The Charlotte Observer from Charlotte, North Carolina • 40

THURSDAY NOVFMRFR 20 2003 SPORTS THE CHARI OTTF OBSFRVFR I www charlotte com Cowboys back coached area Pop Warner team COLLEGE FOOTBALL Bowden continues to field questions YOUR GUIDE TO GOING ON Pro Calendar in gray PHOTO COURTESY OF LAKE NORMAN GIANTS FOOTBALL TEAM Lake Norman Giants running back Long 8 runs the ball as his coach Adrian Murrell (rear right) looks on Murrell fmmic Murrell was an assistant coach for Lake Norman under former Richmond and East Car olina quarterback Chad Grier The team had a 6-2 record with son Tyian the lead running back Murrell worked primarily with the offense a good said Gi running back Long 8 made the team better by teaching us how to lower our shoulders and run the correct mother Dionne said Murrell loved to have fun with and inspire the boys She said tell them give them $100 if they could beat him in a foot race let them get ahead and then barely beat she said encourage them to keep trying and they By coaching his son Murrell was following in his own footsteps Murrell first played football at age 7 in Italy when his father Angelo was in the Army and doubled as the coach of the team meant a lot to said MurrelL I like to have a hand in what my son is Murrell 33 played eight seasons for the New York Jets Arizona Cardinals and Washington Redskins from 1993 until 2000 He had three 1000-yard seasons Green convinced him to call Par-cells after the Cowboys had gone to training camp called Bill said Mur-relL about a seven-minute conversation he asked what type of shape I was in I was on the plane the next day or Murrell scored a touchdown in his lone exhibition with the Cowboys but was released He returned to Cornelius Parcells kept Murrell in mind and hired him seven games into the regular season to help a lagging Dallas ground game Murrell said a bonus that Dallas is having a better season (7-3) than any of his previous teams appreciative of the he said just excited to go out and Home games Today's TV All times pm unless noted Schedules subject to change NBA San Antonio at Dallas TNT 7:30 Orlando at Phoenix TNT 10 COLLEGE FOOTBALL TCU at Southern Miss ESPN 7:30 GOLF Presidents Cup TNT 1 ADT Championship ESPN 3 NHL Detroit at Columbus ESPN2 7:30 Ottawa at Carolina FOXSS 7:30 NY Rangers at Colorado ESPN2 10 We Recommend TEXAS CHRISTIAN AT SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI 7:30 pm ESPN Is TCU worthy of a BCS bowl? The undefeated Homed Frogs (10-0 7-0) think they are but the team has a more immediate concern Specifically a showdown tonight with Southern Mississippi that will decide the C-USA title THOMAS TORRENCE Radio Highlights HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL Lenoir Hibriten at Caldwell 630 WJRI-AM (1340 Lenoir) NHI Ottawa at Carolina 7:30 WNMX-FM (1061 Charlotte) WDTF-AM (570 Raleigh) WSJS-AM (600 Winston-Salem) Football on TV FRIDAY Boise St at Fresno St ESPN2 9 SATURDAY Georgia Tech at Virginia Ch3 Noon Ohio St at Michigan Ch9 Noon Penn State at Michigan St ESPN Noon Virginia at Syracuse ESPN2 Noon Harvard at Yale WGN Noon LSU at Mississippi Ch3 3:30 Maryland at NC State Ch9 3:30 Boston Coll at Virginia Tech ESPN330 Wash St at Washington FOXSS 6:30 Clemson at Carolina ESPN2 7 Missouri at Kansas St TBS 7 Alabama at Auburn ESPN 7:45 SUNDAY Indianapolis at Buffalo Ch3 1 Carolina at Dallas Ch18 1 Oakland at Kansas City Ch3 4:15 Washington at Miami ESPN 830 MONDAY NY Giants at Tampa Bay Ch9 9 Bowden has done right including gaining 1086 and scoring seven touchdowns while playing for Parcells and the Jets in 1997 His last full season was as a little-used backup for Washington in 2000 when he had 50 yards on 20 carries Murrell was invited to the minicamp in 2001 but was cut after the team signed running back Richard Huntley He thought that signaled the end of his career was content with walking away from he said closed the Murrell stayed in the Charlotte area and said he pursue playing again until after Par-cells was hired by Dallas after last season Murrell said his wife Tonia and former Jets teammate Victor football at Clemson where there is a peculiar pride in the fact that the name painted on the Memorial Stadium seats can be seen by passengers hurtling through the sky in jetliners six miles high their version of Rock If you believe a difference in the two Carolinas change your address from North to South and find out how wrong you are Football and the lottery rule South Carolina There is also a touch of Gamecock in the Tigers South Carolina fans live in a fantasy world in which their program is every bit as grand and glorious as Oklahoma Texas and Michigan despite the fact the Gamecocks have won only a handful of games more than lost over a century or so of football Their allegiance is admirable even if their perspective be fixed with laser surgery Clemson which at least won PANTHERS IN NEW YORK Round Trip Air Hotel A Si PP Game Ticket NYC Tour Brunch wpersonality pec 2729 "Ask about Dallas Arizona BroachSportsTourscom 365-6500 and other pre-owned vehicle will be available for just a $59 down payment then start making payments "It's that simple" said Parks 'To make these bargains even easier well mark the payments on the windshield