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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 13, 1995)
Sports Thursday, April 13, 1995 Page 7 Linebacker coach appreciates Huskers By Derek Samson Senior Reporter Not much has changed since linebackers coach Craig Bohl was a graduate assistant for Nebraska from 1981-83 — except the players. Learning the players was about the biggest adjustment for Bohl, who was named as Kevin Steele’s replacement as linebacker coach in February. “It was hard coming up with names, espe cially with guys that weren’t in my position,” Bohl said. “I was calling defensive backs by their numbers. Heck, I didn ’t know who No. 15 (Tommie Frazier) was for a while.” Bohl, a 1977 graduate of Lincoln East High School, played for Nebraska from 1978-81 and had his latest coaching stint at Duke Univer sity, where he was the defensive coordinator. He said his lack of familiarity with the players may have promoted a more competi tive spring. “I studied some film from last year because I had to have a starting point, but we threw everything wide open,” Bohl said. “That’s true at all the positions, though. But when there is a new coach coming in, it will be a whole new evaluation. “I think that’s good. Sometimes it takes a guy out of a comfort zone. Sometimes it helps a guy who thinks he was mis-evaluated. That’s what spring football is all about, but it’s even more important with a new coach.” But Bohl hasn’t seen anyone trying to play favorites with him. “I think they’re just competing,” Bohl said. “I don’t think there is any big deal. This place is such a well-run organization. There aren’t a lot of egos here. They’re just trying to do the 7 was calling defensive backs by their numbers. Heck, I didn't know who No. 15 was fora while.” ■ CRAIG BOHL Nebraska linebackers coach best they can to get on the field.” After coaching at North Dakota State, Tulsa, Wisconsin, Rice and Duke, Bohl said his ap preciation of Nebraska had grown. “It’s not like other places where you’ll have one or two good players at a position, and then there is a huge drop-off.” The Blue Devils had an 84 record in 1994 and earned a berth in the Hall of Fame Bowl, which Bohl credited to Duke coach Fred Gold smith. Bohl said Goldsmith was instilling an atti tude similar to that at Nebraska. “Fred Goldsmith did a great job of changing Duke’s losing mentality,” he said. “Before, when a mistake would happen, players would turn on each other. Fred was able to change that. Players here have the same mentality that was here when I was around — they expect to win. After 12 years of being away from Lincoln and Nebraska football, Bohl is grateful to be part of it again. “It has been close to a dream come true,” Bohl said. “The players, the coaches — they’re a good group of guys to work with. Each day is a new challenge.” Huskers add two players to basketball recruit class From Staff Reports The Nebraska men’s basketball team added two high school seniors to its recruiting class Wednesday, signing Tyronn Lue and Larry Florence to letters of intent. Wednesday was the first day of the spring signing period, which runs until May 12. Lue, from Raytown High School in Kansas City, Mo., signed with the Huskers on Wednes day afternoon after visiting no schools other than Nebraska. The 5-foot-11 point guard, who led Raytown to a 27-1 record last season, averaged 23.5 points, 8 assists and 6 steals per game. Florence, a 6-6 forward from Phenix City (Ala.) Central High School, averaged 19.1 points, 14 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game as a senior. Phenix City coach Bobby Wright said Florence had not yet met Proposition 48 re quirements to play in the fall. Nebraska has now received letters of intent from four players. Alvin Mitchell, a 6-1 guard from Omaha Burke High School and Bernard Gamer, a 6-7 forward from Western Nebraska Community College, signed in the fall period. Nebraska coach Danny Nee is not permitted to comment on the signees until the letters of intent, sent via Federal Express, arrive in Lin coln later this week. Crunch time JonWaller/DN Nebraska fullback Todd Uhlir runs over defensive back Darren Schmadeke in Saturday’s scrimmage at Memorial Stadium. Two seniors quit football team From Staff Reports Two Comhusker football players have quit the team, Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said Wednesday. John Livingston, a senior split end from San Marcos, Calif., and Brett Popplewell, a senior split end from Melbourne, Australia, did not report to winter conditioning, Osborne said. Livingston transferred