TODAY IN SPORTS
Florida coach
rejects offer
from Buccaneers
TAMPA, Fla (API — Flori
da roach Slava Spurrier Mid
today he repu ted a lucrative
offer to leave the school to
roach the Tampa Bav Bucca
neer*
‘I am not leaving the Uni
versity of Florida, and 1 nev
er said I was leaving the
University of Florida," Spurn
er said at a news conference
I did have some dun ussiorv*
with the management of the
Tampa Bay Burs, and I appre
riale the interest from Rich
McKay, the general manager,
and Joel and Brian Clazer "
Spurrier. 50. had been
wooed by the beleaguered
Buccaneers after leading the
Gators to within a victory of
the national championship
this season,
Maybe this will end the
spueulaiion for years to
come," Spurrier said. "I have
talked, and I listened, and I
think l am just a college hall
coach The University of
Florida (oh is one of the best
in the country, and it is awful
ly difficult to leave this job "
Spurrier said earlier that he
ran "hot and cold" on
whether or not to accept the
Hues offer, reportedly worth
at least S2 million a year
Robinson earns
award for weeks'
41-point effort
NKW YORK (AP) — C»H
Robinson of Portland was
pu ked as NBA player of the
week on Tuesday after lead
ing the Trail Blazer* to a 3-1
record
Robinson averaged 28 8
points. 6,5 rebounds, and 2 8
assists laid week. He scored a
t amen high 41 (mints on 17
for-27 shooting in a 113-67
victory over Minnesota
ON THE TUBE
January '0
■ 4 p.m. ESPN
NCAA Basketball Wake
Forest at Duke
■ 4:30 p.m. PRIME
NCAA Basketball.
Virginia Teen at
Duquesne
■ 5 p.m. TBS
NBA Basketbafl. Seattle
at Chicago
■ ft p.m. ESPN
NCAA BasketbaM. North
Carokna at Georgia Tech
■ 7:30 p m PRIME
NCAA Basketbaft.
Aruona St at Arizona
IMHhC
Oregon scores big with Cotton Bowi draw
■ ATTENDANCE O'agon's
fan contingency was a mi
with Cotton Bowt reps
By Trevor Kearney
V*w» fm»
Although the Colorado Buf
faloes ttun the halite on the field
at the Ian I (artton Bowl Classic
the OrettOQ Ducks were quicker
on the draw
The draw of Ian*, that t*
(begun told slight I v mum than
t i.ooii tickets. said Hunt Hoi*
•apple. dim tor of tt< ket sale* at
Oregon. mm|wBd to a Colorado *
offering off! .000 to 7 000 Hi ket*
though exact mini tier* have not
been {calculated. Oregon wn
dearly a bigger draw than Col*
or ado
Because of indement weather,
however. Cotton Bowl officials
estimated the total kickoff alien*
dam e was around 45,000, the
lowest in person attendance In
50 years That crowd dwindled
down to teas than 4t).tg)0 by half
time The television broadcast
showed visibly empty end none
section*
“I don’t ihink ii enhances the
image of the game when you have
the end tones empty.” John
Crawford, president of the Col
ton Bowl, said at halftime But
the weather is one thing that we
can’t control "
Despite low in state atten
dance. Oregon and Colorado fans
made up some of the difference
out of their own pockets Accord
ing to Crawford the Dallas area
made a substantial profit from
Pac-10
may join
alliance
■ BOWLS c a
aiUance may gam
control of the Hose
Bowl, ensuring a
championship game
DALLAS (API — The
Big Ten and P»c lO arc
having diKuuiwu about
joining (he bowl alliance,
a move that would guaran
lee a national champi
onship game every year in
college football
"Whether anything*
going lo happen or not. 1
don't know." Andy
Geiger, athletic director at
Ohio State said Tuesday
during the NCAA's annual
convention, "But ideas are
being exchanged and the
matter Is under consider*
at ion "
"I would say we ll know
by late spring or early
summer if we have -...me
thing that’* viable." Big
Ten commissioner |im
Turn to BOWLS PaQ* 12
Ml***** Ml.' f f Ml - *
Th# numb** of Oregon tan* that traveled to DetUs Xu*m, despite bad weather to support the Oregon foot
bafl team at the Cotton Oowt impressed the bow) representatives
uul'df luwn (action Howl-bound
bin*
Thi< University folks (tail tu
come a lung way. aiul *© did (jo)'
nrado. hul wt> are very pleated
with the turnout." Crawford ten!
