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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 3, 1982)
Texas A&M The Battalion Sports November 3, 1982 Page 13 lSSO- :ak on ling at or the Snack MU’s ‘other half ( Unselfish James near end of rewarding college career CAP- l floor rea) to meet- € held it tend. A wal- l 24 in to dis- in 321 ielight 0 p.m, e Main g rides ting at >n). at Gal: ION: Id at 8 one is p will at the by John Wagner Battalion Staff it the spring of 1979, the two t high school running backs the state of Texas signed na- nal letters-of-intent with the ne college — Southern thodist University. How Craig James and trie Aerson would get along — then the playing field and off was a major topic of discus- n among football enthusiasts months. Then the Pony Express hit : field. Not quite four years and 523 yards later, James and ckerson have answered those 10 doubted them at the begin- The Pony Express, with mes and Dickerson alternat- jatthe tailback position, took f running and has not slowed Ice. And the Mustangs, 10-1 d Southwest Conference impious in 1981, appear to be ising in on their second con- cutive title. With a record of 8-0 and a No. ranking in the Associated ;essnational poll, SMU is reap- the benfits of that bumper ap of football recruits. And lileDickerson chases the Heis- an Trophy in this successful nior season, James is learning deal with the pressure of wiri ng and of having a super- fcessful running mate. He is learning well. The senior from Houston itratford is a living, breathing ersionof the all-American boy ext door. Intelligent, hand- ame, talkative, and with a sense (humor that is rare among col- :ge football players, James omes across as the kind of guy (fid want your sister to marry. IS Craig James says Mustangs have shot at national title And as the hoopla surround ing Dickerson’s record-breaking year grows, James evaluates his own senior season as one of learning and growing. “As a football player, I’ve rounded off my rough edges,” Janies said Tuesday in a tele phone interview. “My blocking, pass catching, and running have all improved. I’ve become a much better football player than I was last year.” James rushed for 761 yards as a freshman, 896 yards as a sopho more and 1,147 yards as ajunior. After eight games, his 1982 total is 667 yards, placing him third in the conference in rushing. That, however, isn’t the whole story of Craig James. As a receiver, James has caught three touchdown passes this season. One of those, a 96- yard catch against North Texas State, is the longest in Southwest Conference history. Another catch, a fourth- quarter 46-yarder against Texas, clinched a 30-17 victory for the Mustangs when the Longhorns were threatening. And most important, James is the leading punter in the SWC with a 45.8 yard average. Against Texas A&M on Saturday, James punted six times for a 48.6 yard average. Still, the question is inevitable. Is James jealous of Dickerson’s success? He laughs the suggestion off. After SMU defeated the Aggies in Texas Stadium Saturday, Jamesjokingly refered to his luck as the “Craig James syndrome” — he wears the defense down, and Dickerson breaks a long run. “Sometimes it feels like I’m so close to breaking a big one that it gets frustrating,” he says. But other than that, James has no thing but praise for his Pony Ex press partner. And that’s one of the reasons the Mustangs have been so suc cessful. They play as a team. “It was one of our team goals before the season to go undefe ated,” James said. “We’ve been lucky at times, we’ve had a lot of breaks go our way, and we’ve been free of injuries. “Every team has the talent, but it takes a lot of luck to go undefe ated. And we know that if we let down, we’re going to lose.” James is no stranger to unde feated seasons, though. During his senior season in the fall of 1978, James’ Stratford team went 15-0 and captured the state AAAA championship. James was all-everything that season, in cluding Texas High School Play er of the Yar. It is an experience he says was one of the most re warding of his career. It also helped prepare him for the glamour and glitter of college football. James is regarded as a polite and interesting interview — a reputation he thinks is im portant. He describes talking to the press “like a friend talking to a friend.” James said: “I think it’s impor tant