Tuesday, November 24,1987/The Battalion/Page 9
Sports
Ill’s Hagy: ‘cockroach’ remarks misconstrued
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By Anthony Wilson
Sports Writer
Although cockroaches are said to
i be the only creature with a chance of
surviving a nuclear holocaust, they
aren’t a revered creature.
A cockroach is a small (unless it
I lives in Texas), long-feelered, house-
i hold pest. Describe a cockroach? Re
pulsive, revolting, sickening, disgust
ing and offensive should fit the bill.
They are so repugnant that just de-
| scribing a cockroach is a nauseating
j experience.
Generally the word cockroach
jdoes not conjure up positive conno-
| tations, unless of course, you happen
tobeTheo Huxtable’s best friend.
So last year when University of
[Texas strong safety John Hagy re-
[ ferred to Aggies and cockroaches in
| the same breath, he became the most
hated man in Aggieland this side of
Karl Pallmeyer.
In a phone interview Monday,
Hagy said the media changed the
meaning of his infamous comments
I by excluding the tone in which they
were made.
“I think you have to understand
| how the whole thing got started,”
Hagy said. “I didn’t come out and
say those things as though I was try
ing to be a bad ass. It started out as a
joke.”
Hagy was sitting and talking with
about four reporters when he jok
ingly made his off-the-cuff remarks.
Some of the reporters mentioned
that Hagy’s comments were made in
jest. However, others “filled it in
with what they wanted to put in
there and made me look like a real
ass,” he said.
“I didn’t think it would come out
the way it did,” Hagy said. “I
thought they would understand I
was saying this jokingly. But it didn’t
come out like that. It came out as
though I was trying to say, ‘Hey, I
hate those people.’ It just came out
wrong.
“But once it did, I had no choice. I
couldn’t look like a coward dog in
front of everybody and go ‘Look, I
was just joking.’ I had no choice but
to say, ‘Well, yeah, I guess I did say
that.’ ”
Hagy, who said the incident was
uncharacteristic of him, now regrets
having made the comments.
“I’m sorry I said that,” he said.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever said
anything about any team I’ve played
against. I’ve been playing here for
four years, so I didn’t think it was
fair for people to label me as speak
ing trash to the media because that’s
the first time I’d ever done it. I’m
just sorry it happened.”
Hagy took a lot of flak from his
teammates about the statements, but
it was former Head Coach Fred Ak
ers who came down hardest on him.
“He was pretty mad,” Hagy said
about Akers. “He told me, ‘You can’t
say anything to the media whether
you’re joking or being serious. If you
give them any reason to write any
thing, they’re going to make a con
troversy out of it, get some hype for
this game and sell some papers.’ ”
One of the reasons Akers may
have been so incensed by Hagy’s
comments was that they only served
to psyche up an Aggie team which
already had a talent edge over
Texas.
“If I gave them extra-added in
centive, then I’m sorry I did that,”
Hagy said. “You never want to do
that. They had a very talented team
and we didn’t need to give them any
more incentive than they already
had.”
To keep from being misconstrued
again and to keep from being in
volved in the hype surrounding the
UT-A&M game, Hagy has refused
to talk to the media about last year’s
comments.
“The reason I said I didn’t want to
comment on it this year is, I didn’t
want to say anything that could be
taken out of context and have peo
ple write stuff that I really didn’t
say,” the senior said. “So I figure if I
just tell them, ‘No comment,’ they
can’t write anything.”
This week Hagy is focusing all his
attention on the game he called the
biggest of his career.
A&M and UT were in a similar sit
uation in 1985, when A&M’s victory
sent them to the Cotton Bowl. Be
cause an injury kept Hagy out of
that game, he is anxious to get a
chance to contribute to a
championship run.
“Last year, it didn’t matter
whether we beat A&M or not,” Hagy
said. “It was just a moral victory. But
it means everything in the world to
me — especially being a senior and
having the chance to get that ring
for once. There’s nothing more in
the world that I want than to win
that game so I can go to the Cotton
Bowl for once.
“If you can’t get fired up to play
your last game to go to the Cotton
Bowl, then you shouldn’t be playing
college football. I don’t know how
much fuel you could add to this fi
re.”
Hagy will also be trying to garner
his first win over A&M, an obstacle
he is eager to overcome.
“There’s been years in the past
where guys from A&M have gone
through their career without beating
Texas or maybe beating them once,”
he said. “I’m sure they felt the same
way.”
Although A&M’s offense isn’t as
potent or experienced as it has been
in recent years, it’s still good enough
to earn Hagy’s respect.
“I think they’re a pretty good of
fense,” he said. “Everyone says
they’re having quarterback prob
lems. I think they’ve got the talent
back there. Maybe those guys
haven’t been playing together as
long as (Kevin) Murray and (Roger)
Vick and all those guys. But I don’t
think they have any lack of talent.”
Freshman running back Darren
Lewis and senior quarterback Craig
Stump have particularly impressed
Hagy.
“I think Darren Lewis is as good a
running back as any in the conferen- -
ce,” Hagy said. “That’s great for a
true freshman. He seems like he’s
the guy who’s been making the big
plays for them lately. Anytime you
have a big play man, that’s the guy
you want to try and shut down.
“Stump’s been kind of down at
times,” he continued. “I think if they
would just leave him in there and let
the guy play — hell, he’s a fifth year
senior — he’d probably do a helluva
job for them.”
