Thursday, June 28, 19R2
Papre 6 College Station, Texas
THE BATTALION
Coaclies Sought Quality
During Spring Drills
Tommy Blake, A&M’s sports
publicity director, recently came
out with the 1962 A&M Football
Press, Radio and TV Guide and in
doing so became the first in the
Southwest Conference to get the
mag-azine off the press.
Last year in Blake’s first at
A&M, he was second behind the
brochure put out by George Wright
of Baylor.
“I just like to be first,” Blake
replied after taking the first prize
this summer. He’s not the only
one on the A&M Athletic Depart
ment staff who wants to be first
in something.
Here’s what Blake’s colorful
brochure says about the prospects
for ’62:
A&,M’s football coaches devoted
much of their spring- training time
seeking quality.
They sought, and found, the top-
ranked 44 athletes on the A&M
squad.
The overall strength of these
44?
That remains to be determined
when Coach Hank Foldherg sends
his first edition of the Aggies onto
the playing field in September.
Personnel changes were made
almost daily during the spring
drills as Foldberg and his assist
ant coaches shuffled and re
shuffled the candidates from one
team to another—and sometimes
from one position to another.
The shuffling and four weeks of
drills sifted out the best 44 boys,
yet failed to produce a three or
four deep lineup by positions.
Foldberg declares all posts still
wide open and any candidate will
have a chance to move up or down
when fall workouts begin.
“From the standpoint of actual
playing time (1961 season), we
should be most experienced at full
back and guard. The 44 players
thought our quarterbacks came
along real well and we have five
or six boys contesting for the posi
tion. The work of several sopho
mores-to-be was pleasing,” Fold
berg said.
Returning to the fullback slot
are Sam Byer, a two-year letter-
man who was second in team rush
ing with 256 yards in 74 carries
last season, and Jerry Rogers, a
junior who won his first letter as
an outstanding sophomore last
year. Rogers netted 174 yards in
49 carries.
Lee Roy Caffey, a two-year
numeral winner at fullback, was
moved to halfback in the spring.
He led the Aggies on the ground
last season with 371 yards in 85
carries.
Five letterman guards return,
and four of them—Jim Harper,
Keith Huggins, Walter LaGrone
and Jim Phillips—have won two
letter awards. The fifth is Jerry
Pizzitola, a sophomore letterman.
All started games last season.
John Erickson, Ronnie Brice and
Jim Keller did most of the quarter-
backing for the 1961 Aggies, but
Brice has been moved to halfback
to take advantage of his fine run
ning ability. Last year’s pass com
pletion records show Erickson with
34 of 73 for 468 yards and two
touchdowns, Brice with 13 of 23
for 149 yards and two TD’s and
Keller with 7 of 18 for 83 yards.
Their respective completion per
centages were .466, .542 and .389.
Newcomers who will contest
with Erickson and Keller for start-
we ‘found’ in spring training will
do the playing next season. I
ing assignment are sophomores
Joe Mcllhany, John Sparling and
James Willenborg.
All three of the first-year sig
nal-callers impressed the coaches
in spring training, and they were
among the sophomores whose work
was pleasing to Foldberg.
The others were Tackle Melvin
Simmons, Guard Yancy Bounds,
End Ben McLean, End John
Brotherton, Tackle Ray Gene
Hinze, and Fullback Mike Kohl-
man. Two other highly regarded
sophs miss much of the spring
training work due to slight in
juries. They are Tackles Ray
Chancellor and Ronney Moore.
It is possible that any one of
these sophomores could break into
the starting lineup when the
Aggies take the field for their
opening game against nationally
ranked LSU on Sept. 22.
Taking a cue from their accom
plishments in spring training, the
“Aggies to watch” include Center
Jerry Hopkins, Byer, Rogers, Half
back Jim Linnstaedter and Sim
mons.
Foldberg calls Hopkins “the best
blocking center I have ever
coached,” and Linnstaedter was
A&M’s third leading rusher last
season with 243 yards on 60 car
ries, connected on three of eight
passes for 29 yards, caught four
passes for 76 yards, intercepted
three passes for 21 yards, return
ing eight punts for 50 yards and
eight kickoffs for 126 yards.
A brief background of the 1962
football prospects from the A&M
brochure will be featured in next
week’s Battalion.
A Trio Of Aggie Standouts
Seniors (L-R) Sam Byer, Jerry Hopkins and
Lee Roy Caffey are among the top A&M
prospects who will report for fall practice
on Sept. 1 when the Aggies prep for their
opening game against LSU on Sept. 22.
Byer, a 220-pound fullback, w r as one of the
top performers in spring drills. He has
never lost a yard in his varsity career. Hop
kins, a 6-1, 215-pound center, was cited by
Coach Hank Foldberg as “the best blocking
center I’ve ever coached.” Caffey, a 220-
pounder from Thorndale, was the leading
ground gainer for the Aggies last fall and
was moved to halfback during the spring.
Win 12 Games: Get New Car
PHILADELPHIA, June 27—<dP>
-—A fellow back in Morning Sun,
Iowa (population 800), promised
Philadelphia Phillies’ rookie Jack
Hamilton he would give him a new
car if the righthander won 12
games this season.
And if Hamilton continues to
pitch anything like he did Tuesday
night when he beat Houston 2-0
on a two-hitter in the opener of a
doubleheader, John Edwards will
have to shell out.
“I’m just trying to win,” said
Hamilton when asked if the car
were his goal. Then he quickly
added, “I’d like to, sure (get the
car). I know he’d give it to me.”
Edwards, incidentally, is the
owner of a construction firm where
H-amilton works during the off
season.
For Hamilton, it was his first
major league shutout and evened
his recoi'd at 5-5. The victory also
enhanced his chances of getting
more frequent starts. He had made
only two starts since May 30, be
ing chased after three innings
against Cincinnati on June 10, his
last start prior to Tuesday night.
Hamilton didn’t give up a base
hit after the second inning. Nei
ther did Houston’s Dick Farrel,
who lost it on a three-hitter.
The 23-year-old righthander,
once owned by the Saint Louis
Cardinals, said being shunted to
the bullpen the past couple of
weeks actually helped him out.
“I concentrated more on my con-
trol,” he explained. “I worked on
an off-beat slider (taking a little
off the pitch) and a change up and
got the ball over a lot better.
© hove a
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