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The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 55
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The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 55

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Indianapolis, Indiana
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Page:
55
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

2I THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1982 George McGinnis: Me defied comparison v-. -Tr Sports over lightly LBob Collins. Sports Editor The entire floor was his domain. He took it off at one end, put it in at the other, noncha-lantly dealt assists and captured rebounds in places you can't reach without wings. George's vintage season was 1974-75 when he was as close to a complete basketball player as you will ever see.

His stats read like they belong to three people 495 assists, 202 steals, an average of 14.3 rebounds and 29.8 points a game. Now, time, the unforgiving father of us all, "has eroded those skills. The Pacers have given up on him. And it has to hurt It's his team his town. Often, the athlete is last to realize his body is betraying him.

I saw Joe Louis and Mu- hammad Ali telegraphing punches they onceH; unloaded with blinding speed; Hank Aaron 'jj struggling to hit .220. Despite all they believed they could reach back and find it one more time. GEORGE BELIEVES he still can play. I hope he's right and that someone will give him a shot He's a little bitter and a whole lot disappointed. That's understandable.

If, however, George has played his last basketball game he can walk away proudly. He was the greatest who ever played professional basketball in this town. He can say, and none will deny, "I'm George McGinnis and I left footprints where no others have walked." NE NIGHT I remember. It was soon after the Pacers moved into Market Square Arena. And the big guy was having a George tMcGinnis night He dribbled a few off his knees, threw up a some long shots that fell like dead birds and flipped a layup four feet over the basket The crowd was all over him.

But, fans harassing George made a different sort of sound almost joyous. He was their man and they enjoyed some of his outrageous mistakes nearly as much as when he suddenly put it together and ravaged a basketball game. After this particular contest I sneaked a peak at the stats, then went out with some friends. Subtly, pulling out the needle, I put a line on the table: "Boy, George was awful tonight." After they wasted 15 minutes agreeing in language that caused maidens a mile away to don ear muffs, I dropped the zingen "Yes, sir, he had 28 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists." THE GAME WAS 48 minutes for George. And while he was a living example of the line, "nobody's perfect" it usually came out wondrous when it all was pieced together.

And I'll never forget a moment at the Coliseum. George stole the ball and had nothing but hardwood between himself and the basket. He took a giant stride over the center line and let it fly. Slick Leonard slapped his palm on the floor hard enough to shatter his jawbone and began unloading expletives as fast as he could wrap them around his tongue. The crowd noise caused him to pause and look up just in time to see the scoreboard jump three points.

Shaking his head, he lamely muttered, "Great shot, big guy." That was our George. He defied comparison, because there were times when he brought his own ball; played his own game. And there were moments when he operated on his own level. When he had the wheels rolling, he was a one-man wave of destruction nothing human could stop him. AT fr-8 AND 235 pounds, he was built like he was carved out of ebony.

He had speed and superb body control, plus a great player's instinct for the ball and feel for where every teammate was on the court Star pttota George McGinnis looks to hoop as rookie B'g guy could do it all: pass, shoot, rebound Phillips, Hawks nip Illini, 14-13 Iowa City, Iowa (AP) If Iowa never wins another football game this year, Coach Hayden Fry might not be too upset. Victory a boost for young Pacers By DAVE OVERPECK Eleven times in their 16 years, the Indiana Pacers have won their season-opener. None was more important to the club than Friday's 93 90 triumph over the Washington Bullets. "We have no excuses," White said. "You have to credit Iowa.

They did a great job. They did what they had to do. Iowa made the crucial downs when they had to, Illinois didn't. It's that simple." Phillips scored on a 2 yard run in the first quarter and Chuck Long flipped an 8 yard touchdown pass to Ronnie Harmon to put Iowa ahead, 14-10, entering the fourth period. THEN, AFTER Illinois' Mike Bass kicked a 45-yard field goal, Phillips scampered 30 yards to give Iowa a first down when the Haw-keyes faced a third and 29 situation at their own 32 with less than two minutes remaining in the game.

Four plays later, Tom Nichol punted out of bounds at the Illinois 1 foot line with 24 seconds left to doom the Illini. Eason, who engineered a last minute vitory over Wisconsin last week, then threw four straight in complete passes, the last one a bomb that hit the turf at the Iowa 35 as time expired. Iowa, 5 3 overall, sent its league record to 41 and pulled into a second place tie with Ohio State. The Hawkeyes used several trick plays in the game, including a fake field goal and a pass after a double reverse. Illinois, which led 10-7 at the half, fell to 6 3 and 5-2.

Led by running back Eddie Phillips, Iowa held off Illinois, 14 13, Saturday to move into second place in the Big Ten Conference race while dealing Illinois a setback in its Rose Bowl hopes. "I'm speechless," Fry said. "I've got the most beautiful team in the world. They keep fightin' and scrat-chin' and that's what life is all about They're never going to be quitters. "I'd like to win some more games, but this game will satisfy me.

