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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 16, 1986)
Tuesday, December 16, 1986/The Battalion/Page 7 Sports "working hoi must deal »ii|I s on a separaji ; md altnotM dangerous, ij guidelines ii e pression: w down duriifl 11 though ilit | 1 fast-paced i owboys look to the future fter dismal 1986 season the amowtl it's thethoujkl Christmas to xts everyone iuld, they pit IRVING (AP) — Two decades of inning football are over for the B)allas Cowboys. The “Cow Bags” re out. Professional sports’ longest active t lane. I |eam winning streak ended Sunday what Christa! when the Philadelphia Eagles heat the Cowboys 23-21, eliminating Dal- from the NFL playoffs for the bird time in 20 years. A relatively small crowd of 46,177 fans heavily booed quarterback Steve Pelluer, punter Mike Saxon and the Upallas defense. Some of the fans slipped large grocery sacks over their heads so they wouldn’t be rec- ■gnized. There were 17,172 no- shows who couldn’t care less. Dallas has a 7-8 record. The last Bme the Cowboys had a losing sea son was 1964 when they finished 5- 1-1. The Cowboys have to beat the iChicago Bears in Texas Stadium on Sunday to escape a losing season. The Cowboys’ 20 consecutive win ing seasons was the third-longest in professional sports history, behind the New York Yankees’ 39 straight inning seasons and the Montreal anadiens’ 32 consecutive winning ■ears. “The Glory Days Are Officially d be nice iculd feel go an accompl rd trying to 't. blues do dot d greens tl iuggesistalli er it be a thei ergyman. dues becomet hen the corf ;h to meriipro Hyden sap of serious rf are excess'! i gorging appe- setite, letharp g, often I >rly e Dec. 23 n the read las dinner, lies and a < party will«I ■ plans to p® i Claus on e e was our M' er works b® nta this year od home, d decked, 3I 112 e has il> ,ti isel hangins - festive d® 1 lights, she s’ re is lighi re, Merrills get presen 1 -' ) from farf' s, church^ home pt« V: ' says. organ® 0 ® 5 jifts to tht^i the ceniets han gifir, me of the S 9 ' it bout lai>; Although^ ite gifc f nts (abom •' 3 ne soa# ken r industf’ Over,” headlined the Dallas Times Herald. The Cowboys started the season as NFC Eastern Division champions, and won six of their first eight games. But injuries to quarterback Danny White and running backs Herschel Walker and Tony Dorsett helped contribute to a slide that has seen the Cowboys lose six of their last seven games. It’s their worst second-half of the season since 1962. “We’re probably being laughed at around the NFL,” Dorsett said. “A lot of people are extremely happy things have worked out the way they have, but we’ll be back. “We don’t have anything to be proud of this year. But we’ve had a great past and I’m sure we’ll have a great future. “It’s been a rough year for me physically,” Dorsett added. “I’ve been beat up all year. I’m looking forward to getting myself healthy and being ready next year.” Close losses to the New York Gi ants and the Los Angeles Raiders with Pelluer at quarterback hurt the Cowboys. “It tore the heart out of this team,” Coach Tom Landry said. Defensive tackle Randy White said there should be no excuses. “I’ve never been in this situation before,” White said. “What it boils down to is we just haven’t been get ting the job done. We lost that little edge you need to win football games. We need to show some pride against Chicago.” Walker said the Cowboys hadn’t quit on Landry. “You’re not a loser until you give up, and this team works hard and plays hard,” Walker said. Pelluer said not making the play offs hit Dallas “like a slap in the face.” But he didn’t blame the Dallas fans for booing. “I would have booed myself a cou ple times Sunday,” Pelluer said. Landry said that third-string quar terback Reggie Collier would see some action against the Bears. “Reggie will play against the Bears,” Landry said. “I don’t know if he will start but he will play.” Cowboys' woes trouble scalpers IRVING (AP) — Even before the Philadelphia Eagles snuffed out the faint hopes of an NFL playoff berth for the Dallas Cow boys, ticket scalpers in the Texas Stadium parking lot were feeling the pinch of a poor season. Rainy, cold weather, coupled with Dallas’ dismal record, kept fans