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Soccer’s 5-Year Fight
Lasted Only Two Years
By CONNIE RYAN
NEW YORK (UPl)—Major
league professional soccer in
the U.S., which had promised it
would fight for at least five
years for survival, gave up last
month after two years of
financial losses, but now Is
hinting It may reorganize on a
smaller scale.
The North American Soccer
League (NASL) had 17 teams in
action in 1968, two in Canada
and 15 in the U.S. Every one of
them lost money, anywhere
from *300,000 to *700,000 or
more. It was the second
straight year of soccer losses,
although it was only the first
year of operation for the NASL.
In 1967 there were two
competing leagues, and every
one of the 22 teams in those
leagues lost money, too. They
then merged into the NASL. For
some of the franchises, it was a
total loss tn the two seasons of
more than one-million dollars.
This was no surprise, since all
the team owners had said
publicly from the start that
they realized soccer is not
popular in the U.S. and would
have to be built into an
attraction.
•‘We realize it will be a five
year project,’’ said Lamar
Hunt, owner of the Dallas team.
Others said the same thing.
But as the 1968 season ended,
one team after another indicat-
‘Underwear On Backwards’
Best Sports Quotes
By JOE CARNICELLI
UPI Sports Writer
NEW YORK (UPI i —Ad
vanced communications tech
niques have brought the modern
athlete closer to the masses
than ever before. He is no
longer aloof, me.rely a number
with an accompanying set of
statistics. He is what he
projects himself to be to the
public, hero or villain, good or
evil. And the most direct
projections come from his own
spoken words.
Jerry Kramer, considered one
of the coolest of the Green Bay
Packers, brought his pre-game
anxieties down to every man’s
level before the 1968 super bowl
game.
“I was so nervous, said
Kramer, “I put my underwear
on backwards.’’
The Oakland Raiders, Green
Bay’s opponents in the Super
Bowl, gave evidence that even
pro football players become
awed. "Playing these guys is
like playing your father,” said
one of the Raiders. "They were
our childhood heroes.”
Balas Retires
George Halas, the "Papa
Bear” who nursed the National
Football League from its birth
to present widespread prosperi
ty, finally ended his coaching
career in 1968. “I used to chase
tile referees along the sidelines
to argue the calls,” said Halas,
reflecting on his years in the
NFL. “I knew it was time to
retire when I couldn’t catch up
with them any more.”
Joe Kuharlch, whose name
was to become mud In
Philadelphia before the end of
the 1968 season, might have
been predicting his own future
at the January football draft in
ed it would not be back. Boston
told Its players weeks before
the season’s end that it was
disbanding; Detroit announced
its withdrawal as soon as the
season ended, and there was a
hint from even the champion
Atlanta Chiefs.
A league meeting early in
November made it official. It
was announced that all but
eight cities had withdrawn
completely, and the remaining
eight would have inactive
franchises. Instead, there would
be an ‘‘all-star NASL team”
which would play exhibitions
against top International compe
tition for the next few years.
"The cities will embark on
youth programs in amateur
soccer to Increase the populari
ty of the sport in the U.S. by
educating the youngsters,” ex
plained Phil Woosnam, Atlanta
coach and coach of the U.S.
World Cup team. "When the
game is developed enough in
each city, the league will go
back into operation with a
professional team in each
franchise.”
However, the U.S. Soccer
Football Association, ruling
body of the sport, refused to
approve this plan, unless
certain conditions were met.
The USSA specifically refused
to give the NASL preference In
the booking of the glamorous
foreign team tours.
There was another league
New York. Explaining why he
bypasses his son, Larry, (select
ed by Minnesota) during the
draft, Kuharich said, much to
the agreement of Eagle fans, "I
wanted him to go where he
could get better coaching.”
The pro draft also brought a
wry comment from a member
of the Cincinnati staff, who
upon being asked whether he
knew that the Bengals’ previous
choice was serving a short
prison term, responded: "Well,
you’ve heard of drafting red
shirts. This year we’re going for
striped shirts.”
