a SPORTS Sunday, July 29, 1984 Page 16 The Michigan Daily TuehBRum By Douglas B. Levy Football Ilini style.. . ..cheatingpays Off The saddest, most tragic thing of all is that Mike White really doesn't care about what rules he's had to break since assuming the head coaching position at the University of Illinois. White is the ultimate "big time college" cheater. He is perfect representation of how ugly "big time football" can get. Here are the bare results of what White and his Illinois football program have produced as a result of five years: two years on NCAA probation, one year of not being televised at all (probably in 1985), absolutely now bowl game appearances following the '84 season, a forced reduction of football scholar- ships from 30 to 20, the forced disassociation of several in- dividuals from the program and a salary freeze for White (one year) and assistant cheater Max McCar- tney (two years). Before this latest scandal, White :and Illinois completed 18 months on Big Ten probation, including the for- feiture of a full year of the almighty television revenues for the Dave Wilson eligibility coverup. But White is not overly upset about this seemingly monumental setback, and here is why. The administration of the univer- sity wanted to field a winning foot- ball team at all costs. Illinois boasts White a large and wealthy alumni who ...nailed to the wall lusted to witness a Rose Bowl. And following two decades of utter humil- iation in the Big Ten standings, everyone remotely affiliated with the Champaign campus was willing to close their eyes while White illegally set out to build a winning program. Does this seem like a theory concocted out of merriment? Mike White, as an experienced collegiate coach and recruiter was well aware of the rules and regulations he was violating. White inherited an Illini program com- parable to the current mess faced by Lou Holtz at Minnesota and by George Perles when he arrived at Michigan State. But White was under pressure to field a winner and was not guaranteed the painful years necessary to patiently develop a successful program. So with complete cooperation from the university White did something on a large scale that no Big Ten program had attempted before, he imported junior college transfers. Nothing is wrong with recruiting junior college athletes if the process is carried out with integrity. It is frequently the case that junior college athletes must attend the two year institutions in order to bolster their academic qualifications. This further puts White's recruiting practices to question. Just how many Illini football players are eligible to play college football? Commenting recently that he wasn't even aware he was doing anything illegal until the NCAA started investigating Illinois' program last February, White is indicating that he is indeed a first-class liar. Since Illinois was in- vestigated for 187 alleged infractions, one would logically deduce that White was well aware of what he was trying to pull off. One of the NCAA charges is that White led a prospective player to believe that employment for his girlfriend would be found. So why the comment that White isn't really too upset in light of recent developments that will seemingly impair his future winning percentage? First of all, White and Illinois now admit that they did cheat and secondly they realize that they got off very easily. By instituting self-imposed punishments the Illini succeeded in having the NCAA lighten the severity of the penalty. Cutting scholarships from 30 to 20 is a loss to be felt, but the majority of big time programs operates with 20 anyway. And lastly, White himself will not. suffer a bit. He draws a big salary and has a long future in coaching should he choose to remain in the profession. True Illinois will miss a bowl game and be frozen off the tube for a year, but they've gotten what they initially wanted, a winning football program. Illinois gets two years probation 0 From wire reports MISSION, Kan. - The NCAA placed the University of Illinois football program on two years probation Friday for recruiting violations, ending the 2%/ year investigation of the school. As a result, the Fighting Illini will be unable to appear in a bowl game this season and will be banned from ap- pearing on television for one year. The NCAA said that two representatives of the university's athletic program will be disassociated from it, while the school banned five other institutional representatives from activities in the program. "THIS CASE was considered quite serious by the NCAA Committee on In- fractions," said Thomas J. Niland, in- terim chairman of the committee. "And the committee would have im- posed a more severe penalty if the in- stition had not already taken substan- tial disciplinary action on its own initiative." The NCAA said the penalties were the result of recruiting violations, benefits to student athletes and unethical con- duct. In addition, the university imposed its own sanctions. It said it would prohibit head coach Mike White and assistant coach Max McCartney from on-the-road recruiting for one year and freeze their salaries. It will also reduce the number of scholarships available next year from 30 down to 20. THE UNIVERSITY learned of the of- ficial charges in February and laun- ched an internal investigation, hiring former federal Judge Philip Tone to coordinate it. The NCAA process began as a preliminary inquiry in the spring of 1982 and centered on the recruitment of two California junior college players. However, the scope of the inquiry widened and NCAA investigators returned to the Urbana-Champaign campus several times to interview players, coaches and athletic officials. The JC players originally in question were Elton Veals and Delton Edwards, who had sought to transfer from Merritt Junior College in Oakland, Calif. The two arrived on campus in January, 1982 but never attended classes. Instead they returned to California less than a week later. VEALS SAID that his and Edwards' plane tickets to Illinois were supplied by McCartney. He said the two were later given jobs riding snowmobiles to "pay" for their trip. Under NCAA rules, a member in- stitution may finance only one visit to its campus for a prospective student athlete. Veals and Edwards had already taken their first trip. Said Coach White, "I hate to see student-athletes punished (for something) in which they had ab- solutely no involvement," referring to the current players on the team. Chancellor John Cribbet vowed yesterday that the University of Illinois is committed to obeying NCAA rules and added, "Mike White is a great coach. But Mike White is not the world's greatest administrator. I'm certain that Mike has learned a very bitter lesson." I a I 6 6 CAROL L. FRANCAVILLA /Daily Building for the future Wolverine head coach Bo Schembechler and his assistant, Alex Agase talk shop yesterday in Michigan Stadium. Schembechler was hosting high school seniors and their families yesterday for a tour of the facilities. a