COLLEGE FOOTBALL / GENE WOJCIECHOWSKI : Sponsor Not Soured on Fiesta Bowl

Sunkist Growers Inc., title sponsor of the troubled Fiesta Bowl, has a decision to make when company officials meet with organizers of the Tempe (Ariz.) bowl this spring.

Does Sunkist, whose headquarters are in Van Nuys, continue to pay an undisclosed fee for the right as title sponsor, or does it curtail or even sever its relationship with the Fiesta Bowl, in light of the recent failed Martin Luther King Jr. referendum in the state?

At the moment, Sunkist is staying put.

“We’re not wavering, as it were,” said Curt Anderson, a Sunkist vice president. “We’re sorry about (the controversy). We probably could have gotten a better game out of it.”

Forced to scramble for teams, the Fiesta selection committee settled on unheralded, but 20th-ranked Louisville and a Southeastern Conference representative, most likely the winner of the Auburn-Alabama game Dec. 1.

That wasn’t exactly the matchup the Fiesta Bowl had in mind, but then, no one was prepared for the controversy created when Arizona voters chose not to approve a referendum that would have established a paid state holiday in King’s honor.

Corporate America notices such things. According to Anderson, the Fiesta Bowl is the cornerstone for Sunkist’s winter advertising efforts. When the company became the bowl’s title sponsor in 1985, it did so, Anderson said, because “We like to align ourselves with clean, healthy, nonpolitical things. It just turned out rather different than that.”

Despite the negative publicity generated by the Arizona vote--”Saturday Night Live” lampooned the state and made reference to the Fiesta Bowl--Sunkist remains supportive, but noncommittal about future sponsorship.

“We will sit down with them next spring, after the game is over,” Anderson said. “We do the same thing every year.”

But every year there isn’t a King aftermath to deal with. Will Sunkist go elsewhere in 1991?

“Not as of today,” Anderson said. “Maybe something horrendous happens tomorrow. I can’t foretell the funny things that have a way of happening. We’re just going forward. We’ve been pleased with (the Fiesta).”

Fiesta officials are understandably a little nervous about Sunkist’s position. After all, if it was this hard to get two teams to play in the bowl, how hard might it be to find a new sponsor?

“Sunkist felt we were caught up in the middle of something we shouldn’t have,” said Don Meyers, Fiesta team selection chairman. “They have a long commitment to civil rights. They didn’t express any short-term or long-term concerns (about its relationship with the Fiesta Bowl).”

How interesting that Sam Jankovich, Miami athletic director, is upset with the present system of early bowl commitments. The No. 2-ranked Hurricanes are bound for the Cotton Bowl, where they probably will play Texas, which is rated sixth this week. Instead, Jankovich is angry that Miami never had a chance at the Orange Bowl and No. 1 Colorado.

A few points:

--Miami has only itself to blame. The Hurricanes could have dictated their own New Year’s Day plans had they not lost to Brigham Young in the season opener or, worse yet, to Notre Dame Oct. 20. With two losses, Miami dropped out of the national championship picture. Miami Coach Dennis Erickson said that much the night his Hurricanes were beaten by the Irish.

--What exactly did Jankovich expect the Orange Bowl to do--risk losing Notre Dame, the No. 1 drawing card in college football for the twice-beaten Hurricanes? At the time of the deal, the Orange Bowl had no real choice. It gambled and lost when Penn State upset the Irish.

--Before Jankovich starts speaking in outraged tones, he might want to remember that Miami has previously benefited from such early bowl arrangements. Programs such as Miami’s, as well as conferences, often use their rankings and power to force a commitment from bowl officials.

“Sam is no different than anyone else,” Don Meyers of the Fiesta Bowl said. “In previous years he’s taken the position, ‘Take me or I’m going somewhere else.’

“It works both ways,” Meyers said. “Some of the schools are anxious to get a tentative commitment. Some of them will say, ‘If you don’t tell us by a certain date that we’re definitely in your picture, then we’re going to go in a different direction.’ That’s the word they use direction. “

Best matchup we’ll never see this year: Houston vs. Florida in the Probation Bowl. . . . Houston Coach John Jenkins may be an offensive genius, but someone needs to teach him the finer points of sportsmanship. The Cougars defeated Division I-AA Eastern Washington last Saturday, 84-21, in a game in which Houston quarterback David Klingler completed 41 of 58 passes for 572 yards and an astounding NCAA-record 11 touchdowns. Jenkins didn’t pull Klingler, as well as many of the starters, until midway through the fourth quarter. We’re just guessing here, but if anything, Jenkins’ actions may end up hurting Klingler’s Heisman chances rather than helping him. Records are fine, but fair play is better.

Two final Fiesta Bowl items: Fiesta officials won’t come right out and say it, but nothing would make them happier than to see Alabama beat Auburn. The Crimson Tide would be 7-4 and allow Coach Gene Stallings a proper homecoming. Stallings is at Alabama because the Phoenix Cardinals fired him last year. By the way, sales are brisk for this Phoenix-produced T-shirt: “Louisville--the best Cardinal team to play at Tempe.”. . . Southern Mississippi has beaten Louisville, Alabama and Auburn this season. . . . Fresno State’s 8-2-1 record is admirable, but Fresno lost those two by a combined score of 115-25.

Winners of the Paper Tiger Award: Indiana (1-4-1 after a 4-0 start), Texas Christian (0-4 after a 5-1 start, Virginia (0-2 after an 8-0 start--and could easily lose to state rival Virginia Tech Saturday) and Wyoming (9-0 before losing its last three games). . . . Stanford was a disappointing 5-6, but three of its victories were against Notre Dame, Cal and Arizona--all of which are headed for bowls. . . . Bobby Ross has won Atlantic Coast Conference championships at two schools, Maryland and Georgia Tech.

Our top 10: 1) Colorado, 2) BYU, 3) Miami, 4) Georgia Tech, 5) Texas, 6) Florida, 7) Washington, 8) Florida State, 9) Penn State, 10) Notre Dame.

Our waiting list: Nebraska, Houston, Iowa, USC and Michigan.