[Tight end Mitchell to leave NU for NFL
Shaun Sartin/DN
Nebraska tight end Johnny Mitchell announces his plans to enter the NFL draft at a press conference Wednesday. Mitchell cited
family obligations as a main reason in his decision to turn professional.
Sophomore cites
financial reasons
By Susie Arth
Staff Reporter
Comhusker light end Johnny Mitch
ell announced Wednesday that he
would make himself eligible for the
1992 National Football League Draft.
Mitchell, who still has two years
of eligibility left at Nebraska, said his
decision was caused by an obligation
to his family.
Mitchell said a visit during semes
ter break to his grandparents’ home in
Mississippi helped him to decide to
join the NFL.
“My grandfather is a sick man,”
Mitchell said. “I owe him a lot.”
Mitchell, who announced in De
cember that he would not join the
NFL draft in 1992, said his decision
was not related the Huskers’ perform
ance in the Orange Bowl, nor to his
role on the team.
The earlier announcement, he said,
was an attempt to lake pressure off of
him so that he could finish the season.
Mitchell,a two-time All-Big Eight
selection, said he thinks he is as ready
to join the NFL as he would ever be.
“1 hope some team will give Johnny
Mitchell a chance to contribute to
' their franchise,” he said.
Mitchell said he has not talked to
an agent, and hopes he will be con
tacted by an NFL scouting combine.
Receivers coach Ron Brown said
he believed Mitchell had enough
athletic talent to be a first-round pick.
The problem, he said, is that most
teams arc not expecting him to come
out this season.
See MITCHELL on 14
Swimmer sets new goals
to break personal records
By Susie Arth
Staff Reporter
Michelle Butcher has set Nebraska
and Big Eight Conference records
and has qualified for the NCAA
Championships, but thinks her peak
is yet to come.
Butcher, a junior member of the
Nebraska swimming squad, said she
thinks a better altitude will be one
way to break her personal records this
season.
“Last year I had a hard time be
cause my head was not into it,” she
said. “I’ve been training since last
May for this season so I think I’ll sec
some improvement.”
Butcher said she thinks her new
coach, Kelly Nordcll, has made her
want to improve.
“Kelly’s workouts push you to the
limit,’’ she said. “I feel like I’m going
to drop dead some days."
Butcher said her goals for this season
include retaining her Big Eight titles
in the 500-yard freestyle, 400-yard
individual medley and 1650-yard
freestyle, and qualifying for the Olym
pic Trials in these events.
“Making the Olympic team would
be my ultimate goal,” she said. “But
only two people from each event can
go.
To achieve these goals, Butcher
said, she has been training for more
than lour hours each day.
Butcher, who started competing
when she was 5 years old, said she
stays motivated by always keeping
ber goals in mind.
“I know what 1 have to do to reach
my goals,” she said. ‘‘And 1 know all
lhc work will pay off in the end.”
But Butcher said she also needs
encouragement from her parents and
coaches to keep her motivated, t
Her parents. Butcher said, have
ncvfcr put any pressure on her to suc
ceed as a swimmer.
“Up until college they came to
practically every meet. I swam in,”
she said.
Butcher said her father has put
almost as much effort into her success
as she has.
For almost two years, she said, he
would take her to her morning work
outs at 3:45, wail for two hours, then
drive her back home.
It was her mother, Butcher said,
who deserves the credit for gelling
her involved in swimming.
“My mom had a cousin who
drowned,” she said. “So she enrolled
me in swimming lessons when I was
four.”
Butcher said she has only quit
swimming for one month since she
started the sport.
“I went crazy not swimming,” she
said. “Now I don’t think I’ll ever quit
for good."
Butcher, who is from Alpine, Calif.,
said she decided to come to Nebraska
because it was well-known for its
athletics.
“I was so young and socxcitcd that
1 was impressed with everything I
saw on my recruiting trip here,” she
said.
The cold weather, she said, was
the biggest difference between Cali
fornia and Nebraska.
Butcher, an elementary education
major, said she hopes to return to the
West Coast to teach in a grade school
or work with aquatic animals after
graduation. _**__ . . .. . .,
For now, Butcher said she is just
looking forward to the Big Eight
Championships, the Olympic Trials
and the NCAA Championships. These
meets take place in February and
March.