Just pick your News Maker Sting changes colors to look like Bobcats Keep the stinger lose the old colors The Charlotte Sting redesigned its logo and will use colors matching the Charlotte Bobcats its NBA brethren Both teams are owned by Bob Johnson Gone is teal and blue The new logo is primarily orange with a healthy dose of blue Black and silver are mixed in is the next step in our efforts to fully integrate the Sting and Bobcats said Ed Tapscott executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Bobcats and Sting our new coordinated look we continue owner Bob vision of synergy between our two The Sting started in 1997 as a sister franchise to the Charlotte Hornets who wore teal and blue The Sting will introduce new uniforms next spring before its eighth WNBA seasoa It will be the first team to wear orange jerseys on the road Coach Trudi Lacey as expected was named general manager Wednesday She will continue coaching The team also relaunched its Web site wwwxharlottest-ingnom cuff mehrtens GfGGn from 2C ten than he loses That should earn Bowden a contract extension that ends the kind of unpleasant game-bygame speculation that has hovered around him this season Athletics director Terry Don Phillips said before the season he wanted to see improvement in the program In a statement Tuesday Phillips said he has seen and it has been measured in 24 statistical categories It take a degree in reading between the lines to figure out Bowden will be offered an extension soon Assuming he wants to stay Clemson fans should be delighted That mean all of them will be There is a great passion for (SEBJEJM mm rj04i6m63 Elder Bowden says Clemson should fire his son or endorse him ByRon Green Jr StaJfWriter As if there enough emotion involved in visit to South Carolina on Saturday it is intensified by questions surrounding the future of coach Tommy Bowden While Clemson athletics director Terry Don Phillips issued a statement this week saying he sees in the program this year uncertainty remains Bowden 36-24 at Clemson and has at least seven wins in each of his five seasons will take the Tigers to their fifth straight bowl game beaten USC in three of four meetings have to ask the people who make that decision the athletic director and the Bowden said Wednesday when asked about his future Interestingly South Carolina announced Tuesday coach Lou Holtz received a one-year contract extension through 2008 Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said his son and the Clemson program need a definitive answer would be wise to say our man or just go ahead and fire Bobby Bowden said going to keep losing recruiting class after recruiting class If you give him one more year not going to help All tile opponents will say go to Clemson because he be there Somewhere along the line you have to endorse him If you do him a favor and fire Around the ACC DUKE: Ted Roof interim coach said he will not use his situation to motivate his team Saturday at North Carolina Roof who has a 1-3 record since replacing Carl Franks at mid-season has been assured by athletics director Joe Alieva he will be interviewed for the permanent position after this season Several Duke players already have spoken to Alieva in support of Roof (game) is not about Ted Roof or his future as Duke football Roof said about our players and a (losing) streak been going on for 13 Asked to evaluate his performance Roof said kids have played hard and had fun won one game but not enough done the best we caa all I know to -RG NC STATE: Florida State coach Bobby Bowden wasted no time when asked where NC Philip Rivers ranks among opposing quarterbacks his teams have faced through the years Bowden said mentioning Dan Marino and Danny Wuerffel among the best seea think (Rivers is) the best football player in the country would get my (Heisman) vote if I had RG NORTH CAROLINA: Coach John Bunting said he has no problem with freshman wide receiver Jesse Holley joining the Tar Heels basketball team after the football season finale knew he was interested in that when we recruited him why we requested coach (Dean) Smith talk to him and he Bunting said Holley a 6-3 wide receiver is the all-time leading basketball scorer at Abraham Clark High School in Roselle NJ RG Around the nation MARSHALL 21 CENTRAL FLORIDA 7: Quarterback Graham Goch-neaur ran 49 yards for a touchdown with one minute 44 seconds left for visiting Marshall ARIZONA: Oklahoma associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator Mike Stoops has emerged as the leading candidate for the vacant Wildcats coaching job Stoops younger brother of Sooners head coach Bob Stoops was interviewed in Oklahoma last Thursday by Arizona officials Johnnie Lynn defensive coordinator for the New York Giants will interview this weekend for the job OBSERVER NEWS SERVICES CORRECTION An article in Observer incorrectly reported that Jerry Manuel one of the finalists for manager of the Cincinnati Reds was a former manager of the Charlotte Knights The former Knights manager was Charlie ManueL We want to know if you find an error in The Observer Call us at (704) 358-5125 by Tigers the 1981 national championship has had its moments on the national football stage but fewer than its