Derby Disqualification
The thoroughbred racing
world was shocked in May when
the Kentucky Derby winner,
Dancer’s Image, was disquali
fied on charges of having drugs
in his system during the race.
Peter Fuller, the horse’s owner,
still has the case under review
by the Kentucky Racing Com
mission, but he expressed his
bitterness when asked about the
offspring of Dancer’s Image.
"There’s no doubt,” said
Fuller, "That I’m going to
name the first offspring Dan
cer’s Revenge.”
The racing world received
another jolt when women began
to press for jockey licenses, the
most publicized of which was a
young Kentucky divorcee named
Penny Ann Early. Miss Early,
who had worked exercising and
grooming horses, never did get
her chance to ride, as male
jockeys threatened boycotts.
She did, however, appear in an
American Basketball Associa
tion game, tossing a ball in
bounds for the Kentucky Colo
nels.
She explained her penchant
for men’s sports quite candidly.
‘Men are my hobby,” said the
meeting at the end of November
after which Woosnam said that
“There will be some sort of a
soccer league in the U.S. next
year.” He said he could give no
further information now.
However, this would be
easier said than done. Most of
the NASL teams released their
players, making them free
agents, and most have returned
to their native countries, or
have joined other teams.
The NASL also would face a
formidable public relations job
in trying to operate in 1969,
after having announced its
suspension. It would be almost
impossible to convince any U.S.
sports fan that this would be
major league soccer in any
sense.
Tirus U.S. soccer appears to
have reverted to just what it
was before the 1967 season.
There is one professional league
in the country, the American
League, which has six teams.
Actually, it is semi-pro in
operation, since its players have
regular weekday jobs too. It is
this league which has Imported
top foreign clubs, such as
Santos, Inter-Milan, Glasgow
Celtic, Manchester City and
Dunfermline, for successful
tours.
For the rest, soccer in the
U.S. in '69 will be the amateur
game, played before tiny
crowds.
shapely Penny Ann. “I like to
be around them.”
Pete Maravich
Scoring Leader
With 47.4 Mark
NEW YORK (UPl)—Spencer
Haywood of Detroit, the ace of
the victorious U.S. Olympic
basketball team, is making a
quick impression in the college
ranks as well.
Haywood was fourth in major
college scoring with a 30.8
average through games of Dec.
21 and he led in rebounding with
a 22.5 mark, according to
official statistics released today
by the National Collegiate
Sports Services.
The last major college player
to win the rebounding title as a
sophomore was Dave Deßuss
chere in 1960, and he also
attended Detroit.
Pete Maravich of Louisiana
State was first in scoring with a
phenomenal 47.4 mark, followed
by Cal Murphy of Niagara
(37.1), Rick Mount of Purdue
(32.0), Haywood and Rich
Travis of Oklahoma City (29.7).
Rod Mclntyre of Jacksonville
took over the lead in field goal
percentage with .721 and Herm
Gilliam of Purdue led in free
throw percentage with a perfect
1.000 on 32 for 32.
In the team statistics, DePaul
led in offense (97.8), Duquesne
in defense (52.1), St. Bonaven
ture in field goal percentage
(.542), Hardin-Simmons in free
throws (.828) and Morehead
State in rebounds (71.3>.
SPO RTS
Momentous Year
For Pro Golfers
By JACK WILKINSON
UPI Sports Writer
NEW YORK (UPl)—Profes
sional golf had a momentous
year in 1968, with the game’s
first full-scale revolt which
threatened the multi-million
dollar tour—and the emergence
of a batch of new stars, topped
of course by loquacious Lee
Trevino.
While the welcome host of
newcomers stood in the wings
awaiting their big chances, it
was another year also dominat
ed to degrees by such oldtimers
as Casper, Nicklaus, Boros and
Palmer.
Borrowing a page from other
dissidents, the touring pros
broke with the Professional
Golfers Association, turning a
long-smoldering feud into all-out
warfare. With the rich tour in
Jeopardy, the two factions
resolved their differences short
ly before the year ended. The
players won the stronger voice
in tournament management
they wanted—and turned the
tour back to the PGA. Both
sides hoped they could live hi
harmony. Only time will tell.
