Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 32

Sunday, Hov. 13, 1983 HORSE RACING 5-7 I INSIDE OF SPORTS 10 P-1 OUTDOORS 15 tTj Call with sports news: 222-6660 DETROIT FREE PRESS Lions are wary The Oilers have lost 17 in a row, but the Lions say they don't know what to expect Sunday. Story on Page 3C. Sports Phone, 1 -976-1 31 3 Today's television highlights: CBS 1:00 p.m. Lion Football: Detroit at Houston CBC 1:00 p.m.

CFL Playoffs: Hamilton at Ottawa NBC 4:00 p.m. NFL Football: Denver at LA Raiders CBS 4:00 p.m. NFL Football: Dallas at San Diego iroset bid falls short; MSU 'fflWW 1 9 Uash Elraja You'll have to wait longer for the long-awaited Cooney He is 27 years old, approximately 220 pounds and extremely muscular. He was last seen leaving Las Vegas with a lot of money and several distinct characteristics a black eye, a dozen or more stitches and assorted abrasions. Information leading to the location of this man should be turned over to the local boxing authority he is wanted on several counts of fraud and attempting to impersonate Sylvester Stallone.

The name is Cooney. First name Gerry. Think hard; you may remember him. The last time you saw him he was challenging Larry Holmes for the heavyweight championship in Las Vegas. The date was June 11, 1982.

Cooney has not been seen since. He returns to the gym occasionally, but never in earnest, invariably disappearing with still another injury. For all the afflictions Cooney has endured recently both real and imaginary it has been suggested he train in more congenial surroundings like the intensive care ward at Belle-vue. Seventeen months have passed since the Holmes loss and still no sign of Gerry. His trainer, Victor Valle, says he is back in the gym and will open camp next week in either Florida or Las Vegas.

Valle could not say when Cooney would be ready, though he did say he was "close." Cooney may go as soon as December, but before you start making airline reservations, remember who we are speaking of here a man who has had been through enough bandages to preserve eternally six Egyptian pharaohs and a camel. He has said many times that he is ready to return to serious training, but he never has been genuinely serious, even before Holmes. He was shamefully inactive and approached training with an undisciplined frivolity. He had much learning to do and still does, though with the passing of months he has decidedly less time to get it done. Defense does job, but the offense struggles again By TOMMY GEORGE Free Press Sports Writer EAST LANSING George Perles never doubted that his Spartans could do it, that Michigan State could run, run, run over the powerful Iowa Hawkeyes.

So in 57 plays, Perles chose to run 41 times. But a run with 2:54 to play which resulted in a Carl Butler fumble at the Iowa 44 dashed any hopes of an upset in the State's so-close, yet predictable 12-6 loss before 72,538 at Spartan Stadium. Iowa's narrow victory before Sun, Holiday and Gator Bowl representatives may boost its chances for a second-level bowl bid. Iowa is 6-2 in the Big Ten and 8-2 overall. Michigan State, headed nowhere but home after its regular-season finale at Wisconsin, dropped to 2-5-1 and 4-5-1.

State's defense, which held Northwestern to minus 48 yards rushing a week ago, turned in another impressive performance, this time against a big-play offense that had averaged 486 yards and 33.4 points. The Spartans hit hard and as crisp as the 30-degree weather, holding Iowa to 138 rushing yards and producing two fumbles and two interceptions. And the Spartans' ground game had some punch, with fullback Keith Gates rambling for a game-high 129 yards on 27 carries. But quarterback Clark Brown, who had been ailing from a sore throwing elbow, surely missed Daryl Turner, a big-play split end who did not play because of a lower back injury suffered last week against Northwestern. Brown had only five passing yards in the first half and finished with just 44.

He completed eight of 16 his longest completion went for 11 yards. IOWA, HOWEVER, more than matched State's rushing total with a 194-yard passing effort from junior Chuck Long, who hit 15 of 22 passes, threw a touchdown and became Iowa's all-time leader in completions with 291. "They are the No. 1 team in offense in the Big Ten, so our plan was to keep the ball when we got it and not let them have that many opportunities," Perles said. "It was a good game plan.

All we needed was a touchdown and extra point there at the end to win the game. txm St 4 JAvi I i lie looked like gold He had been considered by many the future of the heavyweight division. He was undefeated in 25 bouts, he had a dangerous left hook and he had an engaging personality. The strapping young son of a Long Island ironworker, he seemed to have all the necessary equipment and qualifications. That he was white only increased his value.

