North Carolina Newspapers

SAT., SEPTEMBER 5, 1981 THE CAROLINA TIMES -5 CM: Charlotte Bowl Flops Bring It Here on Armstrong, Jr. off, let me say hope the CIAA South Bowl in on November Hugh success but case that venture ; live up to expec- then I request J powers that be in AA bring their act ham in the future. ^ I’ve got to ad- a( my home town is showing, but no offense to •lie, I really , ihat “The D” is ’ the finest sports iround. I state my -ith the following When it comes to Durham is the most experienced city in the Carolina. It’s the on ly city other than Pasadena, California to ever stage a Rose Bowl game (1942) and more recently, the Black Na tional Championship or Pelican Bowl in 1972. It should be pointed out that both bowls were transferred to Durham on short notice and they both were successful. Second, (again with no offense to Charlotte) Durham, which sits right in the heart of ACC country, is used to big lime collegia'te sporting events. With three of the ACC’s glamour schools (Duke, UNC and State) all within twenty minutes of downtown Durham, the city is an old hand at putting on big football games. Third, Duke’s Wallace Wade Stadium (capacity 56,550 which can be ex panded to 65,000) is big ger than any football field that Charlotte can offer and the historic stadium has just been renovated. it now possesses what Duke proudly claims is the best media facility in America. I know you Charlotte people will point out that you’re the only true “big city’’ in the Carolinas and with a population in the city approaching 400,000 versus Durham’s 110,000, it’s hard to argue the point. But even ' though we’re smaller, we don’t exactly roll up the sidewalks here. Like Charlotte, we have sights to see, theatre, a sym- Dhony, museums, etc. game will attract a most ly black audience, Durham has long been a flagship for black enter prise, movements, etc. Weil, enough of this for now. I hope the Bowl succeeds in Charlotte. I wish the Queen City well, but if — just if — the Bowl doesn’t make it there then give Durham a .shot. 1981 NFL Forecast Is NFC Catching Up With AFC? Larry Barber ihe initial weekend the month of ember, the National League will ash its twenty-eight to undoubtly mate the public eye some 20 weeks; axing on January 24 ’oniiac, Michigan’s Silverdome where I Bowl XVI is luled to crown the football champions le world. le NFL clubs offer [icient ' profes- ilism, sophisticated ms, computerized oizaiion, and the lesi individual talent is equaled by none he face of this earth, ecjuse of the unerr- expenise, the dif- ice of success bet- 1,.. say the defen- world champion lard Raiders, and Orleans Saints, won one game one ago; is but a fumble interception apart, lis is the result of missioner Pete lie’s quest for pari- ind’a glowing com- iveness that cuts into very soul of every player. own through uhe the NFL has been acierized by one of the game or her. There have eras of the over- tring defenses — the tisive offenses — the erful quarterbeks — the untouchable run- The latter of which . ted the seventies and the calalyy for ^pionships. owever, the last two revitalized another The bomb!! • rediscovered 'On was evident in nine National 2ll Conference I and seven rican Football Con- (AFC) quarier- nhrowing for 3,000 or more, with Dan ^of San Diego, and t Sipe of Cleveland over 4,000; while 'g for 30 fdowns each. The tuiso came rapidly )iher AFC teams as ’Ore threw for twen- ttiore touchdowns, the NFC, eight * matched their ifitpart by having 'ty or better scores Je pass; with Los Atlanta, and eclipsing 30. Steve Bar- sh led the league I 31 scoring b. while Vince Fer- ^0 of LA (now with Canada) had I® receivers had a ' loo. Nine NFC :ts players and seven Receivers caught 60 or more, and four . each conference ^0 over 1,000 ■'m receptions. San / . phenomenal .Reiver John Jef- IJed the entire *0 both yarda^ge gained (1,340) and touchdowns (13). Team mate Kellen Winslow, a tight end, led the NFL with 89 total catches. Green Bay’s James Lof ton was the NFC’s yar dage leader with 1,226; V Dwight Clark of San 'Francisco led in recep- -ions with 82, while the Giants’ Ernest Gray was tops w'ith ten. The trend appears to have found a place in the eighties as more clubs are using the “shotgun”, a passing formation u.sed only by the Cowboys of recent, until last season. Why the NFC-AFC breakdown? Because the two are of a different breed, and there is a distinct characteristic study of diversity. The AFC