Conlan Shuffles Off Bills

Shane Conlan, Penn State’s All-American linebacker, said he already has been contacted by the Buffalo Bills.

“They told me they were going to try to get Cornelius Bennett of Alabama, but if they didn’t, they were going to try to get me,” Conlan said.

So?

“I told them I hoped they got Bennett.”

How good is Vinny Testaverde? Says Atlanta Falcons tackle Bill Fralic: “I’d trade the whole front office for him. I’ll stick my neck out and take over as team president.”

If you think there are too many bowl games, this is nothing. Back in 1948 there were 47. That’s when the NCAA stepped in and required schools and promoters to meet certain standards. The next year, the total was 26.

Here are some of the bowl classics that have gone down the drain: Rice Bowl, Salad Bowl, Pineapple Bowl, Cigar Bowl, Raisin Bowl, Prairie Bowl, Vulcan Bowl, Ice Bowl, Lily Bowl, Refrigerator Bowl, Glass Bowl, Fruit Bowl, Fish Bowl, Grape Bowl, Paper Bowl, Oleander Bowl, Spindletop Bowl, Corn Bowl, Pear Bowl, Smoky Mountain Bowl, Bean Bowl, Oriental Rice Bowl, Iodine Bowl, Bamboo Bowl and the Rhumba Bowl.

Trivia Time: In what bowl game was the score Caltech 38, MIT 9? (Answer in second column.)

Here’s the quote and guess who said it: “I think it would be a wonderful thing if a coach could just forget all about the high school and prep school wonders of the world and develop a team from among the students of the institution who came to his school because they like it best and not because of any attractive offers made for athletic ability.”

Knute Rockne said it in 1929.

USC Athletic Director Mike McGee reportedly had a meeting with Miami Coach Jimmy Johnson on the vacancy at USC, but when the New York Times asked Johnson about such a meeting, he merely smiled.

Said Miami Athletic Director Sam Jankovich: “I don’t think he talked to Mike McGee. I think he would tell me if he did. Knowing Mike McGee, who is one of the straight arrows in this business, I think he would pick up the phone and tell me he was talking to Jimmy Johnson.”

The day after the Rams fumbled their way out of the playoffs, the Chicago Bears were holding special ball-handling drills.

Said Doug Flutie: “We happen to be turning the ball over a lot lately. Even Walter has been coughing the ball up.”

Said Neal Anderson, one of Payton’s backups: “We have drills that make you practice holding on to the football a little more. Guys try to take it away.”

Add Flutie: He said, “I’m throwing the ball better than I ever have. I’ve never had this kind of velocity.”

How fast is Darrell Green, the Redskin who ran down Eric Dickerson Sunday?

Look at it this way: In the 1983 track and field World Championships, Willie Gault ran on a U.S. team that set a world record in the 400-meter relay. In the 1984 Olympic Games, Ron Brown ran on a U.S. team that broke the record.

In the NFL’s Fastest Man competition last April at Palm Desert, Green beat Brown in the semifinals. In the final, he beat Gault.

Add Green: Said Washington teammate Curtis Jordan after Sunday’s game: “I had no doubts Darrell would catch Eric. Fact is, I went and got a hot dog while he was chasin’ him down.”

Trivia Answer: The 1984 Rose Bowl. A couple of enterprising Caltech students tapped into the scoreboard computer system and flashed that score during the UCLA-Illinois game. Actually, UCLA had gone ahead, 38-9, en route to a 45-9 win.

Quotebook

Chuck Knox, coach of the Seattle Seahawks: “They say the breaks all even up in the long run, but how many of us last that long?”