December 31 - Hanspard to Turn Pro: Byron Hanspard, an All-America running back at Texas Tech and a Pentecostal minister, is forgoing his senior year because the NFL offers a bigger platform to spread his faith.
....Hanspard's 2,084 rushing yards this season was the fifth-best total in NCAA history. He won the Doak Walker Award presented annually to the nation's best running back.
....Hanspard, who often cites Bible passages when discussing football, said playing on Sundays in the NFL won't clash with his religion.
...."If the Lord felt that it would hurt me a lot, he wouldn't have told me to go to the NFL," he said. "I don't have to go to church on Sunday to worship and praise the Lord."
....Hanspard is the third underclassman so far to declare his pro eligibility, joining Iowa State running back Troy Davis and Indiana tailback Alex Smith.

December 31 - Astros Sign Springer: The Houston Astros signed righthanded pitcher Russ Springer to a one-year contract Monday and expect him to fill a spot in the bull pen.
....Springer spent his first full season in the major leagues in 1996 with the Philadelphia Phillies. He compiled a 3-10 record and 4.66 ERA in 51 appearances that included seven starts.
....Springer, who played for Louisiana State, pitched for the Yankees and California Angels before being traded to Philadelphia for last season.

December 30 - Tech Skunked by Iowa in Alamo Bowl

December 30 - QB Brown Not Making any Fiesta Bowl Predictions

December 30 - Top Receivers, Defenders Meeting in Cotton Bowl

December 29 - Alamo Bowl Coaches Playing Mind Games

December 29 - No One Want's UT Coach's Head Now ... Except NFL Maybe?

December 29 - Wylie Boys Rebound: After two disappointing losses in the first two rounds, Wylie turned the defense up a notch and claimed a pair 10-point wins Saturday in the Taylor Invitational basketball tournament.
....A strong play in the second half paved the way in both Wylie wins - 51-41 over Rockdale and 49-39 over Lake Travis.

December 29 - ACU Men Win 6th Straight: The Abilene Christian University men's basketball team recorded its sixth win in a row Saturday, downing Schreiner College, 98-55 in the GTE Classic at Angelo State University.
....It was the second time the Wildcats have beaten the Mountaineers this season as ACU improved to 9-3 and Schreiner remained winless, at 0-7. ACU also won its first game in the Classic on Friday night, 91-78 over Missouri Western.

December 28 - Rhodes Named Offensive Player of the Year

December 28 - Alamo Bowl Teams Trying to Figure Out Each Other

December 28 - Cotton Bowl Has a Little Intrigue This Year

December 28 - Kiddless Mavs in Hog Heaven

December 28 - FRIDAY NIGHT BASKETBALL:
....ACU men beat Missouri Western, 91-78
....Wylie girls lost to Levelland, 61-20
....Wylie boys lost to Lockhart, 68-66
....Wylie boys lost to McCallum, 55-53 (Thursday)
....CHS girls lost to Amarillo River Road, 68-52
....CHS boys beat Colleyville, 70-67
....AHS girls lost to Perryton, 50-42

December 27 - Tech, Hanspard Concentrating on Hawkeyes

December 27 - A Year Later, UT Can Laugh about "Old" Player

December 27 - THURSDAY NIGHT BASKETBALL:
....AHS Boys beat Phoenix Washington, 84-80
....CHS Girls beat Nazareth, 61-38

December 27 - Houston Rockets activate Price: Houston Rockets guard Brent Price, who had been sidelined with a broken elbow, was reactivated from the injured list in time for Thursday night's game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
....In a related move, the Rockets placed veteran center Charles Jones on the injured list because of a lower back strain.
....Price had been on the injured list since the beginning of the regular season after averaging 6.3 points in three preseason games. He broke his left elbow in a preseason matchup against the San Antonio Spurs on Oct. 24.

December 26 - Tech Freshmen Making Things Happen on Basketball Court

December 26 - Hanspard Has Decided, Not Telling: Everyone's been asking Texas Tech running back Byron Hanspard - all season long - whether he'll stay around for his final season of eligibility.
....The NFL beckons, after all.
....And Hanspard says after a long time in prayer and talk with the Lord, he's decided. But he's waiting until after the Alamo Bowl before he makes the decision known, he said Tuesday.
...."Now is not the time to say what I'm going to do. But everyone will be surprised," Hanspard said.
....Texas Tech (7-4) plays Iowa (8-3) in the Alamo Bowl on Sunday night.
....Hanspard, a licensed minister who preaches at a Lubbock church, became the sixth person in NCAA history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season when he totaled 2,084 yards this year. He was named winner of the Doak Walker award, presented to the player judged the nation's best collegiate running back.

