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Cancer-related causes take life of Livengood's father

Our condolences to UA athletic director Jim Livengood, whose father, Don Livengood, 84, died of cancer-related causes last week in Quincy, Wash. Don and Bette Livengood raised their two children in the rural central Washington area; Don was a salesman and a "Greatest Generation'' pilot who flew A-20 bombers during World War II. … In a move that didn't draw much attention last week, former ASU basketball player Mark Carlino, a Phoenix attorney, was hired as boys basketball coach at Gilbert Highland High School. Carlino has been a semiregular at McKale Center the last few years, each time bringing his son Matt with him to meet UA players and coaches. Matt Carlino projected to be Jerryd Bayless' successor at point guard for Phoenix St. Mary's next year and, at 14, is considered a potential elite-level recruit in the Class of 2011. … At the Nike Hoop Summit last weekend, Bayless scored 15 points against a team of European All-Stars. Wrote Jonathan Watters, director of NCAA Scouting for DraftExpress, "expect Bayless to be a two- or three-year player at Arizona. If he adds a bit more strength, polishes his point-guard skills and is willing to bide his time for a featured role in Lute Olson's system, he will someday be in the NBA draft lottery.''

Baseball careers of Zinter, Arias may have reached end

After playing four years in the major leagues for the Angels and Padres, and seven years in Japan, George Arias has apparently retired from baseball. The 1993 UA All-Pac-10 third baseman from Pueblo High School is a scratch golfer who finished 29th in the San Tan Amateur, a statewide event last week in Queen Creek. Arias shot 68-76. … At 38, the UA's 1989 No. 1 draft pick, catcher Alan Zinter, may have reached the end of an epic Crash Davis-type baseball career. The Cleveland Indians released the Oro Valley resident from their Class AAA Buffalo roster last week. Look for him to surface as a coach/manager soon. … Sunnyside High and Pima College product Jesus Cota, who was an all-star outfielder in the Diamondbacks system earlier in his career, was released by the Diamondbacks last week rather than add him to the Sidewinders roster. Cota is likely to get a spot in the Mexican League, if he wishes. … The Tucson High Badger Foundation on Friday inducted five ex-Badger athletic standouts into its Hall of Fame. Football's Don Ahee, track's Jiggs Lent, baseball's Mike Odum, basketball's Delano Price and baseball's Rene Zamorano were honored in a banquet at which THS grad Karl Eller was the speaker. … Former Flowing Wells High School coach Ted Sorich, a star quarterback at NAU in the late 1950s and a member of the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame, has found a new game — golf. Sorich last week scored the fifth hole-in-one of his career, playing the 144-yard third hole at Sun City Vistoso. He shot 78.

Ex-Palo Verde golfer Kern has good start on minitour

Palo Verde High School grad Ben Kern's pro golf debut on the Gateway Tour has been dynamic. He leads the Phoenix-based minitour with $40,429 in the first three months of play; the Kansas State grad was second last week, earning $8,025 at The Wigwam. Sabino High School grad Brian Kontak is second in Gateway earnings with $34,805. … Tucsonan Ronnie Black, a 20-year PGA Tour regular who is preparing for his Champions Tour eligibility next spring, is playing on the Gateway Tour. He earned $1,376 last week. … Marcus Williams has taken his first notable tumble in NBA draft projections. ESPN's NBA Draft Insider, Chad Ford, has dropped the ex-Wildcat into the second round, at No. 34 overall. … Former UA assistant basketball coach Jay John purged five players from Oregon State's roster last week, including Sasa Cuic and Angelo Tsagarakis. Those five players were among a group that was just good enough to get OSU beat regularly and put John's job in jeopardy. Entering his sixth year as OSU's head coach, the Salpointe Catholic grad did what he needed to do in attempt to save his job.

No black was given scholarship until THS's Batiste in 1949

Today is the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers. By comparison, the UA did not have its first black scholarship athlete, Tucson High School running back Fred Batiste, until 1949. At that time, according to the 1970 Arizona Alumnus magazine, student body president Stewart Udall met with athletic director Pop McKale on the topic of inviting Batiste to campus.

"Do you have a policy on recruiting Negroes?'' the magazine quotes Udall.