“The KOOOOik impact on our
community it over $20 million
because of the number of people
that came to the gotne. the time
that they have stayed here and
the money that they spent So w»
are very pleated with that a*pe» t
of ii. «» fair <*» the D*IIn t iHiimu
nil) in tomemed
’From Ifwi standpoint (the Col
Ion Howll t« absolutely * tut:
cm*
We sent a great contingent to
Dallas." tlolsapple void "(jnlton
Bowl offii tal* worn really
impressed “
Possibly more impressive was
the •’(fort (Jregcm i tux fa* to get peo
ple lo I he game The University
worked with Ftnpme radio aiatiun
KtM.N ami llalla* radio nation
KI.IP to donate ticket* to chil
dren’* hospital* and women'*
shelter* in order to give people
who wouldn't otherwise get to go
to the game the i h*iu « to see it.
An Of ding to Holsappte. the
University disirthuled lit kwt* to
•I* Italia* area agem i«>*. which
Itn luck*! a Nportal Olympic.* out
let Supporter* ol the program
donated the tit ket* or money to
buy etin ticket*.
Ducks finish winter break winningly
■ WRESTLING: Th« Ducks acf' ^ved
several high-ranking wms during (he
winter break m Nebraska and Corva s
By Pels Schneider
AKMiAMMMar
The Oregon wrestling team launched mm ih©
••'1 "nil pert of the* 1*1*1 . **i dual meet muA with
three impressive teem performance* during win
ter break
The Duck* plat ed s«w mid at the (.real Plain*
Invitational tournament In Uncoln. Neb . Saturday
behind third ranked Nebraska Oregon took 11
wrestler* to the 22 team tournament and plat ml 10
in the individual standings
“It was a very productive meet for u*," Oregon
head coach Hon Finley *aid “We beat some real
ty good wrestler*. Big Fight champ*, and some
other nationally ranked guy* We felt really good
about that “
Two time All-American Kevin Roberts let! the
way for the Ducks, winning the I Ik-pound weight
class with a victory over Nebraska * Brad Canoyer
The match was evenly contested in the initial min
utes. but Canoyer (altered a* the match progressed
"ft was pretty close at first.** Finley said “Kevin
pot so much pressure on him and was so intense
that be tmi taon him down by the end of the
match He was pretty much in complete control by
the time the match ended “
Scott Norton also had a strong tournament in
lam otn for the Duck*. In his final against Nebras
ka’s Jason Kraft, ihe I to-pound Junior scored a fall
and a major decision ©n route to Oregon * other
w in in the tournament Norton was never serious
iy threatened throughout the Classic, dominating
the ISO pound das*
• ipytofl from the other lower
weights when John Taylor and Make Tompkins
pla* ed ««•< ami and Jeremy Knsrud. Hub Tannar,
Ro>< e Reprint and Nate Sullivan finished third in
their IH|MCtM weight <: tastes
"Johnny and Rob are (11*1 doing an out Handing
Kib for u* thin year.' fin ley Mid "They're new to
the lineup this yntf and have »trpf*ed right uji and
have really taken over I n* really plmaid with
them
Hie Duck* were aide to overcome vert out git lag
to finish wand in the tournament Ik* mm of the
harvh weather and numerous flight cancellations,
it took the team more than to hour* to fly to Lin
coln
Oregon'* biggest win of the year came on
Dm ember 2<1 at the Oregon Classic in Corvallis,
The Ducks pul seven wrestler* in the final* and
beat Hth ranked Oregon State to t.latm Instate
bragging rights.
"I )ust feit tike we were supposed to win. and
our wrestler* feit like we were supposed to win.'*
Finley said "Oregon State was second in the
nation last year, so it was very satisfying to beat
them."
Oregon also looked good against Kith-ranked
Cal State Bakersfield at Mai Arthur Court on
December 10th Roberts. Enanid. Norton and Tan
ner stored v t« tone*, bo! the Ruodrunnen were too
lough in the upper weights, winning the meet 2t
13
in ali. Finley said lie fuel* confident about how
hi* team is performing a* it gears up for the nest
pan of the schedule "I see improvements almost
every week." he said "Right now. we re wrestling
pretty steady, and we don't seem to be having
many highs or lows We are all wrestling tougher
and more intense with fewer mistakes all d<>*va
the line