has outplayed the NFC in head-to-head competi tion for the past nine years. The NFC had more victories in the first two years, 1970 and 1971, the AFC took 1972, and there was a 19-19-2 tie in 1973. The eleven-year regular season total favors the AFC at 247 wins, 199 losses, and six ties. An AFC has won eleven of the 15 Super Bowls, and last season was more of the same as Oakland claimed the title, and the AFC outclassed its dou ble 33-19-0. Many reasons have been deriv ed to explain the lop sidedness, but the more popular ones are that the NFC was too con.ser- vative, and lacked the good young quarter backs. Well, according to . statistics in this article, Godlva Labor Day Race Set The Carolina Godiva Track Club will sponsor the Fburlh Annua! Labor Day Race on September 7, 8 a.m., on the Duke University campus. Registration and packet pickup is schedul ed for Sunday, September 6, 2-5 p.m., and Monday, September 7, 6:30-7:30 a.m., at the Qorner of Science Drive, and Highway 751. The Start/Finish line is at the Duke West Campus Soccer Field, corner of Science Drive and* Highway 751. The distances* are 15,000 meters and 1.5 mile fun run. The course is cer tified. Godiva will host the N.C. TAC 15,000 meter state championship this year. Participants in terested in entering this category should have a current TAC number (available day of race). For more information, send SASE to Box 3058, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 or call Durham evenings, 286-0631 or 493 3702. NFC offenses have open ed up, with quarterbacks like Bartkowski, Doug Williams (Tampa), Vince Evans (CThicago), Ron Jaworski (Philly), Tom Kramer (Minn.), Pat Haden (LA), and Danny White (Dallas); the head- to-head and Super Bowl gap should begin to nar row. NFC EASTERN DIVISION — The Dallas Cowboys have been to the Super Bowl five times (won two), more than any other club; they have won sevenxof the 11 division title's Hrtce the present system tvas installed in 1970, and'^were riding on four ’"'StiVight until Philadelphia!, dethroned them last .season: The. Eagles have a w'el! disciplined, balenced at tack, embedded in a sea of emotion. With Wilbert Montgomery at full speed and the ever present Harold Car michael, Philly should have enough to repeat; despite a more serious Tony Dorsett of the Cowboys, who will be hurting in the defensive secondary. Wasffington brought in a new coach who is offensive-minded, and new players Joe Washington and Terry Metcalf. These newcomers will help-bet ter that 6-10 slate, and initiate a challenge. St. Louis will have Jim Hart, the NFL’s leading active passer, back for at ' least anpther year; and Otis Anderson in only his third .season, is already considered one of the great ones. The New York Giants will move on the Sims to Gray combination, and hope that the Harry Carson-led defense can stop the big play. PREDICTION: 1.Philly 2. Dallas 3. Washington 4. St. Louis 5. N.Y. Giants. NFC WESTERN DIVISION — The Los Angeles Rams had won seven consecutive divi sional titles until the Atlanta Falcon« dumped them a year ago. Atlanta could possibly field the strongest team in the league with Bartkowski, a wealth of very capable receivers, good runn- ingbacks, and a scrappy defensive unit; but look for LA to return to the crest. ’The Rams’ grind- it-out operation, led by the quick Wendell Tyler and bruising Cullen Bryant, an inspired defense, and experience should prevail. San Francisco started fast in ‘80 with quarterback Joe Montana and runn- ingback Earl Cooper, but faltered at mid season. 'New Orleans hired Houston-rele^ised 0um Phillips to guide its misfortunes, The Saints have a good signal-caller • in Archie Manning, and they drafted, Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers. PREDICTION: I. Los Angeles 2. Atlan ta 3. San Francisco 4. New Orleans. NFC CENTRAL DIVISION — What can be said when two top teams fo 9-7, the third 7-9. and the other two 5-10-1? Parity? Yes, parity within the divi sion; but there are 23 other professional fran chises to reckon with. The Minnesota Vikings returned to their familiar number one spot after bowing to Tampa Bay in 1979. They have w'on nine of the II divisional titles and with Kramer, Ahmad Rashad, Ricky Young, and Jeff Seimon, who -Steadies the defense; they will again be con tenders. Detroit, sparked by rookie billy Sims and a defensive and a defen sive rush called “The Silver Streak”, lost the crown to the Vikes by one of the NFL tie