Federal Judge Strikes Down NCAA’s Proposition 16

A federal judge in Philadelphia ruled Monday that the NCAA may not use a minimum test score to eliminate student-athletes from eligibility to play college sports because the practice is unfair to blacks.

District Judge Ronald L. Buckwalter cited the NCAA’s research showing that the practice harmed black students’ chances of being declared academically eligible. He said there were other methods available to reach the goal of higher graduation rates that would be fairer to blacks.

Four black student-athletes who were denied eligibility to take part in college sports challenged the rule, which is commonly known as Proposition 16.

The NCAA had required that incoming freshmen have a minimum score of 820 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, no matter how high their high school grades were, in order to participate in college sports.

An NCAA attorney said the organization will seek a suspension of the judge’s order “because at this point there is no rule at all”--which she called a disservice to student-athletes.

“It means that there is no standard to guide the schools,” NCAA General Counsel Elsa Kircher Cole said. “Each school will have to decide itself whether a student can play the first year. It could lead to inconsistencies between standards at the schools and leaves the possibility of student athletes being exploited.”

Olympics

The outcome of a vote by a special general assembly of the International Olympic Committee in Switzerland on March 16-17 appears in little doubt. Juan Antonio Samaranch apparently will be endorsed and will remain as president of the IOC.

Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman, prompted by a story in the Toronto Star, has ordered an audit to determine whether a Canadian Olympic official, Carol Anne Letheren, was in conflict of interest when she received consulting fees while serving as an officer on Toronto’s failed bid for the 1996 Olympics.

College Basketball

Elton Brand, 6-foot-8 sophomore center for Duke, is the lone unanimous choice on the Associated Press All-American team. Joining him on the first team are junior forward Richard Hamilton of Connecticut, senior guards Andre Miller of Utah and Jason Terry of Arizona, and junior guard Mateen Cleaves of Michigan State. UCLA’s Baron Davis was named to the third team.

Duke finished No. 1 in the season’s final Associated Press college basketball poll, with UCLA ranked 15th. . . . The UCLA women were also ranked 15th in the final AP women’s poll, with Purdue finishing No. 1.

Stanford assistant Trent Johnson was named coach at the University of Nevada. Johnson, 42, will remain with the Cardinal through the NCAA tournament. . . . Ben Howland was introduced as the new coach at Pittsburgh. Howland, 41, was the coach at Northern Arizona for five seasons. He replaces Ralph Willard, who resigned after five seasons at Pitt.

Wayne Morgan, unable to produce a winning team in his first three seasons as coach of the Long Beach State men’s basketball team, will nevertheless be back for a fourth season, Athletic Director Bill Shumard said.

Women’s Hockey

Shelley Looney and Jenny Schmidgall each had two goals as the United States women’s hockey team beat Russia, 10-2, in the World Cup championships at Helsinki, Finland. Also scoring for the U.S. were Brandy Fisher, Krissy Wendell, Katie King, Cammi Granato, Tricia Dunn and Karyn Bye.

Canada outshot Switzerland, 73-19, in a 10-0 victory, Sweden beat China, 3-1, and Finland blanked Germany, 9-0.

Miscellany

The 35th Congressional Cup racing regatta begins today in the outer harbor off Long Beach’s Belmont Pier. The 10 entries will sail Catalina 37s in a double round-robin schedule through Saturday. There will be sail-offs only to settle ties.

Two-time winner Gavin Brady of Annapolis and defending champion Peter Holmberg of the U.S. Virgin Island head the field.

The National Volleyball Assn., a five-year-old women’s league based in San Diego, has canceled its 1999 season. A new league, U.S. Volleyball, will hold player tryouts April 10 in the Chicago area.

Names in the News

Tiger Woods fired caddie Mike “Fluff” Cowan, ending a 2 1/2-year partnership. Woods hired Steve Williams, who has worked for Raymond Floyd the last 12 years, to replace Cowan.

Robert Hendren, a three-year starter at USC as an offensive tackle and defensive end in the late 1940s, died Friday of stomach cancer at 75. Hendren also played three seasons in the NFL with the Washington Redskins.

Bobby Muth, 85, a USC basketball coach during World War II, died in Huntington Beach following complications from a stroke.

Randy Harvey is on assignment