0 2B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - January 13, 2003 CLUBSPORTsWEEKLY Lacrosse's local history helps it thrive in Ann Arbor ATHLETE OF THE WEEK By Waldemar Centeno Daily Sports Writer While lacrosse is the oldest sport played in the state of Michigan and the newest of sports at the University, the country at large still does not completely absorb the game. According to Michigan History Mag- azine, lacrosse was the first sport played in the boundaries of what is now the state of Michigan. The first match could have been played as early as the 1630s, nearly two centuries before Michigan became a state. "The sport of lacrosse was started by the Native Americans," Michigan head coach John Paul said. "It was pretty pop- ular in the northeast region and through- out the past 30 years the sports popularity status has continued to grow rapidly." Despite the sport's similarities to other major sports, like hockey and soccer, lacrosse is still not set in the same glare of publicity as the major sports in the world. Dating back to the 17th century, the French Jesuits and English explorers in Huron County began the sport of lacrosse. Although the sport has major history in the country and Great Lakes area, Michigan has not yet presented its own lacrosse team with varsity status. Understanding the position of Michi- gan's athletic department, Paul declared that the lacrosse team is ecstatic for their position at this moment. "Working with the athletic department for many years I realize that it isn't pos- sible to add another varsity sport to the University," Paul said. "We are doing our best job as a team and we feel that we are in a good position when the universi- ty decides to add another varsity team." In the fall of 2000, Athletic Director Bill Martin announced that two Michi- gan club teams, men's lacrosse and men's crew, would become the first club programs to receive "varsity club pro- gram" status. This means that lacrosse is receiving some of the same benefits that a varsity team would. But the team still does not have the authority to offer scholarships or provide influence with the admissions process. Is it hard to recruit players because Michigan's lacrosse team is not a varsity program? "It is and it isn't," Paul responded. "It's hard to recruit, but because it's in Michigan a lot of players turn down scholarships to come and play here." Entering his sixth season as coach of Michigan lacrosse, Paul has accumulat- ed an astonishing record of 89-20. With that winning percentage of .817, his teams have produced a remarkable record of 45-1 in the Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association. In the years of Paul's reign as head coach, Michigan has won four straight CCLA championships and emerged in the national quarterfinals for the past four years as well. Beginning the season on Feb. 15 in Ann Arbor, senior captains Sooman Kim and Chip Thomas will take the field for their last season. Kim and Thomas were both All-Americans last season and are very important to the success of the team. "We have a good team despite our injuries in the fall," said Paul. "Right now we are ranked number 5 in the nation, and we'll stay in the mix throughout the season." Who: Jenny Deiley Hometown: Dayton, Minn. Position: All-around Sport: Gymnastics Year: Freshman Why: The freshman phenom made an impressive debut as a Wolverine on Saturday against Ohio State, winning the vault, uneven bars and balance beam en route to taking first place in the all-around with an overall score of 39.475. Delley 6m SCHEDULE Wednesday, Jan. 15 M Basketball at Ohio State, 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17 W Swim/Diving at Illinois Invitational, 6 p.m. M Swim/Diving vs. Purdue, 6 p.m. W Tennis vs. Illinois-Chicago, 6 p.m. W Gymnastics vs. Minnesota, 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18 M Tennis vs. Western Michigan, 10 a.m. M Swim/Diving vs. Indiana, 1 p.m. W Tennis vs. DePaul, 1p.m. M Basketball at Northwestern, 2:07 p.m. M Gymnastics vs. Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m. W Track/Field vs. Indiana, Michigan State, Kent State M Track/Field vs. Indiana, Michigan State, Kent State Wrestling vs. National Dual Team Championships Sunday. Jan. 19 M Tennis vs. DePaul, 12 p.m. W Basketball vs. Indiana, 2 p.m. MS NOTES 4 4JANUARN '%6I C alifornia Dream in Bucs click on all fronts in victory over Niners Carr elected to serve on AFCA board Michigan football coach Lloyd Carr was selected late last week by the American Football Coaches Asso- ciation to become a member of its board of trustees. Carr plans to work with a group of distinguished coach- es to direct the association, which is primarily dedicated to maintaining high standards in football and the coaching profession. Carr just completed his eighth sea- son with the Wolverines with a 38-30 Outback Bowl victory in Tampa, Fla. The 10-3 season marked the fourth 10-win campaign for Carr in his time in Ann Arbor. His career mark at Michigan is 76-23. -Staff Reports TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offense finally played as well as their defense in the playoffs. Brad