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Friday, July 12,1991
Sports
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Hit the road,
Traitorbacks
The University of Arkansas has a
serious attitude problem.
A rather large envelope from
Arkansas greeted my return from the
Fourth of July. The envelope
contained the Razorback's basketball
preview, the cover emblazoned with a
rather ugly (and hated) SEC logo —
even though they are still members of
theSWC.
Contrary to popular opinion, not
everyone in Arkansas is an inbred
hillbilly. Some are even smart enough
to realize the Battalion is the A&M
newspaper, and that we aren't very
keen on being jilted for the likes of
Vanderbilt and LSU.
To paraphrase Freud, it's obviously
a case of "pigskin envy," a childish
attempt to get back at us for the
miserable season the Hogs' athletic
programs suffered this past year. The
official Razorback reason for bidding
the eight Texas teams bon voyage was
the SWC no longer offered any
challenge for Arkansas athletics. Their
entire state embraced the idea of
joining the "more challenging" SEC,
and thumbed their noses in our
general direction.
Unfortunately for them, they had
two years of SWC play left before they
could join their bretheren in the
backwoods of Mississippi and
Alabama. Who can forget the Hogs
gridiron performance last year against
the "unchallenging" SWC? Their
football team was ripped by everyone
in the conference except SMU — who
had a chance to win even through the
final quarter.
This was the school who was
conference champion the two
previous years, losing both Cotton
Bowl appearances, and a Gator Bowl
the year before that. Truly a team that
is bored with the whimpy SWC.
Arkansas avoided getting clobbered
in SWC baseball action like they did in
football, but not by much. In years
past the Razorback baseball team had
been a perennial top seed in the
NCAA tournaments, and a genuine
threat in the College World Series.
Last year they struck fear in the hearts
of no one as they failed to make even
the SWC Tournament.
Real fear began to mount for the
Hogs during recruiting season, as
they realized the full implications of
their move to the SEC. Texas
schoolboys do not want to go out of
state to play sports if the team they
play for doesn't play in Texas
sometimes. Homesickness can be a
nasty thing, and since more than 60%
of Arkansas' athletes come from
Texas, the Razorbacks are desperate
fora remedy. The SEC states are
already too heavily recruited for the
Hogs to gain a foothold, so Arkansas
schedules SWC powerhouse SMU to
retain a presence in Texas.
Mysteriously, Houston's offers to
head to the hills with the run- and-
shoot were ignored. Obviously
Arkansas only wants competition they
have a chance of beating.
So that's why Arkansas sent a
basketball preview with the SEC logo
on it to an SWC school. Humiliation is
tough to bear, even for a Traitorback.
The SEC and basketball's all they
have, and I don't feel sorry for tnem
one bit.
Klingler avoiding Heisman hype
HOUSTON (AP) — After setting
nearly three dozen NCAA records, what
can University of Houston quarterback
David Klingler do to win a Heisman?
Over the next few months, Klingler al
most certainly will get tired of dealing
with the same mind-dulling inquiries,
but they come with the territory he occu
pies.
Klingler clearly intends to make his se
nior season more than just a stopover on
the way to NFL millions. He could have
taken the money after last season, when
the NFL paychecks would have been
hefty — but not as hefty as they may be
in the near future.
Ty Detmer, the Brigham Young quar
terback from San Antonio Southwest
who won the 1990 Heisman, and Klingler
are running a close race for space on the
preseason magazine covers.
"The Heisman is like a preseason ran
king," Klingler says of the impending
weekly "Heisman Watch" charts. "You
have to have the incentive to go out and
get better every day.
"It's not how you start; it's how you
finish. You have to go out and prove
yourself every day. Last year or your last
game doesn't matter."
In his first season as a starter, Klingler
rang up collegiate records with 54 touch
down passes and 5,140 yards passing in
1990. A few hours after throwing for 716
yards against Arizona State, he wearily
sat in a Tokyo television studio as part of
the Heisman announcement telecast tak
ing place thousands of miles away in
New York.
Klingler was fifth in the voting an
nounced that day. In some preseason '91
rankings, he is listed ahead of Detmer,
but no matter.
"Fortunately, it's not an individual
sport, it's a team sport," Klingler says.
"My job isn't to go out and win the Heis
man, it's to go out and help our team win
games.
"That's my goal. I'd rather have a na
tional championship ring than the Heis
man Trophy."
The Cougars, 10-1 last year, finished
No. 10 in the final Associated Press poll
despite being barred from a bowl because
of NCAA sanctions. Those sanctions are
due to expire before the next bowl sea
son.
"I can't even remember who played in
the Super Bowl/' Klingler says convin
cingly. "Oh, yeah, the Giants and Buffa
lo.'^
Now, Klingler can read predictions of a
$25 million NFL contract in the near fu
ture. One anonymous NFL scout says of
him, "He has an arm like Dan Marino,
and his IQ is off the wall."
At 6 : 2V2 and about 205 pounds, Klingl-
e/s 4.65 speed for 40 yards also puts him
)hia's Ran-
's
ran 4.75 in college at Nevada-Las ^egas.
Since spring practice, Klingler has
been covered by a Lloyd's of London in
surance policy against a career-ending
on-field or off-field injury.
"Chances of something like that hap
pening are pretty slim," Klingler says.
"You can nearly always come back off a
knee or shoulder injury."