December 25 - Roscoe's Move to 2A Made Easy Because of Talent

December 24 - Tech Begins Week of Alamo Bowl Preparation

December 24 - Prairie Dogs' Stephenson Wants One More Title

December 24 - Oilers Needed More Fans and Wins

December 24 - Bronte's Hall named all-state: Kim Hall, a 5-9 senior at Bronte, was named Monday to the Texas Sports Writers Association's Class A all-state volleyball team. She was a first-team selection.
....Hall was the only Big Country athlete named to the all-state volleyball teams.

December 23 - Cougars Admit They Played a Terrible Game

December 23 - Fry, Detmer Named to Texas HS Hall of Fame

December 22 - HS PLAYOFF SCORES:
....Class 4A: La Marque 34, Denison 3
....Class 3A: Sealy 36, Tatum 27
....Class 2A: Iraan 14, Groveton 7

December 22 - Cooper Loses in State Championship Finals, 55-15 ...(Related Photo)

December 22 - Key Play Happened Right Before Half with Score Tied

December 22 - Even Return of Miles Durham Wasn't Enough

December 22 - Group of "Over-Achievers" Took It Within One Step

December 22 - Westlake's Keah Played a Big Part in Victory

December 22 - Cooper, Lee and Permian Place Most on All-District Team

December 22 - More Celebrity Hunters Coming: Houston Astros pitcher Danny Darwin and four other former major league players will be celebrity hunters at the fifth annual Justin Celebrity Quail Hunt in Sweetwater Jan. 17-18.
.... The four others are Claude Osteen, Jerry Walker, Leon Roberts and Jim Kern.
....The hunt, which benefits intercollegiate baseball at Abilene Christian University, will be held at Red Bluff Hunting Camp near here. About 30 paid hunters will donate $1,000 each to ACU baseball for the two-day hunt.
....A total of 10 celebrity hunters are now scheduled to attend. The first five announced recently were former major league stars Nolan Ryan, pitcher for the Rangers, and Bobby Murcer, centerfielder for the Yankees, along with current players Rusty Greer of the Rangers, Jeff Frye of the Red Sox and Norm Charlton of the Mariners.
....The commitments of Darwin and the four former players to attend were announced by Rick Rhodes of Sweetwater, chairman of the organizing committee for the hunt, and Stan Lambert, director of athletics at ACU. Additional information is available from Lambert by calling (915) 674-2353 or writing Box 27916, Abilene, Tx. 79699.

December 22 - ACU's Shipley resigns: Bob Shipley, assistant football coach at Abilene Christian University, has resigned effective Dec. 31.
....Shipley's resignation was announced by Stan Lambert, the university's director of athletics.
....Shipley served as offensive coordinator for the Wildcats in 1996 for head coach Jack Kiser. He came to ACU after serving as assistant principal at Lincoln Middle School in Abilene in 1995-96. A 1984 graduate of ACU, he also was assistant coach at ACU in 1988-91.
....Shipley said he will now work for an Abilene business with plans to return to coaching.

December 21 - This High School Championship Weekend One for the Books

December 21 - Complete List of Champions for All Years

December 21 - Longhorns Favored in Fiesta Bowl

December 21 - FRIDAY NIGHT BASKETBALL
.... Wylie Girls beat Breckenridge, 60-48
.... Wylie Boys lost to Breckenridge, 83-64
.... CHS Boys lost to Killeen, 780-75
.... ACHS Girls lost to Ranger, 51-23
.... ACH Boys beat Ranger, 76-67

December 20 - Cooper's Success Was a Surprise to Some ... Not to Others

December 20 - Welcome to the "Allen Zone" - Total Focus

December 20 - Work Done in Austin, UT Heads to Arizona

December 20 - Get Out the Gun...He's Picking Against Cooper

December 20 - AHS girls beat Cooper, 43-38
.........CHS boys beat AHS, 67-61

December 20 - Send-off pep rally for Cougars today: There will be a send-off pep rally for the Cooper football team at 8:45 a.m. today at the Cooper fieldhouse.
....The Cougars are leaving today to go to Irving where they will play Austin Westlake at 12:07 p.m. Saturday at Texas Stadium for the Class 5A Division II state championship.

December 20 - KIDZ to replay Cooper game on Sunday: KIDY/KIDZ, the Fox affiliate in San Angelo which is channel 54 in Abilene or channel 6 on TCI Cablevision in Abilene, will show a replay of Saturday's Cooper-Austin Westlake state championship football game at noon on Sunday.
....Jerry Rogers, general sales manager for KIDY/KIDZ, said the station worked out an agreement Thursday with Fox Sports Southwest (which is televising the game live on Saturday) to replay the game on Sunday.

December 20 - Mavs Guard Acquitted: Dallas Mavericks guard Tony Dumas has been acquitted of misdemeanor charges he punched his pregnant girlfriend and dragged her across a roadside during an argument last spring.
....Dumas, 24, could have faced up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine if convicted in the alleged April 26 assault on 27-year-old Georgia Foy.

