He Got Real Education, Failing Grade in the Sweet Science

William J. Wilson, professor of sociology and public policy at the University of Chicago, recently referred to Loic Wacquant as “one of the most brilliant graduate students I have known.”

Depends on what you call brilliant.

Wacquant, a 29-year-old doctoral candidate from Montpelier, France, studying race, class and joblessness in Chicago, has been named a Harvard fellow.

He paid for it, though. Last February, the 5-foot-8 1/2 Wacquant conducted the most conclusive kind of research for his thesis on life and black culture in the inner city, suffering a broken nose and broken ribs when he was knocked out in a three-round bout during the Chicago Golden Gloves tournament.

Add Frenchman: Wacquant was quoted by the Associated Press as saying: “I felt that both the popular and scholarly literature on poverty and black America was full of stereotypes and caricatures and wanted to find out what really was going on in a black neighborhood. . . .

“People used to come to the gym just to laugh at me. I went through a procession of nicknames, from ‘Frenchman with an attitude’ to ‘Bad Dude’ to ‘Busy Louie.’ They call me Busy Louie because I throw a lot of punches in the ring because I have no defense.”

Last add Frenchman: Wacquant is preparing a documentary on black youth in the inner city and has arranged cultural exchanges between young French and American boxers.

His wife, Elizabeth, who trains with him at the Woodlawn Boys and Girls Club on Chicago’s South Side, said of his Golden Gloves bout: “I thought he would be killed. I was surprised that he was fighting like a lion. Of course, he lost. But I told him, ‘They robbed you.’ ”

Trivia time: Name the Dodger pitcher who was rookie of the year and later won the Cy Young and most-valuable-player awards in the same season.

Wrong way writing: An item in Monday’s Morning Briefing said that on Oct. 29, 1950, when Detroit’s Wally Triplett gained an NFL-record 294 yards in kickoff returns, the Lions beat the Rams, 65-24, scoring a record 41 points in the third quarter.

That was news to Red Hickey, the former San Francisco 49er coach, who was an assistant to Ram Coach Joe Stydahar in 1950. He correctly pointed out that the Rams were 65-24 winners that day, and set the NFL single-quarter record.

Add Hickey: He noted that both he and Stydahar were good friends of Lion Coach Buddy Parker, and that Stydahar became concerned as the Rams began scoring at will in the third quarter.

“He said, ‘Red, if we keep this up, we’re going to score 100 points. I’m going to put in everybody we’ve got and just start running the ball.’ Even then, we couldn’t stop scoring.”

Trivia answer: Don Newcombe, in 1949 and 1956.

Quotebook: New York Giant quarterback Phil Simms, on what it’s like to take the field at Washington’s RFK Stadium: “There’s not too many places in the league I can walk out the tunnel and hear every word that’s ever been invented.”