THE BATTALION Page 9
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1980
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Reflections
by Richard Oliver
Regent deserves apology
Royce Wisenbaker, a Texas A&M University regent, is taking a bum
rap from a lot of people because of his comments to a Fort Worth
sportswriter last Thursday. I am sorry to say I am one of the culprits.
In a commentary in The Battalion Monday I wrote that Wisenbaker
''l had been quoted as saying Head Football Coach Tom Wilson would be
fired at the end of the season.
He didn’t. To set the record straight, this is what he told the Fort
Worth Star-Telegram’s Jim Carley:
“All I can say is that I’m an engineer. Mathematics is what guides
me. I think things have always been tough for Coach Wilson from the
start. And mathematically the chances are even slimmer now.
“I think he’s a fine young man and a fine coach. I think it was just his
misfortune to step right into a hot seat. Wins and losses have a whole lot
to do with the job he is in. And we’re not in a good position now, that’s
plain to see. We have the best athletic dorm around, the best football
stadium and facilities you could want and we have the best fans
anywhere. The people who are paying for all this are clamoring for
better results. That’s no secret. In every little town in the state, you can
hear it on the streets.
“We’re just getting beat. That’s the main thing. It’s not too bad that
were getting beat, but we’re getting humiliated.”
Wisenbaker stopped short of saying Wilson would be fired at the end
of the season. The Regents meet in a regular meeting Dec. 5-6 in
Stephenville, after the season is over.
“I would think there will be a lot of discussion about it (voting on
Wilson’s status) at that meeting certainly,” he said. “I know a lot of
%
“Ithink things have always been tough for
Coach Wilson from the start. And
mathematically the chances are even
slimmer (for him) now. “
people are up in arms about him (Wilson). I receive many calls every
day. But I think next year just depends on what happens the rest of this
year. ”
I committed the unpardonable journalistic sin. I took the interpreta
tion of Wisenbaker’s remarks from secondary sources. Other writers
made the same mistake. I shouldn’t have done it; they shouldn’t have
done it.
The whole thing is symptomatic of the big heat-little light atmos-
ory, backins: * phere surrounding a major school football program in trouble. Emo-
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s
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2 with the s
that.”
s a big step It (i ought to know better.
tionalism too often gets in the way of analysis. That’s true of the
coaches, the fans, the players — and sometimes of sportswriters who
imate top20fe
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; and they will:
Saturday if
ers.
Now, having confessed my sins and having apologized publicly to
Regent Wisenbaker, let me say that the central point of my Monday
commentary stands:
Tom Wilson deserves better than to be shoved out without a decent
“trial. He has been discussed and cussed for long enough behind
closed doors, and it’s hard enough recruiting and keeping a listless
team together without that happening at the same time.
He has two years remaining on his contract, and I think he should be
given the vote of confidence he needs so he can build the program to a
respectable level. No man can be expected to do it without the confi
dence of his superiors. Give him a chance.
Texas A&M indeed has lost many games this season, often by large
margins. But against Houston and Rice, the margin of victory for the
opposition came due to errors by A&M players — not coaches. Penal
ties and fumbles cannot be blamed on Wilson.
The close losses to Houston and Rice have Wilson wondering.
“We played well enough to win both times,” he said Sunday. “In
Houston, we should have won that game. Against Rice, a minor
mistake and we lost. Against SMU, without mistakes in the kicking
game it would have been close. Take away a few mistakes, and we
might not be in this situation.”
The next few weeks will be important ones for Wilson. The coach
who took over and claimed a winning season in his first full year as head
coach last year (the first time since 1951 that an Aggie coach has done
that) now, a year later, finds himself trying to build a future in spite of,
not because of support from, his superiors. The time is now to let Tom
Wilson know if he can count on a future and thus have the confidence to
build it.
Otherwise, Texas A&M fans can take as their fight song, “Another
One Bites the Dust,” and suffer through a few more rebuilding years.
Remember 1978.
Hogs capture
title; Ags
finish 5th
The Arkansas Razorbacks, paced
by individual winner Mark
Andersen, took five of the first seven
places Monday to capture its seventh
consecutive Southwest Conference
cross-country championship.
Texas A&M University finished in
fifth place.
Arkansas’ win, captured over a
route prepared at the the Los Rios
Country Club golf course, came by
the widest margin in the 62 year his
tory of the event.
