The Roanoke Times from Roanoke, Virginia • 21

SUNDAY NOV 1 1987 SPORTS Roanoke Ti mes (Of Wbrkl News OUTDOORS SECTIONS Hokies start late lose 1 4 7 to Kentucky By BLAIR KERKHO Sportswriter LEXINGTON Ky first five minutes were a little more productive than Virginia final five and the Wildcats claimed a 14 7 win over the Hokies on Saturday night The Wildcats scored two touchdowns in the first 4:57 and the game remained 14 Until Tech quarterback Erik Chapman threw a 2 yard touchdown pass to Earnie Jones with 1:45 remaining onside kick failed but the Hokies regained possession at their 23 with 37 sec onds left Two long Chapman passes were incomplete and heave with no time remaining was intercepted by Mark Sellers After three straight losses in which they were outscored 129 41 the Hokies (1 7) had to gain encouragement from the outcome but not much satisfaction the second half we played well but we started too Tech center John it zHugh said seem to put two halves together pretty The Hokies outgained Kentucky 133 85 in the second half but delay of the game penalties and sacks were the neme ses Chapman was dropped seven times for 56 yards or the season been sacked 31 times The Hokies were called for four delay penalties hard to say what happened until I see Chapman said After watching their team surrender 57 points at Tulane the previous week coaches will find this defensive game film easier to stomach Kentucky tailback Mark Higgs did gain 168 yards but he hurt Tech much after the first quarter Kentucky (5 3) opened the game with touchdowns on its first two possessions Then the game settled into a punting contest won by Tony Romero who had nine of his 11 kicks in the first half Tech which had 43 total yards at half time moved into scoring position twice in the third quarter and came away empty both times A short Wildcats punt gave the Hokies the ball on the Kentucky 42 on their first possession of the third quarter The Hokies moved to the 21 but pass to end Karl Borden was tipped by Ron Mack and intercepted by Dave Johnson at the 4 Tech got it back and moved from its 20 to the Kentucky 23 A sack and delay penalty pushed the Hokies to the 35 and Chris Kin 52 yard field goal attempt was short On the drives the Hokies nearly doubled their first half yardage output but still had no points The first five minutes were rem iniscent of the Tulane game when the Green Wave also scored twice in the opening min utes Tech took the kickoff and had a delay of game penalty on its first attempt at a play It was the first of three for the Hokies in the first half Tech punted and Kentucky took over at the Tech 40 Three plays later Wildcats quarterback Kevin Dooley returning to the lineup after a three game absence because of a kidney in jury tossed a 14 yard scoring pass to Jimmie O'Neal Tech again was forced to punt this time from its 8 To score Kentucky needed but one play Higgs blew through defense Please see Hokies Page Bl 3 NBA: A PREVIEW THE 1987 88 SEASON Hicks NBA's rebound on a fast break By JACK BOGACZYK Sportswriter Billy Cunningham remembers that he was playing for the Philadel phia 76ers when the rise to prominence was predicted But it occur until he was coaching the Sixers remember reading in Sports Illustrated in the late or early that pro basketball was going to be the game of the said Cun ningham whose involvement with the league has spanned three de cades finally arrived but it as soon as The NBA begins its 42nd season riday night and the league is a success story as never before In the two seasons that follow this one the NBA will add four franchises bring ing it to 27 teams In the 1986 87 season regular season attendance eclipsed 12 million for the first time think there's one specif ic thing you can point to for the increased said Cunningham who has replaced Tom Heinsohn as an analyst on tele casts of NBA games this season are quite a few reasons and all of them together have changed the The climb in stature came curiously during the boom in cable TV sports but at a time when pro basketball had all but vanished from network TV Cunningham said the NBA took a big step on a March night in 1979 in Salt Lake City In the championship game that evening Michigan State defeated Indiana State Magic John son and Larry Bird played their last college games The stars created by college basketball and the in creased exposure fueled an NBA that needed a transfusion I started playing in the said Cunningham who was the top draft pick in 1965 always see the Celtics and the Lakers in the finals It was the Wilt Chamberlain versus Bill Russell era on television Other than that there much more exposure CBS cable Turn er Broadcasting and local TV Peo ple started following the players in college especially Magic and Bird and continued to follow them into the pro game it all been televi sion I think been a stability INSIDE iCan the Lakers repeat? B4Team by team rundown B4The NBA on TV B4 iinal 1986 87 statistics '87 88 schedule B5 in ownership the last several years that the league have before I think the salary cap was one of the great moves It installed a lot of comfort and interested more poten tial investors why seen the NBA go into so many cities and Cunningham is one of those in vestors a partner in the Miami Heat franchise that will begin play in the 1988 89 season Miami is one of four expansion clubs that will pay $325 million each to join the league When Dallas became the 23rd team in 1980 81 the expansion fran chise fee was $12 million I was coaching have sellouts in a few places like Philly Boston and LA and other places go you might have a crowd between 6000 and Cunningham said teams had as few as 3000 or 4000 Now every thing has The 1986 87 sea average crowd was 12795 expansion teams coming in Charlotte Miami Orlando and Minneapolis have sold at least 10000 season tickets each When Dallas came in sure they sell 5000 season tickets right off the bat And these expansion teams are doing this more than a year or two years before they play their first 5 Another