Leading Receiver and Linebacker Ruled Ineligible at Cal Lutheran

The road back from a 2-8 record became a little steeper for the Cal Lutheran football team. The Kingsmen learned Monday that two of their top players have been ruled ineligible.

Art Black, who is arguably Cal Lutheran’s top receiver, said he has been ruled ineligible for exceeding the National Collegiate Athletic Assn.’s 10-semester limit. An athlete has 10 semesters of full-time class enrollment in which to complete his eligibility, and the NCAA has ruled that Black is entering his 11th.

Ken Steward, a linebacker who is Cal Lutheran’s leading returning tackler, was declared academically ineligible, a school spokesman said. Steward is expected to appeal a disputed summer school grade.

Black also is planning to appeal. He claims that during one of his semesters at West Los Angeles College he dropped a class and was enrolled in less than a full course load but that the dropped class was never recorded. Since he took less than a full course load of 12 units, Black contends that semester should not be counted.

“I’m in the process of straightening things out,” said Black, a pre-law major. “What I’m trying to do is track it down and say ‘Hey, I never took that course.’ ”