Banner Graphic, Volume 14, Number 73, Greencastle, Putnam County, 30 November 1983 — Page 12

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The Putnam County Banner-Graphic, November 30,1983

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Since Nick Mourouzis (right) is one of the coaches featured in the book, author Bob Kurz gave him a copy during a visit to Greencastle. The graduate and former

Miami of Ohio earned its nickname with success

By STEVE FIELDS Banner-Graphic Sports Editor When Nick Mourouzis was hired at DePauw University in 1980 the press release from Pat Aikman’s Public Relations office said something like, “DePauw University has turned to the Cradle of Coaches for its new football coach. ” The release went on to give Mourouzis’ credentials and some idea about why Miami of Ohio University is called “the Cradle of Coaches”. There were other things to consider at the time and my curiosity was shelved. From time to time I’ve picked up the name of a successful coach and too many times the dust on my shelved curiosity has been moved around. 808 KURZ IS THE man responsible for the phrase “the Cradle of Coaches” and answers a lot of my questions surrounding the line with his new book, “Miami of Ohio, The Cradle of Coaches.” When Mourouzis was quarterbacking the 1959 Redskins and had hair, Kurz was the sports information director. A 1958 graduate of Miami, Kurz had one of the great all-time problems-too much success to write about. Each week he was writing the glorious history of the school because Miami products like Paul Dietzel at Lousiana State University, Ara Parseghian at Northwestern, Woody Hayes at Ohio State and many others were winning college football games and climbing high in the polls. IN FACT, DIETZEL led LSU to the national title in ’SB and had them at the top of the polls in ’59 when Kurz started working on the catch phrase. He and friends were driving back from Athens, Ohio where Miami had just played Ohio University. They were listening to the LSU game when Billy Cannon made his legendary touchdown run. At the time LSU was No. 1 in the polls and Parseghian’s Northwestern Wildcats were No. 2. Believe it or not folks, Northwestern had beaten Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Michigan and Ohio State. And so the line “Cradle of Coaches” was born a day or two later. It’s not a P.R. line, but fact. Since bringing in three teacher-coaches from the University of Illinois to open a school of physical education and athletic coaching, Miami of Ohio has turned out winners like Dietzel, Parseghian, Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, John Pont, Paul Brown, Sid Gillman and Carman Cozza with regularity. KURZ’S BOOK DOESN’T point to one particular thing that makes Miami coaching products so good, but each coach in the book got something important from his days in Oxford, Ohio.

Relaxed IU beats Irish in second half

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - “Coach Bob Knight really busted our butts,” said 6-foot-5 freshman forward Marty Simmons, who scored 22 points as Indiana’s Hoosiers rallied from 12 points down and beat Notre Dame 80-72. Simmons, whose Lawrenceville High School team won 68 straight games and two Illinois Class A championships the past two years, made his first collegiate start Tuesday night against the Irish and had eight points during a 28-4 spurt that broke the game open in the second half. Freshman Steve Alford, a 6-2 guard from New Castle who was Indiana’s top high school scorer at 37 points a game, scored 14 for the Hoosiers, including 12 in the second half. “The coach talked to us at halftime and said it would be the same as last Saturday (in a six-point loss to Miami, Ohio) if we didn’t come out the first five minutes and put things together the way we’ve been doing in practice,” said Alford. “We’ve been real tight,” he continued. “We know what kind of a team we can be, and we wanted to prove it and come out with an impressive performance. In the second half, we were really relaxed, and for the first time, I think, we really had fun playing the game.” Alford, the nation’s high school career free throw percentage record holder, hit eight straight foul shots in the second half. He also had a game-high seven assists and four steals. The steady play of Alford and Simmons was a welcome sight for Knight, who returned only one starter from a year ago and made three changes in his starting lineup after the 63-57 loss to Miami. “Both teams used a number of players and were trying to

Miami of Ohio sports information director has just released a book on the successful coaches to come from ''the Cradle of Coaches."

“It was just a great school that prepared you well to become a teacher and coach,” Mourouzis is quoted by Kurz in the book. “That’s the philosophy, I guess, of the University and of the Department. I think they had outstanding teachers and coaches, and that rubs off on you. There is no question.. .you want to be like them. And everyone who leaves there hopes that some day he would be coach there. They have fond memories of the place, and a lotta loyalty to Miami University.” Miami established its school of physical education and athletic coaching to teach people to be coaches in one area and teach in another. This is what we have today, a math teacher coaching football or basketball. THE UNIVERSITY BROUGHT in George Rider, Chet Pittser, Roy Tillotson and Tom Van Voorhis from the University of Illinois. Rider was the athletic director and track coach. Pittser was football and baseball coach, Tillotson had basketball and Voorhis was in charge of intramurals and the freshman coach. They gave the athletic trainer’s job to Miami graduate Jay Colville, but sent him to Illinois for additional training. The book is a history of athletic success. It tells how World War II didn’t really hurt Miami, but made it better. The athletes coach Stu Holkom recruited before the war returned and brought friends with them for new head coach Sid Gillman. THE LIST OF former Miami head coaches since Pittser includes Gillnan, Hayes, Parseghian, Pont, Schembechler and Dick Crum, presently North Carolina’s coach. What did Miami of Ohio contribute to their success? Read the book. It’s available at the DePauw University Bookstore.

