Colorado Hiring Called Racist

The Rev. Jesse Jackson is threatening to drum up a boycott of the University of Colorado for what he calls "a blatant example of racism" in hiring Rick Neuheisel as head football coach over assistant head coach Bob Simmons.

In a letter to university president Judith Albino dated Dec. 2, Jackson and Charles Farrell, coalition national director, asked to meet with university officials after charging that Albino "aided and abetted" the allegedly racist hiring of Neuheisel.

The Nov. 28 hiring, according to the letter, is "proof that the good ol' boy system continues to thrive. Only this time the system was aided and abetted by you, a woman who must know what it is like to try and succeed in a white-male-dominated environment."

Neuheisel is white, and Simmons is black.

"It's unfortunate that Rev. Jackson has made this statement without first looking into the record of our program," Albino said.

Simmons and Neuheisel were out of town on recruiting trips and could not be reached for comment.

-- Jay Barker, who has led Alabama to an 11-1 record this season and is the leading passer in school history with 5,699 yards, was honored with the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, presented to the nation's top senior quarterback.

-- Notre Dame football players Bobby Taylor and Germaine Holden have been suspended for one game and will not play in the Fiesta Bowl. The university said they violated school and NCAA rules by accepting compensation in an attempt to buy tickets to the Irish's Nov. 26 game against USC for a Notre Dame student.

-- Texas Christian football coach Pat Sullivan was scheduled to be interviewed today for the second time by Louisiana State officials for the head-coaching vacancy there.

Drugs

Olympic star Kristin Otto and other members of East Germany's record-shattering women's swimming teams were part of a systematic doping program, according to secret police records.

The December issue of Swimming World carries results from the Stasi, the East German secret police, showing Otto, winner of six gold medals at the 1988 Olympics, with steroid levels almost three times the limit needed to trigger a positive result.

It also quoted a chemist familiar with the Stasi documents as saying they prove that every top East German athlete used performance-enhancing drugs, administered at scientifically determined intervals to avoid drug tests.

Golf

Two state golfers qualified for the 1995 PGA Tour at the tournament in Haines City, Fla. Bill Porter of Quincy finished with a six-round total of 422 and Mark Wurtz of Port Ludlow had a 424 to finish among the top 40 plus ties. Jeff Gove of Seattle failed to qualify. He finished with a 430; 427 was needed.

-- Jane Blalock is putting together the Volvo Legends Series for women 45 and older, which is to be announced at a news conference Thursday in Phoenix. Blalock said 24 players accepted invitations to join the venture, including JoAnne Carner and Kathy Whitworth.

Two tournaments are scheduled in 1995, in Phoenix and Atlanta.

Sailing

Isabelle Autissier, the leader and only female competitor in the BOC Singlehanded 'Round-the-World Race, lost her mast in a gale en route from Cape Town, South Africa, to Sydney.

Her initial communication after the dismasting revealed the despair the 38-year-old offshore veteran was feeling: "Thirty knots of wind, sea dark, sky crying. I'm working to clear off the deck and see what I can do. There is almost nothing left on deck, nothing left of my dream."

The next day she put up a jury-rig and was last reported sailing at an average of 4 knots toward the Kreguelen Islands. Her shore support team had found a small but serviceable mast and sails to fit it; that was being shipped to Kerguelen, where Autissier hopes to arrive and make a temporary fix by Dec. 15, then carry on to Sydney, where a full-size replacement mast awaits.

- Seattle Times news services