Columnist Ron Kantowski: Robinson does about-face on McGruder

Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2001 | 10:37 a.m.

Ron Kantowski's notes column appears Tuesday. Reach him at ron@lasvegassun.com or 259-4088.

Media critics used to call former Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne "Brubaker," alluding to the prison warden played by Robert Redford in the movies, for his willingness to recruit players with questionable character.

In a similar vein, it appears UNLV's John Robinson is having second thoughts about becoming Mean Machine West.

The Rebels raised a few eyebrows (well, at least two) over the weekend when they appeared set to allow former Cheyenne High standout Lynn McGruder to enroll in classes Monday.

McGruder two years ago was one of the top defensive line recruits in the nation. He signed with Tennessee and backed up 2000 Outland Trophy winner Big John Henderson as a true freshman before running afoul of Vols coach Phil Fulmer, as well as the local authorities. McGruder last June was arrested on a felony charge of distributing marijuana and was booted off the Tennessee team.

Robinson, to his credit, said McGruder has "some issues" to work out before he would be allowed to play football for UNLV. And that was before he learned that felony charges against McGruder had not been pleaded down to a misdemeanor, as Robinson was led to believe.

A spokseman for the Knox County (Tenn.) district attorney's office said McGruder's case will be presented to a grand jury, which will determine if the player will stand trial.

Robinson, according to insiders, is now wavering on whether to pursue McGruder. He has suggested that he might be better off in junior college, until those issues he talked about are resolved.

Smart move. When it comes to victimless crimes (if you can call selling pot such an offense) I, too, believe in second chances. But you also should have to earn one.

If McGruder can go to JC for a year and keep his slate clean, then perhaps Robinson would be justified in giving him a practice jersey. Until then, I would just keep playing with the law-abiding guys he has now.

One of the first changes Hill, one of only five black head coaches in Division I-A, effected at SJSU was new uniforms. In that the Spartans don't receive any money from the uniform companies, he commissioned a smaller urban sportswear company -- 4-PlayersOnly.com -- to design a scheme that insiders say makes Oregon's garish green-and-black gear look more conservative than a Catholic schoolgirl's uniform.

"That's ... one of the first questions kids ask when you recruit them," Hill said about making uniforms a top priority at San Jose.

Already, the switch is paying off. Hill said he has lured one player, who had verbally committed to Nevada-Reno, to San Jose simply because of the new duds.

According to ESPN.com, UNR officials already have been in contact with 4-PlayersOnly, to inquire about designing some new jerseys (sheepskin might be appropriate) for the Wolf Pack.

In fact, non-Saturday contests have become so widespread that UNLV won't play on Saturday until the fourth week of the season. The Rebels open at Arkansas on Thursday and then will face Northwestern and Colorado State on back-to-back Friday nights, in an effort to gain some national exposure, perhaps at the expense of live high school football.

Similarly starved for attention, Conference USA will play on selected Tuesday nights this season. There also will be a few games on Sunday and even a one-off Monday night game, featuring Memphis at Mississippi State on Labor Day.

Says Northwestern head coach Randy Walker about playing on strange days of the week. "This is capitalism, man.

"You do what's best for you first," Walker told USA Today. "Now do I think it's going to catch on? It will have a little market."

Even the traditional Saturday games have been made confusing due to constantly changing kickoff times to accommodate TV. This year, there will be games at noon, 2, 3:30, 4, 5:30, 6, 6:30, 7, 7:15, 7:45, 8, 9, and 10:15 p.m. ET.

As they say, check your local listings.

Twice, if you know what's best.

And finally, congratulations to my favorite local stock car driver Doug Davenport (a k a "The Pinto Bean"), upon driving the No. 8 Pinto to his first Charger division main event victory the last time out at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Somewhere in a garage in North Las Vegas, you just know there's a guy getting a '73 Maverick ready to go racing.