Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Sept. 19, 1985, edition 2 / Page 11
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SIX-SHOOTER P Jackson State's W.C. Gorden on "S< quarterback. He throws a soft ball w ?<n~: ui n/>U ?c allUOVC 9 ctrilr* , DClllg, UIOVIV IO against you," says Totten. "I feel if a person is producing, he shouldn't be judged by his color but by his performance. But the way things are set up there are more white quarterbacks than there are black. 141 read once where quarterback is a white man's job, but white quarterbacks are proving that to be wrong. On some teams, I don't see how white quarterbacks even play. "Being black will be a factor against me. I'll just do what I do best - throw the ball. If they don't want me throwing the ball, I may as well pack and get me a coaching job." Cooley feels the only thing standing between Totten and an outstanding pro career is the prejudices of owners and coaches. "If they give him a shot like they do everybody else," says Cooley, "I'm not worried about him. "The only problem is how black they're going to get. He can play football. They know that. The point is who is willing to give him a fair shake and not use what he does wrong as an excuse to sit him down." Cooley is the first to acknowledge From Page 9 * * * * * * * * m ? . *1 **>"?* - / fEjg^g*. |^r k atellite": "Totten is a pass receiver's qi ith a good, tight spiral, which is unithat Totten has imperfections. But dc those imperfections are few. At 6 feet 2 de and 200 pounds, he has the size the pros like. PI Also, he is accustomed to reading it' defenses. He has a strong enough arm to to go deep and possesses good touch on w< the medium routs. "You never conquer it all," says pr Cooley. "The thing is how good can he ??> get from where he is. I hope he will get w< even better. All of us have weakneses. go But the kind of weaknesses he has you pe have to look for." he Totten, who will graduate with a degree in health and physical education bl; in December, says he will just wait and ths see what happens. atl "i would love to play pro ball," says St< Totten. "That's always been one of my toi dreams. I mostly wanted to play in the NFL because that was the only league. tic But I'm not going to base everything a ] on playing pro ball. atl "I know how difficult it is to be a at pro athlete. You can have the ability frc but you might not perform the way the ed owner and coaches want you to. is Things don't always work the way you want them to. If I get drafted, it'll be coi the.best thing, to happen to me. If 1 . an ? f^H ? * *?" ^ * -fl 1J^DI ** SBSEj&l ^ jjr% *^_. mhh^ . v M * * $msm&&aiBfip'l \ ji ^# k NMBr. ojrajKjiWZm m^" v" .*> \ ^Tfjgyy .if j m 9*^91 W Y||k M bik& . ^ le (photo by Mark Gail)." >n't, I can always fall back on my igree." New England Patriots Director of ayer Personnel Dick Steinberg thinks 11 be a while, before Totten will have worry about putting his desire to >rk. "We've looked at him in a eliminary way," says Steinberg. Ve haven't looked at him close but i know he's a prospect. He has a od arm. He's strong and he's ex j rr - licmcu in an ouense similar to wnat will be asked to do in the NFL." Even though Totten plays for a small ? ick school and the popular notion is at NFL clubs tend downgrade such iletes ? especially quarterbacks ;inberg contends that won't be a facr come draft time. "We do consider level of competi>n, all else being equal," he says. "If player is similar in size, skills and lletic ability to Willie and he played Illinois for instance, we take the guy >m Illinois. But he won't be penaliza great deal - only if everything else equal. "We penalize a kid less for level of mpetition if he's a quarterback than y other position..Jt*s a different ESSE Black College Sports* Review - Iwm JJl h V I Wv j HuHfl Hfe: position. No matter what level he plays on, he has to cope with the pressure and be a leader. "Being black isn't a factor anymore," Steinberg says. "Some will be skeptical, but I think we've progressed beyond that point. I'm sorry people feel that's a problem. Coaches want to win. They have to be concerned about their livelihood. They want the best people they can get." Considering his desire to play professionally, it would be understandable if Totten were to think of himself first and concentrate on doing whatever is necessary to make himself more attractive to the pros. That's happened to more than a few star players. But Tottcn doesn't appear to be a candidate for that role. "I need to try to keep my composure and not worry about going pro and letting pressure be the main issue," he says. "I need to stay relaxed and keep confidence in myself. After that, I'll reach my final goal. I'm just hoping I have a good year. , . Flease Se? Page 24 September, 1985-Page. \ 1
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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Sept. 19, 1985, edition 2
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