iber 18,
uesday • November 18, 1997
The Battalion
PORTS
Heisman Hero
'row reminisces about career in new book Heart of a Champion
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By Jeff Schmidt
Staff writer
.exas Aggie football legend
1 I John David Crow took part in
P| L a book signing Tuesday at
' lines & Noble Booksellers. Other
irticipants were former Southern
ethodist University running back
iak Walker and former University
Texas head coach Darrell Royal,
tey are touring Texas this week for
eries of public appearances pro-
oting their new biographies.
Crow’s book is titled Heart of a
lampion, and was written by
eve Pate and edited by Dan
nkins. It chronicles Crow’s
aying days, especially his Heis-
lanTrophy winning year of 1957.
he book also covers Crow’s pro-
ssional career with the Chica-
/St. Louis Cardinals and San
ancisco 49ers.
m Crow had always wanted to do a
. ooksimilar to this but the oppor-
Part one in a three part series chronicling Texas college football legends
bass. "“!!
' never came about.
“My wife and 1 discussed sever-
1 times about the possibility of
Jis happening,” Crow said. “We
^ l * iat ^ ^ an J en k* ns was * n '
Al|hou| 0 | vet j j t vvou i c j he done properly,
ibesitson : ' s a pictorial history that goes
rangBcnj hroagh m y life.”
rsuggestil During the Heisman winning sea-
illy undei on, legendary head coach Paul
I is to if Bear Bryant and Crow helped lead
A&M to die top of the college football
polls for the first time since 1939 be
fore losing dieir last three games.
At 6-2 and 218 pounds, Crow
was a battering ram that took out
his frustrations on opposing de
fenses. Coach Bryant called Crow
“the most complete football play
er I’ve ever seen.” This all-around
athletic ability garnered Crow the
most prestigious award college
football can bestow on a single in
dividual: The Heisman Trophy.
Today, the trophy resides in front
of the football offices in the Ath
letic Department at A&M.
Following the season, Crow was
a first round draft pick by the
Chicago Cardinals in 1958 and was
selected to the Pro Bowl four
times. He was named to
the NFL all-pro team of
the 1960s. He also served
as Texas A&M’s Ath
letic Director from
1988-93.
Despite his
accomplish
ments, the
self-de
scribed little
country
boy was
just glad
to have been given the chance to
play at A&M and quickly credits
coach Bryant with molding him
into a player.
“I was very fortunate to come to
a great university like
Texas A&M and have a
great coach like coach
Bryant,” Crow said.
“He was a tough dis
ciplinarian, but
very fair. He de
manded the
most out of
you, and
think
that’s why he was so successful.
Coach Bryant was the biggest per
son in my life. He guided me
through some very trying times.”
Crow also credits Bryant with his
pro success.
“You’re pretty much a player
when they draft you,” he said. “I
took what he (coach Bryant)
taught us to the pro league.”
In 1976 Crow was elected to
the National Football Founda
tion Hall of Fame, an honor he
still relishes.
“It was an awful big thrill and a
tremendous honor,” Crow said. “I
still go up there for the ceremony
nearly every year.”
Despite the impressive acco
lades that Crow has garnered he
may be the least known of the
three legends in town.
Not only did Doak Walker win a
Heisman Trophy while at SMU,
but an award given to the top
college running back bears his
name. Darrell Royal won a
national title while playing at
Oklahoma and then won
two titles while a coach at
Texas. The Texas football
stadium was renamed in
his honor last year. He is
also credited with inventing
the “Wishbone” offense.
However, even though these
two are former rivals of Crow,
Crow does not mind sharing the
spotlight with them.
“These two guys are great peo
ple,” Crow said. “Darrell Royal is a
super human being. I’ve gotten to
know Doak and his wife through the
Heisman stuff we go to. But that
doesn’t make me want to win the
game on the Friday after Thanks
giving any less.”
w
Mpoccer becomes latest victim of Aggie postseason curse
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NOTEBOOK
v,,
Ihe Texas A&M Soccer Team, once
thought to be immune, has now de
veloped a case of the infamous “Ag-
,e thing! ie Syndrome.”
led into low does it strike? Nobody knows. Why
loes it happen? It is unexplainable. But
repercussions of this terrible disorder
: the re very evident. The most unmistakable
hrongj fmptom is coming up short, often to un-
fitsefl ferqualified opponents, in high profile,
igh pressure games.
Many professional sports teams have
ad serious cases come up in the postsea-
orcat on. The Denver Broncos and Atlanta
lhave raves have both reported cases in the past.
For the soccer team, the syndrome
| The fared its ugly head last season in the
be in* ostseason when the Aggies fell to rival
Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship
vislrb, lumament game and then again against
©Diego in the first round of the NCAA
©rnament.
To the Aggies’ credit, the sickness re
named dormant throughout this year’s
igular season. Game after game, A&M
Byiilfasable to play like the national champi-
cipatf nship team it is capable of being.
In the Big 12 tournament, the Aggies
|re out layed the best soccer this university has
id Bn verhad represent it and the team went into
if teNCAA’s with abounding confidence, but
lore importantly high expectations.
1 bet Unfortunately, that was not enough to
t the power of the almighty Aggie Syn-
v# tame. We knew something was awry when
[tliusi he Aggies were not seeded going into die
'CAA tourney, but the Aggies put it aside
fl “id determined to prove the critics wrong.
When SMU came rolling into College
Ration, they appeared to be overmatched
Ifidfl 1 *1 paper and on the field. Earlier in the
| # far the Aggies had oudasted the Mus-
gs in a 1 -0 overtime victory in Dallas.
