October 31 - Mavs' Mashburn to Suit Up: Dallas Mavericks forward Jamal Mashburn will suit up for Friday night's season opener and could play, depending on his recovery from knee surgery that caused him to miss most of last season.
...."I don't know if I'll even play or how much, but I'll be suited up and ready to go," said Mashburn, who last week expected to start the year on the injured list.
...."I went through a full practice (Tuesday) and I feel OK. Unless I have some major setback, I hope to contribute and start working my way back in."
....Dallas has 14 players on its roster and likely will put two players on the injured list to get down to the 12. Those two probably will be rookie Samaki Walker and journeyman Greg Dreiling.
....Mashburn, who played only 18 games last season before experiencing pain in his knee, had been headed for a minimum absence of five games. He had arthroscopic surgery Feb. 13.

October 31 - UT Probing Agent Incident: The University of Texas has told the Big 12 Conference and NCAA it is probing a report that at least three football players may have met with an agent.
...."At this point, we cannot make any determination on the players," coach John Mackovic said Wednesday. "We will try to get to the bottom of the report as quickly as possible, but cannot make any decisions until we complete the investigation."
....According to a source close to the university, the investigation centers on a reported meeting Sunday at an Austin luxury hotel that included Texas receiver Mike Adams, safety Tre Thomas and cornerback Bryant Westbrook.
....The source told The Associated Press that more than one report began to surface Tuesday that the three players had met in the hotel's restaurant with a man who discussed such topics as the NFL salary cap and how contracts in the NFL work before handing them some papers.
....Mackovic said the players would remain eligible to play in Saturday's game against Baylor in Austin while the investigation proceeds.

October 31 - ACU moves up in polls: Abilene Christian University has moved back up to fifth in the women's division and seventh in the men's division of the NCAA Division II cross country in national polls released by the NCAA Cross Country Coaches Association.
....The Wildcats, who swept the Lone Star Conference cross country titles last weekend, will take this week off before the NCAA south central region meet Nov. 9 in Canyon.

October 31 - TIAA Golf Championship: McMurry University finished 12th and Hardin-Simmons University 13th in the Texas Intercollegiate Golf Championship which concluded Tuesday at Meadowbrook Golf Course. Only one stroke separated the two teams.
....Texas Wesleyan won the tournament with a 573 total. The 54-hole tournament was shortened to 36 holes because the second round was rained out.
....That was the final fall tournament for the McMurry and HSU golf teams.

October 30 - NBA Previews: Mavs....Rockets....Spurs

October 30 - Abilene High Takes Week Off; Cooper on Verge of Playoff

October 30 - AP High School Football Honor Roll

October 30 - Vote critical to Astros' future: Baseball owners would likely would give Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane permission to sell his team to out-of-town buyers if a referendum to build a new stadium fails, NL president Leonard Coleman said Tuesday.
....Coleman spoke at a luncheon and met with McLane to discuss the Nov. 5 referendum that seeks voter approval to build a downtown baseball stadium and to renovate the Astrodome as a football facility.
...."If you asked me if the vote turns out to be a 'no' vote, if Mr. McLane would be given permission to seek an alternative location, in my opinion as National League president, the answer is 'yes,' " Coleman said.
....McLane said the referendum must be approved.
....City officials and political leaders have announced plans to build a $265 million downtown stadium for McLane and also improve the Astrodome, the base for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

October 30 - Astros make Drabek free agent: The Houston Astros decided Tuesday they will not pick up the option year on Doug Drabek's contract, making the veteran pitcher a free agent.
....Drabek, who had a 7-9 record and 4.57 ERA last season, was scheduled to make $5 million next season. The Astros will pay Drabek $950,000 to fulfill the buyout of his five-year contract signed in 1992.
....The Astros may try to re-sign Drabek, 34, for next season at a lower salary. Atlanta mayor sports Yankees cap

October 30 - Longhorns getting new court: The University of Texas basketball teams will have a new home court this year.
....Workers were scheduled to complete installation Tuesday of a $90,000 maple playing floor at the Erwin Center, replacing the original that had been used by the Longhorns since 1977.
....The court, which consists of about 220 modules measuring 4 by 8 feet each, was built by Robbins Sports Surfaces of Cincinnati, which also designed the original and accepted it back as part of a trade-in deal. Robbins also built the courts for 19 NBA arenas and the floor for the Atlanta Olympic Games.

October 29 - ARN's High School Players of the Week

October 29 - AP's Weekly High School Poll

October 29 - HSU Ranked 7th: Hardin-Simmons University climbed two spots to No. 7, while Howard Payne fell from fourth to 12th in this week's NAIA Division II football poll after the Cowboys' 41-20 win Saturday over the Yellow Jackets.
....HSU quarterback Todd Baumann was named the American Southwest Conference offensive player of the week for his performance in the win over HOward payne. Baumann completed 20 of 39 passes for 427 yards and five touchdowns as the Cowboys improved their record to 6-1.
....Howard Payne is also 6-1.
....Hardin-Simmons is back at home in Shelton Stadium on Saturday to face cross-town rival McMurry University.

October 29 - Barkley's Debut to Wait: Charles Barkley's regular-season debut for the Houston Rockets has been put on hold, but he won't miss his rematch with his former team.
....Barkley was suspended for one game and fined $5,000 Monday for a fight with New York's Charles Oakley in an exhibition game last Friday. Oakley, who instigated the fight by slamming Barkley to the floor, got two games and a $10,000 fine.
....Barkley will sit out the Rockets' opener Friday night at home against the Sacramento Kings, but he'll be on the court the next night when Houston travels to Phoenix to play his old team, the Suns.

