least he used to be. Stan Albeck? No. He's a basketball coach, too. Somewhere.

OK, one more chance. Syracuse? Hmmmmmmmm. Something familiar about that. Don Dufek? No, no, no. He's the Kent State athletic director.

But you're getting warm. There's talk that he was at Syracuse not long ago seeking to become its athletic director. Since you're getting close, you get one more chance. Of all the schools in the U. S.

of where is something like this most likely to happen? Kent State? Right-o. Dennis Fitzgerald? Right-o. BUT DONT expect any rewards for your deduction. Indeed, you deserve a kick in the head for needing four chances. For only at Kent State could such an absurd thing happen.

This thing belongs on the comic pages. Stay tuned to Doonesbury, Animal Crackers and B. C. Dufek? Well, he's going to stay tuned to his favorite radio or television station (might even pick up a newspaper, too) until he finds out whatinthebleep happened. Beacon Journal photo bv Ted Walls North Star goalie Pete LoPresti stops a shot by Mike Fidter of the Barons Barons don't remember how to act after victory In win over Giants Clyde impressive for Tribe PHOENIX, Ariz.

UP) Cleveland Indians pitcher David Clyde says he is "a million miles ahead of where I was at mid-season" after pitching six shutout innings against the San Francisco Giants in an exhibition game here Wednesday. Clyde, 22, who was a losing pitcher last season with the Class AAA Tucson Toros, led the Indians to a 6-2 victory over the Giants. "I'm keyed up, but I'm controlled," Clyde said about his pitching. "I've learned how to relax." The young pitcher had one tense inning the second when runners were on first and second bases and he walked opposing pitcher Ed Halicki on four straight pitches to load the bases. Because the game was played in the Giants' park, National League rules were enforced.

That meant no designated hitter for the pitcher. CLEVELAND manager Jeff Tor-borg rushed to the mound after Halicki went to first. "Come on, David, loosen up," Chock Arnason Meloche felt the shot by Minnesota's Glen Sharpley had struck the top post of the goal and hadn't gone in, but referee Alf Lejeune disagreed. Meloche protested and drew a two-minute penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, which led to the Stars' second goal by Tom Younghans on a power play just 41 seconds later. "That first call fired us all up," said Meloche, "and we started running at them." Arnason said that unlike in other games there was no panic on the Barons' bench at the quick turn of events.

"We knew," he said, "this was a team we had a good chance to beat and we knew we just couldn't let it slip away." INDEED, instead of folding as they have done so many times in the past, the Barons regrouped and with some of their finest passing in months shelled Minnesota goalie Pete LoPresti for goals by Jean Potvin, Walt McKechnie, Smith and Bob Murdoch in the remainder of the period. And when Dennis Maruk banged home his 31st goal of the season after 17 minutes of the third period to give Cleveland a 5-2 lead, the Barons started counting their many stars on this most happy night. Arnason got top billing off his two late goals, which gave him five in the Barons' last two starts and 12 in the club's last 12 games. But he had to share honors with McKechnie, who set up both of Arnason 's wrist shots with centering passes, Smith and Potvin, who played with unaccustomed Baron gusto on defense, and Maruk. The latter set a personal season high in the NHL with his 31st goal.

It was only Maruk's second goal in 19 games, but both have come in the club's last five outings as he continues to shake off a shoulder injury which had silenced him. With five games remaining, the little Barons star still has a chance at the club season record of 34 goals set by Norm Ferguson in 1968-9 under the California Seals banner. MELOCHE, who turned back 31 shots after Minnesota's early explosion, said, "Maruk's goal was the clincher for us. I think we all felt we had it at 5-2 and Lord knows, we sure as heck were overdue." Evans looked at it differently, however. "When the score got to 7-3," said the Baron mentor wryly, "I kinda started feeling it might be our night." The Barons will have little time to savor success.

They visit Buffalo tonight, move on to St. Louis Saturday and return to face Chicago at 3 p.m. Sunday with youngsters getting a free By JACK PATTERSON Beacon Journal Staff Writer RICHFIELD The Barons' dressing room was uncommonly silent. At a moment when the club should have been in ecstasy, the players stood around as if stunned. "It's almost as if we lost," said Dennis Maruk.