“It’s kind of scary to think that the
throe biggest meets arc basically within
a month of each other," she said. “But
no matter what happens, I’ve already
accomplished more than I ever thought
when I was little.”
Mitchell’s choice limits future
Nebraska light end Johnny
Mitchell has tremendous talent, but
he can’t seem to make up his mind
about his future.
Mitchell announced yesterday
that he has chosen to enter the
National Football League draft.
“I have a great obligation to my
family and I’ve decided to file for
the 1992 NFLdrafl,” Mitchell said.
“It’s a family decision, something
I have to do for Johnny Mitchell
and my family.”
Wednesday’s press conference
is Mitchell’s second in just over a
month. On Dee. 10, he announced
plans for staying with the Com
huskers.
“I am here to let people know,
who don’t know that much about
me, and my teammates and others
who have asked me,” Mitchell said
at that lime. “It was a family dcci
sion and I talked with Coach (Tom)
Osborne and Pm going to stay in
school.”
Mitchell, who is never afraid to
say what he feels, said that gelling
closer to his degree was the main
reason for slaying at Nebraska.
“The best th ing for me to do is to
stay in school and get closer to my
degree,” Mitchell said. “I think this
Thomas
Clouse
is a great thing to do so I can learn
more about handling money.”
The 6-fool-3, 250-pound third
team All-American light end has
dazzled Husker fans with his unbe
licvablc catches. Unfortunately, pro
scouts might not foci Mitchell would
be an unbelievable catch for some
NFL team.
The sophomore from Chicago,
who recently turned 21, caught 31
passes for 5 34 yards and five touch- -
downs in the regular season. Mitch
ell also was named to the All-Big
Eight team for the second year in
two seasons.
In 1990, he was named the B ig
Eight Co-Offensive Freshman of
the Year after catching 11 passes
for 282 yards and seven touch
downs. Mitchell’s 25.6 yards-per
catch average set a Nebraska rec
ord.
Before coming to Lincoln, he
attended Chicago’s Simeon High
School where he earned all-stale
See CLOUSE on 14
■ .. ■ - - -- ;
Jordan, Bulls to break winning record
If there arc any NBA fans out
there, this one’s for you. If not, read
the personals.
The Chicago Bulls arc going to
make history this season.
The record number of wins by any
professional basketball team in an
82-game season is 69 by the Los
Angeles Lakers in 1972. “Da Bulls,”
at 35-5, arc well on their way to
breaking that.
But this record run hasn’t been
easy for the Windy City hoopsters.
After posting a club-record 61 wins in
the regular season in 1991, the Bulls
stormed through the Eastern Confer
ence playoffs and eventually defeated
the Lakers in five games in the cham
pionship series for their first NBA
title.
Thai’s when the troubles began for
Michael “Not of this World” Jordan
and the gang. Even in the locker
room celebration immediately after
the game, reporters swarmed on Jor
dan as he was clinging on to the
trophy. NBC’s BobCostascvcn made
the stupid mistake of calling Jordan’s
wife his mom. Now everyone has
seen Mrs. Jordan on the Coca-Cola
commercial saying, “Michael, we need
some more Coca-Cola Classic.” Come
on, Bob—or “Sports Boy,” as David
Lctlcrman calls him.
Anyway, the city of Chicago wel
comed its Bulls home with open arms
Of John
' Gardner
X
and a ticker-tape parade, so every
thing was hunky-dory at that point.
But once the confetti cleared, the
internal problems began.
Shortly after Chicago’s champi
onship run, an author by the name of
Sam Smith wrote a book called Jor
dan Rules. According lo Jordan, Smith
misquoted him several limes. And
many of the “lies” that were printed
in the book infuriated some of Jor
dan’s teammates, mainly Horace Grant.
Then there was the pressure put on
the Bulls lo repeal this year. Alter
their dominant showing in the play
offs last season, everyone and their
dog figured Chicago was unstoppable.
Early- and off-season injuries lo
guard John Paxson and ccnlcr Bill
Cartwright made the 1991-92 season
look bleak for the Bulls. And after
starting this season 1*2, the whole
world went into a lailspin.
Thai’s when Chicago shifted into
overdrive and proceeded lo win 14
straight games to take over the Mid
west Division lead quickly. The Bulls
have not losi two games in a row this
season and have put together some
pretty impressive winning streaks. The
current one is 11, which is crucial
«■
See GARDNER on 14