FricJay, October S. 19(51
Scei
ruREK
ses On Field And Sidelines As Christian Gridders Post Opening Win Over Giiilfcrd Qi.akers
1
I
rv
f
Talking Sports
With
.;AV1D ‘PiiOPIIET' MARSHBURN
c on on t e ield and action on the sidelines as the Fighting Christians grabbed off a 12 to 8
I over jui ford in the opening football ga.jie of the year are pictured above, 'riie sce.ie at the
-in racing ovor the goal line after grabbing one of George Wooten's passes for
a -yai’d scoring play that made the victory secure. Ken Cooke (23). at the left, watches as liis lialf-
II,grabs the scoring aerial. The scene at the right portrays the jubilant celebration on
e SI e ines as Christian player join Coach George Tucker in expressing joy over the victory,
on players identified in this picture include Tom Breese (64), Ronnie Bell (60), B. D. Schneider
40) and Bobby Lewis (74).
Here I am, trying once more
in another year to tell the story
of Elon sports. I had thought it
would be much easier than last
year, when I first atempted the
assignment, but its still the same
task, for I’m writing of a new
and much better Elon football
team than that which carired the
Maroon and Gold colors last sea
son. Certainly, neither I nor any
one else should be surprised, for
I remember quite well that Coach
George Tucker told a leading
sportswriter last year, after many
bad breaks had left him with
not too impressive season, that the
Christians would be a much im
proved outfit when another year
rolled around.
■‘I have a feeling that the peo
ple wil be hearing a lot about us
next year,” said Coach Tucker at
that time, and again this fall, in
discussing his pre-season pros
pects, the Elon grid mentor spoke
in highly cheerful tones. Certain
ly, his Christians have shown that
Coach Tucker’s optimism was well
grounded, for they have displayed
plenty of power on both offense
and defense in early games.
Of course, every team has its
lucky wins and its heart-breaking
losses, and Hon has already ex
perienced both this fall, just as
was the ease a year ago. Of course.
We like to feel that the boys them-
Eflves pull out what some fans call
the “lucky wins.” coming from
behind in the closing seconds to
grab the victories. And it’s always
nice to think of what might have
been when some unlucky break,
like a bad pass from center, costs
a decision that seemed rightfully
deserved.
It was a fine looking squad of
more than fifty candidates who
greeted Coach Tucker and his staff
at the opening practice this fall,
with aU the boys reporting in
seemingly fine physical condition.
The big problem as practice be
gan was at the ends, where John
mjack and Bob Alcanterra, pro
bable starters, had been lost due
to scholastic difficulties. That
flanker problem got even worse
^ the season moved along, for
%«(t]k Moore and Tom King.
^ prtr Jeter veterans, have been
^nce th« Kason began. Moore
SOing out with P shoulder injury
and King being Io« due ^
liery after the opening ^11*
GnUfonl. The fine showing ot Pan
KeUer and BiU
«0SB«n, liaa eased the problem
■omeiAct, bat Coacta Tucker’s
problem stUl aeema to be
M t>M Oanka.
Bmpt for the e*4 peaU. Coaeb
fiada lilwadf with letter'
laem st«tlag tm erery pofMoa. and
tw the flnt UaM to reeeat jw«
some fine reserves and freshmen
give the Christian gridders a bit
of depth at most of the positions.
The early games have shown
especially pleasing depth in the
backfield, with no less than seven
different ball carriers averaging
four yards or more per carry in
the battle with Wofford. Veteran
backs on the squad include quar
terback George Wooten, halfbacks
Ken Cooke, Marvin Crowder.
Wayne Mahanes and Jim Buie and
fullbacks Burl Clements and Jim
hort, and Coach Tucker finds him
self smiling over the play of fresh
man halfbacks Clayton Johnson
and Junior Webster.
Veteran performers from which
Coach Tucker has molded his line
include tackles Charlie Rayburn,
Dean Yates and Charlie trlgo,
iguards Gene Stokes and Cameron
Little and centers John DalCin and
Billy La Coste, and if he had been
able lo keep the mongram ends
like Gozjack, King and Moore in
action, the Elon line should have
been a powerful one indeed. Sev
eral of last year’s reserves, such
as Howard Amer and Ronnie Bell
have seen heavy duty in the early-
season encounters, and Coach
Tucker has been pleased with new
comer forwards such as ends Dan
Kelley and Bill Mahaffey, tackle
Bobby Lewis and guard Randy
Keziah.
The Christian coach was eloqu
ent indeed in his pre-season de
scription of some of the Elon
gridders. In one newspaper article
he described Cameron Little, rug
ged freshman guard, as a “one-
man Chinese bandit gang,” and
he talked of Burl Clement, junior
fullback, as “a horse” when re
ferring to Clements’ driving power.
