Olympic Scene / Atlanta 1996 : Slain Schultz Had Eyes Set on Atlanta

Of freestyle wrestling’s Schultz brothers, Dave was not only more accomplished but also more committed to the sport. But it was impossible to determine that when he and Mark went to the mat against each other. It frustrated Dave to no end to watch in world-class tournaments as his brother was beaten by inferior opponents while knowing how difficult it was for him to pin Mark in supposedly meaningless workouts.

But the brothers from Palo Alto could not have been more supportive of each other’s ambitions, and both said before the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles that they wanted nothing more than for the other to win a gold medal in his weight class. As it turned out, both got their wishes. Dave won at 163 pounds, Mark at 180 1/2.

Afterward, Mark won a couple of world titles, while Dave, who was a year older and considered at his peak in 1984, retired in 1987. But six years later, Dave, believing he was still better than everyone else in his weight class in the United States and almost everyone else in the world, decided to return.

He was correct, entering this Olympic year ranked first in the nation after finishing fifth in last year’s world championships. The highlight of the Olympic trials in June might have been a Schultz match against Kenny Monday, making his own return after winning the gold medal in 1988 and silver in ’92 at 163 pounds.

But Schultz’s unlikely comeback ended tragically Friday, when he was shot to death in the driveway of the house he shared with his wife and two children on the 800-acre estate of John E. du Pont in the rolling hills near Philadelphia. Du Pont allegedly shot him once in the arm and twice in the chest with a .38-caliber revolver after an argument.

“He was truly one of the best ever to lace up a pair of wrestling shoes,” James E. Scheer, USA Wrestling executive director, said of Schultz, who won seven freestyle national titles.

USA Wrestling officials were in shock, not only because of Schultz’s death but also the alleged involvement of du Pont. Between 1987 and ‘95, he was the sponsor of the U.S. freestyle wrestling team, contributing $400,000 a year. Several wrestlers, like Schultz, made their homes on the du Pont estate, which includes the 14,000-square feet Foxcatcher National Training Center.

FACTOID

The president and chief executive officer of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, Billy Payne, will receive a salary of $669,112 this year. He is the highest-paid executive of any nonprofit organization in the country.

NEWSMAKER

Doni Thompson, one of the athletes the United States was counting on in its quest for the team gold medal in women’s gymnastics at Atlanta, has quit at age 14.

Her coach for the last seven years with the Colorado Aerials, Tom Forster, said that he was surprised at the timing because he had heard her say numerous times that she prayed every night about making the Olympic team. But he said that he also knew that she was not entirely committed to the sport. She almost quit last year before earning a berth on the U.S. team for the world championships in Japan.

“I think she just didn’t like working that hard anymore,” he said. “She liked gymnastics, but I don’t think she wanted to put the time into it that it takes to be an Olympic-caliber athlete.

“It’s a positive story because she did what she wanted. She’s diving now for her high school. But it’s a sad story because America needed her. We could put her up first in an event, and she would still hit. You’re not going to get seven girls winning gold medals, but she did extremely well in that role. The judges liked her.”

LAUREL WREATH

Returning from a recent tournament in Scandinavia, three U.S. Greco-Roman wrestlers, Kevin Bracken, Brian Keck and Dave Surofchek, used their skills to subdue 18 British tourists who started a food fight when flight attendants would not yield to their demands for more alcohol. A Northwest Airlines spokeswoman said the wrestlers pinned several of the tourists and handcuffed three of them to their seats.

THORN WREATH

U.S. Park Police near Washington were overzealous in their treatment of Davey Hearn, a two-time world champion in whitewater slalom canoeing. When they ordered him out of the flooding Potomac River last week, he paddled downstream to a safer place to exit. But before he reached his destination, a park policeman plunged into the water, grabbed the boat’s bow and tried to flip it. Then he dragged the boat across the parking lot with Hearn still strapped in it.

“They treated him as a crazy idiot,” Hearn’s father, Carter, told USA Today. Hearn, who was not injured, was charged with resisting arrest, failure to obey a lawful order and entering a restricted zone.

THIS WEEK

The oldest and most prestigious of the U.S. indoor track and field meets, the Millrose Games, will take place Friday night at Madison Square Garden. The premier matchups appear to be Donovan Bailey vs. Bruny Surin in the men’s sprint, Gail Devers vs. Gwen Torrence in the women’s sprint and Mark Crear vs. Allen Johnson in the men’s high hurdles. Ukrainian pole vaulter Sergei Buba also will make one of his rare U.S. appearances.

Olympic Scene Notes

The U.S. men’s basketball team, Dream Team III, has scheduled five exhibition games. The tour begins against a team of undetermined college players at Auburn Hills, Mich., on July 6, Ten members of the U.S. team have already been selected. The consensus is that one of the other two berths will go to Seattle’s Sean Kemp. Other candidates include San Antonio’s Sean Elliott, Sacramento’s Mitch Richmond, Dallas’ Jason Kidd, Seattle’s Gary Payton and Milwaukee’s Vin Baker. And now Magic Johnson? . . . The U.S. women’s basketball team returned last week from its tour of Russia and Ukraine to resume games against top NCAA teams. The U.S. team plays at Louisiana Tech Tuesday.

Sprinter Dennis Mitchell was in Los Angeles on Jan. 17, 1994 and in Osaka, Japan exactly one year later. On both days, he was jolted out of bed by earthquakes. He felt safer on Jan. 17 of this year in Gainesville, Fla. “The only things shaking were my legs, and that was from working out,” he said. . . . Hungarian middle-distance runner Sandor Iharos, who set 11 world records at seven distances, died last week at 65. . . . Olga Appell, the leading qualifier for the U.S. women’s marathon trials next month, withdrew because of a broken foot but plans to continue training in six weeks for an Olympic berth in the 10,000 meters.

Among the first 15 players invited to try out for the U.S. baseball team in June at Millington, Tenn., are infielder Troy Glaus of UCLA and Travis Lee of San Diego State and outfielders Jacque Jones of USC and Mark Kotsay of Cal State Fullerton.