Former players, peers pay tribute to
by Bill Jauss
Chicago Tribune
January 28, 2001
CHICAGO - Al McGuire's fame as
a broadcaster overshadowed his ac
complishments as a basketball
coach, even though he won an
NCAA championship, took another
team to the Final Four, won two na
tional coach of the year awards and
had a .787 winning percent
age in 13 seasons at Marquette
•
University.
McGuire fueled the percep
tion with his disdain for X's
and O's- those he left to as
sistant Hank Raymonds,
while Rick Majerus did most
of his recruiting.
But come game time there
was no question who was in
charge.
"He was the best bench
coach I ever coached against
- the best I ever saw," former
DePaul coach Ray Meyer said
Friday.
Meyer recalled an early
"70s example of McGuire's
unorthodox, seat-of-the-pants
coaching. The Blue Demons
were having their way with
Marquette's trademark man
to-man defense in a game at
Alumni Hall and McGuire called a
timeout to switch his Warriors into a
"We killed zones," Meyer said.
"Hank Raymonds was arguing with
Al, trying to talk him out of it. I was
sure we'd kill the zone. But we
couldn't hit against it. It shouldn't
have worked, but it did.
"Al was unorthodox, but he was
usually right."
Or at least he thought he was when
it came to game officials.
"Al had a great sense of working
NHL keeping wary eye on attendance
by Paul Doyle
The Hartford Courant
January 28, 2001
ter all, why would fans leave the sun
of South Florida to sit indoors and
watch bad hockey?
That's the quandary facing other
teams in the league's untapped mar
kets. With commissioner Gary
Bettman committed to selling the
sport to warm-weather sports fans,
teams have little margin for error in
markets with little or no hockey heri-
Brett Hull couldn't pass on the ob- cage.
BOSTON - As the story goes, the
most loquacious player in the NHL
eyed a fan snoozing in the stands be
fore a game two weeks ago at the
National Car Rental Center in Sun
rise, Fla.
vious punch line
"There's another satisfied NHL
customer," Hull said to other Dallas
Give the napping fan credit, though:
At least he showed up. This season,
the Florida Panthers have given South
Florida fans little incentive to watch
hockey. The team is among the worst
in the NHL (10-26-8-7) and already
has fired its coach and general man
ager.
The chaos has resulted in the Pan
thers drawing about 1,300 fewer fans
a game compared to last season. Af-
Fox interviews for the last NFL job
by Neil Best
Newsday
January 30, 2001
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - John
Fox was walking from the bus into
the Giants' locker room Monday
after returning from Tampa when
someone delivered the surprising
news: The Browns were about to
hire the University of Miami's
Butch Davis as their new head
coach.
The Giants' defensive coordina
tor immediately grasped the impli
cations. "Obviously, that threw a
cog into it, with only one job left,"
he said Tuesday before leaving Gi
ants Stadium to interview for that
one remaining opening, with the
Bills.
Until the Browns hired Davis, it
appeared that Fox and Ravens de
fensive coordinator Marvin Lewis
would split the two openings. But
it now looks as if one will get the
Buffalo job and the other will re
main in his current job for 2001.
Lewis interviewed Monday, and
Fox was set to meet Bills President
Tom Donahoe Tuesday.
"Like I've said, I have a great job
here," Fox said. "Things have a
way of working out for the best.
the refs," Meyer said. "He was the
biggest showman, but he wasn't ob
noxious. He was funny.
"The one time I remember him
speechless was when he went to the
middle of the floor in Milwaukee to
complain that Marquette had been
called for five fouls and we hadn't
been called once. The ref said, 'AI,
I only call them. I don't count 'em. —
McGuire believed teams reflected
Al McGuire, the colorful coach who led Marquette University to the 1977 NCAA
championship and then became a highly popular television broadcaster, died of a
blood disease Friday, nine months after the illness forced him to retire as a college
basketball analyst. He was 72, and he lived a remarkably full life
their coaches, and his certainly did.
"My teams are arrogant and ob
noxious," he almost boasted. George
Thompson, McGuire's first star
player at Marquette, remembers the
coach as fearless.
"Once in unfriendly territory he
told us, 'l'll take care of the crowd
and the officials. You play the
game, — Thompson said. "Then he
drop-kicked the water bucket and
threw towels. Nobody watched us
while we won the game."