In thinking of the past season, Klingler
feels he needed most of the year to get
comfortable in directing the Cougars'
run-and-shoot offense.
u ya
in a special category. Philadelphia's Ran
dall Cunningham, considered the NFL'
fastest starting quarterback, reputedly
“ Vegas.
"Those 11 games basically g<
time to groove in," he says. "Th
;ave me a
»groove in," he says, " t he last two
, 1 could concentrate more on the
David Klingler, who finished fifth in Heisman voting last year, returns for his senior season at the
University of Houston after passing on a chance to enter the NFL Draft a year early.
"It puts pressure on you," Klingler
says of the preseason attention. "It's all
those people out there, the fans and the
media, watching you and expecting you
to perform.
"The hardest thing about all this is
dealing with the expectations. It
wouldn't be that hard as long as people
keep them to themselves."
Realistic as he is, Klingler knows the
chances of that are slim. Those expecta
tions gained momentum when Klingler
made the decision to return for his senior
season instead of entering the NFL draft.
At the time, it appeared Notre Dame's
Raghib Ismail would be the first player
picked. As it turned out, Ismail opted for
the Canadian Football League. Klingler,
had he filed for early entry into the draft,
may well have been the No. 1 selection.
"That doesn't even enter my mind,"
says Klingler. "Once I made my decision,
I ran with it. I never looked back. After I
made it, I didn't visualize it at all."
Not only did Klingler not visualize it,
he didn't even watch the NFL draft. Or,
for that matter, the Super Bowl or any
other football game.
games,
overall picture. The last two games, I felt
like I was out there playing catch instead
of worrying about reading the defense.
"This season. I'm going to concentrate
on throwing more completions and cut
ting down on the interceptions."
(He threw 374 completions and 20 in
terceptions last year.)
At the same time, Klingler accepts the
reality that he can't change the mindset
of those who would withhold their Heis
man ballots or Top 10 votes because of
what they consider "overkill" by coach
John Jenkins. Klingler himself was the
target of some of that after passing for 11
TDs against Division I-AA Eastern Wash
ington.
His answer is, "The people who sit
back and watch have no idea that we
haven't played a perfect game yet.
"Until we score on every possession,
we haven't been perfect. A conventional
offense results in a first down, ours in a
touchdown or big play. We're all think
ing about getting better, having a better
scoring average or more yards a game."
Ty Detmer takes aim at Heisman
X
again
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Brigham
Young quarterback Ty Detmer has spent
his offseason taking bows. Now it is
nearing time for an encore.
All eyes will be on the former South
west High School standout this fall as the
first Heisman Trophy winner since Okla
homa's Billy Sims 12 years ago to return
for another college season.
Only one person, Ohio State running
back Archie Griffin, has won the presti
gious award as college player of the year
twice.
"I'm looking forward to it," said
Detmer, who will enter his senior season
needing 426 yards to become college
football's all-time passing yardage
leader. "I'm looking forward to helping
my young team be as good as it can be.
"I didn't go out and try to win the
Heisman last year and I'm not going to
try to win this year either. If it happens,
that's fine."
The Ty that binds BYU passed for an
NCAA record 5,188 yards last season and
set 42 NCAA records, 36 of them set by
former Brigham Young quarterbacks.
But whether he's trying for it or not,
the spotlight will be glued to the slender
slinger from South Texas, who is healthy
again after having both shoulders sepa
rated in the Sea World Holiday Bowl
against Texas A&M in December.
"It's like there was nothing ever wrong
with it," said Detmer, who had surgery
on his throwing (right) shoulder in Jan
uary. "I've put on 10-15 pounds (he's 6-
Battalion file photo
BYU’s Ty Detmer, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, will attempt to rebound from a disasterous
Holiday Bowl appearance against Texas A&M, where he suffered two shoulder separations.
foot, 185) since last year. I've spent a lot
of time lifting weights and just trying to
get stronger."
Detmer, 23, knows winning the Heis
man will be harder the second time
around. He will be a marked man and
needs a good start to refresh the mem
ories of voters.
That will not be easy considering the
Cougars open the season with a mur
derous row: Florida State in the Disney
land Pigskin Classic, UCLA and Penn
State. All will be on the road.
With BYU losing badly in its final two
games after the Heisman vote was in,
Detmer is not necessarily the favorite to
repeat. Most eyes are being cast toward
Houston's David Klingler.
"Considering what happened in our fi
nal games I can understand why," he
said. "But I'd say there were probably
eight or ten guys who started out ahead
of me last year. If we go out and win
some games early, we can get some of
that back."
He found his picture on a football trad
ing card last month that could have cost
him his final year of eligibility. The card,
worth nine cents at printing, is selling for
$30 in Provo.
Pro Set, a Dallas-based firm, included a
card of Detmer in its 1991 NFL set. The
company annually prints a card of the
previous Heisman winner, although in
the past that player has gone into the
pros.
BYU publicist Ralph Zobell said the
university reported the incident to the
NCAA when it was discovered and
Detmer has been cleared to continue his
college career. Detmer's picture in a
profit-making venture could have been a
violation of NCAA rules, but neither he
nor BYU was aware of the card until it
came out.
Although pro football is an option
Detmer plans to look at, he has no re
grets at not testing the NFL marketplace
after his junior year.
"It never crossed my mind," he said.
Detmer said he has received letters
from agents seeking to represent him, al
though in violation of NCAA rules.
"Usually the first place those go is the
trash can," he said. "I don't want to get
involved with that.
"It goes with the territory," he said. "It
can be a grind but I know that is part of
; in the si
beingi
situation I'm in.'
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