The Lincoln Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • Page 15

14th Skywriters Tour To Stort Huskers Picked 2nd Notionolly fth.n a cnnth Gone are brilliant field 8teve Da Hutktrt Are No. 2 Kansas City, Mo. The strong, gather here Tuesday to It will take them to the campus o( each member sehool lor la- terviews with coaches and players. he hi UMota on Setur- day after intermediate stops at Kansas, Kansas 8tate, Missouri and Iowa State. be a day of rest in Boulder, before meeting with Coach Bill Mallory and his Buffaloes.

The final two stops will be at Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. Comhuskers have been made favorites in file nual Big Eight summertime poll of writers and broadcasters. The Huskers, however, are a consensus choice of file various national preseason polls to be second to Michigan in file battle for the mythical national championship. The Wolverines edged oat Nebraska by three points, baaed on 20 points for a first place selection, II for second, etc. The Haskers, however, received more first place votes than any teem lew.

Also picked to win the national titles were Michigan and Ohio State, two times each, with single selections going to Alabama and Sports Signals By Bob Owens Star Sports Editor Oklahpma Polls included in the consensus were Playboy, Goal Post, Popular Sports, Game Plan, Football Roundup, Street A Smith, Big Rtght Magazine, Southeastern Football, Football News and the Journal-Star concensus. Thirty-four teams received votes. the rundown: Top 10:1. Michigan 170 points; 2. Nebraska 167; 3.

Arizona State 153. 4. Alabama 146; 5. Ohio State 133; 6. Oklahoma 130; 7.

Pittsburgh 127; 8. Texas 126; 9. Southern California 110; 10. Notre Dame 105. Second Ton: 11.

Arkansas 92; 12. Penn State 87; 13. Maryland 79; 14. Florida 64; 15. Georgia 54; 16.

California 52; 17. Texas 35; 18. Georgia Tech 31; 19. Oklahoma State 26; 20. Colorado 28.

Third Ton: 21. Kansas 20; 22. UCLA 19; 23. Miami (Florida) 13; 24 Mississippi 12; 25. North Carolina State 11; 26.

Baylor 10; 27. Tie, North Carolina and Michigan State, 7 each; 29. Mississippi State 30. Stanford, 4 Others receiving votes: Miami of Ohio Texas Tech South Carolina Virginia Tech 1. Big Eight Hat Talent The Skywriters will find the Big Eight loaded with returning talent from a year ago when the conference captured its fourth national championship in the past six seasons and had a combined 284 record against outside competition.

Ten of fiie top IS rushers from last glorious season return, including top runner quarterback Nolan Cromwell of Kansas. Several other trams also will welcome back their regular quarterback from 1975. These include Steve PisarUewicx, the top passer in the league last year, Vince Ferragamo, Oklahoma Charlie Weatherbie, and Iowa Buddy Hardeman, who might not even be the starter for the Cyclones. Kansas State would have had its regular quarterback but for the injury to Joe Hatcher, who had a kidney removed after being hurt in the spring game. Hatcher, incidentally, still says he wants to play football.

The Skywriters will find out about that situation on Wednesday. Gone are brilliant field general, Steve Davis, and David Williams. Both schools, however, are said to have adequate replacements. At Oklahoma, the heir apparent is Dean Blevins, but a lot of nice things have been written about sophomore prospect Tommy Lott, a schoolboy sensation out of Texas. new starter likely will be Jeff Austin, but Mallory also has Jeff Knapple, the QB who signed a Nebraska tender out of high school, then went to UCLA but wound up back at Colorado where he had to sit out last season under the transfer rule.

The conference also returns all eight head coaches for the first time in a few years. A1 Onofrio is beginning his sixth season as head coach at Missouri. That makes him the of Big Eight coaches. Tom Osborne at Nebraska, Barry Switzer at Oklahoma, Earl Bruce at Iowa State and Jim Stanley at Oklahoma State all took over in 1973, making this their fourth season. Mallory starts his third year while Bud Moore at Kansas and Ellis Rainsberger at Kansas State are heading into their second campaigns.

