Journal Gazette from Mattoon, Illinois • Page 13

1 Saturday, Dectniotrl7, 1983 MM.piintg Nfwwuwon B-3 Theismann, 'Skins aim for title Dockery buried The Saints have never had a winning season in 16 previous years and have yet to win a playoff berth. Now they have an opportunity to overcome these failings. A victory will give New Orleans a 9-7 regular season record and a wild card entry into the postseason clashes. "It's hard to measure how important this game is to us," said New Orleans coach Bum Phillips. "But It Is something we really need.

This would establish the fact that we are good enough to be in the playoffs and good enough to win a big game." The Saints must stop rookie Eric Dickerson, the NFL's leading; rusher, if they expect to accomplish their objectives. THRU SUNDAY I Tonto vj ff TShlrt OftrtlWNr Short. 'jJLV Twtnit Dunning Running 4 I T-Shirl. at low at $6,371 I efTl Mon 23otif-J. one-game lead over the Cowboys.

All three NFC titles will be decided this weekend. Detroit can clinch the Central Division by beating Tampa Bay Sunday and San Francisco can take the West with a win over Dallas Monday night. There's also a wild card berth up for grabs. With their 13-2 record, the Redskins have a chance to become the first NFC team to win 14 games in a regular season. A victory over the Giants also will gain Washington the home-field advantage for their conference playoff games.

"For us, this is the game of the year," ssys Washington coach Joe Gibbs. "If we lose, everything we've done all year will, in all probability, be for nothing." If the Redskins are upset and Dallas beats San Francisco, the Cowboys will win the division crown. The clubs would finish with By United Press International Washington quarterback Joe Theism aim's fortuitous offer from the New Jersey Generals of the USFL may become the biggest bargaining factor In improving his contract with the Redskins. It would help tremendously In salary negotiations If Tbelsmann can lead Washington to the NFC East tiUe by beating the New York Giants Saturday and then carry the 'Skins to their second straight Super Bowl championship. At an estimated salary of $315,000 this year, Tbelsmann is one of the lowest paid quarterbacks in the National Football League.

The lowly Giants, 3-11-1, may be In for another slaughter If Theismann is on a roll. Last week, he threw two touchdowns in a 31-10 victory over Dallas that gave the Redskins a the same record, but the Cowboys prevail on the basispf a better division record. The Redskins need Just four points against New York to become the highest-scoring team in' NFL history. Houston holds the record with 513 points scored during the 1961 season. Cowboy coach Tom Landry can reach a milestone if Dallas beats San Francisco.

Landry is tied with Curly Lambeau for second place In career coaching wins at 234. George Halas won 325 games with the Chicago Bears. There is one other game on tap Saturday. Cincinnati is at Minnesota with neither club having a shot at the playoffs. In other Sunday action, AFC Central champion Pittsburgh is at Cleveland, AFC West tltlist Los Angeles hosts San Diego, Denver is at Kansas City, Green Bay at Chicago, Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans, Buffalo at Atlanta, Houston at Baltimore and New England at Detroit.

The New Orleans Saints can erase two stigmas by beating the Rams Sunday. 'i SPEEDO' Jogging 3 Outfits 25 oh tor Coaches expect I-AA title game to be close SAXTAIS CnTOLANTZ KENS BASKETBALL EIU vs. Montana St. Mori. Dec.

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"When you have two pretty evenly matched football teams, it Is not necessarily momentum change bUfwhohas the football at the end," he said. "It's going to go down to the end; I really believe It." The game, which begins at 1:30 p.m. and will be televised nationally by ABC, Is expected to draw 15,000 to 17,000 fans to Johnson Hagood Stadium at The Citadel. The Salukis, whose only previous appearance was In the Corn Bowl In 1947 against another Illinois team, are 12-1 in their third year as a I-AA team In the Missouri- Valley Conference. Western Carolina, an at-large choice for the playoffs as the runnerup to Furman in the Southern Conference, Is 11-2-1.

I WO All ROSSI i ASH SPIMTE CLEVELAND, Ton. OIPI) His football plsyers cried Friday at the funeral of Memphis State coach Hex Dockery, who was remembered as "everybody's friend" at his burial on a hill overtaking his hometown. Alabama coach Ray Perkins, Vanderbilt coach George If aclntyre and Duke coach Steve Sloan, a high school teammate of Dockery, were among about 400 people who attended a memorial service at Dockery's boyhood church in this small southeast Tennessee town. "Big football players it's okay to cry. Coaches it's okay to cry.

