I know Spurrier doesn't aspire to be a Willy Loman, but he is
ridiculously arrogant and rude.
MICHAEL D. GOOLSBY, Auburn, Ala.
COACH SPURRIER
Florida football coach Steve Spurrier has faced all of the
criticism, wadded it up and thrown it right back in the faces of
his critics (Steve Superior, Oct. 23). It's a shame that all
coaches don't share his passion to win. Spurrier's competitive
spirit and drive are enough to motivate anyone to do his best.
STEVE SCHIEVELBEIN, Taylor, Texas
I can't stand Spurrier. He is an offensive "mastermind" and,
with respect to his family, a supreme jerk. While most coaches
rallied around Bobby Bowden and the difficulties of overseeing
100 kids year round, Spurrier was classless enough to slap
Florida State while it was down. His comments regarding FSU's
troubles with unscrupulous agents will never be forgotten by
Seminole fans. We love to hate him. Nothing, not even beating
Miami by 20-plus points, is as delicious as seeing Steve
Superior throw his Gator golf visor onto the turf during an
FSU-Florida game.
CHRISTOPHER T. KEENEY, Fairfax, Va.
SWAN SONG OF THE SWC
As a native Texan and a follower of the Southwest Conference, I
read with interest Gary Cartwright's eulogy for the conference
(0:00 to Go, Oct. 30). While I was touched by the nostalgia of
the piece, I was disturbed by Cartwright's assertion that the
SWC began to die in 1976. In the last 20 years, many great
players have represented the conference: Mike Singletary, Eric
Dickerson, Craig James, Byron (Bam) Morris, Kenneth Davis and
Andre Ware. I am not contending that SWC schools were beyond
reproach during this time, but simply that Southwest Conference
football was entertaining. The breakup of the conference is
nothing to celebrate; it is something I will always regret.
KERRY OWENS, Jackson, Miss.
Cartwright failed to mention Jess Neely's Rice Owl teams of the
postwar years--which included six bowl teams through 1961--and
Grant Teaff's Baylor Bear teams since '72, including their
Miracle on the Brazos win over Texas in '74. Rice was very much
a part of the SWC's success during the glory years when some of
the nation's largest football crowds gathered at Rice Stadium.
DAVID LEEDS, Houston
What made the Southwest Conference unique was that a fan could
see 80% of his team's home and away games by driving less than
two hours.
TERRY PARGMANN, Fort Wayne, Ind.
THE NEWEST BULL
Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player ever,
teamed with Dennis Rodman, arguably the best rebounder in the
NBA: This should be a Bull fan's fondest dream instead of his
worst nightmare (Leap of Faith, Oct. 23). Fans will be more
interested in Rodman's performance than in his hair.
MARK SCHWEERS, Pittsburgh
Why do people think Rodman is going to be a distraction for the
Bulls? If sitting out the final seconds of a playoff game, as
Pippen did, and taking a year off to play baseball aren't
distractions, then what is? Rodman is going to fit in perfectly.
DAVID KNOX, Orlando
When will Dennis Rodman be accepted for what he is: the best
rebounder in the NBA and, much like Deion Sanders in the NFL, a
man who brings needed personality to his sport?
MIKE HENNELL KING, Vancouver
I am tired of hearing criticism of Dennis Rodman. The man's a
genius. He is 6'8", yet he pulls down more boards than anyone
else in the NBA. How is he a "high-risk acquisition"? When
people realize that Rodman isn't going to be molded into a model
basketball player, his true potential will be tapped.
SHAWN GARCEAU, Buffalo
FAMILY MAN
Congratulations on Richard Hoffer's story about Bo Jackson (What
Bo Knows Now, Oct. 30). Bo is the premier athlete of my
lifetime. Certainly the words two-sport athlete suggest that
Deion Sanders and Bo Jackson are comparable. The words two-sport
role model do not. Jackson has realized that sports are not life
but a part of life.
SCOTT GRIEBEL, Boston
B/W PHOTO: HY PESKIN Neely (left) checks out an injury to co-captain Eddie Rayburn during the Owls' 1955 game against SMU. [Jess Neely, Eddie Rayburn, and others]