Ferragamo, Pillen Named Captains it 1 (IT VINCE FERRAGAMO By RANDY YORK It probably the primary motivating factor, but football team Monday night proved it is a haven for opportunity. The Comhuskers voted a transplanted California quarterback and a farm boy walkon linebacker as their 1976 co-captains. Vince Ferragamo will captain what could be most wide-open offensive attack in the Tom Osborne era. Clete Pillen will captain a Black Shirt defense which Monte Kiffin expects to be a national leader. The irony of their selections is obvious.

proves been welcomed in Nebraska and Clete has been Ferragamo observed. think quarterbacks and linebackers have an edge in this type of voting, but it reduce the honor. Pillen said something I never expected at all. Any one of our senior defensive starters would have made exceptional captains. I just hope I can live up to the honor.

comes in all Osborne said. can lead by example, which is more than just being a holler guy. You earn respect by being a team player and showing the good judgment of knowing what to leave among yourselves and what to take to the A captain, according to Osborne, can do as much harm as he can good, if he is not prepared to handle the situation. captain is Kiffin said, your entire senior leadership is more important. I think we have tremendous senior leadership on this team.

THE LINCOLN STAR Sports Tuesday, August 24, 1976 15 is an excellent he added. has led by example as much as anything. He is not blessed with the ability other kids around the United States might have. But he has shown if you work hard enough, you can acquire Ferragamo felt especially honored since he is starting only his third season at Nebraska after transferring from California. are so many good leaders who have been around four and five he said.

a good feeling to know been accepted and that you are the link to unity. my eyes, though, I think everyone is his own Ferragamo said. "Everyone has to contribute to the leadership in his own way. more of a truce guide to settle Certain athletes, according to Ferragamo, contribute in the fashion of a captain, even though they may not be designated as such. Take Tony Ferragamo said.

year, he was not one of our captains. But that mean he was not a major leader. A quarterback is supposed to be a natural leader, but I know the votes were well distributed and we have others who will lead in their own Pillen, admitting is something you only dream remembers looking up to seniors when he was an underclassman. enthusiasm seemed to generate throughout the he my job and I hope to keep generating that enthusiasm. Each senior will take it upon himself to make sure it The Columbus Lakeview graduate thinks this year could mark one of best defensive teams.

know each and every player on the first, second and third teams feels that Pillen said. can tell by the way each is pushing himself in practice. Not one guy is feeling sorry for himself in fids hot weather. Both captains, however, probably would pay good money for a time machine. getting itchy for the season opener Sept.

11 at LSU. wait to get there and beat so people will start talking about that game instead of the one eight months ago (Arizona Ferragamo said. want the talk to be about the 1978 team, Pillen said. "People have come up to me and said been a long time since had a three-game losing streak. enthused about getting fall camp over and tiie season started, so I can tell those same people it going to be a lot longer before they see a three-game Nebraska losing CijSjf 14 mti ifire'l CLETUS PILLEN Station Reports Owens To Quit DETROIT (AP) A Detroit radio station says former Heisman Trophy winner Steve Owens of the Detroit Lions will announce Tuesday his decision to retire from football.

The former Oklahoma great has been sidelined for the past 14 years with knee injuries. Doctors say any further damage to the fullback's knee could cripple him for life, station WJR reported Monday. Owens' retirement would end six up-and-down years for the gndster, who fell short of the stardom that had been predicted for him because of a succession of injuries. Owens, suffered severe ligament and cartilage damage to his knee during the 1974 Thanksgiving Day game at Tiger Stadium. Since that time, he has been working toward a comeback.

But this summer a painful muscle pull further slowed his progress. Owens' best year was 1971, when he gained more than 1,000 yards rushing and scored 10 touchdowns. The report said Owens will put his Detroit home up for sale in the next week or so and return with his family to his native Oklahoma, where several job senior un uua icam. ---------------Army's Loss Becomes Gain For Comhuskers A two-year offensive guard and tackle starter at Army transferred to Nebraska Monday in light of a cheating scandal at West Point. Brett Moritz, a Nebraska native, had not been found guilty in the cheating scandal, but elected to transfer to Nebraska for his final year of eligibility instead of waiting for a decision from school officials later next month.

