SPORTS
The Michigan Daily-
Wednesday, February 18, 1981
Page7
Blue Lines
Duluth, where hockey is king...
.. refereeing was incompetent
By MARTHA CRALL
It is refreshing for a hockey fan to go somepl ace where hockey is impor-
tant to the people. Duluth, Minnesota is such a place. Hockey is everything
there (with curling coming in second). From arrival to departure in this
city, one is in constant contact with people who eat, drink, and sleep hockey.
On Friday nights, hockey games begin at 8 p.m. rather than 7:30, so that
the working people have time to get home, eat dinner and get out to the
game. And a lot of them do. The Michigan-University of Minnesota-Duluth
weekend series attracted nearly 9,000 fans for the two games at Duluth
Arena (capacity 5,681), and they came out to have a good time.
UMD is one of the few colleges that has hockey cheerleaders, and the fans
cheer right along with them. The Michigan players were apparently unac-
customed to such a distraction, as most of them watched the bouncy, skate-
clad young ladies instead of the flag during the national anthem.
" While Michigan won both games, there always has to be something bad to
say about the series. It wasn't difficult to pick out a bitch. There was a-
glaring inefficiency bordering on incompetency by the referees, especially
on Saturday night.
"I wasn't happy with the refereeing," understated Michigan coach John
Giordano. "It put us at a disadvantage and took the momentum away from
us The momentum was definitely in
Michigan's favor after it opened the fir-
st period with four straight goals. But
then the referees called Michigan for
three first-period penalties, UMD one.
The roof caved in during the second
period, though, when the Wolverines
were sat down for a total of 12 minutes
in the penalty box, the Bulldogs two
minutes. Whenever six straight
penalties are called on one team, in-
cluding a roughing on only one team
where traditionally two parties are at
fault, something is wrong.
Varvari " Giordano started sophomore and
number-one goalie Paul Fricker on
Friday night and senior and number-
two goalie Rudy Varvari on Saturday night. Fricker picked up the 9-2 win
with 25 saves. Varvari played a very tough game on Saturday, picking up the
6-5 victory and 26 saves.
, "I went with Rudy on Saturday because he was playing well," said Gior-
dano. "He plays well on the road." Why didn't Giordano start Varvari on
Friday then?
"I don't know," Giordano said. "I probably should have started him on
Friday. It was just a hunch."
" Giordano's hunches have worked out very well this season. He plays a lot
of them, and at times they appear to b contrary to better judgment. He's
taken a lot of flack from all side, including his players, but nobody can argue
with the success of this year's Wolverines.
One thing Giordano has taken heat for is juggling his lines. On Saturday,
defenseman Dave Richter played all of four different positions and a few
forwards saw new linemates every shift in the second and third periods.
"I was looking for balance," Giordano explained. "We didn't have balance
early on, so.I changed around the lines looking for it in the last two periods."
* The shake-ups of the lineup have done wonders for Michigan's scoring. In
the last five games, the icers have scored 42 goals, while giving up only 18.
1Although Michigan has won all five games, it has not moved up in the
WCHA standings. The Wolverines, however, have gone from a three-way tie
for sixth place, to solid possession of it, and are only two points out of fourth
place.
The icers have also made a reappearance in the Hockey Magazine-ESPN
hockey poll after a long absence. Michigan is ranked tenth in that poll.
" Through unfortunate scheduling, the last two series of the year are at
home and both fall during spring break. A sweep of Denver this weekend and
Michigan Tech the following week could put Michigan in the top four in the
conference, meaning the team which was picked to finish last in the WCHA
would garner home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
WOMEN'S TRACK COACH CALLS IT QUITS
Simmons leaves legacy behind
By SARAH SHERBER
While some famous politicians might
feel that, there isn't anything wrong
with starting a new job at the age of 70,
Michigan's women's track coach Ken
"Red" Simmons feels that it's the right
time to leave his. At the age of 71, Sim-
mons is stepping down from the post
which he has held since the inception of
the team four years ago.
"I'm very satisfied with the situation
so far," Simmons was quoted as saying
in January of 1978. "I want to do this
(establish Michigan as a women's track
contender) and I'm going to do it. . . I
think."
WHEN HE LEAVES AT the end of
the spring season, there will be no doubt
that the women's mentor has reached
his goal. Under his guidance this year
eight women have qualified for the
AIAW meet in Idaho next month, all of
whom have an excellent chance of.
placing in the meet.
Simmons' track career did not start
with his present position. He started
running competitively at the age of
nine. After attending Redford High
School in Detroit where he ran track
and played football, he enrolled at
Michigan State Normal College in Yp-
silanti (now Eastern Michigan Univer-
sity).
SIMMONS ENTERED college the
same year the stock market crashed -
1929. Due to financial difficulties, he
was forced to hitchhike to school, hold a
job and still attend class.