December 19 - Nothing Like the Excitement of State Championship Football

December 19 - Jack Mildren Still Doesn't Know if He Scored

December 19 - AHS, CHS BOYS and GIRLS Meet at ACU's Moody Coliseum Tonight

December 19 - Rangers re-sign Newsom: Outfielder Warren Newson re-signed with the Texas Rangers on Wednesday for $350,000, a raise of $100,000 from last season.
....Newson, 32, hit .255 in 1996 and set career highs for games (91), at-bats (235), runs (34), hits (60), doubles (14), homers (10) and RBIs (31).

December 19 - Lady Wildcats No. 1 in region: Abilene Christian University has moved up to first in women's basketball in the NCAA Division II south central region after its wins over West Texas A&M and Eastern New Mexico.
....Last week, previously undefeated West Texas A&M held the top spot in the south central region, but ACU climbed from second to first after beating the Lady Buffs, 65-58, and Eastern New Mexico, 78-55, last weekend at Moody Coliseum in the opening of Lone Star Conference action.
....The two wins improved ACU's record to 8-0 before the holiday break. Coach Suzanne's Fox's team will resume play with a two-game series in Colorado on Dec. 28-30.

December 18 - Loss to Midland Lee Showed Allen Cooper's Strength

December 18 - Austin Westlake is Central Texas' Permian of Years Gone By

December 18 - Houston Oilers Just Couldn't Get Fans to the Astrodome

December 18 - TUESDAY NIGHT BASKETBALL
.... Wylie girls lost to Eastland, 44-37
.... Texas Tech Men beat UT-San Antonio, 99-51

December 17 - Cooper Offense Showed Diversity at Its Finest

December 17 - Yes, Bob Estes Will Play on the PGA Tour Next Year

December 17 - Longhorns to Be More Serious About "Bowling" This Year

December 17 - Now Closing for the Texas Rangers: John Wetteland

December 17 - Rockets want to buy out Summit lease: The Houston Rockets, saying a new basketball arena is crucial, went to court Monday to pay their lease so they can commit to a new proposed downtown stadium.
....Rocket Ball, the limited partnership that owns the Rockets, wants to pay Arena Operating Co., which manages the city-owned Summit, all that is owed under the lease, which runs through November 2003.
....Arena Operating Co., which is owned by Houston Aeros owner Chuck Watson, claims the Rockets can be forced to play all their home games at The Summit through November 2003, according to the suit. It seeks a ruling from a judge that the Rockets cannot be forced to stay at The Summit.

December 17 - Cooper boosters chartering bus to Saturday's game: The Cooper Booster Club is chartering a bus for Saturday's Class 5A Division II state championship game between the Cougars and Austin Westlake at Texas Stadium in Irving. Kickoff is at 12:07 p.m.
....The bus will leave at 7 a.m. Saturday from the east parking lot at Cooper High School. Seats are $27 per person. All local football fans are welcome and don't have to be affiliated with Cooper to reserve a seat on the bus. To make reservations, contact Syble Blackwell at 691-1000.
....The sendoff for the Cooper football team will be at 8:45 a.m. Friday from the Cooper fieldhouse.

December 17 - Lady Wildats still ranked third: Abilene Christian University has maintained its hold on third place in this week's WBCA-USA Today national poll for NCAA Division II women's basketball.
....ACU protected its national ranking with a 56-58 win over nationally ranked West Texas A&M on Saturday to open Lone Star Conference play.

December 16 - Cougars to Play Saturday for State Championship

December 16 - ACU's "Undefeated" Coaches Honored Sunday

December 16 - Mavs Put Mashburn on Block? Dallas Mavericks forward Jamal Mashburn is on the trading block, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Sunday.
....Two NBA sources have told the Star Telegram that the team is trying to deal Mashburn and his $3.8 million salary to another team, clearing the way to acquire free-agent center Brian Williams.
...."It'd be fine with me," Mashburn said after Saturday night's 106-105 loss in San Antonio. "I wouldn't be sad, I know that. I just don't know where I fit in here, what my role is. It wouldn't bother me to go at all."
....One source said Dallas has talked to the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers about Mashburn.

December 16 - Coog Meeting Monday: The Cooper Adopt-A-Coog meeting will be held Monday at 6 p.m. at the Cooper Fieldhouse.
....The Cougars will be congratulated on their semifinal win over Lake Highlands and booster club plaques will be available for pickup.

December 15 - Cougar Defense Has Given School Title Shot

December 15 - Gordon Wins State Crown on 5th Down

December 15 - Prairie Dogs Release Schedule

December 15 - Whitehouse, Hawley win Titles in Catclaw Tourney

December 15 - SATURDAY NIGHT BASKETBALL:
....McMurry women beat Schreiner, 59-57
....HSU men lost to Southwest Texas State, 71-45
....McMurry men beat Cameron, 87-86
....ACU men beat West Texas A&M, 78-69
....ACU women beat West Texas A&M, 65-58
....CHS Boys Lose in Finals: After a strong showing in the Grand Prairie Classic, the Cooper Cougars came out flat in the championship game and fell to Lewisville, 66-46.
....The Cougars, who improved to 10-5 by winning three of four games in the tournament, never got started in the title game.

