Wednesday, October 25, 1978
College Station, Texas
Battalion
News Dept. 845-2611
Business Dept. 845-2611
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on page 9.
Emory Bellard resigns
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nory Bellard, former Texas A&M
tad football coach, says he plans to
get out of athletics.
Battalion photo by Pat O’Malley
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By DAVID BOGGAN
Battalion Sports Editor
In the wake of two consecutive losses
and rumors of alumni pressure, Emory
Bellard has resigned as Texas A&M Uni
versity’s athletic director and head football
coach.
Texas A&M President Jarvis Miller an
nounced Tuesday afternoon that Bellard’s
resignation had been accepted, effective
immediately.
Miller also approved the Athletic Coun
cil’s recommendations that Associate Ath
letic Director Marvin Tate become the
interim athletic director and that Offen
sive Coordinator Tom Wilson become the
interim head football coach.
“Under the existing circumstances,”
Bellard was quoted as saying in an athletic
department release, “I feel that it is best
that I resign my position as director of ath
letics and head football coach at Texas
A&M University.
“Texas A&M is a great university and
will always have a special place in my
heart.”
After the Aggies’ regularly scheduled
practice Tuesday afternoon, Wilson spoke
with reporters who had gathered in Col
lege Station for Bellard’s weekly press con
ference — a press conference that was not
to be.
“It happened so suddenly,” the new
Aggie head coach said. “I haven’t even had
time to call my wife and tell her what hap
pened. Coach Bellard brought the staff
into his office at 3 o’clock and told us his
decision. Dr. Miller called me into his of
fice at 3:45 to ask if I would take over as
head coach. And I was on the field practic
ing at 4:30. It all happened very, very
quick. ”
What does a new coach say to his pre
decessor under such circumstances?
“There wasn’t a whole lot to say other
than that we’re sorry and we ll do anything
we can for him,” Wilson said.
Tate speculated about the reasons lead
ing to Bellard’s decision.
“After the Houston game he had a tre-
oach s resignation met
cith mixed reactions
By ANDY WILLIAMS
Battalion Staff
games wk ^
studen reactions to the news of
ach Emory Bellard’s resignation were
ted, almost all interviewed expressed
ne sympathy for Bellard.
^ Students were interviewed on the cam-
Tuesday between 4:30 p.m. and 6
Im just surprised, and kind of un-
ipy, ’ said Tim Wessel, a junior pre-
dstudent from Highlands. “I’ve made a
of mistakes myself up here and I ha-
Iquit. I don’t see any reason he should
it.”
I’m kind of shocked,” said Jess Mason,
iophomore marketing major from Col-
ido Springs, Colo. “I know that a lot of
idents and faculty members wanted him
resign. I was for change with the foot-
l team, but not necessarily with the
ich.”
Tim Wessell — unhappy
Kerry Kuttler, a junior physics major
from College Station, asked one of the
most immediately important questions.
“What’s he going to do now?”
One frequently recurring feeling was
voiced first by Greg Crawford, a senior
range science major from Strawn. “He was
a good football coach, but he just lacked a
little something. Seemed like he couldn’t
fire the team up.”
Dennis Raleigh, a pre-med senior from
Houston, also criticized Bellard’s coaching
ability. “He wasn’t the complete football
coach. I feel sorry for him, you know. He
was in a bad situation. But he didn’t have
an imaginative offense. I didn’t like his
play selection.
“He had his chance. He had everything
he needed to have a number one team —
the players and the coaching staff.”
Jim Searcy, a senior geology major from
Houston, agreed with Raleigh and fur
thered the criticism of Bellard as coach.
“I was just tired of his wishbone. On
third down it was always up the middle
with George Woodard. He even tried to
do the same thing with Raymond
Belcher. ”
Searcy was optimistic about the rest of
the season. “I think he had one of the finest
coaching staffs under him in the country. I
think they’ll have no trouble taking over
for him. One thing about having Tom Wil
son as head coach is that we’re going to
have a passing game again.”
“I just wish I hadn’t given away my
ticket book.”
At least one student expressed be
wilderment about the state of the football
team. “I don’t know what’s going on with
the team. Something’s wrong, but I don’t
know whether it’s him or the players,” said
Barbara Pounds, a senior education major
from Fort Worth.
“I can’t believe they made so many
points and now they’re just down. A team
that was doing so well doesn’t fall down
Vhite favors Hill’s federal energy suit
1708
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' <*>:
_S!
Democrat Mark White says he backs
esent attorney general John Hill’s law
t against a new energy bill regulating
rastate commerce and vowed Tuesday
continue the suit if elected attorney
ml.
White met with a number of Brazos
>unty Democrats Tuesday during a cam-
jgn swing at the county courthouse.
