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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 9, 2002)
Page A9 October 09, 2002 S ports /METRO Sprewell Told to Stay Away Nike chairman, CEO and founder, Philip Knight unties the ceremonial shoe lace with Mayor Very Katz at the final Anniversary Project celebration at Peninsula Park on Thursday, Oct. 3. To commemorate 30-years as an Oregon -based company and to thank Portlanders for years o f support, Nike resurfaced nearly 90 outdoor basketball courts in the Portland Parks and Recreation system Latrell Sprewell (AP) — Latrell Sprewell was fined $250,000 Monday by the New York Knicks, who also told him to stay away from the team until he can make “a positive contri bution.” Sprewell was punished for failing to tell the team that he injured his shooting hand when he tripped and fell on his yacht two weeks before training camp started. He had surgery last week and is out at least six weeks. “He has a responsibility to let us know. He had an obli gation to do that,” said Madi son Square Garden president Steve Mills, who also met with Sprewell, along with coach Don Chaney. Knicks president Scott Layden em phasized that Sprewell was not officially suspended, but no time frame was given for the four-time All-Star’s return to the team. Nike Completes Anniversary Project After resurfacing 90 basketball courts, company will also provide funds for maintenance In com m em oration o f its 30th year as an O regon-based com pany, N ike announced the com pletion of its basketball court resurfacing gift to P ortland Parks & R ecreation today in a com m unity celebration at Peninsula Park. The $2 m illion- gift, m ade to the Portland Parks Foundation, represents N ike’s larg est one-tim e sports surface d o n a tion anyw here in the w orld. In ju st 75 days, N ik e's A nniver sary Project resurfaced all o f the ou td o o r basketball courts in the Portland Parks and R ecreation sys tem w ith a w orld-class, cushioned R ebound Ace surface containing recycled shoes. The sam e quality o f surface featured on nearly 90 o f P o rtla n d ’s o u td o o r b a sk e tb a ll courts is also found at the A ustra lian O pen, S y d n ey ’s tennis venue "T his is N ike’s w ay o f saying thank you to everyone in the P ort land area for [all o f the) support over the last three decades,” said f One of the Anniversary Project's main goals is to inspire kids to be physically active. —Gary DeStefano, Nike’s President of U.S. Operations for the G am es o f 2000 and at the country ’ s m ost prom inent outdoor basketball court, H olcom b R ucker Parkin Harlem . Philip H. K night, N ike chairm an, C EO and founder, w ho grew up in southeast Portland. T he project involved nearly 4.5 acres o f resurfacing. T he courts, many o f w hich are 20 or more years old, were resurfaced using recycled shoes collected through N ik e's R eu se-A -S h o e p rogram , w hich collects, separates, and grinds up athletic shoes to m ake N ike G rind m aterial. The grind is then used in athletic courts, tracks, fields and playground surfaces. It took nearly 170,000 shoes to produce the Nike G rind material for all o f the A n n iv ersary P ro ject courts. “ O n e o f th e A n n iv e r s a r y P ro ject’s m ain goals is to inspire kids to be physically active,” said N ik e’s P resident o f U.S. O pera tions, G ary D eS tefano. “T he first part o f this gift w as revitalizing the courts so kids had a great place to play; the second part is ensuring that the courts are m aintained prop erly in the future.” B e f o r e th e A n n i v e r s a r y P ro ject, m any o f the c o u rts w ere c u rr e n tly d e c o m m is s io n e d o r sla te d to be due to th e sh o rtag e o f m a in te n a n c e fu n d s. In a d d i tio n to re s u rfa c in g the c o u rts, N ike w ill now m atch up to $ 10,000 p e r y e a r in c o u rt m a in te n a n c e - re la te d e x p e n s e s in c u rre d by P o rtla n d P ark s & R e c re a tio n . T h e m atch in g fu n d s pro g ram e x te n d s th ro u g h 2017. NFL