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Friday January 2, 1970
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Let Challenge Bowl Decide No. 1 Team, Urges Parseghian



DALLAS -- Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian suggested Friday the formation of a college Challenge Bowl to select the official national champion each year. "The two top teams would be chosen on a vote of college athletic directors, coaches, sports writers and broadcasters," Parseghian said. "Then they would meet at a selected spot for the title. "If the plan were in effect this season, the game might involve Texas and Penn State, both unbeaten. Or possibly Ohio State and Southern California would be considered. I think it is the only solution."

The controversy over the national championship was heightened during the past campaign when President Nixon arbitrarily presented Texas a plaque as the No. 1 team after the Longhorns beat Arkansas Dec. 6 at Fayetteville, 15-14. This evoked strong protests from coach Joe Paterno of Penn State and partisans of his team which had extended an unbeaten streak over three seasons.

With most of the top-ranking teams in action in the bowl games, the Associated Press, which originated the national rankings, postponed its final poll until after the Jan. 1 games. The result of the poll will be announced Sunday. The No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns, with a modern version of the Four Horsemen in the backfield, won a 21-17 thriller from Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl for their 20th straight victory. Penn State extended its unbeaten string to 30 games with a 10-3 triumph over Missouri in the Orange Bowl. Southern California, unbeaten but once tied, edged Michigan, 10-3, in the Rose Bowl. Mississippi upset Arkansas, 27-22, in the Sugar Bowl.

Although Texas demonstrated awesome running power and great comeback ability in crushing Notre Dame's first bowl bid in 45 years, Paterno of Penn State still was unwilling to concede the championship to the Longhorns. "We have as much right as anybody else to be No. 1," he said in Miami.

"This is the sort of confusion that the Challenge Bowl would eliminate," said Parseghian, disappointed but proud of his team's stirring effort against Texas. "The plan for a postseason playoff series is idealistic but unrealistic. College authorities would never approve extension of the season through December, as would be necessary. There is a disinclination to destroy the rich tradition of the various bowl games. The Challenge Bowl would not seriously affect either of these areas. There would be only one game. It could be played before or after the bowl games, it makes no difference."

[source: ap]


Florida's Alvarez Charges 'Betrayal' In Coaching Switch



MIAMI -- All-America receiver Carlos Alvarez feels the University of Florida football team was "betrayed" by school president Stephen C. O'Connell and coach Ray Graves in the dealing that brought Doug Dickey from Tennessee as the new Gator coach. Alvarez also said the idea of switching schools "went through my mind" and he still had not made up his mind about playing football at Florida next year.

Alvarez, a B-plus pre-law student from Miami, sounded off about the coaching switch in talks with newsmen at the Orange Bowl game New Year's night. In interviews published Friday, the Cuban refugee said the incidents surrounding the coaching change had shown him "some of the ugly aspects about college football." Alvarez and the other Florida team members held a team meeting and then asked university officials to consider giving the coaching job in Gene Ellenson, the Gator defensive coach, if Graves decided to retire as head coach to become full-time athletic director.

"I feel like I was betrayed," said Alvarez, the second best pass recceiver in the nation during the 1969 season. "People I had placed a lot of confidence and trust in did not level with us. Some even went out of their way to mislead us. There is no way I can ever justify that." The sophomore said that on the eve of last Saturday's Gator Bowl game -- in which Florida upset Dickey's Tennessee team 14-13 -- O'Connell told the players that Graves had not decided to retire as coach and that nobody had been approached about succeeding him. O'Connell also made public statement to this effect, and so did Graves, although Dickey said he had been approached by Florida officials about the coaching job.

After the switch was announced on Wednesday, Dickey added that he had been approached by O'Connell and Graves last summer.


Trevino Sues For $500,000



EL PASO, Tex. -- Former U.S. Open champion Lee Trevino has filed a $500,000 suit against an Ohio firm which he said misrepresented itself when it signed him to a contract, it was learned Friday. Trevino, who filed the suit Wednesday in U.S district court in El Paso, is seeking $514,248.98 damages from Consulting Services Inc., of Akron, Ohio.

Trevino's petition said the firm through its president, Bucky Woy, represented itself as having several well-known professional golfers under contract and said it could obtain contracts with potential sponsors and advertisers the golfers could not otherwise obtain. The petition said this turned out to be false as shown by the company's unwillingness to renew advertising and promotional contracts.

The contract was signed in June 1968, the same year Trevino won the U.S. Open.

[source: upi]


Shaw To Lead Favored North In Lions Bowl



The offensive-laden North is a solid favorite over the South for the 2nd annual Lions American Bowl All-Star football game in Tampa today. Michigan State coach Duffy Daugherty is expected to start San Diego State quarterback Dennis Shaw, the nation's leading passer, in the game which begins at noon EST. In the backfield with Shaw will be Ohio State's All-America fullback Jim Otis and Colorado All-America Bobby Anderson. Jerry Hendren of Idaho, the nation's leading pass receiver, will be at end.

