Indiana Gazette from Indiana, Pennsylvania • 22

Page 22 Wednesday, July 14, 1982 (gatttte NCAA slates tourney NFl owners asc current contract fo be extended er, did not like the offer. "We certainly felt we-would get a far better response," Donlan said after presenting the package. The owners' pay proposal, a $50,000 minimum salary for a fifth-year player and $30,000 for a rookie, is far less than-than $140,000 for. fifth-year players and $75,000 far rookies that the players want. The proposal also reduces the amount of compensation a team would have to give for signing a vet-; eran player who had played out his option with another club.

A new club signing a free agent for (80,000 would give up a third-round draft choice to the club losing the player, rather than a first-round pick required in the current contract.The first-round draft choice level under the proposal begins at $1 10,000. The players claim the current compensation levels are so high that they restrict free agency. Only one player, Norman Thompson, changed teams in five years through the compensation system provided for in the current pact. Pay for each postseason game would be increased in the management offer. Players would receive $30,000 for winning the Super Bowl rather than the current $18,000 for a total of $56,000 in postseason money, an increase over the current $35,000.

The owners' proposal does not address the issue of players receiving 55 percent of the clubs' gross income in salaries and benefits. "We have no intention of bringing in a proposal that is based on the NEW YORK (AP) A request by National Football League club owners that the current contract be extended beyond Thursday's deadline was being considered by union leaders as the two sides met for a second day in a row. Jack Donlan, executive director of the NFL Council and the club owners chief negotiator, said if there is no extension, no unsigned player Wtll be allowed into training camp. Donlan said at last count there were 99 rookies and 71 veterans who had not been signed. The Baltimore Colts witl be the first team to open camp on Friday, with the others to open next week.

Union negotiators made no immediate response to the extension request and said it would be discussed at today's session. Ed Garvey, the union's executive director, said as he understood management's position, unsigned veterans could agree to accept a team's latest offer, or HQ percent of last year's salary, even after the July 15 deadline and still attend (raining camp. Rookies could also accept a team's last offer after July IS and report to camp. "But aU the players have to have signed contracts before they start working out," Garvey said. The team owners at Tuesday's session, the first in more than a month, presented a package of proposals for a new contract.

Management offered to liberalize the game's free agent system, increase both minimum salaries and postseason pay and provide improved insurance benefits. NEW ORLEANS (AP) The 1987 NCAA Division I basketball championships will be played in the Louisiana Superdome where a record attendance was set when they were played there last spring. record attendance figures and receipts were evidence of the committee's belief that the 1982 championship was the best in NCAA history' said Dave Gavitt, chairman of the basketball committee, which also picked Kansas City for the 1988 finals. The announcements were made from NCAA headquarters in Mission, following the committee's meetings in Sun Valley, Idaho. Cliff Wallace, general manager of the Superdome, said the selection should answer any lingering questions about how well college basketball goes over when played in a big stadium.

More than 61,000 watched last' spring's Final Four at the Super-dome, in which North Carolina edged Georgetown for the college basketball crown. The previous record for a college basketball game was 52,693, set at the Astrodome in 1968. "One of the reasons we're so delighted, the tournament came in here last year with a lot of reservations on the minds of a lot of NCAA officials and particularly a lot of the NCAA coaches," Wallace said. "It's a psychological thing about big buildings. They're afraid of losing intimacy." At a pre-tournament press conference, bath Georgetown coach John Thompson and North Carolina coach Dean Smith expressed reservations about playing in such a big arena.

"I talked to both of Ihem at a re-. cepttonatSun Valley, and they were both delighted," Wallace said. "We, here at the building, wanted the challenge. We wanted to convince them the big building would work," Wallace said. "Awarding the Superdome the 1987 championship signifies the ex- cellent manner in which the Super-, dome administered the 1982 cham-pionship and reveals the acceptance of the superstructure concept by the.

National Association of Basketball Coaches," said Gavitt The basketball committee also disclosed a new format, which will trim four automatic conference qualifiers from the 48-team field to force eight conference champions to play a pre-tournament elimination round. The pre-tournament elimination MID-SEASON CHAMP Marion Center Speedway's Dave Ports, left, presents Ernest's Gory Pease with the Mid-Season Championship Trophy, of the Late Modrl DtvistoQ at the track. Pease won the Late Model division race this past Sunday. Marion Center Speedway runs Limited Late Model cars. The track will feature go-kart racing at intermission on its regular Sunday night cord this coming week.