Thompson, one of McGuire's first
In Atlanta, where a franchise failed
in the 19705, the Thrashers have seen
a drop in attendance while on a free
fall through the standings. Through
Friday, the Thrashers are 0-10-3 since
Dec. 28, when they were above .500
and considered a playoff contender.
"We've taken a step back," Coach
Curt Fraser said last week.
Fans in Atlanta already knew that.
In their inaugural season, the Thrash
ers averaged 17,205 in the 18,545-
seat Phillips Arena. This year, they are
averaging 15,025 in 24 home games.
In Tampa, the 9-year-old Lightning
We'll see what happens."
The Giants' 34-7 loss in Super
Bowl XXXV didn't help Fox'
cause, even though the defense al
lowed only 20 of those points, 10
in garbage time. The Ravens' vic
tory was the crowning achieve
ment for Lewis' brilliant defense.
Coach Jim Fassel admitted he
has mixed emotions about the pos
sibility of losing Fox. "It makes it
a lot easier on me if we have con
tinuity on the coaching staff - a lot
easier," he said. "On the other
hand, I'm a coach. I was given my
opportunity. If John Fox is able to
get hired as a head coach, I'll be
most happy for him. John deserve,
that shot."
Defensive backs coach Johnnie
Lynn could replace Fox if he
leaves. Fassel said he expects all
of his assistants to return next sea
son, pending Fox' status.
Quarterback Kerry Collins is
looking forward to marking a sig
nificant milestone Thursday on his
road back from alcohol abuse. It
is the expiration date for the sus
pension of his driver's license that
resulted from driving under the in
fluence Nov. 1, 1998, in Charlotte.
Collins plans to get a ride from
his girlfriend to the nearest motor
New York recruits from the
Bedford-Stuyvesant section of
Brooklyn, saw his coach's more se
rious side as "a visionary, a pioneer
in race relations. He told us, "We're
going to respect one another, we're
not going to have a checkerboard
problem.—
McGuire's message to all his
players never changed: Use basket
ball, don't let basketball use you.
"He told me I could do whatever
1 wanted to do if I paid the price,"
said Thompson, a Milwaukee busi
nessman who broadcasts Marquette
games over radio and TV.
Bo Ellis, the coach at Chicago
State, was one of McGuire's best
players, senior captain of
Marquette's 1977 NCAA champi
ons. Ellis recalled that McGuire
rarely discussed basketball with his
players.
"Al stressed opportunity," Ellis
said. "He told us that we had to grab
lost eight in a row through Friday
and are 1-9 after replacing Coach
Steve Ludzig with assistant John
Tortorella. The awful record has re
sulted in empty seats - while Tampa
is averaging 15,389 through 22
games, they recently had announced
crowds of 11,854 and 12,774 in the
19,758-seat Ice Palace.
"We're in a little bit of a slide here
and if we keep going ... hoy, you
can't get much lower," Tortorella
told the St. Petersburg Times.
In Nashville, the Predators aver
aged 16,600 while finishing in last
place last season. This year, the
Predators are in third place in the
Central Division, hut attendance is
down. Through 26 home games,
Nashville is averaging 15,461 at the
17,298-seat Nashville Arena.
But the Southern spot with the big
gest attendance concerns remains
Raleigh, N.C. Since leaving Hartford
in 1997, the Hurricanes have
struggled to attract fans. Now in their
vehicle office across the border to
his native Pennsylvania, renew
his license, then take the wheel for
the drive back home to New Jer-
Collins, who plans to travel to Ha
waii this weekend, said he would
not throw for several weeks be
cause of the slight shoulder sepa
ration he suffered in the Super
Bowl.
Although the Giants did not
lose any starters to long-term in
juries, several potentially valu
able young role players sat out all
or most of 2000, including run
ning back Sean Bennett, line
hacker Dhani Jones, cornerbacks
Ralph Brown and Andre Weath
ers and offensive tackle Chris
Zieinann.
The team is particularly excited
about adding Bennett and Jones
to the mix. Both believe they will
be fully recovered from major
knee surgeries by the start of
training camp.
"After getting a taste of what
they had in store for me, then sit
ting out, if I'm not hungry next
year to get back, I don't belong
here," said Bennett, who esti
mated that he is 95 percent of nor
mal.
Al McGuire
this opportunity to go to college and
graduate. He told us we had been
given this chance and we could not
let it get away from us.
