Whatever His Injury, He Just Puts a Headband Around It

Jim McMahon, the quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles, has a tough-guy image and his teammate, offensive tackle Ron Heller, says it is warranted.

Heller told the Boston Globe that McMahon was in “tremendous pain” before a game against the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 10.

“His fingers were all swollen. He had lost control of his right wrist. They had to put his arm in a splint just to make the trip to Cleveland,” Heller said.

But after the Eagles had fallen behind, 23-0, McMahon rallied his team to a 32-30 victory, throwing for 341 yards with an arm he couldn’t lift before kickoff.

Add McMahon: McMahon’s arm was so sore at one point in the season that Heller said he had to tie the quarterback’s ponytail for him.

Trivia time: Identify the college football coach with the most bowl victories and losses.

Not so classic: The recent basketball tournament at Loyola Marymount was billed as the first Los Angeles Classic.

Hardly. The first L.A. Classic was held at the Sports Arena in the early 1960s and featured such teams as defending NCAA champion California, runner-up West Virginia with Jerry West, and Ohio State with Jerry Lucas and John Havlicek, along with UCLA and USC.

The latest classic (?) field featured Loyola Marymount, Washington State, Morgan State and Central Connecticut State.

Update: When UCLA’s Kevin Williams ran 72 yards for a touchdown Saturday against USC at the Coliseum, it was believed that it was longest scoring run from scrimmage in the series that began in 1929.

However, USC’s Eddie Saenz holds the record with an 86-yard touchdown run in 1943. It was the first of two games played between the teams that season. USC won, 20-0.

Saenz later went on to play for the Washington Redskins from 1946 through 1951. His nephew, Ernie Saenz, was a running back for UCLA in 1977.

Blah-blah Bears: There was a considerable amount of trash-talking by the players the week of the Cal-Stanford game, mainly by the Bears. The Cardinal won, 38-21, Saturday.

Said Cal Coach Bruce Snyder: “I’m not real sure that all that stuff has a place in a game of this stature. I’m not real big on it.”

Then why not stop it?

Add Bears: Here’s the Associated Press lead on the Cal-Stanford game:

“Stanford beat California because the Cardinal ran Tommy Vardell while the Golden Bears ran their mouths.”

The Bears were taunting Cardinal players before the game, and when Stanford wide receiver Jon Pinckney fell into the Cal bench in the third quarter, quarterback Mike Pawlawski was cited for unsportsmanlike conduct, a penalty that kept alive a Stanford touchdown drive.

“I just told Pinckney what a hell of a hit he just took, got his butt kicked, and they called it,” Pawlawski said.

Trivia answer: The late Paul (Bear) Bryant tops both categories with a 15-12-2 bowl record.

Quotebook: Florida State linebacker Kirk Carruthers on his team’s recent defeat by Miami: “There’s no question we’re the best team in the country, but we don’t know how to play for the national championship, and they do.”