Decision is in: Tollner is out
Fired football coach Ted Tollner.
Will coach in Citrus Bowl
By Charles Whisnand
Assistant Sports Editor
Ted Tollner, who was under fire for most of his four-year tenure, was released Monday as coach of the USC football team effective immediately after the Florida Citrus Bowl. “I've been very fortunate," Tollner said. "I'm not sour one bit about it. I am disappointed.''
The decision to fire Tollner was made by President James Zumberge and athletic director Mike McGee. McGee said that a search for a new coach has now begun, but that no timetable is set. There may be pressure on McGee to select a coach that is associated with the Trojan family.
"First of all, it's the president's decision," McGee said. "We cannot rule out anybody. There will be Trojans who will be considered."
Zumberge met with Tollner twice in the past week. Zumberge told Tollner of his fate on Monday morning. He said the decision to let Tollner go was reached Saturday.
He added that it was a decision that was not made easily. "I didn't have a bad dream Friday night and wake up Saturday morning and say I got it," Zumberge said.
(Continued on page 20)
JOEL ORDESKY DAILY TROJAN
Athletic director Mike McGee at the press conference announcing Ted Tollner’s firing.
Seventy-Fifth Year of Publication
trojan
Volume Cll, Number 67
University of Southern California
1912 — 1986
Tuesday, December 9, 1986
Rally to be held to honor senior football players
By Trellis Huahn
Staff Writer
With or without the Trojan football players, the Student Senate plans to honor the team at a rally on Wednesday at Tommy Trojan, said Kaien Lester, a student community senator.
The Student Senate delivered invitations to the football team last Friday, nearly one week after Coach Ted Tollner and players were booed off the field at the Notre Dame game.
Lester said the invitations were delivered to Claire Snow, Tollner's secretary', who then left them in the weight room for players to pick up.
A staff member at the athletic department said some of the invitations were picked up on Monday afternoon, but the senate is still waiting for the players to respond.
Lester said she expects the players to be there. "I have received positive feedback from the athletic department," she said.
She said she sent invitations "to individual senior football players, as well as one to the team, and also asked the yell leaders, song girls, and marching band to join the rally.
The rally is scheduled for noon on Wednesday and according to Lester, it will give the student body a chance to show its appreciation for the football team and its efforts.
"1 really hope the Trojan family comes through," Lester said. "If people really mean whit they say, then this is their chance to show that they care."
Senators are also waiting for a response from President James Zumberge who was asked to speak at the rally.
Lester said she tried to contact former Trojan players Marcus Allen and Pat Haden to ask them to speak at the rally as well.
Haden, a former quarterback for both the Trojans and the Los Angeles Rams, who is currently a CBS sportscaster, said he would be unable to attend the rally since he'll be in Minneapolis, Minn, telecasting a game.
"The rally is a great thing," Haden said. "Give the players my full support and tell them that I am proud that they have never given up."
Lester said Allen, a former tailback and Heisman trophy winner, hasn't responded yet.
"It's really difficult to try to organize something that means so much in so little time, but depends on so many people pulling together," Lester said. "The success of the rally is contingent on the players."
The master of ceremonies at the rally will be Wally Bobkiewicz, president of the senate. Members of the Helenes and the Trojan Knights are also expected to attend.
Results of Tollner poll are in: keep Ted here
Respondents to a poll conducted by the Daily Trojan last week overwhelmingly supported retaining Ted Tollner as head football coach at USC.
Sixty-nine percent, or 284 of the 410 responses, favored keeping Tollner.
Forty-seven of the respondents expressed disappointment and disfavor with the job being done by athletic director Mike McGee.
Letter says athletic department didn't keep promises
Morrison considering suing university for compensation
By Alan Robertazzi
Sports Editor and Scott Wolf
Staff Writer
©1986, Daily Trojan
Former USC men’s basketball coach Stan Morrison has asked the university for compensation for the two years remaining on his basketball contract, the Daily Trojan has learned.
In a letter dated Aug. 28, Morrison's attorney, Leonard Ar-mato, outlined past and future compensation that Morrison feels he was denied when he was relieved of his duties as head basketball coach. The original copy of the letter was sent anonymously to the Daily Trojan early last month.
The damages amount to SI.2 million.
According to the letter addressed to athletic director Mike McGee, Morrison had not reached a settlement on his contract with the university "at the time of his termination.
Both McGee and a university counsel, Richard Hutchinson, denied Monday night that the athletic department had received the letter. However, Ar-mato said that since the letter was sent to USC, it is legally considered to be in possession of the addressee.
But while McGee denies having ever seen the letter, Armato said of the five-page document, "You know that the letter you have is the original that I sent to Mike McGee. It's not that the letter got lost in the mail. In my mind, there is clearly no doubt that Mike McGee or his secretary or someone that opens his letters received this letter." .
_ Although the university claims publicity over a possible lawsuit is as harmful to it as it is to Morrison, several sources have speculated that the letter was sent to the Daily Trojan from someone at the universitv.
The letter received bv the Dai-
ly Trojan was sent in a plain white envelope addressed to the editor.
Neither Morrison nor McGee would comment on the contents of the letter, on advice from their attorneys.
After the university failed to respond to Armalo's first letter, a second letter was sent to President James Zumberge and was received on Sept. 23. General counsel William Hogoboom con-
Former men’s basketball coach Stan Morrison.
tacted Armato shortly thereafter.
University counsel Hutchinson said he hoped the disagreement could be settled in an amiable manner with strict confidentiality. But Armato said Hogoboom told him on Monday morning that the universitv would be "unwilling to make a settlement offer, but willing to litigate."
A source in the athletic department said that McGee was telling people inside Heritage Hall that Morrison was going to sue the university.
Armato said he has not decided whether he would advise
Morrison to file a lawsuit, but added that publicly exposing the contents of the letter would expedite a decision.
"We would still like to work out a settlement with them," Armato said. "The thing is, you can only beat your head against a wall so often."
Ironically, Zumberge announced in a prepared statement Monday that the university would honor the final two years of fired football coach Ted Tollner's contract.
"Our preference was to settle this matter in.a confidential way," Armato said. "We didn't want to bring this into a public forum. Our position still is that wre would like to settle this particular dispute in a way that is fair, and we don't want to bring this to litigation.
"That's not to say that there won't be litigation." .
McGee also hinted that the matter may go to court. The university's position, however, remains that Morrison resigned from his post.
"I wouldn't presume that there’s going to be a settlement," McGee said.
The conflict between Morrison and McGee centers on whether Morrison was fired or resigned from his position on March 11.
"This whole thing was precipitated by Mike McGee's firing , Stan," Armato said. "While McGee was firing him, he encouraged Stan to resign for a smooth transition so as to not damage — from a public relations standpoint —the image of the universitv."
The source said that McGee informed the Board of Trustees and Zumberge of his intentions to remove Morrison as basketball coach immediately following the 1985-86 season.
But the university's official stance remains that Morrison re-(Contmued on page 20)