The Michigan Daily-Thursday, August 9, 1979-Page 11
BACKFIELD WOES MOUNT FOR DALLAS
Dorseti injured, out indefinitely
By The Associated Press
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Tony
Dorsett, who has gained more than
1,000 yards in each of his two seasons
with the Dallas Cowboys, may be out of
their lineup for as long as five weeks.
The flashy tailback broke a toe 10
days ago when he dropped a mirror on
it.
"I'd say he's out a minimum of three
weeks," said Tom Landry, coach of the
National Football League team. "It
Game. Two fans gave Dorsett a mirror
featuring his likeness. Dorsett dropped
it on his toe when he tried to put the
mirror in the overhead baggage rack on
the team bus.
The Cowboys have further running
back problems. Rookie Ron Springs of
Ohio State has a sprained ankle,
fullback Scott Laidlaw has pulled ham-
string and second-year tailback Alois
Blackwell has fractured ribs.
Dorsett's status for the defending
National Conference champions'
league{opener in St. Louis on Sept. 2
was questionable.
The former Heisman Trophy winner
from Pittsburgh missed last Saturday's
exhibition game against Denver
because of a hyper-extended knee.
* * *
It's official: Alzado
turns to boxing
DENVER-Lyle Alzado, all-pro
defensive end for the Denver Broncos,
told the Broncos yesterday that he has
retired from professional football to
pursue a professional boxing career,
the NFL team said.
The Broncos said Alzado had called
the club's public relations office to say
that he was retiring, and that coach
Red Miller had been told of his depar-
ture.
"He has left the club," said Bronco
spokesman Jim Saccomano.
Alzado, 30, fought former
heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali
in an exhibition match last month at
Mile High Stadium in Denver.
Alzado, 6-foot-3 and 243 pounds, had
compiled a 44-1 record as an amateur
boxer before turning to pro football.
"For a nonfighter, he's great," Ali
said after his exhibition fight with
Alzado. "He's got the potential to be a
world champ in the next two years if he
continues to improve."
* * *
Odom calls it quits
on quitting, joins Packers
GREEN BAY, Wis.-Receiver Steve
Odom, who led the National Football
Conference in average yardage per
kickoff return last year at 27.1, has
scrapped retirement plans and intends
to rejoin the Green Bay Packers, the
club said yesterday.
Odom, who averaged 19.4 yards each
time he caught or carried a football in
five seasons with the Packers, had an-
nounced his retirement June 13. He said
at the time the football season would in-
terfere with his plans to study for a doc-
torate in clinical psychology.
However, Packer Coach Bart Starr
said yesterday Odom has resolved the
conflict. Starr said the Packers would
apply to the NFL office for rein-
statement of Odom as an active player.
Starr said he assumed the process
would be routine.
A fifth round draft choice in 1974,
Odom in five seasons accumulated 3,502
yards returning kickoffs, 489 returning
punts, 1,613 on pass receptions and 205
rushing.
'Selfish' Switzer
against grid playoffs
Tony Dorsett
could be a maximum of a week or two
more."
The injury came to light during last
Tuesday's practice at the Cowboy
training camp here when Dorsett asked
trainer Don Cochran if he could have
his toe taped.
Dorsett suffered the injury in Canton,
Ohio, where the Cowboys played
Oakland July 28 in the Hall of Fame
Boxing, briefly. ..
LAS VEGAS (AP)-It doesn't make much sense when welterweight
Sugar Ray Leonard says his upcoming bout with Pete Ranzany will show
"who's worthy of a title fight." That was decided some time ago when it was
announced Leonard will meet Wilfredo Benitez for the World Boxing Council
title on Dec.1.
But Leonard, whose near-perfect form highlighted by lightning-fast jabs
has lead him to a 23-4 pro record with 14 knockouts, doesn't view Sunday's
nationally televised 12-round bout, which is billed as a North American
Boxing Federation title fight, asa warm-up for Benitez.,
-"The fight is set ... I don't think about losing," the 23-year-old Leonard
said of the titl6 match. "I know I'll beat him. But first things first. I have t0
get by Ranzy first."
Golfing, very briefly..
WETHERSFIELD, Conn. (AP)-Larry Nelson may be the second-
leading money winner on the PGA tour this year and a successful past com-
petitor at the Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open, but he doesn't con-
sider himself the favorite.,
Nelson has won $237,860 on the tour this year, including the first-place
checks in the Jackie Gleason-Inverrary Golf Classic in March and the
Western Open in early July.
But Nelson has fared well in the past five years at the GHO, which begins
today. He has averaged $7,400 without posting a victory, although he finished
in a tie for second in 1977.
Rod Funseth won the title last year at a 20 under par 264 for the 72 holes.
The 31-year-old Nelson; who finished in a tie for 28th last week at the m
PGA Championship, said the shorter Wethersfield course "is enjoyable. It's
a relaxing week for the golfers. I don't think they like have to score 10 or 20
under, but I think they enjoy making a lot of birdies."
JERICHO, N.Y. (AP)-Beth Daniel, in her rookie season on the Ladies
Professional Golf Association tour, figures she is a far cry from being the
next Nanpy Lopez.
That was the kind of praise being heaped on the 22-year-old graduate of
Furman University after she left the amateur ranks last year.
In 17 appearances on the pro circuit this year, Daniel has yet to win-she
does have an unofficial victory in a tourney in Japan-and she has collected
$41,277.
"Being compared in the same class as Nancy Lopez puta lot of pressure
"n me," Daniel said. "Frankly, that kind of pressure is unfair. After all,
Nancy had just won five tournaments in a row, nine overall and was Rookie
of the Year.
NEW YORK (AP)-Oklahoma
Coach Barry Switzer says he is again-
st a proposed national championship
college football playoff for "selfish"
reasons-he thinks his teams can win
more mythical titles than official
ones.
"In a four-game playoff like the one
the NCAA Council has been con-
sidering, independent teams would
have a tremendous advantage over
conference champions because they
don't have bowl tie-ups and could
jockey for position," Switzer said
yesterday during the second stop on
what has become an annual cross-
country NCAA-ABC college football
promotion tour.
"An independent team could look at
the bowl situation and say, 'We'll go to
play this opponent and assure our-
selves of being in a playoff with a vic-
tory.' Hypothetically, if you're
already unbeaten and ranked No. 1,
why go play Alabama or Southern Cal
in a bowl and jeopardize your chances
of being ina playoff?"
Switzer said that under the
proposed playoff system top-ranked
Penn State would have been better off
hand-picking an opponent and going
somewhere other than the Sugar Bowl
last season, where the Nittany Lions
lost to runnerup Alabama, which
became No. 1.
"The Sugar Bowl was the last game
of the season so Penn State had to play
Alabama," Switzer pointed out. "But
with a playoff, the bowl game would
not have been as significant as it
was."
The NCAA has been considering a
four-team playoff following the bowls,
although the proposal is not given
much chance of passing at the annual
convention next January.
"There's always a selfish motive,"
Switzer said. "It depends where you
are. At places like Oklahoma, USC,
Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, all
perennial powers, if you win a major
bowl game you've got a good chance
of being the national champion."
"At Oklahoma, you can win more
mythical national championships
than you can in a playoff," Switzer
said. "Why play the world to win the
national championship?"
-
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