(Wakefield photo) PIAA enrollment switch fosters Districts chang es gross," Donlan said. "We say the current system works. We don't see any reason to scrap the entire sys Flayers representatives, nowcv- tem. Al ADercromoie to ciaim free-agency after 1 5th and won four Utile 12 Conference titles in that also coached Jim Kelly, who is a Heisman Trophy candidate at Miami (Fla.) this coming Punxs'y Chuck head cage coach Les Shoop will join Erie Prep's Bill Flaherty and Clarion's Mike Dolecki as staff members at the annual ECC Fundamental Basketball Clinic In St. Marys this Bradford High School- has rehird Ed McGuire and his staff of sue assistants despite the Owls' 0-10 grid mark last Warren High School has fired veteran mat coach Lee Chew, who ran the program for the past 13 had an PITTSBURGH (AP) Unless he However.

Argovitz contends that Eric Asel, one of the best young golf- ers ever to come out of the Jefferson County area, has won a berth in the U.S. Junior Amateur Golf Championships which will be played in Carmel, Ind. on July 17, won the berth with a 78-77-155 total in the U.S. Amateur qualifier at the Pittsburgh Field Club last in the week, he quali- fied for the ISA Youth Classic, which will be played at Penn State on July 19... Mike Huffman, the Redbank Valley mat star who won the PIAA Class AA championship March, has turned down several offers to wrestle in college and will apparently pass up higher education for at least this apparently was eyeing Clarion State, but Bob Bubb pointed out that he has already gotten letters of intent from five state champions and four place winners, and will have several top matmen vying for each weight class this Brockway's Alan Speicher, who now reportedly tips the scales at 275, is doing quite well for himself in college athletics.

Alan was named to the All-Conference team while playing for Independ- ence (Kan.) Junior College last fall and was also the co-captain of the Independence tennis team this new coaches have been named to the Elk County Christian staff. Included is Mark Curtis, a native of Pumcsutawney and a former Chuck serve as head cross country coach and assistant basketball coach for the named were Jim Herzing who will coach the ECC wrestling team and Joan Rush who will be the girls' basketball coach there next The PIAA recently voted for a change in the classification of enrollment for high school sports. As far as we Can determine, there will be few changes in District ft as a result of the most recent PIAA move. One change that may be. noted, however, could come In boys' basketball.

Elk County Christian may drop under the minimum figure of Class AA and be allowed to participate in the Class A playoffs. The new criteria is not total enrollment in the top three grades as in the past, but in a breakdown in the enrollment ef boys and girls. ECC, in its early registration figures, will have 206 boys, two below the minimum figure. Brock way, according to projections, will be in the Class A ranks for both boys and girls basketball, while St. Marys will remain safely above the Class AAA cutoff.

Another possible change would see Ridgway move up from Class A to Class AA for basketball, depending on the final enrollment figures this fall. In wrestling, the PIAA guidelines will class schools with 319 boys and above in Class AAA and 318 and below in Class A-AA. No changes in District Nine are anticipated in the mat sport. SHORT-SHOTS Coaching changes are about the only scholastic news items of interest in the area at this mid-summer junctureTerry Henry is coming back as head coach of the East Brady football program after an absence of two years! Henry, who gave up coaching at the varsity level following the tragic death of a player, had a 53-10-2 record at Brady in seven seasons. By DAVE PUTNAM the expiration of the union agreement will free all unsigned rookies to bargain as free agents with the te a ms of their choos ing Argovitz has retained attorney Jerry Tockman to test that argument in court.

"It's my opinin that whether it's July 15 or not, individual contract negotiations can continue," said Tockman. "We feel that if those players are unsigned after the 15th, they will become free agents and, are available to the 28 teams In the league. Meanwhile, Abercrombie and the Steelers continue negotiating. Last week, the 511, 201-pound speedster rejected a four-year contract offer reportedly worth about $1.2 million. Argovitz said-the offer by Steeler President Dan Rooney included a three-year loan of $300,000 at 4 percent interest.

"The biggest problem with the last offer is not the salary but the repayment of the loan," said Argovitz. "With taxes he would have to pay and the repayments, he wouldn't have much money for investments." Abercrombie was in St. Louis Tuesday to meet with Argovitz and Burrough. comes to terms with the Pittsburgh Stealers by midnight Thursday, No. 1 draft Walter Abercrombie apparently will claim free-agency.

