Criticism Does Not
Worry Meredith
By HAROLD V. RATLIFF
Associated Press Sports Writer
Don Meredith will start his
11th season of football in Dallas
come September. He will be
rounding out his first year as a
sportscaster on television.
Meredith, the muchly criticized
quarterback of the Dallas Cow
boys, says he finds adverse com
ment on television, too, but not
as much in football.
Ten years is a long time to play
the game in one town, says the
tall young man who was the first
signed by Dallas when it entered
the National Football League in
1960. “In that time, you get a
lot of both pros and cons,” he
muses.
What he means is that a lot of
criticism as well as praise may
accrue.
He has been booed, even when
playing with bum knees, cracked
ribs, stomach muscle rupture, an
injured foot and a sprained ankle.
He might well be the most bang
ed up fellow as well as the most
CSST To Compete
In TAGS Games
Eight members of the College
Station Swim Team will compete
in the 4th Texas Acquatic Games
sponsored by TAGS (Texas Age
Group Swimming) at Pharr to
day through Friday.
Members competing from the
College Station Swim Team are
John Greenhut, 200 meter breast
stroke, 200 meter individual med
ley, 200 meter freestyle, 100
meter fly and 100 meter free
style; Steve Henry, 200 meter in
dividual medley, 100 meter breast
stroke and 100 meter backstroke;
Dale Henry, 200 meter breast
stroke; Gerry Lowe, 100 meter
backstroke; Pat Greenhut, 500
meter freestyle, 50 meter fly and
200 meter individual medley; Pat
sy Hedges, 50 meter breaststroke;
Tina Derendinger, 50 meter
breaststroke; James Haislet, 100
meter breaststroke.
Each event of the Aquatic
Games will have 24 of the top
swimmers from the state compet
ing. A swimmer may qualify by
having the best time in an event
in one of the state’s eight dis
tricts or by having a qualifying
time among the next 16 best
times throughout the state. The
top four swimmers in each event
will receive a free trip to Mexico
City to compete in the interna
tional Meet Sept. 1-3.
TAGS first Aquatic Games
were held at the Wofford Cain
Olympic Pool in 1963 in honor of
the College Station Swim Team’s
coach Art Adamson, who has pro
moted swimming for the age
group swimmers of Texas as well
as coach the Texas A&M Swim
Team. Adamson also received
the annual outstanding contribu
tion award from the Texas Inter
scholastic Swimming Coaches As
sociation in 1964.
Stallings Claims
SWC Golf Title
Texas A&M head football
coach Gene Stallings won the
first prize of a complete set of
Ben Hogan woods and irons and
a golf bag last week as he beat
the other Southwest Conference
coaches during the annual foot
ball rally golf tournament in Fort
Worth.
Stallings and the other coaches
played at Shady Oaks Country
Club. J. T. King of Texas Tech
and Dave Smith, assistant coach
at TCU, tied for second.
In the sport writers and pub
lic relations division, Spec Gam
mon of A&M and Paul Ridings
of Fort Worth tied for first.
Baker Tire Co.
19th and Bryan Streets
WHERE YOU CAN
BUY TIRES CHEAPER.
One Way and Local Trailers
For Rent
Call 822-8159
EXPECTING?
Complete
Maternity
Department
Complete
line of
boys & girls
wear
JOYCE’S
608 S. College—822-2864
criticized.
Meredith never has been on a
championship team — at South
ern Methodist, where he played
four years, and with the Cow
boys, where he has toiled for six.
About the only person retaining
faith in him all those years has
been Cowboys coach Tom Lan
dry. Landry wavered some last
year when he found Meredith’s
passing below par, although fig
ured a sore arm that the quarter
back tried to keep from him was
a major reason.
So, after Meredith showed he
was below standard against St.
Louis, the coach put in his quar
terback shuttle, with rookies
Craig Morton and Jerry Rhome
doing the playing. Dallas lost
anyway and Meredith was even
criticized for doing a poor job of
holding the ball for try for point
after touchdown.
At Cleveland Landry started
Rhome but had to call on Mere
dith in the second period. But
Dallas lost again.
Against Green Bay Landry
started Morton, who played the
distance in a losing cause. Then
Landry said he would go with
Meredith the rest of the way.