October 29 - CHS Volleyballers Going for Crown: Cooper goes for the District 4-5A volleyball championship tonight at Odessa High. The Lady Cougars are 18-9 overall and 10-1 atop the district standings. Odessa High is 15-12 and in fourth place at 5-6.
....Tonight's title-clinching match begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Odessa High School gym.
....Abilene High (11-14 and 4-7) will close out its 1996 volleyball season at home tonight against last-place Odessa Permian. The match begins at 7:30 p.m. at Abilene High's Eagle Gym.

October 28 - Texas Tech Looking Like Leader in the South

October 28 - Oilers staying through '97: The Nashville-bound Oilers will play next season in Houston and the following year in Tennessee, owner Bud Adams said Sunday.
....Adams said he would not try to buy out the last year of his Astrodome lease for an early move to Tennessee. Such a buyout would have to be approved by mayor Bob Lanier, Harris County Judge Robert Eckels and Astrodome USA owner Drayton McLane Jr.
...."I expect to play here in 1997," Adams said. "Mayor Lanier has already said he is not going to let me out of (the lease)."
....The Oilers have an agreement to move to Nashville, but nothing in the deal specifies that they have to move before a new stadium is ready in 1999.
.....As far as 1998, Adams said he expected to be in Tennessee and not try to remain in Houston after the stadium lease ends.
...."We'll play somewhere in Tennessee," he said. "I'm not sure where, but I'm reasonably certain we'll play in Tennessee."

October 27 - Tech Hangs on to Defeat Aggies

October 27 - Texas Loses to Colorado

October 27 - HSU Dominates HPU in Victory

October 27 - ACU Defeats Tarleton State

October 27 - McMurry Defeats Austin College, 30-27

October 26 - ACU Meets Ever-Dangerous Tarleton State

October 26 - HSU and Howard Payne in Battle of Biggies

October 26 - McMurry Hosts Austin College

October 26 - Texas Tech Travels to Meet the Aggies

October 26 - Five Inducted into HSU Hall

October 26 - ACHS Wins Big: Abilene Christian High, gearing up for its collision with undefeated Happy Hill Academy, had no trouble with Granbury Oak Trail Academy Friday, winning 65-20.
....'I hope this game tuned us up for our big game next week, especially the guys we may need to call on to spell some of our starters," said ACHS coach Steve Woods.
....Starting quarterback John Estes IV had another big game for the Panthers, tossing three touchdowns, each to a different receiver. Stan Bailey, Robert Ascencio and Joe Rodriguez each hauled in TD strikes from Estes. Estes also caught one touchdown on a pass from Robert Ascencio.
....Aaron Andress, in relief of Estes, also accounted for three touchdowns. Andress twice hit Lee Headstream with TD passes and caught one himself from Headstream.
...."I was very happy with the way Headstream ran with the ball after the catch tonight," said Woods, "and I also thought Andress came in and did a very good job throwing the ball."
....In addition, ACHS also received a touchdown from the special teams unit as Sean Martin raced 60 yards with a kickoff return for a score.

October 26 - 4-5A volleyball lead on the line: Cooper and San Angelo Central will meet at 2:30 p.m. today at the Central High School gym with first place in the District 4-5A volleyball lead on the line. Cooper and Central are tied for the district lead with 9-1 marks.

October 26 - Mets, Royals are interested in Palmer: Rangers third baseman Dean Palmer is attracting some attention from other teams, including the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals.
...."There is interest out there," Texas Rangers general manager Doug Melvin told The Dallas Morning News in Atlanta during the World Series. "It's not that we're out there shopping Dean. Teams are coming to us because he's in that situation where you either have to sign him to a long-term contract or think about trading him."
....Palmer, 27, is eligible for arbitration this off-season, then can become a free agent after the 1997 season. He made $1.925 million last year and could more than double that considering the type of season he had.
....Coming off arm surgery that limited him in 1995, Palmer hit .280 with 38 home runs and 107 RBIs, tying Cleveland's Jim Thome for most homers by a third baseman and finishing just behind him in RBIs. Palmer, 27, also had a career-best .953 fielding percentage.
....The Rangers already will have to pay four players at least $3.5 million next year, and Ivan Rodriguez is likely to be the fifth if the team can sign him to a long-term deal as they've said they would like to do.

October 26 - ACU Favored in Cross Country: Abilene Christian University is favored to win both the men's and women's team titles in the Lone Star Conference cross country championships today.
....The women's 5,000-meter race begins at 9 a.m., and the men's 8,000-meter race will follow at 9:45 a.m. on the new cross country course at Texas A&M-Commerce.
....ACU is ranked sixth in the women's division and seventh in the men's division of the NCAA Division II national polls. Both ACU teams are defending champions with the men owning five straight titles and the women three straight. One of ACU's two defending individual champions, Musa Gwanzura, is back, but 1995 women's champion Casi Florida is out with injuries.

October 25 - Wylie on the Road to Battle Ballinger

October 25 - Cooper Travels to Midland High

October 25 - Eagles Host 6th-Ranked Rebels

October 25 - ACHS Game Preview Capsule

October 24 - Former Cooper Athlete Keeps Up with Team, City Online

October 24 - Texas Tech Defense Holding Down the Fort

October 24 - Texas Class 4-A Gears Up for Playoff Split

October 24 - NCAA Puts Texas Southern on Probation: The NCAA announced Wednesday that it has put Texas Southern on probation for five years for academic and ethics violations, primarily in its track and field and cross-country programs.

....The NCAA Committee on Infractions said it found violations between 1991 and 1993 that included athletes receiving unearned academic credit and a lack of institutional control. Smits to miss start of season

October 24 - Outland semifinalists named: Three defensive and 10 offensive linemen were named semifinalists for the Outland Trophy, an award given to college football's best interior lineman.

