NCAA, UNLV Told to Pay Legal Fees Owed by Tarkanian

A judge has ordered the NCAA and the University of Nevada Las Vegas to pay $195,951 in attorney’s fees that UNLV basketball Coach Jerry Tarkanian incurred in an eight-year battle with the sports governing body.

In a decision Monday at Las Vegas, District Judge Paul Goldman, who lashed out at NCAA officials last summer for their handling of the Tarkanian case, ordered the NCAA to pay 90% of the fees and the university to pay 10%.

Tarkanian said: “I’m really elated. They (NCAA) put me through all kinds of misery. It’s only fair I should get the attorney’s fees paid. I think it just shows again how bizarre my case was.”

Goldman ruled in June that the NCAA had violated Tarkanian’s due process rights and acted as “arrogant lords of the manor” in trying to suspend the coach for alleged violations in the UNLV basketball program in the mid-1970s.

Tarkanian, one of college basketball’s winningest coaches, has carried on a running battle with the NCAA since he coached at Cal State Long Beach in the early 1970s. Long Beach was hit with NCAA sanctions after Tarkanian left to go to UNLV.

Philadelphia 76er forward Julius Erving and television announcer Lynn Swann were involved in a car accident Monday morning but were not injured.

Erving was driving the former Pittsburgh Steeler wide receiver to Philadelphia International Airport when a truck attempting a right turn from the left lane struck the left side of Erving’s car, police said. The car was badly damaged and had to be towed from the scene.

Erving attended a team practice after the crash.

Soviet sports officials confirmed in Moscow that Anatoly Pisarenko, the world’s strongest man, and his main rival were dropped from the national weightlifting team because they were convicted last year on drug charges in Canada.

A spokesman for the Sports Committee’s weightlifting section said Pisarenko, 26, and Alexander Kurlovich, 23, were working but not in sports.

A Quebec court convicted the pair Dec. 7 of possessing anabolic steroids for the purpose of selling the drug in Canada. Both were fined.

An American woman, Carol Polis, has been rejected as a judge in a world boxing title fight Saturday in London because the challenger’s manager says a woman’s place is in the home.

Polis, who has judged 12 world championship bouts, was on a list of possible officials for the World Boxing Assn. welterweight match between champion Donald Curry of the United States and Welsh challenger Colin Jones.

But Jones’ manager, Eddie Thomas, was quoted by London newspapers as telling the promoters: “I happen to believe that if more women stayed at home looking after their husbands and families, there would be far less trouble in the world.”

A top price of $1,250,000 was paid Monday by Claiborne Farm for the broodmare Original Cin, in foal to top sire Alydar, at the opening day of the January Horses of All Ages Sale at Keeneland (Ky.) Race Course.

Original Cin is 6-year-old dark bay or brown mare, by Jacinto out of Native Nurse. Original Cin is the half-sister to $934,000 stakes winner Love Sign. She was consigned by Glencoe Farm, of Lexington, acting as agent for Malmuth & Rosenthal. Claiborne farm was also acting as an agent.

The Atlantic Coast Conference, in a break with the College Football Assn., said it has signed a two-year football agreement with CBS-TV.

Terms were not announced, but an industry spokesman said the contract guarantees 14 appearances for the eight-team ACC for a total of $3.5 million.

CBS last week announced with a two-year football deal with the Pac-10 and Big Ten conferences for $18.5 million.