The Billings Gazette from Billings, Montana • 13

SAAC's id dies war as -U. A Montana 85-62 Friday night and is a strong candidate for an NCAA Division II playoff berth. "He was exactly the type of person we needed here," Hahn said. "I was so happy to have him. He got done so quickly what we wanted to do.

"He was a great guy. He had a great relationship with his players. He was tough on them but they loved him. I'm just crushed." He was bom June 21, 1930 in Hannibal, the son of Mr. and Mrs.

Floyd L. Edwards. After graduating from Palmyra, High School and Culver-Stockton College in Canton, in 1952, he served in the Air Force until 1956. He received a master's degree from Calremont, Graduate School in 1958. In 1952, he married the former Marian L.

Fischer. Edwards was a successful high school coach in California before moving to the college ranks. He began his coaching career in 1957-1958 at Yreka, Calif, and posted a 70-12 record in three seasons. "He had never missed a team practice or been late," Hahn said. "I got a call from my wife and got in touch with Marian and picked her up.

By the time we got there, he was dead." Hahn said the players were told of Edwards' death at an afternoon meeting. The Yellowjackets' Saturday game with Seattle Pacific was played as scheduled because "Marian wanted it that way and so would have Dick," Hahn said. "We will continue our season. We won't make any changes. Our assistants will do the coaching and our players will do their job." EMC's assistant coaches are Jim Hyneman, Pat Rafferty and Jim Staab.

Edwards came to Eastern in April 1978 from the University of California at Berkeley. He had coached at Berkeley for six seasons and, before that, for nine years the University of The Pacific in Stockton, Calif. He guided Eastern to a 19-10 mark in 1978-79 a nd his 1980 team was 23-8. After continuing success as an NAIA power, Eastern Montana College charged Edwards with the task of taking the program to similar status in the NCAA. This year, the Yellowjackets' first in the NCAA, Eastern was 14-5 after beating Western By ED WEST Of The Gazette Staff Eastern Montana College basketball coach Dick Edwards died of an apparent heart attack Saturday morning.

He was 50. According to EMC athletic director Woody Hahn, Edwards was on his way to practice when he was stricken. He died shortly after arrival at Deaconess Hospital. Edwards is survived by his wife, Marian, of 2936 Millice two sons, Mike, in the Army at Fort Benning, and Jon, a junior at Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., and his mother, Mrs. Madelin Edwards, of Stockton, Calif.

"He had called a practice for 10:30 a.m.," Hahn said. "He and Marian had breakfast. She went to work and he was on his way to practice when he felt ill and pulled into the King's lot at 17th and Grand. "A CPR unit from Deaconess was called. It was very short and very sudden." Edwards was found by a passerby, who notified the police and an ambulance was called.

Concern for Edwards had surfaced when he failed to show at the team practice. Gazette photo by Bob Zel lar Edwards had been EMC's basketball coach since 1978 (More on Edwards on Page 2E) The Billings Gazette Sunday, Feb. 1, 1981 wiiiihiwwpwwmwiiiiiih Jackets' victory a time for tears The white towel he used to wave was placed in the chair he always used. It was Dick Edwards' chair. On the end next to the scoring table.

From that chair Dick Edwards --w. J. vuutntu nit uaoictu VAnicgc Yellowjackets for just over two and nnp-half seasons. Saturday morning, Dick Edwards riSfacti5-i2i LLLl M--' mmt WjHX iL-i-mmJi "rrr- VV r.MVU Test played, and they played it well. Bart Bauer shot as Bart Bauer can, softly swishing one long jumper after another.

And there was Russell Murrey, leaping over defenders for baskets and for rebounds. There was big Mike Cobb and Jeff Kinman. helping Murrey dominate the boards. There was Calvin Weinberg, playing like the point guard that Edwards hoped he could be. Off the bench there was Sherman Barnes, a impressive freshman who was shone on the boards and displayed a developing shooting touch, and scrappy Ron Osborne diving for a loose ball and drilling a couple of jumpers.

And don't forget Harlan Krogh and Michael White or Mark Monteith, Bryant Stringfellow or Clark Lehigh, whose time is still to come. There were the coaches, Jim Hyneman and Pat Rafferty, who will now guide the Yellowjackets the rest of the way, giving it their best shot. After it was all over and Eastern had won, 86-73, they cut down the nets and gave them to Dick's wife, Marian. They embraced her and they cried. We all cried.

Ed West .1 if- fv. 'J .1 Saturday night, after a short frrayer, his team went out to play for Rm. They went out play Seattle Pa-tnfic for Dick Edwards as a coach. And 1Jman. Dick would have loved how they Nayed.

aj Oh, he would have still thrown his and yelled, because Dick did that ejlot. Even if they were Dick's guys. Dick's guys played a game, a game Hint his wife Marian wanted to be bet fift Gaieitw prOTO by Dob Zwnar Winnett cowgirl Kelly Bohn closes on calf for a 14.8-second run good for third in breakaway roping thi da Breakaway, team ropers steal show at NRA Finals a' a' By DAVE TRIMMER Of The Gazette Staff in 3.26. followed by Shaundele Leatherberry, of Miles City, was next at 3.33. Third went to Karen Miller at 4.26 with Betty Berson at 4.54.