....The Football Writers Association of America selected defenders Darrell Russell of USC, Matt Rice of Northwestern, and Chuck Wiley of LSU, and offensive linemen Orlando Pace of Ohio State, Juan Rogue of Arizona State, K.C. Jones of Miami, Donnie Young of Florida, Jeff Mitchell of Florida, Walter Jones of Florida State, Dan Neil of Texas, Aaron Taylor of Nebraska, Chris Dishman of Nebraska and Steve Scifres of Wyoming.
....Finalists will be announced in late November. The winner will be named Dec. 12 in Orlando.

October 23 - CHS, AHS Coaches Hope to Keep Emotion High

October 23 - AP's High School Honor Roll

October 23 - Slocum Hopes Mistakes End: Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum isn't sorry he added balance to the Aggies offense. He only wishes his players would cut out the mistakes. ....The Aggies (3-4) rank among the top teams nationally in total offense but mistakes have been costly.
..."Maybe we've spent too much time concentrating on our passing game but I think you have to be able to do both to be successful," Slocum said Tuesday.
....The Aggies have been productive with their passing game this season. Albert Connell is the Big 12's leading receiver, and quarterback Branndon Stewart is improving in his first season as a starter.
....The Aggies had five turnovers in Saturday's 23-20 loss to Kansas State and although the Aggies rallied in the second half, missed passes could have made the difference.

October 22 - Shotwell Stadium Has Seen A Lot of History

October 22 - ARN's High School Players of the Week

October 22 - Wylie Girls Win Title: The Wylie girls took five of the top six spots to win the team title last week at the District 6-3A cross country meet at Breckenridge Country Club.

....Lacy Weeks led the Wylie charge with a winning time of 13:18, while teammates Hannah Jones took second, Emily Lowe third, Kara Frazier fourth, and Meredith Ripley sixth.
....The Wylie boys also earned a trip to the regional meet by finishing second behind Eastland. Wylie's Zack Leggett was the individual winner with a time of 17:34 over the three-mile course.
....The top two teams and top five individuals qualified for the Region I-3A cross country meet to be held Nov. 2 in Lubbock.

October 22 - Oilers Like Having Cheering Fans: The Oilers are back and so are their fans after completing the first of coach Jeff Fisher's two-step plan to get Houston into the playoff race.

....Fisher challenged the Oilers to defeat a quality team and they beat Pittsburgh. Now, they - and their rejuvenated fans - are primed to do it again Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers in the Astrodome.
...."We were pleased and excited not only with the number of fans but their enthusiasm and support," Fisher said. "Winning is the reason they came and we want them to come back.
...."There's a lot of good ball going on in the Dome right now and the entire organization appreciates their support."
....Owner Bud Adams anticipated no more than 35,000 fans for Sunday's game but a season-high 50,122 showed up, more than the Oilers' first two home games combined.
....Oilers fans were out-cheered by a large Steelers delegation at the start of the game, but they came to life in the second half when the Oilers rallied for two touchdowns in the closing minutes for a 23-20 victory.

October 22 - McCraw Named Astros Hitting Coach: Tom McCraw, who spent the past five seasons as the hitting coach for the New York Mets, was named to the same position Monday on the staff of new Houston Astros manager Larry Dierker.

....McCraw, 55, played 13 seasons in the major leagues. He has previous coaching assignments with the San Francisco Giants and the Baltimore Orioles.

October 21 - LSC Roundup: Texas A&M-Kingsville's biggest obstacle to a fifth straight Lone Star Conference title was supposed to be Central Oklahoma. If so, call the championship trophy engravers and order the usual.


....A&M-Kingsville pounded Central Oklahoma 35-7 Saturday, keeping the Javelinas the only undefeated team in league play at 3-0. They are 4-2 overall, while Central Oklahoma (5-1, 2-1 LSC) suffered its first loss.
....Elsewhere, Abilene Christian beat Angelo State 17-14 on a 23-yard field goal into the wind by Brandon Baker with two seconds left, Texas A&M-Commerce ended a two-game losing streak by blanking West Texas A&M 31-0, and Eastern New Mexico won its first league game 24-17 over Tarleton State.
....In the showcase game, the Javelinas got three touchdown passes from quarterback Oktay Basci and Reggie Durden ran for two scores. Central Oklahoma's only score - a 1-yard run by Ryan Logan - came with 8:54 left.
....Baker's last-minute heroics gave Abilene Christian (4-2, 2-1) its first victory over Angelo State (4-2, 2-1) since 1986. He had missed two earlier kicks because of the wind, which gusted up to 30 mph.
....A&M-Commerce (4-3, 1-2) spread out its offense, using 10 runners to gain 214 yards and three touchdowns. Cornerback Kevin Mathis returned a punt 51 yards for another touchdown, sending West Texas A&M to 1-5 and 0-3 in league play.
....Eastern New Mexico (2-5, 1-2) got three interceptions from Danny Cummings, including one with 22 seconds left to seal its victory over Tarleton State (4-2, 1-2).

October 21 - Abilene Roadrunners Win: The Roadrunners, an Abilene under 10 girls soccer team, went undefeated to win the CTSA Fall Classic over the weekend.

....The Roadrunners scored 29 goals while allowing only one.
....Members of the team are Sarah Bilberry, Sydne Gregory, Courtney Jones, Tamara Jones, Laura Karlin, Nina Koske, Melissa Loyola, Megan McKissack, Lauren Reeves, Tammy Watson, Michael Ann Wheeler, Lacey Wunderlich. The coach is Thomas Wheeler.

