It’s time to kick back and watch the Bolts
ow that llit* Super Bowl
matchup is set. it’s tirn**
X a for NFL luii far and ->* Ida
lo i elebrnte
Celebrate what, you say’
1 know that all thus** Cowboy
fans out there are probably in no
mood for festivities considering
tin* foul ending lo lh**ir first year
under the gmdam e of head
conch Marry Swit/nr Hut con
trary to popular b*tli«*(, thorn is
lifo beyond tint boys from Big I)
Speaking strictly os a fan, it is
a pleasant surprise to see the
San Diego Chargers represent
the AFC in the biggest game of
the season.
Not since the IPtitt New York
Jets has then* l»*«»ri such a dei id
ed underdog in the Super Bowl
And it doesn't lake a nw ket sci
entist to figure out what hap
Chris Mktv
petted in (hat garni’
1 can certainly empathize with
the idea that the last weekend's
Dallaa-San From im o game was
an important game, important
enough for Sports Illustrated to
label it is the real Su[>er Bowl
But as far as I can tell, the
4‘ters thumped the Cowboys
pretty good Actually, the Cow
boys did a dandy job of beating
themselves with an impressive
array of early turnover* on the
quagmire at Candlestii k Park
Enough Cowboy bashing
though
It's very refreshing to si1*' the
Chargers make it to their first
Super How! if not just bet ause,
tili.iliy. NK1 bin-. Hr t;> ir.-(i 0
the messy blue anti red mas
s.u.re* that have taken place in
the last four NK1. Champi
onships
A round of applause is In
order for the Buffalo Hills in
recognition of their efforts above
and beyond the threshold of
pain Not sim w a Richard Sim
mons visit to the Lite Sluin' with
l * ;i i / h-t!r: :n h is there '..
such a blatant display of disre
spect for the human spirit as
there has been in letting the
Hills into the big game for four
straight vcars without a win
So tins year, instead of ready
ing ourselves to once again fool
sorry for the Hills and their cast
of postseason undent! hiovers.
yvo fans can oat, drink and he
nierrv knowing full well that the
4‘ters are going to pound the hv
ing daylights out of the C hargers
anyway I'm not so red-hot on
the 1A-20-point spread, hut if
things go according to my Tin -
mo Super Howl on Nintendo
(4'ters win 42-13), there could
be some happy gamhltng -t'ler
fans stumbling around on Super
Howl Sunday
For (Iregon fans, the game fea
turvs three ex Ducks, at least on
the sidelines Frit Castle figures
to see pot kets of time In the San
Turn to METZ, Pmjo 12
Oregon’s other basketball team overcoming obscurity
PORTLAND (API For years. the
Portland Pilots have played, and usually
lost, in relative obscurity.
They are Oregon's "other” college basket
ball team, and they never attracted much
attention to their picturesque campus on
the bluff above the Willamette River in
north Portland
Until now
The Pilots are off to an li t start under
first-year coach Rob Chavez anil, for the first
time to tire school's history, opened their
West Coast Conference season with two
road wins and look, to lump their record per
fect with home games against St Mary s
Thursday night and Santa f.'lara Saturday
night.
Tin surprised probably more than any
thing of how quickly our kids are picking
up our system,” Chavez said.
That system is pressure defense and Iran
sition offense.
“Everything is spawned off our defense,”
center Kurt Kantn said. "Wo just play tough.
aggressive out-in-thu
land dofen so that i re
atea a lot of turnovers
and easy transition
baskets '
Chavez, 36, took
over after evi’ortland
Trail Blazer lairry
Steele was fired Inst
year, Chavez compiled a 1 tt• 24 record at
Chemeketn Community College in Salem
Indore leaving to coach at Maryland ! astern
Shore in llt*)2
His first Maryland team was 12-i'c and
his set one) w as lt>-12, the school's first win
ning season in 13 years as an NCAA
Division I school
Kanta. a fifth-year senior, says the differ
ence between Steele's regime and life under
Chavez is discipline.
"Coach Steele knew the game ns well as
Coach Chavez." Kanta said "it’s just that he
tried to implement it in a way that a pro
coach would use with pro players I don't
think it worked at the collage level
Chavez had 10 prove he meant what he
Mid Al tM point he kopt star forward
Canaan Chatman out of the starting lineup
for one game for missing a team meal
"It's hard when you've got some guvs in
the program who are used to having their
way," Raida said ' He knew that and
instead of just trying to change it night and
day, he make* corrective steps in little
amounts ”
Chavez said he understands how difficult
it has been for Chatman and guard Kay Ross,
who started their careers at Oregon State,
then transferred to junior college Indore
moving to the Pilots
"1 tlnnk they have adjusted extremely
well." Chaver said I tfiink I'm their fifth
coach in five years They've lieen bouni ed
around a lot from coaching staff to coaching
staff "
Chatman is averaging 1H points and fid
rebounds |wr game Ranta is averaging t > l)
point* and ti t rebounds per contest.
Turn to PILOTS, Pa )« 12
Charger fans anxiously wait for chance at Super Bowl tickets
SAN D1K(X) (AP) — \V ml lies
day was T-Doy for thousands of
season-ticket holders, the
momentous day they found out
whether they were selected to
buy tickets to see tfieir beloved
San Diego Chargers play in tfieir
first Super Bowl
For many, there was disap
pointment For the i hosen few
thousand, there was glee at get
ting a chance to see the Chargers
play the heavily-favored San
I mm isi o 4‘iers in Miami on
Jan. 29.
