Columnist Dean Juipe: Hunkie Cooper -- Learn from losses

Sometimes you have to really look to find a silver lining.

Hunkie Cooper, who played for UNLV during the 1990 and 1991 seasons and who currently is serving as a broadcaster for the UNLV football team, knows all about losing from his years with the Rebels.

Each of the teams he played on while at UNLV went 4-7 and the 1998 team is 0-1 and looking at a very long season, if Saturday's one-sided loss to Northwestern was any indication.

Those points aside, Cooper says a young player can take something positive even from the worst of circumstances.

"We didn't win a lot when I played for the Rebels, but I learned from losing," Cooper said, drawing a conclusion not usually expressed by even the most hardened of habitual underdogs but one that may be valid nonetheless.

As for the UNLV program in general, he said "it's been a bad situation around here."

Cooper, who plays in the Arena Football League during the summer, made his TV broadcasting debut during the Rebels' 41-7 loss to Northwestern. One easy-to-make criticism was his repeated use of the word "great" to describe almost anything that was happening on the field. For instance, when UNLV's Len Ware returned a kickoff to his own 17, Cooper somehow managed to call it "great." ... The Rebels didn't show much in the way of team speed and quarterback Kevin Crook appeared stationary at times, yet head coach Jeff Horton says not to worry. "Kevin's more mobile than people think," he said. "And I think overall, we have more team speed than we've had in the past." ... The Rebels may have lost six straight games but think of the poor guys at Prairie View A&M. When they lost 24-13 Saturday to Texas Southern, it was the school's 78th consecutive defeat. ... Kentucky's Tim Couch may have the early lead toward the Heisman Trophy after a 498-yard, seven-touchdown passing game against Louisville in a 68-34 win. ... Notre Dame supposedly has disbanded its Quarterback Club due to excessive interaction between the boosters and the football team. ... Las Vegan DeShone Myles, a rookie linebacker with the Seattle Seahawks, had an impressive training camp and played a little Sunday in the team's easy win over Philadelphia. Word is Myles, who attended Nevada-Reno and was taken by Seattle in the fourth round, is a potential star who may force his way into the starting lineup before too long.

Former middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta, best remembered for his six wars with Sugar Ray Robinson, has had two sons die this year, including one in the Swissair crash off the coast of Canada last week. ... If the allegations against him are substantiated in court, ex-heavyweight champ Michael Dokes of Las Vegas may be looking at some serious jail time. He's currently being held without bail for roughing up his fiancee (and he has a rap sheet that's working against him). ... Pro golfer Chip Beck, who once shot a 59 in the Las Vegas Invitational, ended a long streak of inept play over the weekend when he made the cut at the PGA Tour event at Milwaukee. Beck had missed the cut in his previous 48 tour events. ... Some players on the PGA Tour are lobbying for a minimal payout -- around $2,000 -- for players who miss the cut. ... On a percentage basis, there are more golfers in Wisconsin than any other state. ... Las Vegas Stars' manager Jerry Royster had to have his ears perked when he heard the Detroit Tigers had fired manager Buddy Bell, given the fact half of the Tigers' roster and front-office personnel is made up of former San Diego Padres farmhands. ... The favorite for the Detroit managerial job, however, is Florida Marlins' skipper Jim Leyland. ... Must listening? "Songs From The Penalty Box" on Tooth & Nail Records, a collection of hockey tunes said to be "testosterone injected."

Here's an NFL rule change that doesn't make any sense and only slows down the game: If a defensive player on the line of scrimmage jumps (but doesn't make contact) and it leads to an offensive player moving, now it's the defense that gets the penalty (for delay of game). ... And here's an old NFL rule that still doesn't make sense: A muffed punt can't be advanced. ... The Green Bay Packers have won 24 straight home games and are within three of the NFL record established by Miami during the 1971-74 seasons. ... Nevada-Reno has opened its own golf course, Wolf Run. The 6,936-yard layout is also open to the public and is located in southwest Reno. ... Some guys just don't know when to quit. Take Kenneth Bentley, a heavyweight boxer from Memphis. A recent loss dropped his career record to 7-69-1. ... When Doug Flutie played Sunday for the Buffalo Bills, it was his first NFL game since 1989. Only one player had a longer absence between NFL appearances: Frank Walton, a guard who played in 1934 with Boston and then didn't appear in another NFL game until 1944 with Washington. ... The NFL player who has appeared in the most games without ever being in a playoff game is Cincinnati center Derrick Brilz. He has seen service in 160 NFL games, all in the regular season. The league record is 195 games by kicker Sam Baker during the 1953-69 seasons.

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