Santa Cruz Sentinel from Santa Cruz, California • Page 73

4 Sunday, Dec. 27, 1981 Santa Cruz Sentinel-73 830 RESURGING 49ERS Best NFL Record, NFC West Champions I 'St. By DAVE BROCKMANN Sentinel Sports Editor The startling resurgence of the San Francisco 49ers, the first team in the National Football league to clinch a division title this season and finish with the best record, can be attributed to a number of key ingredients. You can start with Bill Walsh lean, white-haired, strong-jawed who guided the 49ers to the playoffs for the first time since 1972. If he's not the Coach-of-the-Year, there's no justice in the coaching profession.

Consider these apples: The starting defensive backfield consisted of three rookies and a free agent who was operating a health food store two years ago. Not only did cornerback Ronnie lott play so well and earn an appearance in the Pro Bowl, he's a strong candidate for Rookie-of-the-Year honors. The addition of All-Pro defensive end Fred Dean and knowledgeable veteran linebacker Jack Reynolds solidified the defense that became one of the league's best. Walsh has often spoken about how it will take two or possibility three more college drafts before the 49ers can be classified a real bonafide contender. "Look, according to pro measuring standards, we're not as good as the Los Angeles Rams.

The pro scouts wouldn't rank us among the top three or four teams. "We don't have an Art Shell (the All-Pro veteran with the Oakland Raiders) on this ball club, be we play up to our potential. "And we do have a formula. It consists of three parts: One, the mesh of players and coaches. Two, an excellent coaching staff.

Three, the fact I am general manager as well as coach and thus am able to make decisions." And now, Walsh and the 49ers embark on their second season the NFL playoffs. San Francisco, by having the best record in the league, will host the divisional playoff next Sunday against the winner of today's New York Giants-Philadelphia Eagles NFC wildcard game at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. SEE PAGE 76 Their star receivers Freddie So'lomon and a 10th round draft choice Dwight Clark became one of the best 1-2 receiving corps in pro football, with Clark the NFC's leading pass-catcher in 1981. And, you can't forget quarterback Joe Montana and the season he's had. Montana made the disbelievers forget about Steve DeBerg.

So Walsh, who is eloquent and has brought professionalism to the organization, tends to generalizations when he tries to analyze what brought the 49ers from a 6-10 record last year, only preceded by 2-14 in 1979. He said, "It has all fit together very nicely. The chemistry on this team is excellent. We're not lucky. We haven't been lucky.

"This is not a Cinderella team, it's an opportunistic and resourceful team. They have confidence in themselves under stress. The resourcefulness comes from Dwight Hicks. The opportunism stems from Joe Montana. They're the catalysts for what we've accomplished." Bill LovejoySentlnel Saladin Martin knows how 49ers fans have felt in 1981.

Sun Bowl Star: If You Can't Join 'Em Beat 'Em Where East Meets West Dave Brockmann i HE 57TH ANNUAL SHRINE EAST-WEST game and pageant will be rather special when you consider college football's winningest coach Alabama's legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant will be walking the sidelines as head coach of the East All-Stars on Jan. 9 at Stanford Stadium. "With Bryant coming in for the first time," said Emerson Clark, East-West managing director, "it's obviously an important thing for us, especially since he broke Amos Alonzo Stagg's college record for wins this year. There's a heck of a lot of interest." "We plan to present him with a special award before the kickoff in recognition for his long years of service to America's youth." Traditionally, the East-West game has brought together some of the nation's finest collegiate players, but it really doesn't matter who wins or who loses. The real winners are the children in the Shriner's Hospital for Crippled Children in San Francisco.

"We want everyone who attends our game to have fun. We're advertising the game as five hours of football and pageant. It's a very reward experience for everyone," Clark continued. J. 1 Paul 'Bear' Bryant AP Laserphoto As was the case most the day, Houston defenders were spread out, but unsuccessful trying to stop Oklahoma quarterback Darrell Shepard.

Oklahoma Quarterback Sticks It To Former Houston Mates Shrine coaching staffs formerly consisted of three head coaches. This year, the head coachh had an option to bring one of his assistants, or to pass on the invitation to one of the other coaches in the game. "This is our way of acknowledging the importance of able assistant coaches to a successful college football program," Clark added. "The assistants this year will work with the players and coaching staff (luring all practice sessions." For the East, Michigan quarterback coach Gary Mueller will assist Bryant, Michigan's Bo Schem-bcchlcr and Pittsburgh's Sherrill. On the West staff.

Stanford offensive line coach Dick James will aid Paul Wiggin, Cardinal and West head coach, San Jose State's Jack Elway and Wayne Howard, who recently resigned his post at Ftah. Ku kolf for the Shrine game is at noon, with always-colorful pre-game pageantry beginning at 10: .10 a in. Tickets are bargain prices, by today's standards. Beserve seats are $5 for unreserved, and $15 for four unreserved seats. "Someday we're going to be the second ranking post season game in attendence in the nation," Clark said.

Just seeing Bear Bryant is well worth the price of admission, everything else is a bonus With a gusty 12-mph wind at his back, Wilson completed passes of 11 yards to Lonell Phea and 8 yards to Allen Polk before defensive back Elbert Watts was flagged for interference in the end zone. Wilson sneaked over from the 1-yard line on the next play for the tying touchdown. The Cougars' other score came late in the game when reserve Don Jordan ran 7 yards Oklahoma lost Stanley Wilson with a rib injury late in the second period. He gained 87 yards on 14 carries in the first half. Sims, his replacement, gained 181 yards on 15 carries in the second half The game drew 33.816 fans, second largest in the classic's history but some 1,000 fans short of capacity Shepard was voted the back of the game, while defensive tackle Rick Br an was named the most valuable lineman Houston's Robert Durham traveled 60 yards with a short pass from quarterback Lionel Wilson only to fumble through the Sooner end zone for a touchback.