away in droves Sunday, forc ing some scalpers into the role of reluctant Santas. i “I’m just going to say ‘Merry Christmas’ and give it away,” said Jim Blackford, who had no offers for his extra ticket. The $19 tickets have been known to go for astronomical prices during a good year, but there were 17,172 no-shows at Sunday’s game, the second high est number in the club’s history. “Would you come out in this kind of weather to see a team play that’s going to lose?” said Mike Davern, an advertising executive who was planning to give away four seats near the 40-yard line. After a losing streak that saw the Cowboys lose six of their last seven games, even free tickets weren’t moving. “I’d almost be willing to trade these for an umbrella,” said Phil Leonard, who was trying to un load several 50-yard line seats. But Leonard remained some what optimistic. “It’s crummy weather and a crummy team, but I think people still want to see the Cowboy mys tique,” said Leonard who was holding out for $ 15 a ticket. As game time approached, the scalpers began acting like com modities traders on the floor of the stock market, challenging their competition by shouting out lower and lower prices. Most eventually gave up and handed their tickets over to any one who wanted them. Mike Kelly carried a fistful of 40-yard line seats around the sta dium searching for what he called “the neediest fans.” BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL? Zi owntf': „ said r sitions il> 11 •nts :rican n jl111 :' tim« a" 1 this?' ’**: >s and a ourt and enough i warra" 1 , alez’s^; t, ^ “our mist’ taHyaf ie’s ' v ed ih Study Special fOU. ,|V Domino's Pizza has a special for you! Anytime, day or night, during dead week and finals week you can get a small one-item pizza for only $4 95 !! Our stores will be open from 11am - lam Sunday- Thursday and 11am - 2am Friday & Saturday for your studying convenience. Remember—Domino's Pizza De liver’s® Free! No coupon necessary. Not good with any other offer. 693-2335 1504 Holleman South Campus 260-9020 4407 Texas Ave. S. North Campus 822-7373 Townshire Center Bryan A&M quarterback Kevin Murray attempts a pass as Coach Jackie Sherrill looks on dur- Photo by Tom Ownbey ing a cold practice in preparation for the Ag gies’ Cotton Bowl meeting with Ohio State. Aggies will discover if Buckeyes prove to be a tough nut to crack By Homer Jacobs Sports Editor I guess the big question in the minds of most Aggies as the 51 st an nual Cotton Bowl Classic nears is not how the Aggies match up with Analysis Ohio State, but ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ what the heck is a Buckeye anyway? Well, to soothe the souls during these trying times of finals week, here’s Webster’s New Collegiate Dic tionary’s definition of the Big Ten school’s illustrious nickname: buckeye — 1. a shrub or tree of the horse-chestnut family; also: its large nutlike seed. 2. a native or resi dent of Ohio. With that cleared up, back to the game’s various matchups. When A&M (9-2) and OSU (9-3) clash on New Year’s Day, th6 Buck eyes will field two All-Americans in junior wide receiver Chris Carter and junior linebacker Chris Spiel- man. Carter caught 65 passes this year for 1,066 yards, while Spielman racked up 194 tackles, including an astounding 29 vs. Michigan. The Buckeyes’ are solid at quar terback as well with senior Jim Kar- satos, who passed for 1,927 yards and 13 touchdowns. On the sidelines for OSU will be Head Coach Earle Bruce, who has guided the Buckeyes to 74 wins over the last eight years. A&M Coach Jackie Sherrill is well aware of the pool of talent for the Buckeyes. ' “ • “They’ve got a great linebacker and a great receiver,” Sherrill said.? “Their quarterback is excellent, but! also they’ve got players in every posK tion. They don’t win that many foot ball games without good football? players.” Last year’s 36-16 Cotton Bowl win; over Auburn propelled A&M into* the national limelight; and a victory^ over a traditional national power '? house like the Buckeyes should lifC the Aggies out of the semi-elite mold; of football programs and into the- elite. A&M halfback Keith Woodside? said the Southwest Conference! should get more respect from the' Big Ten. “We are representing teams like? See Cotton, page 8