VOL. 16 l NO. 11 r Mike Burke Wally Johnson Greg Kelser Scott Neilson Jim Spanarkel Five finalists announced for Top Five awards Two basketball players and 1978-79 academic year. Five record with a 9.90 score on ference tournament. During his State academic award and was one representative each from other finalists will be selected three separate occasions during brilliant senior season (78 hits a Little League manager. baseball, gymnastics and track at the conclusion of fall com- his senior year and was named in 159 at bats), Johnson struck Kelser: Although generally and field have been chosen as petition. the team’s most valuable per- out only three times. His ca- not a household name across the winter-spring finalists for The honors luncheon will take former each of his four years. reer batting average was .422 the nation before the start of the NCAA’s Today’s Top Five place January 7 at New Or- Burke, who won 21 of his after hitting .347 as a junior season, Kelser emerged as one awards. leans’ Fairmont Hotel. final 22 competitions in the and 341 as a sophomore. of the dominating forces on the Northern Illinois gymnast Each finalist is selected on pommel horse, was a finalist for He set seven school records Spartans’ national champion- Mike Burke, Indiana State the basis of his athletic ability the Nissen Award. and tied one, including season ship team. En route to all- baseball player Wally Johnson, and achievement, character, In addition to his athletic ac- batting average, career batting America honors, Kelser was the Michigan State basketball play- leadershin. extracurricular ac- complishments, Burke main- average, hits in a season, dou- third-leading scorer in the Na- er Greg Kelser, Washington tivities and academic achieve- tained a 3.23 grade-point aver- bles in a season, runs scored in tional Collegiate Basketball hammer thrower Scott Neilson ment. Only seniors from the age in accounting and was a season, total bases in a ca- Championship with 127 points and Duke basketball player dim current calendar year are eligi- named to Who’s Who Among reer and season, fewest strike- in five games (25.4 average). Spanarkel are the first of 10 ble. Students in American Colleges outs in a season and stolen He was a three-time all-Big Ten nominees for the awards, which Burke: After finishing fourth and Universities. He also was bases in a season. selection who set school career are presented concurrently with in 1976, Burke captured consec- the senior facilities supervisor Johnson maintained a 3.2 records in scoring (2,014) and the Silver Anniversary awards utive national championships in in the office of campus recrea- grade-point average in account- rebounding (1,092). He also es- each year at the honors lunch- the pommel horse in 1978 and tion. ing. He was president and tablished a single-season field- eon during the NCAA Conven- 1979. His 19.425 score was the Johnson: Johnson batted an treasurer of Gamma Delta Iota goal percentage record and was tion. highest recorded at the 1979 almost incredible .491 during and won the McMillian Memor- the team’s leading scorer the These five finalists were se- championships and the second his senior season and was ial Award for leadership and last three years and the team’s lected for participation in win- highest ever compiled in the named the most valuable play- scholarship. He also was on the leading rebounder each of his ter-spring sports during the event. He established a school er in the Missouri Valley Con- dean’s list, won an Indiana Continued on page 3 Council set to discuss Convention legislation The NCAA Council will con- exceeding the 2.000 require- sider possible legislation for the ment could qualify by scoring 1980 NCAA Convention when at least 17 on an ACT examina- it meets October 17-19 at the tion or 750 on an SAT test. Marriott Hotel in St. Louis. l An increase in the number The three NCAA division of accredited Convention dele- steering committees will meet gates from three to four. October 15-16, also at the St. l A single two-year term for Louis Marriott. the NCAA president and SIX- This will be the final meet- retary-treasurer rather than ing of the Council before the the traditional consecutive one- Association convenes in New year terms. Orleans in January for the 74th l A provision limiting Di- annual NCAA Convention. Any vision I football and basketball legislation the Council elects to scouting and recruiting activi- sponsor will be presented to the ties to those coaches included Convention to be voted upon. in the Bylaw 6 numerical lim- If the Council does not choose itations on full-time coaches. to sponsor a particular piece of The steering committees will legislation, then any six active react to a proposal to establish members