USC Violations Bring NCAA Reprimand

USC has been reprimanded by the Pacific 10 for four violations of National Collegiate Athletic Assn. rules involving the men’s basketball team in the 1985-86 season, the conference announced Friday.

The Pac-10 said two former USC players received free airplane tickets, meals and long-distance telephone calls from a Trojan booster, without the knowledge of Stan Morrison, former Trojan coach. The booster is no longer associated with USC.

“The conference was concerned because the booster could provide these benefits without the former coach’s knowledge,”said Thomas Hansen, Pacific 10 commissioner. “However, USC has made positive efforts to educate its representatives about NCAA rules and upon learning of the violations, disassociated the booster from future involvement with its athletics program. . . . The conference chose to impose no additional sanctions on the USC basketball program.”

A USC source said the charges involved Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers, who transferred from USC to Loyola Marymount following the ‘85-’86 season.

Kimble admitted that a booster, whom he declined to identify, paid for plane tickets to Philadelphia for himself and Gathers (about $300 each), so that they could return home for Christmas 3 years ago.

“We paid him back when we got back,” Kimble said. “We borrowed the money from Father Dave (Hagan, a Catholic priest in Philadelphia who befriended them). “Father Dave wanted us to come home for Christmas.

We weren’t trying to hide anything. We could have lied about it but we told the truth . I’m surprised that they’re even talking about this now. Morrison has nothing to do with it. We didn’t tell him anything.”

Morrison who resigned following that season, is the athletic director at UC Santa Barbara.

“It was an unfortunate set of circumstances where a booster felt he was helping somebody in a real time of need and it was done without any knowledge of our staff,” Morrison said.

Mike McGee, USC athletic director said: “This has been a very complex investigation on the part of the Pac-10 and NCAA. While it is troubling that the things occurred, we consider the matter closed because none of the individuals are currently at the university.”