Oklahoma quickly charged 80 yards behind freshman fullback Fred Sims, who ran for 22 yards, and Shepard, who reeled off a 42-yard run. After Shephard scored his second touchdown, Keeling kicked a 49-yard field goal, Sims ran 30 yards for a touchdown and reserve Ron Mills scored from 2 yards out. Oklahoma rubbed it in the last two minutes when end John Truitt lumbered 28 yards for a touchdown on an interception return. Oklahoma jumped to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on a 34-yard touchdown run by Shepard, who broke two tackles on the score. Houston tied the field goal favorite Sooners of the Big Eight Conference late in the first half on a Wilson-engineered 63 yard drive Shepard's performance with 185 yards rushing, third highest total in Sun Bowl history.

"We always thought Sims was a player." said Oklahoma Coach Barry Switzer. "He'll have a good future here." Houston linebacker Grady Turner said "I really hated ending my four years like this but Shepard and his (Oklahoma) buddies really outplayed us." Cougar Coach Bill Yeoman said a ball fumbled out of the end zone in the third quarter killed the Cougars. "I'm sick of fumbles," Yeoman said on his 54th birthday. "It was not a very good birthday." The victory by Oklahoma gave both teams season-ending records of 7-4-1. It was the first time the Big Eight Sooners and the Southwest Conference Cougars had ever met.

Oklahoma took command of the game after Michael Keeling broke a 7-7 tie in the third period with a 32-yard field goal By The Associated Press EL PASO, Texas Darrell Shepard did in his former buddies Saturday in the 47th Sun Bowl Classic. The Oklahoma quarterback rushed for two touchdowns and 135 yards against the Houston Cougars and some of his old teammates in a 40-14 Sooner victory. Shepard, who transferred to Oklahoma in 1978 from Houston after he was banned from postseason play as a Cougar by the NCAA, said, "I never wanted to play against Houston but you don't get what you want all the time." He had said before the game that he wished he could have played his collegiate career at Houston "I hope they go on and win 10 Southwest Conference championships in a row," said Shepard. Freshman fullback Fred Sims backed North Carolina Powers Past Bowie-Less Kentucky IN5IE i No. 13 DePaul and Terry Cummings' 37 points clowned No.

8 Louisville. Page 74 The NFL playoffs begin today, with NFC and AFC wild-card matchups. Page 75 College football teams from California to Florida are eyeing New Year's day. Page 78 all but four in the second half, and he led both teams with 11 rebounds. Worthy said a key was being able to control Kentucky's fast break, led by point guard Dirk Minniefield.

"They got the ball downeourt as quick as any team could," Worthy said, "but we were able to cut their fast break down." Ferkins helped North Carolina break the game open at the start of the second half after the Tar Heels had struggled against Kentucky's sagging zone defense in the first 20 minutes. "We expected them to go with the zone because it had been very good to them," said Smith. "But we're a good zone team, and we had some great outside shots today." North Carolina held a rebounding margin of 37-25, due in large measure to the absence of Bowie pin, who has been substituing for the injured Sam Bowie. Kentucky sorely missed Bowie's muscle in this contest. Perkins blinked three Turpin shots in the first half, and in the second half, the long-armed Perkins scored 17 of his 21 points.

The Tar Heels went into their famed four-corner spread with about five minutes left and up by 63-55. And Kentucky fell into the trap Perkins hit two free throws and Worthy slashed through the spread-out Kentucky defense for a slam dunk. Perkins hit for two more and freshman Michael Jordan got an easy basket. North Carolina had outscored Kentucky 8 4 and the Tar Heels led 71-59 with 2.49 to play. North Carolina's largest lead was 15 points, at 57-42 with 11 14 to play.

Jordan, a high leaping guard, scored five points in a 3 25 span darina which North Carolina outscored Kentucky 7-2 for that 15 point bulge. "Coach (Joe Hall told us before the game if we didn't blink off. they'd get two or three shots each time," said Bowie, who was on the Kentucky bench in street clothes. "And that's what they did We didn't do our homework." Bowie, a second-team All-American last season, said it was becoming more difficult for him to watch from the sidelines. "It's very hard to sit there and watch us lose a game," Bowie said "The last ones were a lot easier to watch because we were winning North Carolina, leading 38-35 at halftone, scored the first six points after intermission and, in the first 4.

17 of the second half, North Carolina outscored Kentucky 10-2 That gave the Tar Heels a 4 37 lead with 15 43 to play, and the game was out of reach for Kentucky Perkins, a (1 foot 9 sophomore was matched against another sophomore, 6-foot-ll Melvin Tur- By The Associated Press EAST RUTHERFORD, J. North Carolina, sparked by the frontcourt play of James Worthy and Sam Perkins, preserved its No 1 college national ranking Saturday by beating Kentucky 82-69. Tar Heels Coach Dean Smith, however, says his players are not kidding themselves "We have no illusions that we can remain No 1 all season," Smith said. "We have too many tough games I just hope we'll be in there in March The classic contest matched the No 1 Tar Heels against the No 2 Wildcats in a battle of power vs. speed.

Without center Sam Bowie, the Wildcats were unable to compete in the power department Worthy led all scorers with 26 points and also grabbed eight rebounds. Perkins had 21 points,.