The division has had but two white iMHinririiiiiikiriiiiamiitf-iiir't mi -'----i (-ree Press Pholo Bv (WART SCMROtDER MSU's Joel Waller (80) can't hold onto a pass from Clark Brown in the end zone. Iowa's Nate Creer (29) helped break up the pass. See MSU, Page 13C State foils Pen frill champions in the past 45 years Rocky Marciano and Ingemar Johansson; there was no telling how high the price on Cooney would go if he stayed in one piece. That was more than a year ago. He is no longer even in the ratings, passed by such mediocrities as Greg Page, Tim Witherspoon and Renaldo Snipes; the division appears finally to have hit rock bot- Irish bowl plans V- By JACK SAYL0R Free Press Sports Writer UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.

Whatever happened to Penn State's national champions? Nothing at all. The Nittany Lions are alive and happy in Happy Valley and, despite their 0-3 start, they're in the middle of the bowl picture as usual. Coach Joe Paterno's Lions wrote an incredibly frustrating finish to Notre Dame's holiday bowl hopes Saturday, 34-30, in a wild, wide-open, see-saw thriller before 85,899 fans. Notre Dame gained 526 yards, and Allen Pinkctt, a whirlwind sophomore halfback, had 217 and four touchdowns. The Irish had the lead three times.

But Notre Dame still couldn't win. An inability to gain one yard on two pressure-packed occasions dropped their record to 6-4 and sent them to bowl oblivion for the third straight year. Penn State (7-4) made three huge defensive plays, then won in the last minute. Sophomore quarterback Doug Strang, who had thrown three touchdown passes, killed the Irish on an eight-yard scamper with 19 seconds left. "I THOUGHT we were the better team," said Notre Dame freshman quarterback Steve Beuerlein.

"I still can't believe we lost," murmured Pinkett tiredly. "I leave the bowl business to the administration," said Gerry Faust, Notre Dame's disappointed coach. The Irish never have accepted a bowl bid with as many as four defeats. The Nittany Lions, though, haven't been out of post-season play since 1971 and they're not particular where they go. Penn State has appeared in the Rose, Orange, Cotton and Sugar Bowls a total of 1 1 times but the Lions also have gone to the Gator Bowl four times and to the Fiesta and Liberty three times each.

Paterno said he hadn't even thought about the bowls. "I didn't even know when the selection day was," he said. "We still have to play at Pitt," Lion defensive back Mark Fruehan said. "We have to look at that as a bowl game." See ND, Page 13C UPI Pho'o Notre Dame's John Autry sacks Penn State's Doug Strang in the second quarter. Pistons sign forward-center Cureton Cooney torn.

Holmes is still undefeat ed, but while he has been a respectable champion, he also has been unchallenged. Now 34, his reflexes appear to be eroding and he probably should retire. He does not need the money and there is no one left to defend against, a problem clearly exemplified in his Nov. 25 bout with untried Marvis Frazier. Frazier, son of Joe, has had only 10 professional bouts and could seriously jeopardize what seemed to be a promising future.

That, in retrospect, is precisely what happened to Cooney he was ruined by greed. He had 25 victories, but by and large they had been over exhausted talents, the likes of Ron Lyle, Ken Norton and so forth. He had been treated by his managers, Dennis Rappaport and Mike Jones, as if he were a museum piece. They protected the investment and had it return millions of dollars, but they did not concern themselves with the quality of the product. Approaching the Holmes bout, Cooney had only one bout in more than a year, a 57-second victory over Norton.

Someone suggested that Cooney next take on Ezzard Charles and perhaps he should have he was in no way ready for Holmes. Good heavyweights are rare Finding genuine heavyweight talent never has been easy. Some managers have spent lifetimes searching for the likes of Cooney. If they should come across him, they will watch him form, hold their breath and wait for that special evening, the transformation of raw skill into powerful grace. If he is really true, the sound is there, like a silencer being clamped to the mouth of .44.

We are still holding our breath for Gerry Cooney. Chances are we still will be holding it in December and probably next June, the second anniversary of his loss to Holmes. As promising as he had appeared, he has disappeared as Duane Bobick and Boone Kirkman did before him. He may indeed return for another bout or two and somebody may even shower him with another $10 million. That may all happen, but ultimately Cooney will be remembered as a product of hype, or, as Holmes called him, "The Great White Hope for Great White Dopes." I remember talking with manager Al Braverman about Cooney several years ago.

