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I
Neinas
discusses
high costs
of recruiting
by Gary Seacrest
College athletic departments across the
country are looking for way to cut down on the
high costs of maintaining competitive sports
programs. And the Big Eight Conference is no
exception, even though the league is considered
one of the richest in the nation.
One proposal to reduce costs that is gaining
wide attention is to grant athletic scholarships
solely on the basis of financial need. However,
the Big Eight Conference "unanimously
onposes the need principle," according to Big
Eight Commissioner Chuck Neinas.
"On the other hand there is a current
thought in the conference to limit scholarships
further," said Neinas, who was in Lincoln
Friday to address the 1972 Big Eight City
Conference.
Big Eight schools can now grant 45 football
scholarships per year. Big Ten schools, for
comparison, can only grant 30 per year.
"There is .also a movement afoot to bring
reality back to recruiting," Neinas noted. "This
will cut costs and make the coaches' jobs
easier."
Nainas said two recent NCAA reforms that
will cut recruiting costs are (1) a prohibition
against entertaining a recruit off-campus and
(2) a reduction of the number of paid visits to a
campus by a prospect (whether the school
provides the transportation or it is provided by
a representative of its athletic interest) from
two to one. Both proposals go into effect in
August.
The Big Eight Commissioner disagreed with
the idea that the recent NCAA decision to
permit freshmen to compete in varsity football
and basketball would reduce costs and
scholarships. He said freshmen eligibility would
not be a money-saver in the Big Eight since the
league still plans to continue its freshmen
programs in both football and basketball.
Neinas, who became commissioner last
October, said that recruiting competition with
other schools forced the Big Eight to adopt the
freshmen eligibility rule in football, even
though most of the conference coaches
opposed it. "The coaches felt that recruiting
pressures used bv competing conferences who
adopted the rule made it necessary for the Big
Eight to also adopt the rule," Neinas said.
He said the conference will study the effects
of freshmen eligibility in football and
basketball after its first year of operation for
possible changes.
The commisioner is concerned that the new
rule might create a morale problem among the
freshmen who have to compete against
veterans. "It will be difficult to make the
freshmen feel they haven't failed," he said.
Turning to basketball rule changes, Neinas
said "it is safe to assume" the Big Eight
basketball coaches will recommend in May to
the athletic directors that the league
experiment with a time-clock during the 1972
season. Under such a proposal, a team would
have to take a shot within a certain time limit
once it gained possession of the ball.
Neinas said the coaches favor the time clock
to prevent "the dead stall game." He noted that
the coaches might recommend a 30-second, a
45-second or a minute clock.
Chuck Neinas
The Big Eight Commissioner also noted
possible difficulties in conducting professional
basketball games in the new UNL fieldhouse
due to a Big Eight policy against professional
athletic events being held in collegiate facilities.
He said it was a policy, but not a
requirement of the conference, to discourage
professional football and basketball games from
being played in a Big Eight facility.
Neinas said the long-standing policy was to
avoid making "farm clubs" out of college
campuses and to avoid public identity of
collegiate athletics with professionalism. He
noted his research didn't disclose an example
where a college benefited financially from an
arrangement with a professional team to use the
college facility.
The Sept. 23 football game
between Army and Nebraska at
West Point is scheduled to be
televised regional iy by the
American Broadcasting
Company (ABC).
ABC and the NCAA
announced only six weekend
dates of college football with
ABC retaining the right to
select the remainder of games
as late as the Monday before
the Saturday telecast.
The Nebraska tennis team
lost three matches in Colorado
over the weekend to drop the
team's season record to 6-9.
The Air Force Academy
defeated the Huskers 9-0 at
Colorado Springs Friday. The
Huskers ran into more trouble
at Boulder Saturday when they
lost to Colorado 8-1 and New
Mexico 9-0.
Kathy Matejka slammed
three hits, including a triple, to
lead the UNL women's softball
team to a 4-3 victory over
Kearney in the second game of
a doubleheader Saturday at
Kearney. Kearney led all the
way in winning the first
contest 7-4.
The Nebraska golf team
finished fifth behind winner
Oklahoma State in the Great
Plains Invitational golf
tournament Thursday and
Friday in Wichita, Kan.
The Huskers' Rick Schultz
had a 146 total (74-72) and
finished eighth in individual
scoring.
Nebraska's two-mile relay
team, clocked in 7:27.6.
finished third Friday in the
Drake Relays at Des Moines.
Saturday the Huskers were
sixth in the distance medley
relay and sixth in the mile
relay.
THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
Student football tickets
to go on sale May 8
One of the most sought after items in the state-tickets to
Nebraska football games-will go on sale next week to
students.
Only full-time students now attending UNL will be
permitted to purchase student football tickets during the week
of May 8-12 at the ticket office in the Coliseum.
Students wishing to purchase a single seat must present
their ID cards and a payment of $12.50. Each student after
making the payment will receive a receipt and will draw a
lottery number to determine his or her seat.
Starting Aug. 28, each student must then go to the ticket
office and will be given his or her ticket upon presentation of a
receipt and valid ID card.
Requests for block sections will also be accepted May 8-12.
A representative of the group will present ID cards and $12.50
for each student in his block. The remaining procedure for
block sections will be similar to that of purchasing a single
seat.
. Any student not participating in the lottery during the
special week can purchase his ticket with new students next
fall.
Jim Pittenger, UNL ticket manager, said student tickets are
for personal use only and improperly used tickets may be
confiscated.
Last season about 87 per cent of the UNL students
purchased tickets, the highest percentage in the nation.
Rodgers issues statement
reaffirming his innocence
Nebraska football star Johnny Rodgers, who was not
charged with any wrongdoing Thursday in Cass County Court
after being arrest recently in a car where marijuana was found,
said he was a "victim of circumstances" and hopes "the whole
thing can be forgotten."
In a prepared statement released Friday, Rodgers said:
"The first thing I would like to make clear to the public is
that there was never any charges made or filed against me.
"I would like to consider this misfortune as just a bad
accident. Still accidents sometimes kill people; and this
accident did injure me because of the problems that I had
brought on myself in the past. I am just thankful that I was
able to salvage myself as a person first and a football player."
Rodgers, an All-American flanker, said he was making the
statement "to try to void some of the bad publicity that I
received by just being a victim of circumstances. . .
"I hope the whole thing can be forgotten and as far as I'm
concerned, this is the last statement I will have on the matter."
Harried Huskers
share Big 8 cellar
MANHATTAN, Kan.-Nebraska's hope for a strong finish
in the Big Eight baseball race was drenched last weekend in a
series against Kansas Sate.
Friday's scheduled doubleheader was rained out, causing
postponement of the games until Saturday.
But Saturday the Huskers found themselves with two more
defeats , and in a tie for last place in the conference with a 5-9
record.
The Huskers were plagued with five errors and were helpless
against the pitching of Bob Leslie. The Wildcats won the
opener 3-1.
Leslie struck out 1 1 of the first 18 Husker batters he faced
and totaled 13 strikeouts for the game. The Huskers' only run
came in the sixth inning when Pete Bethell singled home Gene
Stohs.
In the second game the Huskers were able to tie the
Wildcats 1-1 after the regulation seven innings. But one inning
later, Ken Lehrmann slashed a triple for the Wildcats and the
game ended when Steve Achelpohl's relay throw went wild
sending Lehrmann home with the winning run.
Sunday's third game was rained out and will not be
re-scheduled.
PAGE 16
MONDAY, MAY 1, 1972