October 20 - Cooper's Big Upset of Permian Began a Week Ago

October 20 - ACU Finally Beats Angelo State

October 20 - Cornhuskers Too Much for Texas Tech

October 20 - Howard Payne Defeats McMurry

October 20 - AHS Netters Runners-Up: Abilene High earned the runner-up berth in the District 4-5A team tennis standings by winning an 11-7 decision Saturday over Odessa Permian.

....The Eagles will join Cooper as the district's representatives next Friday and Saturday in the regional team tennis tournament.
....Abilene High's Meiling Parks won a crucial match at girls No. 1 singles, taking a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Melissa Hodges. In another equally pivotal match, Parks and Sara Stevens rallied from a 4-1 second-set deficit to take a 3-6, 7-6, 6-3 win over Hodges and Beverly Dawson at No. 1 girls doubles.
....Karl Johnson claimed another important triumphn for the Eagles at No. 2 boys singles when he rallied for a 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 win over Jason Yelley.
....Had Permian won the match, it would have gone to the regional tournament as the district's No. 1 seed. Each team entered the match with just one loss in 4-5A play.

October 19 - Texas Tech Entertains No. 5 Nebraska

October 19 - ACU Hosting ASU for Homecoming

October 19 - McMurry Hopes to Break 4-game Losing Streak

October 19 - HSU Travels to do Battle with Midwestern State

October 18 - Cougars Face Their Most Recent Nemesis: The Cooper Cougars complete their grueling three-game gauntlet tonight with a game against their most recent nemesis.

...No team has frustrated or infuriated the Cougars more over the last four seasons than Odessa Permian.
..."The biggest thing we have going for us is the encouragement we got last week from putting ourselves in a position to win the ballgame," he said. "As the game went along, we got the confidence that we were just as good as Midland Lee. I think that confidence will carry over."
...Even though the game is against Permian, the Cougars desperately need a win. And not just to avoid falling to 1-2 in District 4-5A play, but to get themselves back on track.
Cooper opened this three-game stretch with appeared to be a winable homecoming contest against Amarillo High. The Sandies, however, rushed for 225 yards in a 31-28 victory over Cooper.
...The Cougars then went to Midland last week, fell behind the Rebels 14-2 at the half, roared back to take a 15-14 and finally fell 27-22.
...Those two losses have taken a big emotional toll on a team that expected before the season started to be at least 5-1 going into this game. Instead the Cougars are 3-3 and staring straight down the barrel at 3-4.

October 16 - Eagle, Cooper Coaches Hope for Momentum Extension

October 16 - AP Honor Roll: High school Football

October 16 - Wilbert Montgomery Returning for More Honors: Former Abilene Christian University football great Wilbert Montgomery is scheduled to return "home" this weekend for additional honors.

....Montgomery, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., last month, will be here for his "On Campus Salute" from the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame.
....He will be honored at a public reception Friday at 2 p.m. in the living room of the McGlothlin Campus Center and will receive his award Saturday afternoon at halftime of the ACU-Angelo State football game at Shotwell Stadium.
....Fred Jacoby of Dallas, the Lone Star Conference commissioner, will represent the foundation and the hall of fame and present the award to Montgomery, who played eight years with the Philadelphia Eagles and one year at Detroit after leaving ACU.
....Montgomery will be introduced at Friday's daily assembly at 11 a.m. and at the homecoming chapel at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. He will speak to the football team, ride in the ACU homecoming parade at 9 a.m. and attend the ACU Letterman's Association luncheon at noon at Shotwell Stadium.
....Montgomery, a native of Greenville, Miss., recently became the first athlete in the LSC Hall of Honor and is also in the ACU and the Philadelphia Eagles' halls of fame. He now lives in Clementon, N.J., and is now a businessman in Philadelphia and a radio-TV host for the Eagles during the football season.

October 15 - ARN's High School Players of the Week

October 15 - ACU Begins Basketball Workouts, A.J. (After Jennifer)

October 15 - ACHS Still Leads Poll: Abilene Christian University continues to lead the weekly Six-Man Private School poll .
....Here are the latest poll results with current season record:
1. Abilene Christian.......................5-1
2. Bryan Allen Academy...............3-1
3. Waxahachie Cornerstone...........3-3
4. SA Sunnybrook Christian.........5-1
5. Rich. Canyon Creek..................5-0
6. Dallas Academy........................4-2
7. El Paso Jesus Chapel................2-4
8. Galveston Heritage Chr..........3-1-1
9. Mineral Wells Community........5-1
10. Watauga Harvest Chr..............4-2
10. Granbury Happy Hills.............2-4

October 15 - Clark Undergoes Elbow Surgery: Texas Rangers first baseman Will Clark was recovering at home Monday from surgery to remove bone spurs from his left elbow.
....Clark underwent the procedure Friday at Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth. He has since been released.

October 15 - Texas Trying to Figure Out Nightmare: Texas blew a fourth-quarter lead for the second time this season, and, even worse, it came against the formerly winless, archrival Oklahoma Sooners.
....The Longhorns, who plummeted out of the Top 25, are 3-3 (2-1 Big 12) and reeling with a trip to Colorado (4-1, 2-0) looming after an off-week.
...."This is a nightmare we wish we could wake up out of," said Texas kicker Phil Dawson, whose field goal in overtime against Oklahoma wasn't enough Saturday as the Sooners drove for a winning touchdown and a 30-27 victory.
...."The problem is no one can pinpoint what it is right now that we're lacking. If we could figure out what the problem was, we would feel a little better. But right now we are searching," Dawson said.
....Texas coach John Mackovic on Monday also struggled to identify what's wrong with a team that opened the season in the Top 10 with as much talent at the skill positions as any team in the country.
....The fifth-year coach diagnosed a number of possible ailments: youth in the offensive and defensive lines; not enough senior leadership; a tough schedule; and a porous run defense.

