Holiday Bowl tickets on sale now at Athletic Ticket Office $16.50 each The Michigan Daily SPORTS Hockey vs. Ohio State Friday, 7:30 p.m. Yost Arena Page 7 Wednesday, November 28, 1984 Ex-gridder Curtis tackles new challenge By JOE DEVYAK Tom Curtis is a busy man. Since retiring from professional football, the . former Michigan defensive back has pieced together a successful publishing company. "In this business, there's always a deadline," he says. His firm, Dolphin Publishing Com- pany, not only publishes the popular 'Dolphin Digest, but it has grown to in- clude monthly and weekly newspapers. Before he began publishing, Curtis was an outstanding football player. CURTIS CAME to Ann Arbor from Aurora, Ohio in 1966 where he enjoyed an excellent career as both a quarter- back and a defensive back. During his first year at Michigan he played both positions on the freshman team. At that time, freshmen were ineligible for var- sity competition. "At that point, I thought I was going to play quarterback (for the varsity team)," Curtis said. Head coach Bump Elliot had other plans. Curtis became a full-time defen- sive back. The position suited him well as he enjoyed great success there. Curtis intercepted 25 passes-a Michigan career record. From there, it was on to the pros. The Baltimore Colts drafted Curtis after his senior year and he remained with the club for two years. After seeing limited playing time on the special teams, Curtis was traded to the Miami Dolphins when the Colts changed owners. ALTHOUGH he was a member of two Super Bowl champion teams (Baltimore in 1971 and Miami in 1973), Curtis was disappointed with his pro career. "It was a shame because I never got to play, except on special teams. I injured my leg and had to have two knee operations." Those operations put an end to his career. Curtis had to rely then on his background. Having graduated with a degree in economics, Curtis decided to contact a friend who was doing some publishing in the Cleveland area. "I showed him a copy of Dolphin Digest and we decided to try a similar publication in Cleveland." Just as their partnership began in Cleveland, Dolphin Digest went up for sale. It wasn't long before they were publishing two periodicals. Curtis had become fond of Florida's climate while playing there and longed to return. HE TRADED his half of the Cleveland digest stock for his partner's share of the Miami product and he was heading south to begin his own publishing company. "I've always gone where the winds have taken me," Cur- tis said. Although he did have a business- oriented degree, it didn't help Curtis much when it came to running his own ONE SMALL VOICE By JeffBergida i' 1% 'M' offense no puzzle Tarpley is key piece IT DOESN'T take a Billy Packer, or any other basketball "expert" for that matter, to figure out Michigan's Achilles heel this year. The starting five will be solid. With the return of Paul Jokisch, depth at forward and guard should be more than adequate. But, as evidenced in Monday night's 80-66 victory over Detroit, the Wolverines are completely dependent on center Roy Tarpley. While Bill Frieder's club is at least two-deep at every other position, the absence of Tarpley means playing with three forwards and praying a lot. If Antoine Joubert or Gary Grant is off his game, Garde Thompson and Leslie Rockymore are available to fill the gap. Similarly, Butch Wade and Rich Rellford are capably backed up at the forward spots by Rob Henderson and, in the future, Jokisch. Steve Stoyko will also see some playing time the front court. But if Tarpley comes out flat, or gets in early foul trouble like he did against U-D, Frieder goes to the 6-9, 220-pound Henderson, a natural forward. While the Lansing resident has improved a great deal recently, Michigan without Tarpley is like Late Night without David Letterman. "We don't have a lot of options," Frieder said when asked what he can do when Tarpley heads for the bench. The Wolverine attack revolves around its leading scorer and rebounder. Monday night's first half demonstrated what happens when the big man is absent or ineffective. "We try to take over for Roy as a team," said Wade, who pulled down five boards in the first half while Tarpley was trying to avoid committing his third foul. Henderson, Rellford and Wade combined for 11 rebounds and 15 points in the first 20 minutes but the team looked bad and trailed, 31-29, at the break. "We didn't play well in the first half. Fortunately, the game was as close as it was," said Frieder. "We (were going) three or four possessions without scoring." The halftime score didn't indicate the way Michigan struggled. The guar- ds made only five of 14 shots, a 36 percent clip. The Wolverines committed nine turnovers while forcing the Titans into only five. The 29-point output was nearly equalled by Tarpley himself when he got rolling in the second stanza. Tarpley was appreciative of the club's effort without him but acknowledged his importance to any future success. "They looked good," said the New York native. "We were still in the game but I think I have to be in there because I can carry the team." He proved that in the second half. The pivotman had 21 of Michigan's 51 second-half points and added seven rebounds. The entire squad picked up the pace as backcourt production increased to 60 percent from the floor and the Wolverines committed only five more turnovers. Even the foul shooting got better. While it may be unrealistic to credit Tarpley for the entire improvement, no one denies that this club is extremely reliant on its center. Frieder hopes that the junior is up to the challenge. "He has to learn to play intelligently," said the Michigan head man, who is now 4-1 in season openers. "What I mean by that is reading defenses and not forcing (the shot) when they collapse on him. "Last year, he had a heck of a player with him, (Tim) McCormick. When you defended Michigan you started with McCormick. Your best defensive man was going to go on Tim.,As Tarpley got better, he got freer and freer. Now