News Scrapbook 1986-1988

San Diego, CA (San Diego Co.) San Diego Union (Cir. D. 217,089) (Cir. S. 341 ,840)

Lo:- An9tles, CA (Los Angelea Cb.} Los Anqeles Daily Journal (C1r.5JU. 21,287)

Sunday, May 3, 1987

1987

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MAY2 21987

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Former U§D coach Woolpert dies at 71 By Bill Center "\.. '1 5 { without Russell and Jones, also Staff Writer If · I reached the NCAA Final Four. For

/4 Profile SAN'J..dr.~ -

The common complamt about San Di •go Superior C u~t Judge Patri- cia Benke is that she 1s too nice. "Sometime she is too patient," said one attorney, who asked to remain an ym~. "She is extremely fair and intclli but sometimes she listens too long w efl she should shut the water off on some of these attorneys." Benke pleads guilty as charged "I like to give the attorneys time to look at the legal issues, and sometimes that is incon- sistent with quick (courtroom) turnover," said Benke, just a few days after Gov. George Deukmejian nominated the 38-year- old judge to replace retired J~stice Gerald Lewis on the Court of Appeals Fourth Dis- trict. Her confirmation hearing is scheduled for June 3. Earlier this year, she was one of Deukme- ji.iln's six finalists for three seats on the Cali- fornia Supreme Court but was ultimately passed over in favor of Justices David Eagle son, Marcus Kaufman, and John Arguelles. Benke's reputation is that of a careful, stu- dious jurist. "She always reads papers in a case, even if they come in late," . id the attorney. She is

nine seasons at USF, Woolpert had a 149-74 record. Wooll)frt came to the University of San Diego after a season of coach- ing the San Francisco Saints of the American Professional Basketball League. He was also the Toreros' athletic director. His record at USD was 90-90 for seven seasons. "He did more for USD, probably, than he did for USF," said Torero baseball coach John Cunningham, who played for Woolpert at USF and coached under him at USD. "What he should be remembered for most, however, is the stands he took. He was one of the forerunners for the rights of black athletes. He took ·tands that forced things to hap- p n I can remember us (USF) start- mg five black.~, and I can remember KC. Jones bemg the first black cap- t am in college basketball. "Pim , he was responsible for get- ting l1SD on track as a college. He was the first guy to add professional- ism to our faculty." "I'm sure he had a full life," said Seattle SuperSonics coach Bernie Bickerstaff, who played for Woolpert at USD and succeeded him as the Toreros' bead coach. "He certainly helped a lot of people, including myself. Phil left a lot of positive things in this world. "He was one of my strongest back- ers to become the USD head coach." Woolpert, who drove a bus in Sequim, Wash., before retiring 18 months ago, is survived by his wife, Mary, and five children. Services are ·pending. l Est. 1888 Former USO ,.---' coach dies < at age 71 . °'-<; SEQUIM, Wash. (APr - Phil Woolpert, who coached the Uni- versity of San Francisco to a pair of NCAA basketball champion- ships in 1955 and 1956 before serv- ing as coach and athletic director at the Uni~rsity of San Diego died of lung cancer at fils horn~ near Sequim on Tuesday. He was 71. Woolpert's two national title teams were led by Bill Russell and K.C. Jones, who later starred for the Boston Celtics in the NBA. Jones now coaches the Celtics, and Russell was just named the new coach of the Sacramento Kings. Woolpert had been diagnosed as having lung cancer last summer. He is survi~ed by his wife, Mary, and five children. He was a native of Danville, Ky. He coached at USF for nine sea- sons, when he resigned with a 149- 74 record in 1959. After Woolpert left USF, he coached the San Fran- cisco Saints of the old American Basketball League in 1961-62. He then _moved to USD, where he compiled a 90-90 record from 1962 through 1969. He moved to the Sequim area in 1972 and drove a bus for the Se- quim School District until his re- tirement two years ago. "I'm sure he had a full life," said Seattle SuperSonics Coach Bernie Bickerstaff, who played for Wool- pert in San Diego. "He certainly helped a l~t of people, including myself. Phil left a lot of positive things in this world." At USF, Woolpert's teams set a then-NCAA record with 60 consec- utive victories. The streak began when Russell and Jones were ju- niors. UCLA broke the USF streak by winning 88 straight from 1971- 74. In addition, he coached USF to the NCAA Final Four in 1957 without Russell and Jones. '• at P, C 8 Escondido, CA (S'.ln Diego Co.) Times Advocate (Cir. D. 32,685) (Cir. S. 34,568) 7 198 Jll