”1 believe it’s unconstitutional to take
er the control of Texas’ intrastate mar-
t, ’ White said. “We have been paying
5h prices for gas in Texas although we
vean overabundance. We will exert the
nstitutionality in the courts. We will
tinue to prosecute the suit.”
White said the bill, which was passed in
•ngress earlier this month, would place
|eral price controls on intrastate gas.
has joined the attorneys general of
Oklahoma and Louisiana in filing suit
against the measure.
White said narcotics smuggling along
the Mexican border is also a problem that
the new attorney general must address
and added he hopes Congress will do more
to curb drug traffic.
“It’s going to take a lot of undercover
work,” he said. “I feel we are rightfully in
a position to call upon the federal govern
ment. I think they could do much more.”
. White explained that the state needs the
use of federal equipment, such as
airplanes to keep aircraft from Mexico
from making illegal landings.
He said he feels the “Tortilla Curtain”
that the U.S. Immigration and Naturaliza
tion Service is planning to build between
El Paso and Juarez, Mexico, could harm
state relations with Mexico. The wall is a
1 pr
from making illegal entries into the United
States.
“It’s not like the Berlin wall which was
built to keep people in,” White said.
He added that Mexico is increasing its
job market and building an economic base
that could probably mitigate the illegal
alien problem.
White, like Republican opponent Jim
Baker, is taking a stern look at the parole
system. Juvenile crime and swift punish
ment for career criminals are objectives for
both candidates as well.
White said he would like to see more
legislation dealing with aspects of crime.
“Texas has one of the largest prison
populations. I think we have the finest
prison administration and one of the most
efficient prison systems,” he said.
mendous disappointment,” the new ath
letic director said. “The kids had worked
hard. He had worked hard. Things were
positive before Houston. The Baylor loss
was tough because we had so many people
hurt.
“Winning seasons and bowl games
didn’t seem to satisfy people. Coach Bel
lard just got fed up with it. He’d fought the
battle for years and he felt the best thing to
do is get out of this now. He was not forced
out. It was just a decision he made at this
time,” Tate said.
Tate said Bellard spoke very little of his
plans for the future.
See related stories, page 11
“The only thing he told me is that he’s
going to get out of athletics,” he said. He
was interupted by an Aggie alumnus cal
ling to “start a movement to bring back
Emory Bellard.”
“There’s going to be a segment of A&M
people most upset that he’s leaving,” Tate
said. “There are also those who are un
happy with the wishbone and Bellard’s
conservative brand of football.”
Bellard’s brand ol fbotball came to A&M
in 1972 when the then-assistant coach at
the University of Texas accepted the job as
athletic director and head football coach at
Texas A&M.
In his six full seasons as the Aggies’ head
coach, Bellard had records of 3-8, 5-6, 8-3,
10-2, 10-2 and 8-4, for an overall record of
48-27. He took the Aggies to three con
secutive post-season bowl games starting
in 1975: the Liberty Bowl, the Sun Bowl
and the Bluebonnet Bowl. In 1975 the Ag
gies were Southwest Conference co
champions with the University Arkansas
and Texas.
“We sincerely regret Coach Bellard’s
decision to resign,” said Dr. Charles Sam
son Jr., chairman of the Athletic Counsel.
“No coach could be more committed to
achieving excellence in intercollegiate
athletics than Emory Bellard. He has
worked in complete cooperation with our
athletic council toward this end.”
Bellard also was praised by Miller as an
outstanding man.
“He has been more than a head football
coach,” the University’s president said.
“His integrity and dedication is reflected
in the outstanding overall athletic pro
grams at Texas A&M.
“Coach Bellard effectively meshed the
athletic program with the academic
environment and stressed to all of our
athletes that they were at Texas A&M first
and foremost to obtain a university educa
tion.”
What was the reaction of the athletes to
their coach’s resignation?
“The team’s reaction was anger at first
and then deep sadness,” Wilson said.
“They loved Coach Bellard very much and
respected him a great deal.
“The mental attitude is the thing we
have to combat. We have a great bunch of
young men and they’ll come back and
fight.”
They will have to make a fast comeback.
Saturday the Aggies, who have a 4-2 sea
son record, host the Rice Owls, a team
with a 1-4 season record. Wilson did not
rule out the possibility of offensive
changes for Texas A&M.
“There might be a few things,” Wilson
hinted. “I have a few things that I believe
in offensively that I want to try out. Of
course, it’s going to be hard to change
much. This is Tuesday; that only leaves us
three days (before the Rice game.)”
