Hayes, Bing, Monroe in Hall of Fame : Basketball: Neil Johnston, a scoring champion in the 1950s, is also selected for May 15 induction.
Elvin Hayes, Dave Bing and Earl (The Pearl) Monroe were elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame on Thursday. Also chosen was the late Neil Johnston, the Philadelphia Warriors' hook-shot artist who led the NBA in scoring for three consecutive seasons in the early 1950s. All will be inducted on May 15. Hayes, who starred at the University of Houston in the late '60s and ended his 16-year NBA career as the league's third-leading all-time scorer, said making the Hall of Fame is a dream come true.
Earl Monroe, overlooked three times by the voters, was inducted into basketball's Hall of Fame with Elvin Hayes, Dave Bing and the late Neil Johnston.
Clarence (Bighouse) Gaines, who has more college basketball victories than any coach except Adolph Rupp, will retire at the end of the season after 47 years at Winston-Salem State. Gaines, 69, came to Winston-Salem in 1945 and has compiled a record of 828-440. Rupp had 875 victories over 41 seasons at Kentucky. "Bighouse is one of the finest coaches ever," North Carolina Coach Dean Smith said. "Unfortunately, he didn't get his just due because of the racial inequality in our country. . . .
Former world heavyweight boxing champion Ken Norton will be making a comeback when he competes in the second Gordon's Gin Sports Celebrity Tennis Tournament Monday through Thursday at the La Costa Resort Hotel & Spa courts. Norton, who was seriously injured in an automobile accident last winter, says he is anxious to return to competition, along with 40 other outstanding athletes in this mixed doubles, round-robin event.
Clarence E. "Big House" Gaines, one of college basketball's winningest coaches during his 47 seasons at Winston-Salem State, died Monday, his daughter said. He was 81. Gaines entered a hospital Friday with heart problems. He was released Saturday but had a stroke and returned to Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. Lisa Gaines McDonald said her father died at 9:10 p.m. Monday, possibly from complications related to a stroke. Gaines, a native of Paducah, Ky.
Stanford graduate Notah Begay recently made golfing history when he became the first player on the Nike Tour to shoot a 59 during tournament play. After registering his 13-under-par round in the Dominion Open in Richmond, Va., however, he shot successive 74s and finished in a tie for sixth. That didn't hurt his confidence, though. Asked what he hoped to do in the future, Begay said, "I think I can shoot 58 some day. Records are made to be broken, aren't they?" "Mr.
His former teammates wore white New York Knicks jerseys, but when Bill Bradley returned courtside Sunday at Madison Square Garden, he was wearing a gray flannel politician's uniform--set apart from the basketball legends who joined him at a $1.5-million fund-raiser for his uphill quest to become president.
The Lakers' season is over, but a basketball team from Los Angeles may still be able to bring home a championship. While Kobe Bryant battled Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki on Sunday, the People's Games, a new league designed for nonprofessional athletes, held its inaugural match with teams from L.A. and New York City, hashing it out in Venice Beach. The athletes, who must be at least 18 and pass tryouts to get on a team, don't get paid, but some of the expected proceeds from the league will go to city parks coffers.
One West Coast upstart, Gonzaga, is eliminated. Then the other. . . . So much for the theory that UCLA's superior athletic ability would force Iowa State into a half-court game. . . . I guess the Bruins weren't ready to play the Palace. . . . UCLA's last chance in the 80-56 loss Thursday night came when the Cyclones' Marcus Fizer went to the bench after drawing his third foul with 12:33 remaining. When he returned four minutes later, the Bruins had cut the lead by only two points--from 16 to 14.