ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, April 16, 1997 TAG: 9704160078
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: IN SPORTS
TYPE: NEWS OBIT
SOURCE: FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTS
More than 50 million people saw all or part of Tiger Woods' historic Masters victory over the weekend, making it the most-watched golf tournament ever, CBS said Tuesday.
Sunday's final round received a 14.1 Nielsen national rating and 31 share, shattering all ratings records for Grand Slam golf tournaments. The highest previous rating for a major tournament was 12.0 for the final round of the 1966 Masters.
By way of comparison, Fox averaged an 11.3 rating for its regular-season NFL games in 1996.
The final 25 minutes of the Masters (7-7:25 p.m. EDT) received a 20.2 rating and gave CBS its highest-rated half hour (19.3) in more than three years.
FOOTBALL
'Skins introduce Dishman
The Washington Redskins introduced their newest defensive back on Tuesday, cornerback Cris Dishman.
``He was our first choice,'' Redskins general manager Charley Casserly said. ``We have been talking to Cris early in the free agent goings just to cover our bases.''
Dishman, who received a $2 million signing bonus, replaces Redskins free agent Tom Carter, who signed with the Chicago Bears.
Pigskin Classic: Northwestern will host Oklahoma in the Pigskin Classic, the opening game of the college football season. The game will be played Saturday, Aug. 23 at 67,000-seat Soldier Field, home of the Chicago Bears.
ETC.
Robertson released
Basketball great Oscar Robertson, in tears when asked about his decision to donate a kidney to his daughter, was released from the hospital Tuesday.
Tia Robertson, 32, is stricken with lupus and received her father's kidney on Thursday. She was reported in good condition and could be released from the hospital this week.
Oscar Robertson, 58, appeared at a news conference before leaving University Hospital and cried when he recalled the family discussions about who would give up a kidney.
``I'm the strongest person,'' he said. ``We just went through a process of elimination, and it was me.''
Hudgins dies: Elmore ``Scoop'' Hudgins, who was the first sports information director at Vanderbilt and for the Southeastern Conference, has died after long illness. He was 78.
Hudgins was Vanderbilt's first sports information director, from 1949 until 1964, when he became the SEC's first SID until his retirement in 1983. He was a past president of the College Sports Information Directors of America.
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