sports
Battalion/Page 15
March 25, 1982
harles Thornton
Associate AD wants winners in every sport
TANK MCNAMARA
K . .WlK, How ARE TUlN&e?
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by Jeff Millar & Bill Hinds
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by Gaye Denley
Battalion Staff
New associate athletic dire-
|tor Charles J. Thornton’s
leasons for coming to Texas
ll&M sound a little like Jackie
I herrill's, and his goals for the
Ichool’s athletic programs bring
mind the familiar “pre-
|mmence” sought by H.R.
Bum” Bright.
“In all sports, we want to be
ational in scope,” the former
I diversity of Alabama assistant
liD says. “We want to be com-
etitive to where we’re a nation-
‘ (contender), and we want, for
ic average year, for our team to
in the top three in the confer
ee in every sport, and to be in
e national picture also.”
Texas A&M, he said, perhaps
iore than any other school in
e country, has that kind of
tential.
“When Jackie called, I felt like
was probably the best
ipportunity in America at this
:ne in the area of football and
hleticadministration,” he said.
Certainly Thornton, 45,
ings with him the administra-
ve qualifications to make the
ggies winners. Since early in
|is college career he has been
mtinuously involved in some
ret of athletics — as sports edi-
r of the Arkansas State Uni-
rsity newspaper for four
^ “ars, as the chairman of the
CAA public relations commit-
1 e, and as an athletic adminis-
| ator for Arkansas State,
| ulane University, the Universi-
of Miami, and, of course, Ala-
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Nuggets win 129-115
Denver’s defense
beats San Antonio
Associate Athletic Director Charles J. Thorton
ma.
His 18-year affiliation with
I lahama ended Jan. 23, when
Texas A&M head coach and AD
ickie Sherrill announced that
hornton would replace in
terim associate AD Wally Groff,
who now acts as associate AD for
f uance.
It was during 1964, his first
Bear with Coach Paul “Bear”
ryant’s Crimson Tide, that he
number fccame acquainted with Sher-
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“I knew Jackie for two years
there as a player,” Thornton
Said. “The thing I remember ab-
I at Jackie is that he was not a
great athlete, but he was a super
competitor...
“Jackie and I have remained
quaintances over the years,
in close friends particularly,
it I think it was a mutual
Imiration thing from a dis
tance. When this opportunity
came along, I knew enough ab-
I at Jackie Sherrill to know that
the man is a winner and a class
person, the type of person I
Jould want to be associated
After years of hearing Bryant
I fid former Aggie football play-
|rs talk about the traditions
|ere, Thornton said he felt
a school he
Muld want to be associated
I ith.
T’ve known so many
liggies...” he said, “...and they
ill speak with that little special
learn in their eye when they talk
jut A&M, and it holds a spe-
al place in their heart.”
One unique aspect of Texas
A&M, he said, will make hisjob a
lot easier — the role of the Aggie
Club.
“Most schools today have a se
rious financial problem in that
they’re having to get out and
raise two or three million dollars
when they haven’t been used to
doing it,” Thornton said. “A&M
is used to doing that. They have
the Aggie Club.”
“It takes it out of Jackie’s and
my area of responsibility — of
having that tremendous load on
our shoulders — of having to
raise money before we do any
thing else.”
While the Aggie Club raises
funds and Sherrill runs the foot
ball program, Thornton will be
running the day-to-day opera
tions of the athletic department
from former head coach Tom
Wilson’s old office.
A few of his concerns are
assembling the entire depart
ment in one set of offices — cur
rently, the football offices are in
Rudder Tower and all other
sports offices are in G. Rollie
White Coliseum — and looking
into a special events center for
the campus.
“Basketball would not be the
lone reason, or possibly even the
most important reason (for a
center),” he said. “I think the
students of this university de
serve a place to have concerts
and things we bring in, main
attractions.”
In addition, Thorton said his
office will re-organize some
areas of the department as soon
as the evaluation of all coaches
and staff has been completed.
All of which is geared to make
Texas A&M the nationally
feared power that a school like
Alabama is. And Thornton adds
his name to the list
of qualified personnel who
are in some position to see that
the Aggies do it.
Thornton guarantees it.
“Very few people will ever go
through the era that Alabama
enjoyed during the 1970s,” he
said. “I was fortunate enough to
ba a part ol five national cham
pionship teams...
“Basically, the Alabama fan is
very complacent. An 8-3 record
is a disaster for Alabama.
“We’re going to make y’all
complacent."
United Press International
DENVER —r- An aggressive
defense and accurate shooting
from the foul line gave Denver a
129-115 win over San Antonio,
narrowing the Spurs’ Midwest
Division lead to SVh games.
Dan Issel and Alex English
had 25 points each Wednesday
and Glen Gondrezick and Ced-
rick Hordges combined for 28
more to pace the Nuggets to
their eighth straight win and im
prove Denver’s record to 38-30.
“The key was our defense, we
were really aggressive,” said De
nver coach Doug Moe. “We did a
great job on the defensive
boards, especially in the second
half. We fought over screens
and forced turnovers. It wasjust
extraordinary.”
Denver trailed 30-21 late in
the first quarter. But the Nug
gets closed the gap to five after
one period and used a 41-point
second quarter to take a 69-60
halftime lead.
“1 thought we might blow
them out a couple of times, but
we couldn’t make a couple of
shots,” Moe said. “We had a
good game and they didn’t. And
we’ve become a little more phy
sical recently and that’s helped
against teams like San Antonio.
Earlier this season we let
ourselves get pushed around.
But we’re holding our ground
now.”
George Gervin paced San
Antonio with 25 points and
Mike Mitchell had 22.
T.R. Dunn, saddled with the
job of guarding Gervin, said it
was impossible to keep him from
scoring.
“George is such an outstand
ing player, he’s unbelievable,”
said Dunn. “You can put two or
three guys on him and he still
scores 25. I just tried to overplay
him, and fortunately the guys on
the weak side helped out a lot.”
Denver also hit 37 of 46 free
throw attempts, with Issel drop
ping 13 of 14.
Spurs coach Stan Albeck
wasn’t happy with the 37 fouls
whistled on his team.
“There’s a license in the
league for the Nuggets to get
fouled when they go to the
hoop,” Albeck said. “You have
to keep them off the foul line to
win. If you don’t do that, you
don’t have a chance.”
But he said he still felt “De
nver can’t catch us.”
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