—The Daily Collegian Monday. September 10, 1973
PITTSBURGH (AP)
University of Pittsburgh
football Coach Johnny Majors
has denied charges by a
former player that he was
forced out by Majors as part
of a scheme to rid the team of
upper classmen.
Lou Cecconi, a senior
running back, left Pitt's
Johnstown training camp two
weeks ago after what he later
said was a run-in with Majors
over punishment for failing to
weigh in before practice.
After practice, the trainer
called me over. He asked me
why I didn't weigh in and I
told him I forgot," Cecconi
told a reporter Friday. "He
said I would have to be
punished."
Cecconi. whose father was
a Pitt star and a member of
Carl DePasqua's coaching
staff, said he was ordered by
the trainer to roll back and
forth across the practice
field.
Cecconi said he" asked if he
could run laps instead, and
that during a subsequent
argument with the trainer
and backfield coach, Majors
interceded. "
"(Majors) came charging over and
he was yelling and screaming. His
face was all red. He yelled at me .
"I don't think anyone really likes
him."
Internal warfare
has begun at Pitt
"He came charging over It was all part of a plan to
and he was yelling and get the upper classmen off the
screaming. His face was all squad, said Cecconi, adding,
red. He yelled at me," "I don't think anyone really
Cecconi continued: likes him (Majors)."
The former player said Majors' said Friday he
Majors ordered him to do expected sooner or later he
what he was told or leave the would face a showdown with
field. Cecconi because "we were
"I'm a Pitt man. I'm not concerned
about factions, I'm here to do a job
"I can judge a young man by
what he does on our field, not by
what his daddy did."
~,
Lou Cecconi
—Pitt coach Johnny Majors
just being tested. He
(Cecconi) wanted to see how
far he could go before
something would. happen."
Cecconi suffered a knee
injurylast season and was not
expected to play this year, but
Majors said "his daddy called
me and said the boy wanted to
play. Would I let him come
out, however, he never
participated in spring
practice, he shouldn't have
been here."
Majors - said the players,
were required to weigh'
themselves everyday to
guard against possible effects
of intense workouts in the hot
weather. •
Majors said Cecconi's
complaints amounted to
being stabbed in the back,
and he placed much of, the
blame for the incident on
Ceconni's injury and his
father.
"I'm aPitt man. I'm not
concerned about factions, I'm
here to do a job," said
Majors. "I can judge.a young
man by what he does on our
field, not by what his daddy
did."
John and Jan bump Joe
Penn State banner wavers have been getting quite a bit of
exercise the past few weeks as the Lions are receiving a
rather large helping of national attention. -
Yesterday, however, was a bit of an exception as Joe
Paterno got bumped off national television in favor of the final
set of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, which ran a little
longer than expected. The show CBS Sports Illustrated, which
is done in conjunction with the television network and the
sports magazine, had to be pre-empted to allow John
Newcombe a TV audience for his victory over Jan Kodes.
Someone in New York made the decision not to move back
the show, so Paterno's half was given the axe, at least in the
eastern half of the U.S. Conceivably, the show made it to the
West Coast due to the time lag.
But if you were waiting around your set for a football
preview or a series tough football questions, you wouldn't
have gotten what you were looking for anyway.
That's because Joe did a somewhat different type of show,
emphasizing a few of the more human and philosophical sides
of the game itself, the players and a coach's relationships, to
both.
Baseball little leagues and happiness in family life were
reported to be some of the topics discuSsed but on this day
Newcombe was not to be denied so the best to be hoped for is a
summer re-run.
With the final set of the final match before the show,
perhaps it was best.Paterno's slot was cut.
Afterall, it looks pretty bad when Penn State's football
coach is compared with Heidi.
And with the movie "The Yearling" set to be aired
immediately following, Joe had nowhere to go. Even Joe's
pitch couldn't compete with the story of Jody Baxter and his
pet fawn, and'hiq love for parents who are struggling to
tear a living from the land in the backwoods of Florida.
Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman may not make a Harris-
Mitchell combination but little kids still rank them a slight
favorite in the Sunday afternoon TV polls.
Many were surprised to see Jack Nicklaus stumble coming
down the stretch in the World Series of .Golf yesterday at
Firestone Country Club in Akron. No sooner did Jack come
into the lights, than his game fell noticeably behind winner
Tom Weiskopf's.
While his closing 69 was far from embarrassing, once again
this year he was outdone in a major event. •
The scene was somewhat reminiscent of the Open at
Oakmont Country Club earlier this Summer. But on the final
W. L. Pet: G.B.
St, Louis 72 71 .503 ,
PIRATES 69 70 .496 1
Montreal 69 73 .486 2 1 / 2
New York 69 74 .483 3
Chicago 68 73 .482 3
PHILLIES 64 79 .448 8
Cincinnati 87 57 .604
Los Ang 84 60 .583 3
San Fran 88 61 .567 5 1 / 2
Houston 73 72 .503 14 1 / 2
Atlanta 69 76 .476 18 1 / 2
San Diego 52 90 .366 34
stretch it was young, handsome Johnny Miller who walked
away with Jack's marbles instead of Weiskopf.
If Jack's losing however, it surely isn't for any lack of
concentration. If you've never seen Nicklaus putt while
standing close enough to him to hear him bargain with his
caddie, you can't understand the reason he is such a
successful and determined golfer.
He demonstrated his firey determination as well as his
temper on Oakmont's fourth green in the final round of the
Open.
Johnny Miller had been through over half an hour before,
blasting out of a bad trap 30 . yards away to about six inches
from the hole. The birdie on this par five was his third during
. 144 Mk
the first four holes and became the foundation of his
miraculous and Open-winning 63, that brought the historic
course to its knees.
After Nicklaus' sand approach (there were many) Jack's
ball sat 14 feet from the cup: He knew the time to start winning
the tournament was now.
Jack went on one knee and went for advice. "This is going
right isn't it," Jack asked. His caddie wouldn't cooperate.
"No, there's nothing there." he assured Nicklaus.
"C'mon now, I can see it. You sure?" The caddie was: 'no
break."
After studying the shot for several moments longer Jack
approached it, picked his line and tapped it three inches
wide to the left. No break.
Nicklaus turned away toward the gallery and exploded into
'anger, his face deep red against his blonde hair. There was
more fury in his eyes than any other golfer had shown under
any other circumstance. Oakmont had won a small victory,
but Jack did not concede it easily. When you can watch a man
play only one green and still see the caliber of a champion in
you're looking at a rare individual.
No explanation for his current woes, except to say it's not
for lack of study.
standings
Philadelphia 8, Pittsburgh 7
Cincinnati 14, Atlanta 6, Ist W. L. Pct
Cincinnati 7, Atlanta 0, 2nd Baltimore 82 58 .586
New York 3, Montreal 0 Boston 78 65 .545 5 1 .i>.
Chicago 5, St. Louis 4 , Detroit 76 68 .528 8
Houston 5, San Francisco 4 New York 72 71 .503 1
Los Angeles 5, San Diego 3 Milwaukee 69 73 .486 14
• Cleveland 62 84 .425 23
Cleveland 6, Baltimore 4,
Baltimore 13, Cleveland 4,
Milwaukee 10, New York 3
Detroit 5, Boston 4 '-
Chicago 10, Minnesota 7
Kansas City 9, California 5,
Kansas City 6, California 3,
Rick Starr
assistant sports editor
West
Oakland 82 59
Kan City 78 64
Chicago 72 71
Minnesota 68 73
California 64 75
Texas 49 91
549 4 1 / 2
503 11
482 14
460 17
350 3212