Rice University

Fred Goldsmith is probably a wonderful man, owner of a keen football mind, possessor of family values, etc. But at this particular moment, a scant 20 days before his Rice University Owls can end the longest current losing streak in Division I-A football, Goldsmith--and how can we put this delicately?--is sort of lying through his pearly whites.

Mike Heimerdinger, the offensive coordinator for the Cal State Fullerton football team, has resigned to take the same post at Rice University in Houston. Heimerdinger was at Fullerton for 1 season, replacing Jerry Brown, who left to become an assistant coach with the Minnesota Vikings. Heimerdinger was at Florida before coming to Fullerton, and will join longtime associate Fred Goldsmith, who was named head coach at Rice on Monday.

Fred Goldsmith, defensive coordinator at Arkansas for the last 5 seasons, has accepted the coaching job at Rice, which hasn't won a football game since Sept. 26, 1987.

Rice University took advantage of its free throws to defeat the University of San Diego, 97-90, in overtime in a nonconference basketball opener for both teams at Autry Court in Houston. USD had rallied to tie the game, 82-82, in regulation when Danny Means made a three-point shot from the top of the key to tie the game with four seconds remaining. "I thought we were going to do it when we took it to overtime," USD Coach Hank Egan said.

Hank Egan, the University of San Diego basketball coach, says he always likes his team to open the season on the road. That way, he can get an idea of how the players respond in unfamiliar surroundings. Tonight, in its 1987-88 season opener, USD will open against Rice University at 6:30 (PST) at Houston. It's the first time USD has ever played at Rice. It's also the first time that this particular USD team will play together anywhere.

George E. Rupp, dean of the Harvard University Divinity School, was named Wednesday to become president of Rice University. Rupp, 42, will succeed Norman Hackerman, 73, who has announced he will retire in July.

The UC Irvine men's tennis team, ranked 11th in the nation, downed Rice University, 5-4, in a nonconference match at Irvine Tuesday. The Anteaters won all their singles matches and lost all their doubles matches in the victory. Rice fell to 7-3. UCI's No. 1 singles player, Bruce Man Son Hing, defeated 28th-ranked Scott Melville, 6-2, 6-2, to mark the third time in the last two weeks that he has defeated a player ranked in the top 30.