The Seattle Times: 2003: The Year in Review

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Monday, December 29, 2003

Editors' Picks

Teammates save Kayla Burt — Last New Year's Eve, Kayla Burt went into cardiac arrest, collapsing in her bedroom. She fell to the floor, her face turned purple and her heart stopped pumping blood. Luckily, five of Burt's University of Washington basketball teammates were with her. They had been watching a movie, eating junk food, and settling in to welcome a new year. Giuliana and Gioconda Mendiola, Loree Payne, Erica Schelly and Nicole Castro saved Burt's life. Burt was diagnosed with Long Q-T Syndrome, a condition that can cause accelerated heart rhythm, loss of consciousness and sudden cardiac death in teenagers and young adults. Burt, a sophomore from Arlington, was told her basketball career was over. Doctors installed a defibrillator a week after Burt nearly died. Burt returned to the Huskies' bench Jan. 9 at Edmundson Pavilion, cheering the Huskies on in a victory over Arizona State. She's still on the bench this season, serving as a student assistant coach.

· Game at USC, but thoughts in Seattle
· Heart condition forces Burt to retire
· Steve Kelley: Instincts prove to be lifesaver

Gary Payton traded — Gary Payton, the best player in Sonics history, was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks on Feb. 20. Payton entered the league in 1990, a brash rookie from Oregon State, and proved quickly he had the game to go with the talk. Payton, with Shawn Kemp, led the Sonics to the 1996 NBA Finals. He played in nine All-Star games with the Sonics, and is the Sonics' career leader in points, assists, steals and games played (he missed just five in 12½ seasons). He played on two U.S. Olympic gold medal teams, was named to the NBA's all-defensive team nine times, and started the Gary Payton Foundation to help underprivileged kids. Payton left the Bucks at the end of the season, and signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, who play the Sonics Jan. 2 at KeyArena.

· Payton, Mason traded to Milwaukee
· Payton insists he didn't ask for trade
· Payton was part of Seattle sports fabric

Mike Price fired — A drunken night at a strip club in Pensacola, Fla., cost Mike Price his dream job. Price left Washington State after 14 seasons to become coach at Alabama (although he never got around to signing the seven-year, $10 million deal). He told Crimson Tide fans he hoped to be "the second-best coach in the history of Alabama football," a nod to legendary coach Bear Bryant. Instead, he became the only coach never to coach a game at Alabama. Price's account of April 16-17 differs from the sensational story that appeared later in Sports Illustrated (Price has sued the magazine for $20 million), but this much is clear: Price had too much too drink, visited Arety's Angels strip club and woke up in his hotel room with a woman he says he didn't know, who then charged $1,000 room service to Price's account. On May 3, Alabama fired Price. His wrongful termination suit against Alabama was eventually dismissed, and earlier this month Price was named head coach at Texas-El Paso.

· Price fired as head coach
· Mike Price timeline
· Price sues Sports Illustrated's parent for $20 million

Rick Neuheisel fired — Washington football coach Rick Neuheisel was fired for participating in high-stakes NCAA basketball tournament pools, then lying about it to NCAA investigators. Huskies athletic director Barbara Hedges said Neuheisel's false answers when first questioned by the NCAA on June 4 were a violation of an edict issued to him after he lied in February about interviewing for the San Francisco 49ers' coaching job. She began the process to fire him on June 11, with the official end coming July 28. Neuheisel sued the university and the NCAA, claiming breach of contract by the UW, and charging the NCAA with conspiracy, defamation, interfering with Neuheisel's contract and wrongfully interfering with his future employment. Neuheisel was a volunteer assistant coach at Rainier Beach High School this fall.

· UW fires Neuheisel
· Neuheisel's lawyers address Pac-10 on gambling charges

Mariners miss playoffs - again — The Mariners were good this year - but not good enough. Under first-year manager Bob Melvin, the Mariners stood 48-22 on June 18, leading the American League West by 7½ games. But they were 45-47 from that point, losing the division to Oakland and the wild-card spot to Boston. Particularly frustrating for Mariners fans was the team's inability to pull off a deal at the trade deadline. A club sorely needing another bat and an emotional boost got neither, while the Mariners' chief AL competitors made deals that helped them down the stretch. The Mariners won 93 games, and Bret Boone and Jamie Moyer had big seasons, but two straight years out of the playoffs for fans who expect better meant a slight decrease in attendance at Safeco Field.

