BattalioiJ Sports Page 9 » Thursday, January 28, 1999 in ad). This rate u get an addife riuled to endtt It mning back Weber -leaded for Aggieland BY JEFF SCHMIDT The Battalion «vneol. 0*n toot paid 622-24(0 » ■i 3t)dnn 20a? M $3CKVmo 0622-1649 Thp last time Texas A&M tckpd a top running back from a —-lifornia high school, the Aggies ided now-senior Sirr Parker, who a major role in A&M’s vic- y against Kansas State Universi- in the Big 12 Championship. A&M picked up another poten- 93^7472^ 1 standout with the commitment rCTTT San Bernardino-Pacific High • d,! ' • " hool senior Joe Weber. wiber reportedly told A&M run- ng tracks coach Lawrence Liv- ^stipn Tuesday that he was going T 2bdrm2t^- be an Aggie. ymo n/a* j: “itj W a S the best decision for me benn,” Weber said. “I think I can me in and get a lot of playing .. j-;. r ne If 1 do the things 1 have to do, -•id.: rework hard.” -- Q^ier schools Weber considered ’ca T ere University of Southern tlifprnia, the University of Col- ado, and UCLA. am 1 oath ^ The 6-foot-l-inch, 225-pound 'es Cai654-iii- mning back used his 4.5-second ha.:- teed in the 40-yard dash to rum- e for 2,694 yards and 30 touch- y ' rwns his senior year. Weber said his combination of 'ted v ze and speed has enabled him to icceed. “That’s what people tell me my greatest point is,” he said. “I’ve got enough foot speed to run away, but if you want to challenge me. I’ll run you over and get a couple of yards.” Weber, who grew up 20 minutes outside of New Orleans, joins an al ready impressive stable of running backs to commit to A&M. Other backs to commit to A&M are Oschlor Fleming from Denton (Ryan), Richard Whitaker from Jacksonville, Maurice Harris from Aldine (Nimitz), Jesse Hunnicutt (already enrolled at A&M for the spring semester and will count against last year’s scholarship allot ment) from Canyon (Randall) and Reggie Duncan from Killeen (Elli son). Despite A&M’s plethora of run ning backs, Weber said he wel comes the opportunity to compete against them. “If you go somewhere, you’re going to compete,” he said. “No one gets better when you don’t compete.” Weber, who said he eliminated any team that wanted to play him at fullback, is rated as the 37th best player in the country by Bobby Burton of the National Recruiting Advisor. Preferably s ♦1 4 utilities Jrm/2bath house as Call 764-4741 WACO, Texas (AP) — Five-time aeApartmentsy Young Award winner Roger ' lemons and Negro League stars ube and Bill Foster were among ight athletes in- ucted into the exas Sports Hall 4 Fame Wednes day night. Houston Rock- —-its Star Hakeem iieat house big 1= ^.i • , amu Jlajuwon and ormer teammate jpscale lud 7 31yde Drexler - $31 sir: iiso were among .die inductees honored at a ban- 3W mobile h iuet at the Waco Convention Cen- s 823-0381^“®® DIERKER ^-er. mmate nee£ w/d. $212.50.-: : Clemens, who remains with the bronto Blue Jays, but is expected -—-do be traded before the season, won i s a p. 2bdfmi ii Eric @764-5740 isgfifth Cy Young Award last sea- jafter going 20-6 with a 2.65 II Mike at 680-04 1 - RA. Houston Astros manager Larry Dierker, who compiled a 139-123 record as an Astros pitcher, also was named to the Hall. The Foster brothers, natives of Calvert, are both in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Bill Foster won 137 games and helped the Chicago American Gi ants win Negro League titles in 1926, 1927, 1928 and 1933. Rube Foster was a pitcher and manager and founded the Negro National League in Kansas City in 1920. Sandra Meadows, who coached Duncanville to four girls basketball championships, also was inducted posthumously. Meadows died of cancer in 1994. Judy Rankin, who won 28 LPGA tournaments and was named LPGA player of the year in 1976 and 1977, also was enshrined. Counting down to Super Sunday Big game features Aggie connection BY DOUG SHILLING The Battalion W hen the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons kick