THE BATTALION Page 9 |
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1981
Sports
Coach should be given fair
chance to see result of work
TANK MCNAMARA
Rumors are once again spreading of the pos-
ile dismissal of head coach Tom Wilson,
latsoothing unusual. The thing that is parti-
tularly disturbing to me is the fact that some-
ttjjig may happen soon. If it’s the wrong move
itis indeed unfortunate.
Most likely some person(s) with power and
no knowledge of the football program will like
ly Blake the decision to keep him or run him
I m not saying that Wilson will quit, be fired
orgivenavote of confidence. That is not up to
Ritchie
Priddy
Several things should be made perfectly
dear before any action is taken, though. One,
Tom Wilson has the respect and admiration of
bis player# and the people who know him. In
fact, l would dare say that anyone who has had
the opportunity to meet the man would have
trouble criticizing him.
Sure, he’s had trouble coming up with a
winner. That is starting to turn around now.
However, everyone, or at least those few bles
sed individuals with power, thinks that a coach
has to win from day one. People seem to forget
it takes time to build a program, especially
with a new offensive attack. Throw in a
loathing change and it takes even longer.
When Emory Bellard Left AficM for greener
pastures the players, almost without excep
tion, insisted upon Wilson as his replacement.
Why? Wilson cared about his players enough
to take that extra step it takes to help his play
ers perform.
Wilson also has a great offensive mind. One
only has to look at his record for proof of that.
Not his win-loss record, though that is not bad
in itself. A winning record takes time to build
up.
Wilson took over a wishbone team, one that
was quite effective. However, it was also one
that had its share of critics. People said they
loukl write the A&M game plan on a postage
stamp (Up the middle in a cloud of dust).
Tilings had to change and Wilson was just the
man to do it.
People seemed to forget that his first play as
head coach called for a pass from the 1-
formation with a man in motion, something
unheard of from A&M. That play, against Rice
in 1978, resulted in a long touchdown pass.
That should have told everyone things were
going to change.
Since then he has been through two had
seasons (6-5 and 4-7). Lots of excuses can be
made for the performances of his teams.
It doesn’t seem to matter that A&M’s losses
in ’79 were by fewer than 28 points, two of
which were by one point. The Aggies traveled
to Penn State with an 0-2 record and upset
them 27-14 and they closed out the year with a
13-7 win over Texas. Given a few breaks, the
Ags could have been 9-2.
Although last year’s team was different,
finishing 4-7, it showed a lot of character and
determination. Not many people picked up
the fact that beginning with the second half of
the Arkansas game last year A&M was a diffe
rent team. One that believed in themselves.
Wilson takes the blame for the mistakes and
losses endured during his tenure as, I guess, a
coach should. At the same time he doesn’t give
himself much of the credit for his successes.
Though he has had his problems winning all
of the games, he has instilled a winning atti
tude in his players, and that alone is probably
the most important thing a team can have.
That is particularly true of this year’s team.
Unfortunately, most people can’t see that, or
what’s worse, don’t even want to see it.
Having been around the team off and on
since last April, I have had the opportunity to
observe the attitude and “feeling of the team.
The general attitude reflects one of confi
dence, leadership and desire.
The players are confident that they are win
ners. They believe they can win. On and off
the field they are winners. Something Wilson
takes particular pride in is the fact that so many
players are doing much better in school as well
as in football. Not many coaches can claim that.
The leadership that has been absent for so
long is finally there. Seniors such as Kent
Adams, David Bandy, Keith Baldwin, Mike
Little and Mike Whitwell see to that. But it
doesn’t stop there. Many of the younger play
ers, juniors on down, are becoming leaders,
good team leaders.
Desire is one of the main ingredients of a
winning program. Everyone involved wants to
be a winner. Few, however, will pay the price
of success. I can’t help but think that one
would be hardpressed to find one, just one,
player on the 1981 squad that is not willing to
pay that price.
Youth and talent are also characteristic of
this team. There are only five starting seniors
on the squad. The team is young but has per
formed well this year. Through nine games it
ranks among the leaders in total offense. That’s
rather remarkable considering the fact that the
first team is made up largely of underclassmen.
The defense is almost the same way. The Texas
Aggies are clearly a team of the future.
When you have the talent of Johnny Hector,
Earnest Jackson and Thomas Sanders, each
gifted in different ways, you’ve got one of the
best backfields in the nation. That’s excluding
perhaps the best quarterback in the confer
ence. Next year look for some all-Americans
back there.
Defensively it’s more of the same.
Still, people consider only the won-loss re
cord of a coach, especially here at A&M. I
would hate to think of a university, of any size,
where the pressure applied to the head coach
is worse than that of Texas A&M. Other than
the possilde exception of Texas one doesn’t
exist.
I can’t figure out why this is so. Maybe
people have things in proper perspective;
maybe they don’t here.
Whatever the reason, the pressure that Wil
son has endured his entire reign is tremendous
and he is paying a price for that.