December 15 - Spurs Beat Mavs: David Robinson scored 27 points, his most since returning from the injured list, and made the game-winning basket to lead the San Antonio Spurs past the Dallas Mavericks 106-105 Saturday night.
....Robinson drove to the basket and gently laid the ball in to put the Spurs ahead 106-105 with 8.5 seconds left in the game.

December 14 - Cooper Wins to Make it to Championship Game

December 14 - Cougars Get First Chance at Crown Since 1967

December 14 - Sweetwater Makes it to Finals in Catclaw Tournament

December 14 - AHS Boys Lose: The Abilene High School Eagles outplayed Hobbs for 38 minutes Friday night. Unfortunately for them, the game lasted 40 minutes.
....Hobbs held Abilene High scoreless over the final 1:58 to overcome a four-point defict and post a 94-90 victory at Eagle Gym.

December 14 - CHS Girls Lose: Chanie Sutherland scored 23 points, leading Odessa High to a 58-34 win over cold-shooting Cooper Friday night in a District 4-5A girls basketball game at Cougar gym.

December 14 - Stars Win: Andy Moog stopped 24 shots for his 340th career victory, and Greg Adams' goal late in the second period broke a tie to lead the Dallas Stars over the Vancouver Canucks 2-1 Friday night.

December 14 - Rangers sign Hernandez: The Texas Rangers agreed Friday to a two-year contract with free agent pitcher Xavier Hernandez, who spent last season with Houston and Cincinnati.
....Hernandez, 31, was 5-5 with a 4.22 ERA and six saves in 58 relief appearances for the Astros last season. He started the year in Cincinnati, where he was released on April 24 after giving up eight hits and six earned runs in 3 1-3 innings of relief work.

December 13 - Cooper/Lake Highlands Match Features Exciting Players

December 13 - Cooper Just Wants That Last Final Inch

December 13 - Sweetwater, Wylie Impressive in Opening of Catclaw Tournament

December 13 - Rangers to Be on TV More Next Season

December 13 - Class 4A Division I Championship on the Line

December 13 - Roberts chosen for Baylor football coaching job: Dave Roberts, offensive coordinator under Lou Holtz at Notre Dame, was hired as Baylor's football coach on Thursday.
....Roberts, who also was a candidate for jobs at Minnesota and Division I-AA Western Carolina, worked at Notre Dame for the past three years. He declined an offer to remain at the school after Holtz's recent resignation.
....In previous stops as coach at Western Kentucky and Northeast Louisiana, Roberts had a 10-year record of 63-50-3 with five playoff appearances.
....Roberts, 49, replaces Chuck Reedy, who was fired Nov. 24, one day after a blowout loss that left the Bears at 4-7, their worst record since 1978. Baylor finished last in its first season in the Big 12 South.

December 13 - Prairie Dogs Manager Returning: Abilene Prairie Dogs manager Phil Stephenson, who led the team to the Texas-Louisiana League championship in his first year, is returning for the 1997 season.
....Stephenson had been seeking employment with the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays major league baseball organization.
....Stephenson set both league and team records in 1996 by leading the Prairie Dogs to 67 wins, including a record-setting 12-game winning streak. He was named T-LL manager of the year by the South Central Minor League Newsletter.

December 13 - Wetteland talks with Rangers: World Series MVP John Wetteland met Thursday with the Texas Rangers along with one of his agents, Adam Katz.
...."It was a very productive day, and the discussions are ongoing," said Tom Reich, another of his agents.
.....Wetteland hopes to resolve his situation within the next week, Reich said, adding that additional discussions with the Yankees are still possible.
....Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said Wednesday he hadn't made any firm offers to Wetteland or starters Roger Clemens and David Wells.

December 13 - Rangers re-sign McLemore: Mark McLemore, who became a free agent last weekend when service time for the 1994-95 strike was restored, returned to the Rangers when Texas agreed to a $6.5 million, three-year contract.
....McLemore, a 32-year-old second baseman, was a key part of a defense that was the cornerstone of the Rangers' success last season. He led the American League in putouts, assists and total chances. His fielding percentage was .985, fourth-best in the AL.

December 13 - Bell gets $13 million from Astros: Derek Bell, who drove in 100 runs for the Astros last season for the first time in his career, agreed Thursday to a $13 million, three-year contract.

