Newspaper Page Text
MMMHWi
PARADE OF LIGHTS
Tech fans: Mistakes, timing of bad call key problems
SEC officials
suspended from
championship
By JOSH KATZOWITZ
Ths Red a Black
Controversy has been set off
(Tom Athens to Atlanta to
Florence, Ala., over Jasper Sanks’
supposed fumble with 10 seconds
left in Saturday’s 51-48 loss at
Georgia Tech.
Although SEC director of offi
cials Bob Gaston admitted his
crew, which Is ranked as the No. 1
assemblage In the conference,
was wrong In Its fumble call, the
game still will go Into the history
books as a Tech win.
But because subsequent
replays showed the sophomore
running back was clearly down
before the football popped loose,
Gaston suspended head referee
A1 Ford, a native of Florence, and
his ensemble from working the
SEC championship game this
Saturday.
And even though the Bulldog
community Is still angry with the
crew’s call and the eventual loss,
Tech fans say the game didn't
hinge on that first-and-goal play.
"Most of Tech’s fans will con
cede it was a fumble," said Adam
Starr, a sophomore at Tech
rpajortng in public policy. “But
when you look at the course of
the game, you’ve got pass Inter
ference calls and holding calls
that weren't called for us.
“That call was a bad one, but
It happened at a crucial moment
of the game,” he said. “If It was In
the first quarter, there would
have been no controversy.','
The debate was fueled In part
by Oeorgia head coach Jim
Dorman's suggestion In his post-
Pandemomum broke
loose as Tech fans
swooped onto the field
and toppled both goal
posts within 10 minutes
of the finish.
game news conference that this
annual rivalry game should be
officiated by a non-SEC or ACC
crew.
According to Starr, though.
Yellow Jackets fans believe the
officials aren’t the problem.
“The thinking here is that the
rets are Just part of the game,’’ he
said. “Just Uke coaching is part of
the game. And if Donnan would
have made the right call and gone
for the field goal instead of run
ning the ball, (Georgia) would
have had It made. Then Georgia
blew It in overtime.”
In the end. Tech was able to
intercept Bulldog quarterback
Quincy Carter In the overtime
period before Luke Manget
kicked a 38-yard field goal on
fourth down to sow up the win.
And once the ball had cleared
the goal posts, pandemonium
broke loose as Tech fans swooped
onto the field and toppled both
goal posts within 10 minutes of
the finish.
“It was pretty cool,” said
Nathan Welden, a sophomore In
mechanical engineering. “I was In
the first row, and we had to Jump
over the wall so we wouldn’t get
trampled ... (After taking down
the goal posts), we took about
three or four pieces to the presi
dent’s house.”
Although some Bulldog fans
might not believe It, the contro
versy will eventually end. And
when all the smoke Is cleared and
the Qrant Field goal posts are
back In place. Tech and Georgia
fans will mark Nov. 25, 2000 (the
date of next year’s game) on their
calendar.
“This controversy Is helping to
fuel rivalry where at the begin
ning of the ’90s It wasn’t one,”
Starr said. ”! look forward to the
game every year. I can't wait to
play them again.”
INSIDE TODAY | AfterHours: 2 | News: 3 | Opinions: 4 | Sports: 11 | Crossword: 5
THURSDAY
December 2,1999
Vol. 107, No. 701 Athens, Georgia
Fair.
High 62 | Low 25 | Friday 65
ONLINE: wwMLredandUaGk.com
SEC to address
crowd control
By GENTRY ESTES
The Red a Black
During the latter stages of
Auburn's surprising 38-21 upset
over Georgia Nov. 13, Auburn
student Matt Spruill entered a
rest room in the Sanford
Stadium upper deck The
orange-and-blue clad fan
immediately was met by a sea
of angry Bulldog fans, who
threatened Spruill to the point
where he was forced into a
quick retreat back to his seat.
“Alcohol’s flowing, words are
flying and tempers get high,”
said Auburn freshman Jason
Brantley, who sat with Spruill.
Twelve SEC athletic direc
tors may discuss recent crowd-
control problems — such as
those at Aubum-Georgia — at
their annual meeting Dec. 14 in
Birmingham, Ala., said SEC
associate commissioner Jim
McCullough.
“This is a constant thing
every year. In fact, we address it
every week,” said Athletics
Director Vince Dooley. “But 1
think it’s become more of a
problem because we have larg
er crowds, games at non-con-
ventional times. ... There is
more time for libations than is
necessary.”
The 6 p.m. Auburn start
allowed for more tailgating
time and therefore a higher
number of drunk football fans
at an already intense rivalry
game
Problems in controlling
rowdy crowds during the
Auburn game didn’t stop with
bathroom threats. Fans abused
campus workers and police offi
cers, as well as each other.
Before one game this season,
an off-duty Clarke County sher
iff’s deputy was hit with a beer
bottle.
Some incidents may have
occurred this season because
opposing fans were assigned to
u
“Any time you have
drunk students, it makes
for a bad situation, and
it... is bad to have two
student sections directly
beside each other."
JASON BRANTLEY
Auburn University Freshman
sit in the east upper deck of
Sanford Stadium, directly
beside a Georgia student sec
tion.
“Georgia fans did not need
to be next to us,” Brantley said.
“Any time you have drunk stu
dents. it makes for a bad situa
tion, and it certainly is bad to
have two student sections
directly beside each other. We
saw a problem with that imme
diately.”
After last season, Georgia
opted to move the visiting fans
from a large area in the west
end zone to two separate areas
in a comer of the stadium and
an upper deck in the east end
zone.
The new arrangement was
mostly designed to limit the
influence of opposing team's
fans.