off the Super Bowl this coming Sunday in sunny Mi ami, both will have Aggies ready to contribute. Two will have a di rect outcome on the field, while another will do his damage from the coaches’ box. Fullback Detron Smith and of fensive coordinator Gary Kubiak will attempt to help the Broncos become only the sixth team in NFL history to repeat as Super Bowl champions, while guard Calvin Collins and the rest of the “Dirty Birds” look to win in the fran chise’s first Super Bowl. Collins, drafted in the sixth round by the Falcons in 1997, came into his own this year, win ning a starting spot on the offen sive line at the beginning of the year. With his fellow line-mates, he helped Falcons running back Jamal Anderson lead the NFC in rushing with 1,846 yards. Collins arrived at Texas A&M in 1993 and started all four years he attended the school. He was named All-SWC First Team in 1994 and All-Big 12 First Team in 1996. Along with Smith, he helped pave the way for Aggie running backs Greg Hill, Rodney Thomas and Leeland McElroy. Drafted in the third round by the Broncos in 1996, Smith has become an integral part of the Denver team. He serves as the main backup to starting fullback Howard Griffith and is the Bron cos’ leader on special teams. Smith arrived in College Station in 1992 and served as the Aggies’ primary fullback for four years. By now, the Super Bowl should be no big deal for Kubiak — this year will be his sixth appearance. As the Broncos back-up quarterback, he was a part of Super Bowl teams in 1986, 1987 and 1989. His other three appearances have come as an assistant coach — ini 994 with the San Francisco 49ers and the past two years with the Broncos. Kubiak began his career with the Aggies in 1979. During his tenure at A&M, he set school pass ing records that still stand. He holds the A&M record for most touchdowns passing in a game with six against Rice University in 1981 and the single-season touch down pass record with 19 in 1982. Drafted in the eighth round by the Broncos in 1983, he spent his career as the backup to John El- way. After his playing days, Kubi ak returned to A&M in 1992 to serve as running backs coach. Af ter two years at A&M, he left for a one-year stint with the 49ers be fore settling down as the Broncos offensive coordinator. Pro-Aggie Texas A&M standouts who will play in the Super Bowl this Sunday in Miami: Calvin COLLINS HEIGHT: 6’2” WEIGHT: 307 lbs. YEARS PRO: 2 POSITION: OG TEAM: ATLANTA FALCONS Detron SMITH HEIGHT: 5’9” WEIGHT: 231 lbs. YEARS PRO: 3 POSITION: FB TEAM: DENVER BRONCOS oMI I n Falcons, Broncos enjoying year of change MIAMI (AP) — For more than three decades. Super Bowl Sunday meant little to the Atlanta Fal cons. It was a day to spend almost anywhere but in front of a television set, watching two other teams vie for the NFL title. For more than two decades, Super Bowl Sun day was downright painful for the Denver Bron cos. It was a day for fans to stay away from their TV sets to avoid the carnage. When they meet at Pro Player Stadium on Sunday, both teams might spend a moment reflecting on just how far they’ve come in the past year. For the Broncos, their sixth Su per Bowl is entirely unlike all the others. They’ve come here as cham pions, carrying a self-confidence and, yes, a swagger that they gained by finally winning the big game. The Falcons, never before a championship factor, finished 7-9 in 1997. Yet now they’ve come to Miami with the highest of expectations, a slight sense of awe mixed in with a heavy dose of innocence, and the recognition of how different things are this January. While both are playing for the same reward, they are approaching the chance to be atop their profession from entirely different perspectives. Happily for Denver, that means not having to answer all those “Why did you lose?” questions. Now the questions are about repeats and dy nasties. The Broncos are so self-assured that they have