December 12 - Cooper Line Has Played Big Part in Successful Season

December 12 - Six-Man Football Becoming More and More Popular

December 12 - Wylie Invitational Basketball Tournament Begins Today

December 12 - Hanspard not invited to Heisman ceremony: The Heisman Trophy is down to its final four.
....And the contenders are Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel, Iowa State running back Troy Davis, Ohio State offensive lineman Orlando Pace and Arizona State quarterback Jake Plummer.
....Texas Tech running back Byron Hanspard, the Doak Walker Award winner who was thought to be a leading contender for the Heisman, was not invited to Saturday's ceremony.

December 12 - Baylor list down to three: Baylor is looking at three candidates for its head football coaching position, with an announcement possible over the weekend or early next week, an official said.
....A source who asked to remain anonymous told The Dallas Morning News that Baylor has contacted former Notre Dame offensive coordinator Dave Roberts but he has yet to interview.
....Navy coach Charlie Weatherbie was in Waco on Monday to interview, Navy athletic director Jack Lengyel confirmed. Murray State coach Houston Nutt confirmed he was in Waco on Monday as well. Chuck Reedy was fired last month after a disappointing 4-7 season.

December 11 - Post-Season Has Been Good to the Allen Family

December 11 - Cooper No Mystery to Lake Highlands Coach

December 11 - TUESDAY NIGHT BASKETBALL (Partial results):
....CHS Girls lost to San Angelo Central, 52-33
....McMurry Women beat Ambassador College, 84-64

December 11 - Spurs Fire Hill: The San Antonio Spurs, reeling from a 3-15 start, fired coach Bob Hill on Tuesday, the same day David Robinson was to join the lineup for the first time this season.
....Spurs general manager Gregg Popovich replaces Hill and was to make his first appearance as an NBA head coach Tuesday night at Phoenix, where Robinson was expected to play against the Suns.
....Hill was fired despite having led San Antonio to 121 victories the last two seasons. But with Robinson out with a sore back, the Spurs started 2-10, the worst start in franchise history.
...Even without Robinson, though, team president Jack Diller said he thought the team's performance should be better than it has been.

December 11 - Astros Trade Five: The Houston Astros traded five players, including starters Brian Hunter and Orlando Miller, to the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday in exchange for catcher Brad Ausmus and four other players.
....The potential 10-player trade was the largest in the major leagues since Dec. 28, 1994, when the Astros and San Diego Padres exchanged 12 players.
....Hunter, a centerfielder and Miller, a shortstop, will be joined by pitchers Doug Brocail and Todd Jones, plus a player to be named or cash considerations.
....In addition to Ausmus, the Astros acquired right-handed pitcher Jose Lima, left-handed pitchers C.J. Nitkowski and Trever Miller, and infielder Daryle Ward.

December 11 - Tech subsidizing Alamo Bowl tickets: Texas Tech is offering over-the-counter tickets to its Alamo Bowl game against Iowa late this month at a reduced price beginning Wednesday morning, the school says.
....The school on Tuesday offered 2,185 upper level sideline tickets for $20, or $15.50 off face value, for the Dec. 29 game at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
....It also is selling $60.50 club level seats and $40.50 lower level seats at normal price. Tech has offered the discounted tickets via telephone since Monday. Tech's toll-free number for ticket orders is 1-800-462-4412.

December 11 - All-Big Country nominations needed: Friday is the last day area high school football coaches may nominate players for the Reporter-News' six all-Big Country teams.
....Coaches are urged to send in all final statistics on their nominees, plus his height, weight, position and classification.
....Send the information to Bill Hart, Box 30, Abilene Reporter-News, Abilene, 79604 or fax to (915) 673-1901.

December 10 - Texas Tech's Hanspard Is a Man on a Mission

December 10 - Tech and Iowa in the Alamo Bowl

December 10 - District 4-5A Girls Action Begins Tonight

December 10 - Cooper fans to charter bus for game: Cooper High School football fans are chartering a bus to Texas Stadium Friday night for the Class 5A, Division II semifinal game between the Cougars and Richardson Lake Highlands.
....Deadline for signing up for the bus is noon Wednesday. Cost is $27. Contact Syble Blackwell at 691-1000 to make reservations.

December 10 - Cooper tickets go on sale today: Tickets for the Cooper-Lake Highlands Class 5A semifinals football game Friday at Texas Stadium go on sale at 1 p.m. today at the AISD administration building, 842 Mockingbird.
....Price of the tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for students if bought in advance. Otherwise, they will cost $10 at the stadium.
....Tickets will be sold until 5 p.m. today, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, and from 8 a.m. until noon on Friday.
....Adult tickets may also be purchased at Athletic Supply on Butternut Street this afternoon and all day Wednesday and Thursday. Both adult and student tickets may be purchased Friday at Cooper High School until 10 a.m.

