14—The Daily Collegian Thursday, Dec. 11, 1986 Akers finds new home at Purdue By STEVE HERMAN AP Sports Writer WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - For mer Texas football coach Fred Ak ers, hired at Purdue.yesterday, said he expected to assemble a staff within a week and immediately begin recruiting “the very best ath letes possible.” Akers was hired five weeks after Leon Burtnett resigned under pres sure amid the Boilermakers’ worst record in 44 years. “I’ve known Leon for some time, and he did discuss some of the strengths and weaknesses,” Akers said at an afternoon news confer ence at Mackey Arena. “We’re al ways looking for skilled people, but until we can get a staff settled, I’m not going to Say this is our No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 priority.” Akers said he might bring some of his former staff from Texas. He said he met with a group of about 25 Purdue players before taking the job and that he would meet again with the players to “assure them they’re going to have a staff ready to roll up its sleeves and work with them. “I want them to know we are in the process of assembling what I POUR IT ON! Comer of College & Sowers Behind CC Peppers-Downtown A Positive Point About Breast Cancer. Now we can see it before you can feel it. When it’s no bigger than the dot on this P !\iid when it’s 90% cur able. With the best chance of saving the breast. The trick is catching it early. And that’s exactly what a mammogram can do. A mammogram is a sim ple x-ray thats simply the best news yet for detecting breast cancer. And saving lives. If you’re over 35, ask your doctor about mammography. Give yourself the chance of a lifetime.™ ■ AMERICAN V? CANCER ? SOCIETY* hope will be a great staff,” Akers said. Akers described himself as “de manding, committed, a great com petitor ... yet fair. I want players that way; I want coaches around me that way. I want everyone to know what to expect.” He called the Purdue coaching job “a great challenge. I felt I’d like to take it and meet it if we can. You always have something to prove. The day you don’t feel that, you’d better get out of coaching.” Akers, 48, signed a five-year con tract with a starting base salary of $lOO,OOO, about $lO,OOO more than Burtnett received. Akers, who was fired two weeks ago after the Longhorns finished 5- 6, their worst mark in 30 years, said the past season “was not one of my favorites. That’s only the second time I’ve been involved in a losing season. But that’s history. That’s a chapter in my life I’m wiling to close.” He is the 31st head coach at Pur due. “I’m not here to examine what they did in the past,” Akers said. “It makes all the difference what we do from this day forward.” Burtnett compiled a 21-34-1 re cord in five years. The Boilermakers, hurt by inju ries and inexperience all season, were 2-8 when Burtnett announced his resignation a week before the final game against Indiana. Purdue won that game, but the 3-8 finish matched Burtnett’s first season as the worst since the Boilermakers went 1-8 in 1942. ‘(lt’s) a great challenge. I felt I’d like to take it and meet it if we can. You always have something to prove. The day you don’t feel that, you’d better get out of coaching.” Fred Akers, Purdue His overall college coa ching re need football coach' cord is 96-44-2. mer Boilermaker player and head Purdue had only one winning sea- coach of the NFL New England son under Burtnett 1984 when Patriots, who signed last week as the Boilermakers were 7-5 with a coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Peach Bowl loss to Virginia, and Burtnett was named Big Ten Con ference coach of the year. Akers coached the past 10 years at Texas, where his teams compiled an 86-31-2 record and appeared in nine straight bowl games before this season. Former Texas Tech Coach David McWilliams was hired last Friday as Akers’ successor. Akers played defensive back, quarterback and placekicker at the University of Arkansas from 1957- 59. He coached high school football in Texas before joining the Long horns’i staff in 1966 as an assistant to Darrell Royal. Akers was head coach at Wyom ing for two years, compiling a 10-13 record, before returning to Texas in 1977 as Royal’s successor. Under Akers, the Longhorns won two Southwest Conference championships and were ranked among the nation’s Top 10 four times. Among other candidates for the Purdue job was Ron Meyer, a for- North Atherton Street, on the Penn State Campus • State College, PA (814)237-7671 '' Krivak to replace Ross at Maryland COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) Joe Krivak, an assistant coach at the University of Maryland, was named yesterday to head the university’s v football program. Krivak’s strengths are his ties to