breaking procedures in 1980. Walter Payton and Chicago are always somewhere close, but if the Bears rally around quarterback Vince Evans; they could be standing on the heap of the “black and blue” division looking down at the mess. Tampa Bay got a tremendous season out of quarterback: Doug Williams, but that Buc caneer defense that was so good back in 1979, played hooky in ‘80. First round draftee Hugh Green should put life back into the platoon, and if the receivers hold on to the football that nearly knocks them down; watch those Bucs. Green Bay has a great passing game, but need some foot soldiers and a stinger defense. PREDICTION: 1.Tam pa Bay 2. Detroit 3. Min nesota 4. Chicago 5. Green Bay. AFC EASTERN DIVISION ~ The Buf falo Bills were fun to watch last year with Joe Ferguson coming back, and a new running threat in Joe Cribbs, as they won this division. The New England Patriots, who have had one of the finest teams year after year, choked again in 1980. If they can settle on quarterback, look for better things, and better things mean settling on Steve Grogan. Miami broke even last year, and with the problems the Dolphins are experienc ing on and off the field; they are still revamping. The Jets, picked by many to win a year ago, must now prove themselves since the rash of wounds have healed. The Baltimore Colts are always tough when Bert Jones is able to play, but they have let too many good players go. PREDICTION: 1.-New England 2. Buffalo 3. Miami 4. N.Y. Jets 5. A Little Quick Hand Movement WBC Welterweight Champion Sugar Ray Leonard (1) shows a little quick hand movement to guest host Bill Cosby during recent showing of “The Tonight Show”. While giving lessons in throwing punches, Leonard talked with Cosby about his coming championship fight on September 16 with Tommy Hearns in Las Vegas. UPI Photo Baltimore. AFC WESTERN DIVISION — THe pass rules this division and no one does it better than the San Diego Chargers. Add that to a steady defense and one might be talking Super. They will have to contend with defending champ’ion Oakland, however, a learn that plays only to win. The Raiders have a reborn Jim Plunkett, wide man Cliff Branch, and an opportunistic defense led by Lester Hayes and Ted Hen dricks.Denver, once a proud franchise from the mile-high city, and a 1978 Super Bowl partici pant, has fallen on hard times. Kansas City showed promise of retur ning to glory last year ty ing the Broncos at 8-8-0. The Seattle Seahawks have enough firepower to unseat any of the rest. Quarterback Jim Zorn and receiver Steve Largeni are due. PREDICTION: 1. San Diego 2. Oakland 3. Denver 4. Kansas City 5. Seattle. AFC CENTRAL DIVISION — The Cleveland Browns and Houston Oilers beat the Pittsburgh Sleelers (won four • of four Super Bowls) out of the playoffs last season, but the men who wear black and gold are out to avenge that. They will gel their biggest resistance from the division -winning Browns, who play until the final gun. Sipe was the top-rated quarter back in the leag'ue in 1980, but Cleveland must display a stiffer pass rush. Houston lost Bum, Whiteshoes, and the Snake is semi-retired, but they did retain Earl Campbell, the best in the NFL. Pittsburgh should have Franco Harris, Joe Greene, and John Stallworth back at full strength. The Cincinnati Bengals are better than 6-10 with a healthy Ken Anderson, and he should return to true form. PREDICTION: 1. Pitt sburgh 2. Cleveland 3. Cincinnati 4. Houston. The wild card teams will probably be the Browns, the Raiders, the Cowboys and the Falcons. (Continued On Page 7) Extra strength relieves problem itching. I|’s called BiCOZENE®and it has 20% more anesthetic than Lanacane.® BiCOZENE's extra strength anesthetic safely cools all kinds of problem itching virtually on contact. And BiCOZE.NE s antibacterial action speeds healing of itchy genital or anal areas. Look for BiCOZLNE Creme in the purple box at your pharmacy. Or ask for "By-Co-Zeen!’ Extra strength. Use on/y as directed. BitOZENE ALUMNI NIGHT Hillside High School versus New Hanover High $1 Admission For Everybody Durham County Stadium 8 PM USA CABLE channel 11 Monday uSsr*' P'-ofessiona/ wrestling SSiXS' Tuesday P'-oS amateur boxing a Women's pro Attention Sports Fans! If you like sports—you’ll love our line-up on USA Network—a cable exclusive! Thrill to over 375 events a year with teams, games and sports events the networks don’t carry! 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