come up with the right combinations,” said Knight. “I thought the first half was one where both teams played the same way, pretty well defensively and with a relatively conservative approach. “The second half, we got into things offensively where they had trouble with their shooting. “Except for the last five minutes, Alford and Simmons did an excellent job,” said Knight, referring to a furious Notre Dame press. “They did a good job of handling the ball, but it was the first time they have played against that kind of pressure. ’ ’ Notre Dame Coach Digger Phelps said the Irish “made some turnovers and mistakes at the start of the second half, and they converted on the scoring chances they had. “Simmons got free in the second half and made some shots in the key We just didn’t adjust to the changes they made offensively,” Phelps said. Simmons hit five of six field goal attempts and seven of eight free throw tries in the second half. “I was just getting good screens,” he said. “We got a tight cut, and the guy, instead of playing over the screen, he was sort of following me, trailing me, and he stayed behind me, which enabled me to come over the top of the screen.” The Hoosiers hit 16 of 25 shots from the field in the second half to offset Notre Dame’s 38-28 advantage in rebounding for the game. “I thought we played two completely different halves of basketball,” said Phelps, who started four sophomores and a freshman. “I think we’re both struggling for consistency, and we have to learn to play 40 minutes of basketball.”

Fields' Findings

Holmes is expected to be unbeaten retired champ

NEW YORK (AP) Larry Holmes got a smile from his wife when the undefeated World Boxing Council heavyweight champion told her again that he is through fighting. “It’s not definite I will announce it next week, but if not it will be in the very near future,” the champion said in a telephone interview from his Easton, Pa., home Tuesday night. If he goes through with his retirement plans, Holmes will become the second heavyweight champion to retire undefeated. The other was Rocky Marciano, who quit after 49 victories, while Holmes is 450.

Cougars win two straight

Most high school girls basketball teams struggle in their first game or two after a holiday break. Not North Putnam’s girls. Playing on strange courts, on back to back nights, the Cougars have won their first two games of the season. North defeated host Crawfordsville 5852 Monday night and knocked off West Central Conference rival Edgewood 37-30 Tuesday. “FROM THE FIRST quarter on we did everything right,” coach Bill Bays said of the win at Crawfordsville. “They pressed us the whole ball game. I was surprised they stayed with it because their press hurt them.” The Cougars broke the press after the first quarter and rallied from an 11-5 deficit to within a point, 25-24, at half-

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Monty Beaman is trying to pull Jessey Hensley's leg off, but it just won't come. Not really, but the Greencastle wrestler does have the advantage and a hold of victory during this 132-pound match Tuesday night at McAnally

Junior center Uwe Blab added 15 points for Indiana, while sophomore guard Stew Robinson had 12 and sophomore forward Mike Giomi 10. The Irish were led by senior Tom Sluby with 18 points and freshman Scott Hicks with 12. Indiana evened its record at 1-1, while Notre Dame dropped to 2-1. The Irish, who led by 12 points during the first half, still led by nine after Sluby scored the first basket of the final period. But the Hoosiers erased the deficit with a run of 12 straight points, including four apiece by Simmons and Giomi, and never trailed the rest of the way. Freshman forward Tom Sheehey scored 18 points to lead five Virginia players in double figures as the Cavaliers routed Division II Randolph-Macon 83-55. Virginia, 3-0, raced to a 12-0 lead and breezed to victory. Reserve Wendell Alexis tallied 19 points and highly touted freshman Dwayne Washington added 16 points, leading Syracuse over Cornell 84-55. Jimmy Foster had 18 points and 7-foot center Mike Brittain added 16, pacing South Carolina over Missouri-St. Louis 85-62. Quentin Anderson's 16 points and a tough defense helped Texas Tech beat Nebraska 59-45. Keith Thomas tallied 23 points and five other Old Dominion players scored in double figures as the Monarchs trounced Delaware State 105-82. Jerome Mincy scored 20 points as Alabama-Birmingham took the lead for good early in the second half and beat Mississippi Valley 87-73.

“I told my wife in the ring (after his one-round knockout of Marvis Frazier last Friday) that I was through,” said the 34-year-old champion. “I told her again tonight and she smiled.” The champion told The Associated Press Monday that he planned to hold a press conference at his hotel outside Phillipsburg, N.J., Dec. 7 to say he thought it was unfair for the WBC at this time to threaten to withdraw title recognition from him if he didn’t fight Greg Page, the WBC’s No. 1 contender. He said he didn’t think the WBC should take any action unless he didn’t fight Page by

time. North hit just one-of-12 shots from the floor in the opening period, but hit eight-of--16 in the second. Continuing to break Crawfordsville’s pressure, North took a 40-39 edge into the last period and applied a press of its own. Jodi Pickel stole the ball five times while the Cougars pressed. JANA BUSER PACED North’s balanced attack with 19 points and Lori Plunkett, on the scoring end against Crawfordsville’s press, netted 14 points. Plunkett also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. North shot 44 per cent for the game, 25-56, but hit 54 per cent over the last three quarters. Crawfordsville won the junior varsity game 40-12. LIKE A SLEEPING giant, Pickel erupted on offense

