European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 4, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Declaring for the draft Jordan defends it under certain conditions by Tim Boivin staff writer Frankfurt West Germany a a Well i declare a Gomer Pyle used to say that As a Marine corps recruit and now underclassmen in collegiate sports programs Are echoing of Gomer in record num Bers hoping to be recruited by the pros. Some school officials Are outraged at the willingness of the Aba and nil to allow athletes to be drafted before their senior year. It is Tough even for a four year College athlete to graduate. Of 331 players selected in the nil draft last april 204 did not graduate and 106 did the associated press reported. Of the 54 players selected in june Saba draft 28 did not Complete their degree work and 24 did according to the a. And then there Are athletes like notre Dame football player Braxston Banks who left school Early Only to be snubbed by the pros. After declaring his eligibility for the nil he can not Day for notre Dame this season under Mcaa rules. Michael Jordan came out of North Carolina with a year of eligibility left. The Chicago bulls superstar sees nothing wrong with leaving school Early. Under certain conditions. A i think every athlete has to look at it for himself a Jordan said last week during an appearance in Frankfurt. A Are you close to finishing school ? could you have enough time to go Back and finish in the summertime have you achieved everything that you wanted to achieve on the College  Jordan was a Junior at North Carolina when he declared his eligibility for the draft. Chicago picked him third after Portland picked Kentucky a Sam Bowie and the Houston rockets took Akeem Olajuwon out of the University of Houston. Jordan said he measured up to the criterion he had set. A i had left school because i had achieved everything that was possible athletically a Jordan explained. A a i won a National championship. I won an Atlantic coast conference championship. I won a lot of individual accolades. I had All that. There Wasny to anything else to do from a basketball  in 1982, he hit a jumper with 15 seconds left to give the tar heels a 63-62 win Over Georgetown for the Mcaa title. In 1984, Jordan won player of the year honors from the sporting news a United press International the . Basketball writers association the National association of basketball coaches and basketball weekly. He was also the Winner of the John wooden and Naismith awards. And he was close to getting his degree. A academically i was Only 12 hours away from graduating. It was easy for me to leave and then come Back a Jordan said. And then there was the financial Factor. A i knew i was going to be in the top five picks and get a guaranteed contract a Jordan said. A it was a Good time for me to  Jordan says a the most important thing about going to school is getting an  however he says Many High school stars arrive at College with education last on their lists of priorities. A the Media gives kids All the hype build the kid to be so High going into College that it is very difficult for the kid to accept anything less. They done to perform and the pressure is on them already. A lot of kids need some time to Blossom. And become the player that people expect them to be a Jordan said. Meanwhile education suffers. A think education first a Jordan warns. A the Way kids think today they want to go to College to play football baseball basketball. That a not the Angle. The Angle is you go to get that education and have a Hobby of playing football basketball  Jordan said it is still of for athletes to take the risk and do their Gomer Pyle imitations. After All the pros Are throwing a ton of Money at these youngsters. A the most important thing about going to College is getting an education. As Long As you go Back and finish school declaring for the draft is  Jordan practice what he preaches. He returned to North Carolina to finish the work on his degree and was graduated in 1985. Air balls a Jordan will make his final appearance in Europe tonight at Nike a Michael Jordan slam Dunk european finals in Munich a Olympia Halle. The slam Dunk Competition will be part of a sports fest beginning at 8 30 . Featuring four track and Field stars a americans Butch Reynolds Mike Conley and Danny hams and Sergei Bubka of the soviet Union. Tickets Are being Given away with any Purchase by the Munich sports store next to the Munich Post exchanger they May be purchased at the door for 25 Marks. A participants in the slam Dunk finals will include Stuttgart a pee wee Morgan and Frankfurt a Darnell Jackson who tied for first in the Germany finals. The Winner gets a trip to the Aba Allstar game next february. A two other basketball greats will be in Munich at the Vispo sports Trade show in the Messe gelande this week. Kareem Abdul Jabaar whose Book a aka Reemt is on Sale in some stars and stripes bookstores will be at the . Gear Booth from 2 30 . To 4 . On wednesday. The Houston rockets Akeem Olajuwon the Only player in Aba history to get a quadruple double double figures in Points assists rebounds and blocks in a Fame will be at the . Gear Booth rom 2 30 . To 4 . On  plans International Talent search by Rob Staggenborg staff writer Rhein main a West Germany a the world i league of american football will hold its first scouting Combine around feb. 1 in Orlando fla., the leagues scouting director announced sunday. John Ralston the former Denver Bronco head coach said the fledgling Olaf will hold a worldwide Talent search which will culminate in the scouting Combine in Orlando. The Olaf which debuts this March is the brainchild of Tex Schramm the former president of the Dallas cowboys. Schramme a dream of globalizing american football has yet to become a reality though indications Are that the March Kickoff of a 10-game program which stretches from Sacramento calif., to Frankfurt West Germany is still on schedule. Ralston made his first european Stop at Rhein main a sunday where the Safe Champion rockets succumbed to the streaking Ramstein rams 42-17. A the base of players Well be looking at include the near misses a those players who be spent three or four weeks in Camp then were released a Ralston said. We Are actively scouting All the nil teams now. A a we re also trying to find world class athletes a i a., Erss amps Dave Didio world league of american football scouting director John Ralston Center meets at Rhein main a with Terry Mackey left an sex air Force Academy grinder and former pm head coach Warren Stanley. Picked up a football in his life but May have incredible Talent. We re looking for him  unlike the United states football league which went belly up after a Short lived existence the world league benefits from nil backed ownership and a television contract with Abc sports. Teams Are currently in place in London Frankfurt Barcelona Mexico City Birmingham ala., san Antonio Sacramento and Orlando. A team in Milan Italy should be announced soon Ralston said. I Ralston a close association with the now dead Usel has Given him a better insight on globalized football. I the Usel problems a i could give them All to you but its not fair to Point fingers. If that league would i have stayed with its Basic concepts that it had started out with it would have been a very Strong league and May have been in a position to spread to places like London and Frankfurt. We made several  former Rhein main head coach Warren Stanley hosted Ralston during the visit. Ralston visited with Terry Mackey a Rhein main based officer who starred on the 1987 air Force team that captured the Freedom bowl. Mackey joined now Pitburg Baron coach . Sch Edo and Raf Ben Waters based Chad Henning who won the outland trophy As the nations Best de Senseman that year on the �?T87 Academy team. A a we a look at a Chad Henning Type a said Ralston. A if he got out of the service it would be Ideal for him. The military is not a real source of Talent but any time you be got a Roger staubach coming out of a military Academy you be got to look into it. Wed love to try and work something out with the military  Ralston is Adamant that the world league should not be dubbed As the a Fly a minor league. A Tex insists that we re going to bring a product Over Here that can stay on the Field with an nil team. Its unrealistic to have an nil world league championship though. Wed have to extend our league a whole month just to catch the Start of training  in International markets the world league will find itself competing against the worlds most popular sport a soccer. Ralston does no to mind. A a let a get serious. Soccer will never be popular in our country. Soccer is Only popular throughout the world because there is no american football. Soccer Over Here is a male oriented sport where american football is a family oriented sport. We take the violence out of the stands and put it on the Field. A my soccer friends will probably kill me for saying that but i firmly believe that a  Ralston will swing Back into Europe sept. 19 for a six week scouting trip where prospective players will be offered contracts and tryouts. A the real interest in the world league will come when we re Able to put an All German team in Wald stadium and an All italian team in Milan a he emphasized