thursday, September 3, 1981
page 12
daily nebraskan
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Cornhuskers good scholars as well as athletes
By Ken Havlat
Nebraska, even a hermit knows, has a long football tra
dition. But what one forgets is the equally long tradition
Nebraska athletes have in earning their degrees, said Ur
sula Walsh, academic counselor for Nebraska's athletic
department.
"We make a big deal out of academics," Walsh said.
"We make a big deal of being academic all-Big Eight and
academic all-American. Look downstirs, (first floor in the
South Stadium Office Building) we have one wall dedica
ted to those athletes who received those honors."
When each prospective student-athlete is on campus for
their 48-hour visit, they get a personal visit from Walsh.
She tells what is expected of them academically. Then
they sit down and map out their academic aspirations, she
said.
him map out an eight semester class schedule, Walsh said.
Four days before the varsity players arrive for football
practice, freshman players arrive on campus to attend a
study skills workshop. Some of the topics covered in the
workshop include learning the SQ3R method of study,
reciting, listening techniques, how to write papers, and
test preparation.
"If possible, we try to get them pre-registered. This
year in particular, registration has been tough," Walsh
sad.
"They (coaches) make study table manadatory for
football and basketball players," Walsh said. "I also han
dle baseball, track, and gymnastics. My assistant (Jann
Steel) takes care of wrestling, swimming, tennis, and wo
men's sports."
The major reson why athletes don't get their degrees is
the lure of pro sports. Those who dont play professional
ly, however, sometimes return to UNL.
"If players don't get picked by the pros, they will
come back here and help out the freshman football pro
grams," Walsh said. "Under NCAA regulations, there is a
size limitation on varsity coaching but not on freshman
teams. So, we get their coaching services and they get
their degree."
Most get degrees
Walsh estimated 96 percent of the football players
from last year's team have gotten, or will soon receive,
their degrees.
One group that doesn't need to take advantage or need
any type of a study hall is the men's gymnastics team.
"When I or Coach (Francis) Allen are out recruiting,
we tell them in order to compete in gymnastics for Ne
braska, you need to be a student first and an athlete se
cond. The only excuses we allow for missing practices are
in case the gymnast is sick or has to take a test when we
are practicing," assistant coach Jim Howard said.
For as long as Nebraska has had a gymnastics team, no
member has failed to graduate, Walsh said. Howard attri
butes that fact to the nature of the sport.
"Gymnastics requires a great deal of discipline," How
ard said.
"For gymnasts there is no such thing as professional
gymnastics. Kids realize this," Howard said. "They keep
this in mind and eventually it leads them to a degree."
Gymnasts practice often
Gymnastic practices often last from three to four hours
a day and are held six days a week during the school year.
With that type of schedule, some provisions have to be
made, Howard said, expccially when you have three
world-class gymnasts competing for your team.
"With schedules that keep them on the road competing
at meets, we try to plan far enough in advance when we
know we will be gone. We try to get assignments early so
they can see the right person and get the job done."
Howard said gymnasts take classes through corre
spondence and summer school in order to free their daily
schedule.
"Ursula has a lot to do for our schedules. She helps by
seeing the professor instead of the coach," Howard said.
"She tells that professor we are not looking for special
favors, just to try to get them in a different format."
"I like to see our kids do well," Howard said. "We
have some very intelligent athletes."
K U football coach optimistic
Jayhawks smile about newcomers, players' zeal
Editor's Note: This is the eighth part in a series pre-viewing
Nebraska's 1981 football opponents. The stories will
appear in the order Nebraska plays the teams this fall.
By Tom Golden
There are three solid reasons why the Kansas Jayhawks
should be a sure bet to improve on last year's 3-3-1 mark
and finish within the top division of the Big Eight Confer
ence, Coach Don Famb rough said.
The first is sophomore tailback Kerwin Bell, probably
the most heralded running back at Kansas since John
Riggins. The 5-9, 185-pound speedster from Huntington
Beach, Calif, was named Big Eight offensive newcomer-of-the-year
last season as he rushed for a conference fresh
man record 1,114 yards. Accordingly, he has been named
to countless all-Big Eight and all-American squads.
"He's a super," boasts Fambrough. "He's got the mak
ings of a great player, and he's already shown a little of
what he can do."
Another reason is sophomore quarterback Frank
Seurer, Bell's teammate in high school, who also had an
exceptional rookie season. He passed for just under 800
yards and five touchdowns, and then followed that up
with an impressive spring.
