Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 27, 1993)
27,1993 •en i Presi- fferent ift, :e-Pres- :he n that on and and of- :ion. ^ Rea- use the ces to /orking orking ry's Dwing :u- )ut a tial ley y has been a. ;ly to be kelihood much of mio was June 29 ce mete- jtely un- 'esidents nd even without breaking trace of d before liter iditor tt, J. Frank ernes ters and ds), at Texas M University, on of Student old Building- uertising, ca " nday tfirougn To charge by luesday, July 27,1993 Sports The Battalion Page 3 Hatchell is right man for SWC job ROY L. CLAY Sportswriter ave taken n for ath- aases that elephone aship ath- ich are in l, intellec- nrollment r fiscal af- a chance im a tele- je univer- $500,000, id it had for acad- :tual and a school ion from Texas A&M is taking one more step to wards national prominence, and it doesn't even have to do the walking. A&M and the rest of the Southwest Conference have only to take the path created by new commissioner Steve Hatchell. Hatchell has come into a conference considered to be on the brink of destruction by most sports experts and brought the ailing SWC back on the road to re covery. The two prominent schools of the SWC, Texas and Texas A&M, were apparently on their way to the greener pastures of the PAC 10 and the Big East Conferences. However, since the hiring of Hatchell, the de nials from both schools seem to ring more truthfully. Both A&M and UT would have been hard put to leave the SWC. The state legislature made it clear that the financial repercussions of their departure would be enormous, but the lack of national media atten tion resulting from weak conference opponents in football and the idea of the SWC being a basketball laughing stock made leaving a possible option for the two conference flagships. En ter Steve Hatchell. Coming directly from the front of fice of the Orange Bowl, Hatchell wasplaying with the big boys of the collegiate sports. Many of his associ ates wondered what he was doing taking over a conference considered small fry on the national level. But Hatchell insists that the SWC only needs repairs and it has all the necessary ingredients for national prominence. His association with the conference alone seems to have added a certain amount of legitima cy to the league. Last week, Hatchell began a phase of his repair work. He hired a Dallas marketing firm to handle the conference and promote the league ona national level. He also solicited sponsorship from Dr Pepper for the SWC basketball tournament which is a change from the tired way the league office has run even its promo tions in the past. In an era when television cover age is vital to sports survival, pro motion is the key to success. The commissioner's office announced that the championship game of the SWC basketball tournament will be televised on ESPN. That is one more step towards the national spotlight. Hatchell has also been trying to change the way the conference views itself. A few months ago, he said that the schools in this league need to stop focusing on beating Texas and Texas A&M, and start focusing on winning national championships. That's a revolutionary idea in SWC football. Hatchell recognized something that his associates in the highly visi ble organizations around the nation have missed. The commissioner of See Clay/ Page4 Bates gears up for Raiders' season Former A&M defensive back visits Cowboys' training camp, gets into NFL mindset By KEVIN LINDSTROM The Battalion AUSTIN — Former Texas A&M foot ball player Patrick Bates hasn't been signed with the Los Angeles Raiders more than a week and he already has some large shoes to fill. There are no larger shoes in any NFL secondary than those of Ronnie Lott, who left the Raiders at the end of last season for the New York Jets under the new NFL free agency rules. The loss of Lott's incredible hitting ability has left a big hole in the Raiders' secondary. Training Camp Bates, a rookie first round draft choice for the Raiders, is in Austin with the rest of the Raiders at the Dal las Cowboys train ing camp at Saint Edwards Universi ty. Bates said he is anxious to dish out his own version of The Hit. "I'm excited be ing in camp, in the NFL, scrimmaging the Cowboys," he said. "And I'm defi nitely excited about the challenge. Notebook "It's time to compete and I want to bring in some big hits and some excite ment," he said. Raiders coach Art Shell said Bates' size and ability will help him make a contribution. "He's built like a linebacker," Shell said. "That and his skills are going to make him an outstanding player. He has a lot to learn, but we'll get that done." Bates agreed that he still has much to learn. "I have a lot of work to