The decision may have been
a direct result of the hedge-
shredding incident, where cele
brating Georgia Tech fans tore
the famous Sanford Stadium
landmarks following their 20-19
victory in the final game of the
1998 home schedule.
“I used to dream of coming
back home and watching
games at Sanford Stadium,”
said Georgia graduate James
Cobb. “But anymore I find a lot
of reasons to stay at home and
watch it on TV.”
— Contributing: Associated
Press
Lights, music stream through downtown
Parade to feature
40 floa ts, 10 bands
By SUZANNE KAYES
The Red a Black
About 25,000 people will line
the streets for tonight's
Downtown Athens Christmas
Parade of Lights, said Claire
Benson, director of the event.
"It’s the neatest small-town
parade in Georgia,” she said. “It
has a real hometown flair.’’
Presented by the Athens-
Clarke County Department of
Leisure Services and the Athens
Downtown Development
When: 7 tonight
Where: The route begins on
Dougherty Street, turns left on Pulaski
Street, travels left on Clayton Street
and ends on Thomas Street in front of
the federal building.
Street closings: Parade routes will
close at 5 p.m.
Parking: Parking decks on College
and Hancock avenues will be free
and open to the public.
Authority, the parade will feature
more than 40 floats as well as 10
high school and middle school
marching bands.
The floats, each decked out in
lights, will convey the theme of
this year's parade, "Memories of
Christmas Past."
Awards will be given for best
use of light, originality and pre
sentation of theme. The best
overall will win the Mayor's
Award.
Local businesses, churches,
clubs and government agencies
submit the floats, said parade
coordinator Mark McCoy.
Last year, Dixon’s Bicycles on
Broad Street won the award for
best theme.
A professional trials rider did
crazy tricks on his bike atop the
float, said Dixon’s manager
Jeramy Headlund, a senior from
Lansing, Mich.
Local BMX and freestyle rid
ers came out to do their stunts
too, he said.
“The kids really liked it, and
that’s what it’s all about,"
Headlund said.
At the end of the parade,
Santa and Mrs. Claus will hop
out of their sleigh at City Hall to
lead Christmas carols with the
Classic City Band as the giant
community Christmas tree is lit.
"The parade has been going
on in some form or another for 30
years,” Benson said.
She also said she would love
to have the Redcoat Band per
form in the future.
“It’s very gratifying to see
thousands of people come and
help usher in the holiday season,”
McCoy said.
A Tech fans stripped the hedges after last year’s come-
from-behind victory over Georgia in Sanford Stadium.
Homeless for the holidays
No one hurt in LeChateau Club
fire caused by overheated socket
By CHANDLER BROWN
The Red a Black
An independent student newspaper serving the University of Georgia
ESTABLISHED 189 3, INDEPENDENT 198
COACH BOBq
> Currently a
graduate assistant
working with the Bulldog
tight ends, former Georgia
quarterback Mike Bobo
soon will test his sports
management degree as
quarterback coach at
Jacksonville State in
Alabama. PAGE 12
FILE I The Rid a Buuk
An apartment fire that left
dozens of residents — six of
them students — homeless was
caused by an electrical socket
that overheated, the building’s
owner said Wednesday.
The Are gutted 10 units of
Building 145 at LeChateau Club
apartments, located off Epps
Bridge Road near Atlanta
Highway. No one was hurt.
The fire started about 8:30
Tuesday night in apartment 17,
a two-bedroom, 960-square-
foot “garden residence” rented
by a couple and their two chil
dren, said complex owner Eddie
Michael.
An extension cord plugged in
to a wall socket near the front
door apparently overheated,
igniting the blaze that
destroyed half of the 20-unit
building.
Athens-Clarke Fire Chief
Wendell Faulkner said it was
too early to determine the exact
cause of the fire, but he con
firmed it started in apartment
17.
A complete report will be
available in about a week,
Faulkner said, noting that near
ly 50 firefighters were on the
scene.
Some residents complained
wiring in the building was out
dated and that apartments
weren’t equipped with fire
extinguishers.
Some said their smoke
alarms didn't go off during the
fire.
Investigators were unaware
of the tenants’ complaints, but
the investigation would indi
cate whether anyone was at
fault, Faulkner said.
Faulkner said the 40-year-old
building had two roofs — the
original flat one and a gable-
style, sloped top that was
added mdre recently — that
made it more difficult to fight
the blaze.
About 40 people remained
homeless Wednesday, said
Steve Stringham, director of
disaster services for the East
Georgia Chapter of the
American Red Cross.
Stringham said several area
apartment complexes had
offered free or reduced-rate
temporary housing for those
displaced by the fire.
Many residents stayed at the
Holiday Inn Express on Broad
Street at a reduced rate of $15
per night.
Witnesses said the fire
spread quickly but credited
fast-acting firefighters and a fire
wall for containing the blaze
quickly.
“I was mortified," said co
owner Chuck Lamb. “I thought
it was a bad dream.”
When the fire broke out,
Solona Varner, a sophomore
from Seattle, was at Dave and
Buster's in Duluth celebrating
her 21st birthday with her hus
band of five months, Enoch
Varner, a junior from Seattle
and a University police officer.
The couple called a neighbor
on the way home and found out
about the fire.
“When we got home, we
didn't know if everyone had got
ten out,” Enoch Varner, 26, said
Wednesday as he sifted through
charred furniture and belong
ings on the front lawn of the
building. “We’U be fine, though.
We’re just happy to have each
other.”
A The fire that destroyed half of Building 145 in LeChateau
Club Tuesday night left six students and more than 30 other
residents temporarily without homes.
MORE INSIDE
1 >■ In light ol Tuesday's fire, residents
recommend renters' insurance. 3
