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T HURSDAY, JULY 31, 1975 Off The !f Cuff With Bo Hagan By Sports Editor Billy Baker Harold "Bo" Hagan was the "MVP" on the University's 1949 football team that finished with a 4-6 record. Today the Savannah native has emerged, through thick and thin, the director 'of athletics at Carolina. He is a man of the Paul Dietzel stock; tall, ever smiling, charismatic and perhaps over paid (?). However, his job is a demanding one in these times of inflation. There are those who still confess that his rise to the athletic directorship at USC was a compromise between Frank McGuire and Jim Carlen. Both sought the job avidly as did a man named Dietzel who has gone off to better things as the Commissioner of the Missouri Valley Con ference. Bo Hagan will not comment on his rise to his new position. One that gives him an annual salary of $30,000 lie is in charge of running an athletic program with a yearly budget of $2.5 million. There are times when he must feel underpaid. Is lie Qualified? "I was the athletic director at Rice for five years," Hagan said. "I never had any doubts about my potential to perform in this capacity. "Asfarasthe$200,00o deficit this past year; it was just an unusual year," Hagan said. "It always costs you a lot of money to change football coaching staffs and we purchased a new. score board for the stadium that cost $200,000 ." Learned From Paul Dietzel "I think Paul was a very good organizer," Hagan said. "I picked up little pointers from him but you pretty well have your own pattern after many years in the administrative side of athletics. "In this business there are no secrets," he said. "I learn a great deal from my membership in the National Athletic Director's Association and the National Institute of Athletic Directors. Both associations are very informative." Ilis Views About the ACC "My personal view of the ACC issue, and this does not necessarily reflect the views of the athletic department in all cases, is that the advantages of rejoining outweigh the disadvantages," Hagan said. "I've been involved with the Southeastern and Southwestern conferences before and I know that the NCAA is oriented to conference teams, and not ndependents. "They allow basketball teams to send second place conference finishers to post season tour naments and television contracts are easier to obtain if you are within a conference," Hagan remarked. "A conference is organized by schools "Tw; AbvENTUREs o, zu NO0KI BROTHERS Eipe (Iame with common interests, common problems and a common geography. "Inter-collegiate athletics are built on strong traditional rivalries," Hagan said. "Ask any USC student who they would like to see us beat the most and you will get Clemson for an answer most often." Hagan's goals are to try and help produce the very best athletic teams the University has ever had. "There's always room for improvement," Hagan said when told that some USC teams had already reached championship potential. He added that recruiting is very important in his goals. "As an independent your athletes only get recognition if they are All-Americans," Hagan said. "Within a conference there is an All-Conference team. This gives the players personal goals to strive for." Hagan's Biggest Challenge Hagan came into his new role within the athletic department surrounded by a whirlwind of con troversy. After Dietzel was not offered the athletic director's job it seemed logical that either McGuire or Carlen would be given the job. Then there was Ralph Floyd, Dietzel's assistant who was also overlooked in favor of Hagan. Floyd has since acquired a job at Clemson. None of these ob stacles stopped Bo Hagan from accepting the job. Keeping BO HAGAN peace within USC's athletic family is not one of his biggest challenges according to him, but it will prove to be an awesome challenge should USC's athletic program continue to lose fans and money. "Title IX is a big priority," Hagan said. "Why it is so confusing that it's confusing to the people who wrote it I'm told." "We would like to fund and maintain all sports on the same level," Hagan said. "We want to maintain all sports without hurting the level of competition." Title IX is a bill recently passed by the Congress that is designed to bring equality to all major sports. It provides for non-discrimination of sexes in athletic programs. NCAA Specially Called Meeting Concerns Hagan In August the NCAA will meet in special session for only the second time in its 75 year history. The topic: the rising cost of college athletic programs. "I think the timing of the passage of Title IX is poor," Hagan said. "It comes at a time when in flation has really hurt college athletics." Hagan pointed out that costs of running an athletic program have doubled since 1967. "With all these financial problems it is going to be tough to find extra money to properly fund women's athletics," Hagan said. Bo Hagan claims to be