do," he said. "I need to learn this defensive system so I can make the kind of contribution to this team that I want to. "I'd like to bring some excitement back to the Raiders." Bates shrugs off the suggestion that he is anything but Patrick Bates. "Ronnie is a great player and for peo ple to compare him to me is a good feel ing, but there's no pressure on me," Bates said. "I'm going to come out and play my game and do the things that I've al ways done." The hardest thing to adjust to in train ing camp is the mental intensity. Bates said. "The big difference from college to the pros is the mental aspect," he said. "There are so many little things that you have to do, things you have to read." A&M tennis player goes national Weaver picked for Junior Davis Cup FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS Texas A&M's two-time All-South- west Conference tennis player Mark Weaver has been selected to repre sent the Southern region in the Ju nior Davis Cup competition Aug. 12- 15 in Poughkeepsie, New York. "This is a big honor and a great opportunity for me," Weaver said. "This tournament will be a great confidence builder for me if I can perform well." Texas A&M head coach David Kent said, "Mark is exceedingly worthy of this honor, and I think he will represent Texas A&M .. . well in Poughkeepsie." Weaver, the SWC's Co-Player of the Year in 1993, will team with Bob by Mariencheck of the University of Georgia. "I've known Bobby for a long time and I've played against him many times, so it will be good to be on the same side for a change," Weaver said. "He won the dou bles two years ago (with Chuck Coleman of Notre Dame) and hopefully we can do the same thing this year." The tournament will be played on red clay and Weaver said this will be a good opportunity for him to improve his No. 32 and No. 23 rankings. "Competing in a tournament like this will . . . give me playing experi ence against some of the nation's best players," Weaver said. "A good showing in this tourna ment could really set me up for the collegiate Grand Slam events this fall," he said. Weaver finished the 1992-93 sea son winning the SWC No.l singles crown with 24-11 singles mark. He beat eight players ranked among the nation's top 70 last year. In doubles. Weaver teamed with Bernardo Martinez for a 20-6 mark and five wins against Top 30 oppo nents. The last players to represent A&M in the Junior Davis Cup were Scott Phillips and Doug Brown in 1991. Phillips and Brown led the Texas Section to a second-place finish. Prairie View A&M athlete graduation rate leads SWAC THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO FROM TEXAS A&M MEDIA GUIDE Weaver Akers-Stahl leads women's soccer at Olympic Festival THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN ANTONIO - All Michelle Akers-StahTs mother wanted to do was find a way to channel her daughter's competitiveness and keep her from fighting in the street. Now look. The scrappy blonde has beaten the world and is taking on the United States. "For America, the Olympics is the thing. That's what people notice be cause the World Cup is new here," the superstar of women's soccer said Mon day at the U.S. Olympic Festival. "The Olympics is the American dream." Akers-Stahl, who has won three gold medals and one silver in past festivals and captained the U.S. Women's National Team that won the World Cup in China in 1991, be lieves women's soccer will be an Olympic event in Atlanta. But if the United States is just coming around to the sport, the rest of the world has already noticed. And although fame is just beginning to spotlight Akers-Stahl at home, in other countries kids beg for auto graphs and parents point her out to their daughters. Akers-Stahl, 27, of Oveido, Fla., was the leading scorer at the first Women's World Championship. She has scored 55 goals in 60 internation al appearances since she became a member of the national team at its in ception in 1985. Playing for the South at the festival, Akers-Stahl scored both of her team's goals in their 3-2 loss on Saturday to the West. "She's one of the best athletes, if not the best, in the world,'' said David Simeone, who coaches the South. "I tell people, there's one Michael Jordan,, one John Elway and right now, there's only one Michelle Akers-Stahl." Akers-Stahl, 5-foot-10, 150 pounds, has the ability to dominate any game she's in, Simeone said. Her presence alone has made the South the favorite in the festival, despite a loss in its first game, despite severe muscle spasms in her back that have slowed her but will not prevent her from playing. "In addition to her athletic ability and mental toughness, she has great problem-solving skills," Simeone