Johnson returned from a month-long layoff to throw for 196 yards and two touchdowns, and the NFL's top-ranked D shut down Jeff Garcia and Terrell Owens to beat the San Francisco 49ers 31- 6 yesterday. The victory sends 31 2-yard runs, and Johnson threw TD passes of 20 yards to Joe Jurevi- cius and 12 yards to Rickey Dud- ley after missing the last two regular-season games with a bruised back. Alstott's first TD snapped the Bucs' 12-quarter touchdown drought in the playoffs, a streak that began in an 11-5 loss to St. Louis in the 1999 NFC champi- onship game. NFL defensive player of the year Derrick Brooks led another stellar performance by the Tampa Bay defense. The Bucs forced four turnovers, and the six-time Pro Bowl linebacker had an intercep- tion and recovered a fumble that Simeon Rice caused with one of the team's four sacks. The Bucs also rushed for 121 yards, most of them in the second. half when the 49ers struggled to stop Alstott and Michael Pittman. Alstott finished with 60 yards on 17 carries, and Pittman ran for 41 yards, also on 17 carries. Tampa Bay to Philadel- phia for next Sunday's NFC championship4 game against the Eagles, who ended the Bucs' season in the first round of the playoffs the past two years. The Bucs have lost all six of their road playoff games, including twice in the NFC championship game. At home against the 49ers, they. did just about everything right. Mike Alstott scored on a pair of POR~ TBRIEFS AP PHOTO Tampa Bay's Brian Kelly (25) breaks up a pass intended for San Francisco 49ers' Terrell Owens in the second half of their NFC Divisional playoff game yesterday. ac Hole' too much for Pennington and the jets Lewis ma be headed to engals The Associated Press Redskins defensive coordinator Mar- vin Lewis is the frontrunner to become Cincinnati's new head coach, but the Bengals still will interview Steelers offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, according to two sources who spoke to The Associated Press yesterday on con- dition of anonymity. Lewis has emerged as the top pick of Katie Blackburn, the Bengals' executive vice president, according to one of the sources, who is familiar with the NFL's hiring situation. Blackburn is the daugh- ter of Bengals president Mike Brown. A source within the league said, how- ever, that the Bengals were still commit- ted to interviewing Mularkey, who was one of their original preferences. Mularkey had a short interview a week ago but will be interviewed again at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. The Steelers were eliminated from the play- offs Saturday, which under league rules means other teams are free to conduct extensive interviews with Pittsburgh personnel. The Bengals fired head coach Dick LeBeau on Dec. 30, the day after the team finished with a league-worst record of 2-14. Lewis, who directed the Baltimore Ravens' defense that won the Super Bowl two years ago, would become the third black head coach in the NFL if he is hired. The others are Tony Dungy of the Colts and Herman Edwards of the Jets. Lewis was the first minority candi- date ever interviewed by the Bengals for a head coaching job. The team also interviewed another black, Jim Anderson, their longtime running backs coach. Lewis has been interviewed twice by the Bengals, who have lost more games in the last decade than any other NFL team. The Bengals also had two inter- views with Tom Coughlin, fired as the Jacksonville Jaguars' coach after eight seasons. Coughlin, however, is believed to be out of the picture, according to the source who said Lewis is the frontrunner. Rice ties playoff touchdown record 'Ihe Associated Press Jerry Rice set a record for career playoff yards yesterday with a 15- yard reception, moving past Buffalo's Thurman Thomas. Rice's catch late in the fourth quar- ter of Oakland's AFC playoff game against the New York Jets gave him 2,132 total postseason yards, surpass- ing Thomas' mark of 2,124. Earlier in the game, Rice scored his 21st postseason touchdown to tie an NFL career record. Rice caught a 9-yard scoring pass from Rich Gannon 45 seconds into the fourth quarter. The 40-year-old Rice is in his 18th NFL season. Championship matchups N NFC 3 WHo: Tampa Bay at PHILADELPHIA OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - The Oakland Raiders found the surest road to the AFC championship game: Stay at home and avoid controversy. . No tuck rule. No snowy night games in New Eng- 1nA. dN T B Ldu 30 Tana .v o iom traay. In beating the New York Jets 30-10 yesterday,< league MVP Rich Gannon and the Raiders made it a clean sweep for the home I A look at the underside of U of M www.universitysecrets.com teams this weekend. They will host the Tennessee Titans next Sunday with a spot in the Super Bowl at stake. Third-year receiver Jerry Porter out- performed his heralded fellow wide- outs, Jerry Rice and Tim Brown, catching a 29-yard touchdown pass and. setting up Rice's 9-yarder with a 50-yard reception. Rice's catch was his 21st postseason touchdown, tying an NFL record. Oakland's defense harassed this year's NFL version of Brady, the usu- ally unflappable Chad Pennington, and forced four