Skip to main content

A roundup of the week Aug. 29-Sept. 4

BOXING—DONALD CURRY retained his WBA welterweight title by beating Roger Stafford with a TKO at 1:42 of the first round in Marsala, Sicily.

CYCLING—At the world championships in Altenrhein, Switzerland, GREG LeMOND won the professional men's division, finishing in 7:01:21, 1:11 ahead of Adri van der Poel over 160 miles.

PRO FOOTBALL—Home may be where the heart is, but it was also where 11 of 13 teams lost in the first week of the NFL's 65th season. Only New Orleans and Kansas City won at home. In beating St. Louis 28-17, the Saints won a season opener for the first time in 12 years. George Rogers had a 76-yard touchdown sprint for New Orleans. K.C.'s Nick Lowery made a 19-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter to give the Chiefs a 17-13 win over Seattle. San Francisco led the list of home-team fatalities in frustration, losing to Philadelphia 22-17 after 49er reserve Quarterback Guy Benjamin hit Dwight Clark in the end zone with 11 seconds on the clock and then had the play nullified when Guard Randy Cross was called for holding. Benjamin had stepped in for Joe Montana, who suffered a mild concussion in the third quarter; Philly Quarterback Ron Jaworski also left the game, after three brutal sacks, and was replaced by Joe Pisarcik, who went 8 for 10. Pittsburgh couldn't handle Denver's reserve quarterback, either; Steve DeBerg marched the Broncos to a 14-10 win after rookie John El way left in the first half with a bruised elbow (he had completed only one of eight passes and had an interception before being sent to the bench). The Jets' Freeman McNeil tore up San Diego, rushing for 120 yards and scoring two TDs in a 41-29 win over the Chargers. In Houston, Green Bay's Lynn Dickey had five TD throws as the Packers beat the Oilers 41-38. Ed Murray kicked three goals to pace the Lions to an 11-0 victory over Tampa Bay, and Miami's Uwe von Schamann put four through the uprights to beat Buffalo 12-0. Rams' Quarterback Vince Ferragamo passed for 279 yards in a 16-6 triumph over the Giants. Rufus Bass's interception on Minnesota's 31-yard line with 32 seconds to play sealed the Vikings' 27-21 win over Cleveland, while Atlanta's Steve Bartkowski threw two TD passes as the Falcons beat Chicago 20-17. Cincinnati fell to the L.A. Raiders 20-10 (page 24).

GOLF—PAT LINDSEY fired a 16-under-par 268 to beat Gil Morgan by four strokes and win the $300,000 B.C. Open in Endicott, N.Y.

Jay Sigel defended his U.S. Amateur title by beating Chris Perry 8 and 7 in Glenview, Ill., scoring the first back-to-back victory since 1956 (page 48).

HARNESS RACING—POWER SEAT ($11.90), a 15-1 long shot driven by George Sholty, upset Hambletonian winner Duenna in the $580,090 World Trotting Derby at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. The 3-year-old colt won two of three heats and had a best time for the mile of 1:56[1/5].

HORSE RACING—SLEW O' GOLD ($10), Angel Cordero up, nosed out favored Bates Motel to win the $231,500 Woodward Stakes at Belmont Park. The 3-year-old colt ran the 1‚⅛ miles in 1:46[3/5].

ROWING—At the world championships in Duisburg, West Germany, EAST GERMANY took four of six women's events, including the single sculls, won by JUTTA HAMPE. The U.S.S.R. won the other two women's events, including the featured eights race. In the men's events, NEW ZEALAND won the eights race for the second straight year. PETER-MICHAEL KOLBE of West Germany was the victor in the single sculls.

SAILING—LIBERTY, skippered by Dennis Conner, was chosen by the New York Yacht Club over two-time defender Courageous, skippered by John Kolius, to defend the America's Cup (page 22).

SOCCER—NASL: The Cosmos needed at least five points against Toronto to clinch its sixth consecutive overall points title. It wound up with nine as it rampaged to five goals in the first half and then settled in for a 6-3 win. Roberto Caba√±as, the league's top scorer with 25 goals, scored two of the six goals (page 44). Except for Goalie Hubert Birkenmeier and Defender Erhardt Kapp, every player in the lineup got a goal or an assist. "Now the b.s. is over," said Forward Steve Moyers. Enter Montreal, which will face the Cosmos in this week's first-round playoffs. It clinched a berth in the season ender by beating Chicago 4-0. This was the game that almost wasn't, because Manic General Manager Jacques Burelle threatened to boycott it in protest of a league decision to award the victory in the Aug. 28 Montreal-Chicago match to the Sting. In that game the Manic refused to play the second half because of what Coach Andy Lynch felt was poor officiating. Wednesday, Burelle changed his mind and decided to play last week's game, which turned out to be a wise move. Golden Bay beat Seattle 2-1 and will meet the Sting in a best-of-three series. Southern Division titlist Tulsa will play Fort Lauderdale, and Western champ Vancouver will encounter Toronto.

TRACK & FIELD—EDWIN MOSES lowered his world 400-meter hurdles mark by .11 of a second, to 47.02, in Koblenz, West Germany (page 16).

In Rieti, Italy, STEVE OVETT reclaimed the world record in the 1,500 meters that he had lost on Aug. 28 to Sydney Maree. Ovett's time of 3:30.77 surpassed Maree's mark by .47.

In Rome, THIERRY VIGNERON cleared 19'1½" to set a world pole vault record, breaking Pierre Quinon's five-day-old mark by a half-inch, and LOUISE RITTER broke her U.S. mark in the high jump by a quarter of an inch, with a leap of 6'7".

MILEPOSTS—NAMED: As coach of the USFL Memphis Showboats, PEPPER RODGERS, 51, who most recently coached at Georgia Tech (1974-79). His college record was 73-65-3 over 13 seasons.

SETTLED: Out of court for a reported $100,000, a suit filed in 1980 against the Big Ten by New Orleans reserve Quarterback DAVE WILSON, 24, claiming that the conference had lessened his value as a pro football player by denying him an extra year of eligibility when he played at Illinois. In 1977 Wilson, then a college freshman, broke his wrist in the season's first game. He contended that the year should not have counted against his four seasons of eligibility, but the Big Ten ruled that it did.

SUSPENDED: At least until his Oct. 7 sentencing, by NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, Washington Redskin Strong Safety TONY PETERS, 30, after he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to sell cocaine.

TRADED: By the Cleveland Indians, Pitcher LEN BARKER, 28, to the Atlanta Braves for Pitcher RICK BEHENNA, 23, and two additional players to be named later.

DIED: KIKO BEJINES, 22, of massive cerebral contusions sustained in a WBC bantamweight title fight against Alberto Davila; in Los Angeles. Bejines was knocked out in the 12th round at The Forum and was rushed to an L.A. hospital. Doctors removed a blood clot and portions of his brain the following day. He died two days later, never having regained conciousness. Davila won the title that had been vacated by Lupe Pintor, who had failed to make a title defense in one year.

Motorcycle racers MARK JONES, 24, and HUGH HUMBLE, 27; of injuries sustained during a collision while practicing for a race; in Brainerd, Minn. Jones was driving off the track for the pit at Brainerd International Raceway when he was hit from behind by Humble, who was traveling at 140 mph.