The Battalion
Page 7
Tuesday • April 15, 1997
iarshall last through the revolving
'(wr of Aggie offensive coordinators
Kragthorpe brings storied
past to A&M receiving corps
By Kristina Buffin
The Battalion
't happens outside Buckingham
Palace every hour, but on the
.gridiron it happens only when a
am is looking for a new direction
■the changing of the guard.
After a subpar 1996 season, the
bas A&M Football Team decided
Isay out with the old and in with
he new.
Head Coach R.C. Slocum let both
|is coordinators and a position
pachgo. Included was offensive co-
rdinator Steve Ensminger. Slocum
nenpromoted offensive line coach
(like Sherman. However, Sherman
I resigned from the post to coach
: tight ends for the World Champion
1 Green Bay Packers. Slocum was
\ forced back to the drawing board.
I Enter Steve Marshall. After coach-
ngunder former Aggie offensive co-
■ | rainator Bob Toledo at UCLA for a
pf' ear, Marshall was offered an oppor-
" ‘‘ mity to run the Aggie offense.
"I have always wanted to coach
ut I always thought I would be a
igh school coach,” Marshall said.
|ieS- !got my degree from the Universi-
il® I of Louisville and had an oppor
iat
[6$
illiti
siitii'
tunity to work for Johnny Majors,
and then I went to Tennessee and
never looked back from there.”
So far, it has been a whirlwind ex
perience for Marshall. Because he
arrived late, he has had to acclimate
not only to a new program but also
a new town in record time. Howev
er, Marshall said he is excited about
what has been going on.
“The offensive coaches worked
awful hard last month to make this
spring as productive as possible,”
Marshall said. “I think we accom
plished the goals we set out to do. In
the spring, we wanted to give the
players a basic fundamental offensive
philosophy and go from there. The
players took it all and went with it.
“It has been fast and furious, but
it has been a good time.”
Marshall has worked on the offen
sive side of the ball his entire career.
Before his UCLA stint, Marshall
worked with the offensive running
game and line at the University ofTen-
nessee, where he met current Aggie
quarterback Branndon Stewart.
See Marshall, Page 10
By Jamie Burch
The Battalion
M any college students spend
the bulk of their college ca
reer playing musical majors,
but have finished the game by the
time they graduate. Texas A&M wide
receivers coach Steve Kragthorpe in
vented a new way to play the game.
Kragthorpe, who replaces for
mer wide receiver coach Les Koen-
ning Jr., chose his career path long
before graduation, but he opted for
a drastic change once the diploma
was in hand. Although his father
was a collegiate coach, Kragthorpe
wanted to live life as a white-collar
worker, away from the gridiron.
“I never really intended to go
into coaching,” Kragthorpe said. “I
got married on Friday night, gradu
ated from college on Saturday and
moved to Oregon. At that time, my
dad was the head coach at Oregon
State (University).
“I was a graduate assistant for
him while earning my MBA. I was
going to wean myself from football
and head into business. At the end of
my tenure there I had an opportuni
ty to be a part-time coach at the Uni
versity at Northern Arizona. I decid
MORPHINE
fvl O R F 3 H I M E
LIKE SWIMMING
FEATURING: EARLY TO BED •
I KNOW YOU (PT. Ill) * POTION
11
Music lovers, curiosity seekers and all other interest
ed parties take note. Featuring “Early To Bed,” “I
Know You (Ft. Ill)” and “Potion.”
THRU 4/
mairoo
"TH E ■' RECORI> STORE IN B/C-S
ed to give it a try. I wasn’t ready to give
up football yet.”
Kragthorpe said he has not
looked back since.
“I probably work twice as many
hours as I would in business,” Kragth
orpe said. “I make half as much mon
ey, but I have three times as much fun.”
Kragthorpe’s coaching career
unfolded in the same fashion.
Kragthorpe began coaching at the
University of Northern Arizona,
spending two years as quarterbacks
coach (1990-91) and offensive co
ordinator (1992-93). During his
tenure, Kragthorpe helped the
Lumberjacks to the school’s first
winning record since 1988.
Following his stint at Northern Ari
zona, Kragthorpe served two seasons
as offensive coordinator for head
coach Matt Simon at the University of
North Texas, helping the Screaming
Eagles set several school and South
land Conference records.
In 1994, UNT led the conference in
passing (268.2 yards per game), total
offense (386.9) and scoring offense
(28.6 points), and broke the school
record for total offense in a single sea
son (4,670 yaids).
See Kragthorpe, Page 10
Photos Courtesy of Glen Johnson
Photo Illustration by Stew Milne
New defensive coordinator
takes reins of Wrecking Crew
for Glen Mason at the University of
Kansas the past two seasons.
A&M Head Coach R.C. Slocum
pointed to Hankwitz’s experience as
well as his comparable style of
coaching as excellent qualifications
to lead the Wrecking Crew.
“He’s a veteran coach who has been
a defensive coordinator for many
years,” Slocum said. “His defenses
have a similar philosophy as the
Wrecking Crew here at Texas A&M.”
Hankwitz said the Aggies’ ag
gressive, blitzing style of play and
ability to attract top talent were in
centives to join Slocum’s staff.
“There are a lot of things that I
like to do that are very similar to
what they’ve done here in the
past," Hankwitz said. “I think
when you have the kind of speed
that we’re able to attract here, it
kind of fits in to many of the
things I like to do, so it’s a good
match in that way.”
Hankwitz has 12 years of defen
sive coordinator experience at
three different schools and boasts a
98-37-6 record.
By Matt Mitchell
The Battalion
I n case one wonders whether
Texas A&M’s Wrecking Crew
defense is well-known outside
the cozy confines of greater
Bryan-College Station or if it’s just
in the swollen heads of Aggie fans,
Mike Hankwitz can set the record
straight — at least from a coach
ing perspective.
“You know the schools that have
the great traditions for defense be
cause you’re trying to build a unit
that equals those great defenses,”
said the new defensive coordinator
for the Texas A&M Football Team.
“And when you think of [the] great
est college defenses, one of the first
places that comes to mind is Texas
A&M and the Wrecking Crew.”
Hankwitz will get his chance to
rebuild one of college football’s
great defenses next season as he
takes the reins from the departed
Phil Bennett. The 49-year-old Uni
versity of Michigan alum j oined the
Aggie coaching staff in February, af
ter serving as defensive coordinator
See Hankwitz, Page 10
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