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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 1984)
Thursday, January 9, 1984Arhe Battalion/Page 11 Ags lose to Hogs 59-58 See page 12 claim blue chippers By DAVE SCOTT and DONN FRIEDMAN Of the top 10 Texas recruits listed in the Houston Chronicle’s Top 100, Texas A&M claimed 4. Needless to say, the first day of signing the recruits to national letters of intent, made Texas A&M Head Football Coach Jackie Sherrill happy. And the highest ptiid football coach in America should be happy — the Ag gies got just about every high school player they thought they would sign. The top four headlining the list of signees are: wide receiver Tony Jones from Houston Sam Houston, tackle Calvin Whitfield from Dickinson, defensive line men Shane Dybala from Van Vleck, and defensive linemen Sammy O’Brient from Houston Alief Elsik. Other highly recruited additions are quarterback Mark Motley from Ore City, and defensive linemen L.B. Moon from Jenks, Oklahoma, defensive linemen O’Neel Gilbert from Monroe, Lousiania, defensive back Tim Landrum from Plano, and running back Jimmy Shelby from Italy. Sherrill said this was the first year since he has been here that A&M has been able to recruit by position. “We recruited better this year for our needs,” he sai- d,“our first two years we had to scramble for alfiletes.” Although Sherrill was more than satisfied with the recruiting, it takes a while to for the results to show, he said. “You never know till a few years later how good a re cruiting class will be,’’Sherrill said. Jones was perhaps the most sought after player by the A&M coaches. Jones, 6-1 180-pounds, has been de scribed by his high school coach Max Wilson as the fastest high school player in the nation. There could be Shane Dybala Sammy O’Brient truth behind the w or< J s — f ie f ias been timed at 10:01 in the 100 meters. That speed is Junes’ greatest attribute, Wilson said in a phone interview w ith The Battalion Wednesday. “His speed is his #1 plus,” Wilson said. Jones might be able to help the Agg ies next year, he said. Sherrill agreed with Wilson’s assessment of the re cruit. “For our needs, Tony is very important,” Sherrill said.“He could conie in and help us right away. There is no substitute for speed.” And Sherrill, wli° watched Jones play four times, said Jones has mo re than just speed. He has good hands and “sheer ability”. Sherrill .said. “He is not a track player we’re trying to make into a football player,” he said. Another blue clPPPer the Aggies signed was 6-5, 250-pound defensive linemen Shane Dybala. Dybala told The Battalion Wednesday that he picked Texas A&M over Minnesota and Arkansas be cause of the facilities here. Minnesota has a quality program he said, but it’s way too cold and way too far from his home in Van Vleck. Arkansas just doesn’t have anywhere near as much going for it as Texas A&M, he said. So, Kyle Field with its impressive dressing rooms and 70,000 plus seating helped convince Dybala to come to Texas A&M. “In order to have a good team,” he said, “you must have good facilities.” “Look at Nebraska - they have the best weight room in the country right now.” But, he said, the weight room that A&M has on the drawing board will rival any in the country. Dybala had one more reason for wanting to become a student at Texas A&M. “If you graduate from A&M you are pretty well set,” he said. The Aggies also signed defensive lineman Sammy O’Brient, an all-slate player from Alief Elsik High School near Houston. O’Brient has been watched by recruiters since his sophomore year in high school even though the teams he played on never made the state play-offs, Elsik coach Mike Sciba told The Battalion. “If you’re a great football player it doesn’t matter how your team does,” Sciba said. “Sammy’s not your run-of-the-mill recruit. His playing ability catches the eye of a lot of people.” Eye catchers were rare this year in Texas. Experts felt this senior class was below average compared to re cent years. Sherrill agreed. He said this years recruit ing class had a strong top 30 players, but then there was a drop off in talent. for a complete list of A&M signees see page 12 Scandal rocks recruiting United Press International Six >r ional ;-C0n'1 » 'ith » vear-d in ji of I# ^ said;- / ited l# ootball ooches mored . seen, said l* ike she came s inf er stf! '"u. ls , t iled ai releas* ic mend mja' 1 lis boi 1,1# McBn drink” Houstj im luorf ed "’I 11 ihe s 11 ■giuri' 1 ies sai le hi s( tried ! 10 sed.' in ade was" relau’ nd s* aW iih Coach Jackie Sherrill will be leading at least 28 new faces in yell practices next season. That’s how many recruits Sherrill signed for the 1984 football squad. typewritten paragraphs on a piece of paper designee! to look like Southern Methodist University stationery disrupted the most serene recruiting sea son in years Wednesday and touched off a livid protest from Mustangs’ coach Bobby Collins. The phony letter, propor- tedly written Jan. 12 and signed with a fictitious name, was sent to two SMU recruits including Parade Magazine high school player of the year David Rich ards of Highland Park. SMU has been under investi gation by the NCAA for more than six months and the letter claimed the NCAA had decided to place the Mustangs on proba tion for three years and to take away an unspecified number of scholarships. “The NCAA has graciously agreed to delay any official an nouncements of sanctions until after February 9, in order for SMU to salvage its 1984 recruit ing,” the letter said. Collins said he was convinced the letter was the work of an other Southwest Conference school. “We know for a fact that that letter left the desk of a South west Conference head coach and ended up in a prospect’s home,” said Collins. “We know that for a fact.” “We’re going to have a good recruiting year in spite of every thing that’s been said about us,” said Collins. “The sad thing is that people just completely for get about the youngsters. It’s not right- During the past year both Wacker and Collins have be nt o a n e d how bitter relationships within the South west Conference appear to be and the incident involving SMU appeared to made things even worse. NOW IS THE TIME TO SELL YOUR HOME OR CONDO. THE SPRING SELLING SEASON IS STARTING £ AND WE HAVE BUYERS LOOKING TO < BUY GOOD PROPERTIES. FOR A NO- Q OBLIGATION MARKET ANALYSIS OF 5 YOUR PROPERTY CALL: d DAVIS NORTHCUTT @ COL- DWELL BANKER-GREEN & BROWNE REAL ESTATE. 846-5701 IcBnd utoit id, ^ f Vert United Press International burbJ MEW YORK — Hugh Daug- ty and the late James Fa il, two of the nation’s best iwn college football coaches, re named to the College oiball Hall of Fame. eI | ! Daugherty coached at Michi- iul,a iStatefor 19 years while Ta- ncoached for 14 years at Ok- ioma, Maryland and North rolina. Daugherty compiled a 109- •5 record, including Hen team in 1965. atum, nicknamed “Big i” was struck down by a fatal less at 45 in 1958. He com- , ed a 100-35-7 coaching re- ested d latum compiled a 73-15-4 )r U "A at Maryland, including a Dteaniin 1951 which upset lessee in the Sugar Bowl, returned to North Carolina 1956 and had a 14-15-1 re- dbefore his death. Texas A&M University FISH CAMP Counselor Applications Open: Jan. 30 Close: Feb. 10 7^ 213 Pavilion ^ I I I Pi ■d| ol Si m | I J Budweisen KING OF BEERS® ATHLETE OF THE MONTH AT LAST! A QUALITY Paint Job You Can Afford ^ Includes 5 coats of the world’s finest paint - Dupont Centari With Hardener. $ggg95* Compact $ 449 95 * Domestic Reg. 699.95 *Body work & stripping extra Striping $25.00 Side Molding $35.00 Now is the time to make that old car look new! Mo waxing for six months. 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