From the opening kickoff, everything
famed to be in control. The Aggies dictat-
'Ithe pace and seemed to be the masters
of their own destiny. It should have been
an ominous sign, though, when nearly
half the stadium bleachers were empty, re
sulting in the smallest home crowd of the
season.
It was hopeless, no matter how well the
Aggies executed their plays, nature had
taken over and the ball would never find
the back of the net. Open nets were
missed, balls kissed the goal posts and the
team could not seem to kick the ball away
from the SMU keeper. Bottom line was
that the Aggies could not finish off their
plays. The syndrome had struck.
As time began to run out on the Aggies,
despite the fact that the Aggies were
undisputedly the more talented team, it
was apparent that the Mustangs were go
ing to ride out of town with the upset.
It was disappointing. A large sigh of
grief could be felt among the 836 fans
when the scoreboard showed the final 1-0
score. The team had played outstandingly
and outshot the Mustangs by 13.
But SMU had managed to squeeze
enough luck out of the ball to get a score.
The Aggies made great passes and domi
nated ball control, but without putting
anything up on the scoreboard, defeat is
the only option.
The defense played outstanding and
Melanie Wilson’s short lapse of concentra
tion was not the determining factor. It was
the syndrome. It had waited until our
hopes and expectations were at an apex.
It is an ugly thing, but it is just nature’s way.
Offensive Player of the Year.
Don’t expect any surprises here. Al
though it may seem trite and at this point
cliche, but Bryn Blalack is one of the top
players in the nation. Her 17 goals and
three assists gave her the team’s top point
total with 37 points.
Blalack's’ resume for the 1997 season
was extensive, capturing All-America hon
ors, the Big 12 Player of the Year award and
a nomination for the Missouri Athletic
Club Sports Foundation Collegiate Player
of the Year award.
Her career comes to an end as a member
of the Aggie squad with her name atop the
A&M all time goals, points and shots list.
Honorable Mentions.
With a team like A&M, it is difficult to
overlook the abundance of talent. Alison
Peters, Sharon Pickering, Diana Rowe,
Katie Offutt, Nicole Shook and Becky Pe
terson are all incredible players and de
serve as much credit.
Ik
iii%/
■
42
DAVE HOUSE/The Battalion
Sophomore Nicole Shook kicks a ball into the goal against the University of Nebraska
last week in San Antonio. Shook will be part of a strong crop of returning lettermen.
The offense was incredible, scoring 54
goals on the year, being shut out only once
and scoring more than one goal in all but
six games.
Defensive Player of the Year.
Without a doubt, Melanie Wilson is one
of the nation’s best keepers. Wilson al
lowed a mere 15 goals on the season, five
of which were off penalty kicks. Her 0.70
goals against average was second best in
the Big 12, behind Nebraska keeper Becky
Hornbacher. One can say without much
hesitation, though, that Wilson’s keeping
is tops in the conference.
Wilson recorded 8 shutouts on the
season and served as an amazing last
line of defense. Goal keeper is not a posi
tion that is often in the limelight. It is a
position where errors are much more
glaring than success. What people forget
is that the ball has to get past 10 other
players before it gets to the goal. Wilson’s
consistency has been extraordinary and
key to the Aggies success.
Honorable Mentions.
Wilson’s job is made a whole lot easier with
the talented group she has in front of her.
The entire defensive line of Emily Elias,
Claire Elliott, Stefani Chaney and, of
course, injured players Ashley Fendley
and Elizabeth Pavlas has once again out
done themselves. The defense allowed a
mere 17 goals to get past them and into
the back of the net.
Defenders do not achieve success
through statistics so much as they do
through the flow of the game. Because of
the Aggies’ incredible line of defense and
stingy domination of opposing teams,
the A&M offense is given the opportuni
ty to control the ball and put up impres
sive scores.
The Midfield.
Soccer is about playing as a team.
Everyone touches the ball and each play
er is instrumental to the outcome of the
game. The forwards need to put the ball
in the back of the net and the defense
needs to keep the ball away from the
other team.
The midfield, though, has to get the
ball to where it needs to be. I do not often
give the midfield the credit it deserves.
Nicky Thrasher, Gilian Gandy, Heather
Wiebe, Mandy Davidson and Sonia Ibanez
orchestrate an impressive high ball-con
trol and aggressive offense that was one of
the best in the nation. Although not al
ways the goal scorers, this group is the key
to getting the ball to the front and past the
opposing defense.
And Finally...
Every player on this team deserves
recognition. It is unfortunate that the sea
son had to come to such an abrupt and
disappointing end, but the Aggies cannot
afford to wallow in the depths of defeat.
For there is only one way to overcome
the Aggie Syndrome. There is only one
way to get over the hardship the disorder
brings and that is to learn from mistakes,
not forget them.
The Aggies are poised to bring Texas
A&M University a national champi
onship. The elements are all there. Con
fidence, not cockiness, teems from the
players, one of the finest soccer facilities
in the nation provides an excellent train
ing environment and one of the nation’s
top coaching staffs graces the team with
its guidance.
There was a lot of talk of a national title
this year, but talk needs to be backed up
when it counts most.
The team has to want it. This year the
team did not want it bad enough. Perhaps
that sounds harsh and some will disagree,
but it is true. Once the Texas A&M Soccer
Team as a whole determines and believes
they are the nations top team, the national
championship can and will be theirs.
Until then, the Aggies will have to see
the sun set on their season prematurely
and watch other teams accept the glory
and national respect that could be theirs.
Stephen Boudreau is a
sophomore business major
1997-98 Texas A&M Campus Directory
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RYAN ROGERS/The Battalion
Former Heisman winner John David Crow autographs copies of his new book.