in love with all sports. He says there are no favorites. But he must be hoping that Jim Carlen's Gamecocks rescue us all from increased athletic fees by filling the stadium up this fall. Beneath that smile one can still see that Bo Hagan was not the "MVP" on the squad of '49 for nothing. He's a football man. G)neSEa CEk SP( Nine Recru With Baseb BY BILLY BAKER Sports Editor USC's baseball program should once again return to the national spotlight next spring as Bobby Richardson has signed some of the best high school and junior college players in the nation. To date, nine athletes have signed to play baseball at USC. Leading the list is Mike Toalson, a southpaw pitcher from Little Rock, Arkansas. He had a 17-3 career record in high school. Six of his wins were no hitters. The son of former Yankee great Phil Rizzuto, Phil Rizzuto Jr. has signed with the Gamecocks. He will play in the outfield. Jim. Lewis will transfer from Miami Dade Downtown Jr. College in Miami Fla. He is a righthanded pitcher. Hal Hutchens, a right Richardson With USC I BY BILL Sporti Although USC's baseball coact offers since he guided the Gameci College World Series this past Ju USC. "I have such an ideal situatic Monday. "In a way I'm living at with the schools they attend and th "I'm not going to say I'm cemer here," he said. "The fans are jU program. There is still much left ti Richardson said that he is all ff Conference (ACC). "I feel good al the Trustees want." "It wouldn't be any harder to g4 team in the ACC received an invit. back into the ACC it would help our Coach Richardson will be mak annual New York Yankee Old Ti York. "I played in my first game at tl lieve I have ever made any erroi playing against some guys 50 and 6 Richardson believes USC will b4 However, he says it will be impH Ward, and Hank Small with high s( 6-0 Greg Ward Keeps Winning BY BILLY BAKER Sports Editor Former USC pitcher Greg Ward remains unbeaten after six starts with the Lodi, California Orioles, a Class "A" team within the Baltimore Orioles organization. Through 46 innings Ward had an E RA of 1.52 while giving up 35 hits, striking out 41 and walking six. He has four complete games to his credit. Hank Small has returned to the Greenwood Braves line-up after missing two weeks of games because of a cleat injury he suf fered while playing first base. USC's baseball coach Bobby Richardson said that Small has come along real well with the Braves thus far. "He's still hitting home runs," commented )RTS [its Sign all Team hander, has also signed with USC. lie is from Wilmington N.C. Sam Dudevski, from Camilo, N.Y. is a right handed pitcher who signed recently. Bobby Richardson, who batted .600 for his high school team in Asheville, N.C. this past spring has signed with USC. The son of Coach Bobby Richardson attended school at Ben Lippman High in Asheville. He is'currently batting over .300 for the Sumter American Legion team. Tom Mixson, of Macon Ga. will man second base for USC in fut ure years. He is a 5'-10", 150 lb. tresh man. Frank Galloway of Sumter is a right hander with a good curve. He is also presently a member of the Sumter American Legion team. Richard Ness, a catcher from Bamberg, rounds out USC's baseball prospects to date. 'Content' laseball ,Y BAKER ; Editor i has received numerous coaching )cks to a second place finish in the ne he is content with remaining at )n at Carolina," Richardson said home here. My kids are satisfied e church and everything. ited in but I do plan to coach a while st now becoming interested in our ) do." ir USC rejoining the Atlantic Coast >out it," he said. "I'm for whatever 3t a berth because the second place ition this year," he said. "If we got scheduling." ing his seventh appearance in the mer's game this Saturday in New e age of 32," he said. "I don't be -s, but you have to remember I'm 0 years old." ! stronger "team wise" next year. ssible to replace Earl Bass, Greg hool or junior college players. Richardson. Small is batting around .290. Through this past Monday, Earl Bass had a 1-3 record with the Tulsa Oilers, an "AAA" affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Oilers are a part of the American Association. Jessie Danneley, an avid USC baseball fan, blasted Bass recently. He told the Gamecock that Bass is confident he can make it as a professional although he has started very slowly. Bass has an ERA of over 6 but won his last start 16-2 over Wichita. Bass is the youngest member of his team. He now wears number 17 instead of his number 13 familiar to Gamecock baseball fans. Danneley said he learned from one of the pitching coaches sent down by the major league Car dinals to review the Oiler Pitchers that Bass was very coachable. "The coach told me that Bass was definitely going to make it to the big league," D)anneley said. "It is just going to take some time." Bass's style of pitching has changed since college. He now throws his curve, sidearm and change-up in new wmys