sports
Weight t raining coach decides fo stay af UNL
It seems Boyd Epley, UNL's weight training coach,
is staying after all.
Epley told the Daily Nebraskan Wednesday he was
leaving the Huskers to become weight training coach
for the Detroit Lions of the National Football
League, who offered him a $10,000 salary increase
and an unlimited budget with which to build his
program.
In the story, Epley said his only regret was taking
the job without consulting Husker football coach
Tom Osborne, and admitted coaches and players were
giving him second thoughts.
Osborne too, said he was sorry Epley didn't talk to
him about the decision.
"I think I could have made him see the advantages
of staying with our program," Osborne said.
Changed mind
Evidently, Osborne did just that. Epley said Friday
he changed his mind and is staying at Nebraska.
The main reason Epley changed his mind was an
offer Osborne made Wednesday night. However,
Epley said he had other reasons for staying.
Even though Epley refused to explain the specifics
of the offer, he did say it included more money, more
responsibilities and more job security and offered
some solutions to other things he was dissatisified
with.
"Right now I'm perfectly happy to remain here,"
Epley said. "Coach Osborne realized I was satisfied
here except for a few things, and he made those
things more comfortable for me. But the offer wasn't
cash, and wasn't immediate. The understanding is
that this would be the way things will be in a tew
years."
Wife's happiness
According to Epley, other considerations included
his wife's happiness (she teaches in Seward), and the
fact he only knew the best side of the situation at
Detroit.
"Here I know both the good and the bad," Epley
said. "Up there I was treated like a recruit, they only
showed me the best things. The job offered glamour
and opportunity, but no security."
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Epley also found himself in the situation of a man
at his own funeral last week. People started telling
him how much he'd be missed.
However, it was Osborne who told Epley how
important he was to the program. Even though Epley
seemingly had made his final decision, Osborne kept
trying, and eventually demonstrated his ability to
persuade and changed Epley's mind.
Bend over backward
"Coach Osborne really bent over backward for
me," Epley said. "No one I've ever known has gone
to that great ot length tor me.
This says a lot for Osborne. It's a trait the people
who have worked with the coach always bring up.
However, a few questions are raised by the whole
incident. First of all, what is it that made Epley's
value double in one week from the $8,000 a year he
was being paid by the athletic department? (Inflation
must really be bad).
Even though the exact amount of extra money
offered by Osborne is not known, where did it come
from? Will Epley's having declined the Detroit offer
hurt his chances for future offers?
Was underpaid
Epley admits he was underpaid before this week.
Even though he said he did not take the Job at
Detroit to pressure Nebraska into giving him more
money, he did admit he was glad things turned out as
they did.
Epley also said that although the Lion's head
coach felt "I had embarrassed the Lion organization,"
because he is one of the experts in weightlifting, there
will still be jobs available when he decides to leave
Nebraska.
Despite the questions, the pros and cons of the
decision and the reasons for the decision itself, the
important thing is Epley is happy, the Huskers are
happy and nobody seemingly was hurt by the
decision.
One would hope this is the end of the issue, yet
the lingering suspicion is that it won't be.
WO)
7
ri
...... "ku' i A
a r -
Freshman gymnast Larry" Gerard (left) and sophomore wrestler Bruce Conger (right) were
among top placers for UNL sport teams last week. Gerard scored a 9.7 in the high bar
against Southern Illinois. Conger finished third in the heavyweight class at the Big 8 tourney.
Track team last, wrestlers fourth
Gymnasts have shot ot nationals
By Pete Wegman
Last weekend, a UNL athletic squad finished
last in a Big 8 meet, one finished in the middle of
the eight schools and another appears to be
heading toward the top of the conference.
Friday and Saturday, the Cornhusker track
team, including only one senior and one junior
on the traveling roster, finished last in the Big 8
Indoor Track Meet at Kemper Arena in Kansas
City.
The Huskers could manage only three points
at the meet, msrking their worst point showing
at the indoor meet since it began in 1929.
The last place finish was only the second in
head coach Frank Sevigne's 19 years at Nebraska.
Sevigne's only other last place finish was in 1956,
his first year.
Husker points came from junior Chuck
Malito's fifth place finish in the 440 ya rd dash
and the mile relay team's fourth place showing.
Jayhawks win
The meet was won by the Kansas Jayhawks
with 63 points. Last year Kansas finished fifth.
Kansas State, the defending champions, were
second with 53.
The Big 8 Wrestling Tournament held Friday
and Saturday at Oklahoma State was somewhat
of a disappointment to head coach Orval
Borgialli and his Husker grapplers.
Before the meet, Borgialli had said he hoped
his team could break Oklahoma State, Oklahoma
and Iowa State's domination of the top three
places in the tournament and send at least six
wrestlers to the nationals March 13-15 at
Princeton.
However, the Huskers finished fourth with
22.5 points, trailing Oklahoma State, defending
NCAA champion, Oklahoma and Iowa State,
with 92, 75.5 and 72 points respectively.
