The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, December 18, 1979, Image 11

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    sports
THE BATTALION Page 11
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1979
iggie cagers expected to improve
eking to sell
By TONY GALLUCCI
Battalion Sports Editor
The sleeping giant Aggie cagers
news ageiBn be expected to play better ball
>n, disoritmMis weekend if head coach Shelby
stakeneti||Ketcalfs Utah educational trip
quenceolpj|proves as worthwhile as he seems to
ortingoiijfjBink.
RThe roundballers lost both games
Ithoy played at the Cougar Classic
fhosted by Brigham Young Universi-
j ty this past weekend — to LaSalle
—>§-57 in the opening round and 66-
rlMc to Cal-Santa Barbara in the con-
game— and Metcalf learned
algreat deal about his team.
■‘‘Anybody can learn from Michael
Brooks (LaSalle All-America Cen
ter),” Metcalf said. “He’s one of the
best college players I’ve ever seen.
I’ve never seen anyone work as
hard.”
Metcalf has made a few changes
that he . expects will turn things
around. ‘‘We’ve given everyone a
chance to show what they can do. We
know what each players role is,” he
said while stressing that the players
need to become more involved in the
game. “We re not playing with the
intensity that an A&M team usually
plays with. ”
In upcoming games the Aggie
coaches will be looking towards ex
perienced players with a few others
expected to contribute significantly.
The Aggies open up the Rebel Clas
sic at Nevada-Las Vegas against
North Texas State on Friday night
with the NTSU Eagles expected to
provide a fair challenge.
Other teams in action at the tour
nament include host Nevada-Las
Vegas and Montana. Las Vegas, a
perennial powerhouse under coach
Jerry Tarkanian, finished strong last
year with a 21-8 record, including a
101-99 loss to A&M in San Francis
co’s Golden Gate Invitational. The
Rebels return only five lettermen,
only one a starter, from last year’s
squad and are essentially an un
known quantity. Montana returns
ten lettermen from a 20-8 squad of a
year ago.
Against a strong Pepperdine team
ony Franklin at home with Eagles
United Press International
PHILADELPHIA — During a
ak in the action in the Philadel-
ia-Los Angeles hockey game the
Rectrum message board lit up to
siy, “The Flyers would like to wel-
jmeTony Franklin of the Eagles in
idion A.”
Before you could say “Bobby
larke,” the assembled 17,000 stood
applauded wildly, prompting
the hockey players to check the other
of the plexiglass to see what the
Ickuswas about. And there, in sec-
n A, last row, a blushing Tony
Franklin smiled meekly and waved.
“It was nice to be recognized, but I
id to leave my seat and sit some-
ere else,” Franklin recalled last
k while relaxing in the Philadel-
i Eagles’ locker room. “Every-
|dy wanted autographs, and I
t mind that, but they were right
i /% line of vision of others who
IllP |f n ^ e ^ to watc h the game. I wanted
* 11 v to watch the game, too.”
national iFranklin, who returned to his
land—At bme state of Texas Sunday and
;r has opetSped the Eagles beat the Houston
kens livedsRlers 26-20, has gained quite a bit of
life and\A«Rpulai ity in the short time since he
f his novel pveled north from Texas A&M last
the city dimmer, and that’s something to say
ts of then a town highly critical of sports fi-
raphs, dm res no matter what their salary or
anddispb iture. While he certainly has mer-
d this popularity, there is dis-
chaletwhcRreenient as to the exact reason
ordsinlSii iy-
km |ltmay be because he has given the
Hgles the type of consistent kicker
py’ve longed for since the heyday
Tom Dempsey earlier in this de-
je. It may be because he kicks
refoot no matter what the weather
■game situation. It may be because
Hhis impish grin and soft Texas
/hatever the reason, there is no
(denying Franklin has made a major
itribution to the Eagles' second
Jnsecutive playoff effort. The 23-
'par old rookie ha successfully
womed 23 of 31 field goals this sea-
on including a 59-yarder, second
hgest in NFL history — and 34
hrapoints for 105 points, second in
Ac NFC.
jAnyone who remembers the
pgles’ past track record with kickers
In appreciate Dick Vermeil’s relief
I have someone he can count on.
■“I was hoping when I first got here
pat I could go out and the fans would
jnot dread an extra-point attempt,”
anklin said. “I watched the playoff
ime against Atlanta last year when
ey (the Eagles) missed that field
oal in the closing seconds. I
ouldn’t wish that on anybody. ”
But wasn’t he worried that the fans
ould take out all their past frustra-
ms with kickers on him?
"I felt like I had won the job, and
lat the job was mine to do regard-
ss of what they thought, ” he said.
I missed an extra point (in the sea-
m opener), but then I came back
ad made a 46-yard field goal. I
asn’t worried. I think they’ve
icepted all of us. They haven’t had a
pod team to cheer about in a long
ime.”
At Texas A&M Franklin set 18
NCAA records, including most
career field goals (56) and longest av
erage distance (39.5 yards). He made
history in 1976 when he kicked two
field goals longer than 60 yards in
one game — 64 and 65 yards (at the
time an NCAA record for distance)
against Baylor.
But NFL teams appeared to be
skeptical of his style of kicking —
sans shoe — a style he picked up
during his early years of high school.
While his Texas friend and rival,
Russell Erxleben, was a first-round
selection, Franklin fretted and
fumed the day of the pro draft until
the Eagles picked him in the third
round.
“Yeah, it’s evident I should have
been drafted higher, but I didn’t
have any control over it, ” he said.
“Who knows? Maybe if I was drafted
higher I wouldn’t be as successful as
;orner
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IAL
teak
Butter
last week NTSU led by as many as 17
points before losing by two points
and the scouting report indicates
they are no pushover. Starting for
the Aggies in the game will be guards
David Britton and David Golf and
“The Wall” — Vernon Smith, Rynn
Wright and Rudy Woods.
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I’ve been. It’s been a thrill to play
and compete for the Eagles. They’ve
turned their program around and I’m
thankful they picked me to be a part
of that turnaround. ”
There was a minor problem in pre
season — “I made all the coaches
mad by walking barefooted around
training camp, ” Franklin says with a
grin — but Vermeil decided to cast
the team’s fate with the confident,
almost cocky rookie.
Franklin justified his coach’s faith,
barefooting four field goals against
New Orleans and three in a pair of
other games. The momentous 59-
yarder helped upset Dallas 31-21 on
a Monday night showcase game.
“I told coach I could do it,” he
said. “I just said I’d kick it as hard as I
could. Funny thing is I always loved
the Cowboys. Every kid in Texas
dreams about playing for the Cow
boys. I did, too, but I’m not in
terested in them anymore.”
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