The team roping is becoming as dramatic as the steer wrestling. Glen Hough, of Joliet. and Phil Luman entered the Finals with a $105 lead over Jim Espy and Cavin Mumion, from Billings. The Billings pairtwere second-to-the-last Friday and posted the fastest until the last team, Hough and Luman. That increased their lead to $155.

Saturday, Hough and Luman were first and posted a 7.52, much quicker than their 9.12 earlier. Espy and Murnion came right back with a 7.62. With one performance left. Hough and Luman will have about a $200 lead. Third Saturday was a 7.68 by Jay Woodford and Jess Knerr.

with Brian Garberg and Bill Ayre timed in eight seconds flat. Lance Robinson, of West Bountiful, Utah, continued to hold the season lead he took Friday night in the steer wrestling despite a no-time effort Saturday. That was the only postion that remained the same as Wes jumped from sixth to second place and his brother Ray Stoos, from fourth to third. Wes leads the with 11.34 with Ray next at 12.60 on two head. (More on Rodeo on Page 2E) Only the bulls could hold their own against the cowboys and cowgirls.

The final showdown is Sunday at 2 p.m. Bob Schall got the rodeo off with a 77 aboard Dale Small's bareback High Chapparell. Season leader Rick War-neke was fourth with a 69, allowing Schall, now the average leader, to close within $50 for the championship. Colin Murnion marked a 76 on Bud Geer's Apache and Dennis Price, who split first Friday, was third with a 74, one point higher than the first night. Then came the breakaway ropers.

Champion Mary Ellen Hill got the string started with a 6.32 but in the end that only put her in fifth. Jana Woodford, of Mosby, who was second on Friday, roped her calf I The steer wrestling championship contiues to be the losest contested item at the Northern Rodeo Association finals rodeo at Metra but Saturday night, it was the ropers heated up the arena. The four money winners in team and breakaway roping Saturday wt. ioster than the winning times Friday and Oar r-oss, of Powell, cracked the nine-second mark in calf roping. Also, the winning scores in bareback and saddle bronc I riding took big leaps.

Bobcats thump Griz before sellout crowd Western rolls past Rocky 'vi i. mmm nr 'fa; fore fouling out in the late going. "He's a very good player," said MSU coach Bruce Haroldson. "It seems he's always had good games against us and the kids just had to pay more attention to him." "That has to be a factor," agreed Montana's Mike Montgomery, "when he's our leading scorer and shooting 56 or 57 percent from the field. They did an excel-' lent job of keeping the ball away from him." Actually, MSU's defense shut down all the Grizzlies limiting the visitors to just one field goal In the first five minutes as the Bobcats zipped to a 7-2 lead.

Three points was as close as UM would get again. Kreiger's three-point play midway through the tint half started a run of seven straight Bobcat points that pushed the lead to 20-10, and the spread was five to seven points the rest of the half which ended 32-27 after Grizzly Marc Class launched a 27-foot Jumper three seconds before the horn. Actually, MSU was having a few problems with UM's 2 3 zone as well, but cashed In at the free throw line by hitting eight of 10 In the last eight minutes of the half while making just two field goals. ij J3.tc::... tri By JOHN BLANCHETTE Of The Gazette Staff BOZEMAN So much for self-doubt.

Any misgivings the Montana State Bobcats may have had concerning their success since the clock turned 1981 were quickly put aside Saturday night and how. The Bobcats humbled rival Montana In front of a sell-out crowd of 8,151 for their seventh win in the last eight games and perhaps made a few armchalr-and-slxpack experts wonder if maybe they picked the wrong Treasure State team to win the Big Sky Conference basketball title. And for Montana the league's preseason favorite It might be time for a little soul-searching. For the Grizzlies were outplayed In every part of the game much the same way they handled MSU on two occasions a year ago. Inside, Bobcats Bill Krelger and Doug llashlcy connected on 15 of 17 field goal attempts and John Maclin ripped down 11 rebounds while UM's starting front line managed a paltry 19 points and 11 boards.

Outside, the Cats stifled UM with a flawless 2-3 lone and allowed Grlaly scoring lender Cmig Zanon Just three shots. Averaging 16 9 points game prior to Saturday, the 6-9 guard finished with six be By WARREN ROGERS Gazette Sports Editor Western Montana pulled away from Rocky Mountain College early in the first half and went on to post a 68-52 Frontier Conference victory Saturday, The Bulldogs led 30-27 at halftlme and then got a pair of field goals from Jeff Hibbert and a tip-in by Craig Rcnlus to protect its lead. Levi Moore got Inside the Western defense for a field goal at 18:32 and then Western had a string of 12 straight points to pull ahead 46-31. "I thought once we got seven to nine points ahead, we could control the ball," Western coach Casey Keltz said. The Bulldogs connected on five of their first eight field goal attempts In the second half with the controlled play.

The defense kept Rocky off-balance and the Bears did not get another field goal until 12:13 when Brent Lcibach hit from the left wing. That stopped the Western scoring streak and made the score, 46-33. Rocky was within 49-37 at 9 04 on two free throws by Mike Gwizdata. The Bulldogs the rest of the way took advantage of fouls. Two gift shots by Hibbert.

one by Sam Baerlocker and two by Tim Werth gave Western a 17-polnt lead. Renlus led alt scorers with 22 points and 14 rebounds, Brent lelbarh got 14 for Rocky. (More on Rocky on Page 4E) if Judy Myllymaki heads to barrel racing time of 15.06 seconds (More on Bobcats on Page 4E).