Phil Woolpert, who coached bas- ketball at the University of. San D~r seven seasons after leading the University of San Francisco to consecutive NCAA titles and 60 straight victories in the mid-1950s, died yesterday of lung cancer. The 71-year-old Woolpert resided in Sequim, Wash., where he lived since s ortly after leaving USD in 1969. "It is sad," said Gus Magee, a USD assistant coach who played under Woolpert for the Toreros. "We were expecting it to happen from the news of the last couple of weeks. When they discovered the cancer last sum- mer the doctors said then it was too late to do much. "He was just a great human bemg. A lot of people look at him as a great basketball coach. I just knew him as a great person." Woolpert is best known for coach- ing the USF teams that included Bill Russell and K.C. Jones. The Dons won the NCAA title in 1955 and 1956, and those teams' streak of 60 straight wins stood until UCLA won 88 straight from 1971-74. Woolpert was the nation's coach of the year after his Dons won their first NCAA title in the 1954-55 sea- son. His next club was 29-0. Consid- ered a master of coaching defense and ballhandling, Woolpert built his programs without recruiting heavily outside the area of the school. Nine members of his two champi- onship teams, mcluding Russell and Jones, came froin the San Francisco Bay area. Woolpert's 1956-57 team,

lounges and food-service area. A modern design, the com- plex will have touches of marble. Kaplan-McLaughlin-Diaz of San Francisco, in collaboration with the local firm of Austin-Hansen-Fehlman, are the center's designers.

W th con truction expected to start by June, UCSD's stu- d nt c nter I still a flgm r.t of the Imagination. The 167,000 q re foot complex will take about 18 months to build It wlll nclude a 500-seat theater, meeting rooms,

Centers-

San Diego, CA (San Diego co.) Evening Tribune (Cir. D. 123,092)

Y7 187

.Jl/le,i 's p C, B.

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San Diego, Thursday, May 7, 1987

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Judge Patricia Benke also known as a conservative. "She's fair, but she will usually take the least obtrusive route," said the attorney. "She will almost always take the status quo approa ·h." Benke agrees that conservative is not an unfair label for her. "I don't like shooting from the hip," she said. "I :>Ve taking things under advisement. I'm not a trailblazer stepping outside the bounds of what a statute says." In 1983, after nine years in the attorney general's office handling felony appeals, Benke was appointed to the municipal court by Deukmejian - his first municipal ap- pointment. Benke was unsuccessful in run- ning for a municipal -court seat a year earlier. 'An Extremely Quick Study' As a lawyer, Benke had gained six months of trial experience on temporary assignment with the San Diego District Attorney's office. By the end of her term she was trying capital cases. "She was a winner," said Assistant Dis- trict Attorney Richard Neely. "She was ex- tremely insightful of issues that meant something to jurors. She was an intelligent, hard worker and an extremely quick study." As a deputy attorney general, Benke was involved in several highly publicized cap·ta1 cases and search-and seizure cases. She was one of the first to argue the good-faith excep- tion to search and seizure laws in People v. Minjares 23 Cal.3d 410 (1979). After the California Supreme Court ruled in People v. Chadd, 28 Cal.3d 739 (1981) that a defendant facing the death penalty could not plead guilty over his lawyer's objections, Benke called the decision '·a mockery of the justice process." In asking for reconsider- ation she said the trial process "becomes a charade forced upon a defendant who wishes to simply confess his crime. It becomes a hurdle to the truth." She said recently "I have no shyness about disagreeing.' 1 She added that the Chadd case involved the most complicated capital issue she had dealt with as a lawyer, and she admitted that if the same statute were before her now she "might do exactly what the judge did" in Chadd. Benke has spent most of her jud~eship in the civil law and motion, where she 1s kMwn to stick to the letter of the law. "You have to be fair, but you also have to follow the law," Benke said. "I have no dis- position to expand the law anymore than it is, although that is not to say I won't when appropriate.'' Yet, if a legitimate legal issue is raised, no matter how obscure, Benke is often willing to consider it. In civil law and motion she often considered habeas issues dealing with bail and extradition that she said came from "left field" - one reason she liked the department. Logic, Reason Change Despite her reputation for running a slow courtroom, she believes "a good advocate is someone who gets to the issue immediately and focuses the judge on the issue." The same attorney who said Benke follows the status quo also told of a case before Benke in which a woman accused her hus- band of harassment. "The law required more strict proof than the woman had," the attorney said. "But she (Benke) went with her gut feeling and issued an order to put him in jail." Benke said action by the courts should be based on "logic and reason," which she said "changes with society." She noted the evolu- See Page 21 PROFILE