he doesn't have time and that presents problems. He's got to learn how to combat that." A lot of people were thinking about McCormick when Tarpley was sitting in the first half. If the seven-footer had used his remaining year of college eligibility, Michigan would have had all the elements of a national conten- der. Eric Turner's absence is not felt as sorely as is McCormick's. While four guards share the burden of replacing E.T., Tarpley is facing his challenge alone. All eyes are on the middle. "I'm going to (have to) be the man now," Tarpley said, after the victory. "I'm going to have to carry this team and I feel like I can do it." It's difficult to judge if Monday's game was indicative of the way things will be all season. People like Joubert and Rellford should now be to the point where they can pick up the slack when Tarpley falters. Yet it didn't appear that way against Detroit, hardly a national power. One-man teams don't make it in the Big Ten. No matter how good Tarpley becomes, Michigan is going to have to learn how to do without him. company. "I don't think an economics degree from U-M qualifies you to run a business. I would've been better off if I had gone to business school. But I really never planned anything in my life. I'm always looking for a challenge." Tom Curtis has found a challenge. Although he probably didn't plan on all of the deadlines he has to meet every week, his publishing company keeps him on his toes. Just like the days when he wore the maize and blue. Hand ball:, An off-the- wall 'M' club sport By EMILY BRIDGHAM Gazing down at his large calloused hands, Ed Kulka, president of the Michigan Handball Club, is the picture of a well-conditioned athlete. Kulka pole-vaulted for Michigan when he was a student, but he has easily made the transition to handball during the last three years when he decided to get back into shape after a few off-seasons. THE CLUB meets every Monday and Wednesday night from 6-8 p.m. at the CCRB. Handball is a lesser known, but truly addictive sport. The team is open to anyone, regar- dless of previous experiences in the sport. The opportunity to compete in tournaments is up to the individual. Handball, not to be confused with Olympic team handball, is similar to both paddleball and racketball, and it ClubSports 4 has the same rules. Handball is played either indoors on a racketball court or outdoors on a three-walled court with a half ceiling. THE INDOOR event is played with a small hard ball similar to a squash ball in resiliance, or with a "family ball," a softer version of the original. The family ball is often used by beginners and it is used in all women's com- petitions. Kulka explained that the ball isn't simply reflected off the player's gloved hand, but it is aimed with the hand and literally rolls off the fingers in a variety of shots. Players are able to develop their off-hand much more than in other sports and perform side-arm, over- hand, and under-hand fist shots. Although a racket is not used, a good player can get the ball moving at around 90 miles per hour, which is why the players wear goggles, Kulka said. "HANDBALL IS far more challenging than racketball, since the player must develop his off-hand," Kulka explained. "Timing is vital and there is more skill involved since players are working with their hands." Kulka recommends handball for those who want to develop excellent hand-eye coordination. He also termed the sport "a real thinking game." With the ball zooming along at such high speeds, there is little time to think before each shot and experience is a key factor. It's not surprising to see older players defeating younger ones, Kulka said. Bob Ullman, the oldest member of the club at 64, regularly defeats the club president. ONE OF THE greatest things about the club is the lack of pressure on members to compete. The member can compete in any number of tournaments at local, state or national level, and in either singles or doubles events. Currently only a few members of the team compete in tournaments, but those that do fare very well. Michigan alumni Bob Foster and Larry Price have combined efforts several times to win the state doubles tournament held in early spring. Tournaments are generally held on weekends with several different levels of competition. The Michigan club sports players of all ages and levels and would love some new blood on the team. Anyone in- terested can talk to Ed Kulka by either going to practice or calling him at 971- 3064. -Sports Information photo Former Michigan defensive back Tom Curtis snags an interception against Washington in 1969, one of two he had in that game. Curtis is now caught up in business; he owns and runs Dolphin Digest printing company. Long holdout finally over PONTIAC (AP)-Free agent guard John Long, a holdout from the Detroit Pistons since the start of the season Oct. 26, has come to terms with the National Basketball Association club, the team announced yesterday. The 29-year-old Long, a 6 foot 5 guard, became a free agent at the end of last season. He sat out the first month of the season after he and the Pistons were unable to agree on a new contract and no other team put in a bid for his ser- vices by Saturday's deadline. Long is a six-year Pistons and has a average of 16.9 points. veteran of thie career scoring To make room for him on the roster, the club cut Lorenzo Romar, a 6'1 guard picked up on waivers from Milwaukee two weeks ago, the team said. 0 COKE SALE *"$1.99 8-pk. " 1/2 Lit Campuset, ! 818 S. State 665-443 0 e 31 r s " " 0 0 00 I9 Michigan Daily Sports 763-0376 MAKE THE "COMPUTER LINK" FOR ONLY 1297 Access your computer or complete your PC system with the CTS 212AH Companion Modem System. Compare this complete communications package with other "intelligent" modems costing hundreds more: - Bell 212A, 103 and 113-compatible modem at 1200 and 300 bps. " Auto dial, Touch Tone' and pulse dialing, redialing, automatic answering with automatic speed detection. 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