October 14 - Big 12 South Had a Few Surprises This Week

October 14 - No Home Field? Oilers Still Win: The Houston Oilers won't have much of a home-field advantage until they move to Nashville. That's OK, though, because they have become a pretty good road team.
....The lame-duck Oilers, playing before a few of its soon-to-be home fans from Tennessee, won for the third time in four road games this season, beating winless Atlanta 23-13 Sunday despite an injury to quarterback Chris Chandler.
...."No one likes to play on the road," said Oilers owner Bud Adams, who became a pariah in Houston when he decided to move his team in 1998. "But right now, our home advantage is not what it used to be."
....Houston (4-2), which has drawn less than 30,000 for both of its games at the Astrodome, was cheered on in Atlanta by a small contingent of pompon-waving fans who made the four-hour drive from the Tennessee capital.

October 13 - Texas Tech Runs Past Kansas, 30-17

October 13 - UT Loses to OU in OT, 30-27

October 13 - A&M Nips Iowa State, 24-21

October 13 - HSU Outlasts Mississippi College, 34-33

October 13 - ACU Loses First LSC Game, 24-6

October 13 - McMurry Falls to Sul Ross, 39-7

October 13 - Cooper Netters Edge Central: Cooper survived a tough, windy day at the Cougar courts Saturday, tying District 4-5A foe San Angelo Central 9-9 in matches but pulling out the team tennis victory with a 21-20 edge in sets.
....Kadi Kirkland, Cooper's No. 4 singles player, won the deciding third set of her match despite losing five consecutive games of her 7-6, 4-6, 7-5 victory over Emily Black. ....Kirkland had gone up 3-0 in the deciding set before falling behind 5-3 and finally turning the momentum back around just in time.

October 13 - AHS tennis team downs Rider: Abilene High held onto its No. 6 state ranking in team tennis Saturday, after downing No. 15 Wichita Falls Rider, 12-6, at the Abilene High tennis courts.
....The Lady Eagles led the charge after winning all nine of their matches.
....Abilene High, 13-3 on the season, travels to Odessa Saturday at 11 a.m. to face Odessa Permian at Odessa College.

October 12 - Upset Win Could Make up for OU's winless season

October 12 - Architects Unveil Plan for Retractable Roof Stadium for Houston

October 12 - ACU Meets LSC's Other Hot Team Today

October 12 - ACU Women Are LSC Basketball Preseason Favorites

October 11 - Stingy Wylie Bulldogs Travel to Breckenridge

October 11 - Eagles Host Midland High for Homecoming

October 11 - Cooper Journeys to Midland Lee for Big Test

October 11 - Area District Races Begin with a Bang

October 11 - Texas Tech Finally Gets Its Shot at the Big Time

October 10 - Eagles Will Look Back on Season's Turning Point

October 10 - Maybe, Just Maybe, Wylie's District Has Parity

October 10 - So Far, So Great with UIL's Overtime System

October 10 - Baylor's James undergoes surgery: Baylor quarterback Odell James had arthroscopic surgery to correct cartilage trouble in his right knee Wednesday, and doctors found damage that will require more reconstructive surgery.
....The freshman had swelling in his knee when he reported to Baylor training camp in August. He blamed an old high school injury.
....After six weeks of rest, James started practicing again two weeks ago, but his knee problems flared up.
....The surgery Wednesday was to repair the medial meniscus cartilage in James' knee. Further surgery on the knee has not yet been scheduled, the school said.

October 10 - Kenyans join Lady Wildcats: Roseline Ogilo of Wagusu, Kenya, and Gladys Mohochi of Nairobi, Kenya, enrolled at Abilene Christian University recently to play women's basketball.
....Ogilo, a 6-3 center, will join her former teammate from the Kenyan national team - preseason all-America forward Caroline Omamo - on a Wildcat squad which finished 31-3 and third in the NCAA Division II national tournament last season.
....ACU coach Suzanne Fox said guard Shalonda Bowden, a two-team second team all-Lone Star Conference selection, will miss the entire 1996-97 season because of a knee injury. She averaged 11.8 points as a sophomore before the injury in the national tournament.
....Both Ogilo and Mohochi, a 5-11 forward, will be freshmen at ACU.

October 9 - A&M Commerce Wins Coody Golf Tourney

October 9 - AP Honor Roll: Laredo Alexander has a One-Man Team

October 9 - ACU One of Top All-Time Winners: Abilene Christian University ranks among the top five schools in the nation in all-time men's and women's team and individual championships in NCAA Division II, according to statistics released in the latest issue of the NCAA News.

....ACU is the all-time leader in NCAA Division II in women's individual chalmpionships with 74 and is runner-up in NCAA Division II in all-time women's team championships with 15.
....In men's all-time Division II individual titles, ACU is fifth with 81.
Southern Cal is the NCAA Division I men's leader in team championships with 68, and Stanford is the women's leader with 19.

October 8 - Awards Coming in for Rangers: The postseason awards are already rolling in for the Texas Rangers.


....General manager Doug Melvin, the architect behind the first division title in franchise history, was named major league executive of the year by The Sporting News on Monday.
....Johnny Oates was the publication's pick for AL manager of the year and shortstop Kevin Elster was chosen the league's comeback player of the year. Each winner was picked by his peers.
....The Rangers went 90-72 and led the AL West for all but four days this season. They beat New York in the opener of the playoff series, then were eliminated Saturday after blowing leads in three straight games.
...."When we hired Doug Melvin and Johnny Oates, we felt we made a commitment to winning," team president Tom Schieffer said. "What a difference they've made."
....The team's accomplishments during the regular season are likely to be recognized several times over.
....The next big round of accolades could come in the two weeks following the World Series when the Baseball Writers Association of America announces its picks for AL manager of the year and most valuable player.