December 9 - Cougars Now Looking for a Little Respect

December 9 - Latest Texas HS Football Playoff Results, Pairings

December 9 - Texas Ready for a Fiesta

December 9 - Bowl Alliance Picture Marches into "Madness"

December 8 - Cougars Beat Flower Mound Marcus to Advance

December 8 - Cooper Quarterback a Steadying Influence

December 8 - Longhorns Upset Nebraska in Big 12 Title Game

December 8 - Stephenville Eliminated from Playoffs

December 8 - Rockets Beat Philadelphia: Rookie Matt Maloney scored a season-high 21 points and Houston tied a club record with 16 3-pointers in a 123-108 victory over Philadelphia on Saturday night.
....The Rockets hit 16 of 26 from long range in beating the 76ers for the 10th straight time.
....Maloney twisted his left ankle in Friday's workout but started the game and got the Rockets off to a quick start by hitting all four of his first-quarter shots, including three 3-pointers.

December 8 - UT Beats UNT: Reggie Freeman scored 22 points and No. 18 Texas beat North Texas 71-56 Saturday.
....Texas (4-0) started the second half with a 21-4 run, including 16 straight points. The 4-0 start is Texas' first since 1982, when the Longhorns began the season with 14 consecutive wins.

December 8 - Lady Cougars Win Third in Polk-Key Classic: Both Lubbock Coronado and Cooper came on strong in the second half Saturday to claim trophies in the Polk-Key City Classic.
....Coronado ripped Lubbock High 71-44 to win the championship trophy of the three-day, 22-team tournament, just after Cooper had thumped Iowa Park, 64-50, to win the third place trophy at Hardin-Simmons University's Mabee Complex.
....Cooper, 8-5, had lost its semifinal game to Lubbock High earlier in the day, 53-43. Coronado advanced to the final with an 81-36 drubbing of Iowa Park.
....The Lady Cougars outscored Iowa Park 35-19 in the second half and got a team-high 29 points from Catherine Weir. Teammate Ida Ridgeway added a career-high 14 points, and Ashley Varner led Cooper in rebounding, with eight.

December 8 - Elster rejects Rangers' offer: Kevin Elster rejected the Rangers' latest contract offer, apparently putting 1995 starter Benji Gil back in the Texas lineup.
....Elster, 32, was offered a one-year contract worth about $550,000 plus a team option for 1998. Elster had a base salary of $180,000 last season and earned $90,000 in bonuses.
....Patrick Elster, who represents his younger brother, said that was inadequate after a turnaround season in which Kevin Elster hit .252 with 24 homers and 99 RBIs.
...."I don't think they honestly expected Kevin to take this," Patrick Elster said. "It's extremely disappointing to Kevin because he really wanted to come back to Texas. He loved the team and the fans there. But this offer just wasn't going to get it done."

December 7 - Stamford Suffers Gut-Wrenching Loss in Playoffs

December 7 - Gordon Wins a Chance at Six-Man Championship

December 7 - FRIDAY NIGHT BASKETBALL
....AHS Boys beat Big Spring, 82-72
....AHS Boys lost to Abernathy, 55-53
....CHS Boys lost to Waco Midway, 68-62 (OT)
....McMurry Women beat Bartlesville-Wesleyan, 74-60
....HSU Women lost to Lubbock Christian College, 74-65
....McMurry Men beat Colorado College, 71-67
....CHS Girls beat Sweetwater, 53-47
....Wylie Girls beat El Paso Bel Air, 52-40
....Wylie Girls beat AHS, 65-48

December 6 - Big Plays Have Gotten Cooper Where It Is Today

December 6 - Stamford Facing Stingy Iraan Defense

December 6 - Gordon Is Big Hurdle for Milford

December 6 - Stephenville Meets Old Foe Denison

December 6 - Texas Coach Very Impressed with Nebraska Defense

December 6 - THURSDAY NIGHT BASKETBALL:
....CHS Girls beat Wichita Falls Rider, 46-45
....AHS Girls lost to Quanah, 41-39
....Wylie Girls lost to Seymour, 63-39
....Wylie Boys beat Albany, 59-53
....AHS Boys lost to Monahans, 73-70
....Wylie Boys beat Ranger, 71-56
....CHS Boys beat Fort Worth Brewer, 94-65
....ACU Women JV beat HSU JV, 74-49
....McMurry Men beat Southwestern Adventist, 101-76
....HSU Men beat Hillsdale Freewill Baptist, 90-64

December 6 - Pep rally this morning for Cooper team: A Cooper sendoff pep rally will be held at 7:30 a.m. today at the school fieldhouse.
....The Cougars will be leaving at 7:45 a.m. for their Class 5A quarterfinals football game with Flower Mound Marcus at 1 p.m. Saturday in Texas Stadium. The team will work out there this afternoon.
....Fans, parents and students are encouraged to attend the pep rally.

