January 19, 2000 Page B2 (Clje ^lo rtla n ò ffibaeruer ■ a Hometown mourns Hornet Phills Johnson retires, Wannstedt named Dolphins coach A ssociated P ress BY P atrick D ennis /A ssociated P ress Kendall Phills, left, widow o f Charlotte Hornets' Bobby Phills, and Dwayne Phills, Bobby’s brother, embrace next to a photo o f Phills during his funeral at the F.G. Clark Activity Center Sunday, Jan. 16, 2000, on the campus o f Southern University in Baton Rouge, La. Phills was killed Wednesday morning. Jan. 12. A ssoc iated P ress B obby Ray Phills III perched on his uncle D w ayne P hills’ shoulder, a C harlotte H ornets jersey w ith the num ber 13 on it hanging loosely on his tiny body as he looked dow n into his father’s coffin. T he 3-year-old son o f the H ornets g u ard , w ho d ied in a c a r crash W ednesday, leaned forw ard, raised his right hand and w aved a final goodbye as D w ayne slipped a Bible into his older b ro th er’s coffin. “H e ’salive. H e’s alive w ith me. H e’s alive w ith his friends and fam ily,” D w ayne Phills said. T eam m ates and friends said goodbye to Phills, w ho w as killed w hen he lost control o f his car w hile speeding. Police said he m ight have been drag racing with team m ate D avid W esley at the time. T he H ornets, the Cleveland Cavaliers and M ilw aukee Bucks w ere honorary pallbearers at P h ills’ funeral Sunday in his hom etow n. “H e w as w hat life w as all about,” said S an A n to n io ’s A v e ry Jo h n so n , P h i l l s ’ te a m m a te a t S o u th e rn Uni versity. “This is a time to remember all the great things about him. W e’re all going to m iss him .” Phills w as killed instantly W ednesday m orning w hen he lost control o f his speed in g P orsche and it crashed head-on into another vehicle. The 30- year-old player left behind a w ife and tw o children, 3 and 1. “I have a lot o f good m em ories,” W esley said, his voice shaking. “O ur friendship w as alw ays there. I’ll miss him all the time. The only bad memory 1 h av e is th e ac cid en t. It’s the to u g h e stth in g l’veevergonethrough because w e all love Bobby.” P hills’ wife, Kendall, gave a m ostly upbeat speech about her husband, though she had one regret about the m orning Phills died. “ 1 didn’t tell him I love him ,” she said. But she said o f the m an she met w hen she was 14- years-old, it w as one o f the few tim es in their m arriage she hadn’t. “I was lucky to have him as my husband, my protector, the captain o f my ship, my eternal soul m ate,” she said. “Until w e meet again Bobby, I’ll always love y o u .” The celebrities were far outnum bered b y h u n d r e d s o f p e o p le w h o rem em bered Phills grow ing up in Baton Rouge, going to school with th e m a t S o u th e rn U n iv e r s ity L a b o r a to ry S c h o o l o r m a k in g spectacular plays in the arena w here his coffin stood at midcourt. “ I alw ays called it the B obby Phills Show. N ow this is the last Bobby Phills Show. And this is the place it should be,” said Jewel Jefferson, 73, who once led cheers for Phills during his college career. State S enator C leo Fields read a p r o c la m a tio n a n d a le tte r o f c o n d o le n c e from th e g o v ern o r. S o u th ern U n iv e rsity C h a n ce llo r Edw ard R. Jackson announced that the school will retire P hills’ number. S aying “th is tim e it’s final and fo re v er,” Jim m y Jo h n so n to d ay announced his retirement, leaving the coaching jo b o f the M iami D olphins to assistant Dave W annstedt. Johnson’s decision com es one day after the D olphins suffered the worst loss in A FC postseason history, a 62- 7 defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars. “This tim e its final and forever. I’m retiring from coaching,” Johnson said at a new s conference this afternoon. “I’ve had m y tim e in the sun, in the spotlight. N ow I want som e tim e with my family.” Johnson decided to retire as coach and general manager last January after a 38-3 loss to D enver in the divisional playoffs, but changed his m ind after meeting w ith Dolphins ow ner W ayne Huizenga. This tim e, the 56-year-old coach said he is com m itted to the decision. “Itw as lO O percentJim m y’sdecision to retire,” H uizenga said. “ W e’re disappointed to see him go. At the sam e tim e, I’m enthused and excited that D ave W annstedt w ill becom e the head coach.” W annstedt, w ho w as hired as an a s s is ta n t la s t J a n u a r y to e a s e Jo h n so n ’s w orkload, w as given a three-year contract as the successor. Johnson, w ho also served as the te am ’s general m anager, w ill rem ain with