Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 43

DETROIT FREE PRESSWEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1989 mtm Bo says: "No, I won't buy players." It Against this backdrop, the athlete and his family often go from thankful to bossy. Early in December, I might call this kid on the phone and he'll say, "Oh, my god! Coach Schembechler. Oh, geez, this is great!" I call him the end of January, two months later. "Yeah. Bo, how are you doing? How's it man?" Last spring, I was visiting the home of Bryan Fortay, one of the top high school quarterbacks in the country.

Lives in New Jersey. Nice home. Nice family. But his father was the type who gets real involved in the recruiting process. Not long after I arrived, he sat back in his chair and said, "Now, Bo, if Bryan agrees to Michigan, are you willing to issue a press release stating AP "I came out saving two million (a year), but what am stupid?" Tony Mandarich said.

"I know I'm not going to get $2 million, especially playing offensive lineman." FOOTBALL POLLS AP Toil 25 First-place votes In parentheses, records through Monday, total points and last week's ranking: TEAM W-L PTS RK 1. N.Dame(31) 1-0-0 1,430 2 2. Michigan (18) 0-0-0 1.419 1 3. Miami, Fla. (4)0-0-0 1,342 4 4.

Nebraska (6) 0-0-0 1,335 3 5. Auburn 0-0-0 1,149 8 6. UCLA 9 7. Arkansas 0-0-0 968 10 8. Oklahoma 1-0-0 886 15 9.

Colorado 1-0-0 860 14 10. Clemson 1-0-0 812 12 11. Illinois 1-0-0 811 22 12. Penn St. 0-0-0 774 11 13.

Southern Cal 0-1-0 650 5 14. Syracuse 0-0-0 606 13 15. Texas 1-0-0 569 16. Florida St. 0-1-0 548 6 17.

West Virginia 1-0-0 515 17 18. S. Mississippi 1-0-0 486 19. Alabama 0-0-0 434 16 20. Arizona 1-0-0 396 18 21.

LSU 0-1-0 369 7 22. Houston 1-0-0 326 21 23. Pittsburgh 1-0-0 319 20 24. BYU 1-0-0 272 19 25. N.

Carolina St.1-0-0 157 24 Oltw receiving votes: Iowa 154, Ohio SI. 98, Georgia 68, Michigan St. S3, Washington 49, Louisville 41, Florida 24, Tennessee 24, Air Force 21, Washington St. 20, Kentucky 17, Oklahoma St. 13, Indiana 11, Baylor 9, Fresno SI.

9, Texas 8, Oregon 6, Hawaii 3, Arizona St. 2, Western Michigan Wyoming 1. Rackers give .4 million tony Mandarich, from Page id ney Peete, because of a knee injury. Mandarich, who attended the Packers' practice Tuesday after a 45-day holdout, said his contract met his expectations. "I came out saying two million (a year), but what am stupid?" Mandarich said.

"I know I'm not going to get $2 million, especially playing offensive lineman. "We bent and they bent, and we met at 1.1 and I'm happy with it." Green Bay vice president Tom Braatz said the Packers paid Mandarich "what the market is right now." Mandarich was hooted and razzed by his teammates after practice. They showed him a huge laundry cart and told him he could use it as a wallet. "The other players have been great, have accepted me well," Mandarich said. "They could have been rude to me.

can't wait to get on the field and hit and get that out of the way. I just want to perform well, fit in like everybody else, because I am like everybody else." The Packers will receive a two-week roster exemption for Mandarich, who says he's not in hitting shape, but hopes to contribute in several weeks. During his holdout, Mandarich considered fighting heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. "The boxing world came to me, I didn't come to the boxing world," he said. "They laid a contract down that was with (Donald) Trump that was guaranteed $5 million to fight Tyson in December.

