o.
•
r port d
planning n
ork jump
By Barry Cooper
,_
OJ. Simpson, a fexture on
ABC's • onday Igbt Foot­
baD,"" now is con dering jump­
ing to other networ after
having been pulled off of the
FL onday night telecast
by BC.
Simp n, th most vi ble
Blac sport aster in the coun­
try, . as part of a massive ake-
up at ABC that nt shoe
wave through the industry.
The network announced that
Simp n would be transferred
to college game, where he
likely would wor with Keith
4''A's k Barry"
Q. What's the word on Andrew Toney of the Philadel­
phia 76 rs. I he ble to play or not? - M.T., ewar,
J.
ootin guard in the game,
Shnp on, paid about 600,000
per year by ABC, has ppeared
on • onday ight Football"
for three years.
If Simp n move to college
games t ABC, he will replace
University of Arkan athletic
director Frank Broyles, who
w fired' from his job as an
AB analyst.
The ational F ootball League
determined to implement a
tough new anti-drug plan ap-
APRIL 20 - 26,1916 THE CITIZEN
Jackson as the analyst on the
top college game of the wee .
Other ABC announcers also
ere affected, and some ere
dealt harsher blows' than
Simpson.
Joe amath, hired by' on-
day ight Football" last year
for 850,000 a son, was
fired. ABC apparently will
buyout the final year of hi
contract. And Frank Gifford,
the smooth play-by-play man on
"Monday ight," was demoted
to the role of analyst. Al
ichael will move in as play­
by-play man and for the first
time, only two men will occupy
the" onday ight" booth.
The shakeups were nnounced
by Capital Cities, a media
conglomerate that is the new
owner of ABC. The company
i determined to put its own
stamp on the network and i
said to be so concerned about
the declining profrts of' on­
day ight Football" that it may
drop the show entirely next
year.
one of the prin als would
talk publicly about the matter,
but Simpson is said to be reluct­
ant to switch to college games.
H has h d conver tions with
BC and CBC, and likely will
wind up at CBS as an analyst
on FLgames.
There was some surpri that
Simpson wa not fired along
with amath. Both have been
criticized for their work. In- "
iders believe that Capital Cit's, .
among the le ders in trying to
improve the number of minor­
itie in journalism, was relu­
tant to fire a BI ck announcer.
pear re dy to wage war with
the players' union over the
matter.
Recently, the FL Players
As ciation unveiled a plan of
its own but the propo al im­
mediately was shot down by
FL Commissioner Pete
Rozelle.
In a ternent relea d by
his office, Rozell said "I do
not feel that the proposals
which were announced
will solve the problem. '
iColege
ce
11 '
A Spring of yesteryear
5elml'-Pro ChalnplOftIUU
ou tanclin8 bl
d QuIney Troup."
•
e
Look for more and more smaller hools to recruit
inner-city areas more heavily after the smashing succe
of Cleveland State. The Vikings reached the Final Six­
teen of the CAA tournament and they did it with a
bunch of city kids few other hools wanted. If smaller
schools like Cleveland State and Arkansas Little-Roc
can find players good enough 'to win with, then 0 can
most other mailer schools.
Cleveland State h recruited well even though it
has few luxuries. Here's what the hoot's sports infor­
mation director, Merle Levin, had to y about Cleveland
State's athletic dormintory:
"The Intown? Let's put it Uti way - you have
some people there who are not the creme da la creme
of society. It' an open building. It' got roaches. It'
not exactly what M would want her kid to be living
in. "
• ••
Experts predicted the shot clock would elimin te
, upsets from the college game but that turned out to be
a bunch of baloney. Underdog teams came out fuing
during the tournament and the result was some of the
mo thrilling games in years. The shot clock has been
good for ba etball. ow, teams with decidedly better
talent can't build lead and then sit on it in the final
few minute. They have' to play the whole game ....
Look for Louisville to be among the top-ranked teams
in the country next year. The Cardinals return all but
two starters, Milt agner and Billy Thomp on. But
center Pervis Ellison and a ho of oth talent return .
Kansas, orth Carolin and otre Dame should also
be ranked highly. Should be do n year for power
like Duke and emphis State. th lose a number of
key player.
• ••
The ew Yor Kni ks are moving to squelch rumor
that they will hire Kansas Co ch Larry Brown. nic '
general manager Scotty Stirling y he hasn's even
talked to Bro in three years. . .. Fonner orth
Carolina A . ant George Felton got the biggest
promotion of hi life recently when South Carolin
in a surprise m ve, named him head b etball coach .
•••
Black Entertainment Televi 'on, which carries Blac
college ba etball and football game ill ramble it
signal soon to protect it If from p ople who have
satellite dishe in their bac yards .... Former Bethune­
Cookman College defensive end Boo r Ree , a major
disappointment who is no with hi third team say
it is time to get on with it. CCI have a great opportunity
here, and I can't let it go," he said. Re is now ith
the San Francisco 4ger after having flopped with the
]: .... �4N1¥ ..... __ �.�� Ir.M ... �
Valley State football coach Archi Cooley, sometime of
an offensive genius, ys numerou FL team h ve
had him corne to their cities to talk about football
strategy, but non has offered him a job.