Skip to main content

A roundup of the week June 5-11

BOATING—Driving a 36-foot Cigarette, WILLIE MEYERS won the Bahamas 500 Ocean Race in 9 hours, 21 minutes for the 517-mile course. In choppy seas with swells of 10 feet, Meyers' time was two hours slower than the race record.

BOWLING—Munster, Ind. righthander DON McCUNE captured his third PBA tour victory of the season, taking the $55,000 Winston-Salem tournament in Downey, Calif. He outrolled top-seeded Roy Buckley of Columbus, Ohio 212-204 in the final game for the $6,000 first prize. The win boosted McCune's tour-high earnings to $45,965.

GOLF—DICK SIDEROWF, of Westport, Conn. became the 16th American to win the British Amateur championship, beating Peter Moody of England 5 and 3 in their 36-hole final in Porthcawl, Wales.

Pro circuit veteran MARY MILLS won her first tour victory since 1970 with a three-under-par 70 in the final round of the $35,000 LPGA Championship in Sutton, Mass. She finished with 288, one stroke better than another long-time pro, Betty Burfeindt.

Tom Weiskopf finished with a one-under-par 71 to win the IVB-Philadelphia Classic and the $30,045 first prize, beating Jim Barber by four strokes. It was Weiskopf's third tournament victory in five weeks.

Wofford College captured the NAIA title by 14 strokes over Campbell College, in the rain-shortened event in Gramling, S.C. St. Bernard's MIKE ZACK and Campbell's JAY OVERTON tied for individual medalist honors with three-round totals of 213.

HARNESS RACING—GAY SKIPPER ($13.80), driven by Jack Ackerman, won the $31,000 American-National Stake for 3-year-old pacers by 2¼ lengths over Racing Knight at Sportsman's Park in Chicago.

HOCKEY—BOBBY HULL, player-coach of the Winnipeg Jets, became the first professional hockey player to score 50 goals and win MVP titles in both leagues as the WHA writers and broadcasters selected him Most Valuable Player for 1973. JACK KELLEY of the champion New England Whalers was named Coach of the Year, and his 24-year-old center, TERRY CAFFERY, Rookie of the Year. JEAN-CLAUDE TREMBLAY of the Quebec Nordiques, who had a league-high 75 assists, received outstanding defenseman honors.

HORSE RACING—Penny Tweedy's SECRETARIAT took the Belmont Stakes and the Triple Crown (page 14).

LACROSSE—NCAA champion MARYLAND dominated the U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association's All-America squad with 12 players named to the 46-man team. Midfielders DOUG SCHREIBER and FRANK URSO headed the Terrapin roster. JOHNS HOPKINS, with six men on the squad, placed 1972 All-Americas RICK KOWALCHUK, JACK THOMAS and LES MATTHEWS on the first team. RUTGERS' Defenseman ED HAUGEVIK was also a repeat from last season.

Tom Duquette of Virginia, named to the first team after earning honorable mention, third and second team recognition the past three years, led the SOUTH stars to a 14-12 overtime win over the North in the 32nd annual All-Star game in Princeton, N.J.

MOTORCYCLING—Britain's TONY RUTTER, on a Yamaha, won the 350-cc. International Junior Tourist Trophy race, in Douglas, Isle of Man, averaging 101.99 mph.

MOTOR SPORTS—An all-French effort—French drivers in a French car—won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 1972 winner HENRI PESCAROLO and GERARD LARROUSSE, in a Matra-Simca, covered 3,009 miles, averaging 125.3 mph and out-distancing the Ferrari driven by Italian Arturo Merzario and Brazilian Carlos Pace by 43.8 miles. Only 21 of 55 starters completed the event.

Surviving two rolls and an end-over-end flip, PARNELLI JONES, in a Bronco, won the Baja 500, scrambling over the 610 miles in 12:18.

Richard Petty drove his Dodge to a $13,000 win over Buddy Baker in the $92,000 Alamo 500 at Texas World Speedway in College Station. Despite five yellow caution flags, the four-time NASCAR champion averaged 145.114 mph.

Bobby Unser drove his Eagle-Offenhauser to victory in the Rex Mays Memorial 150 in Milwaukee, averaging 108.008 mph over the one-mile track. He finished 16 seconds ahead of Roger McCluskey in the event for Indianapolis-type cars.

In the opener of the 1973 Can-Am Challenge Cup at Mosport Park, Ontario, CHARLIE KEMP of Jackson, Miss, captured the $15,000 first prize in a Porsche. Hans Wiedmer of Hermosa Beach, Calif., also in a Porsche, finished second.

TENNIS—ILIE NASTASE of Rumania won the rain-delayed French Open, beating Nikki Pilic of Yugoslavia 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 and collecting the $15,500 first prize.

Ilie Nastase then demolished Spain's Manuel Orantes 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 in the $134,000 Italian Open in Rome. For the first time in four tournaments, EVONNE GOOLAGONG downed Chris Evert 7-6, 6-0 and won the women's crown. JOHN NEWCOMBE and TOM OKKER defeated Australia's Geoff Masters and Ross Case 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 for the men's doubles, and VIRGINIA WADE and OLGA MOROZOVA took the women's title.

TRACK & FIELD—Eight meet records fell at the 52nd NCAA outdoor championships in Baton Rouge, La. (page 65). Among the standouts were STEVE PRE-FONTAINE with a 13:05.3 in the three mile, ROD MILBURN with a 13.1 in the 120-yard hurdles and DAVE WOTTLE with a 3:57.1 in the mile—a race in which eight men bettered four minutes.

East Germany's RENATE STECHER became the first woman to break the 11-second barrier for 100 meters, winning the event in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia in 10.9.

MILEPOSTS—GRANTED: By the NCAA in football, university status to DRAKE, FRESNO STATE, FURMAN, LAMAR and SOUTHERN ILLINOIS, bringing the total number of major-college teams to 126.

NAMED: The newest NHL franchise, in Kansas City, the SCOUTS.

RESIGNED: As coach of the NBA Capital Bullets, GENE SHUE, 41, "to look into other things." Since 1967 Shue had compiled a 305-283 record and brought Baltimore four divisional titles.

RETIRED: Florida A&M Athletic Director JAKE GAITHER, 70, effective Aug. 31. As head football coach through 25 seasons, Gaither compiled a 203-36-4 record before becoming athletic director in 1969.

SIGNED: By the Houston Aeros of the WHA, MARTY and MARK HOWE, sons of retired NHL great GORDIE HOWE, who is also negotiating for a playing spot with the Aeros himself (page 59).

SIGNED: To a two-year contract with the San Diego Chargers reportedly bringing him $500,000, JOHN UNITAS, 40, former star quarterback for the Baltimore Colts.

SOLD: Pending the approval of other ABA owners, the MEMPHIS TAMS, by Charles O. Finley, to a group of Providence, R.I. businessmen for a reported $1.8 million.

TRADED: After 11 NFL seasons and five months of negotiations, Quarterback ROMAN GABRIEL, 32, from the Los Angeles Rams to the Philadelphia Eagles, for two players and three high draft choices. Gabriel had his worst season last year since he became a regular in 1966, finishing 17th among the league's 27 ranking passers.