Bolden Expected to Recover From Injury

Crawford High graduate Alex Bolden, a senior safety at the University of New Mexico, is expected to recover completely from an injury that initially left him partially paralyzed, a spokesman from the University of New Mexico Hospital said Saturday.

But Bolden’s football career is apparently over.

“He’s making very fast progress,” said Bob Hlady, public information coordinator for the hospital. “He has almost complete recovery of sensation in all four limbs. The physician’s plan is to get him up on his feet sometime this week, at least give that a try.

“His prognosis is very good. His physician thinks Alex has a very good chance to function independently. There is no reason to expect him to require nursing support. He is not going to need crutches, a wheelchair or a cane.”

Hlady said Bolden “should be able to function like any other person. But football and other contact sports are too dangerous for him to play anymore.”

Bolden, 22, suffered a cervical spine injury Thursday afternoon while carrying the ball during an interception-return drill as teammates practiced one-on-one tackling.

Hlady said tests appeared to reveal a broken neck, but he added that doctors have so far been unable to make a definite diagnosis.

“You don’t move an unstable neck,” Hlady said. “His is an unstable spine, injured in such a way where it can not hold itself in normal alignment.”

Hlady said there was no time table for Bolden’s recovery and would not speculate on when Bolden would be able to leave the hospital.

YACHTING

The Sunkist American Cancer Society Cup has been scheduled for today at noon. Dennis Conner will be commodore of the regatta, which is expected to include the New Zealand--the monohull entry in next month’s America’s Cup--two former Cup entries and a fleet of 70-foot boats.

With a $50 contribution, people can ride in contestants’ boats or a spectator boat. The 8-mile, triangular race can also be viewed from various shoreline points, including the B Street and Broadway piers, Harbor Island, Coronado Island and Seaport Village. The race begins at the east end of Harbor Island.

SOCCER

The San Diego State alumni beat the Aztec varsity, 2-0, in an exhibition game at the Aztec Bowl. Vidal Fernandez, a former member of the Sockers and Cosmos who played at SDSU from 1977-79, scored the game-winner in the 69th minute. The other goal was an own-goal.