"Not only was he a tremendous
motivator and teacher, he was a street
tighter. and he showed us these last
three months how strong and tough
he was."
Meyer was deeply saddened to
hear of McGuire's passing - they were
fierce but friendly rivals
throughout McGuire's ca-
"He was my friend,
and I loved him," Meyer
said. "Our friendship tran
scended basketball."
Indeed, McGuire
was in the second year of
his second career as a TV
analyst when Meyer cel
ebrated one of his bright
est moments at DePaul.
"Al was doing the
game on TV when we beat
UCLA on our way to the
Final Four in '79," Meyer
recalled.
"He came down on the
floor and hugged me. He
was as happy as I was."
Digger Phelps, a
longtime friend and coach
ing rival from Fordham and
Notre Dame, said McGuire had his
sense of humor to the end.
During one recent phone call,
Phelps said, he asked McGuire what
he was doing and McGuire said he
was "planning the party for after his
funeral -cash bar."
During another conversation
McGuire told him, "I'm on my third
undertaker. I've had two guys die
waiting for me to die."
Tribune staff writer Andrew
Bagnato contributed to this report.
second season in the Raleigh Enter
tainment and Sports Arena, the 'Canes
were expecting to see their fan base
Increase
This season, though, has been un
even. In 23 home games, Carolina
averaged 12,741 in its 18,730-seat
building - up an average of 340 a game
over last season. But while they have
had four sellouts, there have been
some disturbingly low attendance fig
ures: 7,517 for a Jan. 3 game against
Tampa, 8,627 Jan. 7 against the Island
ers, 8,732 Jan. 9 against the Panthers.
And the recent crowds can't be blamed
on poor play. The 'Canes were un
beaten in nine games before losing two
in a row last weekend. GM Jim Ruth
erford recently said he was encouraged
despite the sporadic turnout, mainly
because the team is generating inter
est in the community.
Still, the struggles of the Hurricanes
and other teams in the South must be
a concern for the NHL. Beaman has
said the league relies heavily on at-
Stanford set for Washington
by Jon Wilner
Knight-Ridder Newspapers
January 25, 2001
STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford is con
ducting a two-pronged pursuit of a high
seed in the NCAA tournament. Not only
is the Cardinal steamrollering all oppo
nents, its vanquished foes are lending a
hand, as well.
If the Cardinal finishes 29-1 or 28-2, it
will be a slam-dunk No. 1 seed and prob
ably play in San Diego, one of two sub
regional sites in the West. (Boise is the
other.)
But if Stanford loses three or four
games, then its resume will be matched
against other teams competing for a No.
1 seed, such as Duke, Michigan State,
North Carolina, Kansas, Illinois, even
resurgent Arizona.
In that case, the Cardinal's power rat
ing becomes crucial, and few things bol
ster a team's power rating like tough
schedules and victories over good teams,
what the NCAA selection committee re
fers to as "quality wins."
Each time one of Stanford's opponents
records a quality win, it improves the
Cardinal's power rating incrementally.
Conversely, each bad loss by an oppo
nent hurts Stanford's rating.
"I watch Sports Center every night to
see the scores," point guard Michael
McDonald said. "We always hope the
The Los Angeles limes'
tennis mn,kings:
1. Jennifer Caplan: 1. Andre Agassi. -
Slam has us talking Plunges into the Yana
about her Jen-eratittn. • River. Seine, next?
2. Martina ifingise , 2. Patrick Rafter.
Weary at 20. Skipping ' • Possible farewell ended
doubles at Slams? in cramps and sweat.
3. Lindsay Davenport. 3. Marat Satin.
Slower court, erratic Caught in post-Slam
play hindered her. malaise after U.S. Open.
4. Serena Williams. 4. Pete Sampras.
Shot-making in quarters. Slam-less outside of
bright as her dress. ' Wimbledon since 1997.
5. Venus Williams. 5. Gustavo kuerten.
A-student barely gets Not past Aussie second
passing grade. round in five tries..
6. Monica Seles. 6. Arnaud Clement.
Has lost only in Charming speech a
Melbourne in six trips. highlight of men's final.
7. Amanda Coetzer. 7. Lleyton Hewitt.
Lost opportlmity vs. Still hearing him yell,
Venus Williams. "C'mon!"
8. Justine Henin. 8. Yevgeny Kafelnikov.
Winning streak - 13 How much is the Aussie
matches - ends in quarters* dollar worth?
