Boy barred
from girls'
field hockey
By RICHARD CARELLI
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON The Supreme
Court yesterday turned down the
appeal of a Pennsylvania boy who
says he was barred unfairly from
playing on the girls' field hockey
team at his high school.
The court, without comment,
turned away a challenge to a
school district policy that barred
John Williams, a senior at Liberty
High in Bethlehem, from the girls'
team.
Williams' appeal said the policy
violated his equal-protection rights
because it bars him from Playing
on girls' teams even though girls`
are allowed to play on boys' teams.
Williams, 17 and described in
court papers as having "a passion
for field hockey," sued over the
no-boys-allowed policy when he
was a freshman. His school has no
field hockey team for boys.
He did not get to play in his
freshman or sophomore years, but
a federal trial judge last year
ruled that Williams had a right to
participate. As a result, he played
on the girls' team as it compiled a
4-11-4 record.
But the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals set aside the trial judge's
ruling in July, saying the judge
should determine whether "boys
are likely to dominate the school's
athletic program if admitted to the
girls' teams."
The July ruling left school offi
cials free to keep Williams off the
Liberty field hockey team.
Justice David H. Souter turned
down an emergency request in
September that was aimed at let
ting Williams play until the full
Supreme Court studied his appeal.
Liberty High's field hockey sea
son ended Oct. 20 eight days
before Williams' formal appeal
reached the high court.
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Wheatley: 'You're only young once'
Michigan standout to put aside millions to make a run for the Heisman
By HARRY ATKINS
AP Sports Writer
ANN ARBOR, Mich. Tyrone Wheatley
decided his youth and his college educa
tion weren't for sale.
Wheatley, one of the greatest running
backs in Michigan history, said Monday he
would return for his senior season instead
of entering the NFL draft.
"You're only young once," Wheatley said
at a packed news conference which coach
Gary Moeller and several of his team
mates alsd attended. "I didn't want to go
through life saying I wish I'd had my col
lege life."
Wheatley went into the 1993 season as
one of the favorites to win the Heisman
Trophy. But a shoulder injury kept him out
of two games, and he finished eighth in the
Heisman balloting.
In his three years at Michigan, Wheatley
has 3,034 yards rushing,-a school-record 35
rushing touchdowns and 240 points. He
also has four touchdowns receiving and
another on a kickoff return for a total of
40 TDs the most ever by a Michigan
running back.
He is 1,359 yards shy of Jamie Morris'
school rushing record of 4,393 and four
points away from Anthony Carter's career
record of 244 for a non-kicker at Michigan.
Wheatley often plays his best in big
games. He scored three touchdowns in the
1993 Rose Bowl and scored twice in the
1994 Hall of Fame Bowl, winning the most
valuable player award in both games.
"We always expect the unexpected from
him, and this is one of those cases," said
Moeller, who didn't learn of Wheatley's
decision until early Monday. "It's good for
a lot of reasons, and it's not just the
touchdowns. He's a good person to have
around.
"Yes, we want him back. But we want
him back because he's the right kind of
guy. It takes a special person to do special
things."
Moeller said Wheatley's surprising
decision sends a clear and strong message
to young people.
"Life is money," Moeller said. "But if
"I want to leave here with a
degree. I don't want to have
to come back to get one."
Tyrone Wheatley
Michigan tailback
somebody asked who would like to go back
and live their college life again, I bet a lot
of people would raise their hand."
Wheatley said it was exactly that kind of
thinking that prompted him to stay in
school.
"I want to leave here with a degree,"
Wheatley said. "I don't want to have to
come back to get one."
But what happens if he suffers a career
ending injury before getting a crack at
those NFL millions?
"I gave it some thought," Wheatley said.
"But in order to play a sport like this, you
can't think about that. If I was worried
about that, I wouldn't have played this
sport. I'd have concentrated on track and
gone after an Olympic berth."
Wheatley was a track standout in high
school, winning state titles in the long
jump, 100 meters and 110-meter high hur
dles in 1991. He ran indoor track for the
Wolverines last season.
"It's been a long decision, a tough deci
sion," Wheatley said. "I weighed the pros
and cons. I came to the conclusion you've
got to do what's best for you.
"I didn't do it for my mother. I didn't do
it for my grandmother. I did it for me.
People tell me I'm different. I didn't do it
to be different. I just do what's right for
me."
He said he felt another year at Michigan
might make him even more valuable in the
NFL, where he would have been a certain
top 10 pick.
"A lot of people talk about money, play
ing in the NFL," he said. "But the money's
going to be there for me next year. I want
to stay here, try to win the Heisman Tro
phy. That's for me here. I want to go out a
winner."
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Michigan's Tyrone Wheatley finds daylight against Penn State in October. Wheatley
opted yesterday to not turn pro and stay in school for his senior season.
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