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ed, we don't see it as such a major
decision,"?says?CIAACommis
sioner Bob Moorman. "We are getting
one regional telecast per year
and that only guaranteed a total of
$45,000, which was split between
the two schools."
But television and the exposure it
brings is a valuable tool in today's
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chip*' or "impact" athlete. Since
the advent of desegregation, the
predominantly white schools have
all but dominated the black schools
in the recruiting sweepstakes. That
left the black institutions with very
little to choose from. Now, with the
Supreme Court decision, those
schools stand to lose even the
second-level quality athletes they've
been able to lure to their programs.
441 can see it going back to the early
and mid-60s," says Eddie Robinson,
who still gets his share of bluechippers.
44With this ruling, the major
schools have improved their
position even more. They'll now be
able to land all the top-flight
athletes because of the attractive TV
schedules they'll have."
4 4We have enough problems as it
is in recruiting the talented black
athletes," says South Carolina State
Coach Bill Davis. "Now it will even
be more difficult. At least under the
former plan, you had a chance to
/
SWAC From Page 1
center Paul Sights are TSU's only
returning starters on the offensive line.
The Tigers' running and receiving
corps offer much brighter hopes for
Taylor and his staff. The rushing
tandem of Rodney Shelton (557 yards),
Nathaniel Johnson (442 yards) and
Roger Allen (403 yards) is back as are
receiving aces Darrell Colbert (30
receptions, 424 yards), Arthur Burns
(341 yards) and Donald Narcisse (202
yards).
Defensively, TSU should be strong
with the return of nine starters, including
the entire starting secondary.
ALABAMA STATE
The Hornets received a crude in^
troduction to SWAC football in 1983,
compiling records of 2-9 overall and
0-7 in the conference in their first year
of league competition. It was, indeed,
a year the folks in Montgomery would
rather not talk about.
But hope springs eternal.
"I don't think this team will finish at
the bottom," new Coach Jim Parker
says of his Hornets' chances in the upcoming
league race.
Page 18-September, 19845S255S525
C SPORT/ CO VI
19
sell the athletes on the fact that
you'd aet on Tesional "TV once a
year. But now, with nothing ..."
There are some, however, like
C1AA Commissioner Moorman and
Howard Coach Willie Jeffries, who
feel the ruling will have no significant
impact on recruiting.
"First of all, you have to consider
that the games that we got were all
regional telecasts," Moorman says.
"It's not like they were national
telecasts or anything.
"If Virginia Union was playing
Winston-Salem, the only people
who would see that game were the
ones in those respective areas. So I
don't see it as having that great an
impact."
"I think it's highly relative situation,"
adds Jeffries, in his first year
at Howard. "Your opponents in the
conference are basically competing
for the same athletes that you are.
Since they don't get on TV more
than you do, there's no advantage."
Another area that stands to suffer
is the college football playoff system
.l. - _ rc i - J . ^
ana inc money 11 auurucu 10
schools that qualified and advanced.
Unlike I-A, where teams can .
qualify for lucrative bowl games
and vie for a mythical national title,
the Division I-A, 11 and III schools
play for the title in postseason tour7
"I think we'll finish the season in a
representative manner. I haven't seen
the other SWAC teams except on film,
but if we continue to improve as we did
during spring practice, I think we'll be
somewhere in the middle of the conference
standings".
Parker's prediction is modest but
may be hard to fulfill nevertheless,
given the ample ammunition returning
on at least six of the other SWAC
teams. But the new coach is convinced
that he'll get all he can out of the 41 lettermen,
six offensive starters and six
defensive starters which return for
Alabama State this season.
"Our defense will be our strength,",
says Parker. "I feel the linebacker
position is one of our strongest."
Junior linebackers William Tolbert
and Lavoris Winfrey are the cream of
the crop among the returning Hornets.
Tolbert, a 6-3, 230-pounder, led the
team in tackles last year with 133
takedowns, while Winfrey, a 6-3,
205-pounder, tallied 45.
