Offensive starters
Defensive starters
WR.48 Brent Cotton
OT.64 Russ Strange
LG.76 Eric Zabelin
C.70 Chad Faulkner
OG.60 Matt Garver
OT.67 Will McCain
TE.80 Kent Dean
QB.15 Gary Swim
FB.44 Rick Lewis
TB.29 Tony Jordan
WR.5 Lawrence Tolbert
K.1 Mark Porter
OLR.34 Grady Newton
DT.78 Jim Oehm
NG.45 Dan Goldner
DT.58 Tim MacDonald
OLB.95 Dewayne Baziel
I LB.49 Lome Whittle
I LB.59 Matt Wellerstedt
CB.16 Marcus Miller
SS.6 Erick Harper
FS.23 Robert Easterwood
CB.4 Brad Lambert
p.17 David Kruger
DeVenzio wants to pay college athletes
Dick DcVenzio is no agent, but his deal
ings appear to be as questionable as those of
Lloyd Bloom and Norby Walters.
DcVenzio, an academic All-America
basketball player at Duke University in
1971, is spearheading a drive that would
allow college athletes to be paid. His plan
would allow colleges to recruit players by
offering exuberant amounts of money, most
of which would not bee seen until the player
Jeff
Apel
graduates.
The reason for the drive, DeVenzio said,
is that college athletes have not been reim
bursed properly. He said the fact that ath
letes arc give scholarships that cover hous
ing, books and tuition does little to help the
situation.
“It’s ridiculous that schools like Ne
braska make millions of dollars and don t
reimburse their athletes like they should,”
DeVenzio said. “It’s not something that
should just be pul aside. The issue should be
addressed now.”
DeVenzio said he hopes to educate col
lege football and basketball players about
his proposal by sending out mailings. He
said the mailings describe the plan and
emphasize that college athletes could get it
instituted if they pull together.
“The players have to realize that there is
no particular rule that says athletes can’t be
compensated, so it wouldn't be too difficult
to get one instituted,” he said. “What’s
important is college athletes need to realize
what they are deserving of, and they aren't
getting it.”
DcVenxio said he is confident that his
plan will become legislation. He said his
drive was plagued last year because many
lootball coaches and athletic directors
tabbed him as an agent.
DcVenxio said he eliminated any doubts
athletes may have had about the legality ol
his doings by sending out a letter that stated
everything he attempted was within N( AA
rules. He said he also made it clear dial he
wasn’t asking the athletes for any money, a
trail associated with agents.
“I found in the past that players generally
needed my material because there was so i
many misconceptions about what I was
doing,” DeVcnzio said. “The truth is, I just
want to give athletes a choice. The material
I give them is designed to help make that
choice easier.”
DcVenzio said his proposal is gaming
support. He said an example ol its popularity
could be found at last year’s Nebraska
Oklahoma football game, when five players
from each team met a midfield just before
the start of the game to “express a show of
solidarity among college athletes.”
DcVenzio said although the display was
brief, he was satisfied, even though he origi
nally asked both teams to delay the start of
the nationally televised game by 30 minutes.
He said the display, in which the players
joined hands and knelt, showed that college
athletes are concerned with the reimburse
ment issue.
But former Nebraska linebacker Kevin
Parsons, who met with former Oklahoma
running back Spencer I illman on the eve ol
the game to discuss a possible protest, said
the "display" was nothing more than a
midfield prayer meeting.