of the Association NCAA regions as an alterna- may submit the proposal prior tive to the current arrange- to the November 1 deadline for ment using eight NCAA dis- amendments. tricts. The steering committees The Council met in August in also will discuss a recommenda- Centerville, Massachusetts, and tion that would involve more tentatively agreed to sponsor women on key NCAA commit- the following items: tees. l A proposal to replace the Both the Council and steer- ESPN debut current 2.000 high school grade- ing committees will consider When the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network initiated service September 7. NCAA President point average requirement with topics for the division and gen- William J. Flynn (left) was one of the mdivlduals interviewed by ESPN’s Lee Leonard See related story, a 2.200 standard. Students not eral round table sessions at the page 3. meeting the 2.200 standard but Convention. The Editor’s View The time arrives to get involved Reprinted below is an excerpt from the writing of a news columntst commenting pertinently about intercollegiate athletics. It is selected Contrary to an assertion made during islation at the Convention is not significantly because the NCAA News feels it makes a point and discusses a topic last year’s Congressional investigation of different from the procedures used by bodies that will interesl readers. Publication herein, however, does not im- ply NCAA News endorsement of the views expressed by the author. the NCAA, there is nothing mysterious or similar to the NCAA. In short, there is even difficult about playing a role in the nothing cryptic about the entire process. NCAA legislative process. There is the matter of the deadline, how- Title IX now a money issue Except for those amendments sponsored ever; so if an institution does desire to get By CHARLES M. NEINAS by the NCAA Council, each proposed amend- involved in the process of creating legisla- The Kansas City Star ment must be sponsored by a total of six ac- tion, now is the time to do it. The college football season ix with us again. It is an exciting tive members and submitted to the national This also is the time of year to be giving time of year for those of us who enjoy the uniqueness of this office in accordance with the deadlines for consideration to nominations for vacancies American phenomenon. The pageantry, nostalgia, tradition and receipt of amendments. on NCAA committees that will be filled at excitement of an autumn afternoon on the college campus while The desdline, as set forth in NCAA Con- the 1980 Convention. The deadline for those watching one’s favorite team in action are eagerly anticipated by stitution 7-l and Bylaw 11-1, is November 1. nominations is December 1; a list of those many. Any submission sent by certified or regis committees having vacancies will appear in But the fall of 1979 appears to be a little different. Today’s ath- tered mail postmarked no later than October the October 31 News. letic directors are preoccupied with something other than won-lost 25 will qualify to have met the November 1 The system works better when more are records, ticket sales and the alumni. It commands the attention of deadline, even though it may arrive after involved; and as far as the 1980 Convention college presidents, and even the football coaches talk about it. What has managed to infringe upon the annual autumn ritual that date. goes, the time for involvement is already of football and cause such concern? Beyond that, the matter of approving leg- here. It’s called “Title IX.” Simply stated, Title IX requires that those calleges and uni- versities enjoying the benefit of federal funds must provide equal opportunity for women to compete in athletics. Sounds reasonable. It’s logical that if sports are good for males attending college, then the same argument must hold true for -Bud Elllott, football coach activities of a university that have the breadth female college students. of appeal, the capacity to elicit this kind of Unlver8ity of terar, Arlington But not so fast! The federal government, represented by the broad identification, than does athletic per- Dallas Times Herald Department of Health, Education and Welfare, has embellished “It’s not so much the stress (of coaching), formance. a rather simple law with bureaucratic guidelines designed to but how you deal with it. It’s a requirement of “I have seen campuses unified and exhilarated tell everyone how an athletic program should be managed. Yes, lny occupation to face a certain amount of by increases in intercollegiate athletic success stress. Most coaches, by nature, are highly com- at universities that took great pride in their those same friends on the Potomac who confused the Kansas petitive.