Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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USC's bub NCAA go As I was driving to the Sports Information Office on Monday I was thinking about how I would address the NCAA's clean bill of health for USC's athletic department. Then on my left, as I passed the Graveyard, I eyed the "new" bubble which looks like a huge aircraft hanger. I say "new" because this will replace the "old" inflatible bubble that burst when the winds of Hugo blew through Columbia last September. Then it dawned on me. The bubble was almost synonymous with Gamecock athletics during the '80s until it was blown over. And when the bubble died it was right around the time that USC was having problems in the athletic department. During the controversial '80s, the Gamecocks saw two men's head basketball coaches, four head football coaches, three athletic directors, an investigation of anabolic steroid use, an athletic director's civil suit and, most recently, the resignation of the president. Amidst a No.2 ranking in football in 1984 and an NCAA playoff birth in college basketball and other good things, the '80s could be remembered for all the poor things that happened in Gamecock athletics, including the men's basketball team being placed on probation. And then the bubble keeled over. So while the bubble was trying to be replaced or restructured, the incaa Committee on infractions investigated the athletic department and this past week they came out with their decision, or rather nondecision. The committee imposed no new penalties, yet they extended USC's probationary status to one-half year, until February 1991, so the NCAA could review the Fall 1990 semester results of USC's monitoring and compliance program which had been implemented in 1987. ooi CHIC Oli kXCUSC5DOT! OtOOOD w|TiC El I 1 31 Wm,m FsER WORK ups UP ? J of the ible, together Fred gonzalez * Pep Talk The NCAA also felt the many frustrating events since 1987, which I mentioned earlier, "frustrated the University's good intentions" to fully implement the University's monitoring and compliance program. And finally, the NCAA stated: "In no way should this decision be interpreted as a negative indictment of the university or the new athletics administration. To the contrary, the committee finds the University still committed to the same spirit of cooperation displayed at the original hearing in 1987. The committee looks forward to the university's report and the conclusion of the probationary peroid in this case." So in short, the NCAA felt the athletic department took care of the negatives in a positive way, and rewarded the school's actions with no penalties. Athletic director King Dixon was quoted as saying the decison gave USC a new starting point to improve in the athletic field. And perhaps it will. Recruiting will be easier without having to mention the "NCAA's impending investigation" and USC athletics in the same sentence. And the weight'of this ordeal has been lifted off the Gamecock's shoulders. And of course the problem with the bubble has been solved. And perhaps in 10 years when the industructable Gamecock hanger is viewed upon, one will think back to when it was completed and remember it as a monument symbolizing the fresh, new start of Gamecock athletics. m KEN IT. s*vt irvts, cxs 1st to fll mm at 1^ We are a eqi ;iNG FOR STUDENTS W Apply in person todg /\ i in 11et 1 lO.Ottm An C+k nuyuoi , IL-O|JIII un u u s Business Administratic i 4- 5 fall i, p ^ USC Athletic Director King Dixon Gamecock starts next From Staff Reports The USC athletic department announced that it will begin operation of the expanded Gamecock Hotline telephone audio service on Friday, Aug. 10 at 5 p.m. The University, in conjunction with Jim 1 Seay Productions of Columbia, will offer the service by dialing 1-900-230-2001, with the service available 24 hours a day. "We are certainly excited about the announcement of our Gamecock Hotline," athletic director King Dixon said. "With the number of expanded lines and services involved, we will now be in a position to offer our Gamecock fans across the country the opportunity to keep up with our athletic programs and our Alumni Association's activities. We want to be able to spread the word about all of our programs to our fans nationwide and believe that the Gamecock Hotline will provide our fans with tremendous communications posibilities." The initial offering will feature comments from head football coach Sparky Woods' preseason press conference. This will be one of five programs available on the Gamecock Hotline, compared to just one in 1989 when the popularID TIME 1KJ 1 llflE UPS." JPS is flexible I told them I a problem?classes all ning and labs in the afteri. They said, 'No problem. Id I work an evening ?' Perfect. But that's how I is. They make it easy for ent to work part-time. 3icking your own sche\ is only part of it. I get )st $10,000 a year, paid days, paid vacations and lical benefits?all for ung