October 8 - Longhorns, Sooners Play Saturday: Texas players and coaches aren't comfortable as a three-touchdown favorite heading into Saturday's game against winless archrival Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

...."That's stupid," Texas linebacker Tyson King said Monday. "I don't think any team has ever won by three touchdowns in this series. It's always close, no matter what the records of the teams are."
....Actually, in past 20 years there have been four games in the series decided by 21 points or more - all Oklahoma victories.
....But the No. 25 Longhorns (3-2, 2-0 Big 12) want to make a case that Oklahoma isn't a typical 0-4 team. The Sooners are 0-1 in the Big 12.
....Oklahoma has great athletes, a speedy defense, talented running backs and is simply experiencing growing pains under a new head coach, the Longhorns said.
...."They know a victory over us would probably turn their season around," center Ryan Fiebiger said. "They've made some mistakes that have hurt them, but we don't expect them to come out and make mistakes against us."
....Another unique aspect of Saturday's game is that the teams will square off as conference foes for the first time in 77 years. They played four times when both were in Southwest Conference from 1915-19, with OU winning three of those meetings. Texas leads the overall series 52-33-5.

October 8 - Three named top ASC players: Howard Payne quarterback Wes St. Aubin, Hardin-Simmons University running back Jeff Whitley and HSU linebacker Robert Brown have been named American Southwest Conference players of the week.
....St. Aubin, a 6-2, 205-pound sophomore from Richardson, completed 21 of 30 passes for 240 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Yellow Jackets' 28-3 win over Austin College
Whitley, a 6-2, 190-pound sophomore from Plano, rushed 17 times for 146 yards and three touchdowns in the Cowboys' 33-17 win over Sul Ross State.
....Brown, a 5-10, 185-pound sophomore from Ferris, recorded 16 tackles (seven unassisted) and recovered a fumble against the Lobos.

October 8 - Volleyball Teams in Action: Abilene High and Cooper will begin the second half of the District 4-5A volleyball race today when the cross-town rivals meet at 7:30 p.m. at Cooper's Cougar Gym.
....Cooper (14-8 overall) leads the district standings at 6-0 at the halfway point of the race. Abilene High (10-10) is tied for third at 3-3.
....When the two teams met earlier this season in the district opener on Sept. 14, Cooper defeated the Lady Eagles in straight games, 15-5, 15-11.

October 7 - Rangers have taste for more postseason play

October 7 - Big 12's Southern Teams Show What They're Made of

October 6 - Tech Beats Baylor: There's nothing like a team scoring 14 points in an 8-second span to take the wind out of the opponents' sails.


.... Baylor had scored 10 straight points Saturday night to cut Texas Tech's lead lead to 17-10 with two minutes left in the first half. But the Red Raiders regrouped and scored twice in the last eight seconds and went on to beat the Bears, 45-24, before 50,594 fans, the most ever to watch these two teams play.
.... First, the Red Raiders drove 80 yards for a touchdown, then linebacker Jody Brown of Cross Plains caused a fumble that was picked up by Montae Reagor who ran it 21 yards for a touchdown with five seconds left in the half.
.... "Bye-Bye" Byron Hanspard was virtually unstoppable for the Red Raiders. He rushed for a school record 287 yards on 35 carries, the fourth straight game this year that he has rushed for more than 200 yards. He also caught three passes for 60 yards.

October 6 - Rangers Eliminated: The Texas Rangers' first postseason appearance in franchise history is over.

....It was short lived.
....The New York Yankees came from behind again Saturday to beat the Rangers, 6-4, at The Ballpark in Arlington and win the American League Division Series, three games to one.
....All three New York wins were remarkably similar. The Yankees fell behind early and then the New York bullpen kept the Rangers in check while the Texas bullpen couldn't hold the lead.
....Both teams scored 16 runs in the four games, but the Yankees won three of the four.

October 6 - ACU Wins: The football team Jack Kiser had hoped to see Week One of the 1996 football season had its coming out party Saturday at Shotwell Stadium.

....Abilene Christian University, looking crisp in all facets of its game, opened Lone Star Conference play in impressive fashion, taking a 25-6 win over Eastern New Mexico.
....The win was a welcome sight for the Wildcats who had sputtered in their first three games despite fashioning a 2-1 mark.
...."All week long we worked on fundamentals and perfecting them," said wide receiver Ryan Benn, who caught a 65-yard touchdown pass from Mitch Alvarado. "The first three games of the season, the defense played lights out and we weren't holding up our end of the bargain.
...."Hopefully, this is the beginning of a good thing."
....The Wildcats rolled up 381 yards of offense, and none of ACU's offensive personnel was more impressive than tailback David Bennett, who rushed 28 times for 170 yards.
Establishing the running game was imperative for a victory and the Wildcats did so from the outset.

October 6 - HSU Beats Lobos: The Hardin-Simmons football team found out Saturday that it wasn't facing the same lowly, inexperienced group from Sul Ross State that it pounded by 48 points in one game last season.

....The ninth-ranked Cowboys moved to 14-0 in the all-time series with the Lobos with a 33-17 non-conference victory at Shelton Stadium.
....HSU quarterback Todd Baumann started off red-hot, completing his first 11 passes in a row. He finished with 267 yards and one touchdown, completing 23 of 35 with one interception.
....But even though the Cowboys owned a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, it took a while for HSU to finally shake the Lobos, who rallied to tie the game at 14-14 and again later at 17-17.