McKale: "I have no policy whatsoever.''

Udall: "Mac, that's a policy in itself.''

McKale: "Well, then, if you've got some Negroes, bring them in.''

In his 1979 book "They Fought Like Wildcats,'' a history of UA sports, former Star sports editor/columnist Abe Chanin wrote this about Batiste and the school's first black basketball/baseball player, Hadie Redd: "Those were not popular moves in an athletic department that was totally geared to all the blatant prejudices against Negroes.''

By 1955, McKale had changed. According to an e-mail last week from 1950s baseball team manager Walt Roberson, McKale planned to cancel a 1955 NCAA baseball playoff series at Texas A&M because Redd would not be permitted to stay or eat at the team hotel.

"But Hadie said he did not want the team to suffer and told McKale that he could live with the arrangements,'' Roberson wrote.

According to Roberson, Redd, who attended segregated Carver High School in Phoenix, "came to the hotel during the day and we brought food to the room for him. The hotel was not aware of this. I believe that was the first time I knew what segregation was all about. ''

Redd graduated from the UA and became chief investigator for the San Francisco district attorney's office.

Ex-Sunnyside wrestler bids for spot in 2008 Olympics

Sunnyside High School's four-time state championship wrestler Nate Gallick scored the most meaningful victory of his distinguished career last week. Gallick, 24, the 2006 NCAA championship, seeded No. 6 at 132 pounds in the U.S. National Championships, beat top-seeded Mike Zadick. That puts Gallick into the quarterfinals of June's World Championship team trials in Las Vegas and into strong contention for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. … Arizona's top women's basketball recruit in the incoming class is Tasha Dickey, daughter of former UA assistant football coach Charlie Dickey, now a line coach at Utah. Tasha last week was named Utah's 2007 Gatorade Player of the Year after a standout backcourt season at Brighton High School. If she has her dad's spirit, she'll be an impact player for Joan Bonvicini. … Cochise College is leading the ACCAC baseball standings at 35-11 (league: 21-7) and has soared to No. 10 in the national junior college rankings. Salpointe Catholic grad Kevin Hussey is hitting .352, Pueblo High School's Jorge Martinez is 6-0 as a pitcher and Santa Rita product Cody Walden is 6-3 as part of CC's pitching staff.

Swimming world takes notice of two Tucson stars

It was a historic week for Tucson swimming, which, given the number of Olympic and international medalists from the UA, requires some background.

First, UA junior and Mountain View High School swimmer Lacey Nymeyer was named the Pac-10's women's swimmer of the year. That honor has previously gone to Olympic stars Janet Evans, Mary T. Meagher, Summer Sanders, Misty Hyman and Jenny Thompson, among others.

Next, Sahuaro High School sophomore Caitlin Leverenz finished third in two events at the USA vs. Australia, made-for-TV "Duel in the Pool'' in Melbourne, Australia.

It was impressive enough that Leverenz finished third in the 400 IM, behind Olympian Katie Hoff and Ariana Kukors, considered America's two leading female IM swimmers. The bigger story was that Leverenz cut almost nine seconds off her personal best, finishing in 4 minutes 40.19 seconds. That's astonishing. It's like a distance runner cutting his best mile time from 4:08 to 3:59 in one race.

Leverenz next goes to the Pan American Games in mid-July at Rio de Janeiro. She turned 16 in February. Now the international swimming community is fully aware of who she is.

Sons follow footsteps of ex-UA coaches

In the mid-1980s, under Larry Smith, the UA's football practice field was a family-type place where children of Smith's coaches regularly visited their fathers.

It turned out to be more than a fun time; it was career preparation.

Last week, ex-UA assistant coach Bobby April's son, also named Bobby, was hired as an assistant coach at Portland State. He joined other UA childhood friends in the business.

Joe Barry, whose father, Mike, coached Smith's offensive line here, is the new defensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions. His father is the Lions' line coach.

Sahuaro High grad Skip Peete, son of ex-UA assistant coach Willie Peete, is the new running backs coach for the Dallas Cowboys. And Salpointe Catholic grad Rock Roggeman, is the linebackers coach at East Carolina. His father, Tom, was Arizona's linebackers coach in the Ricky Hunley era.