thursday, february 5, 1976
UNLreaairisiie
lead
daily nebraskan , )
nebraskan
husker
The Huskers were "Cooked" in the first half, but
bounced back for a share of the Big 8 Conference basket
ball lead with a 57-54 win over Kansas Wednesday night in
the Coliseum.
UNL, now 5-1 in the conference, is tied for first with
Missouri, which lost to Kansas State, 85-81, in another
Wednesday night game. The Huskers are now 14-5 overall,
while Kansas dipped to 3-3 in the Big 8 and 10-8 overall.
UNL led most of the first half and jumped ahead,
23-17, for its biggest lead of the period. But the Jayhawks
reeled off eight straight points, six by star forward Norm
Cook, to take a 25-23 half lime lead. Cook ended up with
13 points and six rebounds the first half.
The momentum carried into the second period as the
Jayhawks scored two quick buckets for a 29-23 lead,
their biggest of the game.
Kansas then hit a cold shooting spell, and the Huskers
took advantage to go ahead for good, 35-33, on a jump
shot by guard Jerry Fort with 15:29 left.
The Huskers quickly increased their lead to 45-35 then
held on behind clutch free throw shooting.
"I was pleased with our second-half comeback," said
Husker coach Joe Cipriano. "And I thought (center Larry)
Cox did a good job defensively."
Cox was instrumental in shutting down Paul Mokeski,
7 ft. Jayhawk center, who had scored 19 points in a 69-66
Kansas win over UNL in the Big 8 tournament. Cox held
him to six points before fouling out with 1:44 left.
Fort led the Huskers with 21 points, while Cox added
11. Cook paced Kansas with 21 points and a game-high
14 rebounds.
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A star never rests. Sophomore gymnast Larry Gerard
helped propel the Huskers to their biggest win of the year
Saturday against top ranked Iowa State University (ISU),
earning athlete-of-the-week honors. But there's no time to
bask.
He must fly to Toronto as a member of the six-man
United States Olympic qualifying team which will meet
Canada Saturday and Sunday. The American squad must
win either that meet or one against Rumania two weeks
later to qualify for the Montreal Olympics this summer.
....
f; -
i
5 '
Phrto by Tad Kirk
UNL gymnast Larry Gerard
Twelve sign
Big 8 letters
Twelve Ncbraskans and ten out-of-state high
school seniors have signed Big 8 Conference letters
of intent to attend UNL next fall on football scholar
ships.
The Big 8 letter of Intent merely binds the pro
spects to playing at Nebraska, should they choose to'
compete in the Big 8.
Prospects still can deckle to enroll at schools
outside the Big 8. However, they are committed to
the school to which they sign t national letter of
intent.
The signing date for national letters is Feb. 18.
Player
Jo Adams
Kim Baker
Mike Bruce
John Fischer
Brian Hadrick
Brad Humphrey
Tom Matthiea
Dave O'Doherty
Dan Pentick
Jeff Quinn
Frank Taylor
Kerry Wetnmester
Steve Da vim
Gary England
Randy Scftleusener
Mike Polk
Brian Grace
Chris Jushring
L Atkins
Glenn Lewi
Ron Washington
Thor Jacobs
In-State
Hi. Wt.
6-4 220
6-3 190
6 6 210
6-3 185
6 2 190
6-2 190
6-7 250
6-3 22S
65 212
6-3 ISO
6-0 170
6-0 190
Out-State
6-3 215
6-4 223
64 210
6-4 230
6-2 218
6-3 205
6-1 195
6-1 194
0-1 175
6-2 215
Hometown
Bellevue
York
Omaha
Columbus
York
Bsllevu
Oxford
Omaha
Columbus
Ord
Omaha
North Platte
Murray. Utah
Salt Lake City
Rapid City. S.O.
Lawrence, Kan.
Das Moines
Oavenprot. Iowa
San Af:!o, Tex.
Edirta, Minn.
Tarnpe. Aril.
Cincinnati
"We're going to have to do a good job to beat them
(Canada)," Gerard said. An American win this weekend is
crucial to his ultimate goal-a berth on the eight-man
Olympic team. .
Saturday, Gerard took a step in that direction by beat
ing Iowa State's Scott Evans, 52.6-5 1 .45, in the all-around.
He had lost to Evans Oct. 24 in UNL's opening meet, but
has not lost in an all-around since, including wins in the
Midwest and Rocky Mountain Opens.