turnovers to beat the Jets for the third time in four games at the "Black Hole" in the last year. After a strong first half, Pennington came undone, throwing high or forcing pass- es, and looking rattled. The Raiders got pickoffs from Tory James and Eric Barton in the second half, and recovered two fumbles, both by Pennington, in earning their second trip to the AFC title game in three years. In the 2000 season, they lost at home to Baltimore 16-3 for the con- ference crown. WHEN: 3 P.M Sunday, FOX BREAKDOWN: Philadelphia has had its way with Tampa Bay the last three sea- sons, dismissing the Buccaneers from the playoffs in both 2000 and 2001 and beating the Bucs earlier this year. Things have changed lately, as offen- sive-minded head coach John Gruden has brought life to a once dismal offense. Tampa Bay also won its first game ever in under-40 degree weather this year, although it came against the lowly Bears. The Eagles looked slop- py in their victory over the Falcons but they rarely lose at Veteran's Stadi- um. Don't expect anything different in the stadium's last game. PREDICTION: Eagles 23, Buccaneers 21 6 <«' AFC 4 * 1* DAHLY SCOREBOARD WHO: Tennessee at OAKLAND WHEN: 6:30 P.M Sunday, CBS BREAKDOWN: The Raiders have lost just one game in their last nine tries, and the Titans are even hotter, losing just once in the last 13 games after starting the season 1-4. Part of Tennessee's nightmarish start was a 52-25 loss to Oakland in the fourth week of the season. The Titans are a gritty team, but look for NFL MVP Rich Gannon to rip the Titans' sec- ondary like he did to the tune of 381 yards in the first meeting, setting up a rematch of the 1981 Super Bowl between the Raiders and Eagles. PREDICTION: Raiders 34, Titans 17 LAYiFiF ROUNDUP NBA STANDINGS EASTERN CONFERENCE NHL STANDINGS Atlantic Division New Jersey Boston Philadelphia Washington Oriando New York Miami Central Division Indiana Detroit New Orleans Milwaukee Atlanta Chic ago Toronto Cleveland W 27 20 19 19 19 13 12 W 27 24 20 16 14 13 7 The University of Michigan Department of Dermatology is currently offering research study for facial acne. If you are over the age of 12 and are in good general health, you may be eligible to participate in a research program for facial acne. Office visits and study agent are provided free of charge to eligible narticinants You may also receive compensation for your participation! Eagles win the Battle of the Birds PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Donovan McNabb took the snap and dropped into his own end zone. No one was open, so he scrambled to his right, scooted past a defender flying through the air and finally stepped out of bounds with a 19- yard gain. McNabb came back to complete 20 of 30 passes for 247 yards and a touch- down. Right away, McNabb 20 made it clear his right ankle was in good shape - and T the Philadelphia Eagles Titans make most of second chance NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Titans didn't need another Music City Miracle - just a few kicks and a helpful call from the latest NFL officiating crew to make playoff headlines. After a series of kicks - some counted, some didn't - Joe Nedney made a 26- yard field goal 2:15 into overtime that gave3 the Titn b hricn 3 L 10 15 17 18 19 21 24 L 10 11 19 20 22 23 28 30 L 5 14 14 15 16 24 27 L 10 14 14 19 20 21 22 .514 .500 .382 .333 Pct. .730 .686 .513 .444 .389 .361 .222 .189 Pct. .857 .611 .600 .571 .543 .314 .250 Pot. .730 .622 .600 .457 .444 .417 .389 GB 6 7.5 8 8.5 12.5 14.5 GB 2 8 10.5 12.5 13.5 18.5 20 GB 8.5 9 10 11 19 21.5 GB 4 5 10 10.5 11.5 12.5 Ottawa Boston Toronto Montreal Buffalo W 27 22 22 17 12 L 10 15 16 17 23 L 16 15 18 14 25 OL PTS 1 60 1 49 1 49 4 43 2 31 Southeast Division Washington Tampa Bay Carolina Florida Atlanta W 20 18 16 12 11 WESTERN CONFERENCE Midwest Division Dallas San Antonio utah Houston Minnesota Memphis Denver Pacific Division Sacramento Phoenix Portland Seattle LA Lakers Golden State LA Clippers EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L Philadelphia 23 10 New Jersey 23 12 NY Islanders 19 17 Pittsburgh 17 18 NY Rangers 17 22 Northeast Division OL 1 3 1 5 1 W 30 22 21 20 19 11 9 W 27 23 21 16 16 15 14 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division W L Detroit 24 11 St. Louis 23 12 Chicago 19 13 Columbus 17 20 Nashville 13 18 OL 2 4 3 8 4 OL 1 3 2 2 4 OL 0 1 5 5 3 OL 1 3 3 4 3 PTS 47 46 41 41 28 PTS 56 54 48 40 37 PTS 55 52 50 46 37 PTS 61 42 41 41 40 PTS 55 52 44 42 41 Northwest Division W Vancouver 25 Minnesota 22 Edmonton 20 Colorado 16 Calgary 14 GF GA 102 86 97 83 121 123 122 131 113141 GF GA 141 94 131115 124 106 117 130 96 117 GF GA 123116 121 122 96 115 98 130 105 159 GF GA 127100 138106 99 94 121 127 93 114 GF GA 135111 113 99 118116 124115 91 118 GF GA 143 93 103106 112 123 108126 114 130 L 13 14 14 13 20 T 5 7 5 9 6 T 10 7 4 7 5 Pacific Division W L Dallas 25 10 Anaheim 16 16 Los Angeles 17 19 Phoenix 15 18 San Jose 16 18 NHL GAMES NBA GAMES ine tans a ruising 34-31 playoff victory over the Pittsburgh . Yesterday's games Minnesota 91, Toronto 105 Dallas 96. LA Clipoers 90 Yesterday's games Colorado 3, Carolina 2 I L E