The South, coached by Louisiana State's Charlie McClendon, will go with Florida State's Bill Cappleman at quarterback. The rest of the backfield is expected to be Eddie Ray of Louisiana State and Larry Stegent of Texas A&M at running backs.

Ron Shanklin of North Texas State had been tabbed as a South starter at wide receiver, but he and three other black players quit the team Thursday after they were reported to have tried to crash a private New Year's party at the hotel where the team is quartered. The other three who left were Ron Gardin of Arizona, a receiver, running back Arthur James of East Texas State, and offensive tackle Glen Holloway of North Texas State.

The South defense will be led by Tennessee's All-America linebacker, Steve Kiner, and Bob McKay, a Texas tackle who made All-America on offense but who will play defense here.

Anderson, the fourth leading scorer in the nation this past season, will be backed up by Mack Herron of Kansas State, the nation's second leading scorer. Another first team All-America player on the North squad is linebacker Dennis Onkotz of Penn State.

[source: upi]


K-State Fullback Overcome By Carbon Monoxide



OMAHA, Neb. -- Kansas State fullback Russell Harrison was in serious condition after being overcome by carbon monoxide fumes Thursday. Earlier, Harrison had been listed as critical. Harrison, 20, and Sandy Anderson, 19, of Omaha, were found unconscious in his parked car here. The two had been to a New Year's Eve party and police said they apparently had been in the car since early Thursday afternoon.

Harrison, a former Omaha Tech High School football star and Nebraska all-stater, was starting junior fullback for Kansas State last season.

[source: upi]


Bo's Progress 'Satisfactory'



Glenn E. (Bo) Schembechler, Michigan football coach, was reported "very comfortable" Friday at Pasadena's St. Luke's Hospital after suffering a heart attack three hours before the Rose Bowl game. Don Canham, Michigan athletic director, said electrocardiogram tests showed Schembechler suffered a heart attack but that there were "no complications apparent at this time."

"Bo's progress is extremely satisfactory and he is quite comfortable," Canham said. "There is no doubt in my mind that he will return to full coaching after a period of rest." He said Schembechler would remain at the hospital for about two weeks.

Canham said Schembechler did not watch the Rose Bowl game, in which the Wolverines lost to USC, 10-3, but that periodic scores were relayed to him.


Georgia Hires Florida Coach



ATHENS, Ga. -- The University of Georgia, which had little offensive punch this season, Friday announced the hiring of the man who helped turn the Florida Gators into a mighty scoring machine.

Fred Pancoast, 37, who served as Ray Graves' chief offensive coach and had a big hand in developing John Reaves and Carlos Alvarez into stars as sophomores, will take over the same position with Georgia. The Bulldogs have been without a chief offensive coach since 1966 when Bill Dooley, brother of head coach Vince Dooley, moved on to North Carolina as head coach.

[source: upi]


Carlen Is Hired by Texas Tech; Bowden Replaces Him At W.Va.



LUBBOCK, Tex. -- Jim Carlen, whose West Virginia football team lost only to Penn State in the season just ended, became head football coach of Texas Tech today. He replaces J. T. King, who was moved up to athletic director last Dec. 9 following a season of five victories and five defeats. "I was sure as soon as I was contacted that I wanted the job," Carlen said. He said several schools had approached him about jobs. "But until this came along, I was never interested in leaving," he said.

The announcement of Carlen's hiring came after a week of strong speculation that the former Georgia Tech linebacker would be named and would accept the Texas Tech post. Carlen said his first task would be to select a 10-man staff of assistants and he indicated that assistants at both West Virginia and Tech would be considered. Carlen took over at West Virginia in 1966 and had a 3-5-2 won-lost-tied record that season. The Mountaineers had a 1967 record 9f 5-4-1, and a 1968 mark of 7-3-0. In 1969, West Virginia lost only to Penn State, 20-0. The Mountaineers won the Peach Bowl, beating South Carolina, 14-3. The 36-year-old Carlen played under Bobby Dodd at Georgia Tech and joined the Bobby Bowden Engineers' coaching staff in 1960, remaining there until he went to the Mountaineers.


Morgantown, W. Va. -- Robert C. (Bobby) Bowden moved up to head coach at West Virginia today succeeding Jim Carlen. Bowden had been head offensive coach for the Mountaineers since February, 1966. Bowden, 40 years old, said his first undertaking would be to organize his staff and recruiting program. "We do not plan to change any phase of the present program. It is my plan for carrying on the successful program we've had the last four years," Bowden said.

Bowden joined West Virginia from Florida State, where he had served as offensive end coach for three years. He started his coaching career at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., where he was assistant football coach and head track coach. He left Samford in 1955 to become head football and baseball coach at South Georgia Junior College where his teams posted a 22-11 won-lost record in football. In 1959 he returned as head coach to Samford, where he had starred in football while earning a bachelor's degree. His teams won 31 games and lost six at Samford.

[source: ap]


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