"I said if I'm going to fight Tyson, I'm going to do it for $10 million because this guy is mean. Size helps, but it's a different sport. As it faded away, people thought I wanted to fight him, when it was the boxing world that came to me. I used that as a negotiating ploy, but I don't think it worked very well." ATLANTA: Offensive guard Bill Fralic ended his six-week holdout by signing three one-year contracts for a reported 0 14 BO SCHEMBECHLER, from Page ID I paused. "Now, repeat that again.

'Five big ones "That's right." "What do you mean by five big ones?" "You know, "You want $5,000 for two football players?" "No, $5,000 for each one. Ten thousand dollars. Coach, we're talking about two Ail-Americans." "Well, let me ask you a question. Where do you think I would get "Come on, Coach. You're at Michigan.

You can get all the money you want." I made sure to repeat this again. "You want me to pay you $10,000 for Art Still and Derrick Ramsey?" "That's exactly right." "And then you'll see to it that they choose Michigan?" "Right." "Well, I'll have to think about that. I'll get back to you." OK. Bye." He hung up. And I flicked off the tape recorder.

I had taped the entire conversation. I could't believe the brashness of this guy. He's their coach! And he's asking for $10,000 on the phone! I gave that tape to the NCAA. I said, "I think you guys might be interested in this." What happened after that, I cannot tell you. I don't know if Still and Ramsey were ever going to see any money from that little deal.

I do know both went to Kentucky. And their coach is still in college ball today. going to state my position right at the start. I will not cheat. I will not buy football players.

I find it demeaning enough to fly to some kid's home, a thousand miles from Ann Arbor, only to learn that he forgot about the meeting. Or to sit there, ready to offer a free education at one of the finest schools in the country, and see the family refuse to turn off the televisionset. I am 60 years old, and I try to retain a certain amount of dignity. Besides, if a kid can't see the value of what we're offering at Michigan without having a car thrown in, the hell with him. As a result, I end up walking out on some of the finest talent in the country.

I've seen all kinds of payoffs, big and small. New clothes. New shoes. My assistant coaches have gone to visit houses, arrived just after the other coaches have left, and seen five new sweat suits on the bed. Or a new car in the driveway, conveniently leased from a local businessman for one dollar a year.

Once, Elliot Uzelac and I were recruiting a star running back in Florida (he now plays in the NFL). On the first visit, he lived in a poor apartment in a poor neighborhood. A few months later, when we went back, he was suddenly living in a new house, in a nice suburb. "What happened?" we asked the family. "Oh we just moved," they said.

Good-bye. He went to another major university. And I don't give a hoot if he can leap out of a building. I don't want that kind of a kid in my program. If it means turning away the best running back in the nation, so be it.

Once you pay a kid, he owns you. And pretty soon the rest of your star players expect the same treatment. And pretty soon someone is blabbing to the NCAA. And pretty soon you are history. You can buy yourself a national championship if you want, but you better be prepared to get out of town as soon as the parade is over.

in ow did things get so crazy? How did recruiting grow into II such a cutthroat business? I Well, first, let's get a few things straight. I would say ames Gang' is history for Lions Paid Palmer added after Garry James cut by Curt Sylvester Free Press Sports Writer The last vestiges of the once-promising "James Gang" were swept out of the Lions' locker room Tuesday. Less than a week after trading fullback James Jones to Seattle, the Lions waived running back Garry James to make room for 1986 Heisman Trophy runner-up Paul Palmer. Palmer, a running back, was cut Monday by the Kansas City Chiefs. The Lions claimed him off waivers, and he is expected to join the team today.

James was on his way to the Lions' practice field when coach Wayne Fontes called him back to give him the news he had been cut. Paul Palmer During James' rookie year, 1986, he and Jones combined for 2,144 yards rushing and receiving and earned the "James Gang" nickname. James rushed 161 times for 688 yards and caught 34 passes for 219 yards; Jones rushed for 903 yards on 252 attempts and caught 54 passes for 334 yards. During his three seasons, though, James was frequently hampered by injuries and did not run as hard as coaches thought he should. Palmer was the Chiefs' first-round pick in 1987 when Frank Gansz now the Lions' special-teams coach was head coach.