December 5 - Cooper Tackles Anchor Impressive Defense

December 5 - Texas Defense Faces Its Toughest Challenge

December 5 - Tickets on sale for tribute to coaches of undefeated ACU team: Tickets have been placed on sale at Abilene Christian University for a tribute luncheon Sunday, Dec. 15 at the Abilene Civic Center honoring three coaches of ACU's undefeated, untied 1950 football team.
....Theme of the luncheon is "The Undefeated Spirit." It will honor Garvin Beauchamp of Abilene, Oliver Jackson of Abilene and Bill McClure of Birmingham, Ala.
....Tickets are $20 each and are on sale in the athletic director's office in Moody Coliseum on the ACU camp from 8 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m. weekdays. The luncheon will begin at noon in the conference center of the Abilene Civic Center.
....The 1950 ACU team was the only collegiate team in the U.S. that season with an 11-0 record. It is the only undefeated, untied team in ACU history. Official hosts for the luncheon are players from the 1950 ACU team. Captains were Pete Ragus of Lubbock, former athletic director for Lubbock public schools, and Alton Green of San Angelo.
....All three coaches are graduates of ACU and members of the ACU Sports Hall of Fame. Jackson is a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. Beauchamp was head football coach at ACU that season, and Jackson and McClure later served as head coach of track and field at ACU with student-athletes on the U.S. Olympic team.
....McClure is a graduate of Abilene High, and Beauchamp a graduate of Roby High School. For ticket information, persons may call (915) 674-2323.

December 5 - ACU ranked sixth in all-sports: Abilene Christian University ranks sixth after the completion of four events in the race for the 1996-97 Sears Directors' Cup, which will be awarded next summer to the NCAA Division II member with the best overall sports program.
....ACU has 115 points to trail leader Cal State-Humboldt (162.5) in the NCAA all-sports competition after men's and women's cross country and women's soccer and field hockey.
.....The Wildcats' 115 points came from its top 10 finishes in men's and women's cross country. The women's team was seventh and the men's team eighth at the national meet last month in McKinleyville, Calif.

December 4 - UT's Offense Must Back Up Brown's Words

December 4 - Prairie Dogs Should Know about Manager Soon

December 4 - TUESDAY NIGHT BASKETBALL:
.... Wylie Boys beat Brownwood, 68-61
....AHS Boys lost to Lubbock Monterey, 79-54
....CHS Girls beat San Angelo Lake View, 57-27
....AHS Girls beat Eastland, 56-54
....HSU Women beat Mid-America Bible, 81-75
....McMurry Women lost to Trinity, 69-64

December 4 - Rangers' Greer to be among celebrity hunters: Outfielder Rusty Greer of the Texas Rangers, pitcher Norm Charlton of the Seattle Mariners and infielder Jeff Frye of the Boston Red Sox will be celebrity hunters at the fifth annual Justin Celebrity Quail Hunt on Jan. 17-18.
....The three major league players will join former players Nolan Ryan of the Rangers and Bobby Murcer of the New York Yankees as five of at least 10 celebrity hunters at the hunt which benefits intercollegiate baseball at Abilene Christian University. Corporate sponsor is The Justin Boot Company of Fort Worth.
....About 30 hunters will donate $1,000 each to ACU baseball for the two-day hunt at Red Bluff Hunting Camp near Sweetwater. For more information, write ACU Station, Box 27916, Abilene 79699, or call (915) 674-2323.

December 4 - Estes, Standly in qualifying: Abilene's Bob Estes and Mike Standly are among 188 players competing in the 1996 PGA Tour Final State Qualifying Tournament which begins today and runs through Monday at La Purisima Golf Course in Lompoc, Calif., and Sandpiper Golf Course, in Goleta, Calif.
....Both Estes and Standly failed to finish among the 125 on the PGA Tour money list this year, so they had to go back through the qualifying process. The top 40 players in the Qualifying Tournament will earn their PGA Tour cards for 1977, while the remainder of the field will be eligible to play on the Nike Tour.

December 4 - ACU's Brown, Avants honored: Linebacker Jody Brown and offensive tackle Brandon Avants of Abilene Christian University have been named first team academic all-Lone Star Conference for the 1996 season.
....Two other ACU players, place-kicker Brandon Baker from Abilene High and defensive end Richard Bogdon from Plano, were named honorable mention.
.....Brown, a 215-pound sophomore from Stephenville, led ACU in tackles (96) for the second straight season. He also had eight tackles behind the line of scrimmage, one quarterback sack, two fumble recoveries and two pass breakups for the ACU defense which ranked second in the league.
....Avants, a 296-pound sophomore from San Angelo Central, is also a two-year starter for the Wildcats. Both Avants and Brown were honorable mention all-conference.
....Avants has a 3.78 grade average in management, and Brown a 3.56 average in biology.

