U.S. Soccer, Star Women Players, Agree to Agree
The U.S. Soccer Federation has resolved its dispute with nine of the country’s leading female players and will invite them to the Olympic training camp that opens in Florida later this month.
No details of the agreement were revealed, but both Hank Steinbrecher, general secretary of U.S. Soccer, and Carla Overbeck, captain of the women’s national team, endorsed the resolution.
The nine players had rejected contracts from the federation, primarily because of U.S Soccer’s stance that it would pay the players a $250,000 bonus only if they won the gold medal in the Atlanta Games. The players argued that any medal also ought to be worth a bonus.
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The New England Revolution named former Ireland national team player Frank Stapleton as coach. . . . Major League Soccer announced the signing of 15 additional players, including Colombian national team midfielder Leonel Alvarez, who played in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups.
Football
An impostor on the Texas football team may have placed bets on sports events for a small number of players on the team, Texas Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds said. Ron Weaver, 30, had enrolled at Texas last year as 23-year-old cornerback Ron McKelvey.
His sister, Bonita Money, who has been speaking on his behalf for a week, denied the allegation.
USC will play Penn State in the Kickoff Classic Aug. 25 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Each team will receive a minimum guarantee of $675,000. . . . Kentucky tailback Moe Williams will make himself available for the NFL draft instead of spending his senior season with the Wildcats.
Boxing
George Foreman says he is discussing a possible fight with Mike Tyson this year, a bout between former heavyweight champions.
“I put it to him that I’d be ready and available any time he’d like to box me,” Foreman told KRIV-TV in Houston. “From that point on there have been more conversations.”
Foreman, who turns 47 Wednesday, will fight Michael Moorer in New York on Feb. 29.
Names in the News
Bill Burke, president of the Los Angeles Marathon, was slightly injured when he was assaulted and became a victim of the so-called “Rolex Bandit” when he drove into the underground parking facility at marathon headquarters in Westwood Tuesday morning. . . . Betsy Rawls, whose four U.S. Women’s Open titles highlighted her 55 tournament victories, was named winner of the Bob Jones Award by the U.S. Golf Assn. in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.
Miscellany
Two-time Olympic luge gold-medal winner Georg Hackl of Germany won the Invitational Race of Champions in Winterberg, Germany. . . . Canada got two goals and an assist from Daymond Langkow in a 4-1 victory over Sweden in Boston for its fourth consecutive World Junior Hockey Championship.