Husker qualifiers
Nebraska wrestlers Tony Jennings at 134 lb.,
page 12
190 lb. Bob Johnson and heavy weight Bruce
Conger all placed third to be the only Huskers to
qualify for the NCAA tournament.
Thursday night, Nebraska's gymnasts
continued to give indications that they are
national title contenders when they defeated
national power Southern Illinois, 221.15-220.25
at Henzlik Hall.
The Huskers 221.15 total proved that the
221.70 they scored against the Oklahoma
Sooncrs a week ago to set a national scoring
m'drk Wits r' fl'ike. The old mark of 218 was
held by the same Southern Illinois team
Nebraska defeated.
Coach Francis Allen's gymnasts won four of
the six events Thursday. Husker first place
finishes included junior Steve Dickey with a
score of 9.5 on the pommel horse, sophomore
Kurt Mackie on the still rings with a 9.6, senior
Jim Unger's 9.35 in vaulting, and Larry Gerard's
meet high of 9.70 on the high bar.
Only a freshman
Gerard, only a freshman, was Nebraska's
leading scorer in the all-around competition with
54.25 points, good for second place. Jim Ivicck
from Southern Illinois won with 55.15.
Allen said the Husker gymnasts have a good
chance of defeating defending NCAA champion
Iowa State at the Big 8 meet March 14-15 at
Iowa State. Nebraska hasn't won the Big 8 since
1964, when Allen himself was a team member.
The winner of the Big 8 will advance to the
NCAA championships at Indiana State April 3-5.
Should Nebraska lose the Big 8, the team still has
a chance of attending the nationals, according to
Alien.
"There will probably be at least two teams
that will attend the meet as at-largc teams. If we
lose to Iowa State at the Big 8 meet, we still have
a chance at beating them at the national meet,"
Allen said.
daily nebraskan
Swimmers, gymnasts
end season with wins
With a two week lay-off before tournaments, both the UNL
women's swimming and gymnastics (cams closed the regular season
with victories Saturday.
Coach Pat Sullivan's swimmers defeated Kearney State 69-62.
while the gymnasts coached by Karen Balke claimed a 64-51.5 win
over Drake.
Ending their season at 5-3, the swimmers were paced by
freshman Mikki Crosby, who won the 100-yard individual medley
with a time of 1:08.04. and the 50- and 100-yard butterfly events,
clocking 29.6 and 1 :05.6 (her career best), respectively.
Deb Peterson and Ginny Kincaide each placed first in two
events. Peterson won the 50- and 100-yard backstroke, while
Kincaide won both the one and three-meter diving competition.
Sullivan summed up the team's fourth season by saying the
record was "unbelievable, considering the competition we had."
Four members of the team will travel to the Association of
Intercollegiate Athletics for Woman (AIAW) national tournament
March 13-15 in Tempe, Ariz. They arc Peterson (50-yard
backstroke), Ruth Spencer (50-yard breaststroke) and Kincaide
and Nancy Dykes, who both qulaified in the one and three-meter
diving.
Kathi Ruddick lead the gymnasts, winning the vaulting, uneven
parallel bars, floor exercise and all-around competition.
Carol Lundeen placed second in the floor exercise and
all-around, Peggy Newport was second in vaulting and Peg Van
Beek earned second in the uneven parallel bars.
Finishing the season with a perfect 4-0 mark, the gymnastic
team will travel to Ames, la. March 13-15 for the AIAW Region 6
tourney.
soocls shorts
The UNL footbsl! tesm
given a vocal reprimand by Big
8 officials at their meeting this
weekend for including
ineligible transfers Vince
Ferragamo and Ray Phillips on
the traveling roster to the
Sugar Bowl.
The reprimand amounts to
nothing more than telling
Husker coaches they were
wrong in taking the two
athletes to New Orleans. When
the NCAA officials meet next
month, further action may be
taken.
Speculation by the Omaha
World-Herald Friday, stated
the NCAA would force
Ferragamo and Phillips to
remain out of action for one
game next season.
Husker coach Tom Osborne
told the Lincoln Sunday
Journal-Star the World-Herald
story may prejudice the
NCAA's position into not
handing down a lighter
decision so they don't lose face
with th '''tiblic.
Entries are due Wednesday
for any women interested in
Tabic Tennis doubles and the
women's swim rning
tournament offered by the
UNL Recreation and
Intramurals office. For
additional information, contact
the Recreation office, 1740
Vine St., 472-3467.
Linda Bradshaw will appear
tonight with Chuck Roberts of
the Zebco fishing equipment
company, to discuss a woman's
role in the fishing family.
The event will be held at the
Lincoln High auditorium as the
fifth in a series of fishing
classes sponsored by the
Park and Recreation
urplus Center, at 7
Si
Lincoln
and the
p.m.
Roberts will give
information concerning fishing
equipment while answering
questions concerning fishing
gear.
monday, march 3, 1975