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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1976
Thompson talks to plants
By PAUL McGRATH
Don’t let it get around, but Texas
A&M cornerback Willie Thonpson
talks to plants. Privately.
Thompson, one of three seniors in
the A&M secondary (Lester Hayes
and Reggie Williams are the other
two), has started collecting plants —
a hobby he shares with Aggie defen
sive tackle Edgar Fields. “Edgar s
hobby is a little different than mine
though. His (plants) seem to live a
little longer,” Thompson said.
He owns an ivy (his pet), a yucca
plant, a maternity plant and another
plant he has yet to identify.
“Plants do something for a room,”
he said. Thompson admits he con
verses with his collection, usually in
private. Man to plant, so to speak.
“Some of them have started to
turn yellow so I’ll talk to them and
they’ll do better,” Thompson said. “I
know it sounds kind of weird. A
couple of them have started to droop
again so I’ll have to start rapping with
the plants again to get them going.’
Thompson, 5-9, 180 lbs. from El
Paso Burges High School, has had to
do quite a bit of talking on the play
ing field as well. With former secon
dary stars Pat Thomas and Jackie
Williams gone, Thompson and
Hayes find themselves giving more
support to the less experienced
players.
“This year we have to have our
eyes open — we re more conscious
of the other guys’” he said. “Last
year Pat and Jackie made up for our
mistakes. Now, Lester and I feel we
have a teaching role and not a learn
ing role.”
Thompson’s interception in the
third quarter of the Illinois game was
instrumental to A&M’s gaining a
14-7 win. The Illini substituted quar
terback Mike McCray for running
back James Coleman to attempt a
halfback pass. Thompson diagnosed
the manuever and cut in front of the
tight end to steal the pass. His return
to the Illinois 14-yard line set up
A&M’s final score.
“I more or less saw it all the way,”
said Thompson, who had two key
interceptions in last year’s Texas
game. “It was a trick play. . .the
tailback was the quarterback last
year.
“I should have scored, there was a
lot of grass in front of me, ” he said.
Thompson was born on Staten Is
land, N.Y. into an Army family,
traveling around the country and
never staying anywhere long enough
to grow many roots.
His family, which includes his
parents, two brothers and two sis
ters, now resides in El Paso.
Thompson, who played free safety
and quarterback in high school, was
highly recruited. He received 23 of
fers, including one fron Texas Tech,
A&M’s upcoming opponent.
“As a kid I always wanted to be the
Willie Thompson
first black quarterback ever at the
University ofTexas,” he said. But he
chose A&M over the other schools,
primarily because of the closeness he
noticed between team members. He
impressed with Thomas,
Williams and Ed Simonini, the three
A&M players who escorted him on
his recruiting visit.
“Other schools said ‘if you come
here.’ With them, (the aforemen
tioned trio) it was if I was already
here. They said ‘when you come
back in August’. That made me feel
pretty good,” Thompson said.
Another reason he picked A&M
was because of of the presence of
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defensive co-ordinator Melvin
Robertson.
“In my four years here, I’d be sur
prised to find anyone who knows
more about the 4-3 defense, he said
of Robertson. “He will tell you what
to do and all you have to do is do what
he says at 100 per cent effort.”
Thompson said he is amazed at the
defensive mind of Robertson. As a
freshman standing on the sidelines,
he would often listen to Robertson
discuss the action of the field. He
would say ‘oh goodness, they’re
going to run here’ and sure enough !
that’s where they’d run.’
Opposing offenses have found lit
tle success running the ball against
A&M (the Aggies have ranked near
the top in the nation the past two
years in defense against the run) and
have turned to the air more often,
putting added pressure on
Thompson and the rest of the A&M
secondary.
Texas Tech gained 320 yards
against A&M last year while losing
38-9. It was the most yardage gained
in one game on the Aggies the entire
year.
Red Raider quarterbacks Tommy
Duniven and Rodney Allison oper
ate a powerful attack again this year
as they alternate according to the
situation. Allison is perhaps the bet
ter runner while Dunivn is perhaps
the better passer.
As to whether he would prefer
Duniven or Allison, Thompson said,
“They’re both at the point where I
would hate to see either one.”
Thompson rates Red Raider split
end Sammy Williams as one of the
best in the Southwest Conference,
along with TCU’s Mike Renfro,
Texas’ Alfred Jackson and Baylor’s
Alcy Jackson. He said Alfred Jackson
is the speediest while Renfro runs
the better pass routes and has the
best hands.
Professional football looms largely
in Thompson’s future ambitions.
“You can’t sneeze at the money,” he
said. He added he would enjoy the
challenge of covering the top re
ceivers in the pro ranks.
In the meantime, he continues to
discuss the world’s affairs with his
plants. Their response is strictly con
fidential.
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Battalion photo by S uzan ne CoUrrm®® 11 g * I
Cindy Gough is forced out at home while at
tempting to score during the Stephen F. Austin
game Saturday. Gough, shortstop for the
A&M women’s team, ran for home after
Women s softball team
finishes third in tourne
ii
A THOROUGH SCOUT
NEW YORK (AP) — Former
major league manager Birdie
Tebbetts could be called one of
the most thorough scouts in the
game of baseball. He is on spe
cial assignments for the New
York Yankees.
“When I go into a town to see
two teams play I usually like to
watch one of their games on
television,” says Tebbetts.
“You get closeup action on
practically every pitch and you
can see more than at the ball
park. But, then again, there’s
nothing like being in the ball
park for the over-all picture of
what’s happening.”
