Page 6
Daily Nebraskan
Tuesday, August 12, 1986
Athletic department drops
Lincoln Parents program
By Jeff Apel
Sports Editor
The cancellation of the Lincoln Par
ents program at Nebraska brought a
wide variety of reactions from members
of the Cornhusker athletic department
and from Nebraska boosters involved
with the program.
Nebraska athletic director Bob Dev
aney said the Huskers elected to drop
the program entirely this year because
there "is no way" the athletic depart
ment can keep a close enough watch
over the Lincoln Parents to make sure
they are complying with NCAA rules.
Under NCAA restrictions, student
athletes are prohibited from receiving
cash or gifts from their host parents,
driving their host parents' vehicles and
spending the night at their host par
ents' homes.
Devaney said while the Cornhusker
athletic department never knew of any
Lincoln Parents who directly violated
NCAA rules, the Nebraska athletic
department elected to drop the pro
gram because of the increased number
of restrictions which were placed on
host parents.
"It was getting to the point where
the only thing Lincoln parents could
provide was an afternoon watching tel
evision," Devaney said. "We just had to
withdraw."
Devaney said he was somewhat sad
dened when he realized it wouldn't be
feasible for the Nebraska athletic
department to continue the Lincoln
Parents program.
The Lincoln Parents, Devaney said,
always ran a great host program.
"They were always responsible peo
ple," Devaney said. "They realized what
they could and could not do."
Nebraska women's swimming coach
Ray Huppert said he was disappointed
to learn that the Lincoln Parents pro
gram had been dropped.
Since he instituted the host parents
into the women's swimming program
five years ago, Huppert said he hasn't
had one athlete leave Nebraska because
of homesickness.
But now, Huppert said he isn't sure
what to expect from future recruits
who won't have the privilege of having a
host family.
"It was such a nice, positive pro
gram," Huppert said. "It's going to be
difficult to tell the athletes it's no
longer there for them when they have
done nothing wrong."
Huppert said the key ingredient
Lincoln Parents gave which he is going
to have trouble giving is the fatherly
image adopted by many host parents.
When an athlete wanted to know
where she could get her car fixed or
needed help with a personal crisis,
Huppert said his athletes would turn to
the Lincoln Parents for help.
But now, Huppert said that special
friendship is going to be lost.
: "I have a coaching relationship (with
the athletes)," Huppert said. "But it's
difficult to develop that same type of
relationship with the athletes as they
had with their host parents."
Huppert said in the past, the NCAA
always seemed to take the stand that
there must be violations being commit
ted in the Nebraska host parents
program.
The Huskers, Huppert said, were
always forced to put up with a lot of
flack from the NCAA.
"We even let the NCAA know we
wanted to follow their policies," Hup
pert said. "The program at the Univer
VanZant out for season
COLUMBIA, Mo. Freshman run
ning back Tony VanZant of Missouri
underwent arthroscopic kne surgery
Monday and will sit out the entire sea
son, Tiger coach Woody Widenhofer
said.
VanZant, named the Parade Maga
zine High school player of the year last
year, was injured in the Missouri High
School All-Star game in Jefferson City,
Mo., three weeks ago. Doctors deter
mined he had damage to ligaments and
sity of Nebraska was done above the
board."
Lincolnite Ann Cech, who for seven
years headed the Lincoln Parents pro
gram which worked with the Nebraska
men's basketball team, said all poten
tial host parents were given a docu
ment which forced them to comply
with NCAA rules once they signed it.
In order to qualify to be a Lincoln
Parent, Cech said all individuals had to .
meet a set of criteria including:
O They had to have children of
their own at home.
O They couldn't be hosting another
athlete.
O They had to be between the ages
of 30 and 50.
O They had to be members of the
Rebounders Club and regularly attend
Nebraska basketball games.
Cech said she often rejected appli
cants who were interested in becoming
Lincoln Parents because they could
not meet one or more of the criteria.
Cech said the 15 Lincoln Parents she
hired provided such services as check
ing up to make sure the athletes were
attending class and speaking with the
athletes after home basketball games.
"We felt we really did a good deed to
some of the kids," Cech said. "We were
just like a friend to them."
Lincolnite Arthur Basso, who served
as a Lincoln Parent for both Stan
Cloudy and Bernard Day, said the host
parents program gave him a chance to
develop a special relationship with
both Nebraska athletes.
If it wasn't for the Lincoln parents
program, Basso said Cloudy would have
gone home to Texas soon after his arri
val in Lincoln.