December 3 - Tech's Byron Hanspard Wins Doak Walker Award

December 3 - No Pressure on Texas in Big 12 Championship Game

December 3 - Poor Texas Tech: Christmas in Hawaii

December 3 - Houston Oilers Faced with Quarterback Decision

December 3 - Stephenville in Quarterfinal Match Saturday against Denison

December 3 - Panthers' Estes heads up all-district team: Abilene Christian High School quarterback John Estes IV has been named most valuable offensive player on the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools all-District 1 Six-Man football team.
....He also made the first team at quarterback and kicker.
.....ACHS, which lost in the championship game to Bryan Allen Academy, placed end Joe Rodriguez, center Paden Parker and running backs Robert Ascencio and David VanRheenen on the first offensive team. Named to the defensive unit were linemen John Williams and Stan Bailey, linebacker Jason Strader and bascks VanRheenen and Rodriguez on the defensive unit.

December 3 - Cooper playoff tickets go on sale: Advance ticket sales for the Cooper-Flower Mound Marcus football game will go on sale at noon today at the school administration building.
....The two teams clash Saturday in the Region I-5A title game at Texas Stadium in Irving at 1 p.m.
....The office will be open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., including the noon hour, on Wednesday and Thursday and from 8 a.m.-noon on Friday.
....Tickets are $6 for students and $8 for adults, but they will cost $10 at the game.

December 3 - Astros sign three players: Free agent infielders Bill Spiers and Pat Listach along with pitcher Sid Fernandez signed one-year contracts Monday with the Houston Astros.
....Spiers played in 122 games with the Astros last season, hitting .252 with six home runs and 26 RBIs. Listach batted .240 with one home run and 33 RBIs in 87 games for Milwaukee. ....Fernandez, a lefthander, spent last season with Philadelphia, compiling a 3-6 record with a 3.43 ERA in 11 games. His year was cut short due to problems with his left elbow.

December 3 - Olajuwon leaves hospital, ready to practice: Hakeem Olajuwon, saying he's in good health and has a "very good heart," left the hospital Monday after a visit from former President George Bush and plans to start working out in hopes of rejoining the Houston Rockets.
....For the second time in less than two weeks, the star center was treated for an irregular heartbeat. The problem is not considered career-threatening, but his return to play was not immediately set.
....When asked when he would be in the lineup again, Olajuwon said, "Hopefully, as soon as possible."
Olajuwon remained in Houston while his teammates played in Toronto on Monday night. ....The Rockets said Olajuwon is to begin workouts Tuesday.

December 3 - Lady Raiders ranked 10th: Texas Tech's Lady Raiders moved into the No. 10 spot Monday in the The Associated Press women's basketball poll, with three other Big 12 teams earning berths in the Top 25.
....Texas Tech (3-0) moved up from 11th a week ago. The three other ranked Big 12 schools were bunched together - Colorado (3-0) is 17th, Kansas (3-1) is 18th and Texas (3-0) is 19th.
One other Texas school, Stephen F. Austin, slipped one spot in the rankings, from No. 24 last week to No. 25.

December 3 - Cotton Bowl to announce teams Sunday: The Cotton Bowl Athletic Association said Monday it likely will wait until Sunday to announce its football teams for the 61st Cotton Bowl Classic on New Year's Day.
...Teams from the Big 12 Conference under consideration include Colorado, Kansas State and Nebraska. The opponent will be either Brigham Young from the Western Athletic Conference or Washington from the Pac-10 Conference.
....The Bowl Alliance will announced its selections at 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Once the Alliance teams are set, the CBAA will make its picks.

December 3 - Gordon to face Milford Friday: Gordon will meet Milford Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Glen Rose in a Six-Man football semifinal game.
....Gordon is 13-0 and Milford 12-0. The winner will meet either Whitharral or Chillicothe next week for the state championship.

December 2 - Andrae Patterson Standing Out at Indiana

December 2 - Coaches Agree Longhorns are Greatly Improved

December 2 - Olajuwon Back in Hospital with Irregular Heartbeat

December 2 - Latest High School Football Playoff Pairings

December 1 - Cooper to Play Marcus Saturday: The Cooper Cougars won't get another shot at District 4-5A rival Midland Lee. Instead, they'll have to settle for a shot at redemption against Flower Mound Marcus.
...Marcus (10-3) knocked off the fourth-ranked Rebles, 20-14, Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Midland.
....Cooper (10-3) and the Marauders will hook up Saturday at 1 p.m. at Texas Stadium. The winner of that game will capture the Region I championship and advance to the state semifinals against the winner of the Region II title game between Richardson Lake Highlands (12-1) and Tyler John Tyler (12-1).

December 1 - SATURDAY NIGHT BASKETBALL:
....ACU Men beat New Mexico Highlands, 73-53
....ACU Women beat Arkansas-Monticello, 76-54
....McMurry Men lost to Tarleton, 66-56
....CHS Girls beat Lubbock Estacado, 62-32
....AHS Girls lost to Lubbock Coronado, 83-44
....AHS Boys beat Lubbock Estacado, 95-81
....CHS Boys beat Lubbock Coronado, 63-61
....CHS Boys lost to Amaraillo Tascosa, 64-59

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