· Boston knocks M's out of playoffs
· M's win 93 games, will stay home this year

UW drugs scandal — An investigation of Dr. William Scheyer - a team doctor at the University of Washington known as Dr. Feel Good - led to the removal of successful Huskies softball coach Teresa Wilson. On Oct. 17, the state medical commission suspended the license of Scheyer, who admitted to unprofessional conduct and violating state statutes. Scheyer, 76, was found to have improperly prescribed and dispensed large quantities of narcotics, tranquilizers and prescription drugs to softball players. Wilson defended Scheyer and her program. Wilson had insisted Scheyer remain as the softball physician even after other UW athletes were placed under the care of university doctors in 1999. On Dec. 22, UW athletic director Barbara Hedges announced that Wilson, the only softball coach the Huskies have had since starting the program in 1993, would be "reassigned" within the UW athletic department until her contract expires in June.

· State alleges improper prescriptions given out by UW doctors
· Former UW doctor breaks silence over allegations
· UW ousts softball coach over scandal

Disappointing Huskies football season — It was a tough year for the Washington football team. Keith Gilbertson was named coach after Rick Neuheisel was fired, taking over just before the start of practice. The Huskies opened with a loss at Ohio State - no shame in that - and there were five other defeats to follow, a few of them shocking. The Huskies were outscored 39-0 in the second half of a loss at UCLA. A week later, they lost to Nevada. At home. They lost to Arizona, the worst team in the Pac-10. And just when you thought it couldn't get worse, Cal beat the Huskies, 54-7, UW's first loss at Berkeley since 1975. The Huskies allowed 729 yards, and the Bears probably could have gained more, if they had wanted. The Huskies ended a trying season on a positive note, beating Washington State, 27-19, in the Apple Cup.

· Door is shut on Huskies season

Surprising Cougars keep rolling — Washington State was picked to finish seventh in the Pac-10, after winning the conference title and playing in the Rose Bowl the year before. The Cougars finished second to USC, went 9-3 overall and will face Texas in the Holiday Bowl. Of course, the Cougars did have to replace a coach (Mike Price, who made a little news of his own in 2003), a quarterback (Jason Gesser, who spent the season on the Tennessee Titans' sideline), an Outland Trophy winner (Rien Long, also with the Titans) and a star defensive back (Marcus Trufant, a solid rookie with the Seahawks). But first-year coach Bill Doba didn't miss a beat in Pullman, with help from senior quarterback Matt Kegel, All-America kicker Drew Dunning and standout defenders Will Derting, Jason David, Erik Coleman and D.D. Acholonu. A particularly sweet win was the 55-16 rout of Oregon, a week after the Ducks had knocked off No. 3 Michigan and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

· Defense helps Cougs gain national respect
· WSU says yes to Holiday Bowl

Bellevue wins third straight football title — The goal, according to coach Butch Goncharoff, was to make history. And that's exactly what the Bellevue Wolverines did. Bellevue won its third straight Class 3A state football title, beating O'Dea, 21-7 at the Tacoma Dome. It was the first time a school above Class A had won three consecutive championships. "The goal wasn't to make the playoffs, or win KingCo," Goncharoff said after the game. "The goal was to get back and make history, to do something that nobody else ever did." Senior running back Tracy Ford ran for 119 yards and a touchdown, then spoke for himself and the rest of his sweaty, joyous teammates. "I've never felt better than this, ever!"

· Bellevue wins third straight title

Seahawks return to playoffs — The Seahawks were perfect at home for the first time in the 28-year history of the franchise, winning all eight games at Seahawks Stadium. But it was a big 24-17 victory Saturday at San Francisco, just their second win away from home this season, that kept their playoff hopes alive. Then, with a little help Sunday, the Seahawks were in. They'll start the postseason Sunday at Green Bay.

· Seahawks in playoffs, will face Green Bay

— Bill Reader

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