Andersen ran the 10,000-meter
course in 30:28 and the Razorbacks
finished with 23 points. Texas was
second with 71 followed by Baylor
with 79, Houston 123, Texas A&M
144, Rice 146, Texas Tech 156, SMU
204 and TCU 252.
Texas’ Geoffrey Koech and Pedro
Rivero Flores finished second and
third in the individual competition
— something of a surprise in itself—
but Arkansas took the next four spots
with David Barney finishing fourth,
Tony Conroy fifth, David Taylor
sixth and Pat Vaughn seventh.
The last three spots in the top ten
went to Mike Bonem of Rice, James
Scott of Baylor and Rob Topping of
SMU.
Andy Elliot was A&M’s highest
finisher coming in 18th with a time of
32:44. Other A&M places and times:
Ray Muenich, 25th in 33:19; Keith
Bratton, 28th in 33:23; Jim Bolliter,
32nd in 33:42; Jim Sterling, 41st in
34:40; Craig Nolen, 43rd in 34:43;
and Ralph Havens, 44th in 35:01.
Alborn to go
recruiting
United Press International
HOUSTON — Rice coach Ray
Alborn enjoyed one of the fruits of
victory Monday — a full house at his
weekly “Quarterback Club’’ lun
cheon.
“It was the biggest crowd we’ve
had since I’ve been at Rice,” said
Alborn, whose team has won three in
“S row and upped its season record to
4-4 with a thrilling 17-16 decision
over Arkansas last Saturday night.
“There were a lot of people here
who weren’t sure we could win. And
I appreciate the people who were
loyal and stuck with us.
“It’s nice to see them rewarded.”
Alborn also said the surprising
success enjoyed by the Owls has had
an effect on Rice recruiting.
“I thought we were doing pretty
good before,” he said, “but it is ex
cellent now. We’ve had excellent re
ception at the places we have gone
and I’m going to make a visit tonight.
“I hope SMU doesn’t think I’m
taking them lightly, but I am actually
going to do some recruiting this
week.”
The Owls and SMU Mustangs,
tied for third in the SWC race with
3-2 records, meet in Houston next
Saturday.
Bob Hope
says:
“Bed Cross
can teach you
first aid. '
And first aid
ranbea
life saver.”
Sl''
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TANK MCNAMARA
by Jeff Millar & Bill Hinds
Cardinals upset over loss
John
Vote Aggie Elect
B. Patrick
Democrat
ASSOCIATE JUSTICE
14th Court of Civil Appeals
Position 1
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United Press International
ST. LOUIS — Mel Gray has a new
nickname for Dallas — the Cardiac
Cowboys.
“They scored on that last play,”
said the St. Louis wide receiver.
“We used to do that. The Cardiac
Cardinals. They were the Cardiac
Cowboys.”
Gray, who caught six passes for
145 yards in Sunday’s 27-24 loss to
Dallas, was one of the few Cardinals
willing to speak after the game about
the crushing loss to the Cowboys.
Most lingered long in the showers,
and returned to their lockers red
eyed.
St. Louis was leading 24-20 when
Dallas got the ball back at its own
31-yard line with 1:59 left on the
clock. Facing a fourth-and-five from
the St. Louis 28 after three pass com
pletions, Danny White lofted the
ball to the end zone and Tony Hill
turned in time to catch it at the goal
line for a touchdown with 45 seconds
remaining.
The other Cardinals previously
had witnessed the Cowboys’ amaz
ing feats during the final two minutes
of a game, but it was a new experi
ence for rookie defensive end Curtis
Greer.
“I don’t see how he threw it, ” said
Greer, who forced White to hurry
the wobbly pass. “I heard the crowd
react, and I turned around and saw
the official with his hands in the air. I
couldn’t believe it.
“This is the most disappointing
loss I’ve ever experienced.”
St. Louis quarterback Jim Hart
took little solace in Dallas Coach
Tom Landry’s statements that the
Cardinals “outplayed” the Cowboys,
especially in the second half.
“We lost,” said Hart. “We lost to
the Cowboys, and that’s the greatest
disappointment because of who they
are, what they represent.
“We’ve had such fun playing them
in the past. They’re the biggest game
for us. Losing to them is the biggest
disappointment. ”
Cardinal cornerback Carl Allen
added: “Year after year, the games
are so close. Somebody always com
es up with the big play, and it seems
like it’s always Dallas.
“It was fourth-and-five and we
needed it. We didn’t get it.”
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