The Fresno Bee from Fresno, California • 42

CIO Sunday December 25 1994 The Fresno Bee I SUNDAY SOAPBOX PROFILE: FORMER FOOTBALL STAR KELLEN WINSLOW ON 1 HE OTHER SIDE These could be lawsuits of Olympic size Back when I was being recruited by different agents all kinds of things went on I was treated like a child and I thought it was OK I didn have to worry about anything and therefore I didn have to grow up I didn have responsibility I was naive arrogant and worst of all I didn know it Kellen Winslow shown left during his days as a tight end with the San Diego Chargers Kellen Winslow once a star tight end for the San Diego Chargers doesn't like the image sports agents project but what he does now By Jo-Ann Bamas Kansas City Star Kellen Winslow is still uneasy with the idea As he talks about his new job he searches for a euphemism in sports he says before catching himself No he finally admits an agent a dirty word and I hate What he hates is not so much the job but the image The stereotype holds true in opinion Sneaky greedy everybody after the big bucks How about a weekend in Los Angeles? Disneyland? Sure Drop you off in a Rolls-Royce what happened to Winslow in 1979 after he wrapped up an All-America career at Missouri wrong way to he said Today six years after he retired from the San Diego Chargers as one of the greatest tight ends in National Football League history Winslow is on the other side trying to find his way in the agent business For now anyway Spend a morning with him at the Downtown offices of Shook Hardy Bacon where he has worked since February and you get the feeling that Winslow is searching for something more Something else maybe It has nothing to do with the job He has the support of the firm and the freedom to travel and conduct seminars which are as important to him as the handful of clients he represents could stay here the next 20 he said No deeper than that Winslow rose from behind his desk He is a mountain of a man: 6-feet 6-inches and solid with fingers that look as long as No 2 pencils But there is an uneasiness about him He scanned the room and you follow along looking for clues Hmm Only one photo on display from his playing days game Pittsburgh he said a description he has repeated zillions of times The picture shows Winslow in the comer of the end zone barreling over a fallen Mel Blount fake 80 sweep screen left to he continued go-ahead eyes moved to his desk A stack of pink messages waited to be answered including one from a parent in Chattanooga Tenn who called to say he named one of his twin boys after Winslow Just another father unable to forget dramatic performance in a 1982 playoff game at Miami He played himself into exhaustion by catching a playoff-record 13 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown and blocking a field goal on the last play of regulation in the 41-38 victory the 84th or 85th Kellen since that Winslow said with a By Tom Power St Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch The International Olympic Committee is terrified With the Atlanta Summer Games 18 months away IOC officials shake the nightmares No sooner do they close their eyes than they envision a Bulgarian weigh-tlifter grunting and straining to hoist a record number of kilograms over his head But the lifter staggers backward drops the bar then falls in a heap Immediately a dozen guys with pencil-thin mustaches and wrinkled suits spring from the crowd move the closest one yells get a truss! Give my client room This is definitely a clear-cut case of double hernia due to are a very litigious IOC director Francois Carrard told the Associated Press last week that supposed to mean pal? Sounds like slander to me Willful and deliberate attempt to smear our reputation My character has been defamed! all broken up with with mental suffering I think I can go to work today Get my attorney on the line An IOC concern Well IOC officials are so concerned about getting sued into oblivion during the Atlanta Games that they recently announced that all athletes will be required to sign a waiver stating that they agree to resolve any disputes out of court According to the IOC anyone who sign compete just so scared that they are going to jump into a giant series of Olympic lawsuits a member of the United States Olympic Committee said country and they be so concerned Although Germany is right up there now in terms of lawsuits USOC think it is a good thing But I see how they are going to enforce it If they asked me say not signing this an American If they asked me to sign and I agreed to do so it would be under duress Sounds like coercion to me My civil rights clearly would be violated! Wait a minute I feel a depression setting in I think I can go to work today Crank up that ambulance siren over there on my desk It will bring the lawyers here faster Hard to blame the IOC however Tonya Harding proved you can always find an accommodating