The former Osmond all-stater, 64,240, with :04 9 speed, is not eligible for competition this fall. But he can practice with the Huskers in preparation for next season. He comes with no Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said, "but we think there is a good chance he can play. Army ran mostly out of the wishbone, but they did use the I- formation some." According to Army coach Homer Smith, Moritz was peripherally involved in the West Point scandal and resigned on his own, even though he might have been exonerated of charges against him. actually made my decision to transfer earlier in the Moritz explained, I waited until just before my office board was to convene, hoping something would come down from the Department of Army concerning a decision.

"When that decision did not come down, I resigned rather than risk being expeled and losing my final year of eligibility. feel a big load has been taken off my back and right now very excited to be going to a normal college and I just plan to do the best I Osborne said Moritz very highly recommended by his coaches. They have nothing but good things to say about Moritz has a younger brother, Blake, who remained at West Point where he is a sophomore back on the football team. Although arrival on the NU campus created the biggest football news Monday, the Huskers suffered their first injury of the fall camp. Pre-season all-American offensive tackle candidate Bob Lingenfelter strained a knee in the morning practice and worked out briefly in sweat gear only during the matinee session.

Lingenfelter will miss first scrimmage, which will be closed to the general public, according to Osborne. The scrimmage will precipitate the first depth chart, scheduled for release Wednesday as the Comhuskers gird for a Sept. 11 opener at LSU. "Now we start running into the injury Osborne said. bound to get some hurt.

I just hope this year little Principal attention will focus on middle guard, split end, tight end and second string quarterback. Senior Jeff Pullen and sophomores Rod Horn and Oudious Lee are locked in the middle guard battle. All three are good middle defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin said. has done some great things, but so have the other Lee, an Omaha South product, has been exceptionally impressive with his quickness. "For a Kiffin said, may be the best middle guard Horn, possessor of good speed despite his 64.247-pound size, has been judged the strongest athlete on the Cornhusker team by strength coach Boyd Epley.

According to Epley, Horn power clean lifts 315 pounds and has accomplished 515 pounds in the squat. Ruling Keeps Sooners' Grid Aides On Payroll I i Al nnJ Artli- ml rtAnnnm nf tho A A STAFF PHOTO BY TOM VINT Some guys listen to their dads, like Mark Hancock. He put on a red and white spoon while crappie fishing and landed this 10-pound, 4-ounce northern pike at Conestoga OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) cannot tell the University of Oklahoma how many coaches it can have, Oklahoma County District Court Judge Charles L. Owens ruled Monday. Judge Owens issued a temporary injunction against the NCAA to keep it from enforcing a rule limiting football coaching staffs to a head coach and eight fulltime assistants.

The rule, which was schedule to go into effect Aug. 1, would have forced OU to fire two assistant coaches. The effect of the rule was stayed by a temporary restraining order pending the hearing before Judge Owens. The jobs of two other assistant coaches had been on the line, but they resigned to take other positions before the suit went to court and their names were dropped from the suit. If the rule had been upheld, assistants Don Jimerson and Bill Shimek would have been fired.

In a hallway interview after the ruling, OU head coach Barry Switzer was obviously elated. very happy. Naturally, my people are more happy than I am, I think coach Jimerson has already gone home to tell his Switzer said. Contacted later, Jimerson replied: He said he had to out of practice this afternoon to get over to hear the decision. "I feel good and feel that justice was said Shimek, adding that although he had been worried about the decision he had turned down several jobs offers in hopes he could remain at OU.

Oklahoma City attorney James Fellers, representing the NCAA, told Judge Owens he had not had time to confer with co-counsel or with NCAA officials about what steps will be taken next. Fellers said he would announce the NCAA's decision by Aug. 29. He said the association may present more evidence at a hearing on a permanent injunction, or appeal to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Fellers said the NCAA would definitely try to overturn the ruling.

have no he said. is a bylaw of our In his 13-page ruling, Judge Owens found that in Bylaw 12-1, "the NCAA has intefered with the right of the individual plaintiffs to dispose of their labor within their chosen vocation, especially the right of the plaintiffs Jimerson and Shimek whose contracts would be The NCAA had argued that it is a voluntary organization and that OU and other schools voluntarily agreed to abide by its rules and regulations. "The Court rejects this Judge Owens wrote. "The defendant NCAA is a voluntary association in name only. Virtually all colleges and universities with major football programs are members.