March. But if Holmes retires in the near future, the point would be moot. Asked about the possibility of fighting Gerrie Coetzee, the World Boxing Association champion from South Africa, Holmes said he would, but only for SIOO million. “And I realize that is out of proportion,” he added. Holmes said he had agreed to fight Page for promoter Don King next March, but said the $2.5-million purse was not enough. Holmes also said he was walking away from a $4.2million offer to fight John Tate, a former WBA champion. He

Tuesday night at Edgewood and Diane McMurtry responded with her best game as North evened its record at 2-2. Edgewood led 6-1 at the end of the first quarter. “Jodi Pickel really saved us in the second quarter,” coach Bays said of the six-footer’s nine points. “They weren’t easy baskets either. They played a 2-3 zone.” Paced by Pickel, North led 1716 at halftime and spurted out to a 27-20 edge going into the fourth quarter. PICKEL HIT six-of-seven shots from the floor and finished with a team leading 14 points. She also led North with eight rebounds, followed by Plunkett and Heidi Blocher with four each. “This was Diane McMurtry’s best game. She did a real good job of handling the ball and we

Center. Beaman won two matches helping 4-1 Greencastle defeat North Putnam 39-33 and Tri-West 51-15. Complete details will be published Thursday. (Banner-Graphic photo by Steve Fields).

Coaches lose The Putnam County high school coaches, with some help from the PCYSA soccer coaches, played their second annual soccer game against the all-star under 16-year-old team Sunday, at Greencastle High School. The teenage all-star team beat the coaches team 4-2. Scoring for the all-star team were Troy Wilson with 3 goals and Rodney Lady with 1 goal. Scoring for the coaches team was Bob Davies with 2 goals. Black finishes 10th Brian Black, eight-year-old son of Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Black, Greencastle, placed 10th in the Winter National Mini Cycle Olympics in Ocala and Gainesville, Fla., over the Thanksgiving weekend. Black, who is just completing his first year of dirt bike riding, competed in four categories: Short Track (flat track), T.T. Riding (combination race track and inner jumps), Hare Scambles (over rugged terrain) and Motocross on a track that surrounded a quarry. POINTS WERE AWARDED for each place and the combined total produced the overall standings that saw Black finish 10th. He place eighth out of 17 riders in both hare scramble and motocross competition. The youngster received a medal for his efforts, or as mother Lynn Black says, “For his endurance more than anything.” The Blacks are presently contemplating entering the eight-year-old in the winter series of dirt bike racing in Florida or competing at Clarksville, Tenn.

declined to say who made the offer. Whenever he makes a retirement announcement, Holmes said, he hopes to mark the occasion in January or February by fighting an exhibition that would be part of a regular boxing card, followed by a party. The exhibition would be for charity, Holmes said. Holmes has held the heavyweight title since defeating Ken Norton on June 9, 1978. He has defended the crowd 17 times and has held it longer than any heavyweight since Joe Louis was champion from 1937 to 1949.

really needed her eight points on offense,” Bays credited. North Putnam also won the junior varsity game 24-22. The now 2-2 Cougars travel to Rockville Thursday night for a non-conference game. NORTH PUTNAM (58) Plunkett 7 0-10 14, Blocher 2 0412 4. Sinnet 2 3-4 3 7, Stranger 0 04) 0 0, Pickel 3 2-0 5 8. Ferrand 0 04) 0 0, Buser g 3-4 3 10. McMurtry 2 0-2 2 4, Hartman 1 04) 3 2. TOTALS-FG 25 FT 8-17 PF 18. CRAWFORDSVILLE (52) Mclntyre 5 4-5 3 14, Gobble 10-3 3 1. Deckard 6 1-4 2 12, Gegner 3 1-2 2 7, Anderson 3 4-4 5 10, Elliott 1 04) 2 2. Coates 1 01 0 2. Team 1 04) 0 2. TOTALS-FG 21 FT 1018 PF 17. SCORE BY QUARTERS North Putnam 5 ID 16 18-58 Crawfords vllle 11 14 14 13-52 NORTH PUTNAM (37 Plunkett 2 94) 2 4, Blocher 0 04 0 0, Sinnet 1 1-3 3 3. Pickel 6 2-8 3 14, Ferrand 0 04) 0 0, Stranger 0 04) 0 0, Buser 3 2-2 2 8, McMurtry 3 2-2 3 8, Hartman 0 04) 2 0. TOTALS-FG 15 FT 7-15 PF 15. EDGEWOOD (30) Headley 51-2313, Chris 15-8 3 7, Baugh 0 00 4 0, Cheryl 0 0-110, Leak man 5 04) 1 10, Stinson 0 04) 1 0. TOTALS-FG 12 FT 6-11 PF 13. SCORE BY QUARTERS North Putnam 4 13 10 10-17 Edgewood I 10 4 10-30