Page 12/The BattalionAThursday, October 3, 1985
Sports
VA
Ags’ Franklin just had ‘one of those days
l
By CHAREAN WILLIAMS
Assistant Sports Editor
Last weekend was a living
nightmare for kickers in Texas.
“Mr. Dependable,” Rafael Sep-
tien of the Dallas Cowboys, went
out and missed four field goals in
last Sunday’s 17-10 win over the
Houston Oilers.
Oiler kicker Tony Zendjas
missed a late fourth quarter field
goal that would have put the Oil
ers ahead, 13-10.
And Texas A&M placekicker
Eric Franklin wasn’t immune
from the “kicking bug,” either.
Franklin missed a 24-yard field
goal and two extra points last Sat
urday in A&M’s win over Tulsa,
45-10.
Things haven’t gone quite as
expected for Franklin, so far this
season. He is only 3-of-5 on extra
points and 4-of-8 on field goals.
“It was a mechanical problem,”
Franklin said. “I have no excuses
though. There were some things
I was doing wrong, but not
enough to miss kicks. It’s time to
go out and practice some more.
I’ll work on some specific things.
I’m not worried about quantity,
just quality.
“I don’t feel bad with the way
I’m kicking. Kickers have to have
confidence. I’m ready to go out
and kick some more. It was just
one of those days.”
Franklin’s family hasn’t seen
too many of “those days.”
Older brother Tony was an
All-American kicker for the Ag
gies and is currently kicking for
the NFL’s New England Patriots.
When father C.R. didn’t pick up a
Photo by GREG BAILEY
Texas A&M kicker Eric Franklin (far left, #47) lines up for the only
field goal he attempted against Tulsa last Saturday, a 24-yarder
which he missed. Franklin has had a rocky season so far, connecting
on only 4-of-8 FG attempts and 3-of-5 point after touchdowns.
first down running with the ball
at Ranger Junior College, he
punted away the ball.
The elder Franklin is responsi
ble for his boys’ barefoot success.
“My father tutored both Tony
and l,” Eric said. “He and Tony
watched the kickers on television.
They picked it up themselves. He
had Tony to work with, so by the
time I came along, he knew what
was right and what was wrong. 1
reaped the benefits of having an
older brother who kicked.”
Eric said he learns a lot from
watching Tony kick.
“I stay in touch with Tony,”
said Eric, who is eight years
younger than Tony. “I only get to
see him kick on television. (The
Patriots) played in Dallas last
year, but I didn’t get a chance to
go see him play. Whenever I get
the chance. I’m glued to the TV. I
can learn a lot just by watching
him kick.”
While Eric was watching his
brother kick game-winning field
goals for the Philadelphia Eagles
(1979-1983), it appeared doubt
ful that he would even gel chance
to kick a college field goal.
“I had no scholarship offers
coming out of high school,” said
the Levelland High graduate.
“SMU and TCU were interested,
but they never offered a schol
arship. I had been an Aggie ever
since Tony had been, so that's
where I decided to go. Fortuna
tely, (A&M) Coach (Jackie) Sher
rill gave me a shot. He took a
chance with me.”
His freshman year he was the
starting kicker on theJV team. It
was late last season before he
even got to attempt a collegiate
field goal in a real game.
“There are two field goals that
really stand out in my mind, 1 '
Franklin said. "The 50-yarder
against TCU was the first 1 ever
attempted. I was fortunate that
one • went through. Then there
was the 18-yarder at lexas.ltwas
from the right hash mark, which
is difficult for kickers.”
Although his brother has en
countered much success in the
pros, Franklin said he’s not
counting on his foot to bring
home a paycheck every week.
“Right now, I’m not thinking
about pro ball,” Franklin said.“If
it’s in the cards, I’ll be there. I’ll
have to have a good year next
year that’s f or sure.”
So instead of thinking about
wearing a NFL helment, Frank
lin’s dreams center around kick
ing in the Cotton Bowl.
“My dream right now is to just
get to the Cotton Bowl,” Franklin
said. “I want to contribute along
the way. If it comes to the win
ning field goal. I’ll do it, but ill
just get to kick an extra pint
there. I’ll lx* happy.
“Kickers dream about that
game-winning field goal. Not
many get the oupportunity.
Ami Franklin said not mam
|x*onle want the opportunity.
“You’re a hero if you make it,
but if you miss it, you're the
goat.” he said.
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‘Swinging out for No. 1’
Mayo leaves Wales for A&M golf
By DOUG HALL
. Sports Writer
Photo by ANTHONY S. CASPER
A&M golfer Paul Mayo finishes his swing during a recent practice.
Mayo, who is from Wales, is looking for an All-America year.
For many people, golf offers
friendly competition and weekend
recreation.
For Paul Mayo, a junior from
Newport, Wales, golf is his ticket to
the United States and a chance to
compete for Texas A&M.
“I wouldn’t be here (at A&M)
without golf,” Mayo admits.
