Page Eight THE MICHIGAN DAI0 Wednesday, FebrLiary 16, 1972 THE MICHIGAN DAIL'r Wednesday, February 16, 1972 . . t PRE SCRIPTION EYEWARE and SHADES ORb1 By DAN BORUS Sports are becoming the Number One interest of people in America. For us to be relevant, we had to gain the. attention of millions of people In a way they understand, and they would tune us in on TV to hear us preach the gospel.-IUr. Oral Roberts. In the thirties, Oklahoma was} a barren place, at the mercy of the dust and the great winds. They were poor farmers, who had a belief in a primal, powerful God who controlled their destiny, as translated by a preacher who knew His word. Oral Roberts was one such preacher, a man who collapsed on a basketball court from the ef- fects of tuberculous when he was fifteen years old, and whom God "healed through prayer," Roberts dropped out of college at the age of 29 to repeat the acts of Jesus, stringing out through the South- west healing people in tents and run down shacks. Victories for God? But the Depression is gone. Now it is largely stories of F.D.R., W. P.A., and a host of other initials. Oklahoma is part of the twen- tieth century; Tulsa is a bustling city, fashioned by the advent of American industrialism. Oral Roberts, who brought this triumphed in New York, the jub- year from Cassidy, Kansas. With liant Roberts told the Times, "This was a victory for God, not basketball." In fact there is a sort of Divine presence that follows the Titans wherever the 19-1 team plays, as if He were work- ing Miracles on the pick and roll. }j J i fundamental earthy response to Oral Roberts University plays Americans via the airwaves, has ball in the same manner that Dr. changed with the times. Dr. Rob- Oral Roberts and his preaching erts is president of his own Uni- contemporaries used to prostel- versity and is now part of the tyze the Gospel. Rag (Run and pitch the Tulsa Chamber of Com- Gun), Coach Trickey calls his of- merce gives to any seeker of in- fense and it has all the fury of a formation. fundamentalist meeting. The Ti- tans lead the major colleges in Seven years ago in Tulsa, Rob- scoring and in rebounding with erts put together an institution of averages of 104.7 and 59.7 respe- higher learning, one where he tivelya would instruct young men and y women in the way of the gospel Eddie Woods, a 6'7" postman and Jesus' love, barring drinking, from Chattanooga, rips the board, smoking and dancing. off its hinges, garners the ball and throws the sacrament to Ri- Today, Oral has his messengers chard Fuqua, the nations sec- on the maplewood. When they ond leading scorer or Eldon Law- 662 5903 A -1 .ny. .,n : s. - .w.. ......,. .e._ , 1 I the ball, which is a gift of God in Fuqua's able hand, ORU has performed many miracles on the hardwood. There is a catch, a theological drawback, if you will. ORU is de- fenseless. The Titans have been penetrated for 90.9 points a game, a statistic that ranks the team 209 out of 210 in the nation. The coaching staff defends the type of running play thusly, "Be- cause we shoot a lot (at least one hundred to one twenty shots a game), the other team gets a chance to shoot a lot as well." In their first year in major college competition, they are well on their way to achieving their president's goal of becoming "na- tionally competitive" and bring- ing more people to Christ. But ORU wants to stay up there among the kings of the hardwood. And good ballplayers are not made by faith alone. Recruiting is done in part through the ministry and as coach Trickey put it, "followers of the president." Players are not home grown seeds and stems, but blue chip prospects from all over the nation. Inghram "slim" Mont- gomery came from Brooklyn and his 6' 6" frame has provided much of the rebounding and scoring. A quick glance through the ORU pressbook reveals that the parents of the recruited players are 11 devoted Christians, pre- dominately Baptist lower-working class souls. Surprisingly the all-white color that Roberts or his followers sometimes project is absent from the basketball team. Fundamen- talism and basketball comes in a black shade for ORU, such as four starters worth. Already the Titans have picked off another plum, ready to work in His service and on the hard- wood floors of Tulsa. David Vaughn, a 6' 11" High School All- American, who may make their Maple Messiahs competition , for the college championship. But an immediate goal is either a berth at 'large in the NCAA tourney or, as is more likely, an NIT invitation. There are a lot of souls for Christ in New York and a lot of souls who watch cham- pionships on television. Roberts himself argues that. winning is most important. "It's all right to lose some, but I'm not much for losing. We're geared up for winning here." Roberts has reversed a classic formula: In Indiana, legend has it, basketball is god. In Tulsa, God is basketball. Splish, splash BUSINESS ON THIS New York City street was brought to a halt so that it could be flooded for the first annual Daily Libel's swim meet. A friendly usher, seen here in his fireman's disguise, helps a young fan find her front row box seat before the swimming began. The event, normally held the week of spring break was moved up three weeks due to unseasonably swarm wiather in Fun