The July 15 deadline coincides with the expiration of the bargaining agreement between the National Football league Players Associa- tionand the league. is going to give the Steelers one last time before the 15th to; make a new offer," said Gene Burrough, an assistant to Houston sports agent Jerry Argovitz. Vlf that offer isn't satisfactory, then Walter will take part in a national press conference on the 16th add 17th in which several unsigned players and several agents will discuss their situations," Burrough told the Pittsburgh Press. -Argovitz also represented Keith Gary, the defensive lineman from Oklahoma who was the Steelers' No. I draft pick last year.

Gary chose to sign with Montreal of the Canadian Football League. -Abercrombie, who is from Baylor University, is among 14 first-round picks in. the NFL who have not agreed to contract terms. -The NFL Players Association says unsigned rookies will be unable to, attend training camp and will not be able to negotiate individually after the union contract expires. contests will pit the Midwestern City Conference against the ECAC Metro South and the Ivy League against the East Coast Conference in one doubleheader.

In another double-header, the ECAC North will play the Mideastern Athletic Conference, and the Trans-American Conference will play the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The winners will join 20 other conference champions or post -season, tournament champions as automat' ic entrants in the tournament. The other half of the field will be made up of at-large entries. Tom Hansen, an. NCAA spokesman, said the committee will review the respective strengths of each conference every year to determine which ones must play in the pre-tournament elimination round.

The games will be played at neutral sites. overall record of 86-81-6 but was 2-11 and 1-10-1 over the past two campaignsJohn Egli, who died recently, had a fine career as cage coach at Penn State, leading the Lions to both NCAA and NIT post-season area fans will remember Egli as a player for the old DuBois Chevies in the JC Basketball Smith, the Nebraska Cornhusker backfield star who has been the news recently for reporting that he was offered a $30,000 bonus by, John Hadl to come to the University of Nebraska, played his high school football at Wichita Southeastern High School under Denny Cavalier, the former Brock-way Rover grid star. MORE SHORTS Brookvffle's Area race track action examined, reviewed of the season in the Sprints. The second was Bob Wearing winning his 501st career feature in J. Merle Smith's Modified and the third was Lynn Ceisler winning his first Cochran Pontiac Mid-Season Championship in the Late Model division.

Sharing the winners circle was Gary Pease, along with Rodney Beltz in the Six Cylinder finale. Kevin McKinney dominated the Street Stocks final event Bedford July 9.. The Bedford Speedway hosted its third race of the "Super Summer Series" last Friday night, Jim McBee of Orrtanna, Pa. won the 50-lap Late Model feature that had been postponed on June 4th, and Dave Kelly took the 20-lap URC Sprint main. McBee doubled for the evening, as he won the 50-1 ap Late Model Outlaw show- McBee's win came after Kenny Brightbill was disqualified when his car was found to be 136 pounds too light.

Racing will continue at the Bedford oval on August 20 with the URC Winged Sprints making their final appearance of the 1982 season. Also, the Super Late -Models will join the URC Sprinters in a 50-lap Late Model Outlaw duel. Jennerstown Speedway It was test-paced action that kept the fans glued to their seats at the half-mile ova, Kevin Co), lins, Nazareth, flew to victory In the URC Sprint main, and Larry Wright from Claysburg picked op the win In the Late Model feature. The Semi-Late finale was won by Randy Smithly and Randy Sell topped the Street Stacks. Clearfield Speedway Bob Wearing of Evans City returned to the winners circle for 502nd victory of his career.

Doug Alexander of Homer City showed his competitors the short way around the track to take the Semi-Late main. Denny Coutu-riaux was victorious in the Hobby feature as was Alex Hynd in the Street Stocks. Wearing finished the 25-lap feature one-half Jap ahead of his nearest competitor, Clate Busted of Steve Peles drove a good race to finish third ahead of Dave Srock and Dick Wells. Doug Alexander has dominated the action in the Semi-Late Division and last Saturday evening was not an exception. Jerry Redden was second ahead of Dan McKihney.