Not satisfied
Gerard, an architecture major from Lincoln Southeast
High School, also won the rings and parallel bars compe
tition Saturday, but he said he wasn't completely satisfied.
"I still need work in some areas," he said. "I need to be
more consistent on the side horse and I've been missing
some on the high bar.
"Rings has always been my favorite event, but an all
arounder should like all of them," he said.
The win Saturday was important, he said, and added
that the team always aims at the Big 8 Conference meet.
Again the main obstacle is ISU, which has won the last
seven conference championships.
After that comes the national meet, when Louisiana
State, Indiana State and Michigan Universities likely will
join ISU as the teams to beat, Gerard said. In the all
around, he said, he expects stiff competition from Indiana
State's Kurt Thomas, also on the Olympic qualifying team.
Positive attitude
Gerard credits his success to what he called a positive
attitude.
"You've got to be pretty positive all the time," he said.
"YouVe got to feel strong, like you want to attack the
event."
He also has been bolstered at the Huskers' two home
meets by a cheering section of Alpha Tau Omega brothers.
"I'm really pleased to have those guys come over to the
meets," he said. 'They're hooked on gymnastics now."
Other athlete-of-the-week nominees were basketball
forward Bob Siegel, junior from Fairbury; trackster
Harold Stelzer, sophomore from Scituate, Mass.; swimmer
Pat DiBiase, junior from Omaha; wrestler Bob Johnson,
senior from Gordon; swimmer Ruth Spencer, senior from
Omaha; gymnast Peggy Newport, sophomore from
Lincoln; and basketball forward Sherry Brink, sophomore
from Lincoln.
Capan recalls spirit of Olympics
By Scott Jones
Jesse Owens better hope Roger Capan decides to stay
at UNL a long time. If not, Owens may lose his job.
Capan, instructor of physical education and women's
track coach at UNL, was a speed skater in the 1968
Winter Olympics. His remembrances of that experience
might cause the Olympic Committee to wonder whether
former Olympic champion Owens is really the best
spokesman for the games.
"It was the greatest time in my life," Capan said. "We
(athletes) were all the same. We all gave that universal
respect you just don't see in everyday life."
Capan said he is concerned the tight security for the
current games will strain the feeling of brotherhood
among athletes.
"It was a harmonious type of feeling. All the athletes
trusted each other and had a good time," he said. "It
didn't matter what country you were from."
Restrictive security "completely destroys, in my mind,
what the Olympics is about," Capan said.
Variety of experiences
Capan said he has had a variety of athletic experiences.
His father, a hockey player, started Capan skating at
age 8, and he won several state (Illinois) and national
speed skating championships beginning at age 1 1 .
He was an all-state discus thrower at Champa jn High
School in Champaign, 111., and later held the discus record
at the University of New York at Buffalo where he ob
tained his undergraduate degree in 1973.
In football, he was a high school all-conference tackle
as a 6 ft. 3 in. 215-pounder (he's up to 250 now). He had
try outs as a punter and kicker with the National Football
League's Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills and played semi
pro football in Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Capan, 30, also coached a service track team at the
Panama Canal while in the Air Force. Later hs was the
women's track coach at Oiinois University where he re
ceived his masters degree in 1974 in biomechanics or film
analysis of sports skills.
Hard work
But it is the "unique spirit" of the Olympics that
Capan remembers best and tries to communicate to his
students and women athletes.
Because of the "months and months and months of
hard work" required to make the Olympics, Capan said,
"I know how to work and I know what work is.
"I can tell o titer athletes what work is. Usually if they
don't have the desire within them, they'll never get to the
top national spot."
Ca-an talks about the training methods speed skaters
used in Norway where he spent a year training.
"The first time I went out in Norway I asked, 'how far
we we going to run?"' he said. "Three and one-half hours
later we came out of the woods. I was completely
drained."
That dedication which "comes from the heart" is what
the Olympics is about, Capan said.
Sounding more like Jesse Owens all the time, he told
how an American speed skater refused to quit during a
distance race in Norway although he was laps behind.
"They (the Norwegian fans) treated him like the King
of Norway because they saw that heart," he said. "And
that leaves a little tear in your eye, at least it does with
me."
f
Ptwto by Ted KH
Roger Capan, now a UNL physics! education instruc
tor md womcn'i track coach, participated in the
1968 Winter Olympics is n speed skater.
