Sports Shorts

Former Ivy League champ to take over as women's golf coach

DAVID GEST/YH Mary Moan will bring new discipline to the women's golf team.

Daly-Donofrio had regularly missed practices and even tournaments because of her professional commitments, a situation golfers called "very frustrating" and "a definite distraction" in exclusive interviews with the Herald last fall. And despite plenty of success in competition, including three league championships in the past four years, players and coach alike welcomed a more consistent coaching presence. Added Schriefer, "I think [Daly-Donofrio] realized that we as a team needed someone who was going to be there all the time."

"I have a lot of respect for Heather and the success the team has experienced," Moan said. "My hope is that their practice now will be a little bit more directed with my being at practice regularly." An accomplished Ivy League golfer in her Tiger years, Moan plans to work harder with team members on practice habits and tournament preparation.

And while official practice has yet to begin, the Bulldogs are already looking forward to what should be another run at the league championship. "We have a really solid team, and some excellent new freshmen," Annie Scholz, DC '02, raved. As for the coaching problems of a year ago, Scholz made it clear that they were no longer an issue. "That's really an issue we're trying to put in the past," she said. "No one is concerned about it. We really want to focus on this season and future success." —Ted Diskant

PRO TENNIS

Venus Williams crushes Seles to win Pilot Pen tourney

For casual fans, tennis has but four events: Wimbledon, the Australian Open, the French Open, and the U.S. Open. For Northeast tennis junkies who can't make it to any of those, the Pilot Pen Tournament, held at the Connecticut Tennis Center each August, might be the best alternative. New Haven has hosted the women's event since 1998, with top-ranked players winning in each of those years.

This year, Venus Williams defended her title in front of a record-setting crowd of 8,113, crushing former champ Monica Seles 6-2 and 6-4. Accepting her trophy and $535,000 prize purse, Williams told the appreciative crowd, "I love New Haven and feel very much at home here."

Despite the warmth shown to the city by one of the game's top players, the event has seen its fair share of controversy. The tournament, formerly known as USTA Hardcourts, emerged in 1998 as one of the premier events on the WTA circuit. But a dearth of top-notch talent and a lack of local support in recent years forced organizers to scale down the event. Now, the elaborate souvenir tents, glitzy scoreboards, and national media attention from the event's New Haven debut are long gone. And while the final match featured two of the top names in women's tennis, organizers failed to attract other nationally ranked, let alone well known, players. Nevertheless, loyal supporters enjoy the intimacy of the Pilot Pen, calling it "the tournament New Haven deserves."

In an attempt to muster community support for the event, the Pilot Pen Corporation coordinated with Greater New Haven's Chamber of Commerce to develop programs to placate critics who question the tournament's benefit to the city and the city's commitment to the tournament. —Chaim Bloom


IN MEMORIAM

Eli Heisman winner dies

Larry Kelley, TC '37, a former captain of the Yale football team and winner of the second Heisman Trophy award in 1936, was discovered dead in his Hightstown, N. J. home on Tues., June 27 at the age of 85. Hightstown officials, relying on what they perceived to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, deemed Kelley's death a suicide.

His career statistics at Yale depict a talented Bulldog proud of his college and his sport. In his three seasons on the varsity squad, Kelley displayed unprecedented consistency, scoring at least one touchdown in each of his six games against arch rivals Princeton and Harvard. As captain during his senior year, Kelley guided Yale to a 7-1 record and a No. 12 ranking in the final Associated Press poll.

In addition to being awarded the 1936 Heisman, Kelley was an unanimous All-America selection and garnered Outstanding Player honors in the East-West Shrine Game held in San Francisco following the season. In 1969, Kelley was inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Football Halls of Fame.

His health having since grown increasingly poor, Kelley placed his Heisman Trophy and several smaller items on the auction block last November in an effort to cover his medical expenses so that he could avoid burdening his family. The auction, conducted at a sports bar in upstate New York, grossed nearly $400,000.

Kelley is survived by his wife, Mary Ruth, 18 nieces and nephews and 24 grand nieces and nephews. —Ben Reiter

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