This is a measuring stick for character." PHILLIPS SCORED a first half touchdown and broke loose on a crucial long run late in the game to secure the victory. The 6-foot-l, 200-pound junior finished with 158 yards in 27 carries. While Phillips helped the Iowa offense control the ball, the Hawkeye defense limited the potent Illini and quarterback Tony Eason to one touchdown, that coming on a long pass early in the game. "They had a bomb for a touch down and two field goals," Fry said. "If that's not a good defense against the best quarterback in the country, I don't know what is." Illinois Coach Mike White called the loss a "painful experience" for his team, which started the day trailing league-leading Michigan by only one-half game.

Eddie Phillips scores on Iowa sweep Drags Illini's Ed Brady (61) into end zone Wolverines roll behind QB Smith How big was it? "The landing on the moon! The discovery of penicillin!" said forward George Johnson. "That's how big it was." That might be an overestimate, but there is question no Pacers team ever has needed to win its first game more. This is a young club. It is a club that is not long on talent. It is a club from which many, fan and expert alike, expect very little.

It is a club that lost its last five exhibition games. In short it is a club that had very little reason to hold much faith in itself. IT NEEDED the dose of confidence that winning can bring. That makes tonight's Market Square Arena game (7:40, WIBC) with the Detroit Pistons look a lot more inviting. Coach Jack McKinney has been preaching three things to the Pacers during training camp.

Friday's result should prove to the club that it can win some games if: It checks out on the boards and rebounds. Keeps pressure on the ball on defense. Runs every time on offense. Those three things the Pacers did Friday and they made up for a lot of other deficiencies. "I'm basically pleased with the win because we played hard," McKinney said afterward.

"But we certainly didn't play well. "It's a good feeling to know that we won and we're going to get better." THERE ARE places were the Pacers can get better tonight No one coach and players included would have thought they could win a game with starting forwards Johnson and Clark Kellogg scoring a combined eight points. Backup center Clem Johnson will be healthier. He was operating on only one good leg Friday and still took 11 rebounds. The bench will get stronger.

Butch Carter did not have a good game. John Duren, though 100 percent better than he was a week ago, still needs to regain the confidence he lost in two mis-spent years at Utah. Brad Branson didn't play Friday night because he didn't know enough of the offense yet. He will take some of the load off the front line starters when he does. And the club still is in the learning process on the offense.

It will improve. There are a few things from Friday night that aren't likely to improve. But if they just stay as good, it will be enough. McKINNEY COULDNT ask for better play than he got from starting guards Billy Knight and Jerry Sicht-ing. Operating mostly on the low post Knight ravaged the Bullets' guards for 28 points on 11-of 14 shooting and 28 points.

He also matched his career-high with nine assists. Sichting had 14 points on 6 of 8 from the floor and had 11 Also, the rebounding was some of the best seen from a Pacer club in ages. Washington is a physical club, one that pounded Indiana on the boards a year ago. This time they took a 54 46 thrashing as Herb Williams matched Clem Johnson's 11, Kellogg took eight and George Johnson seven. A similar board effort is manda tory tonight The Pistons, 94-86 winners over Atlanta Friday night, also are physical with Bill Laimbeer and Kent Benson, and Edgar Jones coming off the bench.

They handled Indiana twice during the preseason, primarily by beating the Pacers to death on the boards. Tonight's game inaugurates ESPN's Sunday night NBA cable coverage, but the game won't be seen locally. Also, the San Diego Chicken will be making his only scheduled appearance of the year. LABOR INCLUDED LABOR INCLUDED OIL, LUBE FILTER I I I LABOR INCLUDED TUNE-UP i $29" 34 $3995 4-Cyl. 6-Cyl.

e-CyL MOST CARS Install new resistor plugs and adust carburetor and idle speed, set timing, test battery and charging system, inspect rotor, distributor cap, PVC valve, ignition cables, air filter, crankcase. vent filter and vapor canister litter. Coupon expires Nov 6, 1982 ALIGNMENT $1395 MOST CARS We precision align caster, i camber and toe-in. Complete 1 front end analysis included. Price covers air-conditioned cars.

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We killed ourselves early when we got some drives going and then killed our chances with our own mistakes and penalties." Schembechler said Carter caught only one pass because "I'm not going to force the ball into him. There was no other time I saw where he didn't have two men on him. "Smith is a good quarterback, It's been that way for five weeks. He's made the plays and played good football." Michigan now goes to Illinois in a game that will have some of the luster taken from it since Iowa handed the Illini their second loss of the season. "We control our destiny," Schembechler said.

"We cannot wait for someone to help us and we don't, want help. We want to do it out-selves." THE WOLVERINES, now 6 0 in the conference and 6 2 overall, won their fifth in a row while the Gophers lost their 'fifth straight Minnesota now stands 35. including 1-4 in the Big Ten. Ann Arbor, Mich. (UPI) Anthony Carter did not explode Saturday as Michigan Coach Bo Schembechler predicted, but the quarterback for the Wolverines did.