In two seasons, Palmer carried 158 times for 607 yards and caught 57 passes for 638 yards. Fontes said Palmer, 5-feet-9, 184 pounds, will be used as a running back, at least until Barry Sanders is signed, and then will be moved to a slot receiver. NOTEBOOK: Quarterback Chuck Long wis put on injured reserve Tuesday. Ht will miss the first six games and cannot practice with the team for four weeks while he continues rehabilitation on his right elbow from off-season surgery. Long was put on injured reserve to make room for rookie linebacker Keith Karpinski of Warren De La Salle and Penn State, who was cut Monday and brought back after clearing waivers.

The Lions have three Heisman Trophy runners-up. Long was No. 2 to Bo Jackson in 1985, Palmer was second to Vinny Testa-verde in 1986, and Rodney Peete was runner-up to Sanders in 1988. Gagliano will start bob Gagliano, from Page ID Fontes chose him over Hippie, who has been with the Lions since 1980 and played well in the final exhibition game, a 24-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. "It's a great opportunity," Gagliano said.

"I knew this would probably be the best opportunity I'd had in a long time. And that's the way it worked out. Like I said, it's the opener. There's a lor)g way to go and, hopefully, I can be part of it." For at least a while, Gagliano will haye to forget about the fire-fighting courses he had started at Oxnard, last winter to prepare for his post-football career. 'And he can go ahead with his plans to get married to Kim Neumann.

can't wait for the first game check," Gagliano said with a grin. "We've got no money in the bank. We're struggling to make payments. "She'll probably fly out here soon, and we'll (get married) on my day off." With all due respect to the upcoming nuptials, Gagliano's main area of concentration this week and possibly several more will be the correct handling of the Lions' stretch offense. Most observers thought at the start of training camp that Gagliano was in training camp more as a courtesy to run 'n' shoot originator Mouse Davis than as a candidate for the starting job.

Although he had spent parts of five seasons in the NFL (1981-83 with Kansas City, 1986-87 with San Francisco), he was a backup and fringe player all of his career. if VC1' 11 1 I the the he is your quarterback and you will not recruit any other quarterback prospects?" I was dumbfounded. "No," I said, "why should I do that?" "Because the other schools did it." "What other schools?" "Miami and Alabama." He pulled out two letters. Both were on school stationery. Both were signed by the offensive coordinators.

Both said, in effect, "We've got the greatest prospect in the country. He's exactly what we were looking for. There is no other quarterback in the country we'd rather have, so we will not recruit any others." It was all there. Miami and Alabama. I couldn't believe it.

"Well," the father said, what would you do?" I took a deep breath. Then I told him. First of all, I don't give out press releases. Secondly, let's face it. If it's publicity you're looking for, you'll get it by signing with Michigan.

Every newspaper in the country will run some mention of it. "Well, what about other quarterback prospects?" the father asked. "What about them?" I said. "If you think I'm withdrawing my offers to them, you're wrong." I was really getting annoyed. I mean, what's this all about, anyhow? A marketing campaign? "You know what's really sad about those letters?" I said to Mr.

Fortay. "I'll be damned if I want somebody to put that kind of pressure on my son. Every time he takes a snap, he's supposed to be great. Is that what you want for your child?" I guess it was. He chose Miami.

Tartans are running out of friends and foes Free Press Wire Keports PITTSBURGH A lack of runners and rivals has Carnegie Mellon University coach Gary Meckley wondering how much longer the Tartans can continue their run of cross-country victories. Carnegie Mellon added to its NCAA Division III record last Saturday by winning its 100th consecutive crosscountry dual meet, defeating Du-quesne, 15-50, by capturing the first 11 places. But the Tartans, who are leaving the seven-team Presidents' Athletic Conference to join the University Athletic Association, are having trouble finding opponents and quality runners. Nearly all of Carnegie Mellon's competition now consists of 30-to 40-team invitational meets that include Division I teams. And, since the far-flung UAA has members from New England to the Midwest, few schools plan to schedule dual meets.