no problem dealing with those topics. In the past, they merely hoped they could win a Super Bowl. Now, they know they can. “Whenever you get into a game of this magni tude and lose four in a row, it definitely takes some wind out of your sails,” said Mike Lodish, who went through his own Super Bowl trauma (0-4) with Buffalo before joining Denver and get ting that first title 12 months ago. He was not in the league when the Bron cos lost their fourth Super Bowl in 1990. “To win it is something you can’t measure, the feeling you get is so great.” That feeling has bred a boldness and created a confidence in the Broncos that is immediately notice able. Where previous AFC champs from Denver seemed to fear what might happen in the Super Bowl, these guys cannot wait to prove their mettle once more. “Last year, we had all the questions about never having won a Super Bowl,” placekicker Ja son Elam said. “We were big underdogs to the Packers and no one gave us a chance against them. I think there was more pressure on us in that game. ” Firms prepare bowl-day ads NEW YORK (AP) — Apple will re turn after 14 years, the World Wrestling Federation will make may hem, and lingerie retailer Victoria’s Secret will invite viewers to watch its fashion show on the Internet. These are some of the commer cials at this year’s Super Bowl, the biggest advertising event of the year. About 30 companies will pay an av erage price of $1.6 million for each of the 58 half-minute commercial slots on Sunday’s telecast from Miami. That is $53,333 per commercial second, a 23 percent-premium over last year’s average. Despite the cost, the game makes a compelling buy, largely be cause of the national holiday at mosphere surrounding the game. The research firm Eisner & As sociates said its survey of 1,000 adults indicates about 7 percent of the audience tunes in just to see the ads and more than one-third expect to discuss them Monday morning. J. 2bdmn/1ba ; d +utilities. Ada' 1 *''' ill, 4-months le> si Need 3rd MiW; -9059, 1-888-444*' Ceballos signs RVICES leal with Mays — Forward 30% OH Cartsos b lor you to Som* 1 ® at The Party E' p . . r ac f API com/invitations.lM | > 'edric Ceballos, who failed to land RAVEL big-money contract in the free- er, angel rue,KPigpt market, returned to the Dal- eeps 16. $125-$® as Mavericks with a one-year con tact Wednesday. IoraST Ceballos had said after last sea- on that he wanted to test the mar- MATH* ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING * MECHANICAL ENGINEERING* BUSINESS ANALYSIS •99. ringbreak Conte 1-800-292-7502. 3 HI LOSS he :et. But the flurry of free-agent padre island tx’ ignings last week did not leave eedii (800)985-6789 nuch open for him. —-——^TafB'As the market spoke and he bout spring break. 1 . .. ^ ntadvantage.com-: tldll t reCClVC flTSt ■all one of the >ig free-agent rbolism Through contracts ... pretty rbs. No Fad Diets '■ .QOn W6 Were level, •Decrease'" I, . . , ,, l productivity. Ca'-^Ck in th6 D311 mation; 69o-o786^;ame,” said Mav- ;ricks coach-gen- 'Tal manager Don Nelson, who mlv last week rejected the notion )f Ceballos returning to Dallas. ■“So it got to a point where Hin, you know, the number was 'igjht and we jumped on it.” I ||a.BTerms of Ceballos’ one-year f ^ I](contract were not released. BNelson had penciled in rookie Jirk Nowitzki as his starting small fled Mondwvard after Ceballos turned u r- lown a three-year offer worth 9 h Friday |; 6 F S million . irculationc fThe 6-foot-ll Nowitzki will now 1 fim Pl a y! n § I™ 6 Ceballos. oUuU ■Ceballos, 29, was acquired from ■oenix last season. He averaged , 16.9 points and 6 rebounds in 12 j in placirm ies with Dallas before suffering ant please season-ending knee injury. ’ ^ win a nine-game stretch in March, feallos combined with Mavericks Q/jA/??uard Michael Finley for an aver- a Z!!iO«/v agfe of 41.6 points a game. 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