Orange Bowl ticket prices prompt state scalping investigation

Monday, January 1st 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) _ Orange Bowl tickets offered in Internet and newspaper ads for up to three times the original price have state regulators probing broker services for scalping violations.

Admission to the Jan. 3 national championship game between Florida State and Oklahoma in Miami originally went for $100 to $175. The game is now sold out.

But in ads that appeared this week, brokers were offering secondhand tickets from $300 to $900.

Liz Compton, a spokeswoman for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said ads have prompted a state investigation.

Agents looked through newspapers to check offers for Orange Bowl tickets and found that about 40 brokerages are offering tickets at more than face value. They then called those brokers, posing as customers.

Licensed travel agents can sell tickets as part of a package for higher prices, but most sellers are prohibited by Florida law from selling game tickets for more than $1 over face value.

Some brokers get around the law by offering a package that may include a service, such as a ride to Pro Player stadium.

Compton said nearly half the brokerages offered to sell tickets at more than face value without offering them as part of a package, and are now under investigation.

If investigators find evidence of scalping, the companies could face fines.

Some Internet brokers say the prices are simply reflective of the market _ high demand for the tickets and a finite, low supply.

``Our prices are much higher than the face value of the tickets,'' says a statement on the Web site for The Ticket Service, based in Washington state. ``This reflects the degree of difficulty, and of course, the cost of obtaining the tickets.''

QB coach a help to Heupel

MIAMI (AP) _ Josh Heupel was already a good quarterback when Chuck Long joined Oklahoma's football staff in December 1999. You don't throw for 3,400 yards and 30 touchdowns without knowing what you're doing.

But Heupel has been even better this year and also has done a nice job handling all the media demands that have come his way. For that, Chuck Long gets some of the credit.

Long is Oklahoma's quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator, a former All-American at Iowa and the runner-up to Bo Jackson in the 1985 Heisman Trophy race. He went on to spend eight years in the NFL and now is in his sixth year as a college assistant.

``Chuck has a great history, being a longtime quarterback himself, working under a lot of great quarterback coaches,'' coach Bob Stoops said. ``That's some great experience in that area and it has been a value to Josh.''

Long joined the staff after Mike Leach, who was offensive coordinator, left to become head coach at Texas Tech.

``When you come into a staff with some good chemistry going from the previous year, you want to strengthen it,'' Long said. ``You don't want to weaken it, you want to strengthen it.

``Then I wanted to strengthen his play. There are little things that have made a big difference to a quarterback, little things we worked on.''

Heupel's footwork is better this year than it was last season. Long worked on that with him. He also worked on being more balanced while dropping back to throw, and learning to get a better feel in the pocket.

There also was a push for better physical conditioning, which has been important this season.

``Last year, he was not finishing games well physically, and that was either due to a lack of stamina or a lack of overall physical strength,'' Long said. ``This year, we couldn't be more pleased with his fourth-quarter production alone.

``Because of his fourth-quarter production, we've been able to finish those games strong and win those games.''

As the Sooners continued to win this season, media scrutiny continued to build. Heupel wasn't even listed among the top two quarterbacks in the conference when the season began _ those honors went to Eric Crouch of Nebraska and Major Applewhite of Texas _ but soon he was making a name for himself nationally.

Long said he and Heupel talked briefly about the Heisman at the start of the year, because the school was promoting him for the award. But once the season got under way, it was not discussed.

``My job was to keep him on an even keel, and that's one thing I'll preach to all my quarterbacks, to keep an even keel throughout the year,'' Long said.

``If quarterbacks get caught up in the emotions of a season, including the ups and downs of games or throughout a year, they become emotionally drained at the end of the year. They become tired.''

Long said he has been glad to do whatever he could to ease the burden on Heupel.

``I've been through all that,'' he said. ``I'd rather have it all on me than on him. He has enough to worry about. He has a game to play, a team to be concerned about.''