fens believe Since the Tigers have fallen out of the top 10 in recent years no one outside the state lines has gone looking for them If Bowden delivered a championship yet he has delivered hope and integrity to a program that ran off Ken Hatfield because it like the way his teams won 10 games a year 1 To the Clemson fans who want to get rid of Bowden here is a simple question: Who would the Tigers hire? At last check Bob Stoops had a job And no Danny Ford is not an option future should belong to Tommy Bowden if he wants it Ron Green Jr: (704) 358-5118 rgreenjrcharlotteobservercom spa esthia The Ultimate Spa Experience facial infra-red sauna hair removal 70437063238038025229 5 minutes from Charlotte Chevrolet customers prompt quality service and the best finance terms possible Parks said "We'll have over $20 million in financing available for this event so chances are we can arrange financing for just about anyone who is employed regardless of past credit history" Trade-ins will be accepted and customers are encouraged to bring their title or payment book to expedite delivery Extra appraisers will be on hand opportunity Charlotte area bargain-hunters have been waiting for returns this week to Parks Chevrolet Every bank repo and other used vehicle is just $59 then start making payments Customers won't find a faster easier way to save big money on a great used vehicle" said Parks After the $59 SuperSale ends at 7:00 pm on Saturday Parks Chevrolet will send many of these vehicles to auction Any questions can be directed to (704) 598-4000 Parks Chevrolet is located at 6441 Tryon Street Charlotte NC added to amount financed PAID ADVERTISEMENT Bank repossessed cars to be sold directly to the public Because of record crowds this sale has been extended through Saturday November 22nd DOES MOVE SIGNAL RETIREMENT? Sources: Jarrett hires crew chief The opportunity Charlotte area bargain hunters have been waiting for Continues! Customers wont find a faster easier way to save big money on a great used vehicle Sissy Parks Parks Chevrolet CHARLOTTE NC Bank repossessed cars and trucks are among the most hunted -for bargains in the automotive industry Unfortunately for John Public they're also the hardest to come by Banks often unload repossessed vehicles to car dealers at rock bottom prices allowing dealers to re-sell them for retail value But bargain seekers can take heart: Parks Chevrolet is going to change that This sale has been extended four more days Wednesday Nov 19th through Saturday Nov 22nd Crowds at Parks Chevrolet have been unbelievable Additional vehicles have been brought to Parks North Tryon location These include bank repos lease returns rentals and other used vehicles thousands below normal values "These vehicles have been acquired at incredible savings from banks (repos) auctions and other sources" Sissy Parks of Parks Chevrolet said "Our creditors have asked us to sacrifice this inventory immediately -regardless of loss of profit Every bank repossessed approved credit $59 plus tax title switch to Yates Racing could be announced today By Jim Utter Knight Ridder Crew chief Mike Ford who helped Bill Elliott return to Victory Lane after a seven-year absence has been hired for Dale Jarrett and his No 88 Fords sources said Wednesday An official announcement regarding hiring at Robert Yates Racing could come as early as today but Ford already has made appearances at his new race shop sources said departure from Evem-ham Motorsports and its No 9 Dodges is likely to open the door to the hiring of crew chief Tommy Baldwin Team officials confirmed Wednesday that Baldwin no longer works for Ultra Motor-sports where he spent the 2003 season with driver Jimmy Spencer Where all this leaves Elliott and his possible retirement remains unclear Elliott and team owner Ray Evemham were expected to meet Tuesday but poor weather prevented arrival in the Charlotte area NASCAR Busch Series driver Kasey Kahne who has said he has talked with Evern-ham Motorsports about moving to Winston Cup has yet to be released from his contract with Ford Motor Co However his Busch team Akins Motorsports announced this week it was moving to Dodges next season Elliott had four wins one in 2001 two last season and one this year with Ford In 2001 Elliott finished 15th in points He was 13th last year and this season moved back into the Top 10 (ninth) Jarrett struggled this season He finished 26th in points with one win and one top-five and seven top-10 finishes Shawn Parker who served as crew chief this season has been offered another position at Yates but has not decided whether he will remain with the organization JIM UTTER COVERS NASCAR FOR THATSRACIN COM PART OF THE KNIGHT RIDDER DIGITAL NETWORK i vehicle and pick your payment You won't find a faster easier way to get a great deal on a pre-owned vehicle" Almost every type of vehicle and price range will be available from luxury 4x4s to basic transportation Many are still under warranty "With our pre-owned inventory near an all-time high chances are we have what you're looking for in stock and ready to drive home" Parks added Extra sales and finance staff have been flown in from three states to assure Parks fees Negative trade equity will sometimes be.