to communicate well with the press. When I talk to a repor ter, I feel relaxed and I try to relay on to him what is in my thoughts. “I’m not trying to impress any body; I’m just trying to be as sin cere as I can.” James may not be trying to impress anybody off the field, but he certainly does impress people on the field. A good ex ample is his kicking game. Pressed into service when Mus tang punter Eric Kaifes was in jured midway through last sea son, James punted 33 times for a 41.0 yard average. And he prom ised himself he would do better. “Last year, I just kicked,” James said. “I didn’t have time to work on it. But this year, I de cided I was going to be the pun ter. During the summer, I work ed on kicking, changing my steps, and rearranging my punt ing style. I wanted to be more consistent.” James won the starting punt ing job. It is a skill that could go a long way towards helping James make it in professional football. Versa tility can never hurt, and James is aware of that fact. “Playing pro ball hadn’t been a goal of mine until recently,” James admitted. “I hadn’t really thought that much about it, but See JAMES page 14 Mustang tailback Craig James (32), not always in the spotlight like teammate Eric Dickerson, has enjoyed a profitable career at SMU. James, a senior, had staff photo by David Fisher 65 rushing yards against the Aggies in Saturday’s 47-9 Mustang victory. Here, Texas A&M’s Paul Pender (left) and Bobby Strogen bring James down. CULTURAL J.L | ir SUNDAY MSC NOVEMBER-DECEMBER PROGRAMS MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY EDUCATIONAL JJL "nr .50 10* 9 0RC — Canoe Trip AGGIE CINEMA —and CEPHEID VARIABLE — “Wicker Man” 7:30, Theater 0RC — Backpacking 14 21 AGGIE CINEMA “Sacaucus 7” 7:30, Theater T0WNHALL — “Deathtrap” 8:00, Auditorium 0RC — Backpacking Rafting Trip 28 AGGIE CINEMA — “I Love You” 7:30, Theater 0RC — Rockclimbing MADRIGAL DINNERS NOVEMBER GREAT ISSUES - “Stuart Taylor" 8:00, Theater MSC COUNCIL 7:30, 216 T MSC 8 15 MSC COUNCIL 7:30, 216 T MSC 22 29 T0WNHALL — “Annie” 8:00, Auditorium MSC COUNCIL 7:30, 216 T MSC CHRISTMAS PR0GRAM- Symphonic Band 12:00, MSC Lounge Tree Lighting 8:15, MSC Lounge BLACK AWARENESS - “John Fernandez’ 8:00, Theater Silver Taps 0RC — “99 Days to Survival" 7:00, 501 Rudder 16 TOWNHALL — BONFIRE! 23 30 TOWNHALL — “Annie” 8:00, Auditorium CHRISTMAS PROGRAM Revellers 12:00, MSC Lounge Silver Taps AGGIE CINEMA- “Oliver” 7:30, Theater COLLEGE BOWL Competition 6:00, 206 MSC ORC — Roll Session 6:00, Cain Hall Pool COLLEGE BOWL — Finals, 6:00, 206 MSC GREAT ISSUES — Stephen Bardwell 8:00, Forum 10 CEPHEID VARIABLE “Allegro Non Troppo” 7:30, 9:45, Theater TOWN HALL — “Cheap Trick” 8:00, G. Rollie AGGIE CINEMA— ORC — Canoe Trip “Sharky’s Machine” — 8:00, Theater “Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip” Midnight, Theater POLITICAL FORUM “Kent Caperton” 8:00, Theater 17 24 DECEMBER AGIE CINEMA — “Singing in the Rain” 7:30, Theater AGGIE CINEMA — “Cinderella” 7:30, Theater CHRISTMAS PROGRAM- Women’s Chorus 12:00, MSC Lounge TOWNHALL — “Annie,” 8:00 HOSPITALITY — “Children’s X-mas Party” 206 MSC CEPHEID VARIABLE “Fail Safe” 7:30, 9:45 801 Rudder ARTS — NTSU Jazz Band 8:00, Auditorium Yell Practice 11 BASEMENT — “Omar and the Howlers” CEPHEID VARIABLE - “Abdominable Mr. Phibes’ 7:30, 9:45, 601 Rudder 18 HOSPITALITY - Pageant Application Deadline AGGIE CINEMA 12 OPAS — Anna Russell 8:00, Auditorium CAMERA — Fall Photo '82 MBA/LAW DAY—A&ABldg 13 MSC CULTURAL TRIP — Dallas ORC — Backpacking Victor/Victoria” — 8:00, Theater “Arthur” — Midnight, Theater 8:00 Rumours AGGIE CINEMA “Taps” 8:00, Auditorium Yell Practice 19 TRAVEL — San Antonio Trip at ARKANSAS AGGIE CINEMA “Taps” 8:00, Midnight Auditorium TCU 20 251 26 ORC — Backpacking Rafting Trip THANKSGIVING HOLIDAYS 27 at TEXAS CEPHEID VARIABLE — “The Birds” 7:30, 9:45, 601 Rudder HOSPITALITY — “Aggie Christmas Fair” CEPHEID VARIABLE — “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” 7:30, 9:45, 601 Rudder AGGIE CINEMA — "Rocky III” 7:30, 9:45, Theater “Shark Treatment” Midnight, Theater ORC — Rockclimbing MADRIGAL DINNERS — 6:15, MSC Ballroom 10 AGGIE CINEMA and CEPHEID VARIABLE — “Creature from the Black Lagoon” 8:00, Theater 11 MADRIGAL DINNERS J.L Tr . 1 ENTERTAINMENT THE MEMORIAL STUDENT CENTER IS YOURS.. . USE IT! PLEASE KEEP THIS CALENDAR FOR FUTURE REFERENCE J.L RECREATION