Someone we love has gone before us," said the Rev. Jim Gibson, Dockery's cousin. "Rex was everybody's friend." Dockery, 41, Memphis State offensive coordinator Chris Faros and Tiger defensive back Charles Greenhill died In a plane crash Monday night on the way to a football banquet in Lawrenceburg, Tenn. The pilot, Memphis State athletics booster Glenn Jones, also died. "I would dare say that Cleveland, has never had such a shock.

Even though he was gone for years he was still Cleveland's boy," said Red Henslee, who coached Dockery at Bradley County High School. Crum signs pact LOUISVILLE, Ky. (UPI) Basketball coach Denny Crum has signed a 10-year contract through the 1992-93 season at the University of Louisville, the school said Friday. Crum, in bis 13th season with the Cardinals, has taken Louisville to the NCAA Final Four five Including three of the last four seasonsv Louisville wen the national title in 1980 sparked by All-America guard Darrell Griffith. Cram's teth-ranked Cardinals are 3-2 on the season and face defending NCAA national champion North Carolina State Saturday at Raleigh, N.C.

Details of the new contract weren't disclosed. "It's gratifying to know that the university appreciates my efforts enough to warrant this kind of commitment," said Crum, a player and assistant under then-UCLA coach John Wooden before ho came to Louisville. "I'm sure the university knows that I will continue to commit myself to the program as I have done for the past 12 years," added Crum, a native of San Fernando, who has a 298-80 career coaching record at Louisville. Chandler to defend title ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (UPI) Jeff Chandler says he will stick to the basics rather than sticking out his tongue when he defends his WBA bantamweight title Saturday in a rematch against Oscar Muniz.

"I won't stick my tongue out anymore, that was mean," says Chandler, who lost his first pro bout to Muniz last July 23 when he clowned his way through the 10-round non-title bout and dropped a spilt decision. Chandler, of Philadelphia, is now 32-1-2 with 17 knockouts and will be making his ninth title defense. The scheduled 15-round bout will be televised live on ABC-TV. i That fight (Munis) woke me up, brought me to my senses," says the 27-year-old Chandler, who took the fight on one week's notice and was booed by the local crowd for his repeated gestures. "I wasn't ready.

But I've accepted my first loss now." Muniz, 28, of Pico Rivera, was unranked at the time of his first encounter with Chandler but is currently rated fourth by the WBA. His record stands at 37-3-3 with 22knockouts and he has won 11 straight fights. InNhis last bout on October 20, he scored a lO-rountf decision over Julio Rodriguez. Kush denies charges BALTIMORE (UPI) Baltimore Colts coach Frank Kush Friday denied allegations he had punched former Colts' player Derrick Hatcbett and said he would take legal action If statements saying he did so were not retracted. Kush, once acquitted of charges he struck a player while a coach at Arizona State, was responding to claims by Hatchett and his agent that the coach hit the defensive back shortly before he was waived on Nov.

23. "I deny unequivocally (Hatchett agent) Ron Stanko's accusations as a slanderous act and will consider Immediate legal action If it is not retracted," Kush said in a statement released by the team. "And I have a witness to prove It." A team spokesman said the witness is Colt pro personnel director Bob Terpening, who reportedly was close by when the alleged confrontation took place. "Derrick Hatchett' Irrational and emotionally out of control behavior Nov. 23 in an attempt to provoke a confontation with me resulted In no reaction other than his being placed on no-recall waivers by the Baltimore Colts said Kush.

Stanko, who was the first person to publicly charge Kush with striking Hatchett, said he would counter any lawsuit brought against either him or the player. Plank signs with Blitz CHICAGO (UPI) Former Chicago Bear defensive back Doug Plank signed a $1 million, three-year contract Friday with the Chicago Blitz of the U.S. Football League. Plank, 30, an eight-season Bear veteran, said he decided to rejoin professional sports when the Blitz assured he would receive compensation if a recurring back injury begins to nag him. The Bears decided not to offer Plank a contract last May after learning it was possible, because of the back Injury, be could be paralyzed If hit the wrong way.

But Plank said Friday the Blitz' doctors indlctated his type of Injury Is common among football players. "I was told after my exam (Thursday), that I have 0 remarkable and very unusual spine because of my football injuries," he said. "But I was also told that my Injuries are the same as other football players." Plank said be began to consider rejoining professional sports when he learned the Bears planned to appeal a workers' compensation claim he filed with the state earlier this year to be compensated for his back "When I learned the Bears planned to appeal my workmens' compensation claim, I made up my mind that I had better try to get back Into football," he said. "I received a clean bill of health from two neurosurgeons and an orthopedic surgeon before I finally agreed to come to terms," he added. i DUUOIIIIi If (MB 750 ML gallo BIG 4 LITER CHABLIS BLANC ROSE PINK CHAMBLIS HEARTY BURGUNDY BLACKTOWER ft LIEEFRAQCH Southern Illinois' defense dominates the team's success.

