Yearbook ’98

Jeff Fisher has survived the rash of firings of NFL coaches--so far.

But you have to wonder how long his employer, the Tennessee Oilers, will settle for mediocrity.

Under Fisher, the Oilers finished 8-8 for the third consecutive season and have yet to reach the playoffs in four full seasons with the former Taft High and USC standout calling the shots. His record stands at 32-38, and coaches have been canned for less egregious marks.

An early sign this wasn’t going to be Fisher’s year came when the Oilers passed on Randy Moss to draft another wide receiver, Kevin Dyson, who ranked seventh on the team with 21 catches.

Perhaps the Oilers, who become the Titans next season, are giving Fisher one more year to take his team to the next level and prove he belonged in The Times’ “8 for ‘98,” a group of sports figures from the region who were expected to make a major impact last year.

With Eddie George, Steve McNair and an aggressive defense, Fisher’s Oilers, er Titans, could be fine in ’99.

A look back at how the other “8 for ‘98” selections fared:

Bob Toledo, football coach at UCLA, recently signed a multi-year contract and purchased a house in Studio City, quieting rumors that he would bolt from Westwood for a job in the NFL.

Toledo certainly has proved he can coach a pro-style offense, guiding the high-octane Bruins to within one victory of a national championship game. Unfortunately for UCLA, its defense wasn’t up to the task in a 49-45 loss at Miami on Dec. 5.

But a Rose Bowl berth, a 10-1 record, a Pac-10 title and an eighth consecutive victory over USC ain’t bad. Toledo, for the moment, owns this town.

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Is there a more powerful mover and shaker on the Los Angeles sports scene than Ed Roski?

The Toluca Lake resident continued to be a dominant player in 1998, leading the effort to bring an NFL team to a refurbished Coliseum and, as a majority owner of L.A. Arena Co., exercising an option to buy 25% of the Lakers.

The Laker deal was reached in conjunction with the team agreeing to become a tenant in the new Staples Center, a $300-million downtown arena that Roski fought to gain approval for with the L.A. City Council.

In addition to housing the Lakers and Clippers, the facility will also be the home of the Kings, co-owned by Roski and Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz.

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Steve Sampson went into the World Cup last summer with the best record of any U.S. soccer coach, including a victory over Brazil in February at the Coliseum.

He left amid a barrage of criticism after the U.S. team tanked in France, losing all three of its games and finishing last among 32 competing nations.

Days after the World Cup debacle, Sampson resigned, presumably under pressure, while U.S. soccer officials turned into spin doctors.

Since then, Sampson, an Agoura Hills resident, has been critical of the state of soccer in this country. He enters 1999 in a lower profile than he did last year. On May 1, he becomes technical director of the Fullerton-based California Youth Soccer Assn.-South.

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What didn’t Michelle Greco accomplish in 1998?

Her superlative play on the basketball court led to a string of national and regional awards during her senior year at Crescenta Valley High.

Highlights included winning her second Cheryl Miller Award, presented annually by The Times to the top girls’ player in the Southland, and being selected state player of the year by Cal-Hi Sports.

About the only thing Greco didn’t accomplish in her four varsity seasons was win a Southern Section title. Crescenta Valley lost in the Division I-AA quarterfinals to El Toro on a last-second shot.

Greco, who averaged 22 points in leading the Falcons to a third consecutive Pacific League title, is excelling as a freshman at UCLA. She averages 8.8 points for the ninth-ranked Bruins (8-4).

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In January, President Blenda J. Wilson of Cal State Northridge made a long-term commitment to “a broad-based athletic program.”

For that, Matador coaches and athletes can thank Cathie Wright, a Republican state senator whose district includes Northridge. Wright came to the rescue when four men’s sports were cut by Northridge administrators in the summer of 1997, securing $586,000 in public education funds to help bring about the reinstatement of baseball, swimming, soccer and volleyball.

Wright ordered the formation of a task force that recommended that Northridge permanently keep the four sports.

Northridge administrators, judging by Wilson’s commitment, listened.

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Brad Marsh and Jon Hatemi, former student government leaders at Northridge, became watchdogs of top-level decisions at the school in 1997 after administrators cut four men’s sports. Their efforts helped raise a groundswell of support that contributed to reinstating the sports.

Marsh, an English major, chose not to run again for student president after his term expired in May, and Hatemi lost in his bid to jump from vice president to president.

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Ken Kikuchi, president of Valencia Country Club, deserves much of the credit for bringing the PGA tour to the region last winter.

Valencia hosted the Nissan Open after Riviera Country Club, annual site for the event, chose to host only the 1998 Senior U.S. Open.

The Nissan Open provided an exciting finish when Billy Mayfair beat Tiger Woods in a sudden-death playoff.