Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 17

DETROIT FREE PRESS Nov. 26. '69 -f Alex, Rush to Be Ready for Vikings Karras: PR Play! tzL' i'' A The Lions base their hopes of an upset on the ability of their de-fense to put pressure on Minnesota passers. I fered an eyeball scratch and a chipped tooth in the Packer game. From Minneapolis, meanwhile, the Vikings reported indecision on where to turn with their quarterbacking.

IX THEIR last two games, the Vikings suddenly have developed flaws in their passing game, and coach Bud Grant has switched off quarterbacks Gary Cuozzo and Joe Kapp. Kapp opened against Pittsburgh last Sunday and was yanked after having three passes intercepted in the first 20 minutes. Cuozzo came on to rout the Steelers. Unbeaten in nine games since a season-opening loss to the New York Giants, the Vikings can clinch the division title by repeating an earlier victory over the Lions, who have won five of their last six games and are 7-3 for the season. Lion chances against the tough Minnesota i i rose sharply Tuesday.

Defensive tackles Alex Karras and Jerry Rush, who had been feared lost for the Thanksgiving Day showdown with the Vikings, apparently will be available. Karras, who suffered a badly bruised right knee last Sunday, jogged through a light workout at Tiger Stadium, and insisted that he will play against the Vikings. RUSH, WHO has missed the Lions' last two games because of an ulcer, has returned to workouts. Latest x-rays show his condition has virtually cleared, and the 270-pound giant probably will be returned to the active list Wednesday. Head coach Joe Schmidt did not indicate that either Karras or Rush would be in the starting lineup 1 against the Vikings.

Even so, their availability shores up Lion chances. The Lions base their hopes of an upset on the ability of their defense to put pressure on Minnesota passers and knock down Viking runners. KARRAS AND Rush are the key figures in that aspect of the Detroit game. Receiver Earl McCullouch sported a bandage over his left eye. He suf I Alex Karras Jogs in workout Free Press Photo by DfCK TRIPP Earl McCullouch's scratched eyeball worries coach John North Mandich, Curtis Are All -America 4 Jf ietw Lions Shoiv Lore LuccV Special to the Fret Press NEW YORK Jim Mandich, captain and tight end of the University of Michigan football team, and defensive halfback Tom Curtis were named Tuesday to the 1969 United Press All A.merica team.

Tackle Don Dierdorf of Michigan and guard Ron Saul of Michigan State were given honorable mention on the squad, the first in a series of honor teams to be named during the next two weeks. Mandich and Curtis, both seniors, played vital roles in the Rose Bowl-bound Wolverines' upset of top-ranked Ohio State last Saturday, and were key figures throughout Michigan's 8-2 season. Mandich caught 42 passes for 583 yards and five touchdowns during the season. Curtis, who holds tthe NCAA record for ball-hawking, nabbed eight interceptions, including two key one3 against OSU. Ohio State and Penn State paced the voting by placing three men each on the honor squad against two each for Southern California and Notre Dame.

HOWEVER, Steve Owens, Oklahoma's record-breaking running back and Heisman Trophy winner proved the top individual vote-getter on the 22-man squad by snaring 132 Free Press Photo bv DICK TRIPP Bo Schembechler (left) and his stars Jim Mandich (center), Tom Curtis WE MAY AS WELL COME RIGHT out with it, Mike Lucci is not my favorite football player. I'll give him to you for Christmas. In fact, I'll give him to you for Thanksgiving. Just turn the oven to 450 and baste him until he's a golden brown. It was bad enough when the big man was just a Super Poster.

The girl I live with (excuse me, Doc) put his mug on the wall of our bedroom, at the head of the bed, and every night it was the same thing: "Goodnight, Honey mmmpt! Goodnight, Mike mmmpt!" I'll tell you, I threw a blitz at him he'll never forget. He went to the inside of the closet door, the closet shelf and, finally, one dark and stormy night, right into the trash can. But now The big man has gone and become a Super Star. Now what do we do? Lucci is playing the best ball of his life and, as much as I hate to admit it, he's been the strong man in this iron-hard defense of the Lions. He calls the shots from the middle and keeps everybody going with his drive and hustle, and Joe Schmidt just wasn't trying to pump up his man when he said Lucci deserves all-pro consideration this year.

