European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 22, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 26 the stars and stripes saturday february 22, 1986 Bradley cagers give Peoria something to smile about by Bob Springer Peoria Iii. A Bradley University s i2lh-Runkcd basketball Cam ils i it game winning Streak the longest and ils 27-1 season record the Best among major colleges is giving this struggling smokestack City something to celebrate. This Community has had such a High Standard Tor itself historically and this economic downturn has been such a devastating blow that this Bradley team could t have come at a belter  poor 1i a manager James . 11 Hill the team s Success does t late into i he production of Long it i jobs still it is such a morale Booster that it reminds everyone who lives in Peoria that we re winners  wednesday. A recent editorial in inc Peoria Jour Nal Star congratulated Bradley s Divi Sion i team and coach Dick Versace for helping the Community overcome the misery of a City Down on its Luck economically and for providing Central Illi Nois with a grand  the Central Illinois City can use one. New slate figures show 40,000 area jobs have evaporated since 1978 nearly a Quarter of the 173,000 that Enisley then. Almost half of them were at Cater pillar tractor co., the Peoria based construction equipment maker that reported a s200 million profit last year after three straight years of losses totalling nearly Simillion. The Bradley braves leading the mis Souri Valley conference arc the hottest show in town said Don Casper ticket manager for the municipal Arena where Bradley has played Home games since 1982 right after its 1982 National invitation tournament championship. Casper said the 10,400-scat Arena has been sold out for an unprecedented five Bradley games this season including thursday night s conference contest against second place Drake which the braves won 88-79, and saturday s Home coming against Wichita state. The team 14-0 in the conference finishes up ils regular season feb. 27 at Home against Indiana state before head ing for the Missouri Valley tournament March 3-3 at Tulsa okla., where Victory would mean an automatic seed in he Mcaa tournament. Bradley opened the season with nine victories before losing to Clemson on dec. 28 in the Rainbow classic tournament in Hawaii. Its 18 victories since then give Bradley the longest current winning Streak in its National collegiate athletic association division. And at 27-1, Bradley has one More Victory for the season than no. 1 North Carolina which lost to Maryland 77-72 thursday. Bradley s Success has spawned the usual hoopla feature reports by National snorts magazines and out of town Media new interest from Bradley alumni who Haven t been heard from in years and sales of special edition to shirts and but tons. The braves dubbed the heart attack kids by some fans for their last second heroics in several games even have inspired a hard driving Rock song. Local restaurateurs and inn keepers say they re winning too. People love to associate with winners and we Sec it in our customers attitudes. They re spending More said Mike Kubera who helps run an italian restaurant and lounge specializing in Chicago style deep dish pizza and catering to the sports minded. Peoria s been kicked around for the last three years said Kubra a former Bradley baseball player. Track stars favored in Sullivan balloting Indianapolis a if past history is any indication Willie Banks Valerie Brisco Hooks and Joan Benoit Samuelson Are the favourites to be named the Winner of the Sullivan award As the nation s top Amateur athlete monday night. Of the past s3 winners of the award Given by the Amateur athletic Union to the individual voted the top Amateur per former in the past year 32 Nave come from track and Field. Aquatics is a Distant second with ii including diver Greg Louganis who was selected for the award last year. This year s list of. 10 finalists also includes swimmer Matt Biondi wrestler Mike Houck synchronized swimmer Sarah Josephson diver Michele Mitchell golfer Scott Verplank vol Ley Baller Charles Kiraly and women s Basket Ball ail american Cheryl Miller. Brisco Hooks 23, and Benoit Samu Olson 28, were both finalists when Louganis was presented the prestigious award after being a finalist five other limes. Banks 29, is the Only nominee who has said he won t be Able to attend the annual Sullivan dinner at the Indiana convention Center. Hell be represented by his parents. Banks made himself a Strong candidate in the nation Al voting by setting a world record in the triple jump with a 58-foot-Iiw Inch performance. The Urcla graduate from los Angeles who is also a lawyer finished first in 21 of 25 meets last year. He established the world Mark in winning the athletics Congress National championship and also recorded victories in the u5.a.-Sovicl Union Japan meet and world cup Competition. Brisco Hooks of los Angeles was a triple Gold medallist in the 1984 olympics. She then set tour world Marks during the 1983 indoor season. And after missing the outdoor nationals with a injury had the fastest 200-meter time 21.98 seconds by an american during the outdoor season and the fastest 400-meter time 49.36 in the United Stales. Benoit Samuelson of Freeport Maine followed her 1984 olympic Marathon Victory with firsts at a variety of distances last year. She set a world record for a Loop course in winning the America s Marathon in Chicago with a time of 2 hours. 