Texas A&M
The Battalion Sports
November 5, 1982 Page 13
SWTSU shooting for repeat of 1981 title
Wacker, Bobcats accustomed to success
:<> places tin
[rigger ih#
es bars i
noon
“Erotic Is-
for public-
1983, Ret J
to identibfl
surroundisi
of the thrtif
Southwest Texas State head football
coach Jim Wacker has led his teams
to a combined 36-8 record during four
seasons at the school. The Bobcats,
who won the NCAA Division II title
in 1981, are No. 1 in the nation with
an 8-0 record this season. Wacker says
capturing the 1982 title won’t be easy.
by Frank L. Christlieb
Sports Editor
SAN MARCOS — Deep in the
heart of rolling prairies, pecan
trees and the waters of the San
Marcos River lies Southwest
Texas State University.
Southwest Texas State —
home of parties, the Maroon
and Gold, Strahan Coliseum
and Jim Wacker’s Bobcat foot
ball team.
While the school has steadily
gained a reputation as “the
progressive university with a
proud past,” Wacker has spent
four seasons bringing his NCAA
Division II team to national
prominence. And the drama
that’s been unfolding since
Wacker took over as the Bobcats’
coach in 1979 has kept SWTSU
fans on the edge of their sta
dium seats during those seasons.
The past weekend, the No. 1-
ranked Bobcats scored four
touchdowns in the fourth quar
ter to overcome a 34-10 East
Texas State lead and emerge
with a 38-34 victory, unble
mished record intact. Although
Wacker’s 13-1 national cham-
ionship squad in 1981 didn’t
ave many of those last-second
victories, the 45-year-old coach
says this year has been a little
different.
“You can’t compare one year to
the next, because you’re playing
different teams and a different
tempo,” Wacker said Thursday.
“I think it’s a lot tougher on these
kids in a lot of ways. After you’ve
been the national champion,
you’ve been ranked No. 1 the en
tire season and you’ve been de
fending conference champions
for two years, you know that ev
erybody you play builds their
year around playing you.
“They scrutinize your offen
sive package and your defensive
package and ... because of that, I
guess, it’s the price you pay for
success.”
Wacker, whose career record
stands at 98-33-1, is in his 12th
season of coaching. He spent his
first five seasons as head coach at
Texas Lutheran and his next
three at North Dakota State.
During those years, his teams
have managed 5,5,6, 11, 1 1,9, 9,
6, 7, 8 and 13 victories.
And the key to Wacker’s suc
cess? It’s very simple, he says.
“The key to any successful
program is talent, and any coach
who doesn’t realize that is crazy,”
he said. “If you have the athletes,
you have a chance to win. It starts
with recruiting and inviting the
right kind of kids that you can
deal with.
“I can’t coach any type of
athlete. I don’t want to coach the
outlaw. I’m going to coach kids
with character and I’m going to
coach good kids. They’re not
angels, but I’m not going to re
cruit the bad kid.”
Wacker said this year’s
SWTSU bunch might not have
the overall talent of the 1981
squad, but it has proven itself a
winner.
“I don’t think we have quite
the degree of talent we had a year
ago, because we graduated some ,
top seniors,” Wacker said.
“There was some great talent in
that class and that’s made it
tougher.
“By the same token, the kids
have time after time risen to the
occasion. Last week (against
ETSU) was a classic. I’ve never
been part of a comeback like that.
When it was 34-10, there wasn’t
anybody in the world that was
giving us much hope, but the kids
just kept believing.”
Right now, it’s a home football
weekend in San Marcos. SWTSU
is ready to line up Saturday in
Bobcat Stadium against the
Angelo State Rams, who are right
on the Bobcats’ heels in the Lone
Star Conference race.
While the Bobcats are 4-0 in
Lone Star Conference play, the
Rams have a 3-1 league record
and are 4-3 overall. If not for two
forfeits resulting from the pre
sence of an ineligible player,
ASU would be 6-1.
Wacker knows his players will
receive a strong test when the
Rams come to town for Satur
day’s game.
“ASU has as much speed as
any team in the nation — any
body,” Wacker said. “Some of the
speed in the conference is unbe
lievable. Angelo happens to be
blessed with more than any
body.”
Wacker said the Rams and
Bobcats are a study in contrast in
styles of play.
