Sports
Tuesday, July 27, 1982-
MURANSK Y SLIMS DOWN
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Page
The Michigan Daily
'Big Ed' solves weighty problem
By RON POLLACK Football League draft than had once and ability. Also, some teams pay bet- "The main reason I turned pro
Fourth in an eight-part series been predicted. He wa ยง not chosen until ter than others. After I lost the weight, that I graduated on May 1,"
By his fans, Ed Muransky was affec- the fourth round by the Oakland the negotiations started going better." Muransky. "I played three year
tionately called "Big Ed." When the Raiders. Although he was a senior Michigan, and I felt that even if I d
past college season ended for the for- "I'd heard that my weight made academically, Muransky had junior make it in the pros I had a
mer Michigan offensive tackle, pro teams tlink I wasn't quick enough," eligibility last season. Thus, he could education to get me through life."
scouts were also calling him "Big Ed." said Muranksy. "I started to wonder have stayed and played. one more
The only difference was that the pro about that when the tackles who were season for Michigan. Nonetheless, he
scouts said it with disdain. rated with me, started going in the says that he would have decided to turn The attempt of Kurt Becke
During his senior season, the 6-7 second round and I didn't." pro even if he had known ahead of time make the jump from college to
Mi ansky played at 275 pounds. But After the draft, Muransky came to that he would last until the fourth of the football willbefeatured tomorr
once the season ended, his weight the conclusion that it was time to shed draft.
soared to 300 pounds. "I ballooned a more than a few pounds. "I .started a
bit," he now admits. working out pretty hard and stopped t
AS A RESULT of his added weight eating," he said. "And I worked on my
Muransky lasted longer in the National agility by running."
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was
said
rs at
idn't
good
'r to
pro
ow.
HE EVENTUALLY reduced both his
weight and time in the 40-yard dash.
The Youngstown, Ohio native's weight
dropped to 273 and his time in the 40
went from 5.35-5.4 to 5.15-5.2.
"The problem in quickness was
because I was around 300 pounds at the
mini-camps," said Muransky. "Now
that I'm down to 273, they're happy with
me at Oakland."
Muransky added that he now realizes
that he cannot play effectively at 300
pounds. "Some people can move at
heavier weights, but I'm not one of
them. (Michigan head coach) Bo
(Schembechler) always told me that
my best weight to play at was around
270-273. Now I agree with him."
MURANSKY says that prior to the
draft, he had been hearing that he
would go in the first or second round.
He does not, however, think that his
lasting until the fourth round cost him a
great deal of money.
"There's no money difference," said
Muranksy. "The first round is the big
money. After that, it's your credentials
ED MURANKSY (72) and Kurt Becker (65) block during an attempted field
goal. Muranksy lasted longer in this year's draft due to the fact that his
weight jumped from 275 to 300 after the season ended. Becker also lasted
longer than expected in the draft, but that's another story ... one which will
be told in tomorrow's Daily.
Muranskv
... fourth round pick
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Kimball makes comeback
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)- Michigan
diver Bruce Kimball has made quite a
comeback. He earned a second place
finish in platform diving competition of
the National Sports Festival Sunday,
thereby qualifying him for this week's
world championships. This all hap-
pened to a diver who only resumed
diving about seven weeks ago, after a
serious auto accident last October.
Kimball finished behind two-time
Olympian Greg Louganis, a silver
medalist in platform diving at the age
of 16 in the 1976 Olympics.
"THERE WERE a few times when I
had my doubts," said Kimball when
asked about regaining the form that has
had him on the national team since
1979.
Kimball said he lost about 35 pounds
while taking only liquids through a
straw for a month after the crash.
The accident fractured his skull and
broke every bone in his face. In his 28-
day stay at University Hospital, Kim-
ball endured four rounds of surgery.
Doctors said he survived the accident
primarily because of his peak physical
condition.
"I'M A MORE determined human
being," he said when asked how the ac-
cident, which forced doctors to remove
his spleen, changed him. "If anything,
it's made me a more determined per-
son. It hasn't made me a more deter-
mined diver. I've learned there are
more important things."
Ron Merriott, a recent Michigan
graduate, will represent the United
States in 3-meter springboard diving.
Michigan grad Chris Seufert is one of
the women's qualifiers for the
springboard competition.
Louganis needed a strong perfor-
mance to defeat Kimball-a friend and
rival since they made a trip to Belgium
for competition about nine years ago.
Louganis finished approximately 27
points ahead of Kimball, who had 613.65
points. Mike Wantuck, an incoming
freshman at the University of Texas,
earned the bronze medal with 576.66.
THE GOLD medal was decided on the
ninth of 10 dives. Kimball received five'
10s for a perfect performance on the
reverse 21/2 somersault in the tuck
position. His total award was 80.19.
Louganis, diving immediately after
Kimball, followed with a forward 31/2
somersault in the pike position. The
dive had a higher degree of difficulty
(3.0 to 2.7) and Louganis received 86.40
points after receiving three 10s, a pair
of 9.5s and two 9.0s.
"I tried to stay consistent throughout
today," Kimball said. "I did my best at
the end. I feel great to say the least ...
Greg rose to the occasion. He's a true
champion."
During the awards ceremony,
Louganis called Kimball up to the gold-
medal spot to acknowledge the cheers
from the standing-room-only crowd
estimated at 6,150 in the new Indiana
Natatorium.
"The two top places are just as good
as winning," Louganis said. "In my
book, he won today."
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MSU coach joins USFL
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PHILADELPHIA (AP)- Joseph
Pendry, offensive coordinator at
Michigan State University, has been
chosen to be offensive backfield coach
of the new and as yet unnamed fran-
chise of the United States. Football
League.
Pendry, 34, an assistant coach since
1970, was a quarterback coach for the
University of Pittsburgh in 1978 and an
offensive line coach the following year
before moving to Michigan in 1980,
franchise spokesman Robert Moore
said MyIonday.
Pendry is the second assistant coach
to be named by head coach George
Perles, who previously selected Steve
Furness as defensive linescoach.
The new USFL franchise is expected
to announce a name for the club in early
August, Moore said.
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