9. Kim Clijsters. Sebastien Grosjean.
Rough fOrtnight for her IVA) match points from
and look-alike Hewitt: first Slam final.
10. Anna Kournikova, 10. Carlos Moya.
Took advantage of Y. Spanish reclamation
weaker part of draw. project on schedule.
tendance, perhaps more than any other
professional league.
"What is important to us is continu
ing to grow the game off of the foun
dation that it is on," Bettman said be
fore the season. "Making sure that our
arenas stay at least 90 percent full (dur
ing) the regular season."
Speaking at the Sports Summit in
New York earlier this month, Bettman
dismissed the notion that franchises
could be moving. He pointed to the
success of the league's two expansion
franchises - the Columbus Blue Jack
ets have sold 95 percent of their seats
and the Minnesota Wild have sold out
all of their games - and said the league
remains financially strong.
Bettman said the league's primary
concern is the health of the Canadian
franchises. The teams in the 22 U.S.
markets, Bettman said, are the fuel that
drives the league.
"We've created a footprint that en
ables our brand to get exposure,"
Bettman said.
teams we play end up doing well, because
when the tournament rolls around, we'll
need those quality wins. It makes the
schedule look that much better."
For instance, Georgia (12-7) has won
five consecutive games after a slow start.
Its victories over Utah, Georgia Tech,
North Carolina State, Villanova, Missis
sippi and Florida reflect well on Stanford,
which beat the Bulldogs by 13 points.
Georgia Tech (11-7) is also helping the
Cardinal. The Yellow Jackets have de
feated Kentucky, UCLA, Wake Forest and
Virginia.
Memphis (11-8) has won seven in a
row. Duke (18-1) keeps rolling. And if
New Mexico and Long Beach State win
the Mountain West and Big West confer
ences, respectively, Stanford's schedule
will look that much better when the se
lection committee convenes in early
March.
"Before the season, people were talk
ing about how bad the schedule was," said
McDonald, who leads Stanford against
Washington on Thursday night in Seattle.
"But now it looks pretty good."
The Seattle Connection Several
Stanford players have roots or relatives in
the Seattle area.
Reserve center Curtis Borchardt, who
is from Redmond, Wash., expects to have
100 friends and acquaintances in
Washington's Hec Edmundson Pavilion
on Thursday night. He is friendly with
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2001
figures
But what happens when fans are ex
posed to a poor product? In the
hockey capital of the world, fans still
watch - the listless Canadiens are
among the league leaders in atten
dance, averaging 19,707 through 26
home games. The Rangers, despite
their disappointing record (20-26-3-
1), still sell out Madison Square Gar
den. The Bruins have seen a dip in
attendance (14,823), partly due to
high ticket prices (up to $77).
When did the Bruins sell out the
Fleet Center? When Mario Lemieux
was visiting. Proof fans will pay to
see the best: Lemieux has sold out
every building he has visited (Wash
ington, Boston, New York, Phoenix,
Dallas and Chicago).
But when fans are handed medioc
rity, cost is an issue. The average NHL
ticket is $47, a factor in markets where
fans have no emotional attachment to
the sport.
Huskies guard Bryan Brown, the son of
former Seattle Sonics guard "Down
town" Freddie Brown.
"I'm really looking forward to the
game," said Borchardt, who did not play
in Seattle last season, because of a stress
fracture in his right root.
Reserve forward Teyo Johnson, who
played at Mariner High School before
moving to San Diego, said 30 relatives
will attend the game.
Reserve guard Tony Giovacchini's
uncle and cousins live in Kirkland, out
side Seattle.
Reserve forward Tyler Besecker is
from Bellevue. His parents are expected
to attend, but Besecker won't be there.
He is recovering from a severe case of
food poisoning - "It wasn't E-coli, but it
was like it," he said. It necessitated in
travenous feeding and several nights in
the hospital.
Odds and ends Stanford has won its four
road games (Long Beach State, Santa
Clara, Arizona, Arizona State) by an av
erage of 16 points.
McDonald leads the Pacific 10 Con
ference in assist-to-turnover ratio with a
sensational plus-3.8. (A 2-to-1 ratio is
considered good.)
The Cardinal averages 21.4 points per
game from the foul line; its opponents
average 10.8.
Stanford has held all 17 opponents
under 50 percent shooting from the field.