judge with a briefcase full of restraining orders If it for the courts she never would have been able to cover herself in Olympic glory at Lillehammer And forget sprinter Butch Reynolds Prohibited by the IOC from competing on the track circuit after testing positive for a banned substance Reynolds went to court and won for the time being a multimillion-dollar lawsuit Easy to be skittish So you can see why the IOC is skittish With the global economy lagging and hard currency always in demand easy to imagine an unending string of opportunistic lawsuits in a country where no crackpot is ever denied his decade in court Without the waiver the whole Olympic system probably would be challenged For example: Why do men and women compete separately and which gender gets to file the class-action suit? Why the medal stands in compliance with federal regulations concerning handicap ramps? And is a routine really a 94 just because some gymnastics judge says it is? What if the gymnast disputes the score? Where does she turn? Sounds to me like she is being denied due process! This is in direct violation of her constitutional rights! I hate when that happens because I could be next It makes me feel so violated I think I can go to work today Geez somebody get me some compensation here laugh call Still scanning He turned to the window and pointed to another framed photo Two sons Kellen Jr 11 and Justin 12 dressed in their Sunday best voice dropped to a whisper He is a polished speaker he can deliver a message like the perfect catch but there was no pitch as he stared into the picture when I was being recruited by different agents all kinds of things went Winslow said was treated like a child and I thought it was OK I have to worry about anything and therefore I have to grow up I have responsibility I was naive arrogant and worst of all I know it easy to be a former football player I went to law school because I want to be able to do more for them They are the reason I do what I do I want to be a well-rounded father easiest thing to do in life is to walk away from a challenge But got to search for them The biggest challenge First day of law school at the University of San Diego Time for roll call The professor looked up from her attendance sheet staring quizzically at the unknown faces Kellen she said her Southern accent thick as molasses Missouri was playing North Carolina in Columbia caught a pass across the middle no big Winslow said nobody tackled me right away and I was always used to being tackled right away So I took a couple of steps and realized that I still been tackled yet So I turned my head up field which was something I had never done and this defensive back came up and tried to tackle me I knocked him down and kept running It was a new feeling for me From that point on I put together what I was supposed to do as a tight For the last four seasons Winslow has served as the radio analyst and he been able to call many victories Winslow can be a little sarcastic at times but he disagrees with alums who say too negative not a homer everything looks good for the home Winslow said you get too many homers you correct the Winslow was one of three finalists last year for the Missouri athletic job which went to Joe Castiglione Winslow was eliminated because of his lack of experience in athletic administration But that the job Winslow really wanted would have loved to have coached that he said hindsight that was the job I should have gone A few chuckles from the audience More laughter Winslow cleared his throat trying to deepen his naturally high-pitched voice he grunted It was 1989 First day of law school was just under way and already Winslow had learned a valuable lesson Nine years of pro football five Pro Bowls two years as the receiving leader records galore It means nothing once the uniform is gone Today Winslow uses the anecdote when discussing the realities of the game with pro prospects This fall Winslow who redefined the tight-end position in the NFL with his ability to split out and run deep routes was nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame He will learn in January whether he made it great but just as proud of the law degree he received in 1993 all done in professional sports people still call me said Winslow 37 times I correct them sometimes I But who really cares? You go to a bank no slot for memories on that deposit slip No slot for A new beginning Winslow can tell you exactly when he realized he had grown as a football player It was 1976 his sophomore year and OTHER VIEWS FROM THE BLEACHERS ings The community also deserves to hear about young people who are winners spending time in positive activities rather than the youth on the road who currently dominate the news Tim Smith Fresno Letters to Sports appear Sundays and are welcomed from readers Opinions expressed are those of the writers and are not necessarily shared by The Bee Please sign