It was a year in w’hich Billy
Casper, cooly confident in his
new-found "inner peaoe,” won
more than *206,000. It was a
year of the “Young Lions”—
fellows like Bob Murphy and
Bobby Lunn—who threaten to
take over the game. And, it was
a year for that talkly Texan,
Lee Trevino, who put his putter
where his patter was and won
American golf’s biggest prize.
But, just to balance things, 48-
year-old Julius Boros closed the
generation gap somewhat by
elbowing past the kids to win
his second PGA championship.
DeVicento Loses Masters
The wrong scorecard knocked
Roberto de Vicenzo out of a
playoff for the Masters cham
pionship. The tarnished title
went to Bob Goalby. Jack
Nicklaus broke out of his worst
slump to win better than
$155,000. Arnold Palmer topped
SIOO,OOO also, but Arnie general
ly w’as only a shadow of his
former self—as mirrored pathe
tically by the fact that he was
paired with two amateurs to
bring up the rear in the final
round of the U.S. Open.
A brash kid named Bruce
Fleisher in fringed pants won
the U.S. men’s amateur the
first time he tried, while Joanne
Gunderson earner, a veteran at
the game, took the US.
women’s amateur.
Pro women had a good year
and it took a record $59,097 in
earnings for Kathy Whitworth
to win the money race over
Carol Mann. The U.S. Women’s
Open championship went to
Susie Maxwell Berning.
Death came to Lawson Little,
Tommy Armour, Craig Wood,
Marvin “Bud” Ward and Ted
Makalena.
•The long anticipated break
between the PGA and the
touring players overshadowed
just about everything else in
pro golf during the last half of
1968. The pros for years had
fumed about not having enough
voice in the actual management
of tournaments. The PGA
widened its structure somewhat
to include more player repre
sentation, but it wasn’t enough.
Finally, the parting of the
ways came. Most of the players
banded together and formed the
American Professional Golfers.
Inc. (APG). They announced
they would honor all existing
contracts, but new pacts would
have to be negotiated with
them, and not the PGA, If the
sponsors wanted “names.”
Lou Hudson
Named To
West ‘Stars’
NEW YORK (UPl)—Elgin
Baylor of the Los Angeles
Lakers was a unanimous choice
and rookie Elvin Hayes of the
San Diego Rockets outpolled
Wilt Chamberlain In voting for
the Western All-Star squad, it
was announced today by the
National Basketball Association.
The eight players, plus four to
be added next week by NBA
coaches, will play the Eastern
All-Stars in the league’s 19th
All-Star game, Jan. 14, in the
Baltimore Civic Center.
Baylor, who is averaging 26.7
points a game, was the only
unanimous choice and was
joined at the forward position
by Don Kojis of San Diego and
Lou Hudson of Atlanta.
Hayes was the No. 1 choice at
center, followed by Chamberlain
of the Lakers. Jerry West of the
Lakers, Len Wilens of Seattle
and Jerry Sloan of Chicago
were chosen for the guard
positions.
Sports Briefs |
By United Press International
LIONS ROAR
PALM BEACH, Fla. (UPI)—
Joe Paterno, Penn State coach,
canceled the Lions’ Friday
practice session because he was
so pleased with Thursday’s
workout for the Orange Bowl.
The Nittany Lions meet
Kansas New Year’s night in
Miami.
MASON ILL
PHILLIPSBURG, Kan. (UPI)
—John Mason, distance runner
for the United States, will not
participate in the traditional
8,000-meter run in San Paulo,
Brazil, Dec. 31-Jan. 1.
Mason was struck with the flu
while doing low-altitude training
in Wisconsin and was forced to
return home about a week ago.
WORDEN HURTS KNEE
LOS ANGELES (UPl)—Line
backer Dirk Worden, senior
linebacker for Ohio State,
reinjured his knee Thursday
and is not expected to play in
the Rose Bowl against Southern
Cal.
Worden was a co-captain of
the 1968 Buckeyes.