page 22
daily nebraskan
monday, august 29, 1977
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' Photo by Ted Kirk
It looks as though someone has barely escaped Excedrin Headache No. 31
at a motocross event near Denton, Neb.
Cabell sees long-time goal
By Jim Kay
Former Nebraska defensive back Jake
Cabell is on the verge-of achieving a long
time goal. Cabell, a 1976 graduate was
recently hired as a Husker assistant coach
for the upcoming season.
"Ever since I've been in sports, I've
wanted to get into coaching," Cabell said.
"You might say its been my first love. I
figured if I didn't play pro ball, I'd want to
coach."
Cabell played at North Carolina Central
University for one year before transferring
to Ferrum Junior College in Virginia for
one year. He played at UNL his last two
years, lettering at cornerback.
Cabell will coach defensive backs on the
freshmen team this year.
"With freshmen, you primarily work on
fundamentals," Cabell said. "The idea is
to not give them a lot at one time because
they're confused enough as it is."
He said fundamentals are stressed
because not all freshmen have experience
as defensive backs.
"Players who don't make it elsewhere
want to try to play defensive back," Cabell
said. "Coaches who convert players into
defensive backs try to mold them into the
position if he hasn't played there before.
"The main thing I would stress is work
ing on technique, things like backpedaling
and staying low. I think once a player gets
the feel of the techniques, he'll be a good
player." 1
Cabell said he considered himself lucky
to be able to land a job with the Nebraska
coaching staff.
"This is the -place to learn," he said.
"It's in the Big 8 and is a top notch school.
It's good practical experience and I'm glad
to get the chance to coach here."
Cabell, who received his B.A. degree in
education from UNL and is now at work
on his masters degree in graduate school,
said he wants to continue coaching on the
collegiate level.
"I'd like to coach college ball" he said,
"I'll learn the system here and 'get that
down and then hopefully go on to coach
on the collegiate level after my M.A."
Cabell is one of four part-time assistant
coaches with the UNL program. The others
are former Husker players Bob Thornton
and Brad Jenkins and former McCook high
school coach, Milt Tenopir.
sports shorts
An organizational meeting for intramur
al team managers will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday
at the Nebraska Union small auditorium.
Fees, eligibility and other topics will be
discussed.
AH UNL women athletes are required to
attend a meeting at 7 pjn. Tuesday in the
south stadium lounge. Scholarship ath
letes must attend a meeting at 7 pjn.
Wednesday, also in the south stadium
lounge. Athletes who cannot attend should
contact the women's athletic director's
office.
Head basketball coach March Walker
laid any women interested in trying out
for the team must complete fall condition
ing. The first session is 3:30 Wednesday at
Mable Lee Hall, room 313.
,.. ..
Women's swim coach Ray Huppcrt
said win team tryouts will be Sept. 12
at 2 p-m. in the NU Sports Complex.
Mike Arthur, weight room supervisor
for the UNL Sport Complex, placed
second in the 132 pound class at the na
tional Weightlifting Championship. Arthur
almost qualified for the World Champion
ships in Australia. However, only first
place finishers in each class may attend. At
nationals, Arthur had lifts of 430 pounds
in the squat, 259 pounds in the bench press
and 545 pounds in the dead lift.
All athletes in any sport this year must
report to the University Health Center 6
p.m. Thursday. Athletic trainer Jayne Sny
der suggests athletes bring a robe or swim
suit for the physical. Physical reports from
individual physicians wiU not be accepted.
Students wishing to express their opin
ions on the proposed Memorial Stadium
expansion may contact UNL committee
members Mary Fejfar of Lincoln or Scott
Cook of Sidney.
Scoreboard, tickets go up
New AstroTurf and an animated score
board over the north end zone of Memorial
Stadium will greet Husker Football fans
this fall and increase ticket costs on non
conference games. . .
The new rug and scoreboard cost about
$520,000. Husker football fans will foot
half of the bill. . . ,
A one dollar surcharge will be attached
to tickets for non-conference games to help
pay for the $300,000 turf. '
The Monsanto Co. of St. Louis installed
the new turf.
The scoreboard will be paid by adver
tising on the scoreboard. Three firms have
agreed to advertise: Gateway Realty, First
Federal Savings and Loan of Lincoln and
Mutual of Omaha.
American Sign and Indicator Co. of
Washington designed the new scoreboard.
Head Trainer George Sullivan said
AstroTurf "is the only thing fof us "
"On the old turf, you would get cut
from spikes and there was more infection,"
he said: - '
"We don't have much real estate here
either Some schools have five or six prac-
tice fields, but we don't. We can work on
the AstroTurf for bowl games and can
scrape off the snow and practice on it if
we have to. We couldn't do that before."