He used to follow Chuck Wepner around with Band-Aids and also used to manage Dino Dennis, once beaten by Cooney in a fourth-round knockout. He was impressed with Cooney, but at the same time somewhat suspicious. Cooney had yet to be tested. "Court is still out on Gerry," Al said, "Too early to tell. He may have a potato for a chin." Court is back in.

He has a potato for a heart. Prsp playoffs roach semifinals: Sixteen football teams remain in contention for state championships in four classes. See Page 14C. By CHARLIE VINCENT Free Press Sports Writer The Pistons signed free agent forward-center Earl Cureton to a four-year contract Saturday reported to be worth more than $200,000 a year. Cureton, a 6-foot-9 three-year pro, was backup center to Philadelphia 76er Moses Ma-lone last season.

But Cureton couldn't reach contract terms with the 76ers last summer and has played for two Ital- the best of the est Saturday special Clemson 52, Maryland 17: No. 17 Clemson (8-1-1), on probation and ineligible for a bowl, took out its frustrations on No. 11 Maryland. Clemson built up a 42-7 lead. Page 12C.

top games Syracuse 21, Boston College 10: Syracuse (5-5) baffled quarterback Doug Flutie in upsetting No. 13 BC. Flutiewas sacked three times and threw three interceptions. He completed 12 of 36 for 114 yards. Page 12C.

Illinois 49, Indiana 21: No. 5 Illinois won its ninth straight and clinched a Rose Bowl berth and at least a tie for the Big Ten championship. Page 13C. Virginia 17, North Carolina 14: Virginia, led by quarterback Wayne Schuchts, struck for two quick touchdowns in the third quarter, and held No. 19 North Carolina scoreless in the second half.

Pag 12C. Saginaw Valley 15, Grand Valley 14: Quarterback Rusty Mandle threw a 12-yard scoring pass on fourth down with just a minute to play, then rolled out to score the two-point conversion to give Saginaw Valley the victory. Page 13C. othsf games Miami 24, Eastern Michigan 12. Page 13C.

Texas 20, TCU 14. Page 12C. West Virginia 35, Rutgers 7. Page 12C. Pitt 38, Army 7.

Page 12C. Ohio State 55, Northwestern 7. Page 13C. Central Michigan 38, Ball State 10. Page 13C.

Northern Illinois 26, Toledo 10. Page 13C. ring to the University of Detroit. He played there the two seasons after Terry Tyler and John Long, now Pistons, finished their eligibility. The 76ers made Cureton their third-round draft choice before his junior year, but he remained at U-D and signed with Philadelphia in 1980.

In three seasons with the 76ers he averaged 4.3 points and 3.6 rebounds while playing 13 minutes a game. That was enough, though, for Piston coach Chuck Daly to decide he liked what he saw. "He's not a shooter he's got to get his offense off the glass," Daly said. "But he works hard, he runs well, he's a pretty good defensive player, and I feel he can help us in two positions center as well as power forward. "I like the way he plays the game." To make room for Cureton, the Pistons placed rookie forward Ken Austin on waivers.

Austin appeared in three games, playing 16 minutes, scoring six points and grabbing three rebounds. "It's unfortunate for Kenny," said Daly. "Both Dick (assistant coach Dick Harter) and I really like him and the way he plays. I hope he'll sign with the Spirits and stay around town." a source in the 76ers' front office said: "There's no way we could have matched their offer. Earl Cureton got a fantastic deal they gave him a four-year deal with an average salary of over $200,000." Cureton had been reportedly making $300,000 a year in Italy, but his agent, Willie McCarter, had said, "That's not even close.

It's for a lot more than that." He added, though, that Cureton would be happy to work for half as much in the United States. Philadelphia general manager Pat Williams previously had said he would accept only a first-round draft choice for Cureton, but determined over the weekend to accept the second-round choices instead. "We just continue to stash draft picks away toward the end of the decade," said Williams, who last week sent Mark McNamara to San Antonio for a 1988 second-round pick. "I think Earl came out in good shape. We came out in good shape and Detroit came out in good shape.

The only loser' is Simac of Milan." CURETON GRADUATED from Detroit Finney and played one season at Robert Morris College before transfer-, Cureton ian teams this fall, most recently Simac of Milan. To obtain NBA rights to Cureton, t' Pistons gave the 76ers their second-round draft choices in 1989 and 1990 and "other considerations." Detroit general manager Jack Mc-Closkey said Saturday "his agent has assured us that he can legally leave that team (Simac). We haven't seen that contact yet, but we will within the next week." McCloskey did not reveal terms of Cureton's contract with the Pistons, but 5.