the D olphins in a limited role, but does not w ant the responsibility o f day-to-day operations. “I will do w hatever they w ant m e to do in assisting, w hether that b e in free agency, personnel, the cap, the draft,” he said. “T he only thing I d id n ’t w ant is to be here on a day-to-day basis.” Professional Bull Rider Ross Coleman o f Molalla, Ore., will jo in the top 45 bull riders in the world competing fo r part o f $6.2 million in prize money against the w orld’s toughest bulls on Saturday at 8 p.m. at Portland's Rose Garden. by A ndy W atson /P roees - sional km hd f°r Barber & Beauty Salon 305 NE Wygant Portland, OR 97211 (503) 288-6530 American Serena Williams celebrates her win over Australian Amanda Grahame at the Australian Open Tennis Championships in Melbourne Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2000. U.S. O pencham pion Serena W illiams fum bled through m istim ing, w ild s h o o tin g an d fo o t fau lts b efo re surviving her A ustralian O pen first- round m atch 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 against 261 s t-ra n k e d A m a n d a G ra h am e today. W illiam s, seeded third, needed tw o hours to beat the A ustralian w ild­ card entry, playing in her first G rand S la m to u rn a m e n t an d en jo y in g th undering support from a hom e crow d o f nearly 14,000. “ It w as ju st out o f control,” said W illiams, who committed 55 unforced e rro rs— 23 in the second se t— in her first m atch in three months. T he m atch w as interrupted for 35 m inutes by rain, in the m idst o f a s e v e n -d e u c e g a m e as G ra h a m e scored her second break o f the second set to take a 4-1 lead. Play resum ed after the stadium ro o f was closed. io ] Stylist Karen Dixon Barber Tracy Horsley In Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 3. a o U Purchase any Basket Meal and receive a I I- FREE Georgia Peach Milkshake Fame from page 1 m oney. He also stated that the people o f color w ho have been on the board only served for relatively short term s. So the problem is both in recruitm ent and retention. Tim M cG uire also stated that the public is neither w ell aw are nor inform ed ab o u t O regon Sports H all o f Fam e, specifically the nom inating process, m em bership, or its sensitivity to people ofcolor. M cG uire stated that the Hall o f Fam e prom otes a num ber o f program s to reach young people in the com m unity another aspect o fth eir activity o f w hich the com m unity at large is unaware. Janice Carter, interim m anaging director for the O regon Sports Hall o f Fam e and its m useum , stated Mr. S pencer had been recently nom inated as a potential inductee for the Hall o f Fame. She stated that, although Mr. Renfro had w ritten several letters regarding the nom ination, he had failed to follow through with necessary papeiw ork needed to facilitate the nom ination. She said the process entailed a sports resum e and other docum entation in order to be considered for induction. She said a person must be nom inated by a m em ber. (M em bershipcosts$25 per year) She, too, readily admitted i°ve °f jazz 89.1 TMAJ’s Serena Williams survives first round A ssociated P ress B ell R iders , I nc . that the O regon Sports Hall o f Fam e was both w hite and m ale dom inated. She also said that the organization is looking at change and w ays to attract a m ore diverse representation. Both M cG uire and Janet said that there are numerous people o f color including, but not limited to Mack Robinson (track), M argaret Johnson Bailes (track), A hm ad Rahshad (football), and num erous others presently in the Hall. O bviously, there is disparity o f perception here, However, the opportunity for dialogue and resolution appears to be available. O n the face value, the m erit o f a M ulticultural Sports Hall o f Fam e seem s to be valid and have merit. If the leadership o f the O regon Sports Hall o f Fam e is genuine in its stated position, it is incum bent on w om en and people o f color to get involved and m ake a difference in the process, rather than criticize the institution before engaging it or researching the facts. At any rate, both parties agree that there is a need to recognize accom plishm ents o fb o th w omen and people o fc o lo r in the endeavor o f sports. T he m atter is how to pursue fair and ju st acknow ledgm ent o f this goal. when you present this ad at your new Convention Center Burgerville on January 21st! (1135 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Bird.) Available only at Convention Center Burgerville on January 21, 2000. Where you