Newspaper Page Text
The Augusta News-Review - Dec. 20,1980 -
Albany State Regains Crown
The Albany State
College Rams regained
their championship title
last week by defeating
Savannah State 69-66 in
the finals of the 11th
Annual Miller-Southwest
Invitational Basketball
Tournament. An
estimated record crowd
of 5,500 basketball fans
attended the two-day
event, hosted by Albany
State College.
Savannah State
downed outmanned
Edward Waters in the
opening contest of the
first round 80-68, behind
the strong inside play of
forward Teddy Riley
and center Milt Sexton.
After battling to a 34-34
tie at the half, Savannah
State put the contest
away early in the final
period by scoring eight
unanswered points to go
ahead 48-39 with 14:20
left.
Riley and Sexton
finished with 22 points
apiece for the Tigers.
Morris Toomer collected
24 points for Edward
Waters, who played
without leading scorer
and rebounder Joel
Chiles.
Albany State ad
vanced to the finals by
seeking out a 88-83 win
over Ft. Valley State. The
Rams coasted to a 47-37
halftime lead and boosted
it to 11 points 74-63
midway through the final
period. But Ft. Valley
mounted a rally which
Minimum
Wage to Rise
The new federal
minimum of $3.35 which
goes into effect January
1, entitles an estimated
5.6 million workers
covered by the Fair
Labor Standards Act
(FLSA) to pay increases,
the U.S. Department of
Labor announced.
The Jan. 1 increase is a
matter of equity for low
wage workers and
assures that they are not
forced to bear a
disproportionate share of
the burden of inflation,”
Secretary of Labor Ray
Marshall noted.
Approximately 60
million workers are
subject to provisions of
the act, which also
establishes overtime pay
and child labor stan
dards.
In addition, the FLSA
allows for the payment of
wages below the
statutory minimum in
order to prevent loss of
job opportunities for
certain workers
MERRY
CHRISTMAS
AND HAPPY
NEW YEAR
Page 10
cut the Ram lead to 79-77
with 5:30 left in the game.
The Rams responded
with some timely scores
by Mark Jackson, Rufus
Whitlock and Curtis
Henry to starve the
Wildcats charge.
Curtis Henry, later
chosen the tournament’s
Most Valuable Player,
drilled in 26 points,
mostly on long baseline
jumpers, to lead the ASC
attack. Whitlock followed
with a 15 point, 15
rebound effort. Jerry
Harris lead the looser
with 29 points.
In claiming their
ninth tournament title in
S. C. State Drops Opener
By Bobby Caldwell
ORGANGEBURG— The
Bulldogs of S.C. State
College dropped their
home opener to the
Jaguars of Southern
University, 77-75 in
overtime last Monday
One Time Yankee
Star Howard Dies
Former New York
Yankee catcher Elston
Howard, who became the
first black man to win
baseball’s Most Valuable
Player Award, died at
12.25 a.m. Sunday of
heart failure after years
of poor health. He was 51.
Howard entered
Presbyterian Hospital in
New York nearly two
weeks ago complaining of
chest pains, a problem
that caused him to
temporarily vacate his
position as a coach with
the Yankees two years
ago.
Howard, despite his
mother’s urging to go
into medicine began his
major-league career in
1955 with the Yankees. He
was talented enough at
that time to catch
regularly on most teams,
but Yogi Berra was
behind the plate, and
Howard was forced to
platoon, catching on
Berra’s off-days and
getting some time at first
base and outfield.
The St. Louis, Mo.,
native hit .348 in 1961 with
21 homers and 77 runs
batted in. His .992 fielding
percentage earned him
recognition as a skilled
defensive player.
The height of
Howard’s career came
two years later when the
Yankee dynasty was near
its end. Roger Maris and
Mickey Mantle spent a
eleven years, Albany
State had to overcome a
40-29 halftime deficit in
Saturday night’s final
contest. The Tigers
dominated the first half,
in a re-match of last
year’s title finalist as
ASC shot an icy 35 per
cent from the field. But
the Ram markmanship
improved in the second
half behind the outside
shooting of freshman
guard Earvin Smith, and
reversed a ten point
disadvantage (48-38) into
a 60-54 lead, late in the
second half. ASC held on
following a frontic finish
to recapture the tour-
night. They remain
winless under new Coach
Johnny Jones, formerly
an assistant at Florida
State University.
