Determining Site for Statue Becomes Gray Area at Brown

Whither Bruno the Bear?

Since 1927, Brown University’s eight-foot bronze statue has stood between Brown Stadium and Marvel Gym, which recently was replaced by an on-campus sports center.

Mike Stanton of the Providence Journal-Bulletin reported the debate: Should Bruno be moved to the campus green, or in front of the sports center?

Favoring the green, Vice Chancellor Art Joukowsky asked: “Can’t the bear come to symbolize more than athletics? Why can’t he represent the strength of the university?”

Cushman Anthony (Brown ‘27), who donated money as a student to help finance the statue, replied: “The bear is a symbol of athletic accomplishment. It’s a dumb animal. I’d rather have a Phi Beta Kappa key. You hear wise as an owl, or smart as a fox. You never hear smart as a bear. Bears sleep all winter and miss the whole semester.”

Trivia time: Name the only NCAA Division I-A running back to gain more than 5,000 yards in his career and not win the Heisman Trophy.

Image maker: Here’s a progress report on Damon Bailey, Indiana’s freshman basketball phenom--better yet, a progress report on Bailey’s relationship with Hoosier Coach Bob Knight.

Indiana assistant coach Ron Felling told Stan Sutton of the Louisville Courier-Journal that before a recent game against Western Michigan, Knight told Bailey: “I want you to go out there and I want people not to be talking about what a nice-looking young man you are, but how aggressive you were.”

Playing 21 minutes, Bailey had five rebounds, four assists, two steals, two blocked shots, no turnovers and 14 points in the Hoosiers’ 97-68 victory.

Said Felling: “I think he responded very well.”

Instant overplay: From Phil Jackman of the Baltimore Sun: “Two things that send you scurrying for the mute button: Tim Brando of ESPN referring to the backboard in basketball as ‘the window’ and CBS analyst Dan Fouts describing a pass receiver’s position as being in the ‘dead zone of two-deep coverage.’ ”

Downtrodden: Forget about that radio personality who lived atop a billboard for weeks until the Denver Broncos defeated San Diego on Dec. 16 to end a six-game losing streak.

The important question is this: How have the little people been affected by the 1989 AFC champions’ skid to a 4-11 record?

Bill Walsh, former San Francisco 49er coach and now an NBC television analyst, said after a recent trip to Denver: “It’s amazing. I went to buy shoes, and the clerk told me that sales were bad because the Broncos were losing.”

Trivia answer: Darren Lewis of Texas A&M;, who finished with 5,012 yards and was ninth in the 1990 Heisman voting. The others who have rushed for more than 5,000 yards: Tony Dorsett, Herschel Walker, Charles White and Archie Griffin.

Quotebook: Iowa State basketball Coach Johnny Orr, after his 400th victory: “I remember the first game I ever coached in 1963 when I was at Massachusetts and we played Boston University. We were 19-point underdogs, but we won the game. Of course, I couldn’t have been much more than 12 years old back then.”