Defends Record of Minority Hiring 15 years, the report noted that black head coaches had been more suc cessful than their white counter parts, but that they w eren't hired com m ensurate with that success. (AP)-— The NFL, threatened with a lawsuit over its lack o f black head coaches, defended the steps it has taken in minority hiring, but acknowl edged Tuesday there is room for improvement. “Progress has been m ade and we expect that progress to continue,” league spokesman G reg Aiello said. “W e take the issue very seri ously and have initiated several pro gram s in recent years under com m issioner (Paul) Tagliabue to en sure that our hiring practices are fair, and that all coaches have opportu nities to advance.” Aiello w as responding to a report released M onday by a group headed by attorney Johnnie Cochran. U s ing statistics com piled over the past <' Black coaches are being held to a higher standard. Now is the time for the NFL to step up and make a change. — Johnnie Cochran. ■ “Black coaches are being held to a higher standard,” said Cochran, w ho suggested the league might be sued if progress isn 't m ade. “Now is the tim e for the N FL to step up and m ake a change.” To stim ulate the hiring o f blacks as head coaches, C ochran proposed that Tagliabue “rew ard at least one team each year for developing a diverse front office” with a draft pick. He also asked the N FL to require team ow ners to include “diverse racial groups” when interviewing candidates for coaching positions. A ccording to the proposal, “ow n ers can choose to opt out o f this requirem ent, but to do so they must forfeit a draft pick.” There currently are tw o black head coaches in the NFL: Tony Dungy o f Indianapolis and Herman Edwards o f the New Y ork Jets. But A iello pointed out that in the last five years, 23 blacks have been in terview ed for coaching positions and th ree w ere hired: D ungy, Edwards and Ray Rhodes, by Green Bay in 1999. Tyrone Willingham, currently the coach o f Notre Dame, also was am ong those 23. Since Art Shell becam e the first black head coach o f the m odem era with the Raiders in 1989, there have been five: Dungy, Edwards, Shell, Dennis Green and Rhodes. Terry Robiskie served as interim coach of the W ashington Redskins for three games at the end o f the 2000 season. There have never been more than three black head coaches in a sea son. Amtrak Promotes Trains to Seattle Seahawks Games Seattle Seahaw ks fans living out o f the Seattle area have another w ay o f traveling to hom e gam es on A m trak C ascades. Football fans can hop on Amtrak C ascades to Seattle from around the area and arrive in tim e for k ick off. Fans can avoid m ajor traffic jam s on gam e day w hile enjoying the scenic route to S eattle’s K ing Street S tation and w alk directly to the new Seahaw k Stadium located ju s t outside the station entrance. R egular one-w ay adult fares be tw een P ortland and Seattle start as low as $23. Space is lim ited and reservations are required for re m aining hom e gam es on N ovem ber 3 ,1 7 , and 24, D ecem ber 8 and 22. G ame times are 1:05 p.m. or 1:15 p.m. For train schedules, fares and reservation information, call 1-800- U S A -R A IL or v is it w w w .A m trakC ascades.com . Saûzied ¿z? Minority businesses 1 CApcciatly- \Vomcn-Owhcd flu ste r rART SAVING worship or attend school I o f A rt» r t « is ti Bobe. Bridgeton Buckman FVt. China Town. Otnciwd» wc« et t r Concorda University, Downtown P in land. E m Columbia, (¡none Hollow. Humboldt. Irvington, K en «. King. Northwest Portland, Northwest Old tbwn. Overlook Pearl District, Piedmont. Portland ty Collegr-Caacade Camput. Portland Slate University. Ports- Sabia, St John». Sallivan'« Otilch University of Portland. University Pari. Vernon, and Wivxllawn m * r Visir ovine« fedrrallv imunrd ni SIIO (toil bv (hr Vanonal ( fedii I rinvi titnvniMrvivvi a I5 ( io v r m m r w Agency WILLAMETTE Federal Credit Union 2151 N.W Front Avenue Portland, Oregon 97209 i5 0 J ( ? 9 9 4 5 1 9 1888I 9 0 0 8 5 5 9 Go Livdîes!