"God, ! was nervous," said
Timm Teach of San Diego, w ho
went to the Chargers' ticket
office at Jack Murphy Stadium
and calmly absorbed the news
that his name was chosen in a
computer lottery to buy two
tickets for $200 apiece.
"I don't know what to say,"
said Tesch, who quickly real
ized his good fortune. "! get face
value, whereas some people are
paying $1,000 apiece I've got
reservations for two with a bro
ker for $900 apie< e I'll call the
guy back and politely tell him to
keep his tickets "
Two of Tesch's friends also
are season-ticket holders One
SUPER BOWL.
49ers vs. Chargers
JANUARY 29, 1995
got lit Lets, the other didn’t.
Ur might have to ilVlVl! the
women at home,” said Tesch,
who's hod ins season tickets for
nine years 'We’ll have to han
dle that delicately."
The (Chargers conducted the
lottery Sunday night after San
Diego upset liie Pittsburgh Steal
ers 17-13 at Three Rivers Stadi
um.
The lottery was based on
longevity, meaning a person
who held season tickets since
1961. the Chargers' first year in
San Diego, had 34 chances
Letters were mailed on Tues
day to notify the 4,500 lucky
season-ticket holders that they
could buy two tickets apiece.
Many, like Tes< h. were loo
impatient to wait for the mail
ana headed for the stadium
"I didn't want to wait," Teach
said "I couldn't wait."
Ron Tuck, director of tit Wet
operations, said reactions were
obvious.
"Disappointment if they
didn't get them, or ecstasy,
lumping up and down, scream
ing and hollering if they did "
By midday, at least 300 peo
ple had called the ticket off it e
For the majority, the news
wasn't good
"We didn't get any I'm very
cranky," said Cathie Fryer of
Orange County, whose father
first bought season tickets when
the Chargers moved from l.os
Angeles in 1961 to play in San
Diego's Balboa Stadium
For Fryer and her husband,
Steve, it yvas a double loss
Besides the account her father
opened in 1961, they bought
more tic kets when the stadium
was expanded in 1983.
Ceding tickets through the lot
tery was the only realistic way
of going to the game And the
odds were slim. Ron Tuck,
director of tii ket operations,
said the Chargers have 16,700
season-ticket accounts, fur a
total of 4H.OOO season seats
"VVr worn hoping to got
thorn." fry or said ''We've (men
fans forovor. and unfortunatoly.
wo rn not tho type of fans who
turn pay $1,000 a In lot
'! talked to a couple of othor
poopltr and thoy said. Cathie,
that’s tho way tho Super Bowl is
People are going to pay > 1 ,OtH)
a ticket
Fryer works for a travel
agency in the l.os Angeles area,
hut tho agency did not buy
Suj>or Bowl to kots and shu said
she'd have to go through a hro
ker to get some
Despite her disappointment,
' I will always cheer for my
beloved Chargers." Fryer said
So will Test h, who was off to
make travel arrangements He
had heard it might take four or
five days after the Su|M>r Bowl to
get a return flight from Miami.
"It'll be well worth it." he
said. "It's a once in a lifetime
thing This is the very first time
they've gone, and I've never
been to a Super Bowl."
And he thinks the Chargers
are going to upset the 40ers. 2-4
17.
January 19. 1995
Volume '*». InMie SO
The Super Bow!
Matchup
Chargers-49ers Series History
6y The Associated Press
49ers lead senes 4-3
(Home Team In CAPS)
19?? SAN f RANG I SCO 34
San Osgo 3
1976 SAN DIEGO 13 San
f ranctSCO 7, OT
1979 SAN DIEGO 31 San
I rancisco 9
198? San Oogo 41 SAN
FRANCISCO 37
1988 iOn Framasco 48.
SAN DIE. GO 10
1991 SAN f RANCISCO 34
>. i1' t 1 * ■ )< > ! 4
1994 San I rancisco 38,
SAN DIE GO IS
Super Bowl Facts and Figures
At SIAM Nation.)’
f oottrail l eague CHumpt
Otaitup lor (ha Vince LomOar
tli trophy
PARTtCIPANIS San
Diego Chargers (AFC) and
i t rant o -Piers (NFC)
I hit, wilt be the hr st appear
ance tor San 0<ogo and ttre
fifth for $an FranctSCO
Slfl J- *• Robbie Si ad i
uni. M am This s the :,n oho
game to be played at Jots
Robb»e Stadium and the sixth
n Miami
St AIINU CAPA(STY
74 500
KICKOFF 6 18pm
Eastern Standard Time
Nf I WORK COVt RAGl
Ry ARC. fv to approximately
?26 stations and throughout
the United States pius Puerto
Rico, Bermuda. Bahamas,
a; d A:-* ; ,,i
By CBS Radio to more than
375 stations within in ttie
United States The Armed
Forces Teievison and Radio
Network will also provide
broadcast through out the
world
The game will be distrib
uted internationally by the
Nf l and ESPN International
to more than 150 countries
The game telecast wilt
include '8 cameras (includ
ing three super slo-mos). five
hand field (including two
super slo-mos) two blimp
cameras, two remote pan
and tilt cameras on the goal
posts, and 70 videotape tape
machines
Former umpire dies
at his N.Y. home
ENDICOTT. N Y (AP) for
mer major league umpire Ron
Luciano was found dead
Wednesday »n me garage of
his ftome f te was 57
Police said Luc>ano was
discovered at about 3 50
p m m the garage area of his
home in Ended!, just west of
Binghamton
Luciano wrote a book
about his baseball experi
ences, The Umpire Slnkes
deck, m 198?