21.21 seconds. She also finished first last year in distance events held in Davenport Iowa Falmouth mass. And san Francisco. The award presented annually since 1930 in Honor of aau founder and former president James e. Sullivan is presented to the athlete who received the most Points in voting by More than 2,400 participants. The voters include Amateur sports officials past winners and members of the news Media. Previously the award was presented in the athletes Hometown but this is the eighth year it is being announced at a ban Quet Here. A capacity crowd of 1,000 is expected to be on hand for the announce ment including Decat loner Rafer Johnson the 1960 Winner of the award who is now a businessman in Van Guys Calif. Sports Caster Chris Schenkel will emcee the event. Only six women have won the award starting with swimmer Ann Curtis in 1944 and ending with distance runner Mary Decker Slaney in 1982. The other winning women Are diver Patty Mccormick sprinter Wilma Rudolph swimmer Debbie Meyer and swimmer Tracy Caulkins who became the youngest Winner Ever when she was selected As a 16-year-old in 1978. Athletes Are ineligible to be nominated for the award after winning it. Willie Banks. Among the favourites the list of past winners sounds like a who s who of american sports including individuals like 1963 recipient Bill Bradley who has gone on to become a . Senator after being selected for his basketball performances at Princeton and then playing for the new York kicks in the Aba. Bradley and Bill Walton the former Urcla Star now with the Boston celtics arc the Only basketball players selected for the award a statistic that indicates Miller is at Best a Long shot despite winning the Naismith women s player of the year the past two seasons while establishing 10 school records at Southern California. With six of the finalists calling California Home it s Likely the award will go to a resident of that state for the 22nd time. New York is a Distant second with five past winners. Mueller wins swedish downhill Are. Sweden a Peter Mueller of Switzerland captured the first Ever world cup downhill held Here in Scandinavia Fri Day beating runner up Michael Mair of Italy by almost a second. Mueller the preface favorite covered the Tricky Olympia course in 1 minute 36.22 seconds. It was his second world cup Victory of the season. Mair Italy s top Down Hiller finished 90 hundreds of a second behind in 1 57.12. Mueller 28, an olympic Silver med Alist in the 1984 Winter games at Sarajevo Yugoslavia posted the fastest inter mediate times in route to his big Victory Luxemburg s Marc Girardelli who leads the world cup Overall standings ahead of Mueller was a Distant third in1 57.58. Friday s Competition was a makeup for the famous  at Wyngen cancelled feb. 2 because of poor weather conditions. Another downhill was scheduled Here saturday. A slalom will be held on Sun Day. Karl Alpiger of Switzerland Winner of the first two downhills of the season in Argentina placed fourth in 1 57.81. Olympic Champion Bill Johnson of Malibu Calif., was ninth in 1 58.29. It was his fourth straight scoring finish and his third top 10 finish of the season. Helmut Hoefly incr of Austria was fifth behind Alpiger in i 57.9t7igor"cigolia 1 57.92, Armin Assinger of Austria seventh in 1 5.04 and Martin Beni of Brit Ain eighth in 1 58.20. Anton Steiner another austrian finished 10th in the 71-Raccr Field in 1 58.32. Mueller s Victory moved him within five Points of Wirnsberger s Lead in the downhill standings 115-110. Mair is third with 82points. Safe cagers ousted Vandenboro fab Calif. Good Bye Safe. The airmen from Europe were knocked out of the air Force worldwide men s basketball tournament by losing to military Airlift come 87-71 thursday night. Safe fell from the double elimination tourney with a 2-2 record. Thursday s decision was Safe s second game of the Day. It beat systems come 117 82 earlier behind a slew of double figure scor ing Ramstein s Willie Stewart 21 Points. Bit Burg s Tony Everett 20, Zwic Bruecken s Tony Hicks and Alconbury s Kevin Mcgee 13 each and muted s Bill Lewis and Simbach s Rob in Martin 11 apiece. Safe hit systems for so percent from the floor and 76 percent from the foul line. We got off to a Good Start and went to Man to Man and pressured them said Safe coach Norm Hoffman whose troops led 69-29 at half Lime. It was an easy game for us and when they tried to come Back in the second half we did t let them Back in the game. We used a total of 10 players this afternoon and every one of them  Mac though sent Safe packing. Mac had opened thursday with a 93-80 Triumph Over logistics come. In the Winner bracket final strategic air come beat Pacific air Force 76-66. That gave Sac a 4-0 record. Pacific and Mac both with one loss were to play Friday. The Winner would play Sac for the title but if Sac loses another game would be necessary saturday. Arn sports television College basketball Navy Al army 9 30 . Saturday notre Dame at Miami i . Sunday Florida at leu 3a.m. Sunday. Radio College basketball Oklahoma a Duke 10 . Saturday. Rhein main tabs Jenkins Rhein main a Germany the Rhein main rockets have promoted Gerry Jenkins to head football coach. Jenkins ran Rem main s defense in 1985, when the rockets went 2-6 under head coach Reggi Drewrey