Both Little and Clements have
lived up to Coach Tucker’s ad
vance billing, for Little has pro
ved himself a rough and tough
customer in the inside line play.
* * •
The Elon schedule, which showb
seven Carolina's Conference tilts,
along with outside contests with
Wofford, Tampa and Presbyterian,
shapes up as one of the toughest
in Christian gridiron history, with
advance dope shaping the Wof
ford, Tampa and Lenoir Rhyne bat
tles as perhaps the toughest of the
ten. However. Elon's fine show
ing against Wofford at Spartan
burg in a game that was loat 20
to 12 on a bad pass from center,
waald indicate that the Christians
are capable of wining any of the
«ame« they pUy om any glTea
night, prorldlag e/ eoorse that
the Elea ontflt eaa tlad a
breaks eomtog tti way.
Lat’a take • «alek look at the
Ottltford and Wofford ■aaaes, both
fVil/i Two Late Touchdown
Elon Downs Guilford By 12-8 Score
Striking from behind with dram
atic determination, the Fighting
Christians gridders scored two
touchdowns in the final three and
one-half minutes to defeat the Guil
ford Quakers 12 to 8 in the open
ing battle of the 1961 season in
Burlington Stadium on Saturday
night, September 16th.
The game-winning touchdown
came with barely fifty-five seconds
on the clock to top off a thrilling
night for an estimated 4,00 fans,
one of the largest crowds in Elon
football annals. The Christians
■were trailing 8 to 6 when George
Wooten uncodced a tWr»y-yard
scoring heave to Jim Buie, who
raced over the goal line untouched
with the winning points. '
The Quakers moved ahead in
the first quarter when Elon’s Willie
Tart was tackled in the Christian
end zone after taking a punt on his
own five and circling backward in
an effort to find running room.
The safety did not loom large at
Elon
13
205
27
178
13
7
151
329
1
5
6
35.2
87
2
85
Score
HOW IT HAPPENED
Guilford
First Downs 5
Yards Gain Rushing 57
Yards Lost Russlng 4
Net Yards Rushing 53
Passes Attempted 8
Passes Completed 4
Yards Gain Passing 40
Yards Gain Scrimmage 93
Opp. Passes Intercepted 1
Runback Int. Pasaes 89
Number Punts 10
Ave. Yards Punts 40.5
Runback All Kicks 48
Fumblbes Lost 2
Yards Penalties 14
By Periods:
0 0 0
Elon 0 0 0 12—12
Guilford 2 6 0 0 8
Elon Touchdowns—Short (2-ran).
Buie (30-pas from Wooten).
Guilford Touchdown — Addleten ;
(3-run). Guilford Safety—Tart tack
led in Elon end zone.
the time, but it almost proved the
margin for an upset victory by
the Quakers.
The Quarker touchdown came
in the second quarter when Guil
ford’s Walter Wiggins broke
through and blocsed one of Mike
Little's punts, with Jack Holley
recovering on the Elon nine. A
penalty moved the ball to Elon’s
four and one-half yard line, and
Guilford scored in two plays, with
Larry Addleton circling his own
left end from the three for the
touchdown that gave Guilford an 8
to 0 edge at half-time.
Neither team could score in the
third quarter, but Elon moved
for its first touchdown late in the
final quarter, Clayton Johnson,
freshman halfback, returned a
Quaker punt from the Guilford
forty-seven to the Elon twenty-six
(o set ut the score.
George Wooten passed to half
back Ken Cooke on the fifteen ani
^Continued on Page Kour)
Wofford Terriers Win
Over Elon By 20 To 12
LEADERS OF CHRISTIAN FOOTBALL SQUAD
Si
m
The senior co-captaina who lead the Eloa College grid squad during the 1961 campaign are
Captain Charlie Rayburn, left, and Captain John DalCIn, right. Capiais Rayburn is a 6-4 and 315-
pound tackle, who hails from Norfolk, Va., while Captain DalCla U a S-11 ind 200-pound eeatcr,
from Tamaqua, Pa. Rayburn la playing tads fourth and final eeason as a starting tackle and la rated
aa one of the top linemen In the CaroUnas Conference. DatCia, wh« played freshman ball at TUlaae-
ra prior to a senrice stint and transfer (e Elen, ^yed end hi* sophomore season and thfa twttch-
ed ta center last year. Like Baybum. DalCin is oaa of the flaeat pUyer« in the Coafereaea at W*
posttiaa.
After playing the power-laden
Wofford Terriers to a virtual tie,
on the field and in the scoring and
statistics as well, the Elon College
Christians went down to a heart
breaking 20 to 12 defeat at Spart
anburg on Saturday. September
23rd, when a bad center snap took
off into orbit over the head of an
Elon punter to set up Wofford’s
winning counter.