to Nebraska from Arizona State prior to the 1994 season. Playing behind Reggie Baul and Brendan Holbein, he did not catch a pass last season. “He was doing well,” Osborne said. “He just decided he didn’t want to play football anymore.” Popplewell, who had traveled the greatest distance of any Husker to play in Lincoln, saw time as a wingback and a split end during his three-year career. He played in seven games in 1992 and caught one pass in 1993, a 14-yard touchdown in Nebraska 76-14 win over North Texas. Popplewell, hampered by a hand injury, did not catch a pass last season. Fan strike would teach major league valuable lesson The strike’s over. The regular players are coming back. That’s bad news for Chicago Cubs fans, but also bad for base ball. The owners and players seem to think they are doing fans a favor by returning to play a partial season. Unfortunately, all that will come out of the strike-shortened season is a record book full of asterisks. Eighteen fewer games this year will leave fans wondering ‘what if as records come close to being broken. The revamping of baseball schedules has left less-than-ideal situations for fans who normally vacation to major-league cities. The Kansas City Royals were able to schedule their season opener against Baltimore at the traditional afternoon starting time. But it is the first and only game in a non-traditional one-game series. Two more one-game sets are on tap for the Royals later in the season. After playing a game for real, why not play another exhibition game? So the Royals travel up 1-29 to play their minor-league club in Omaha. The Royals will probably welcome the practice since, after all, they only play 12 spring training games. The Minnesota Twins play opening day in Boston, but will they’ll be back in Minneapolis the next day. Major-league players should be able to take advantage of their extra frequent-flyer miles when they go back on strike in August. But this restructuring of sched ules is not necessary. Baseball fans are ready to fill up stadiums that have been empty for the last 243 days. Fans are going through withdrawal. Fans love the history and tradition of baseball, and the players supposedly just love playing the game. So let’s play 162 games. Two options could be instituted to keep the season intact. The season could be played as it ToddWalkenhorst was originally scheduled, just a few weeks delayed. With the inaugura tion of the new three-tier playoff system, what’s a few extra weeks tacked onto the end of the season? The NBA and NHL seem to play all year long, with a never-ending playoff system, why not Major League Baseball? I can not think of anything better than watching the Nebraska Oklahoma football game followed by Game Six of the World Series on Thanksgiving Day. Of course outdoor playoff games at Yankee Stadium during the last week of the season may not be desirable. Option No. 2 involves double headers with a 23-week season. With 18 games to make up, Sundays can be declared national doubleheader days. Not only would a full season get played, but two for-one Sundays may be the opportunity for owners to patch up hard feelings with fans. But not all fans are planning to patronize America’s ball parks this summer. Camden Yards in Baltimore, as well as the rest of the stadiums in the United States, could see a drastic reduction of population in the bleachers if Ed Bunker has his way. Bunker is the founder of Fan Out America, a Baltimore-based organization seeking to launch a fan boycott of the first week of major-league baseball games. Bunker’s boycott is limited to seven days, one day for every month on strike, just to remind baseball not to take advantage of fans. “I’m not trying to destroy baseball,” Bunker said. “Instead we’re trying to preserve it from being threatened by strikes and lockouts.” Bunker has set out to discover if there is popular support for a boycott of the first week of Major League Baseball. And apparently the support is not there. FOA may be DOA — dead on arrival. A Baltimore Orioles representative said she had heard of Bunker’s efforts, but they appar ently had not been a factor. The Orioles did not have a problem selling out opening day against Milwaukee as 25,000 tickets were sold on April 3, the day after the strike was settled. So FOA will try to focus a boycott in the fourth game of Baltimore’s opening home stand. Bunker realizes that an opening day boycott may be a lost cause, but what if a fourth-game boycott proves to be successful? Walkenhorst is a Junior broadcasting major and a Daily Nebraska sports reporter and columnist