“We depend a lot more on the
running game than they do and
they depend on the passing
game,” Wacker said. “We de
pend on a multiple defensive sys
tem ... there are a lot more dis
similarities than there are simi
larities. East Texas was really
physical on us — about half our
starting defense is out.
“It’s tough. We’ve had two
good days of practice — they’re
banged up, but they’re coming
back. I really think we’ll be ready
filf ^ 'A* sL* *A* nL* *sL* si* nL* *A* "sL* *A^
'T fl' T' 'T' *T S 'T* # T* *T* 'T' 'T' 'T'* •’T* *T'* *T* *T* *T* *'T' 'T* '
!•
ructure ai» f
e singbta (■
tuple oflio* ^
isly or fl* |
/.e spaces. J
e laid ouli ^
ident," si*
re purpo* ^
die person If
>in can mall If
person ite
meet." j |
honeynios If
with Ire*!"
all into | l i 'i
, categi
Snow Ski Apparel
Ski Rentals
Bib and Ski Jacket
$ 25 for a week rental
($4.00 Cleaning Fee)
Reserve yours early for the Holidays!
TRI-STATE A&M
SPORTING GOODS
Tune-Ups • Garb Repairs
Starters • Alternators
Clutches • Brakes
General Auto Repairs
Performance & Efficiency Mods
Stock & Custom Engines
Corvette Repairs of all Types
Hi-Performance Parts &
Accessories
All Work Fully Guaranteed
Bryan 822-4934
to play a great football game
Saturday if we can stay together
physically. It’s going to be scary
— it is scary.”
Whereas quarterback Mike
Miller was the Bobcats’ No. 1
phenom during the 1981 season,
Ron Jacoby has played effectively
in passing for 1,132 yards and
seven touchdowns this year.
Against ETSU, Jacoby set school
records by completing 23 of 38
attempts for 286 yards. He also
rushed for 55 yards to wind up
with 341 in total offense.
“He had an unbelievable
game,” Wacker said, “and it’s
great to see it happen for a kid
like Ron Jacoby. He’s not a great
gifted athlete.”
While Miller was Wacker’s star
quarterback, Jacoby could only
sit by, wait for his chance and
watch Miller pass for 1,837 yards
and 14 touchdowns. When he
wasn’t passing to all-conference
split end David Vela and a host of
other receivers, the gifted Miller
was rushing for 566 yards, 11
touchdowns and an average of 5
yards per carry.
But Wacker certainly hadn’t
forgotten about his No. 2 quar
terback.
“He was the best backup quar
terback I ever had,” Wacker said.
“The reason for that was attfi
tude. Generally, that’s the worst
position in the world. In the past,
I’ve had more trouble keeping
backup quarterbacks positive
and with a good attitude than any
other player on the team.
“But Ron (Jacoby) was a team
player, he backed Mike (Miller)
all the time and was always posi
tive. If he got in a game he was
happy, and if he didn’t he was
happy.”
Wacker said the Bobcats will
be hard-pressed to win their re-
See WACKER page 14
ANNUAL FUND RAISING
HARVEST DINNER
November 6, 1982
Christian Sisters of the Brethren
Church of B/CS
Located oft of Hwy. 30 East By-Pass
between Post Oak Mall & KOA
Campground
5:30 p.m. TILL 7:30 P.M.
Public Invited
846-4743
SUTTER’S MILL
CONDOMINIUMS
OPEN HOUSE
MODEL
OPEN
Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Located on Stallings Drive in College Station
Behind Woodstone Shopping Center
Features: 2 Bedroom 1 Vi and IVi baths • Wood burning fireplaces • Sloped
ceilings • Built-in microwave ovens • Frost free refrigerators with ice
makers • Private 2 car garage • Swimming pool
For sales information contact Green & Browne Realty, 846-5701.
Located between Dominik Drive and University Oaks Blvd. on Stallings Drive.
Rock ’n roll really stirs with the exciting taste of Seagrams 7 & 7UR. And so does country and western,
and jazz, and disco-in fact, everything sounds better with 7 &7. Enjoy our quality in moderation.
Rock ft roll stirs with
Seven & Seven
A Project of Stanford Associates Inc.
' 1982 SEAGRAM mm CO, NYC AMFRim
WISKEY A BLEND. 80 PROOF "SevetvUp" and "TUP" are trademarks of the SevervUp Company
Seagrams