The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 19, 1990, Page 8, Image 8
Sports
8 The Gamecock Friday, January 19, 1990
Ford will be m
One of the most prolific periods in the history <
sports in the state of South Carolina has come to 2
end.
I figured that was need enough for an emergenc
sports column.
I realize that the name Danny Ford doesn't brir
smiles to everyone's face at USC, but the man w;
closing in on legend status.
After a third straight 10-2 season, Danny Ford h;
resigned in the wake of 14 rule violations being inve
tigated by the NCAA. For some, it is a tragedy. F
others, many Gamecock fans included, it is a mim
miracle. But no matter what the views, college foe
ball has lost a great personality and a great footb*
coach.
The record speaks for itself. Overall, Ford w;
96-29-4 and is the third active winningest coach in tl
country. His Tigers just completed their third straig
10-2 season and won their fifth bowl game in eig
tries. Add to that a national championship in 1981 f
not only Clemson University but the state of Sou
Carolina, and you get a coach who ranks as one of tl
Ford Continued from page 1
son praised Ford for his accomplishments, but als
said there had been differences between the two men,
"We have honest differences of opinion on certai
basic aspects of the football program," Robinson sai
in a statement. "A separation under any terms woul
be difficult. An amicable parting is certainly less paii
ful for all involved. That is why we felt it was in tl
university's best interest to agree to a fair settlemei
under the terms of Ford's contract and bring the ma
ter to a close."
Ttm a ^i_i _4!_ r\: A it". r\:
uol /\uueuc uirecior iving uiauii was unavaiiau
for comment. Head Football Coach Sparky Woods
out of town, according to the USC Athleti
Department.
University of Georgia Athletic Director Vince Do<
ley said he was surprised by the news of Ford's resij
nation and said Clemson is "a good school with
good program."
Ford has not been available for comment since tl
NCAA informed the school of the allegations. Foi
and his staff had been instructed not to comment c
the allegations.
Head football coaches around the state reacted s
miliarly to the news of Ford's resignation.
Charlie Taafe, head coach at The Citadel, praise
Ford for his accomplishments at Clemson.
"Obviously, Danny has been one of the most si
cessfiil college football coaches in the country," Taa
said. "He brought Clemson to new heights. I'm son
to see him go."
South Carolina State Head Coach Willie Jeffri<
agreed.
"First of all, he was a fine coach," Jeffries said,
hate to see him leave the ranks of coaching in Sou
Carolina ... It's very unfortunate.
"During the interim period (while Clemson looks I
Around the Metro (
USC GAMECOCKS USC LOUISVIL
leads the Metro in field goal per- U of L h
centage allowed (.3 98, 11 opponents 1
<*\/\ A - r r % r%\ TTon l i . ? ?
zu^-oioiz;. uoi- nas upcaeu mark in rieia
Metro play with a 2-1 record in holding six of
each of Coach George Felton's 40 percent lev
four years. Jeff Roulston's 29 recorded 69 c
blocked shots (in only 10 games) just 15 less th;
equal the most by a Gamecock in set by the 198
an entire season since Mike Brit- ship team,
tain rejected 48 shots in 1984-85.
MEMPHIS
CINCINNATI BEARCATS MSU's 1
UC's home attendance aver- of Coach Larr
age (8,999 per game) in the new which went or
Myrl Shoemaker Center represents cord. MSU is
a 257 percent increase over what cent from the
the Bearcats averaged (3,572) at Metro play .
this point last year in the Cincin- 1,310 career i
nati Gardens. him into 10th ]
scoring ladder.
FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES
Coach Pat Kennedy SOUTHEF
nee/Is five more wins to reach the GOLDEN E/
200-victory plateau for his career ( has four playei
he is 195-96, .672). ble figures in
Weatherspoc
SP^#)
fro* " ^ '
/ from M
I ' 40,<' ^SCUW D"*S^lnCl^
L^OO -fi?o
issed despite rh
.vf? ^ c! ?
y ; . * Brant Long
?g _
15 Pep Talk
as
s- best. . . ever.
or Ford was the South personified. Ask some North
or ers what a southerner is, and they would probably
>t- say "Danny Ford."
til The tobacco, the cussin', the love of football
they all add up to the perfect man of the South. W
as Danny was interviewed, he wouldn't spit out all ki
tie of football jargon, he would just talk. Many of
ht quotes featured classic Southern terms like "shcx
ht "darn," and the all-time favorite "hooooo-weeee<
or Whatever the quote, Ford was interesting,
th He was also a mastermind of the game. Sure
tie wasn't always pretty ? Terry Allen up the mid
"Obviously, Danny has been one
in the most sucessful college footb<
id coaches in the country. He broug
ld Clemson to new heights. I'm sorry
see him go."
^ Citadel Head Coach Charlie Tas
t- ????
replace Ford), it should give other schools a chance
le catch up," Jeffries said.
is Under the terms of his agreement with Robins
ic Ford will be paid $190,000 a year for the next th
years. He could make $190,000 for up to five ye
> depending on whether Ford accepts another he
I- coaching job.
a
Ford had a five-year contract with Clemson t
ie paid him a $94,000 annual base salary and autom;
. rallv pvtpnHp/1 nnp vpsr aftp.r p.arh spasnn
rd ?J
)n Ford, who played at Alabama and later served as
assistant, joined the Tigers as an assistant in 19'
i- When Pell resigned to take the head coaching job
Florida in 1978, Ford was named head coach prior
'd the Tigers' Gator Bowl game with Ohio State. He v
30 years old at the time.
fc Ford compiled a 96-29-4 record with the Tigers
^ eluding a 5-3 record in bowl appearances.
In 1981 Clqmson won its first and only natio
"s championship by defeating Nebraska 22-15 in the <
ange Bowl.
th Clemson Fmished 10-2 this past season, but fai
to win an unprecedented fourth straight ACC title.
lo The Associated Press contributed to this story
Conference
,LE CARDINALS Chancellor (18.6), Daron Jenl
as held 10 of its last (12.6) and Russell Johnson (L
>elow the 50 percent The Golden Eagles lead the lea
goal shooting, while in field goal shooting (.538)
those foes below the are next to last (.238) in th;
el. The Cards have point accuracy,
lunks in 13 games,
an the school record VIRGINIA TECH HOK]
0 NCAA champion- uimoo i^oies nas oecome
I
state tigers | American Cla
0-4 start equals that j
y Finch s first team, | Til fl PHPTl H f
1 to post a 26-8 re- i inaepenat
shooting 82.6 per- I free
throw line in I M i
. . Elliot Perry's [ I ^ #y
points have moved J M \|4 ^yt/,
place on the all-time J f V
$1.00 o
LN MISSISSIPPI Good t
iGLES USM |
rs averaging in dou- | One Coupor
scoring ? Clarence I the theatre of the columbia film society 9
>n (19.6), Darrin I "Whei
-jm took)
Ikne
4< heen
a*"
tLampus _______
'%Tours
jairy with US
Joe Henderson over right guard ? but
it worked well.
One of the plays that sticks in my rr
back pass that Clemson had begun to i
years ago. Even though you knew it 1
still worked. Against Virginia-Tech, ii
Against USC, it worked well. But U
point.
Considered one of the biggest rivalrii
try, USC-Clemson usually wasn't muc
len- during the Ford era. USC was 3-7-1 ;
just gers, and this year it was no contest.
can brag about how Ford ended his s
? series with USC.
nds ^ne 9uesti?n ^at *s raised by Ford's
where will he go now. it is almost detn
ot ? his caliber will go somewhere. An intei
;jt'? would be Danny Ford at the helm of
Wolverines. It sure would be nice to s
, it of tobacco juice on the immaculate turf
die, Mich.
~ USC to beg
? ly JEFF NICHOLS
Of Sports Editor I
all After a disappointing 57-56 loss
to St. Peter's on Tuesday night, the I
? USC Gamecocks will return to
Metro Conference action' Saturday
afternoon against Florida State in
ife Tallahassee.