indicator of the popularity was this past preseason game between the Mil waukee Bucks and the Soviet nation al team ABC sold out its commer cial time although the game was up against NL telecasts on CBS and NBC and Game 7 of the World Series was scheduled that night years ago CBS was con cerned when Houston played the Celtics in the Cunningham said ratings were outstanding CBS was surprised? I think that showed people the overall popularity of the league I also think the way CBS has televised the games has helped projected into the telecasts an expertise and that has Please see NBA Page B1 3 BBgSfc yr VICKI BUCKNERGREENSBORO NEWS RECORD Dell Curry the former Virginia Tech All America guard is pointing to his second NBA season as a new member of the Cleveland Cavaliers BL VI sr WAYNE 1 There goes the 'Judge' William leming running back Ronny Grogan takes off on a 61 yard touchdown run in the second quarter against Patrick Henry It was one of two touchdowns for Grogan the other was a 9 1 yarder as the Colonels scored a 1 9 0 victory Story B3 i i i Dickerson to Colts in deal of decade' rom The New York Times and The Associated Press NEW YORK In an extraordi nary three team deal that could al ter the balance of power in the AC East the Los Angeles Rams sent Eric Dickerson to the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday The Rams who gave up the top runner in pro football got plenty in return: three first round and three second round draft choices plus two accomplished players Sources familiar with the deal said Dickerson had signed a contract for three years worth more than $11 million a year He was activated and was expected to play today against the New York Jets at Giants Stadi um me Dickerson said before boarding the team plane to New Jersey very satisfied I say it if I The Colts in turn traded the rights to Cornelius Bennett the top defensive player taken in this past college draft to the Buffalo Bills The Bills came to terms with Bennett a linebacker late Saturday When all the dealing was sorted out this is what the parties had agreed to do: INSIDE t'' Down years help Colts Bills move up in standings B1 1 iired up Bills hope to singe Redskins Bl 2Tailback's place is with Rams until contract time B1 2 The Colts had to come up with the wherewithal to make the Rams happy enough to part with the unhap py Dickerson He did not want to play in Los Angeles any more be cause he was distressed with his con tract which paid him a $682000 sal ary and which he insisted on renegotiating He was in the first year of a three year deal So Indianapolis traded the rights to Bennett the Alabama line backer who was the second choice of the draft behind Vinny Testaverde to the Bills The Colts were unwilling to sign Bennett because of his salary demand of more than $1 million a year Buffalo then parted with first round choices from 1988 and 1989 and a second round choice from 1988 as well as Greg Bell a fourth Please see Dickerson Page Bl 2 to quit as coach at Pulaski By BOB TEITLEBAUM Sportswriter Joel Hicks who built Pulaski County into a state football power has decided this will be his last sea son as the head coach Hicks 46 told his team of his decision upon its return to Dublin on riday following a 6 3 overtime loss to Salem Hicks said Saturday that he plan to pursue another foot ball coaching job and that he will remain at Pulaski as a teacher He said he hopes one day to become the athletic director if and when that position is vacant Howev er he said that has nothing to do with his quitting his football job The resignation will end 21 year career as a head coach at three schools Big Creek in War WVa Woodrow Wilson in Beckley WVa and Pulaski County teams collectively have a 168 51 1 record In just under nine years at Pulaski County Hicks is 77 23 with three Roanoke Valley District titles and a tie for another resigned after last season but Carl Lindstrom athletic di rector talked me into coming back He said you try to stick around one more Lindstrom said he was caught unaware of events year ago he talked about Lindstrom said talked to an assis tant about a month ago He said the wound was over the disappointment of last year when Joel felt he had material to win the Hicks said that had nothing to do with his decision end a 21 year career because of a said Hicks whose team lost a bitter 14 13 game to Salem in 1986 and was beaten by Courtland 7 6 in the first round of the Group AAA playoffs made the decision to tell the team going home on the bus from Salem riday night I knew I was leaving when the season was over but I want people to think I was doing it because lost three games or make the It was a tearful meeting for the players near the midnight hour when they arrived in Dublin and learned of their decision Defensive tackle Blake Nelson a junior said he was upset at the announcement a great coach still shocked I was the last one to leave the fieldhouse was upset enough by the lossto Salem This upset me more I asked him why and he said been coaching 20 something years and it was time to hang it up were tears Not so much from the seniors But a junior and I Hicks agreed it was a tearful meeting too I was BC Clark the sopho more place kicker said it was emo tional at the fieldhouse told us the details would come out next week when there would be an annou cement But word got around Pulaski County on Saturday while Hicks was in Roanoke scouting the Patrick Henry William leming game been coaching football for 24 years he was also an assistant at West Virginia I played five in col lege four in high school and two in middle school a long time to be in Hicks said Asked if he were a victim of burnout Hicks deny that the long hours have taken a toll thing is I really go at it day and night all day long during the season I know how many 12 to 14 hour Sundays are The Cougars (6 3) close the regu lar season riday against PH at Vic tory Stadium However it appears Pulaski County has a good shot to earn a wild card spot in the Group AAA Division 6 playoffs i INSIDE.