The invading Christians had
started the game as definite under
dogs to the much heavier Terriers
but the golden-clad Christians
proved early in the battle that they
could match the home-standing
Wofford outfit yard for yard and
point for point.
The Terriers threatened once in
the scoreless first quarter, taking
the opening kick-off and marching
to the Elon twenty-eight before
George Wooten Intercepted a Tom
my Ellis pass at the goal line and
returned it to the eighteen. Neither
team offered any other sustained
drive In that opening period, but
the second quarter brought three
scores.
A 20-yard sprint by Bobby Hipps
and hard driving by Bob Roma
proved the features of a Wofford
touchdown drive that came in the
early minutes of the second period,
with Tommy Ellis smashing over
from the two for the 6-pointer. The
kick for point was wide.
The Christians took the kickokff
after the Terrier TD and drove
right down the field in eight plays
to tie the count. Junior Webster
returned the kickoff 21 yards to
the Elon thirty-two, and the Christ-
dans were off for touchdown land.
George Wooten raced 37 yards for
the feature play of the drive, which
ended when Wooten passed 12
yards to Bill Mahaffey for the
score. The kick failed, and the
«core was knkotted at &6.
The Terriers rebounded for an
other touchdown, moving from the
kickoff to a score in six plays.
Key gainers in the Wofford drive
were two passes from Tommy EUls
to Bob Roma and Hoyt Burgess,
one for 11 and the other for 16
yards. Paul Davis sprinted nine
yards for the score, which put Wof
ford out from 12 to 6 at half-time
The Elon gridders came back to
dominate play during much of the
second half, for the Christians
chalked ten first downs after inter
mission before the Terriers could
register a single first-and-ten, and
this Elon offensive brought a ty
ing touchdown late in the third
quarter.
The Christians stsrted from
their own seventeen after a punt
and moved 83 yards In eighteen
plays, posting six first downs en-
route. A ZJ-yard pass from Wooten
to Wayne Mahanes was the long
gainer of the Mre, which ended
with Jim Short bueUag ever from
the one to knot the score at 13-all.
It seemed that the game might
end oa that tla aeora. Elea moved
oace te the Wotferd twenty, eaiy t*
fall short of a first dowa there, and
te ChslatkM ware haUtag ali«ti
Elon Football
Elon 12, Guilford 8
Elon 12, Wofford 20
Elon 0. Appalachian 23.
(Remaining Games)
Oct. 7—East Carolina, away
Oct. 14—Tampa, away
Oct. 21—Catawba, away
Oct. 28—West Carolina, home
Nov. 4—Newberry, away
Nov. 11—Lenoir Khyne, away
Nov. 17—Presbyterian, home
Wofford threats effectively until a
bad pass from center on a punt sit
uation play gave Wofford tiie ball
on the Elon seventeen.
A penalty against Elon moved
the ball to the twelve, and two
plays later Bob Roma ripped seven
yards for the winning touchdown.
A pass from Tommy Heldreth to
Roger Gibson was good for the
two-pointer and the final 20 to 12
margin.
Elon
HOW IT HAPPENED
Wofford
18 First Downs 17
259 Yards Gain Rushing 261
27 Yards I>oit Rushing 32
232 Net Yards Rushing 229
11 Passes Attempted 10
3 Passes Completed 3
45 Yards Gain Passing 37
277 Total Gain Scrimmage 266
1 Opp. Passes Intercepted 0
17 Runback Int. Passes 0
4 Number Punts 5
34J Atc. Yards Punta 40.*
1*1 Runback AU Kicks 96
2 Fumbles Lost 1
80 Yards Penalties 55
SSScore By Periods:
Elon 0 6 6 0—12
Wofford 0 12 0 8—20
Elon Touchdowns—Mahaffey (12-
pass from Wooten), Short (2-nm).
Wofford Touchdowns—EIlls (2-mn),
Davis (9-nin), Roma (77-mn). Extra
Points—Ibson 2 (pas from Heldreth).
« • «
The Christians held a very slight
edge in the game statistics for the
Elon outfit registered 232 yards
rushing against 229 for Wofford
and counted 45 yards on 3 of 11
passes against 37 yards on 3 of
10 passes for the Terriers. Elon’s
George Wooten, who averaged 8.8
yards per carry in piling up 97
net yards rushing, added 45 yards
on pasaes for 142 net yards in total
offense.
Coach George Tucker, who waa
naturally disappointed when the
bad center snap cost his team the
game, expressed hinweU highly
pleased with the overall play of his
Jteanv. 'Tv* msrtr been mene
proud of a team, eren in victory.”
he declared, and he added, **tl
only prored what I’ve been sayiag
an the tiM. that we hare a food
team this faQ. We may leae ta
•erne of ear ether appeMata, bnl
we are going to beat team* that
we are aet stsppeeed ta hetete the