"It would be too far to travel and too expensive to have dual meets against teams (in Chicago and St. Louis)," Meckley said. 1 Wi rr lit ilium wmx jbbht Tickets available at The Palace Box Office and all Tlcketmaster outlets including Hudson's, Harmony House ft Great Stuff stores. HOME OF THE Chre bY MCV1SA: WOKI.I) (313)645 6666 CHAMPION For more Info: DETROIT PISTONS (313)377-8600 A ilSTREE. Mandarich for four years $2.1 million and is expected to play Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.

CINCINNATI: Nose tackle Tim Krumrie, who suffered two broken bones in his left leg in Super Bowl XXIII against San Francisco, will play in Sunday's opener against the Bears in Chicago. He promises he won't be reckless. "I'm not going to go overboard in my first game, thinking 1" have to make every play on the field," he said. "I'm just aiming for a good, solid start to the season." DALLAS: Herschel Walker will alternate at tailback and fullback when the Cowboys open the season Sunday against the Saints at the Louisiana Superdome. Fullback Broderick Sargent has a sprained ankle.

HY JETS: Defensive back John Booty, who made the final cut, went on injured reserve with a sprained neck. Safety George Radachowsky, who didn't make the cut, cleared waivers and was signed again. PHOENIX: The Cardinals got down to the 47-player limit for Sunday's game against the Lions at the Silverdome by placing linebacker Reggie McKenzie and wide receiver Andy Schillinger on injured reserve and claiming defensive back Kevin Guidry on waivers from Denver. McKenzie has a hyper-extended left knee; Schillinger's right knee was sprained Aug. 4.

WASHINGTON: Middle linebacker Neal Olkewicz, released Monday, cleared waivers and was reclaimed Tuesday and will start Monday's season opener against the New York Giants. The Redskins also re-signed wide receiver-kick returner Joe Howard and offensive guard-center Ralph Tamm, who were cut Monday. Offensive tackle Ray Brown (sprained right knee), center Mark Schlereth (sprained left knee) and linebacker Brian Bonner (sprained left ankle) went on injured reserve. Free Press sports writer Curt Sylvester contributed to this report. Gagliano completed seven of 13 for 123 yards but was intercepted three times in a backup role to Peete in the exhibition opener against Cleveland.

In the third game, at Seattle, he completed five of nine for 47 yards, but directed the Lions' only scoring drive. Gradually, Gagliano worked his way into a solid backup position. "In the back of my mind, I hoped (the starter) would be Rodney Peete," Fontes said. "You've seen Rusty (Hilger) before, you've seen Eric (Hippie) before. This was a guy we hadn't seen yet.

"I saw him throw the ball, and he had a touch on the ball, a little more accuracy than we thought." Yet at times it seemed Gagliano would be lost behind Hippie, Hilger and Chuck Long, who is on injured reserve. "I never doubted myself," Gagliano said. "But the situation the way the business is you never know what's going to happen. You've got to keep a positive attitude and keep working hard every day. A lot of negative things happen in front of you, but you have to stay positive." When Fontes finally weighed all of the training camp factors, he included Gagliano on the 47-man roster Monday; and when Fontes had to pick a replacement for Peete as the starter, Gagliano got the job.

"I'm clued in on what we're trying to do," Gagliano said, "I have experience with this offense. I think that's why he's going with me. I had a good camp, and he's got Eric if something goes wfrong." TEAM W-L PTS RK 1. N. Dame (34) 1-0 632 1 2.

Nebraska (1) 0-0 526 2 3. USC(1) 0-0 508 4 4. Auburn 0-0 507 3 5. Miami 0-0 503 5 6. Michigan (8)0-0 493 7 7.

UCLA 0-0 349 8 8. Arkansas 0-0 286 10 9. Clemson 1-0 272 11 10. Penn State 0-0 227 12 11. Colorado 0-0 146 14 12.

Texas 1-0 127 13. West Virginia 1-0 121 13 14. Alabama 0-0 116 15 15. Syracuse 0-0 79 16 16. Florida St.