The Salukis hav made 34 pass nterceptlons, recovered 27 fumbles and blocked seven punts and three field goal attempts. The takeaway have resulted In 28 touchdowns and four field goals. The team also has held opponents to 22 points in the final quarter. "Why are we 12-1?" said SIU Assistant Athletic Director Fred Huff. "We get what some would call a lot of cheap touchdowns.

Our defense gives the ball to the offense In a good position." Both coaches said their teams must play consistently to win. The special teams on both squads will play key roles In the game. The Catamounts, a Cinderella team, had to come from behind In the first two playoff games, trailing Colgate 23-0 In the opener before winning 24-23. "We are going to play our game, which means throwing to the wide-outs and doing some running," said Waters, whose team passes 40 to 50 times a game. The only player on either team questionable for the game is Western Carolina's Kristy Klser, a wide receiver who is the team's second leading pass catcher.

"He has a 50-50 chance of playing," said Waters. "But if he doesn't, It won't change what we do." his players' spirits are undaunted. "Even when we got the dog kicked out of us, we knew, from an emotional aspect, we were successful," Murphy said. "We have some high-caliber kids who wanted to win very badly." NIU, picked in preseason polls to finish sixth in the Mid-American Conference, got the season off to an auspicious start by upsetting Kansas 37-34. It was the Huskies' first league title since Joining Division I in 1969.

The Huskies are led by quarterback Tim Tyrell, the Mid-AmerlcaiKj Conference Player of the Year, who passed for 1,260 yards and eight touchdowns and ran for another 539 yards and eight touchdowns. He has been aided by diminutive tailback Darryl Richardson, a 5-8, 168-pound sophomore who picked up 1,204 yards rushing and scored 10 touchdowns. The Huskies also can count on some points from kicker Vince Scott, who led the MAC In field goals (17-of-20), PAT conversions (29-of-31) and total potato kicked (80). NIU finished fourth in the MAC In offense but-first to scoring, piling up 294 points to 104 for CALVERTS EXTRA 750 ML 7 49 SALE 4' 69 SALE HI GALLIANO LIQUEUR After Dinner 750 ML 93 14 99 SALE SALE 4 29 SALE 4 S3 SALE 3 99 SUE 750 ML WHITE WINE WALKERS FLAVORED BUOY 4 Flavors 750 ML NIU, Fullerton in bowl today All NEW I Salesman's Samples 1SS4 Ostptofj MonlWomon 2 llmllod Quantity PliCO Olablo's nit Lodgonds Hi top WRoyolBluo iiil4 Hit SS9.9S iJ rsswbafcinc s-rfr 5 680't lltl SS9.95 Top Ton Hi Top AC 2246 lift $70 lids Shoos WMVfc Strap faOtMki Tlfr 4 new styles 2 new Kids Scouts li $19.95 15 fit lAlsVC AMERICAN CREUE 750 ML LIQUEUR 93 SALE a GILBEY'S GIN JSf QUALITY. SAVE AT WALGREENS 750 ML OLD SMUGGLER SCOTCH WHISKEY FRESNO, Calif.

(UPI) Northern Illinois University and Fullerton State, two rags-to-rlches teams written off as contenders for their league titles, meet in the third annual California Bowl Saturday. The defense-minded Fullerton Titans, who captured the PCAA title with a 5-1 league mark, are considered slight underdogs to the Huskies, champions of the MidAmerican Conference who finished at 9 overall. FuUerton's overall season record was 7-4. Perennial doormats in the aerial wars of the PCAA, the Titans were tabbed in most re-season polls to finish last. Instead they surprised everyone, including their coaches.

The Titans won their first three games, dropped a non-league game to the University of Arizona, won four more games to clinch the league title and then lost their last three games to Idaho State, Utah and Nevada-Las Vegas. "We played hard and made things said FuUerton's Gene Murphy, the PCAA Coach of the Year. "In the past, we went out and found ways to This year, It was the other way around." Injuries contributed significantly to the final three losses but Murphy claims LJ 750 ML FULL LITER SAVE AT WALGREENS QUALITY AT A PRICE 1 0 gyT- BLATZ BEER 12 Pah 12 Or Cans 233 srura K3CHE108 BEER Six Pad Light or Reg SPECIAL IMPORT BEER 6 Pad -12 to. 233 STKUTI OPEN: 9-8, SUN. 12-5 fsCoacli us Eddy's Panther Sport Shoppe On block Mofth of Old Main In Old Town Squor Sixth St.

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