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,!!,~~~ !~~e~~ra~,!i, !~!,. l2.~~-, waive the $5,000 rental fee, the co~t

!!:£..~~~!!. A baseball playoffs are expected to be al.,_USD again this year, but be- cause of the enlarged playoff format, the games will not be played as a game bas been tentatively scheduled for USO n Wednesday, June 3, and the 3-A on Thursday, June 4 at the The first round is scheduled for Tuesday, May 26, the quarterfinals on Thursday, May 28, and the semifi- nals on Saturday, May 30. It's hoped same site. double-header Instead, the 2-A championship

double-headers on the LSD and San

of staging .he games without Padres

Diego State fields.

help is prohibitive.

CQmmissioner Kendall Webb, the San Diego high school baseball coaches association, and the SDCIF baseball advisory committee ex- plored the possibilities of playing at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, the but nothing could be worked out. The Padres end a homestand on Saturday, May 30, too soon for the championship games to be played, and because the Stadium Authority, site of the title gam two years ago,

Just as in football and basketball, there will be 12 teams in the baseball In recent years, with only eight teams in each division, the playoffs had been run off on a Tuesday-Thurs- dav-Saturday schedule except for years when affangements to play the championship g;:,mes prior to a playoffs th is year.

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Padres game were

Palo Alto, CA (Santa Clara Co.) Peninsula Times Tribune

(Cir D. 60,288) (Cir. S. 60,011)

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MAY 6 - 1987

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,,,..,.,- Former USF coach Phil Woolpert dies . j SEQUIM, Wash (AP) _ Ph'I - 1972 Woolpert who coache . I . and drove a bus for the Se- sity of s~n Francisc: ~mm School District until his re- ba.ck NCAA basketball champio~- ~~~ent two years ago. ships In 1955 and 1956, died of lung Im sure he had a full life," said cancer at his home near here Tues- Seattle Supersonics' coach Bernie day. He was 71. B1cke.rstaff, who played for Wool- Woolpert's two national title pert m San Diego. "He certainly teams were led by Bill Russell and helped a lot of people, including K.C. Jones, who later starred for mysel~. Phil left a lot of positive the Boston Celtics in the NBA thmgs m this world." Jones now coaches the Celtics anci "Phil was so far ahead of other Russell was just n med the new ~oaches in recruiting black players coach of the Sacra ento Kings, It was scary," said Pete Newell Woolpert had been diagnosed as who coached California to a~ having lung. cancer last summer. NCAA championship. "There were He was survived by his wife Mary a lot of rednecks back then." and live children. ' ' Woolpert took over at USF for He coached at USF for nine sea- Newell in 1950 when Newell left to sons, when he resigned with a 149- become the head coach at Michi- 74 record in 1959. After Woolpert gan State. left USF, he coached the San Fran- At USF, Woolpert's teams set a c1sco Saints of the old American then-NCAA record with 60 consecu- Basketbali League In 1961-62. He tive victories. The streak began later became the basketball coach when Russell and Jones were ju- and athletic director at Univ lty nlors: U~LA broke the USF streak r of San Diegoa where he compiled a by wmnmg 88 straight from 1971- 90-90 recor from 1962-1969. 74. In addition, he coached USF to He moved to the Sequim area In the NCAA Final Four in 1957 witb- out Russell and Jones.

San Diego, CA (San Diego Co.) Evening Tribune (Cir. D. 123,092)

MAY7

1987

Jl/leri 's P, C, B. Esr. 1888

COACH DIES - Former USD basketball coach Phil Woolpert, who earlier had coached USF to two NCAA championships in 1955 and '56, died yesterday at Sequim, Wash., of lung cancer. Woolpert was 71. His title teams were led by Bill Russell and K.C. Jones. He coached at USD (1961-68), ~d was athletic director. .::??/5S • • •

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