Maryland, where he has been an assistant coach in charge of quar terbacks and receivers since 1982. He also was an assistant under Jerry Claiborne from 1974 to 1976, and was a candidate for the head coaching job five, years ago when the university hired Bobby Ross. He was the choice of the assistant coaches and the players. Krivak, a 1957 graduate of Syra cuse, also was an assistant coach at Navy for five years, and was men tioned as a candidate for that head coaching job, since the firing of Gary Tranquill after Saturday’s loss to Army. During's Krivak’s two coaching Rutigliano, Mack Brown of Tulane, stints at Maryland, the Terrapins Bill Dooley of Virginia Tech, Seattle have 67-26-2. Seahawks assistant Ralph Hawkins, Ross quit after a 5-5-1 season, citing Phil Albert of Towson State and Jack unkept promises from the university Bicknell of Boston College. Bicknell administration concerning renova- took himself out of the running last tions to Byrd Stadium and other fa- week. Brown withdrew Tuesday cilities. night, according to Tulane officials. Krivak was one of eight candidates A three-man search committee, for the position, including Washing- headed by acting athletic director ton State coach Jim Walden, former Charles Sturtz, finished interviewing Cleveland Browns head coach Sam candidates on Tuesday. sr> % Joe Krivak Schmidt's plans don't worry Felske By ALAN ROBINSON AP Sports Writer HOLLYWOOD, Fla. Philadel phia Manager John Felske said yesterday he isn’t upset that three time Most Valuable Player Mike Schmidt, who plans to retire after one more season, wants to manage the Phillies someday. “He was asked a question and gave an honest answer. He stated what he wanted. It was nothing more than that,” Felske said at the baseball winter meetings. “Right now I’m the manager. If I’m not the manager next year, well, I can’t control that,” he said. Felske then stopped, paused, and said, smiling, “He also said he’d like to be the general manager.” Schmidt, the 1986 National League Most Valuable Player, says he plans to play only one more season. But Felske isn’t convinced that Schmidt, 37, will retire if he has another outstanding "season. Schmidt hit .290 with 37 home runs and 119 RBI in 1986 as the Phillies finished second in the NL East. “I don’t know if Mike Schmidt is going to retire or not. Maybe if Mike would play well, maybe he will want to play longer,” Felske said. “When I’m making out my lineup, I can’t worry about him retiring. If he can play and wants to play, he’ll play.” Schmidt’s performance has left little playing time for infielder Rick Schu, considered one of the Phillies’ best prospects. Schu hit .274 with eight homers ©AX • ©AX • ©AX • ©AX • ©AX • ©AX • ©AX • ©AX • ©AX • ©AX • ©AX • ©AX X < © The Brothers of Theta Delta Chi warmly welcome their newest initiates X < © Douglas Petcash Joe Bower Brian Smilowitz x Karen Darby ® < 0-103 > ©AX • ©AX • ©AX • ©AX • ©AX • ©AX • ©AX • ©AX • ©AX • ©AX • ©AX • ©AX and 25 RBI last season but managed only 208 at-bats in 92 games. Felske said Schu, 24, is in the unfortunate position of being good enough to play in the major leagues but not good enough to force Schmidt to the bench. “If he’s not going to play any more than he did last season, he might be better off playing every day in triple-A,” Felske said. “But the trouble is, the days that Mike Schmidt doesn’t play, you like to have Rick in there. It can be diffi cult at times for a player like Rick Schu.” Felske said he was frustrated about the Phillies’ failure to com plete any trades. “We came here with a few ideas in mind,” Felske said. “We’re still talking with a few teams but noth ing is happening. “A lot of teams just don’t know what they’re going to do until they find out what is going to happen with their free agents. That makes it tough to make a move. How can Montreal make a trade until they know whether they’re going to lose two players? . “There’s no reason for them to make a move until they know what those players (Tim Raines and Andre Dawson) are going to do. Yeah, we’re frustrated, but every other team is in the same situa tion.” Felske said several teams have expressed an interest in outfielder Glenn Wilson, who hit .271 with 15 home runs and 84 RBI in 1986 after driving in 102 runs in 1985. “A lot of people have asked about and their little sisters Kim Hoffman him, but it would have to be a in the National League? No one,” powerful trade for us to consider Felske said. “He had pretty impres trading him," Felske said. sive numbers (.266, 16 homers, 78 Felske also said he hopes second RBI) for a guy who missed a month baseman Juan Samuel enjoys an of the season. He’s aggressive and injury-free 1987 “because he was as he’s going to have 100 strikeouts a good as anybody around” until