Mztyo wzis recruited from Wales
by A&M Coach Bob Ellis in 1983 on
the recommendation of former Ag
gie golfer and native Briton Phillip
Parkin.
Ellis says, “When Phillip Parkin
was here'... I asked him once he got
here, who the best player was, be
sides himself, in Great Britain.
He said, ‘Paul Mayo.’”
Mayo says, with his distinct British
accent, “As a junior golfer, I had
been reading about my peers (in the
U.S.). I thought that coming to the
states would be neat. It was kind of a
dream, more than anything.
“When the opportunity came, I
grasped the chance straight away. I
didn’t hesitate at all.”
Accepting A&M’s golf scholarship
may have been the easiest thing
Mayo did, upon his arrival to the
States.
Not only did he have to adjust to
playing golf on a collegiate level,
Mayo had to adjust to the American
culture and, in particular, the Aggie
way of life.
“There were a lot of cultural dif
ferences,” Mayo says. “It was all to
tally new. But the nature of A&M is
so relaxing because everyone wants
to know you. Really, it was easy. It
“I wouldn't be here (at
A&M) without golf. Golf
has become my life. And,
in the future, I would see
it as my life. "
— A&M golfer Paul Mayo
help the team.”
Mayo says his fine season helped
prepare him for his return to Wales
in the summer, where he competed
in the Walker Cup. The Walker Cup
is a bi-annual amateur golf tourna
ment, similar to the Ryder Cup in
which top professional players from
Britain and the U.S. compete head-
to-head.
“That (last season) put me in good
was fun trying to adapt.”
Adapting is something Mayo is
well accustomed to.
Mayo spent his youth playing on
soccer ana rugby teams that were ex
tremely competitive.
“But I finally grew out of soccer
and rugby,” he says. “I just got
burned out and fed up.”
Mayo says his family had always
been involved with various aspects of
golf and, after giving up on the
other sports, he decided to concen
trate more seriously on the game.
“I’ve always been very competiti
ve,” Mayo says. “I wanted to com
pete and win in golf. Really, I just
went from strength to strength.”
And “strength” is a good word to
describe Mayo’s 1984-85 golf season.
In fact, he played so well last year,
he earned honorable mention All-
America honors for A&M.
Not bad for someone who didn’t
start playing competitive golf until
he was 16.
“I played pretty good last fall,”
Mayo says. “I finished in the Top 10
of a couple of tournaments and
played strong throughout. I try to
make the fall (playing time) low-key,
but still compete on a good level. I
knew that if I played good, I could
in got
stead for when I went home to Brit
ain,” he says. “I won a couple of
tournaments and got picked for the
British Walker Cup (team).”
An honor Mayo calls, “the high
light of my golf career, outside of
college.”
Mayo says he anticipates a good
year for the Aggie golf team in a
tough Southwest Conference.
“By next spring 1 think we will
have developed into a really strong
golf team,” Mayo says.
“Texas, Arkansas, A&M and
Houston are all equally good,” he
says. “I think it’s very even across the
board. If we go about it the right
way, we have every chance of win
ning the conference.
“We need to win golf tourna
ments. Every tournament we play in,
we have the chance to win. My ambi
tion for the‘team is to win — peri
od.”
Individually, Mayo says his ’85-’86
goals are to improve upon his All-
America stature, perhaps even make
first team All-America, and continue
pursuing his degree.
“I want to get through school and
play more amateur golf,” Mayo says.
“Golf has become my life, and in
the future, I would see it as my life.”
Bowl wori\
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SWC host
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Officials not laughing
at SWC rep jokes
By DENNE H. FREEMAN
A P Sports Writer
DALLAS — Jim Brock ta
heard the barber shop jokes
about the Southwest Conference
and the Cotton Bowl.
A sample barbed-humor news
paper comment: “The Rice Owls
clinched a Cotton Bowl berth io-
day by losing 52-0 to Southern
Methodist. The Owls, the onl)
Southwest Conference team no!
on probation, will take a l-10re-
cord against Slippery Rock inio
the New Year’s Day Classic.”
Brock, the executive-vice presi
dent of the Cotton Bowl Atnletk
Association, says the “coffee-shop
talk” has reached his earsandiis
made them burn.
Of course, the Cotton Bowl de
pends on the SWC for its hos!
team in the Jan. 1 game. As the
SWC goes, so goes the Cotton
Bowl which has a lucrative tele
vision contract with CBS.
If the Cotton Bowl doesrit
have an attractive host team, the
extravaganza suffers.
Right now, the SWC and the
Cotton Bowl are hurting from the
Booster Slush Fund Disease
Southern Methodist got a strong
case of the BSFD’s and the NCAA
took scholarships away. Among
other lashes it administered was
See Cotton Bowl, page 13
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Sunday, October 13
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non-members - 2. 00
non-affiliated -4. 00
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Meet at Duncan Field at 8:00.
Leave at 8:30 a.m. Bring Lunch,
Wear Boots, Equipment Provided
For more info contact Mark Ebeling
OCA Yellowpot 822-4245
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