"It is clear from the evidence that agreements between NCAA and promoters of major postseason bowl games, and a lucrative exclusive television contract between the NCAA and the American Broadcasting Company, make membership an economic necessity for institutions desiring to participate in major intercollegiate football The judge ruled that Bylaw 12-1 would meaningless" the contracts of coaches. "The NCAA would, further, make use of this tool to dictate in the future to those members who comprise Division I the maximum number of assistant football coaches with whom these institutions may enter into employment contracts in order to carry out their respective football programs. Judge Owens said that he had no quarrel with the rules dealing with eligibility and recruiting, but that the number of assistant football coaches at a member institution is not a "legitimate concern" of the NCAA. "Bvlaw 12-1 contravenes the very essence of that most fundamental public policy of this state and nation which has ordained that ours shall be a system of free enterprise, a system that permits individuals, and institutions, to reach for what is commonly referred to as the "American Owens wrote. Switzer said that he did not know if other colleges would take the rule to court, but noted that 47 of the 90 schools affected by the bylaw were over the limit on coaches.

Athletic Director Wade Walker said he understands the NCAA's concerns for economy, we would like the ability to control our own destiny, and this particular rule circumvents professions and people wee have a moral and contraetural obligation Walker said the NCAA has become "too big and too with 700 members. "What we feel is that schools with big investments and the dedication for excellence have the same philosophy as an institution that have a football program but gets to vote he added. "The NCAA needs to be divided. too cumbersome the way it is. We have pushed for reorgaization (of the NCAA) very strongly in the Big Eight.

a Lonestoga. Fonner Park Plans Addition, Commission Sets Meeting tha A bu Al Swihart bu never been one to rest on his laurels. ned at the top ol the grandstand Manchet tratteg been thinking of this for 10 yean rriieve the conjestion on the mezzanine level, said Swihart, wre ii gotai to help the chum ol will provide an additional a.IOO sqrare feet Swihart said 53 mutual machines will be split in the middle by Exrataa and daily double tickets will also be available Besides mutual madunes rest room, coocasskm stmds rad tables and chairs with saattng to almoat 000 be on the new level. A stairway will be installed on both ends of file grandstand so can walk to the third level without walking through the grandstand. "This will use said project rapectod finished by Feb 1,1977 almost one month before the March 3 opening of the Grand Island track.

be able to handle 9700,000 easily," Swihart said. "Im really looking forward to getting that much at least once next use up Just about all our money so we really building going on But this is the big one we really art said of the 9500,000 project expected to be THE PADDOCK By Mark Gordon Star Sports Writer Commission Mooting The Nebraska 8tate Racing Cotnmlmton bas scheduled an 11 i at a Columbus i a Wedneaday meeting at a Columbus fflotM to tot next quaxterhorse racing in Nebraska. Is the flaa time In Nshrash that bare a renante- slon meeting devoted entirely to qaartorhotse aotod Most Porter of Nebraska City, the executive secretary. got bearings set for stx groups. they all for sure going to ask for dates in Porter continued and Broken Bow for sure will be ready to run, but we certain about the other groups." Groups scheduled include Deshter Broken Bow McCook, Seward Kearney and Alma Deshler had ite inaugural matt this soo white Broken Bow has held maetinp the past two summere Deshler was fairly successful this spring wtorida rumors noted the track make a king's ransom, but nevertheless, finished in the black.

Broken Bow, however, Is a different story. is just a guess, but we think Broken Bow ii readyto throw in the Porter said. "But if they perk up a little next year, they may have to call it off. Deshler wai in a little better populated area near Kansas, so their attendance was up. Still, the per capita betting very much." Other liemi to be discussed at the meeting Include farther discussion on the proposed open claiming rule which opeus horse claiming to the general pubttc.

A proposed change to the Nebraka Rules of Racing aiiowtag entries In exacta rates will alaa ha haard. Ak-Sar-Ben executive director and general manager Dick uecker spoke in favor of the entry change in exactas at an Aug. 5 Commission meeting in Omaha. a good rule that will allow different hones to compete in exacta races. Too often, the same hone would compete in exacta races.

This is one rule that should be changed. good for honemqp, the tracks and the racing public..