Yeah, yeah, the guy's been playing that good. When we speak of middle linebackers, the glamor spot on defense, we immediately think of Dick Butkus Oklahoma Alums Toast the Wolverines Star Wins ballots. The two-platoon team was chosen by direct vote of 142 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the nation, the only team so chosen. Owens missed a perfect selection by only 10 ballots. It was one of the closest approaches to unanimous selection in history.

Michigan State- tackle Bubba Smith came the closest, coming within seven votes in 1966. Joining Owens in the All-America offensive baekfield were quarterback Mike riiipps of Purdue and run- BY (VRT SYLVESTER The Swiss steak was a little tastier and U-M band's "Hawaiian War a little livelier Tuesday night. The Michigan Wolverines were toasted at their 49th annual football bust at Cobo Hall as Big Ten co-champions and conference representa- praise and plaudits its brings you even greater responsibility," Schembechler said. "Our responsibility now is to beat Southern Cal." The 25 graduating seniors were awarded their rings by the U-M Club of Detroit. Tevim captian Jim Mandich, the all-American end, was awarded the Lewis B.

Hyde Memorial Award as most tives to the Rose Bowl. Some 1,000 I'M alums cheered roach Bo Schembechler, who called the victory over Ohio State "the greatest thrill of my life." But Schembechler also took the occasion to begin preparing his team for the Jan. 1 game against Pacific 8 champion Southern Cal. "Any time you receive valuable player. DEFENSIVE halfback Brian Healy, a pre-med student majoring in psychology, received the Dr.

Arthur D. Robinson scholarship award for maintaining a B-average throughout his collegiate career. Michigan will not name its captain for next year until kshortly before the season starts. Turn to Page SB, Column 1 Heisman NEW YORK (UPD Steve Owens, the human bulldozer from Oklahoma who plowed through enemy defense for more yardage rushing than any player in college football history, Tuesday was named winner of the Heisman Trophy as the year's outstanding college football player. Owens, a Tjruising 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior from Miami, outpolled Mike Phipps, Purdue's outstanding quarterback, in balloting by 992 sportswriters and sportscatst-ers.

"This is the greatest thing that's ever happened to me," said Owens, who is tied with Mack Herron of Kansas State for the national scoring lead and ranks fourth in the nation in rushing. "I knew I was in the run-Turn to Tage 2B, Column 1 Being and Tommy Nobis and Ray Nitschke. These are the guys who get the ink, the headlines, the TV spots the fame and the fortune and the places on those All-Pro teams. Maybe it's time to consider Mr. Lucci.

You watch him play on these Sunday afternoons and more and more he is controlling the play on defense. A middle linebacker is supposed to be in on more plays than anyone else. That's the nature of the position. But it hasn't been until this season that Mr. Lucci has become so domi Crislcr Leaves The Hospital ANN ARBOR H.

O. "Fritz" Crisler, former football coach and retired athletic director at the University of Michigan, has been released from University Hospital after being confined for more than three weeks, a hospital spokesman said. The spokesman said that Crisler, 70, entered the hospital Oct. 28 and was released Saturday. The spokesman said the reasons for Crisler's hospitalization and his present condition were not available.

i Canadian isn't Lucci everythin Hv mm teftffito mn Mm 9 Buckeyes All-Big Ten CHICAGO (if) A 1969 All-Big Ten football squad of 11 seniors and 11 juniors was named Tuesday oy ine Associated rress. Pistons Nip Bulls, 104-103 nant. Well, he has been a dominant ball player and deserves some kind of recognition. Why is he playing better? "I guess it's a lot of little things," Lucci said in the Lions' office Tuesday afternoon. "Our coach, Jimmy David, keeps after me about all the techniques, and we've got a better team now, and I guess I've just got more experience.

"I know this, I can understand more than I used to. If I see a sweep going one way and the tackle is coming at me for an angle block, I have a chance to get away from him now where I used to get cracked before. "It's a good play for him but a tough one for a middle linebacker. But now I can play off his block and still try to make a play on the ball carrier. Things like that ItigOKf (nmo for Lions LUCCI, AS YOU'VE heard, is totally turned on by Thursday's game with the vaunted Vikings of Minnesota.

