Letters

FUHR AND KANE
As an avid Edmonton Oiler fan, I want to thank Ralph Wiley for his fine article on Grant Fuhr (The Puck Stops Here, Jan. 11). Rarely is credit given to Fuhr; he has always been in the background behind Wayne Gretzky and the rest of the goal-scoring Oilers.

Like many other Edmonton fans, I hope that Fuhr will finally receive the attention he deserves and that he will guide his team to another Stanley Cup championship.
ADAM J. WEINER
Weston, Mass.

The few lines about Syracuse wide receiver Tommy Kane's hockey experience touched me. I cheered Kane all season long as he and Syracuse made a run at an undefeated season, but I had no idea what he had gone through before that. Racism once again deprived a fine athlete of an opportunity to play the sport he loves most.
WILLIE BRENNAN
Oxnard, Calif.

LEADING THE 76ERS
I have enjoyed watching Charles Barkley mature as a basketball player (Now Barkley Owns the Ball, Jan. 11). He has raised the caliber of his game, and he also has shown that he can be a leader. Let's hope that when the time comes to select the winner of the NBA's Most Valuable Player award, Barkley won't be overlooked.
CHERYL SNOWDEN
Milwaukee

Hey, Barkley is bad, and Grant Fuhr is fantastic, but you mean to tell me that you could muster only eight pages to cover 18 college bowl games, 14 of which were decided by six points or fewer? Sheesh!
A1C EDWARD G. BLACK, USAF
Yokota AB, Japan

MAKING THE GRADE
Thank you for recognizing the Arizona basketball team (Top Cats Who Are Tough Cats, Jan. 11). The alumni, school and fans are extremely proud of the team, especially since the first-semester grades came out, in early January, showing that out of a possible 4.0, the cumulative average for the 13-man team was 3.05, with no one below 2.0.

Surely that statistic would put the Wildcats in the Top 10 in that category as well.
JIM VERMILYEA
Tucson

Rick Telander (Raising 'Canes, Jan. 11) suggested we "forget that last year Oklahoma had more academically ineligible freshman players than any other school." Yes, let's do forget that and instead try to remember that for the past three seasons Oklahoma has graduated more than 80% of its players.

Let's also remember that, of the 24 players named to the 1987 Academic All-Big Eight team, 10 were Sooners, including starting defensive tackle Scott Evans, who has a 3.7 grade point average in business finance.
W.T. TATUM, M.D.
Edmond, Okla.

Your 1987 college football preview dismissed Virginia with one sentence: "Virginia is justifiably proud of having the country's highest player graduation rate (89%), but on the gridiron the Wahoos will again fail to make the grade."

Well, I would say that an 8-4 record, including an All-American Bowl victory over BYU, is certainly one we can be proud of.
STEVE BUCK
Williamsburg, Va.

McCONKEY'S CATCH
Your double issue, Pictures '87 (Dec. 28-Jan. 4), captured many stirring moments in sports over the past year, some triumphant, some agonizing—and one, I'm afraid, misidentified. On page 20, your caption says, "Phil McConkey's TD catch helped seal the Giants' Super Bowl win over the Broncos." However, isn't this a shot of a temporarily heartbroken McConkey after he was stopped short of the end zone earlier in the game?
BEN BLINDER
Verona, N.J.

•You're right. Here's a shot of McConkey's TD catch.—ED.

PHOTO

JERRY WACHTER

Letters to SPORTS ILLUSTRATED should include the name, address and home telephone number of the writer and should be addressed to The Editor, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, Time & Life Building, Rockefeller Center, New York, N.Y. 10020-1393.