Morning Briefing : Flutie Contract a Bonus for Kelly

The happiest quarterback in the land Friday was Doug Flutie, who agreed to sign a contract with the New Jersey Generals that will pay him a reported $7 million over five years. The second happiest was Jim Kelly of the Houston Gamblers.

Reason: Kelly has a clause in his contract stipulating that he be among the three highest-paid quarterbacks in the USFL. According to Todd Phipers of the Denver Post, Kelly ranked third behind Steve Young of the Express and Brian Sipe of the Generals. With Flutie moving into the picture, Kelly will move past Sipe. That will add more than $100,000 to Kelly’s salary, which was $700,000 last season.

Quiz time: Roger Staubach and Joe Namath, just elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, were both college seniors in 1964. Who won the Heisman Trophy that year? (Answer below.)

Add Staubach: He went to high school in Cincinnati and says, “My first dream was to play for the Cincinnati Reds. I remember going to Crosley Field. I used to watch guys like Ted Kluszewski, Johnny Temple, Andy Seminick, Gus Bell . . .

“I always thought I would play center field for the Reds. It didn’t happen, though. I progressed more as a football player. But I developed my arm as a quarterback by playing baseball.”

From John McEnroe, claiming he’s misunderstood: “I’m a good person and the good people rise to the top. There are bad people who keep trying to pull me down. The bad people will slither to the bottom.”

Glub, glub.

Eric Dickerson told the Sporting News he’s been asked “a thousand times” why he didn’t get the ball instead of Dwayne Crutchfield on that infamous second-and-goal play against the New York Giants.

Dickerson: “I remember when the play was called in the huddle--37 Gap. I leaned forward and said, ‘What did you say? 37 Gap? That’s what I thought you said.’ I just stepped back. I knew it wouldn’t work.”

Howard Johnson, traded from the Detroit Tigers to the New York Mets, is still sore at Sparky Anderson for starting Marty Castillo ahead of him at third base in the World Series.

Yes, he’s hoping the Mets get into the World Series and face the Tigers.

“I just want to do something to hurt them, like get the winning hit in the deciding game, or something like that,” Johnson said. “But I don’t think Detroit will even make it next year. I think Toronto will.”

Hank Iba, head coach of three U.S. Olympic basketball teams and an assistant to Bob Knight last summer, says of St. John’s swingman Chris Mullin: “I think he will be the next great pro. He knows more about the game than any player I’ve seen at his age.”

Note: St. John’s and Georgetown meet today on national television. Georgetown has won 29 straight since losing to St. John’s, 75-71, last season. Mullin led the upset with 33 points.

Quiz answer: Quarterback John Huarte of Notre Dame. Staubach won the Heisman in 1963 as a junior. In 1964, Namath was 11th in the voting. Other quarterbacks ahead of him were Jerry Rhome of Tulsa and Bob Timberlake of Michigan. In 12th place was running back Gale Sayers of Kansas.

Quotebook

New York Yankee owner George Steinbrenner, on baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth: “He’s the greatest thing to happen to our game since Babe Ruth.”