your letter and include your address and phone number so that we can verify that you wrote it Unsigned letters cannot be considered for publication Ail letters are subject to editing and condensation They should be addressed to Letters to Sports The Fresno Bee Fresno CA 93786 outbursts (we must not stifle their manhood or right to be heard) in order to placate one player at the expense of the collective group It is unfortunate that this same behavior is exactly what cost the Rams the game Danny Hoffman Fresno Spotlight on wrestling Your recent coverage of high school and collegiate wrestling is certainly a pleasant surprise Given that the Valley and the ClovisFresno area in particular are such hotbeds for the sport publication of schedules results and profiles on team and individual accomplishments will be a welcome addition to your sports section These young athletes deserve recognition for the years of dedication they have given to improving themselves not only as wrestlers but also as human be- division in the league? Simply put: Yes The only thing the old black-and-blue division lacks is a marquee team the caliber of San Francisco or Dallas From the No 1 through No 5 teams no question the NFC Central is the best Against teams outside the division the Lions Vikings Bears Packers and Buccaneers are 22-15 The Bears are 6-1 the Lions 5-2 the Vikings 4-3 the Bucs 4-4 and the Packers 3-5 The NFC Central is 6-4 against the NFC East 7-4 against the NFC West 9-6 against the AFC East and 0-1 against the AFC West (Tampa Bay lost to Seattle) even the last-place Bucs on a four-game winning streak have made an impact They beat the Lions and Vikings and have a chance to spoil Green playoff chances Curt Sylvester Detroit Free Press Bad end to good game It was great to once again see the Fresno City College football team play so well this year With the exception of two close losses by a total of six points the team may well have been national champions That being said it was disgusting to see victory snatched away at the end of the Producers Dairy Bowl by a personal foul against one of the Rams players It was a gutless cowardly act by someone who put his own personal feelings above the Imagine all the coaches and players who sacrificed their time and dedicated themselves to reach a common goal only to have one guy decide to take that moment to be an irresponsible jerk It has now become fashionable to listen to and tolerate emotional FROM THE PRESSBOX The toughest division does having four teams in the running for playoff berths with a week to go make the NFC Central the toughest THIS WEEK IN SPORTS WEDNESDI FRIO THURSO mmmm SATURDI Hockey: No lockout here The Fresno Falcons open a three-game homestand (skipping Friday) against the West Palm Beach Blaze Selland Arena 7:30 pm Saturday 6:30 pm Sunday 7:30 pm Football: What better way to finish off the National Football League regular season than by watching the 49ers on Monday night? But wait this game means something The Vikings could clinch the NFC Centra) with a win The 49ers meanwhile will consider it a victory if nobody gets hurt 6 pm KFSN30 Footbell: The big boys go at it some more with NFL wild-card playoff games 9:30 am KMPH 26 12:30 pm KSEE 24 College footbell: What used to be the day for bowl games is down to one important one: Miami vs Nebraska in the Orange Bowl 3:30 pm KSEE 24 College football: Get out your weed eaters It's Texas Christian and Virginia revving up in the Independence Bowl sponsored by the makers of those noisy enemies of shrubbery 5 pm ESPN College basketball: Cal looks pretty good in hoop this year Judge for yourself when the Bears take on Columbia in Oakland 8:30 pm College football: At the site of one of Fresno greatest triumphs this version of the Freedom Bowl takes place This time though Arizona vs Utah from Anaheim 6 pm KAIL 53 Basketball: The Golden State Warriors whipped the Los Angeles Lakers early in the season Since then the Warriors have stunk and the Lakers are looking pretty good Watch face each other again 7:30 pm SportsChamel College baeketball: Take one last look at the Bulldogs before they start Western Athletic Conference play Monday at New Mexico Fresno State takes on St Francis of Illinois Selland Arena 7:30 pm College footbell: The bowl games are plentiful with the Sun Bowl 30) Gator Bowl (4:30 pm TBS) and the Holiday Bowl featuring the WAC's Colorado State against Michigan 6 pint ESPN Football: wild-card time as the NFL playoffs get started 0:30 am KFSN 30 1 pm KFSN30 basketball: See some of the last hoop of the year when the the Bulldogs women host Pacific in a non-conference game 2 pm Running: want to fall asleep before welcoming the new year? Head out to Woodward Park tor the annual Midnight Fun Run Details: 407-6221 Baoketball: This is the last team the struggling Golden State Warriors want to play And it's at Houston against the champion Rockets 5:30 pm KAN 53.