Gophers senior placekicker Adam Bailey has been named one of 14 semifinalists for the Mosi Tatupu Special Teams Award.
Bailey is 9-11 on field goals and 18-18 on point-after-touchdowns this season. He has made 44 consecutive PATs dating back to 1996, and was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week for the 19-18 victory against Michigan State.
Bailey is in eighth place on the all-time Gophers scoring list with 171 career points, and is fifth all-time with 38 career field goals.
Quite a Discovery
PHOENIX (AP) — The crew of the space shuttle Discovery, with the possible exception of John Glenn, will take part in the Fiesta Bowl Parade on Jan. 2.
Shuttle commander Curt Brown and crew members Steven Lindsey, Steven Robinson, Dr. Scott Parazynski, Pedro Duque and Dr. Chiaki Mukai have confirmed they will be there. Only Glenn, the world’s oldest astronaut at 77, is not a sure thing, said Fiesta Bowl spokeswoman Jennifer Ziegler.
NASA astronauts have taken part in the parade for the past 10 years.
The astronauts and their families also will get to see the national championship football game on Jan. 4 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.
Where’s the beef?
WASHINGTON (AP) — White House press secretary Joe Lockhart shared his moment of glory with those at his daily press briefing Thursday.
“I have now fulfilled one of the requirements of life, being mentioned on ESPN ‘SportsCenter,'” Lockhart said.
Lockhart was mentioned in a report that President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore had bet each other five pounds of barbecue on the outcome of Saturday’s football game between Arkansas and Tennessee.
“He is quite confident that he would be the recipient of this year’s barbecue,” Lockhart was quoted as saying of Clinton.
To which sportscaster Stuart Scott commented, “Joe, you’re not announcing the invasion of some country. It’s food.”
Collins in court
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A first court hearing for Kerry Collins on drunken driving charges was postponed until Feb. 15, at the request of Collins’ lawyer.
Collins, the quarterback waived by the Carolina Panthers and recently acquired by the New Orleans Saints, was arrested Nov. 2 after he was stopped driving along a Charlotte street about 12:50 a.m.
Collins refused to take a breath test. In accordance with North Carolina law, he automatically lost his driver’s license for 12 months. He posted a $1,000 bond and was released from the Mecklenburg County Jail.
Collins later admitted publicly he broke the law.