Sullivan said hew AstroTurf was badly
needed. .
"When the old turf got wet you would
slip trying to cut The pad underneath was
so hard that when you landed on it, you
would either get jarred or bruised," he said.
Despite AstroTurf being the "only
thing" for UNL, Sullivan said the carpet
does cause some problems.
"The shoe designed for AstroTurf is
more tacky and the foot doesn't skid like
on the old grass field," he said. "It causes
some tender toes. But with some padding
the players are able to play."
- Sullivan said one severe injury occurred
last spring. Middle guard Jeff Pullen missed
most of spring practice because of a tender
toe.
The first AstroTurf was installed at
UNL in 1970. Huskers won the national
championship that year.
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June Davis
George Nicodemus Dai,Y Nebraskan photo
83
1 re 1
icooemus Tianrs ror o
By Rob Barney
The past few months have been long
ones for George Nicodemus. He does not
have a job, he is fighting for his old one
and he wonders how it all happened.
Nicodemus' troubles began May 23, two
days after June Davis was appointed
Women's Athletic Director, She dismissed
Nicodemus of his basketball and Softball
coaching duties.
During his two years at UNL, Nicode
mus' basketball teams compiled 23-9 and
2116 records. His Softball team qualified
fox the regional tournament in May,
Nicodemus is not taking his resig
nation lying down. He has hired Lincoln
attorney James DeMars to help him get his
job back.
"If any legal action is taken, it will be
based on a breach of contract," DeMars
said. "One of our arguments is that under
the by-laws of the University, his (Nico
demus') position is permanent only to be
filled by someone with tenure or by some
one with a contract with a specific term
set."
Contract approved in 1976
According to DeMars, Nicodemus con
tract was approved July 1, 1976 as a tern
porary appointment.
"We're contending that his position is
not the type of position to be filled with a
temporary contract," DeMars said.
DeMars said since Nicodemus was not
notified of his dismissal 90 days before
contract renewal time (June 30), he gets
an automatic one-year extension of his old
contract.
Contacted at his Maimo, Neb. home,
Nicodemus said he thought he would be
coaching at UNL this year.
"On April 20 I was told by Davis (then
interim athletic director) that I would be
back as a coach for next year," he said.
"There are no written contracts at the
university, they are all verbal. She didn't
say i was hired, however, I assumed I was."
Nicodemus was one of six finalists for
the athletic director's post according to a
member of the selection committee. Davis
replaced Alecn Swofford, who resigned In
February.
Five reasons
Nicodemui said Davis gave his five
reasons for his dismissal. Site said he was
disorganized, players complained about not
playing and she could not locate him at
times, he said. She also told Nicodemus he
did not submit travel times for road games
soon enough and that Nebraska high school
coaches will not send their players to UNL
because Nicodemus is coach, she said.
"For the reasons given, as an athletic
director, I would not dismiss a coach,"
Nicodemus said, "I could not make them
(the charges) out to be as serious as they
were given to me,"
I "She never talked to me beforehand.
And she did not explain to me what she
meant by disorganized," he added, i
Davis, when asked to comment .refused
to answer any questions concerning
Nicodemus dismissal.
"I won't deny some players were un
happy about not playing, but the dis
missal came as a complete shock, i did
not expect it ," Nicodemus said .
There was speculation Nicodemus
would appeal his dismissal to the NU Board
of Regents. He did not, but did talk to one
of the regents, Nicodemus said.
May file complaint
He said he may file a complaint with the
UNL grievance committee. That comm
mittee meets today.
Dr. Norma Griffin, chairman of the
grievance committee (a faculty group)
explained the procedure.
"The procedure for any grievance
is to indicate the nature of the grievance,
then to meet with all of the parties men
tioned in the grievance," she said.
"If it falls within our jurisdiction, well
meet in conference, file's report on our
findings and make a recommendation."
Nicodemus' resignation may have cost
the women's basketball program a recruit,
Lynette Woodward, an ill-American pr
former from Topeka, Kan.
"I thought I had recruited her, Nico
demus sakl. "She had visited the campus
and we had spent a considerable time
4 I
talking
Signed with Kansas
She wants to make the 1980 Olympic
team and was interested in a coach that
could promote her. She had it down to
Nebraska and one other school. The day
after my dismissal, I read she signed a letter
of Intent to attend Kansas.'
DeMars said Nicodemus would like to
reach an agreement with UNL without a
lawsuit.