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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 10, 1981)
Sports THE BATTALION Page 19 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1981 t ? t|S ’ aii Si ♦♦#41 i# 1 1 ■ 'ii : p t^u uU :: % ^<< < <4 1; ■ mMMmMigMi hf.f. * “Wk--.!IJ ' ' . n sii® ■ Bol) t. unblisii to load: singlet later,! V/' Spfcl|p| r- ■: t; 1 * IP® Ml () l t | ‘i |reshmiin punter Buzzy Sawyer of the Texas A&M football ircer | team puts a foot into a kick during a recent practice. In his first unsimUegiate game, the 6-foot-l, 190-pound Sawyer averaged 36 ilar al{ yards on four kicks against the California Golden Bears. Head i overt Coach Tom Wilson signed Sawyer to a scholarship shortly Staff photo by Brian Tate before the start of two-a-day workouts, and it looks as if the Waxahachie High School graduate will provide the Aggies with depth at the punter position. He and sophomore Kyle Stuard will probably share the punting duties this year. Aggies nab punter from Waxahachie Buzzy s no ordinary frosh By GAVE DENLEY Battalion Staff It lasted only a split second, but that was long enough to make Aggie punter Buzzy Sawyer’s heart skip a beat as he trotted back to the sideline. “I hobbled a snap,” Sawyer said, remembering one of his four kicks against Berkeley last Satur day, “and it was kind of scary. It’s kind of like when you almost have a wreck. ” His case of momentary butter fingers, however, didn’t stop the red-headed freshman from post ing a 36-yard average in his first college game. “I guess I’m satisfied, but I know I can do a lot better. I guess it just takes a little time,” Sawyer said. Meanwhile, the environmental design major from Waxahachie is just happy to be playing for the Aggies. “I was going to walk on at Texas, but then about a week before I left, A&M called me and offered me a scholarship to come down here and punt,” Sawyer said. The Aggie football staff first learned of Sawyer’s punting abil ity from Waxahachie High School teammate Doug Centilli, who was interested in walking on as a kicker. “He was talking to the coaches about playing football,” Sawyer said, “and they asked him if he punted. He said, ‘No, but my friend does.’ So they called me down here.” Sawyer visited the Texas A&M campus Aug. 7 for the first time, signed with the Aggies the same day, and reported for two-a-days the following Sunday. Robert Sawyer’s friends and family have been calling him “Buzzy” since he was a youngster, and he’s been kicking footballs VI )fCe< tiringf * » ■ ALMOST PAINLESS PUBLICATION FOR INSTANT EDITORS Sat. Sept. 19 9 a.m. - 12:30 Rudder Tower Room 401 Faculty & Staff $10 Students $5 Registration 845-2211 Shortcourse on how to publish brochures, bulletins, newslet ters and proceedings. Learn how to use the Printing Center, Educational Information Services, campus mail, and U.S. Mail. Professional instruction in publication planning, layout and proofing. that long as well. “My dad used to punt in high school too, and so when I was little we used to go out and kick a lot,” Sawyer said. His father’s coaching paid off in a 38-yard punting average and three years on Waxahachie High’s varsity squad. As a punter, kicker and tight end, the 6-foot-l, 190- pound athlete was part of the 1980 Waxahachie team that took the 6- 4A district title with an 8-4 record. During the spring Sawyer play ed baseball for Waxahachie in the unusual alternating roles of pitch er and designated hitter. “When I didn’t pitch, I’d DH, because you can only throw so much a week,” Sawyer said. “We were contenders. We got second in the district — well, maybe third. It was close.” Off the field, he kept busy as the drummer for a local band spe cializing in “slow stuff and rock n roll.” After a month in College Station, however, Sawyer said he thinks his conversion to country music and dancing is only a matter of time. He grinned through his Califor nia sunburn, a result of spending a lot of time on the sideline without his helmet on. One of the facts of life for a punter is that the better the team plays, the less action he sees. But Sawyer said that doesn’t bother him. “When they’re playing good, you’re just happy for the team, ” he said. If Sawyer’s predictions are cor rect, his time will be spent almost exclusively on the sidelines. The Aggies, he said, have a better chance of winning the conference this year than they’ve had in a long time. “There’s not a team on here (the Aggies’ schedule) we can’t beat. It’s just a matter of doing it. Sawyer said. “I think they’re fired up. I can’t really tell because this is my first year here and I don’t know how they’ve been in the past. But they’re ready to play. “This is ideal down here, just for my position. I get a chance to play, the facilities are real good, and we’ve got a winning team." — wV . . i ! <! one .59 ct pear shaped diamond cradled between 14 ct gold bans *1750- 00 iamond Room 3731 E. 29th - 846-4708 - Bryan 707 Texas Ave. 693-7444 College Station energy efficient nomepl anw •ends! : Presil Bill’s Garden Center PROFESSIONALS FOR YOUR HORTICULTURAL NEEDS 3410 SOUTH TEXAS AVENUE 846-5085 ie. A ' Ilk A ie cfl Have you lost that lovin’ feelin’? Get it back with... HALL & OATES — presented by MSC TOWN HALL Some latest hits are: Little Rich Girl You Make My Dreams Come True You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Reelin’ — FIRST BIG SHOW OF THE YEAR in G. 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