Alex Hynd of Osecola Mills won his first feature in the Street Stocks followed by Ron Wingard and Shawn Owens. PMS A record crowd witnessed drivers from three states in the winners circle. Zelienople's, Jim Irvine Jr. won the Cam 2 R.O.C. Pocono Qualifier, while Stevie Baker of Morgantown, W.Va.

took the Semi-Late feature, and the Parts Peddler Street Stock Qualifier was Mike Mudd of Bel-laire, Ohio. When the checkered flag flew for Irvine it also signaled the start of a grinding crash that involved Ben Miley, Roy Miller, DaveChelsted and Irvine. It has been reported the incident started when Che Is ted Ignored the passing flag and would not move ever. Result was a slight tap by one of the competitors and CheUted lost it. the presses of Jerry Matus, Johnny Beaber and Ed Murphy.

A little steam arose from a few drivers concerning some driving Inside the inner tire markers. Horner was not among the low riders as he stuck the Machine 36 in the middle groove and defied all to get feel that some drivers are now taking advantage, as they continually take the low route around their competition and most of the time they need not make such 9 move. The drivers that are shooting low have more power and experience than the ones they are trying to pass. I guess they are just the easy way around and will continue to do It as long as they get away with it A little water or a few black flags would halt the problem and the rough driving is starting to crop up at some of the local ovals. This is the frustrating time of the year for drivers who continually to have problems as time runs out for the season.

It's time to put a heavy hand to all before a major eruption Wearing took an unbelievable win in the Modifieds. His Smith Gremlin was nearly destroyed at Raceway 7 when Jim Watson rolled it. hard. The car wa3 bent at every angle and the Merle Smith crew sweated blood to get it ready for Friday night. They rebuilt the seven year old car in record Ignition problems sidelined Jack Sodeman1 Fleming Modified and cost the driver second place in the featureBen Next Saturday night P.M.S will hold a 50-lap Late Model Invitational and the Mid-Season Championship for the Semi-Lates.

Mercer Raceway Dave Blaney appears to have found the quick way around Mer- cer as he won his third career feature and his second at Mercer. Blaney shot into the lead on the first lap only to have: Johnny Beaber steal it away by going by low on the track. Beaber looked like a sure winner until he lost a wheel on the Jim Zeigler 66. Blaney took command from that point on. Kevin Bolland took his third Modified feature win of the season.

Bolland took the lead when Ralph Qnarterson spun during the sixth lap. Bolland was nn-toncbable and Jack Sodeman pat the Fleming 3 into a solid second place finish. Qnarterson drove like a man with nothing but the checker on his mind as he stormed back thin the pack to finish a strong third. Bob Kirchner was the winner of the double point mid-season championship for the Six Cylinders and Paul Rhodes took the win in the Semi-Late main. Joe Stewart wan the Mini-Stock feature.

Lemervilte Speedway A "standing room only" crowd at the action track witnessed three firsts at the tight three-eighths oval. The first was Mike Horner earning his first feature Bussard looked like a strong contender for the Semi-Late checker but was eliminated by a lapped car. looked like another Pease-Bussard duel was developing and the crowd was definitely dissa-pointed when Bussard left the track on the Flick was flying to his fourth feature victory of the week in the Street Stocks until his transmission went away sending the young second-generation driving sena-sation to the Clearfield Speedway now boasts of a female driver. Ruthann Price finished a respectable seventh in the Street Stock case your wondering about where Barb Smith disappeared to, she has retired from action. Barb said it was getting to expensive to operate two cars and deferred to husband Rankin was in his -first Sprint car last Friday at Lemerville.

Rankin purchased Brad Dory's 2 car and did a nice Job staying out of every ones Rankin moved up from the Semi-Late Fick-ett towed in from Boiling Springs, Pa. and felt he could be very competitive at Lemerville. Last time he bent the shock mounts on his 66 told us that Denny Willy took a wild ride at Selingsgrove during the Sprint feature He wasn't injured but the car was damaged Willard Jr. towed his hot little six cylinder into the pits of the "action track' from Saint Catherines, Ontario. By JfM FERGUSON Motordrome 70 Speedway Wearing struck again, as he drove the Marti no Enterprises Howe Camaro to a most important victory.

Wearing took the lead on the 12th lap of the Late Mode) feature to capture the Cam 2 R.O.C. Pocono Qualifier. The Semi-Late main winner was John Beatty of North Hills, and Don Gamble took the Mid-Season Championship for the Baby Grands. Clinton, Dave Johnson drove to the Street Stock feature victory. PIT GREASE OIL Mike Horner drove to a well-deserved victory in the Spruit feature at Lemerville.

Horner was determined not to lose, as he' crushed.