University of Miami - Ibis Yearbook (Coral Gables, FL)

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JNaitflttal %mria wm m Isys- ?per- v A Boghdokm wing of Lonnie Smith ' s attempted steal of home plate inst the Brewers during World Series. USFL: The new kid •» • The United States Football eague swung into high gear as t was getting prepared to be- :ome the first professional foot- mil league to conduct its season luring the summer months. When the World Football eague challenged the estab- ished NFL in 1974, its owners vere not able to withstand any ievere financial losses. The JSFL, on the other hand, has wners who are ready and pre- pared to make the new league vork. The USFL has already re- ruited some big names as it pre- ares for its first season. Ex- ashington Redskin coach eorge Allen is just one of sever - lil former NFL coaches now with he USFL. He will coach the Chicago Blitz. Other former NFL coaches in- clude: John Ralston (Oakland Invaders), Chuck Fairbanks (New Jersey Generals), and Red Miller (Denver Gold). The USFL has also lured players of top calibre from both the pro and college ranks. For example, NFL veterans like Stan White (Chicago Blitz) and Andy Johnson (Boston Break- ers) have opted for the new league. Also, top college prospects like quarterback Reggie Collier (Birmingham Stallions) and running back Kelvin Bryant (Philadelphia Stars) put their faith in the new league and thus bypassed the NFL. Adding to the USFL ' s credi- bility were major TV contracts with ABC and ESPN; plus a ra- dio deal with the ABC Radio Network. By Howard Burns Cards win Series over Milwaukee Whitey Herzog wheeled and dealed his St. Louis Cardinals into a world championship in 1982, a season which saw the Cards take on the hot-hitting Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series. The Cardinals got to the World Series by virture of sweeping the Western Division champion Atlanta Braves in three consecutive games. The Cardinals and Brewers went the full seven games before St. Louis won it all. Some of the Cardinal standouts included Lonnie Smith, who finished the year with a .307 batting average; Willie McGee, a New York Yan- kee reject who batted .296; and Bob Forsch, the Cardinals ' top pitcher with a 15-9 record. The Brewers were a tough team to knock off due to the po- tency of their bats. The Brewers finished the year with three bat- ters in the top ten: Robin Yount, Cecil Cooper and Paul Molitor. Milwaukee ' s Gorman Thomas and California ' s Reggie Jackson led the American League in home runs with 39 while New York ' s Dave Kingman led the National League with 37. Hal McRae of the Kansas City Royals led all of baseball with 133 runs batted in. McRae ' s teammate Willie Wilson led the majors in hitting with a .332 bat- ting average. In his first season with the Montreal Expos, Al Oli- ver was the leading hitter in the National League with a .331 bat- ting average. By Howard Burns Heels hit Hoy as Dean Smith ' s North Carolina Tar Heels lost only two games en route to the national champion- ship in college basketball. Led by their outstanding se- nior forward James Worthy, the Tar Heels finished the 1981-82 season with a record of 24 wins and two losses. To win the championship in the east, North Carolina had to get by James Madison, Alabama and Villanova. In the national semifinals, the Tar Heels defeated the Houston Cougars 68-63, while the Georgetown Hoyas, led by sev- en-foot Patrick Ewing, knocked off the Louisville Cardinals 50- 46. In the finals held in the Lou- isiana Superdome, the Tar Heels behind the scoring and rebound- ing of Worthy managd to hold off a late Georgetown threat and beat the Hoyas by a score of 63- 62. The NCAA Division II cham- pion was the University of D.C., while the winner of the National Invitation Tournament was Bradley University. By Howard Burns An Islander dynasty? After their third consecutive Stanley Cup Championship in 1982, hockey fans were starting to call the New York Islanders a dynasty team. The Islanders defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Quebec Nordiques, and finally, the Vancouver Ca- nucks to win the title. Two of the top five scorers in the leage were Islanders: Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier; while two of the top three goaltenders in the league were also Islanders: Billy Smith and Roland Melan- son. The league ' s leading scorer was the incredible Wayne Gretzky of Edmonton, who had 92 goals and 120 assists for a to- tal of 212 points, an NHL. sea- son record. By Howard Burns

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Page 14 National sports Redskins beat Dolphins In only his second year as head coach, Joe Gibbs led his Washington Redskins to a Super Bowl championship with a win over the Miami Dolphins. The Redskins were led by quarterback Joe Theismann, who copped All-Pro honors for his efforts during the season; and John Riggins, whose bruis- ing running style stymied oppos- ing defenses all season long. Another key reason for the success of the Redskins was the kicking of Mark Moseley, who set an NFL record for most con- secutive games with a field goal during the 1982 season. The NFL season was marked by the first-ever players strike. The players were protesting what they felt was mistreatment on the part of the owners. As a result of the strike, the season had to shortened from 16 games to nine. The playoff sys- tem was also revamped to allow 18 teams to qualify for the post- season tournament. Some of the outstanding per- formers of the abbreviated sea- son were: Freeman McNeil of the New York Jets who was the NFL ' s leading rusher; Marcus Allen, the talented running back from USC who helped get the Los Angeles Raiders to the play- offs and was the NFL ' s Rookie of the Year; and the tandem of John Jefferson and James Lof- ton, the sure-handed receivers on the Green Bay Packers who helped their team reach the playoffs. By Howard Burns ' High fives ' after a Redskins touchdov awn. ' Bear ' wins finale College football ' s national championship was decided on New Year ' s Day in the Louisiana Superdome as the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs took on No. 2 Penn State. Led by quarterback Todd Blackledge and the running of Curt Warner, Joe Paterno ' s Ni- tany Lions beat the Bulldogs of Georgia 27-23 to win the nation- al title. In other selected bowl action; UCLA beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl; Nebraska held on to defeat LSU in the Orange Bow; SMU beat Pittsburgh in the Cotton Bowl; and Alabama beat Illinois in the Liberty Bowl to give coach Paul Bear Bryant a win in his last game as coach of the Crimson Tide. It was a fitting end to such an illustrious career, but little did anyone know that only a short time later, Bryant would pass away from a heart attack. Only a couple of weeks earlier, Alabama had named New York Giants Coach Ray Perkins to succeed Bryant. The timing of his death was certainly ironic. A moment of silence was given in Bryant ' s memory before Su- per Bowl XVII between the Washington Redskins and the Miami Dolphins. By Howard Burns

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