By CAROLYN BLOSSER
A&M’s women intercollegiate
softball team took third place in the
Texas A&M Softball Tournament
held last weekend at Travis Park in
Bryan.
Top seeded University ofTexas at
Arlington, last year’s State Cham
pion, defeated Sam Houston State
University in the finals to win the
championship.
The Aggies played a total of six
games in the tournament, winning
five and losing one, their only loss
coming at the hands of the the Uni
versity of Texas at Arlington.
A&M’s season record now stands at
12-3.
The Ags began play Friday after
noon with an easy 10-0 win over West
Texas State University. However,
pitcher Kim Bellamy suffered a
wrenched knee in the game, which
thinned out the already ailing Aggie
ranks. First baseman Terri Sandvik
was out with the flu and outfielder
Janice Williamson was still recover
ing from a bone chip in the elbow.
In their next game the Aggies had
little difficulty as they blitzed St.
Mary’s 14-0. Their first big competi
tion came Saturday night against
Stephen F. Austin State University.
The Ladyjacks, with back-to-back
base hits in the second inning,
jumped out to a 1-0 lead. But in the
third inning A&M’s Toni Hymel led
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off with a double to rightfield and
scored following Liz Zemanek’s
single down the leftfield line, tying
the score at 1-1.
Then in the fourth inning came
the play of the game. With the bases
loaded and one out, A&M’s Vickie
Markowsky flied out to centerfield
and Robin Oakley, who was on third
base, started tagging home.
A picture perfect throw from the
centerfielder to homeplate made
Oakley’s situation look hopeless as
the catcher waited to apply the tag.
However, as Oakley approached
home, she startled everyone by
hurdling several feet over the
catcher to avoid the tag, landing
safely on homeplate. Her score
proved to be the winning run as
A&M defeated SFA 2-1.
The top two teams from each pool
in Friday’s competition advanced
into Saturday’s finals. In A&M’s pool
the Aggies and SFA finished first and
second, respectively, enabling them
both to compete in next day’s quar
terfinals.
Saturday morning in their quar
terfinal game against Baylor, the Ag
gies seemed to be in trouble as they
trailed 2-0 late in the game. But in
the sixth inning Toni Hymel came
through with a bases loaded triple to
push the Ags ahead 3-2. A&M
picked up momentum, scoring three
more runs that inning, and went on
to defeat Baylor 6-2.
In their semifinal game that after
noon against the University ofTexas
at Arlington, the Aggies never really
got things going.
Hiy cham
A&M’s Robin Oakley hit the ball to the Luterately hu
berjack’s shortstop. A&M went on to win tknd8°kl of
game 4-1. P wear y 1
re battere
nown chal
jaye destrc
But not
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Although Cathy Boswell’s firslj lrou g} lou t
ning double gave A&M an ea: irnous “pi
lead, UTA came right back wit! ou t
rally in the same inning to pullal, S {jii q Ue s1
4’ 1 ' j . n ,Biy feel
The Ags seemed to be raU^th Ali ne
back in the second inning t h e r€
gles by Hymel and Becky Hart^, ou gh f e u
and an RBI double by Annettekij 0 ] ( jj n g
brought the score up to4-2.Bti i^dhisop
Aggies’ fortune soon turneijjggt
tragedy. In March
On the very next play Ai , ea t a ble in t
Hartman attempted to secret j n g Uncle
third base on an infield grout , unc h.
Sliding into home, Hart man’s cm Ali was d
caught on the plate but he ring wl
momentum pushed her legume. But
across, resulting in severe breakage Ali alo
three bones in her leg, right ab je refused
the ankle. gion would
, ; The gove
An ambulance soon arrivedtotilj m QOC
Hartman to the hospital as ![ ]n(
teammates watched the scenein^i j t wen
spair, choking with tears ofemotiKj e jj i)ecanie
The Aggies never really got battle after
in the game as UTA went on to* Finally aft
Sort Ali w
A&M now faced Stephefi jib ^ 1
tin in a game to decide the
place finisher. Although tra '^
early in the game, the Ags camebstJJLIvli
with a big fifth inning rally as Bel y exas ^
Donaghey, Liz Zemanek, M ; pl n j ts p
Alford and Cathy Boswell all sea?j nv .
giving the Ags a 4-1 victory overSf] bu
and a secure lock on third plaaK th
'ru- i ..i <">■ - .-i— o 7 .
This weekend, October 8 auui a&.M> s B
the Aggies will travel to Beaumon! e f enc j.
compete in the Lamar fi n ' velS ioldsmith <
Softball Tournament. fero] Berry
Ford to view Texas-OU game IThoii^
° h Coach Te<
ttat t . „ Ass “ iated , Press ^ J „ Texas Gov. and Mrs. Dolph Brte&M cross
! nt For 1 i Wi11 former Gov. and Mrs. JohnMton for £
officially open the 91st annual Texas Connally. |nners foi
Tentative plans call for Foul fiber and
also watch the Texas-Oklaho® A6fM fini:
football game in the Cotton Boltational la;
Saturday and attend church at'-'
First Baptist Church before lea® t
Dallas Sunday. The Cotton Bowl
on the fair grounds. *ENindepi
A Division:
boys vs. G
State Fair here Saturday, fair presi
dent Robert Cullum said Tuesday.
The President will cut a ribbon to
open the 17-day exposition and is to
speak to the opening day crowd.
Special guests scheduled to be on
hand for the fair opening include
c&ib c Iurquoise G §lipp
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