"Stan (Cloudy) was very close to us,"
Basso said. "We were very fortunate. We
just hit it off well.",
Basso said he thinks part of the rea
son Nebraska men's basketball coach
Danny Nee chose to suspend the Lin
coln Parents program two months before
it was officially dropped by the univer
sity was because of the problems former
Nebraska men's basketball coach Moe
Iba encountered with "a few" host
parents.
According to Basso, some Lincoln
Parents called Iba after they became
upset when their athletes weren't
receiving enough playing time.
"It's unfortunate that a few parents
just got out of control," Basso said. "It's
all a shock to me."
Basso said he didn't spend much
time with Day, other than give him an
occasional meal at his home. NCAA
rules prohibit host parents from serv
ing meals to athletes.
Nancy Mitchell, a legislative assistant
with the NCAA, said the situation
involving Basso serving Day meals "could
have been a problem" in terms of NCAA
violations because it involved giving a
tangible benefit to a student-athlete.
Basso said he would often take Cloudy
out to eat breakfast after a basketball
game, and would feed Day on holidays
such as Thanksgiving.
Another Lincoln Parent, Elna Phil
lips, said the only things she did while
hosting former Nebraska football player
Todd Frain was babysit for Frain's
infant child and provide a place for the
Frains to think of as their home.
Dropping the Lincoln Parents pro
gram, Phillips said, was a mistake.
"I had always thought i f it as a good
program," Phillips said. "Now, the ath
letes won't have anywhere to turn if
they are from out of state."
cartilage in his left knee.
"It's a shame," Widenhofer told The
Associated Press.
VanZant, who last year led Hazel
wood Central High School in St. Louis,
Mo., to the class 5A state champion
ship, chose Missouri over Nebraska and
Michigan.
Widenhofer said he was assured by
doctors that VanZant would be back to
100 percent following his rehabilita
tion period.
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Paul VonderlageDaily Nebraskan
Lincoln's Randy Jensen tests his chip shot at Firethorn Golf Course, 91st and Van Dorn
streets.
Hosting a pro tonimament
a possibility for golf course
By Steve Thomas
Staff Reporter
Nary a golf course in the area
received the applause that Lincoln's
Firethorn Golf Club has in the past
year. Pete Dye, the nation's most
renowned golf course architect, has
given the area his finest efforts. But
the verdict is still out on whether
Firethorn can attract the profes
sionals. Jim White, Firethorn's head pro,
said the size of Lincoln might be a
major drawback in luring a Profes
sional Golfer's Association (PGA)
tournament.
"We don't want to rule anything
out," White said. "I think between
Lincoln, Omaha and Kansas City
there would be enough of a popula
tion base, but there are other
problems to consider."
Among those considerations is
the challenge of finding enough
sponsor money to support today's
wealthy tournament purses, White
said.
"Sponsors not population
might be our biggest problem,"
White said. "And you also have to
remember that there are politics
and planning involved with events
that we can't control."
i. '-'
JJ f' ' f r
"White said Lincolnites have an
above average interest in golf and is
confident of their support should an
event be scheduled at Firethorn.
"The people in the area are hungry
for something," White said. "We
can't say that Lincoln can't support
a major event. We haven't really
tested the waters yet."
In terms of population, White
said Lincoln would still be a good
distance behind Tucson, Ariz., the
smallest stop on the professional
circuit.
While Lincoln's size causes doubts,
White's support for the year old golf
course is full-fledged.
"It has been a well-received golf
course," White said. "AH of the good
players who have played here have
said that Firethorn is a good test of
golf. From the back tees, it's easily
the hardest course in the state."
White said the course's character
would be enough to attract people
to Firethorn to watch the profes
sionals. Parking and seating facilities
would pass the test of a professional
event as well, WTiite said.
In the course's first year, White
said the focus was on building a
course that they had promised to
the people. Much work has been
done on the clubhouse, and work on
Firethorn's 62 sand traps has been
completed.
These areas of focus have slowed
the process of luring PGA events.
"We're not actively seeking any
major tournaments right now," White
said. "We just haven't had time for
it. We're still trying to get into a
maintenance routine, and a big
name tourney may still be eight to
10 years away."
Should tournament possibilities
arise. White said a seniors' event or
a ladies' event might be a good way
to get started.
"There has also been talk of
rotating the Quad-Cities Open around
the Midwest and that could be
something worth looking at," White
said.
Firethorn hosted a state pro-am
tournament this past year and next
year's Class A Boys' State High
School Tournament is slated for
Firethorn.
Aside from tournament talk, White
said he is very optimistic with the
development of Firethorn.
"The golf course is getting the
look we want, the membership is
nearing our goal, and lot sales in the
area are up," White said.
Firethorn is located at 91st and
Van Dorn .streets in Lincoln.