He thinks the Lions are going to win a la Green Bay here on Turkey Day in '62 and he doesn't mind who knows it. "It's the biggest game we've ever played," he said. "Really, the first big game this team has ever had and we're ready. We think we can win." Lucci's main job is to think along with the opposing quarterback and try to outguess him. In this case, he haa tremendous respect for Joe Kapp of the Vikings.

"He's a tough nut back there," says Lucci. "He fights you all the way and always hustles. When you go in on him, he just won't lay back and take your smack after he has released the ball. He'll stand there and take you on and try to bust you. He's a good one." Lucci, oddly, likes the way Greg Landry plays because he thinks Landry plays like a member of the defense.

"On defense, you can go all out and hit. Bnt on offense you've sort of got to hold things in. Well, Greg's a gutty kid and he's in there busting all the time and, well, it reminds me of the way our defense plays." We didn't get to talk to Lucci until late Tuesday afternoon. That's because we spent the day in the hospital with Mike, four, who just had his tonsils removed. Mike? Wonder why she picked that name? Co champions Ohio State and Michigan landed nine and four places, respectively.

Michigan, ending the Buckeye's 22-game winning streak, 24-12, and facing Southern California in the Rose Bowl, landed end Jim Mandich and tackle Don Dierdorf on offense and linebacker Ralph Huff and back Tom Curtis on defense. THE Bl'CKEYES placed Special to tht Fret Press KANSAS CITY Everything's up to date in Kansas City and Otto Moore is up to snuff. I center Brian Donovan and fullback Jim Otis on offense Moore, the Pistons' 6-11 pro, tapped in a re All Canadian whisky is good. We know, because we've been making good whiskies up in Canada for years. But it took all our expertise and almost all our patience to come up with av great one: Canadian Lord Calvert, a perfect blend of the finest whiskies in Canada from our five different distilleries.

You sec, just being Canadian isn't everything. Being Canadian Lord Calvert is. bound with nine seconds left here Tuesday night to give Detroit a 104-103 victory over the Chicago Bulls. EDDIE MILES, whose third-period shooting brought the Pistons from behind, led Detroit with 23 points while some defensive work on Chicago's Bob Love in the second half gave the Pistons their shot at the last-minute success. Love scored 23 of his 29 points as the Bulls shot into leads of 32-25 at the first quarter and 58-51 at the half before Miles Turn to Page 3B, Column 5 and packed seven players on defense ends Dave Whitfield and Mark Debevc, tackle Paul Schmitlin, middle guard Jim Stillwagon, linebacker Jack Tatum and backs Ted Provost and Mike Sensi-baugh.

With Otis in the So. 1 back-field are Purdue's Mike Phipps, who set Big Ten total offense and passing yardage records; Mike Adamle, Northwestern, and Indiana's John Isenbarger, conference rushing champion. Others on the offensive unit are end Ray Parson, Minnesota; guards Ron Saul, Michigan State and Don DeSalle, Indiana; and tackle Paul De-Nucclo, Purdue. Tackle Ron Curl, MSU, and linebacker Veno Paraskevac, Purdue, complete the defensive unit. Mandich was the only holdover from the 1968 offensive team while three repeated on defense Tatum, Provost and Curtis.

Boid Ducats A Headache Canadian Lord Calvert DETROIT CHICAGO 10 Brwinklt I t-1 Bellamy 1 Duchinoer 0 0 18 I 81 029 Komives 5-7 17 Kaulfman 1 0-2 7 Love McLemore 3 1-2 Southern California Jan. 1. Applications for more than 100. 0O0 tickets are expected. Students, faculty and staff will have first priority on the tickets, said ticket manager Don Weir.

Remaining tickets will be distributed to alumni. Xaid 1 ANN ARBOR Already the Rose Bowl is causing problems, pleasant problems, for the University of Michigan. Officials are attempting to devise a plan to distribute 13.000 tickets allotted the school for the bowl game with "i GAL. Miles 8499 $3 it A OT. PINT CODE (1412 CODE 1421 Includes alt taxes.

1-J 2 3 1-2 23 Sloan Tucker Weiss CODE 17l 0-3 Moore Mueller Walker Totals DETROIT Chicago to 23-33 1 03 Totals 47 10-3 104 31 22104 1 24103 IMPORTED CANADIAN WHISKY A BLEND 80 PROOF DIST.C0., N.Y.C. 25 21 32 24.