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UIL offers up reprimandsBy CHIP BROWNAssociated Press Writer_AUSTIN — The University Intcr-scholastic League’s State Executive Committee on Thursday gave South San Antonio High School basketball coach Gary Durbon a public reprimand and placed him on probation for one year for verbally abusing an official.The committee's decision culminates a case in which Durbon’.s father, Ron Durbon, the South San Antonio School District superintendent, was also found to have verbally abused the basketball official, Steve Hamrnan, after a Jan. 16 game.The superintendent's actions resulted in South San Antonio High School receiving a public reprimand and a year’s probation from the UIL on April 22.Gary Durbon's punishment stemmed from an incident just hours after the UIL’s April announcement. Hamman said the basketball coach came to his home and threatened him.Hamman said Durbon was upset about the UIL’s punishment related to his father’s actions and blamed Hamman.Durbon later apologized in a letter to the UIL’s State Executive Committee.“I used very poor judgment by talking to the official on the day of the UIL ruling,’ ’ Durbon said in a May 13 letter. “My principal and athletic director have placed a final warning in my permanent file.”Executive Committee Chairman Larry Butler said Thursday that he was satisfied Gary Durbon had learned his lesson.“He admits he did it and that it was wrong,” Butler said. “We can’t have coaches going to officials’ homes. That’s totally unacceptable.”The Executive Committee’s hearing Thursday uncovered several incidents in which coaches and players were found to have verbally abused officials, drawing strong words from UIL Athletic Director Charles Breithaupt and UIL Executive Director Bill barney.Farney lectured Brenham HighSchool assistant baseball coach Jamie Lechler, who was suspended for three games and given two years’ probation for getting ejected from two games during one season.His second ejection included a pro-fanity-Jaced tirade at an umpire within earshot of players and fans after a dispute over a called strike.“Do we have to have games where everyone is trying to be cute?” Farney asked of Ixchler. “The whole tone of this bothers me. The mentality we have in baseball is a problem.”Breithaupt asked Lechler: “Did it occur to you that the right thing to do was not confront the umpire by swearing in front of your players, that maybe the right thing to do was go to the other end of the dugoul arid just say nothing?”Lechler said his anger was in defense of his players.“The way I handled it probably wasn’t right, but I’m a competitor and I’ll stand up for my kids,” he saidOther decisions by the Executive Committee included:— Upholding the appeal of New Waverly High School junior Owen Young, who had been found by his district committee to be ineligible for moving from Huntsville to New Waverly for athletic purposes. Young is now eligible to play football, basketball and baseball for New' Waverly.— A public reprimand and one year probation for Dallas Lincoln High School track coach Yarbrough Laws for allowing an ineligible student to participate in the preliminaries of the district track meet.— Suspending Richardson Lake Highlands baseball player Steve Farmer for the first five non-district games and the first three district games of next season for hitting an umpire with his bat.— A three-year suspension for Houston Lamar High School band director Victor Aguilar for allowing ineligible students to participate in UIL activities.
Newspaper Details
Texas City Sun
Texas City, Texas, US
Fri, Aug 23, 1996
Page 22
Full Page
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USA 15 Oct 2018
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