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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 1997)
f ON THE TUBE College Basketball, Wake Forest vs. Ga. Tech, ESPN (34), 6:00p.m. DAILY TRIVIA What pro golfer won the British Open in his only appearance? See scoreboard for answer. Sexual abuse story shocks pro hockey community ■ NnL. uecision of coming forward leads to conviction of junior hockey league coach / ne Associated Press CALGARY, Alberta — Revelations about the sex ual abuse endured for years by hockey player Shel don Kennedy have torn down the walls that have long insulated life in the NHL, a sports psycholo gist says. Cal Botterill, a psychologist for the Calgary Flames, said the worlds of junior and pro hockey won’t be the same after Kennedy, 27, a winger with the Boston Bruins, revealed he was molested by his coach while a junior player. Kennedy said he was assaulted more than 300 times by former coach Graham James while playing for the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hock ey League. “In sport, we’ve long been insulated from some of these realities, and now we have to face them,” Botterill said. “The whole subculture of hockey has this macho image and we clearly thought we were immune to this sort of problem. “The whole hockey community’s going to be sen sitized to the risks that we didn’t think were there before.” Kennedy told his story last weekend after James pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual abuse and was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in jail. Kennedy went public despite a court-ordered publication ban that prohibits identification of James's two victims. Media outlets defied the order Monday and published Kennedy’s story. “I just feel that the position I am in, having this happen to me, I just feel there are doors opening for me to take this thing and try to help and make this a huge issue,” Kennedy said in the interview. “The biggest thing for me, the biggest crime that Turn to NHL, Page 12 Div. Ill school ends 117-game losing streak ■ HOOPS: Rutgers-Camden wins first game in nearly five years The Associated Press CAMDEN, N.J. — Rutgers-Camden broke its NCAA-record 117-game losing streak Tuesday night with a 77-72 victory over Bloomfield College. The Division III Pioneers last won on Jan. 18, 1992, when they defeated Ramapo Col lege 74-73 at home. The Pioneers (1-9) could have won a game in the 1994-95 season on a technicali ty after the New Jersey Athletic Conference ruled that Rowan College used an ineligible player and would have to forfeit its 85-56 win. Instead of taking the handout, then-coach Wilbur “Pony” Wilson decided to keep Camden’s record winless, because he didn’t want a “gift.” “I’d rather beat a team on the court,” Wil son said after the NJAC’s judgment. “It was Turn to HOOPS, Page 12 NBA Toronto .80 L.A. Clippers .87 New York.102 Dallas .72 New Jersey .90 San Antonio.74 Orlando .109 Philadelphia.88 Sacramento.96 Denver.109 Atlanta .105 Phoenix.103 Detroit .76 Milwaukee.86 Indiana.95 Cleveland.90 Seattle .94 Miami.85 Minnesota.95 Houston.104 NHL N.Y. Islanders .3 Pittsburgh .5 Philadelphia.7 Boston .3 St. Louis.2 Edmonton .5 Calgary.4 Toronto.3 San Jose.1 Buffalo .1 Los Angeles.6 Vancouver.2 MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Miss. State.61 (3) Kentucky.90 Marquette .67 (4) Iowa State.64 (10) Duke.82 (5) Clemson.86 Ohio at Dayton .98 (12) Xavier.91 Syracuse .83 (23) Boston Col.94 DAILY TRIVIA ANSWER Legendary golfer Ben Hogan won the British Open in 1953. Oregon Football MARK McTYRE/Emerald Junior Kenny Wheaton became the first player in Oregon football history to enter the draft as an underclassman. Wheaton to forego final year PERSONAL ■ CAREER GAMES: 35 ■ CAREER INTERCEPTIONS: 11 (Three for touchdowns) ■ CAREER TACKLES: 205 ■ DREAM MAKER: Oregon junior cornerback Kenny Wheaton will take his talents to the professional level By Chris Hansen Sports Reporter Oregon cornerback Kenny Wheaton announced on Tuesday that he will forego his senior year of eligibili ty to enter this spring’s NFL draft. In front of a packed conference room that included Oregon athletic director Bill Moos and some current coaches and players, Wheaton stated that it has been his dream to play in the NFL and he didn’t want to risk the chance of a major injury if he were to play an other year at Oregon. “It has been a dream of mine for years,” Wheaton said. “And I am at a point now where it is just an arm’s length away and I am reaching out for my dream. I don’t think I should take the chance of an in jury and not reach my dream. I don’t think I would be able to live with myself if I came back and got injured Turn to DREAM MAKER, Page 12 Cornerback s decision to leave early a smart one While the decision may not have been easy, it was the right decision for Wheaton. Just like any other kid who grew up with a football in one hand and a basket ball in the other, Wheaton has dreamt about playing in the big leagues. So when the chance came up for the junior comerback to enter the NFL draft, he nabbed it. And who can blame him? “It has been a dream of mine for years and I am at a point now where it is just an arm’s length away, and I am reaching for my dream,” Wheaton said. After freshmen and sophomore seasons during which he had nine interceptions and 132 tackles, Wheaton was frustrated during his junior season. He had two intercep OPINION tions during the first game of the 1996 season (one returned for a touchdown). But following that game, teams repeated ly ignored Wheaton’s side of the field, in stead opting to look to alternate re ceivers. Without getting any balls thrown his way, how could Wheaton prove his worth to NFL scouts; and probably more importantly, how could he keep his teammates’ respect. “[That] played a big part to be honest with you,” Wheaton said. “Being at cor ner and having only one ball thrown at you a game, it was frustrating. “There were times where 1 was so frus trated that I started to get lazy. And my Turn to FRANK, Page 12