Wilson joined the Texas A&M staff in
January 1975 as offensive coordinator and
quarterback coach. He graduated from
Texas Tech in 1966 where he was an all-
SWC quarterback. He was the Raiders’
quarterback coach from 1966 until he
joined the staff at Texas A&M.
President asks U.S.
to ‘sit down’ on inflation
Dave Land — delighted
that fast unless something’s wrong,” she
said.
Two students, interviewed on their way
to supper, were overjoyed at the news of
Bellard’s resignation.
“All right,” said Dave Land, a senior
management major from Dallas. “I’ve
been down on that guy for a year and a
half. That’s the greatest thing that could
have happened.
“We’re still not going to have much of a
season. But this is sure gonna make dinner
a whole lot better.”
Richard Ready, a mechanical engineer
ing junior from Dallas, was interviewed
with Land and agreed with him.
“All I can say is, with the potential this
school has, there’s no reason we should be
held back,” Ready said. “It’s always
seemed like statistics is what he’s after.
Like, if we’re 40 points behind, it seems
like he was still running the ball.”
Alfonso Leal, a junior range science
major, was unbothered by the situation.
“Really, it doesn’t make that much differ
ence, ’cause I haven’t really kept up with
football that much.”
United Press International
WASHINGTON — President Carter
wants “every business, every union, every
professional group, every individual” in
the nation to join a new campaign against
inflation.
In a televised address Tuesday night, he
urged workers to limit their wage de
mands to 7 percent, proposing a new kind
of “insurance” against rising prices if they
do.
He called on business to hold price in
creases at least 0.5 percent below the
amount of increase in 1976-77.
Beyond that, the president proposed to
trim federal spending, cut federal hiring,
eliminate “needless” regulations, encour
age increased competition and oppose fur
ther income tax cuts until inflation is re
duced.
He called the package “tough” and
“fair,” and promised no “quick or dra
matic’’ results.
But traders on the Tokyo money market
didn’t agree. The dollar plunged to a new
low of 180.75 yen in heavy selling of the
U.S. currency at the conclusion of the
president’s speech.
Administration economists said the goal
is to hold inflation to between 6 and 6.5
percent in the coming year. That is its av
erage for the last decade, but below its
recent, eight-month spurt to a current an
nual rate of 8 percent.
The president gave the public a quick
economics lesson.
“Most companies raise their prices be
cause they expect costs to rise,” he said.
“Unions call for large wage settlements
because they expect inflation to continue.
Because we expect it to happen, it does
happen, and once it’s started, wages and
prices chase each other up and up.
“It is like a crowd standing at a football
stadium. No one can see any better than
when everyone is sitting down — but no
one is willing to be the first to sit down.”
Specifically, Carter set a voluntary
standard of 7 percent for wage increases
during the coming year in private business
and state and local governments. It would
not apply to workers earning less than $4-
an-hour or to already-signed labor con
tracts.
It would apply not to an individual’s
wage, but to the average within each of
these groups in a given firm: management,
employees under labor contracts and other
employees.
Carter said workers fear that if they
limit their wages, prices still will rise.
Therefore, he said, he would ask Con
gress next January to launch a new pro
gram giving offsetting tax rebates — if in
flation exceeds 7 percent — to groups of
workers who adhere to the wage standard.
The rebate would equal the amount infla
tion topped 7 percent multiplied by an
employee’s pay “up to some reasonable
limit.”
Carter called it a “real wage insurance
policy against inflation which might be
caused by others.”
“This will give our workers an additional
incentive to observe the program — and
will remove their only legitimate reason
not to cooperate,” he said.
His proposed voluntary price standard
for business — limiting increases to a 0.5
percent below 1976-77 increases — would
not apply to each product, but rather to a
firm’s average price.
Companies claiming unavoidable costs
could demonstrate that their before-tax
profit margins are no higher than in the
best two of the last three years.
“As far as I’m concerned,” the president
told Americans, “every business, every
union, every professional group, every in
dividual in this country has no excuse not
to adhere to these standards. If we meet
these standards, the real buying power of
your paycheck will rise.”
He made clear the government will
withhold its $80 billion annual purchases
from firms that don’t comply with the vol
untary standards. He indicated that in
other cases it could deny what he called
“economic privileges,” such as special
franchises, protected wages and prices,
subsidies and protection from foreign
competition.
The sun also rises in Aggie land
The sun rose this morning about 7 a.m., but start
ing Sunday it will rise about 6 a.m. Daylight savings
time goes off Sunday at 2 a.m., so remember to set
clocks back one hour before going to bed Saturday
night. There is a 20 percent chance of rain today,
increasing to 30 percent tonight. The high today is
expected to be 82 degrees, with a low tonight of
about 60 degrees. Battalion photo by Lee Roy Leschper Jr.