Junior Steve Smith threw for three touchdowns for the fourth time in his career and scored one touchdown himself to help Michigan remain the only unbeaten team in Big Ten play with a 52-14 pummeling of Minnesota. "We played pretty good offensively," Schembechler said. "We blocked pretty well. "I didn't think it was that easy in the first half," he said. "But we're not a bad offensive team.

Each game we've gotten a little better." Minnesota Coach Joe Salem was surprised at the huge holes Michigan opened in the Gophers' defensive line. The Wolverines ran for 374 yards. "I knew they would make a lot of rushing yardage," Salem said, "But I didn't think I'd see holes like that in our defense. "MICHIGAN annihilated us up front I'm not pleased with any of our players or their performances. Our Coupon expires Nov 6.

1982 Coupon expires Nov 6 19S2 I 4 MePHFRSflM BRAKES FRONT DISC STRUTS SHOCKS HEAVY DUTY 2 for $2995 I I I $2995 MOST CARS 9995MOSTCARS PARTS AND LABOR SUPER STRUTS $139.95 Coupon expires Nov. 1982 MOST CARS I INSTALLATION INCLUDED I Provides a firm, stable ride. Oilers control and resistance to fade. The double action I function, along with heavy duty valving gives reliable control I Coupon expires Nov. 6, 1982 2-wheel Front Disc.

We In- I stall new front disc pads, I inspect hydraulic systems and rotor. Coupon expires Nov. 6, 1982 1. WINTERIZE I I I ROTATE BALANCE 4 TIRES $1895 I MOST MOST Wisconsin demolishes Northwestern, 54-20 I MOST CARS $1995 CARS TRANSMISSION SPECIAL $1995 MOST CARS Car manufacturers recom. mend automatic transmission oil and filter service every 25.000 to 30.000 miles.

Includes up to 5 qts. of ATF fluid and pan gasket. Additional fluid $1.00 per qt when required. Filter available at extra cost. Coupon expires Nov.

6, 1982 Get ready for the cold winter driving ahead. Drain and Ih.eh rari.ainr fill uiith 9 -'-l'ikr J' yir "1'" CONVENTIONAL WHEELS COMPUTERIZED BALANCE Coupon expires Nov 1982 gallons of anti-freeze. Check all belts, hoses, wipers, I lights and batteries. Coupon expires Nov. 6.

1982 'I REPACK I I LOW MAINTENANCE MONTH MUFFLER LIFETIME GUARANTEE BATTERY $2995 MOST CARS WHEEL BEARINGS 995 MOST CARS Repack front wheel bearings. Install new front grease seals. (And $9 00 tor disc brakes) i $3695 MOST CARS your Replace I noisy worn-out. 1 with THE I nuffler INSTALLED I QUIET ONE. a rugged heavy.

I lutv resistant muffler. Madison, Wis. (UPI) Reserve tailback Troy King rushed for a career-high 166 yards and three touchdowns Saturday to lead Wisconsin to a 54 -20 rout of Northwest em. The victory left Wisconsin, 5-3 overall, with a 4 2 record in the Big Ten and kept alive the Badgers' slim Rose Bowl hopes. Northwestern suffered its third straight defeat and fell to 16 in the Big Ten, 2 7 overall.

The loss was the 46th in a row on the road for the Wildcats, who last won an away game in 1974 at Minnesota. King, a third-string senior subbing for the injured John Williams and the suspended Chucky Davis, broke loose on touchdown runs of 8, 55 and 17 yards. Fullback Gerald Green and quarterback Randy Wright each added 1-yard scoring runs and Wright fired a 31-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jeff Nault Gary Ellerson had a 4-yard run and defensive tackle Darryl Sims tackled Wildcat quarterback Sandy Schwab in the end zone for a safety. KEVIN ROHDE, a senior from Neenah, appearing in his first varsity game, kicked a 30 yard field goal and five extra points to complete the scoring for Wisconsin. Northwestern scored on a pair of Schwab touchdown passes, 7-yards to Tim Cummings, a freshman full-backyfrom Madison, and 19-yards to Anthony Coates.

The Wildcats adde a late touchdown on a 39 yard pass from reserve quarterback Steve Burton to Ricky Edwards with 1:20 to play. I Coupon expires Nov. 6 1982 I Coupon expires Nov 6. 1982 Coupon expires Nov 0, 1962 i PRICES GOOD AT THESE DEALERS ONLYi HOURS 8:00 A.M. 7:10 P.M.

WON. 8:00 A.M. 5:30 P.M. 1:00 A.M. 2:00 P.M.

SAT. 4 WAYS TO CHARGE SOUTH AUTO TIRE, INC 4125 U.S. 31 787-8321 NORTH HARRIS TIRE Automotive 5402 N. Keystone 255-4191 ALL WORK GUARANTEED FOR 0 DAYS OR 4,000 MILES. The San Diego Chicken will make his first appearance of the NBA season at Market Square Arena tonight when- the Indiana Pacers host the Detroit Pistons.

Game time is 7:40. 1.

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