The continuous threat of one’s job being
taken away is enough to bring down even the
strongest individual. Sooner or later it comes
time to draw the line. One side has got to give
or stand up for what he believes in. Wilson
believes in his team and I think that he will do
what is best for his team, even if that means
stepping down.
I am nothing more than a believer in this
1981 football team and in the man that has
taken them from the depths of frustration to
the edge of something great. How anyone can
destroy something like that is beyond me.
NO, NOT OM TflE FORMER^
LEVEL OF COMPETITION),
BUT YOU (AM FIAT YOUR.
ORGANIZEP 9FDRT
ALTER jOOR COLLE&E
by Jeff Millar & Bill Hinds
,1/ VERY
Pitt, Clemson strengthen
positions as top two teams
Aggies defeat Rice for second place
With the hosting Texas A&M
University soccer team winning 2-
0 over Rice University midway
through the first half. Owl coach
Mike Henshaw turned to one of
his players on the bench.
Texas tickets
to be distributed
differently
“We can get this game back
easily,’ he said. 'All we need is
one goal. ”
One minute later, the Aggies
scored again to take a 3-0 lead, and
the Rice sideline became quiet.
Although they played aggressively
the entire game, the Owls weren’t
able to catch the Aggies, who won
Saturday’s match 5-1 with two
more second-half goals.
With the win, the Aggies
finished the season with a second-
place 4-0-3 record in the South
west Conference Soccer League,
while the team’s overall record
was 7-4-3.
Carlos Gutierrez scored the
Aggies’ first goal off’ an assist by
Neto Walsh 15 minutes into the
first half, while Walsh came hack
to add a goal one minute later.
Walsh scored his second goal of
the match 10 minutes later as the
Aggies took a 3-0 lead at halftime.
Texas A&M’s Gutierrez and
Carlos Cline scored in the second
half for the Aggies’ last two goals.
United Press International
NEW YORK — Georgia, the
defending national champion, in
ched its way to the No. 3 ranking
today while Pittsburgh and Clem
son strengthened their positions
as the top two teams in college
football in balloting by UPI’s
Board of Coaches.
The top-rated Panthers, 9-0 fol
lowing a 48-0 triumph over Army,
became just the second team to
hold down the No. 1 position for
three straight weeks. Pittsburgh,
riding the nation’s longest win
ning streak among major colleges
at 16 games, received 40 of the 42
first-place votes from UPI’s
coaching board and accumulated
628 points.
Clemson, 10-0, champion of
the Atlantic Coast Conference and
on the verge of its first perf ect sea
son in 33 years, received the re
maining two first-place votes and
totaled 584 points.
With Washington’s 13-3 upset
of Southern California — rated
third last week — the oncebeaten
Bulldogs rose to their highest rat
ing this season. Georgia received
515 points from the board — com
posed of six coaches from each of
seven geographical sections of the
country.
Alabama, 8-1-1 following a sur
prisingly easy 31-16 victory over
Penn State, jumped two spots to
the No. 4 position, receiving 505
points. The victory gave Bear
Bryant his 314th coaching victory,
tying him with Amos Alonzo Stagg
for the most wins ever by a coach.
Rounding out the Top 10 are
Student ticket distribution has
been changed for the Texas A&M-
Texas game, according to ticket
manager Jim Kotch.
Beginning Thursday at 7 a. m.
seniors and graduate students may
pick up their tickets.
Friday juniors may pick up their
tickets, Monday sophomores and
Tuesday freshmen. Any remain
ing tickets will go on sale
Wednesday.
Also, students are urged to keep
their coupon books if they wish to
purchase howl tickets should the
Aggies receive a hid.
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No. 5 Nebraska, the Big Eight
Conference champion and host
team for the Orange Bowl, No. 6
Michigan, No. 7 Texas, No. 8
Southern Mississippi, No. 9
Southern California and No. 10
Arkansas.
The second 10 consists of No. 11
North Carolina, No. 12 Washing
ton State, No. 13 UCLA, No. 14
Penn State and No. 15 Brigham
Young.
Also, Washington is rated 16th
followed by No. 17 Iowa, No. 18
Ohio State, No. 19 West Virginia
and No. 20 Missouri.
Southern Cal, the only other of
the six teams rated No. 1 this year
to hold that position for three
weeks, tumbled six positions this
week while Penn State, losing for
the second time in three weeks,
dropped nine spots.
Nebraska, 8-2, advanced two
places as did Michigan, Texas, 7-
1-1, and undefeated and once-tied
Southern Mississippi.
Arkansas, with a 13-10 victory
over Texas A&M, moved up three
spots to reach the Top 10 for the
first time this season.
Oklahoma, rated 11th last-
week, lost to Missouri 19-14 and
dropped from the rankings for the!
first time this season. ; |
Also dropping out of the Top 20
are Hawaii, which lost its first-
game of the season last week to?
Brigham Young (13-3), Florida
State and Minnesota.
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