The Gamecocks, 6-5 overall and
; to 2-1 in the Metro, were up 56-55
with :27 remaining in the game
on, Tuesday night, but St. Peter's forree
ward Chuck Veterano hit a turnarars
ound jumper with :13 left to win it
?a(j for the Peacocks in front of 10,422 I
at the Meadowlands in East <
Rutherford, N.J.
hat After shooting 52 percent in the
first half against St. Peter's, the I
Gamecocks' shooting dropped to \
"2^ r\nfr?anf ,tn rl fiolf A n/1
jA/ivi/iu in uis^ dVA-uuu naii. nnu ; ?
77 the Gamecocks were outat
rebounded 27-16 in the second *
l0 stanza. f
yas The Gamecocks are down to
nine players and only two guards
after reserve guard Troy McKoy
in- was declared academically ineligi- F
ble on Monday. C
Sophomore guards Jo Jo English c<
" and Bojan Popovich played 38 and oi
37 minutes respectively on Tues- d
day night. Popovich led the Game- V
led cocks with 13 points while English
added 12. N
USC's 3:30 p.m. matchup with T
ans third Tech player and only the
12). sixth Metro Conference player to
gue surpass the 2,000-point career
but mark. He needs 67 points (he now S
ree- has 2,070) to move into second I?
place on the Tech list, and 320 to
take over the top spot from Dell _
[ES Curry (1982-86).
the
1 j
ssics/Foreign Films
nt Filmmakers |
ctcJdt04\ \ I
FF Admission
hru Feb. 18th
7 Per Admission Only
37 MAIN STREET COLUMBIA, SOLTTVI CAROLINA 29201 (803) 254-3433
J [
* |tfl _
??mi iL i J.11 ??? win r
iBigAl
Liio ill at
w the Air Fore
my best step.';
"Big A1 was born a
mite whose tiny frame 1
two-year-old rascal.
'Many nursing pre
vironment. They don't h
can move up quickly. M]
was born ? along with
The Air #
goals,
w
C, columnist says
it worked, and Since Alabama is out of the question, how about
Oklahoma. Former Sooner coach Barry Switzer is one
lind is the tail- of the few men Ford trails on the winningest active
ise a couple of coach list. The Sooners also lost to Colorado this year
was coming, it and lost a shot at the Big Eight title. OU also likes to
t worked well, run, just as Ford does, and run the option. Ford would
SC is another fit in there.
One more suggestion is Florida. Despite troubles
ss in the coun- (like the ones Clemson is going through), they have a
h of a contest primarily running attack. If Ford teamed up with Emigainst
the Ti- mitt Smith, the results could be earth-shattering. Look
Clemson fans at Terrence Flagler and Kevin Mack (his football abilorrmpnt
r>f the itv. not his criminal rerntvft Ford tnnlr thece vnnntT
sters out of high school and turned them into collegiate
and then pro athletes.
; resignation is
nite a coach of Saying Danny Ford will be missed is like saying
resting thought Roseanne Barr eats a little something at each meal,
the Michigan Th*s column's purpose was not to make a hero out of
11 Ford, but ?o one can accuse him of whatever wrongee
a small dot doings Clemson may have committed,
in Ann Arbor, J
Whatever Danny does, I think he'll do it well.
;in Metro road play
JSC (6-5,2-1) vs. Florida State (11-6,2-2)
Date: Saturday, January 20
Hme: 3 p.m.
5ite: Leon County Civic Center, Tallahassee, Fl.
Series: The series is tied, 12-12.
?ast meeting: Florida State defeated USC, 80-63.
3adio: South Carolina Network with Bob Fulton and Don
ATtiliams (WVOC-560 AM).
television: Raycom TV (WIS-TV 10)
loaches: USC-George Felton (59-38), FSU-Pat Keniedy(60-30,184-90)
lorida State at the Leon County Pat Kennedy's squad finished
ivic Center will mark the Game- first in the Metro Conference last
xks' first conference road game year with a 9-3 record,
f the season. The game is sche- The Seminoles lost to Louisville
uled to be shown locally on in the Metro Conference TournaflS-10.
ment championship game last year
The Seminoles are 2-2 in the at the Frank McGuire Arena after
letro and 11-6 overall prior to a beating USC 80-63 in the
hursday night game at Miami. semifinals.
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