0-1 56 6 17. BYU 1-0 46 18 18. So. Misslssippi1-0 43 19. Louisiana St.

0-1 41 9 20. Georgia 0-0 35 17 Others receiving votes: Air Force, Arizona, Baylor, Fresno Slate, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan North Carolina Ohio Pitlsburgh, South Carolina, Washington, Washington State. that 75 percent of recruiting today is still up-front and honest. The parents ask intelligent questions, the kid is bright enough to know what he wants, a decision is made, cleanly, and the athlete signs with the school. The other 25 percent is a mess.

Coaches make promises. Kids make demands. The competition is at a fever pitch, and the whole process spirals out of control. Who's at fault? First, consider the school and its administration. It wants the football team to be successful, because successful football means a ton of money enough, in many cases, to fund the rest of the athletic program.

Next, consider the coach. He knows he has to win fast to please the administration or else he loses his job. He might be able to build a solid team if they gave him five full years to start from scratch and recruit cleanly. But they are too impatient. Ask Gary Moeller.

He went to Illinois, tried to do it cleanly, and they fired him after three years even though he was on the verge of turning the program around. Now, in light of all that, consider the high school star particularly a running back or quarterback. My god, how valuable he suddenly becomes! Coaches are drooling. He can help them win. So he begins hearing from colleges in his junior year.

Not a little. A lot. Telephone calls. Letters. Pretty soon, he can't go anywhere without being asked, "Made up your mind yet?" nn HOURS: 10 M-MO P.M.

Call- 836-4099 MONEY AS LOW AS $179 NET PER PERSON DOUBLE OCCUPANCY Riviera HOTEL CASINO LAS VEGAS HOURS: VIP JUNKETS 23777 GREENFIELD SUITE 190 SOUTHFIF.LD, Ml 48075 Ralph DeSanctls Joe Fahoome at quarterback for lions Sunday HOMES 'OFFICES 'CARS REDUCES HEAT LOSS REDUCES AIR CONDITIONING COST REDUCES FABRIC FADING REFLECTIVE TRANSPARENT (MID-WEST 12061 Greenfield, Detroit FRESH START Lions' starting quarterbacks in season openers during the '80s: YEAR QUARTERBACK 1980 Gary Danlelson 1981 Gary Danlelson 1982 Eric Hippie 1983 Eric Hippie 1984 Gary Danlelson 1985 Eric Hippie 1986 Eric Hippie 1987 Chuck Long 1988 Chuck Long 1989 Bob Gagliano Last year, Gagliano was cut by San Francisco, Tampa Bay, Houston and Indianapolis. With the USFL Denver Gold in 1985, he played the run 'n' shoot as the starting quarterback for Davis, and the training paid off when the Lions installed the stretch this summer. The stretch is a version of the run 'n' shoot. "I think going in (the Lions) had sort of a highlight film of what we were going to do this year," Gagliano said. "My name wasn't mentioned.

I thought 'Hmmm, I wonder if I'm supposed to be Throughout training camp he was Lions' most accurate practice field passer, had the best understanding of offense and had the best completion percentage (54.5 percent) in exhibition SPREE- INCLUDES: Round Trip Non-stop charter Air, Baggage Handling and Round Trip Transfers to Hotel, Deluxe Room, and Complimentary: Drinks, Shows Meals NO CREDIT-NO FRONT SEPT. 10-14, DAY8-4 NIGHTS SEPT. 24-28, 6 OAYS-4 NIGHTS 12-15, 4 DAY8-3 NIGHTS 20-23, 4 DAYS-3 NIGHTS 22-28, DAY8-4 NIGHT8 NOV. 5-, DAYS-4 NIGHTS 'QUALIFIED BETTORS AND $1 SLOT PLA YERS THE FOR INFORM TIOU tnd REBEItVA TIONS OFFICE (313) 443-5470 9:30 A.M. Saturday Monday-Friday P.M..