October 6 - UT Routs OSU: Ricky Williams ran for 156 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 23 Texas broke a two-game losing streak with a 71-14 victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday night.

....The Longhorns finished with 624 yards, second most in school history, and racked up their highest point total since beating Rice 72-15 in 1977.
....Texas (3-2, 2-0 Big 12) converted two early Cowboys' turnovers into a 10-0 lead and rolled up 401 yards in building a 41-14 lead at intermission.

October 5 - Rangers Lose to Yanks: Despite another home run by Juan Gonzalez, the Rangers lost their second straight playoff game to the New York Yankees Friday night, 3-2.


....The obvious differences in the two teams' bullpen was the difference in the game, as Ranger starting pitcher Darren Oliver was forced to pitch in the ninth inning with the Rangers leading 2-1 before he put two men on base which later scored.
....The Yankees then went to their bullpen to hang onto the lead.
.... The Rangers now need to win two in a row to avoid elimination.

October 5 - Wilkins Practices with Spurs: Dominique Wilkins marked his return to the NBA after playing a year in Greece by attending his first practice as a member of the San Antonio Spurs on Friday.

...."The Spurs are a great fit for me. I can definitely help this team," said Wilkins, who last year helped Panathinaikos Athens win the championship in Greece's professional league.
....The Spurs did not release terms of a verbal agreement reached Thursday with Wilkins, who is expected to add depth to a front line that includes David Robinson, Sean Elliott, Will Perdue, Charles Smith and Chuck Person.
...."I have no problem coming off the bench. I'll play whatever position they want me to play," said Wilkins who averaged 25.8 points, 2.6 assists and 1.36 steals during 13 years in the NBA.
....He ranks eighth all-time in scoring with 25,389 points and earned the nickname "human highlight film" for his slashing drives to the hoop and thunderous dunks. He won the NBA Slam-Dunk Championship in 1985 and 1990.

October 5 - Bush Slams Handling of Spitting Incident: Gov. George W. Bush, who was managing general partner of the Texas Rangers before his election in 1994, sided with the umpires Friday. He said Baltimore Orioles second baseman Roberto Alomar should be benched - now.

...."I think the issue of spitting on umpires is really bad news," Bush said. "This is the epitome not only of bad sportsmanship but really just inexcusable behavior."
....Bush said that if the American League wouldn't suspend Alomar, then the Orioles should. ...."I think it's a mistake to sanction in any way that kind of behavior," he said.
....Before a court ordered them to work, umpires threatened to walk out to protest American League president Gene Budig's decision to suspend Alomar for only five games - and to allow that suspension to start at the beginning of next season.
....Bush said immediate action was needed.
....Had such an incident occurred on the Rangers while he was heading the team, Bush said, the player involved wouldn't be taking the field.

October 5 - Nashville Gets Final OK for Oilers: NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue on Friday gave Nashville final clearance to begin building a stadium for the Houston Oilers.

....His faxed letter to city officials was the last hurdle in the team transfer from Houston where the Oilers have played since 1960.
...."We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship between Nashville and the National Football League," Tagliabue wrote, giving final approval to the Oilers' move from Houston.
....NFL owners had held the approval Nashville needed before constructing a 65,000-seat stadium to house the Oilers. They wanted to see what Congress did with Ohio Congressman Martin Hoke's Fan Freedom and Protection Act.

October 5 - Stars Set Starters: The Dallas Stars assigned goaltender Manny Fernandez to Michigan of the International Hockey League and placed center Bob Bassen on the injured reserve list Friday.

....The moves solidified Dallas' 24-man roster for Saturday's season-opener at home against the Colorado Avalanche.

October 4 - Wylie Tries to Remain Undefeated Against Eastland

October 4 - Abilene High Travels to San Angelo to Regroup

October 4 - Cooper Hosts Ever-Tough Amarillo

October 4 - ACHS to Play May in Abilene

October 4 - The Ballpark: The Bermuda Triangle for the Yankees

October 4 - Tech students support new arena: Texas Tech students overwhelmingly voted to dedicate of about $3 per credit hour of their student fees toward a proposed basketball arena.
....The results of the Tuesday vote were announced Wednesday night after the Student Bar Association, which had procedural gripes about the election, withdrew an appeal of the balloting.
....In support of United Spirit Arena, named for an area grocery store chain that chipped in $10 million for construction, were 83 percent of the 4,132 students who participated.
....School officials had said the arena, planned for completion in about two years, would be built with or without the expected $20 million in student support. Some fee money could have been allocated even without student endorsement.

October 4 - Wilkins signs with Spurs: Dominique Wilkins, whose quest for a championship was finally fulfilled last season in Greece after 13 years with the Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics, is coming back to the NBA.

....The San Antonio Spurs announced Thursday they'd reached a verbal agreement with Wilkins that would allow the high-scoring, high-flying forward to return to the United States after one year with Panathinaikos Athens of the Greek League. Details of the agreement were not released.

October 3 - Tech Law Students Hold Arena Results: The Texas Tech Student Bar Association, claiming procedural violations in a referendum over a proposed basketball arena, has delayed until Thursday the release of the election's results.


....The association had several objections, including the distances some law students had to walk to cast their votes Tuesday. The organization forced a Wednesday night hearing by the student Election Commission.
....In addition to choosing a homecoming queen, 4,132 students voted Tuesday whether to designate $3 of the approximately $90 they pay per semester hour toward a proposed $40 million to $45 million arena.

October 3 - Punt, Pass & Kick will be held Saturday: The City of Abilene's Recreation Division will hold the NFL Gatorade Punt, Pass & Kick competition on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon in Rose Park.