"We don't know how to act." Someone told goalie Gilles Mel-oche to smile in the wake of the Barons' 7-3 conquest" of Minnesota, which ended a club-record 15 consecutive winless performances Wednesday at the Coliseum. "I've forgotten how," said Mel-oche sheepishly. "How long has it been (since the Barons have won)?" asked Chuck Arnason, voted star of the game for a two-goal, one-assist effort. "A couple of months?" ACTUALLY, it had been 40 days and 22 games, dating back to Feb. 17, since the Barons had savored victory.

And a crowd of 5,345 gave them a standing ovation at the game's end. If the Barons were slow to realize the magnitude of their accomplishment, Cleveland coach Jack Evans was not. "I'm going to enjoy everything tonight," said the long-suffering Evans. "My beer, my sleep, everything." Perhaps what left the Barons so groggy when they should have been happy was that Wednesday's game started out like so many others in their nightmarish famine. The North Stars scored two goals in the first 79 seconds of play and defenseman Greg Smith, who would later star in the Barons' comeback, seemed to speak for the whole club as he recalled the moment.

"I looked over at Chief (Barons' captain Jim Neilsen) and sighed, 'God, this is gonna be another long said Smith. Instead, the Barons were to roar back with four first-period goals to take command and go on to score their most goals in a game since Jan. 21, when they buried Colorado 9-4. Meloche and Arnason felt Minnesota's two quick goals actually gave the Barons incentive, particularly the first, which was disputed by Meloche. Trade rumors heat np Paul visits Red Sox BRADENTON, Fla.

UP) The long-rumored trade to the Boston Red Sox of Cleveland Indians' righthander Dennis Eckersley Torborg said. "You're aiming the ball. Let it out." Later, Clyde said he was "trying to throw the ball right down the middle." He got out of the spot with a long fly ball and retired nine of the next 10 players he faced. "If I can get by the first or second inning, I'm OK," he said. Cleveland general manager Phil Seghi got Clyde as an extra when he traded for Willie Horton from Texas.

Torborg said the loss of pitcher Jim Bibby, who signed with Pittsburgh as a free agent, has especially weakened the staff. "But this could change very easily with another performance like David Clyde had today and like Rick Kreuger had yesterday," Torborg added. SAN FRANCISCO came in with a three-game winning streak. Halicki, scheduled to open the season for the Giants on April 7, left the game in the seventh inning with a slight muscle pull on his left side. But trainer Joe Liscio said he should be back to normal in a few days.

The winning Indian run came on a single by Rick Manning in the sixth inning that drove in Larvell Blanks, who had tripled to score Johnny Grubb. Giants outfielder Jack Clark singled in the eighth inning to drive in his 16th run of the spring. The Giants are 13-7 and the Indians 9-10. was given added momentum here Wednesday. Gabe Paul, the Indians' new club president, and Boston General Manager Haywood Sullivan huddled behind home plate throughout the Red Sox' 6-0 exhibition baseball victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Neither had any comment, but it was obvious that Paul had not made the long trip from the Tribe training camp in Tucson, for a mere vacation. Sullivan would only say that he was to meet with manager Don Zimmer and the Red Sox coaches later. Eckersley, 24, was 14-10 last year. Collegian turns down Barons RICHFIELD The Cleveland Barons have failed for now to sign All-American Mike Eaves of the University of Wisconsin. Barons' general manager Harry Howell said the college star has turned down a multi-year contract offer from the Barons and will not turn pro this season.

Eaves said he will play for Team USA in the World Cup tournament in Czechoslovakia next month. Howell said he will attempt to sign Eaves this summer, but he knows the World Hockey Association Edmonton Oilers have also expressed interest in signing him. Eckersley The Indians reportedly wanted rookie third baseman-first baseman Ted Cox, the International League's top hitter last year, young pitchers Mike Paxton and Bob Stanley, and at least one other player from Boston in exchange for Eckersley. Other players mentioned are veteran righthander Rick Wise and rookie catcher Bo Diaz. Mm..