Allen wins the Behind the direction of 1 Allen and NU's Jason
last of three four seniors, including Christie travel to China,
straight national NCAA all-around where AHen becomes
t coach-of-the- champion Dennis j the first white man ever
j year awards. Harrison, Nebraska j to set foot in the
er | wins its eighth national j renowned Chinese
title in 14 years. ___ training gym.
Nebraska | Husker Tom Schlesinger wins the Nissen Award, joining j Hj Decimated by Title IX legislation, men's
ng fourth Hartung and Wes Suter as NU recipients of the honor gymnastics earns a reprieve under Proposition
given annually to the nation's top senior gymnast. 137, which prevents the NCAA from eliminating
sports featured in the Olympic Games.
neet of *| 3®0 The United States boycotts the Moscow Coaching the U.S. team at the Barcelona
of five —' Olympics, depriving Allen a chance to Olympics, Allen directs former Husker Trent
os. coach in his first Olympic games. Dimas to a gold medal in the high bar.
Matt Miller/DN
the Devaney Center in 1976.
After winning his title, Harrison, an
Omaha native, left Nebraska for the
Olympic Training Center in Colorado
Springs, Colo. Harrison failed in his
bid to qualify for the 1996 Games, but
he returned to Lincoln and joined
Allen’s staff as an assistant coach.
Harrison says he can’t think of a
better person under whom to work.
“By the end of the season, you’re
definitely expected to win the national
title,” Harrison says. “As it gets closer
to April, he expects a lot out of the
people on the team and a lot out of the
coaches. Athletes come here with the
mentality that they are going to win a
national championship. That’s why I
came here.”
Troubled sport
But it gets tougher every year. Nine
months after Francis Allen won his
eighth national title, the entire sport of
men’s gymnastics narrowly escaped a
death sentence.
At the NCAA Convention in Janu
ary 1995, men’s gymnastics faced its
final hour. Hundreds of administrators
nationwide prepared to pull the plug
on years of Allen’s work.
“They were really after us,” Allen
says.
NU’s Byrne spearheaded a small
group that led the fight to save the sport
for one year. At the 1996 convention,
administrators agreed once again to
temporarily spare the gymnasts. Then
last month, Allen finally breathed a
deep sigh of relief.
By virtue of the newly passed
Proposition 137 — which prevents the
NCAA from removing a sport featured
in the Olympic Games — men’s gym
nastics won a major battle.
But the sport is still losing the war.
Drastic scholarship reductions in the
name of Title IX have already picked
apart dozens of programs. When Allen
began coaching, more than 200 schools
sponsored men’s gymnastics.
“Now we’re down to 25 schools,”
he says.
Title IX requires every university
to offer an equal number of scholar
ships to men and women. Because
football — which is allocated 85 schol
arships — has no female equivalent,
other men’s sports suffer. Many die.
“I fought hard not just for Francis,”
Byrne says, “but for our student-ath
letes. Our gymnasts are terrific people.
Pound for pound, they are our best ath
letes. They’re just amazing. And still
the sport suffers.”
Despite the rapid decrease in the^
number of men’s gymnastics pro
grams, Allen says, the talent level re
mains high. In fact, he says, most of
the schools that have dropped men’s
gymnastics since the mid-’80s
wouldn’t have a chance to compete
with the upper-echelon programs like
Nebraska, Ohio State and Stanford.
“We only need about 10 schools to
hold a national championship meet,”
Allen says. “All the rest of them are
just wasting their time.”
Howard remembers the glory days
of men’s gymnastics. He left NU in
1966 to coach at Wisconsin-LaCrosse
before returning to Allen’s staff 10
years later. Since coming back, he has
twice been named the United States
Gymnastics Federation Coach of the
Year, and he has served as a U.S. coach
at several international events, includ
ing the 1991 Pan American Games.
While in Wisconsin, Howard
sniffed trouble.
“This Title IX thing came in and
impacted the little schools immedi
ately,” he says. “The earliest interpre
tations of the law were really, really
strict and resulted in wholesale drop
ping of men’s sports. That was really
upsetting to me.”
Allen refuses to blast the NCAA
or Title IX supporters, but Howard
isn’t so kind.
“All of a sudden, it got to the big
ger schools,” he says. “So they picked
out of a few men’s sports and said Title
IX is making us do this. The sports
disappeared. That was the rationale
(the schools) gave the press.”
But under the surface, Howard
says, other solutions existed.
“It was never meant to eliminate,”
he says. “It was meant to create. But
then you get these schools that can’t
financially create, so the only way they
can be in compliance is to drop sports
like gymnastics.
“The gender-equity thing wields
such a hammer.”
The lack of support discourages
veteran coaches like Allen and
Howard, who have nurtured the sport’s
growth for three decades. With the
advent of the Big 12 Conference last
August, Howard says, he was was op
timistic that the league could become
a national power.
He now realizes that will not hap
pen. Despite Texas’ enormous recruit
ing base, Nebraska and Oklahoma re
main the only Big 12 schools partici
pating in men’s gymnastics. NU and
OU compete in the Mountain Pacific
Sports Federation, a loosely-tied con
glomeration of universities without a
true conference.
Despite cutback after cutback,
Howard says he sees potential for
change as attitudes toward Title IX
begin to sway.
“I’m kind of seeing the pendulum
swing the other way,” Howard says. “I
hope it hasn’t gone so far that it won’t
give schools a chance to recreate.
“But the basic rule has been that
once it’s eliminated, it’s gone forever.”
Howard shakes his head, eyes fixed
on the chalky floor of Allen’s office.
DN FILE PHOTO
JIM HARTUNG, shown here at the 1981 NCAA
Championships, is perhaps the greatest NU gymnast ever.
Hartung participated in the 1984 Olympic Games and won
the NCAA all-around title in 1980 and 1981.
tt
He absolutely
studies gymnastics.
That's his whole life,
and it has been for
many, many years ”
Jim Howard
NU assistant coach
“It’s very, very, very difficult to
bring it back. All these sports can only
provide opportunities for students.
Isn’t that what athletics is all about?”
Howard sits silently. Allen walks
past the always-open door, looks at his
partner of more than 30 years and
reaches for a cookie and the steaming
coffee pot.
The NCAA can take away scholar
ships, Allen says, but it can’t wipe out
his love for the sport, and it can’t elimi
nate coaches. Allen remains confident
that men’s gymnastics will prosper in
the future.
“I’m an optimist,” he says.
With optimism comes winning, and
after beginning his 28th season last
month, Allen says he’s not tired of
winning. When asked how much
longer he plans to coach, Allen looks
puzzled, as if the thought of retirement
— leading a normal life — has never
crossed his mind.
“Forever,” he says. “I don’t want
to do anything else.”
Aaron Steckelberg/DN
Matt Miller/DN
FRANCIS ALLEN presents Nebraska’s Heather Brink with a bouquet of flowers
last Saturday following her winning performance in the Huskers’ dual victory
over Oklahoma.