....The event is open to youngsters ages 8-15 (age as of Dec. 31, 1996) and is free of charge. Birth certificates are required to verify age at registration.
....Registration will be held on site the day of the event. University Interscholastic League regulations now allow participants playing on their school football team to participate in the event without loss of eligibility.
....Age divisions will be offered separately for boys and girls. Gym shoes only will be allowed for competition. Cleated, turf or football shoes are not allowed. Scoring will be based on distance and accuracy.

October 2 - Rangers Win First Post-Season Game

October 2 - ACHS Ranked No. 1, Fighting for Respect

October 2 - AP's HS Football Honor Roll

October 2 - CHS Spikers Win: Cooper served up nine aces and got nine kills from Jessie Wise in a 15-11, 15-10 District 4-5A volleyball victory over San Angelo Central Tuesday night at Cougar Gym.

....The two teams entered the night tied for first place in the district standings. Cooper is now alone at the top at 5-0, and the Lady Cougars improved to 13-8 overall. The Lady Bobcats are now 4-1 and 14-7.

October 2 - So Do Lady Eagles: Candace Oliver had seven of Abilene High's 11 service aces in the first game as the Lady Eagles routed Aspermont, 15-1, 15-3 in non-district volleyball Tuesday at Eagle Gym.

....The Lady Eagles collected 15 service aces overall and Oliver had 8 as AHS improved to 9-10 on the season.

October 2 - Fox Promoted at ACU: Suzanne Fox, head coach for women's basketball at Abilene Christian University, has also been named senior women's athletics administrator at ACU.

...."Suzanne Fox has not only distinguished herself as a successful coach, but also as an extremely capable administrator," ACU athletic director Stan Lambert said in announcing the appointment. "She has and will continue to provide outstanding vision, direction and leadership for our women's athletic programs at Abilene Christian University."
....Lambert said Fox's new duties will include working with the other six women's sports at ACU at the administrative level in budgets, scheduling, recruiting, student-athlete issues and fundraising.

October 2 - Mavericks sign Harvey, five others: The Dallas Mavericks have signed second-round pick Shawn Harvey and five free agents.

....Harvey, a 6-4 guard from West Virginia State, was the 34th overall pick in June's NBA Draft. He averaged 27.5 points and 9.8 rebounds last season and was named NAIA second team All-America.
....He signed a one-year deal with the Mavericks Monday.

October 2 - Texas leads nation in participation: For the seventh straight year, participation in high school athletics programs in Texas increased during the 1995-96 school year.

The University Interscholastic League reported the totals on Tuesday.
....UIL officials said Texas led the nation in participation with 706,847 athletes.
....California was second with 514,139; New York third with 301,702; Illinois fourth with 296,840; and Ohio fifth with 277,993.

October 1 - Rangers in First Playoff Game Tonight

October 1 - But Local TV Viewers Could Miss Some Rangers Games

October 1 - ARN's HS Players of the Week

October 1 - Texas QB situation cloudy: Texas coach John Mackovic on Monday said quarterback James Brown has reaggravated a sore throwing shoulder that plagued him all of last year, further clouding an already murky quarterback situation.

....Mackovic benched Brown early in the second quarter of No. 23 Texas' 37-13 loss at Virginia on Saturday after the junior threw three early interceptions that helped the Cavaliers race to a 21-0 first-quarter lead.
....Brown, who was replaced by sophomore backup Richard Walton, asked Mackovic at halftime if he would return to the game and Mackovic said no.
....After the Longhorns returned to Austin, Brown told Mackovic he was experiencing soreness in his throwing shoulder.
....When asked whether Brown or Walton would start on Saturday against Oklahoma State, Mackovic said, "I'm going to wait and see what happens this week."

October 1 - CHS, AHS Volleyballers Busy: Cooper and San Angelo Central meet at 7:30 p.m. today at Cooper's Cougar Gym with the District 4-5A volleyball lead on the lead.

But Cooper and Central are tied for the district lead with 4-0 records.
....Abilene High is also at home today, hosting Aspermont at 7:30 p.m. in a non-district volleyball match at Eagle Gym.

October 1 - HSU moves up to No. 9: Hardin-Simmons University (2-1) moved up to one notch to No. 9 in this week's NAIA Division II football poll after Saturday's 42-7 win over McMurry University.

....Howard Payne, off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 1967, remained No. 6 in this week's poll.

October 1 - ACU spikers begin road trip: Abilene Christian University begins almost three weeks of road matches at 7 p.m. today when it takes on Midwestern State in Lone Star Conference volleyball action.

....The Lady Wildcats are 5-12 on the season and 2-6 in the LSC after splitting their four matches in last weekend's ACU Volleyball Classic. MSU is 4-7 and 3-5 after Saturday's road loss at nationally ranked West Texas A&M.
....Emily Hale leads ACU with 254 kills (2.7 per game), Brittney Binder has 34 service aces and 569 assists, and Jessica Mayes has 257 digs and 92 blocks.

October 1 - Oilers and Steelers still fighting: The game is over but not the name-calling.

Houston Oilers cornerback Cris Dishman on Monday brushed off derisive comments about the Oilers from Pittsburgh Steeler linebackers Jerry Olsavsky and Chad Brown and dished out some of his own.
...."If it were any legitimate Steelers saying the Oilers are cheap-shot artists, I'd have to worry," Dishman said. "But speaking of Chad Brown and Jerry O, they couldn't make no one's team but the Steelers.
...."If Rod Woodson or Kordell Stewart said that I'd have to respect that and take it to heart, but Jerry O, he's lucky to be on the team. They're both bums and I don't believe in what bums say."

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