said. "To be a great soccer player you have to have that skill." Akers-Stahl likens it to a chess match — making the moves is im portant, but knowing where to go is equally essential. "Great soccer players must be able to envision what will .happen two or three steps in advance," Ak ers-Stahl said. "When a game is over you should be tired from just the thinking you had to do." PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas — Prairie View A&M Uni versity's athletic department finally has something to cheer about. The small NCAA Division I school, which has no football victories and only one men's basketball tri umph in two years, has topped seven other South western Athletic Conference schools in the gradua tion rate for student athletes. A recently released national report compared the rates for student athletes entering NCAA Division I schools in 1986-87. Prairie View had 53 percent of its athletics go on to graduation. That's more than twice the 26-percent graduation rate for Prairie View students overall. "My philosophy has always been to stress the academics," said Prairie View athletic director Bar bara Jacket. "Our athletes are students first and fore most. Athletics is secondary to our scholastic mission of preparing adults to go out into the real world." The next-highest athletics graduation rate in the SWAC was 44 percent at Mississippi Valley State. The worst rate was 7 percent at Alcorn State. At Texas Southern University in Houston, 24 percent of the athletes received diplomas. School spokesman Bryan Barrows said one reason for Prairie View's success is tlnat students are recruit ed for their minds and are offered academic rather than athletic scholarships. "Obviously, our student athletes come here to get a good education and academic training," Barrows said. "At Prairie View, there is less concern about sports than about preparing our students for their future after college." Barrows added that school staff members and coaches try to work closely with athletes to keep their focus on academics. "I've noticed a strong emphasis on mentoring," he said. "The staff is involved in much more impor tant things than athletics." About 80 percent of women athletes received diplomas, compared with about 41 percent of the men. Prairie View's athletic programs have struggled since many were suspended in 1990 after deficits and financial scandals were uncovered. The Panthers' track teams are competitive, but other team sports have struggled since being rein stated in 1991. Scoreboard American League Kansas City 12 Texas National Leaaue Kansas City Texas Los Angeles 15 San Francisco 1 Detroit 5 New York 2 Chicago 9 San Diego 6 Chicago 4 Cleveland 3 Cincinnati 6 Houston 1 Milwaukee 3 Boston 2 Atlanta (late) Colorado Oakland (late) California - ’TM GRADUATING... WHAT’S NEXT?!?” CONGRATULATIONS! It’s been tough, but you made it! Now it's time to consider your options. Are you dreaming of success or only paying the rent? Will you settle for "just a job" or do you want to build a stimulating, interesting career? At UCS/FDCS, we have many entry-level positions perfect for college graduates with any degree plan. We'll provide the foundation and tools you'll need to develop your skills, as well as a competitive starting salary and an excellent benefits package including health/dental/vision insurance, 401K, paid vacations and free fitness club membership. UCS is the industry leader in auto dealership business systems based in N.W. Houston since 1970. The acquisition of FDCS in 1991 lead us to hire over 600 people last year and continued expansion creates many openings in every department. Our incredible success is a result of our commitment to hiring innovative, bright achievers from every background and giving them the training they need to reach their goals. If you're a non-smoker interested in joining a company where rewards arc based on performance, we invite you to explore career opportunities with us. EOF. Universal Computer Systems, Inc. Ford Dealer Computer Services, Inc. 6700 Hollister Houston, TX 77040 1 (800) 883-3031 (713) 744-4500 FAX: 774-4502 UCS * Come Cjroiu With Us! * AUGUST GRADS Join the 12th Man Foundation through the New Grad Program and receive a GIFT along with your first year's free membership. Membership includes west-stand seating at Aggie football games, a donor card, the Sports Hotline newsletter, a decal, and a lapel pin. For information, please stop by our table in the MSC, August 2,3,4,5,6,9,10, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. So remember, if you are a fan of Aggie athletics, get involved with the 12th Man Foundation. Gig 'em! 12iMAN FOUNDATION SUPPORTING EDUCATION THROUGH ATHLETICS