about four hours a 4o other company underds students like UPS. And ther company offers more. / make it easy to work your through school." jal opportunity employer. HO WORK FOR US. EDUCATION ly i floor >n Building m i Hotline Friday ity of the informational telephone source produced as many as 19,000 calls in a single week. Line one of the Hotline will consist of sports updates, which will give a daily rundown of Gamecock athletic events. Line two will feature coaches and players comments, giving coverage to all 15 varsity Gamecock sports. Gamecock Club information will be available on line three, while line four will be the USC Alumni Association's outlet regarding the association's activities and meetings. Line five will provide fans the opportunity to voice their sentiments and opinions on the Game cock Feedback line. There will be a charge of 95 cents per minute for each call. In order to gain access to the Hotline, calls must be originated from a touch tone telephone. I wh!> IE laundry fac IE * full furnitu /%! T- /*v -f I jjcubage iu. summer swimming ] sleeping & : Furnished and U NOW PRE-LEAi 30-60-90 OFFICE HOURS: M-F 9:30-5:30 211 MAIN ST. USC escap NCAA sari By the Associated Press m South Carolina's football program escaped sanctions today as the 01 NCAA announced it found no seri- 01 ous rule violations resulting from c the steroid scandal which led to c prison terms for three former assistant coaches. " Also, the NCAA extended by " six months the school's two-year men's basketball probation, which 0 began in 1987 and was to have ended in 1989. The probation now s will run until February 1991. The NCAA said it wanted to re- u view the 1990 fall semster results of a 17-point monitoring and compliance program instituted after the c probation. P The decision about the football program lifted a cloud that has r' hung over the school for some two years since an article in Sports II- ? lustrated by an ex-Gamecock player alleged that steroid use was P widespread. "I feel the weight of the world p has been lifted off my shoulders," b Athletic Director King Dixon said. 0 "I think it's a great day." fj The NCAA said changes in ath- S( letic department personnel "frustrated the university's good inten- v tions" to fully implement the de- 0 partment's monitoring and compliance program. a The NCAA said the school g failed to adhere to its life-styles j drug testing program for athletes i from 1985 to 1987. An in-house q task force also reached tht same 0 conclusion, which led to the firing _f a xLi _^ r\ ^ n -i. i k oi /unieuc uirecior dud jviaicum y in March 1988. The NCAA said it also found g two secondary violations, one in- \ volving football, the other men's ^ basketball. The violations, not part y of the report, "illustrate the univer- p sity's commitment to make its mo- ^ nitoring system work," the NCAA y said. p Athletic Director King Dixon re- 0 fused to dislose the violations. "It should be noted, however, q that if the Committee had deter- s\ JOME SEE lT WE'VE G FOR YOU! ituf r^WHAJ rsr Poo1 NU I studying lofts " nfurnished Apartm SING FOR SUMMER , I 71 /Y?( T filf ClIMI 1 ' JUCUOCO /l/l UM-lft.' A NEW LEASE ON UNIVERSITY LIFE 254-7801 ^ >es ictions lined that individuals in the athlecs administration had been aware f violation, the (Infractions) Comlittee would have considered the ase to be major in nature," acording to the NCAA report. "The NCAA announcement larks the beginning of a new era," iterim university president Arthur I. Smith said at a news onference. "Today's announcement uperbly positions us for future onference developments and afflictions.," Smith said. The university is looking into he possibility of joining another onference or taking part in an expanded Metro Confernence. In its five-volume, 6-inch-thick sport sent to the NCAA on Jan. 1, he university said that it uncovred a half dozen possible rule vioitions and found "widespread exerimentation" with steroids from 983 to 1987. The report found that at least ivo coaches paid for the muscleuilding drugs for players on four ccasions. It also revealed for the irst time that two former players old their complimentary tickets. South Carolina officials met /ith the Committee on Infractions n June 22 to discuss the report. The university began its probe fter a first-person article by exouth Carolina defensive lineman 'ommy Chaikin in an October 988 issue of Sports Illustrated. !haikin, who played at South Carlina from 1983 to 1987, wrote lat as many as half the players on te 1986 team used steroids. The article later led to a federal rand jury investigation. On Aug. 0, three former Gamecock assistnt coaches ? Tom Kurucz, Jim /ashburn and Keith Kephart ? 1 CkfkAckA mnlttr tn illa/rolln tvauvu guiiij w niveau; uuj 1115 le muscle-building drugs. Both /ashburn and Kurucz also leaded guilty to providing sterids to players. Another ex-assistant ? Tom iadd ? was acquitted of charges emming from the controversy. ;?T I ar I _ _ Br 1 r ents Available S AND FALL!! j iter!