The loss left the
Bulldogs with a record of
0-4, having lost to South
western Atlantic Con-
good deal of the season
nursing injuries, and
Howard spent 135 games
behind the plate, holding
the Yankees together and
guiding an inexperienced
pitching staff.
A few months later,
after a .287 average with
28 homers and 85 RBI,
Howard became the first
black player in history to
win the MVP Award. He
was thrilled with the
honor -- “I just won the
Nobel Prize of baseball”
- but wasn’t prepared for
what followed. Hate mail
with racial overtones
started pouring in, and
Howard, a sensitive man,
had a difficult time
comprehending the
reaction.
Howard continued to
be a standout performer
with the Yankees until
1967, when the team had
become a doormat in the
American League.
Howard was traded to
Boston that season, and
his average slipped to
.178. He played one more
season with the Red Sox
and then retired. The
Yankees hired him as a
coach in 1969, and he had
been in their employ until
his death.
Howard’s lifetime
average was .274 with 167
homers and 762 RBI. He
appeared in 10 World
Series and was named to
the All-Star team five
times.
nament crown.
“The fellows rose to
the occasion, summed
head Ram basketball
coach Oliver Jones.
Earlier Jones had said
that “two times was
enough to loose the
tournament.” Again, the
Ram coach, now in his
eighth season was right.
Earvin Smith had a
game high of 20 points for
Albany State and joined
Curtis Henry (MVP) on
the All-Tournament
team. Mike Stock’s 18
points were high for
Savannah State.
Other slections to this
year’s All-Tournament
ference teams that in
clude Grambling, Alcorn,
and Jackson State.
The Bulldogs opened
the game and looked as if
they would blow the
Jaguars out as they took
a 49-32 halftime lead,
mostly on long range
jumpers from 6*l” fresh
man guard, Tony Ashford
and 6’9” center Dwayne
Sudler dominating play
inside, and a stingy
defense.
The second half
opened with State
showing a deliberate
offense and an un
willingness to run as the
Jaguars mounted a full
court press that even
tually took its toll by
forcing numberous state
turnovers and
methodically reduced the
State lead until with 5.23
to play. The score was
tied 71 all with 3:39 left
S.U. took the lead only to
have State comeback to
knot it again at 73 all with
3:56 left on a basket by
Bryan Grice.
Beth teams failed to
score again in regulation
time despite numerous
opportunities at the
charity line. Collier and
Grice missed a one-and
one situation at the line
that would have given
State a lead, but the ball
failed to drop.
Both teams opened
the 5-minute overtime
cautiously, attempting to
hold the ball for good
shots. State scored on a
follow up by Greg Wilson
with a little over 2
minutes left in the
overtime. This would
prove to be the last time
State would score as
Southern came back to tie
the game on a pair of
throws by Ernestt Davis
and the winning field goal
by Alvin Jackson, who
finished the game by
matching his 27 point per
game average and
raising the Jaguars
record to 4-1.
team were Jerry Harris
of Fort Valley, Irving
Covington of Edward
Waters, and Milt Sexton
of Savannah State.
In the consolation
game, Ft. Valley
defeated Edward Waters
College 88-82 in overtime.
Jerry Harris tallied 24
points for Ft. Valley
while Irving Covington
(27 pts) and Joel Chiles
(25 pts.) paced Edward
Waters.
The tournament,
formerly known as the
Southwest Georgia
I
' “wRIEmBBHBsM
I, ZSLI
V » ■'iV * *** f F 1
Columbia Nitrogen
Corporation
An Equal Opportunity Employer
Invitational Tournament
prior to the Miller
Brewing Company’s joint
sponsorship with Albany
State College, enjoyed
what many of its
organizers feel was its
most successful year
ever.
“We are very ap-
WALLACE
REAL ESTATE
1132 Laney-Walkerßlvd
722 8838
preciative of Miller
Brewing Company’s joint
sponsorship with Albany
State College, enjoyed
Barton's Music Emporium *
1553 LANEY WALKER BLVD
NEXT TO MURPHY & SONS DRUG STORE
(Civic Center Ticket Outlet) V
Daily Retail $5.98 ON MOST LP ' S & TAPES A J I
CALL 724-6000
what many of its
organizers feel was its
most successful year
ever.