year if he plays to the year 2050, but hurting his leg last season. he’s also going to put numbers on “Who hustles as much as he does the board.” Giles doubles his interest in Phillies HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP) lies from the Carpenter family in Club president Bill Giles says he 1981 for $3O million, has gambled his financial life by “I feel very good about it,” Giles roughly doubling his interest in the said. “I personally have a greater Philadelphia Phillies following the percentage. And what is gratify s24.l million purchase of Taft ing is that confidence my partners Broadcasting Co.’s share by Giles have in the way we’re running the and three of his limited partners. team and in the direction of major- The National League club and league baseball. Giles announced the transaction “There is the possibility that Monday. perhaps we couldn’t run the club, Giles, the team’s general part- or a catastrophe like a long strike, ner, now has a share of 19.5 per- But if everything goes the way it cent. The exact percentage of the has for the last five years, I feel it club owned by the other three will be a great investment,” partners was not revealed, but J.D.B. is a partnership of John they too roughly doubled their Drew and Claire S. Betz. Tri-Play shares. is a partnership of three brothers, Giles purchased the Taft share Alexander, J. Mahlon Jr. and Wil along with J.D.B. Associates, Tri- liam C. Buck. Dixon is chairman Play Associates and Fitz Eugene of the board of Widener Universi- Dixon Jr. ty. Taft, a publicly held corporation A fifth partner, Mrs. Rochelle based in Cincinnati, had 47.294 Levy, will remain as a limited shares, largest of the six original partner but was not part of the partners who purchased the Phil- Taft share. Mark Brooks Mark Kissner Edward Groh Lisa Barry © > X © > X Riley has little trouble keeping Lakers afloat By BILL BARNARD AP Basketball Writer Pat Riley’s biggest worry isn’t Akeem Olajuwon and Ralph Samp son. Or Larry Bird and Kevin Mc- Hale. Or whether his trousers are wrinkled. Pat Riley’s biggest worry, he says, is keeping the Los Angeles Lakers from losing the joy of winning. “I have no problems with egos," Riley said." Everybody assumes that I do, but my main problem coaching the Lakers is keeping these guys away from the burden of having to win every time. "The public, the media, fans and even management have such unrea listic expectations about winning that I have to deal with the possibility that the players will get no joy out of the season. “No one can win all the time. When you’re not only expected to win, but to win and look great, you’re put in a position where you can never be satisfied. I tell the team that it’s OK to lose 25 games that should be our goal. I’ll say, ‘I will allow you to lose 25 times.’ That means we win 57 and could have the best record in the league. If we’re crushed every time we lose, we’ll never feel any joy when we win.” The thrashing that Olajuwon, Sampson and the Houston Rockets handed the Lakers in the playoffs last season keeping them out of the NBA finals for only the second time this decade bothers Riley, but not enough to make him change the tea m’s emphasis away from quickness and speed. The Daily Collegian Thursday, Dec. 11,1986 —15 "I can’t worry so much about what other, teams have that it affects our philosophy about playing the game,” Riley said. “The only teams with legitimate, productive Twin Towers front lines that can hurt us are the Rockets and the Celtics.” Through a trade, the Lakers would like to add size and muscle without sacrificing speed and guile. But until a change is made, they will continue to run the opposition into submission, as they did in 15 of their first 18 games this season. With Magic Johnson orchestrating the fast break and Kareem Abdul- Jabbar hitting sky hooks when the running game was throttled, the Lakers were the highest-scoring team in the NBA last season. They are again this year. That nearly unbeatable formula for success earned Riley 300 victories 14 games quicker than any coach in NBA history, but probably nothing in Coach of the Year balloting. Riley may be doomed to being taken for granted because he has always had great players Abdul- Jabbar, Johnson and James Worthy, among others. The Lakers have won the Pacific Division in each of Riley's five years as coach and won NBA championships in 1982 and 1985. Stylish and well-dressed, Riley is a clotheshorse who favors French cuffs and wears his hair slicked back like actor Robert De Niro. He’s also hand some, and jokes about having had four face lifts since he started coach ing. But Riley says the only image he cares about is being a professional coach.
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