A Sticky Situation

CONTROVERSIAL CALENDAR
The Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority donates
the money raised from their annual calendar to the lion 's Club-WPSD TV6 Easter
Seals telethon . To avoid the ruling, the
1986-87 calendar did not include athletes
associated with the NCAA.
.OUT OF UNIFORM
Racer football players Kevin Uhls, Kirk Brunson and David Dercher stand on the sidelines
during the Southeast Missouri game. The
players had to sit out only the first game of
the season.
A NCAA ruling that prohibited athletes from
promoting commercial products proved to be
A Sticky Situation
By Mark Cooper
t was a bad break," according to David
Dercher.
Dercher, a junior
from Leawood, Kan.,
and a punter for the Racers, was not
commenting about a game or a
blocked punt.
"I don't think it was fair," he said.
Dercher decided, along with several
other student athletes, to participate
in the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority's
annual charity calendar, which raises
money each year for the Lion's ClubWPSD -TV6 telethon. The athletes
were then forced to sit out ten percent
of their fall schedules because of a
NCAA ruling that prohibited athletes
from being paid or permitting the use
of their name or picture to directly
advertise, recommend or promote the
sale or use of a "commercial product"
or service. Because of the ruling,
Dercher missed the Racer's first game
against Southeast Missouri.
"The NCAA interpreted the rule in
such a way that the calendar constituted a violation, even though those
posing did not receive pay and the
money raised went to charity," said
Craig Bohnert, sports information di rector.
As a result of the ruling Dercher
along with Kevin Uhls, a sophomore
206 Sports
and special team's center from Louisville, and Kirk Brunson, a junior safety from Evansville, Ind., had to sit out
one game or "ten percent" of their season, according to Dercher.
Other athletes involved with the
ruling were: rifler Pat Spurgin; Bud
Ward and Rick Leonard of the golf
team; basketball players Craig Taley
and Leslie Ford; Steve Nussmeier and
Val Lemoignan of the men's and
women's track team; and Starr Jones
and Alan Farmer of the ten niB teams.
Also affected were Tom Garguilo,
Van Golmont, Jay Connell, Greg
Doss, and David Butts of the baseball
team, all of which had to sit out two'
games of their schedules.
"They (the NCAA) could not have
let us off the hook because they got a
few other schools like Nebraska at
that time for similar violations,"
Dercher said."
Pat Spurgin agreed, "I suppose they
put the rule in there for some reason
but I don't see where I did anything
wrong. All we were doing was helping
out a charity and I don't see anything
wrong with that."
"The guys did it for charitable cause
and I think the NCAA needs to use
some good ole common sense with
their decisions from now on," said
Coach Frank Beamer.
"I never felt it was violation," atheltic director Johnny Reagan said.
this was a violation, it is certainly a
misdemeanor. "
Mandy Murphey, coordinator
the Tri-Sig calendar, agreed and
the sorority would try to avoid
trouble again.
"There won't be any athletes
volved with the NCAA in this
calendar," Murphey said.
said, the calendar will .
of student ambassadors and ;:,umrne:rl
Orientation counselors, among
non-athletes.
"We hope to use athletes
year," she said.
Until then, Dercher did not
sitting out. "As a matter of fact,
said, "if I had to sit out a game
year, the first game against S()l1tlH'"
Missouri would have been
The NCAA did not spoil
charitable nature either, but he
look better before he leaps next
when dealing with regulations
cerning his playing time.
"It's one of those things that
along with the system," golf
Buddy Hewitt said. "We have to
by the NCAA rules. You can't
the NCAA."
"I was just at the wrong place at
wrong time," Dercher said . •