"There is no telling how good Frank can become," said
John Hadl, offensive coordinator. "He has the tools and
the experience of last year. He gained in his confidence
and now feels very comfortable with our offense and what
we're trying to do. He's a natural leader that our team
leans toward."
Enthusiastic players
The third reason for the Jayhawks' optimism is the en
thusiasm expressed by KU's players, coaches, and fans.
"i don't know when I've been as excited about starting
a football season," Fambrough said, adding the players'
enthusiasm is also encouraging. The normally reserved
Jayhawk supporters are beginning to feel the excitement
too, Fambrough said.
If those aren't enough reasons to satisfy Fambrough,
there are still more, such as the return of all-conference
punter Bucky Scribner and the appearance of a vastly
improved defense, one that Fambrough labels as "the
most skilled since I've been here."
Other Jayhawk strong suits include offensive guard
David Lawrence, an all-conference candidate last season,
and a multi-talented receiving corps that includes wide
receivers Wayne Capers and Russ Bastin and tight-end Jeff
Schleicher.
Fambrough believes Capers and Bastin can more than
sufficiently replace graduate all-American flanker David
Verser, the first jayhawk chosen in the NFL draft last
year.
"The loss of Verser can give you sleepless nights. Then
you see Capers and Bastin and you don't worry so much,"
he said.
linebackers Kyle McNorton and Chris Toburen should
sparkle defensively, Fambrough said.
"They are our leaders both on and off the field," he
said. "We need them to be in the lineup."
He will also need senior nose-guard Greg Smith, who
was moved over from tackle in the spring to replace all-Big
Eight Stan Gardner.
Not all roses
All is not roses in Lawrence this fall, however. "We
have some big holes to fill on both the offensive and de
fensive lines," Fambrough said. "Pius the secondary has to
be rebuilt during the spring."
KU lost all-conference safety Joe Tumpich and second
team all-conference defensive tackle Jeff Fox to
graduation in addition to Verser and Gardner,- but Fam
brough said solid replacements have been found.
Indeed, Fambrough believes the Jayhawks have enough
valid reasons to be considered a top division contender in
the Big Eight. But he also realizes the first and second
places may be out of reach.
"You have to go with Oklahoma and Nebraska for the
top spots in our league but after them you are going to see
a real dog fight," he said. "Anything can happen, with a
lot of teams fighting it out for the number three spot. I
feel we are on the right track of getting there."
Ticket office offers
By Jodie Fields
While season tickets to Nebraska football games may
be difficult to get, students wishing to see Nebraska play
at Oklahoma Nov, 21 do have a chance to get tickets.
The Oklahoma game was the one chosen for the stu
dent migration, Helen Ruth Wagner, athletic ticket
manager for UNL said.
NCAA prepares new offers
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is prepar
ing to offer recommendations which it hopes will bring
peace with the College Football Association, The
Associated Press reported Wednesday.
The recommendations would restructure Division I
into a group that includes about 80 to 90 schools with
similar football programs.
They also would serve to change the method of voting
on" the NCAA football television contract and halt the
proliferation of basketball schools.
The NCAA was scheduled to discuss the changes with
Big Eight conference schools Wednesday and with the
Southeastern Conference this week in hopes of halting a
possible CFA television contract. ,
gamble to students
Twenty percent of the 3,894 tickets Nebraska gets
from Oklahoma will be held for student lottery, Wagner
said.
Students bring their student ID cards to the ticket
office and draw a number. Students can apply for one to
six tickets if t,hey have a student ID and money for each
request.
The number they draw from the lottery is stapled to an
envelope with the number of tickets requested and money
inside. The lower the number, the better chance a student
has of receiving tickets.
Wagner said a lottery isn't often necessary. UNL receiv
ed 1,000 tickets for the Sun Bowl last year but only 100
students applied for tickets.
Tickets for other away games, however, aren't as easy
to get, she said.
"Students apply just as everyone else from Jan. 1 to
June 15 for away games," Wagner said.
The ticket office received approximately 8,000 re
guests for tickets for the Iowa game but only received
4,000 tickets, Wagner said. UNL has gotten as many as
12,000 for some games, site said.
The Oklahoma State lottery has not been scheduled
yet, but will be in mid-October, Wagner said.
WIS
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Photo courtesy of Big Eight Service Bureau
Kerwin Bell