Despite any difficulties which might
have occurred during his collegiate
years, his athletic ability was not ham-
pered.
While in college, he competed in
wrestling and boxing, as well as run-
ning on the school's undefeated relay
teams. During this time he also held the
Yost Fieldhouse record for the low
hurdles.
Simmons' ability as a trackster
enabled him to travel all over the world
with renowned runners such as Jesse
Owens. When he graduated in 1933,
Simmons found that the job market for
teachers and coaches was not good. So
he turned instead to the Detroit Police
Department, which was looking for
runners to compete in its annual field
day.
the Olympics. She later went on td
compete in the 1972 Games as well.
For a brief period, Simmons retired
from Michigan athletics. But when the
women's track team was formed he
was called back to the University, taking
the coaching job at the age of 67.
Canham, who by this time held the
position of AthleticDirector, claimed
that Simmons' age was not a factor in
for the AIAW meet.
"It will be a great loss, needless to
say," said assistant track coach Mark
Timmons, expressing a feeling that is
shared throughout the entire athletic
department.
It is doubtful, however, that Michigan
will bid its final farewell to Simmons
this year. Although he does plan on
taking some time to travel, Simmons
Simmons
... retiring track coach
It wasn't until Simmons was 50 years
old that he started working for the
University of Michigan. At that time, he
was hired as a physical education
teacher.
AFTER TEACHING, HE was hired
by Don Canham, then coach of the
men's track team, as an assistant. At
that time, Simmons said that he
"decided that if I couldn't coach men,
I'd start with women."
Thus began Michidames, an AAU
women's track team. Simmons con-
fessed that the greatest thrill he ever
had came in 1968 when he watched one
of the early members of the team,
Franci Krakes, become the first
woman born in Michigan to compete in
'(He is a) father figure, but at least as far as I'm concer-
ned that's what you want in a coach, you respect your
father and you have to look up to your coach too.'
-sprinter Brenda Kazinec
on Simmons
the decision to hire him as the coach. has expressed an interest in keeping his
"He was a nationally-known women's ties with the University. "I'll be around
track coach and he still is. That's why the University, doing something," said
he was hired," said Canham. Simmons. "You can bet on that."
SIMMONS NOT ONLY has the talent
needed for coaching but he has the
devotion from his runners as well. Dance"a b Rax
'(He is a) father figure, but at least
as far as I'm concerned that's what yousi
want in a coach, you respect yourwf
father and you have to look up to a
coach, too," commented Brenda u $
Kazinec, a sophomore sprinter who istsunday
among the eight women who qualified
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SPORTS OF THE DAILY:
Fields a born Bruin
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Kenny
Fields' father says his son was "born to
play basketball for UCLA." So yester-
day he asked Athletic Director Bob
Fischer to restore the 6-foot-7 freshman
center-forward to the team.
Coach Larry Brown dropped Fields
from the Bruins' squad Monday, giving
no specific reason. His statement said
only: "I feel it is in the best interest for
Kenny as well as our program that he
no longer be a member of our team."
THE ATHLETIC department press
office said Fischer has the authority to
override Brown, but the staff could find
no previous instance where such
powers were actually applied.
A meeting between Fields' parents
and Fischer was tentatively scheduled
for late yesterday or sometime today.
Fields started at center for the sixth-
ranked Bruins in their first 16 games
this season.
Is There Life After
Graduate School?
Myth: An advanced technical degree will get you a job
in industry that will keep you on the production
line for years before you'll get a chance to do
some real research.
IN CONCERT
March 25 8pm
1111 Audilorium
Fact: Fairchild's Central R&D Laboratories have re-
search opportunities for new MS and PhD grad-
uates NOW.
At Fairchild's Central Research and Development Laboratories in Palo
Alto, California, the atmosphere is charged with new ideas, new
developments, and new expansion. Fairchild's increasing commitment to
strong research programs is extending the frontiers of electronics
technology in telecommunications, advanced VLSI circuit logic,
processing systems, CCD image sensing, CAD technologies, and artificial
intelligence.
All this activity means that opportunities to move directly from graduate
to industry research couldn't be better than right now.
-\, \
\
i
/ /
On-Campus Interviews
Wednesday & Thursday
March 4-5
Tickets are $1175, $1075 $975 and
go on sale TOMORROW Feb 19
at the Mi Union box office at
9:30 and CTC outlets. A MAJOR
EVENTS presentation.
If you're about to receive a Master's or PhD in a technical field, contact
your Career Planning and Placement Center for an appointment with a
representative from Fairchild's R&D Labs. For more information on
Fairchild in Palo Alto, call J.A. Blades at (415) 493-3100. Or you may send
xrniir ro im* Hir.r i v toI,,vlainc ai~rchild Central Resach A
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