City. AO SCHRANZ IRATE: Austrian "hero" quits I VIENNA (P) - Skiing idol Karl Schranz r e t i r e d yesterday just one week after Austria celebrated him as a national hero out of sym- pathy for his disqualification from the Olympic Games on charges of professionalism. In a letter to Karl-Heinz Klee, president of the Austrian Ski Fed- eration, Schrantz, at 33 one of the oldest and most successful skiers ever in the history of the sport, said he retired because of unfair treatment and promises broken by international sports officials. Schrantz said his decision to leave the international skiing cir- cuit ultimately was prompted by failure of the International S k i Federation (FIS) to stage separate world championships despite prev- ious assurances. The skier, whose glittering, 17- season career was interspersed with defeats and disappointments, was one of the most press-minded athletes of international repute. Ironically, it was that willingness to meet newsmen that may have been instrumental. in his disquali- fication at the Sapporo Games. At the time Schranz case was receiving an international airing, FIS officials ; indicated they would go ahead with their own world championships if any skiers were barred from Olympic competition. That, however, never came. about, and apparently disturbed Schranz. "What tipped the scales," Schranz wrote in his retirement letter, "was that FIS broke its word by not holding world championships. In addition to the great strains that go along with competitive sports, the assaults from all sides* launched against myself are too much to cope with." Schranz said he would not take part in the upcoming World Cup races and had no current plans to turn, professional. He did not rule that out for the -future, how- ever. I For the Student Body: LEVI'S Corduroy Bells Dear Howard? Attention: all yotf frustrated journalists out there. Would you like the. world to lupow:your formula for - peace between Avery Brundage and the Aus- trian embassy? Do you have an opinion on the red-shirting of cheerleaders at Ohio. State. Would you like to see ,your erudite, pithy comments gracing the Daily sports pages? Mail those aforementioned comments to Ffats Strops, c/o Sports Editor, 420 Maynard. Re- member, even Howard "t h e Great" had to start, somewherq. Read FFATS ST(OlPS MAIL- BAG, beginning next week on the sports page. 0 $8.50 COUNCIL FOR EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN CEC Meeting TODAY* FEBRUARY 16-ROOM 2310 EDUCATION SCHOOL New membership drive. We'll be discussing stote and national conventions. I Look "xnii who's inthe travel busiess. CHECKMAT E Stt Street at L)bert I EVERYONE IS WELCOME c is . i Yes, we are in the travel business, and our Travel Services Department is located at 119 E.Liberty Street. Its purpose is to bring still another service to our reguiar customers-and to residents of the Greater Ann Arbor area. The range of travel services' offered isbroad and includes both domestic and overseas travel accommodations. THE SERVICES YOU EXPECT ARE THE SERVICES YOU GET FULL SERVICE Short Trips Overnight or weekend excurtions including: bvsihnesstrips, theatre trips and sporting events. Extended tours. throughout tbe United States or to foreign countries. GiftTrips Perfect for Holidays, =t:.lav.. W m:l - n a ann CONVENIENCE. You can phone from home (761-1300), or stop in to see our manager, Bob Miller, personally. For your added convenience we are placing direct phones to the Travel Services Department in the lobby of each Huron Valley National Bank office. SECURITY By planning your trip through us you are assured of getting the service you want-with no worry of whether or not the agency will be able to fulfill its obligation. ECONOMY By keeping up-to-date on the economies of travel, we can make the best possible arrange- ments-and will help you take advantage of special rates frequently offered by carriers. PROFESSIONALISM A trained staff offering many years of experience. Member- ships: American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA); Association of Bank Travel WHFTHER FOR BU ANESS OR PLEASURE,-- The travel services you need can be found at. 119 E. Liberty. So, stop in, or phone us at 761-1300 soon, won't you? Whether you're planning a short trip, a long trip, a gift trip-or just want to inquire, Bob Miller and his staff will enjoy chatting with you. Natioal Bank U1W hENT ;F Man Adapting to the Small Planet SEMINAR SERIES DR. JOHN TODD Director of the New Alchemy Institute DESIGN OF ENVIRONMENTALLY ADAPTING COMMUNITIES WEDNESDAY, FEB. 16, 7:30 P.M. UGLI MULTIPURPOSE ROOM sponsored by ECOLOGY CENTER & COMMUNITY ORGANIC GARDEN I r ' MEET BOB MILLER He Works Full Time for HVNB .to Serve You Bob Miller, manager of our Travel Services Department, brings to Ann Arbor a thorough working knowedge of domestic and international reservation nprocedu res; ticket- ing, international tariffs, and customer service. Bob's background includes seventeen years experience in the travel industry, including hoth airline and travel aaencv MUSEUM .7 AN UNUSUAL SERIES OF NEW FILMS ON ART PRODUCED BY LLA L UNIVERSAL STUDIOS The Art Conservator-Kinetic Art in Paris-The Impressionists THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17 ~\ IC I I 0 I Im I i I I i