“The veterans will play better
for him,” the coach commented.
Dallas lost to Pittsburgh al
though Meredith performed well
enough to win. Then the Cow
boys started to roam and won
five of the next seven games to
finish second in the Eastern Con
ference of the National Football
League.
But criticism of Meredith con
tinued although on a much light
er scale, not counting the storm
that arose when he passed on
first down from the opposition’s
one-yard and had it intercepted.
But Landry upheld his strategy.
“I have only listened to my
coaches and those who really
knew what I was doing wrong,”
said Meredith. “I just accepted
the criticism from the fans and
press as part of the game. But
I got some praise, too.”
And so he became a sports-
caster five days a week and also
will do a weekly show during the
football season.
“The criticism isn’t as much as
I got in football,” said Meredith.
“The football fans are more prone
to sit down and tell you what
they think. They want to win
and they sometimes think the
Cowboys would have a better
chance without me.”
He doesn’t agree with them, of
course, especially since his
coaches think he’s plenty good.
Considering the fact that Dal
las never has had a top offensive
line — the main weak point of
the Cowboys since Meredith has
been quarterback (most of the
last three years as starter)—his
record is quite good.
In his six seasons he has
thrown 1,400 passes, completed
694 for 10,090 yards and 74
touchdowns. He has run with the
ball 154 times, gained 767 yards
and scored nine touchdowns.
“I’m 28 years old and don’t
have too much football time left,”
said Meredith earnestly. “I
would like to be on a winning
team before I leave.”
The way the Cowboys have
been coming on in the exhibition
grind this season, it looks like
Dandy Don may get his wish.
They’ll probably criticize him for
not doing it sooner though.
DON’T
MIND
I DON’T
DON’T MIND
MIND EITHER
meeting
of the
don’t minds
If you don’t mind having all the
details of planning a banquet or
convention taken care of for you,
call Ramada Inn. We’ll make sure
your meeting is trouble-free . . .
no matter what size your group!
Try our fast,
friendly breakfast
and luncheon service.
RAMADA INN
Bryan-College Station
846-8811
maim
ttukttjUMtH fUAU uau/
Texas A&M Baby Beef
T-BONE STEAK
Texas A&M Pikes Peak or
RUMP ROAST
Swift’s Eversweet
SLICED BACON
VEAL CUTLETS
$1.091
Ih
pft3MlRS£39
5ALAD CVE5&IM6
Jap
Fruit. cockta\l
pieetv '€>,
l$\& EfcuoortBURST,
: WZ&&SIO&! FUriftRALU
IccMEiDUeeof Wisely fpl
1 45AT AU&U6T 2<S->27
j AMP (TOIMtMe Ri|4H AMP _
1 FPF ^01^5^01-LAF6EF- »
! WCttkSB Vou hWE -'tW
ecno bust ome of the
!HuMdpeP£ of ji
' oupcUFcpourcruwi
wbn bauiccm a
Io^cffapep viuvnme tte
icF‘FPlZE" v <ai <5ETAB60linH*1
FPBE- Ru^^b/epal l
SOME LUCPY !
I SllCFFePS" YOU ODUipBEOte 1
I
^ • •
X
goiccL^uppues
nWiLmiiT^ 33f
F/M ?m& IQ
OIM/M WL
3>Qi
7|
fito/H tIMMlQ 00 &
milt Ml
CLORO*
ViGUl.
CACTSJP
14oz. |
BHT-
Limit Two Please
'roMAro6ap7^ 1 8R
rSatoes £29
TISSUE 2 JH9
FurpiEseesw
Stokely’ss,
ice cpeam ^9
g: CAUFORsUA
TOMATOES
CRSP^ FT2E£>(4
CAPWTS
LEMONS 6 29
Bartlett
■pbuMP
PEARS
WE eWE VALUABLE
Em
Wqn 17® RjpcdASE OP- MOPE1.
JLAL_jA
4t£EVsI\C^ **40 (SUAPAHTESP’
AT -myA* MOpep-M
■ftOUAHTITY fZI&UTS tZE^etZVEp
- .STOtze WoUtZiS-
8 a.m. - 8 p.m.