10 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, November 15, 1994
Raveling retires after eight seasons at Southern Cal
LOS ANGELES (AP) - George
Raveling, one of the nation's most
prominent and animated college bas-
ketball coaches for more than two
decades, retired Monday because of
injuries from a car crash seven weeks
ago. Raveling, the coach of Southern
Cal the last eight years, says he can-
not meet the physical demands of the
job and he wants to concentrate on
rebuilding his strength.
The 57-year-old coach said he
reached the decision to retire "sooner
than I had expected.
"...Although my health is improv-
ing, my present physical state does
not allow me to work the sidelines in
my accustomed manner," Raveling
said in a statement. "As I have previ-
ously stated, it has been my intention
to conclude my college coaching ca-
reer at the University of Southern
California."
Charlie Parker, an assistant under
Raveling for seven years, was ap-
pointed interim head coach for this
season. The players were told at a
morning meeting Raveling was retir-
ing.
"There wasn't a dry eye in the
place, including mine," Parker said.
Added USC forward Lorenzo Orr:
"All I can do is picture him running up
and down the sidelines cheering and
getting the crowd motivated and into
the game. And right now, it's hard to
believe he won't be there this sea-
son."
Raveling, who previously coached
at Washington State and Iowa, has
been one of the leaders of the Black
Coaches Association, which has criti-
cized standardized tests for athletes
as culturally biased.
"I do not believe that remaining
on as head basketball coach, while
not fulfilling my professional respon-
sibilities, would be fair to the univer-
sity, the student body, my coaching
staff and the players," Raveling, who
did not attend an afternoonnews con-
ference at USC, said in a statement.
Raveling was released from the
hospital Nov. 8 after spending more
than six weeks there. He sustained
nine broken ribs, a fractured pelvis
and clavicle, and a collapsed lung in a
collision near the Southern Cal cam-
pus on Sept. 25. He was on way to
take a recruit to breakfast with his
assistant coaches.
'There wasn't a dry eye
in the place, including
mine.'
- Charlie Parker
Southern Cal interim
head coach
Tremayne Anchrum (left) and Cameron Murray react to Raveling's statement. *
"Simplify, simplify."
Henry David Thoreau
1. Arkansas
2. North Carolina
3. Massachusetts
4. Kentucky
5. Arizona
6. UCLA
7. Maryland
8. Duke
9. Wnditna
20. Kldan S t
12. Syracuse
13. Cincinnati
14. Virginia
15. Georgetown
16. Michigan
17, Wisconsin
18. Alabama
19. Connecticut
20. Michigan State
21. Oklahoma State
22. Villanova
23. Georgia Tech
24. Wake Forest
25. Illinois
9
"Hey, that's not a bad idea"
AT&T
Pardee, hire
defensive
coordinator
HOUSTON (AP) - The Houston
Oilers went from the playoffs to the
pits and Monday they went for a new
coach, firing Jack Pardee and hiring
defensive coordinator Jeff Fisher.
The Oilers, 1-9 after a 34-31 loss to
the Cincinnati Bengals, also fired as-
sistant coach Kevin Gilbride, who was
in charge of the Oilers' feeble offense
that averages 14.7 points per game.
"We've got a clean slate starting
this week," said Oilers owner Bud
Adams, adding that Fisher would re-
tain control of the defense. "It will give
him an opportunity to have command
of the troops for the remaining six
games."
Under Fisher, the Oilers' defense
ranks eighth in the league and third in
the AFC.
"Jeff had done a fantastic job keep-
ing our defense going," Adams said.
"We felt we hadthe man on board to be
the head coach for the Houston Oilers
for some years to come."
The 36-year-old Fisher is in his first
year at Houston. He was given what
Adams termed a 3 1/2-year deal to take
charge of the team.
"I would never have thought we
would have fallen so fast and so far,"
Fisher said. "It goes to show you how
volatile the NFL is. It also shows you
the head coach is obviously respon-
sible for that. The weight falls on his
shoulders and now the weight is on my
shoulders.
Fisher said the Oilers are starting
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over.
"The season starts over. We are 0-
0," he said.
Adams said he and general man-
ager Floyd Reese made the decision
Sunday night after the Oilers' loss to
the Bengals, who came out of the
game with a 2-8 record,
Said Pardee: "I'm sorry we didn't
have betterresults in the firstpart of the
year. When you lose your livelihood,
it's pretty traumatic."
Fisher came to Houston to replace
Buddy Ryan, who took over as coach
of the ArizonaCardinals. Ryan was so
9