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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 29, 1998)
I 1 Darren Ivy Proof in the proposition for athletes I didn’t know it was possible, but the NCAA (No Concern About its Athletes) finally did something to benefit athletes. With the NCAA Division I Board of Director’s passing of Proposition 62 on April 21, athletes who are on schol arship can now work during the school year and earn up to $2,000 more than the value of a full scholarship. The athletes can work at jobs lined up by the athlete, boosters and athletic department. As a nonscholarship athlete, this rule doesn’t affect me, but it will have a big impact on many of my team mates and friends who are athletes. Before the passing of this bill, ath letes on scholarship couldn’t get paid for doing work during the school year. So they were basically slaves to their athletic departments and the NCAA. Sure athletes earned full-ride scholarships, but they weren’t given the same opportunities as normal stu dents. They were basically signing away four years of being a regular human being so they could play a sport they loved. This doesn’t seem fair. reupie iieeu iu realize auuei.es are the ones who bring in millions of dol lars to the university. Playing in national championship games on television before millions of people is a better selling tool for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln than any other method. Because of these athletes, many students can take pride in Comhusker athletic teams. So don’t we owe these athletes the opportunity to work? I think so. Granted, most athletes don’t have time to work, but why should the ones who have time be punished? Isn’t college supposed to prepare students, including athletes, for the real world? It’s hard to build resumes if you can’t work for nine months of the year. Working for free to gain experi ence is not feasible for athletes because their time is very valuable. By allowing them to work, the NCAA is saying it cares about its ath letes’ futures. The downside of the rule change is that it will be hard to enforce. Many athletes are already taking advantage of the current system. I am hopeful the rule can be enforced and won’t be abused. In the meantime, athletes can cele brate this victory and wait for the next round. The number of athletes who will take advantage of the rule change will probably be small, but at least they now will have the same opportunity as every other student in college. Ivy is a sophomore news-editor ial major, Daily Nebraskan copy editor and sports assignment reporter. Newcombe to start fall No. 1 By Sam McKewon Senior Reporter When Robert Newcombe called his 18-year old son Bobby Monday morning, he got the news that many Nebraska football fans waited until Tuesday to hear. The news was good for the two Newcombes - Bobby was named the starting quarterback com ing out of spring practice. “My dad called me up and said, ‘Well son, what’s the word?”’ Newcombe said. “I told them the coaches hadn’t decided. He told me I was lying.” In fact, there had been a decision. About an hour earlier, junior Frankie London, redshirt freshman Eric Crouch and Newcombe, a sopho more, were taken into NU Coach Frank Solich’s office and told that Newcombe had come out of 15 days of spring practice as the top quarterback. After announcing the starting quarterback, Solich said, London told him and Quarterbacks Coach Turner Gill he wanted to move to another position, preferably wingback or cornerback. Crouch said he wanted to be the No. 2 quarter back. And so ended a quarterback race that Newcombe said, thankfully, was over. “I’m relieved they just finally made a deci sion,” Newcombe said, “whether I stayed at quar 4-1_1, 4~ -” IV1 VUV1V VI 1UV t W IV TT lll^VUVlV. Solich called the selection “just another coaching decision” but also echoed Newcombe’s sentiments, especially when looking at the atten tion the race received. Judging by more than 20 media members present at the informal interviews on Tuesday, many were interested in the outcome. “It’s really unbelievable the kind of interest that this sparked,” Solich said. “But I guess it’s not surprising that there’s this kind of interest consid ering we had talented athletes and it was such a close race.” To select the starter, Solich said, he used eight categories to determine the best quarterback: experience, consistency, durability, big-play abili ty, accuracy, running ability, ability to read defenses and leadership ability. Solich said Newcombe fit well into all eight except experience, where he had taken only a few snaps in 1997. Newcombe was especially good in the big-play department, Solich said. “He has more speed, and that speed showed in making some big plays,” Solich said. “There were eight different things we looked at. When you added them all up, it came out to be Bobby.” Newcombe’s performance in last Saturday’s Red-White Spring Game helped his stock, too. Newcombe had 175 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. He also threw for a touchdown in the game. “It gave me a little more of an edge,” Newcombe said. “Coaches really wanted to see how you handle a game situation in front of 60,000 people.” With Newcombe playing quarterback, it means an end to his stint at wingback. Newcombe said he may still return a few punts. But where the Huskers lost a receiver in Lane Hickenbottom/DN SOPHOMORE BOBBY NEWCOMBE, who will be Nebraska’s starting quarterback entering fail prac tice, met with the press on Tuesday. Newcombe, they may have gained one in London. The native of Lake Charles, La., started the spring as the No. 1 quarterback, but is now listed on the depth chart at both wingback and comerback. “If it had been me in his shoes, it’s granted def initely I would have been a little disappointed,” Newcombe said. “I can’t lie about that.” Gill said that London graded out the best of the three quarterbacks during spring practice, but grade wasn’t the sole important aspect of the race. “Grades aren’t everything,” Gill said. “Matt Please see NEWCOMBE on 8 Defense prepared for fall success By Andrew Strnad StaffReporter With most of the attention on Tuesday going to Nebraska Coach Frank Solich and his starting quarter back decision, there was really no sur prise that he didn’t field a single ques tion from reporters about the defense. For junior Sam linebacker Tony Ortiz, that’s the way he wants it. The Waterbury, Conn., native said he sees no reason to be concerned about the prospects of the Blackshirts - con sidering the Comhuskers are returning nine starters at eight positions. “We’ve accomplished what we had to accomplish during the spring,” Ortiz said. “Now we can take some time off, get through the semester, vacation a bit, come back and get ready for the fall.” Apparently things on the defensive side were just business as usual in the spring as Solich made only one com ment concerning the defense dining Tuesday’s press conference. “I think the defense got some things done,” Solich said. Ortiz said the work done in the spring was a carry-over from the 1997 season. The 6-foot, 215 pounder thinks this season’s defense could be better than last year’s given the added experience and increased amount of leadership. “There are three parts to a great team - unity, work ethic and cama raderie - and we’ve got all three right now,” Ortiz said. Inside the locker room and in the weight room, Ortiz said, the Huskers have a great relationship with each other, which makes execution on the football field an easier job. “With our mix of leaders and great players it’s kind of like pushing over the first domino and getting the trickle down effect,” Ortiz said. The domino effect allows the Huskers to play a large amount of peo ple on the defense - a luxury that Ortiz said other schools don’t have. “Everybody on this team, whether they’re starting or not, will play an inte gral part of this defense,” Ortiz said. Up front, rush ends Chad Kelsay and Mike Rucker will anchor the front four with tackles Steve Warren and Jason Wiltz in die middle. Mike linebacker Jay Foreman will call the defense in the middle with Ortiz and Mike linebacker Eric Johnson on the outside. Three of four starters return in the secondary with free safety Clint Finley filling Eric Warfield’s spot. Juniors Mike and Ralph Brown return with Ralph Brown at right cor nerback and Mike Brown at rover, while sophomore Erwin Swiney will start at left comerback. With a lot of time until fall practice, Ortiz said, summer is a good time for each individual player to size up their own goals and get ready for Nebraska’s run for a fourth national title in five years. “Winning one title isn’t enough; you always want to win another and we know we have the pieces to do this,” Ortiz said. “It’s just a matter of how hard we work for it, and that starts with our own work as we prepare for the season.”