Other key defensive returnees include
all-SWAC candidate Marvin
Hinton, a 6-2, 248-pound senior
noseguard; Larry Melson, a 5-11,
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namcnts.
"""Nof only did those teams receive
money from the playoff pot, depending
on how far they advanced, but
they also got large regional television
exposure once they reached the
semifinal round and the championship.
Now, with the Supreme Court
decision, that system may become
obsolete.
"Since we don't have the bowl
games in 1-AA, there was great incentive
in conferences and among
independents to make it to the
playoffs," says Grambling's Robinson.
"From the look of things, we
may not even have a playoff
anymore."
"Even if there is the playoff, the
money to be gained may not be sufficient
enough for the teams which
a/lwan/?A '' couc Q P Qta'c Davie
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who has led his team to two 1-AA
playoff appearances. "With no
money available, teams may have to
end up payng their own way, and
the way things are economically at
many of our schools, I don't think
that's feasible".
The irony here is that the NCAA
has decided to increase the 198^
1-AA playoff field from 12 to 16
teams, thus allowing more teams to
qualify for the money and the
prestige. It may now be a moot
point.
184-pound senior defensive back, and
Ricky Corbitt, a 6-3, 248-pound junior
defensive tackle.
The offensive picture, admit Parker
and his staff, is not so rosy.
Alabama State's sputtering offense
averaged only 13 points and 196 yards
of total offense last year. Moreover,
the Hornets will be counting on
basically the same personnel this
season.
PRAIRIE VIEW A&M
The team that "always finds a way
to lose" will make a concerted effort to
rid itself of that dubious distinction jp
'84. No, the Panthers aren't expected
to be a title contender this season, but
they shouldn't be a pushover, either.
"Experience" is the watchword in
the plains of Prairie View, Texas, these
days. Fifty-one lettermen were counted
when spring drills ended, among them
16 returning starters and a number of
other players who started in at least
one game a year ago.
"We saw a lot of surprises in spring
drills that left us encouraged about the
season," says Conway Hayman, yet
9
While the coaches, athletic direc
tors and conference commissioners
may not all agree on the the impact
the decision will have, they all concur
that it may, in the long run, prove
to be the best thing that could
have happened to their programs.
"I think this forces us to get
together and try to do a better job of
selling our product/' says Jackson
State Coach W.C. Gorden.
4 4We need to band together and
get our schpols the best possible
: package/* adds Robinson.
44We*ve got a good product, but
we've got to do a much better job of
marketing it," says Davis. "Now
maybe we can hire people who are
I a _ 1
consultants ana expcns wno can
help us sell this product. It could
prove to be the best thing that could
have happened."
"We are working on some projects
that we hope will offset this,"
says MEAC Commissioner Free,
choosing not to be specific. "We are
exploring a number of things, including
working with the other
1-AA schools and conferences to
put together a package and sell it to
the networks or cable."
"We are not completely
discouraged by it," says SWAC
Commissioner Frank. "There is a
chance we will be able to work out
something in the near future".
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another new SWAC coach. "We'll
play the 1984 season with a high level
of intensity".
Offensively, Hayman and his
assistants have made several strides to
boost a unit which went 0-11 overall
last year (0-7 in the SWAC) and ranked
at the bottom of the league in total offense
and near the bottom in points
St'UTCU.
Defensive tackle Cyril Kennedy (6-6,
245) was switched to offensive tackle;
linebacker Darryl Riser (6-0, 200) to
fullback; quarterback Archie Seals
(5-9, 175) to halfback. Offensive tackle
Joseph Harris (6-4, 223 junior) now is
a tight end.
Defensively, the new coach tabs the
linebacker position as the most solid
and the key to any success the Panthers
will enjoy in 1984. He also labels the
secondary as his team's most
vulnerable position.
Saying his squad needs to develop
"strong fundamentals and
techniques," Hayman intends to
develop a "12th-man personality" in
his defense. That will be one way, he
hopes, of elevating a unit, which, like
his offense, has nowhere to go but up.