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Show A Year of Change The sporting life during 1986-87 went through an enlightening period of time which opened the eyes of sports fans around the globe. If a theme were present, it seems the strong-willed teams and athletes had something to prove this year and accomplished much, to the surprise of skeptics and oddsmakers alike. In June of 1986, a 5'5", 152-pound man called Maradona, nearly single-handedly (or rather "leggedly") led Argentina to the world's most coveted trophy the World Cup. Probably, Diego Maradona's effort was the focus of more people that any athlete had the pleasure to enjoy as he became the king of soccer in his team's 3-2 win over West Germany in Mexico City, Mexico. Soon after, Martina Navratilova would fend off Hana Mandlikova at Wimbledon and Steffi Graf in the U.S. Open while refusing to relinquish tennis' top spot. Boris Becker fought off a sophomore jinx to win his second straight Wimbledon. Greg LeMond took a vacation in Europe and peddled his bike faster than anyone while becoming the first American to win the Tour de France. Closer to home, athletes were making names for themselves, too. In baseball, the New York Mets lived up to pre-season expectations and became world champs in October. But New York was not led by the bats of Darryl Strawberry and Gary Carter nor by the arms of Dwight Gooden or Ron Darling. It would be the gamesmanship of the average, as Ray Knight, Lenny Dykstra and Bob Ojeda spearheaded the Mets to their dramatic series win over the Boston Redsox. The Redsox, too, relied on unsung heros as Marty Barrett, Dave Henderson, and Utah's Bruce Hurst shone brighter than Roger Clemens, Jim Rice and Wade Boggs during the series. The boxing world gave thanks in November for a 20-year-old fighter who put the punch back into boxing in 1986. Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion ever when he carved up Trevor Berbick in 2:35 of the second round. January saw another group of over-achievers from No.2-ranked Penn State topple the No.l Miami Hurricanes 14-10 in Tempe, Az.'s Fiesta Bowl. The Nittany Lions pilferred five interceptions from the aerial-minded Vinny Testeverde to earn college football's number one honor. The Lions pappa Joe Paterno would get his first national championship despite his third undefeated season. Defense was a big part of Penn State's win, and the same philosophy would lead two teams to a bowl of a greater magnitude. Days later, a gridiron crew hailing from New Jersey, not New York, literally became giants with a Super Bowl win over the Denver Broncos. Giant quarterback Phil Simms overcame the "choke in big games" rap and earned a Super Bowl MVP award along the way. In February of this year, there was the exploit of a man who had to overcome the shame of being the first American to have lost the America's Cup. Dennis Conner ventured to the "land down under" and redeemed himself by guiding the Stars and Stripes past Kookaburra II and III in Freemantle, Australia and placed the cup back in its native home. A woman by the name of Susan Butcher "mushed" her sleddogs 1,172 miles to win her second Iditarod trail race through the Alaskan frost last March. Bobby Knight liked March, too, and while following something out of a movie script, led his "Hoosiers" to a third NCAA basketball championship. April brought us Sugar Ray's return as he was more marvelous than Marvelous Marvin Hagler and won his first fight in nearly five years. May left us and took the NBA's ambassador of dunk. Julius "Dr. J" Erving made his final housecall in Milwaukee. The sports world would be saddened more deeply, however, as a season full of storybook triumphs saw bad times as well. Drug-related incidents seemed to peak with athletes this year which led to death and disgrace. W 'TU-l ' " ' V " """" - . wwwt-' "it "."' w. , - v- " f I ., '. " '.JZ ". I - '.' 4C ,.!-. ... "-2 A , , i ir I "" ' " "". , " "" ' " -rf'' ill""! a - - . V. IB $ Sports Fremantle, Auslralia-Feb. 4, I9H7 Stars and Stripes, with Dennis Conner at the helm, stretches out its lead over Kookaburra III as the boats head down wind during the fourth race of the America's Cup in the Indian Ocean off Fremantle. New York-April 10, 1987 Darryl Strawberry of the New York Mets is greeted by Gary Carter after his three-run homer against the Atlanta Braves at Shea Stadium. Carter was one of the BI on the fourth Inning fly to right field. Washington-April 23, 1987 Middleweight champion "Sugar Ray" Leonard, who beat Marvin Hagler in Las Vegas, clowns around with members of the Senate on Capitol Hill. (L-R) Sen. Pete Wilson, R-Calif; Senate Minority Leader Robert Dole of Kan.; Leonard and Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd of W.Va. Nine days in June of 1986 saw the promising careers of Maryland basketball star Len Bias and Cleveland Brown defensive back Don Rogers end in cocaine-related deaths. Almost one year later, University of Texas-El Paso basketball star Hernell "Jeep" Jackson fell victim to the very same vice. Sports fans watched professional sports deal with drug-addicted athletes on a regular basis, and collegiate sports tested athletes for the first time. Southern Methodist received its 13th NCAA probation leading to a death sentance and the disposal of SMU football for a few years. Former Los Angeles Dodger executive Al Campanis opened his mouth and the door to baseball's racist management which had organizations looking deep within themselves. This year in sports was very special with its many underdog champions, and even the tragedies were helpful as sport could implement solutions for prevention in the future. 1986-87 was a memorable and special time indeed. Dave Allison I 'yiJiffwvt' y ' " " " ' X "V' 'f Jrv'v--' 1 i r ' ' ? - - N - - : ,''". " I - - . V ' f ; 3 , lS- . t v t J s r' i" s 1 SignOff Tuesday, June 2, 1987 7A |