Unlike last year’s game, the Long
horn secondary will not be able to
key on one receiver as they did for
mer tight end Rod Bernstine. Hagy
said A&M’s receiver corps is more
well-balanced this year. He noted
that junior Rod Harris, with his
speed and precise pass routes, is
probably the best of the lot. But one
perplexing aspect of Harris he
doesn’t understand is his post-catch
celebrations.
“Hell, we’re trying to figure out
what that’s called,” he said. “It’s
some sort of dance where he’s danc
ing then all of a sudden he stops and
folds his arms and looks at some
body. As long as he keeps making
the catches, I guess he can keep
doing that.”
Sherrill: Stump, Kyle Field will key
A&M’s win in Turkey Day game
By Hal L. Hammons
Assistant Sports Editor
Quarterback Craig Stump will
have to play well for Texas A&M to
win Thursday’s game against Texas,
Head Coach Jackie Sherrill said
Monday at his weekly press confer
ence at Cain Hall.
Stump, who quarterbacked the
Aggies to victories over Arkansas
and Texas Christian, will start
Thursday’s game, Sherrill said.
A&M safety Chet Brooks said,
“Craig’s added some leadership. I’m
glad he’s back, just to get some lead
ership behind that side of the ball.”
Offensive Coordinator Lynn
Amedee said Stump easily could
have quit this season after he lost the
■ starting quarterback job, first to
Lance Pavlas and then to Bucky
Richardson.
“Ninety percent of the quar
terbacks in this country in that situa
tion would’ve quit,” Amedee said.
“He’s better than good for that one
reason.”
Amedee and Sherrill both said
Stump’s experience makes him the
best quarterback for the team at this
point in the season. His experience
helped him read the TCU defense
and change the play from the line of
scrimmage on several occasions.
Those changes resulted in Darren
Lewis’ first touchdown run of the
day, as well as Stump’s touchdown
pass to Rod Harris.
But winning will involve stopping
the Longhorns’ one-man offensive
show, tailback Eric Metcalf.
Defensive Coordinator R.C. Slo
cum said, “Every time (Metcalf)
touches the ball, he has a legitimate
chance of taking it all the way to the
house.”
Brooks said, “I think it’s going to
be a tougher game than TCU be
cause of the talent. They (TCU)
don’t have anybody like Metcalf.
“Take Metcalf away from Texas
and they’re 3-8.”
Brooks said, however, that the
home-field advantage, not Metcalf,
will be the deciding factor in the
game.
“I think the key to this game is
coming here to what we in the
Wrecking Crew call The Junkyard,”
he said.
Sherrill said playing at home has
its disadvantages, such as bonfire
and Elephant Walk, that distract the
team more.
However, he admitted, “I would
like to fy$ye our crowd. . . . Of
course, it’s only a factor if you’re
playing well.”
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McWilliams predicts tough game
with A&M for SWC championship
AUSTIN (AP) — Texas Coach
David McWilliams said Monday
his team could play its best
against Texas A&M on Thanks
giving and still lose to an Aggie
squad that has won six straight
games.
A&M, 8-2, and Texas, 6-4,
both 5-1 in the Southwest Confer
ence, will play for the conference
football championship at Kyle
Field , where A&M has won 12
consecutive SWC games.
ESPN will televise Thursday’s
game nationally with a 7:15 p.m.
kickoff.
The stadium seats 72,387, and
A&M officials predict a crowd of
more than 75,000.
The single-game record at
A&M was 77,607 when the Ag
gies played Texas in 1985.
The winner goes to the Cotton
Bowl in Dallas to play Notre
Dame on Jan. 1.
A&M has been to the Cotton
Bowl the last two years, beating
Auburn in 1986 and losing to
Ohio State in 1987.
The loser will play Pittsburgh,
8-3, in the Bluebonnet Bowl at
Houston on the night of Dec. 31.
McWilliams said the Long
horns have “done a good job of
hanging in there and winning.”
“I think they feel confident
going into this football game, and
know at the same time that it’s
going to take a great effort ”
McWilliams said. This is one of
those that you’ve got to play your
very best and still you may not
win it.”
“But at the same time, if we do
play our very best, certainly we
have an opportunity to win the
football game.”
A&M Coach Jackie Sherrill
told the Austin American-States-
man he would give Texas the
edge in the game “because they’re
a little older in games like this,”
although Sherrill has nine players
who started against Texas last
year.
McWilliams wondered about
Sherrill’s comment, saying Texas
had eight seniors, “but they
haven’t ever won it.”
McWilliams said a noisy A&M
crowd concerns him. “I think it
would be ridiculous to say, ‘No,
it’s not a problem.’ And our squad
knows that. ”
FRESHMEN !
The Department of Student Activities 1s seeking
qualified applicants for the
Emerging Leaders Seminar - Spring 1988
This is a non-credit leadership course designed
exclusively for freshmen potential leaders.
For more information please stop by the Student Activities Office
Room 208 Pavilion
APPLICATION DEADLINE : MONDAY NOVEMBER 30
ALPHA KAPPA PSI
National Professional Businesss Fraternity
Proudly announces its newly inducted members for the 1987 Fall Semester.
George Andrew
Bret Baccus
Sandra Benavider
Beverly Betik
Laurie Daniel
Yvonne Forbert
Doug Foreman
Brad Fortune
Mike Fulton
Donna Gordon
Laurie Gordon
Denice Grothues
David Harkins
David Harlan
Juile Hutchinson
Larry Keller
Kathy Kropp
Laura Leith
Carl Macero
DeRenda McGee
Bo Mg
Donna Scruggs
Bill Skrivanek
Rob Spencer
Nan Thuman
Natalie Torres
Kevin Wolford
Kathy York
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