European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 21, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 34 the stars and stripes sports Friday january 21,1994 top athletes of 1993 to take female honors by Jean Pagel Lubbock Texas a Sheryl Swoopes has been called the Michael Jordan of women a basketball. It figures. A few hours after Jordan was named the associated press male athlete of 1993, Swoopes edged Veteran Tennis Star Steffi Graf to grab female athlete honors. A. Swoopes finesse and agility carried Texas tech to its first Mcaa title and dazzled even her opponents. In a matter of weeks last Spring new fans around the nation caught the a Swoopes rhymes with hoops fever. She is the first female honoree from a team sport in the 63-year history of the associated press award. A Well deserved a lady raiders coach Marsha Sharp said. A a she a that rare individual with a combination of awesome athletic ability but i also think great Demeanour a confident without being arro  a everyone that i talked to people after the final four said they had really never seen a female athlete play the Way i did a Swoopes said. A voters deciding the top Honor cast 26 first place ballots for Swoopes who totalled 180 total Points. Graf received 177 Points including 20 first place votes. A first place vote was Worth five Points second place was Worth three Points and third place one Point. Monica Seles won the award in 1991 and 1992, but was knocked out of 1993�?Ts Competition when she was stabbed in the Back by a Spectator at a Hamburg Germany tournament on april 30. Graf who reclaimed the top ranking in women a Tennis after Seles was wounded won three grand slam tournament titles a the . Open French open and Wimbledon a last year. Placing third in the balloting was Wang Yunxia who in september ran the 10,000 meters in a world record 29 minutes 31.78 seconds. Wang polled 60 Points in ites for firs a golfer Brandi Burton two golfer Heather Farr two and pro hockey a first woman goalie Manon Rheaume one. Swoopes shattered the record for Points in a championship game when she scored 47 Points As Texas tech Defeated Ohio 84-82. The old record was 28. Her total also bested the Mark for a menus final which is 44 by Bill Walton in 1973. Her 177 Points in five naga tournament games topped the previous record by 43. But the 22-year-old West texan said she was surprised to beat out athletes like Graf who have shined worldwide for years. A people did no to Start talking a lot about Sheryl Swoopes until the final four a she said. But then did they talk. Some called the 6-footer a clone of her idol Michael Jordan. Swoopes hit buckets with bulls Eye precision rebounded with abandon and made a Silky smooth target for her teammates assists. A a she a the greatest women a basketball player in be Ever seen a said Sharp. Swoopes remembered with particular Pride her 53 Points a reunion Arena record a against rival Texas in the Southwest conference tournament. The lady raiders were Down at halftime. A so i got Back out there on the floor and it was just kind of like i was in this zone a she explained. A no one a no one was going to Stop  Texas tech won 78-71. Part credit for her Success should go to her teammates she says. A they allowed me to come out and play the Way i can play you know play my game a Swoopes said. A there were times when i think they should have got clouding five votes for first place. Other top vote recipients were goner Patty Sheenan three first place votes ten As much attention As i  Swoopes spent three months playing professional basketball in Italy and returned to Lubbock a a about 30 Miles East of Brownfield the Cotton Patch town where she grew up a to finish her degree by summer at Texas tech. It Sheryl Swoopes who scored a record 47 Points in Texas techs Mcaa championship game Victory is the first female team athlete to be named a athlete of the year. 1 -2 in Michael Jordan honoured 3 years in a Row by Bill Barnard new York a even after retirement Michael Jordan is still setting records. Jordan became the first three time Winner of the associated press male athlete of the year award voted the Honor for the third consecutive year. Tennis player Don Budge in 1937-38, golfer Byron Nelson in 1944-45, Pitcher Sandy Koufax in 1963 and 1965, sprinter Carl Lewis in 1983-84 and quarterback Joe Montana in 1989-90 were the other double winners of the a award which started in 1931. Jordan received 28 of 71 first place votes in the Media poll which included three athletes on each ballot with Points awarded on a 5-3-1 basis. The Chicago bulls Star earned 172 Points Overall compared to 95 Points for san Francisco giants Star Barry Bonds who had ii first place votes. Other top vote getters with their first place votes and Points were quarterback Troy Aikman 5,41 hockey Star Mario Lemieux 5,41 footballs Emmitt Smith 3,41 Heisman trophy Winner Charlie Ward 2,37 race car Driver Dale Earnhardt 2,26 Boxer evander Holyfield 1,23 world series hero Joe Carter 3,18 Pitcher Greg Maddux 2,11 and Aba Rookie of the year Shaquille of Neal 1,11. A also getting one first place vote were basketball Scharles Barkley race Driver Nigel Mansell baseball a Paul Molitor quarterback Steve Young soccer goalie Tony Meola Catcher Mike Piazza car racer Rusty Wallace and footballs Rod Woodson. Ironically Jordan got far More support for athlete of the year than Bardley who out polled Jordan for Aba most valuable player a regular season Honor. Jordan was also a three time map. Jordan a shocking retirement on oct. 6 came after he led Chicago to its third consecutive Aba title in june. The announcement left the Aba without its biggest name and drawing card. At the same time it left at least a half dozen teams believing they could succeed Chicago As the a bad a Best. A a in be reached the Pinnacle of my career a Jordan said before a huge gathering of Media at the bulls practice facility. A i feel that i done to have anything else for myself to  the 1993 playoffs started after Jordan won his seventh straight scoring title with a 32.6 average. Barkley averaged 25.6 Points and 12.2 rebounds in leading the suns to an Aba Best 62 regular season victories. A the bulls also trailed new York in the Eastern conference 60 wins to 57, but after falling behind 2-0, Chicago won four consecutive games to reach the Aba finals against Barkley a suns. Chicago beat Phoenix 100-92 and 111108 at America West Arena becoming the first team to win the first two games of the finals on the Road. Jordan on the Way to his third playoff map award scored 31 and 42 Points in those games making half of his shots in each Outing. Jordan scored 44 Points in Chicago a triple overtime loss in game 3 but missed 24 of 43 shots. He responded to the sub Par game with another career defining performance scoring 55 Points in Chicago a 111-105 Victory that gave the bulls a 3-1 Lead. After the suns staved off elimination for the fifth time in the playoffs with a 108-98 Victory in game 5 at Chicago they lost again in Phoenix falling in game 6, 99-98, giving Jordan and the bulls the title