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10Football 1984September 13, 1984 Football 1984September 13, 198411 "'HW. viAVt-. vww" Horton puts goals in perspective & A- . Lit! tA , ?: VmnMHMIWMIlM V y II" trwW1lIIJWWMlM.WWI'IWl ltlW.W. ml HJII J J IHMUMUilU IliWlW WtlP5-'.lffPWWW-' II II II III I I '""I'lljlHlf ' I 'I I II I II II I I I h AA' - A 'lA-"tA ;Vx ti 1 LaTy ..tAv 1 i A S -V - 4 :s4ry vAf . XtAAAtAVS V. : 1 lV vA-i , lH K . ' AiAGi Av f AI:3MMAMf A m :.j v r HA- - ; VX -t-v : a: . s -" ktX; ; rf A-A3? AVIi pr ".V. V. '... ....... .WAV.V.W.V.'. .'..V.'.'.' V.' A ' OfWHWj. .. ,". U . . Jv VVlf. - V: 'W " 'IV .W. . I.' .- . 'V- .ViV . V. V.'A-.V- VAVA'.W.....VA - W..V.V.V . .."...... "A. . . -. - V. W.-.'. ... ".. Ol All iVnVViS A v.- Wl".1 ? :L ' :;aa. q: ::W0ww . S v A XXVVfWo6 Sf " OiAV Ethan Horton is continuing the tradition of 1,000-yard tailbacks Moon to light way for UNC defense By KURT ROSENBERG Staff Writer Micah. In the Book of Judges, he was a man of the Hill country, known far and wide for. his, heroic deeds. In another section of the Old Testament, .a. -different ,hero bore the same name.'He.vfasf Judean prophet who condemned the rich for oppressing the poor. Sincerity, he believed, was the sign of a true prophet. His name meant "Who is like God." Some 1, 200 years later, a hero with strikingly similar character istics has emerged, wearing, of all things, a football uniform. Micah Moon also is from the hill country. Not in the Middle East, but the upland of west-central Virginia. The son of a minister and the last of nine children all named from the Bible, he is fully expected to be a hero and a leader for the inexperienced North Carolina defense this season. It is perhaps an exaggeration to compare him to a prophet, but like the figure after whom he was named, Micah Moon appears to care a great deal about integrity and selflessness. And the notion of hero worship, that he enjoys more privileges than do mere mortals, is one at which he seems to shudder. His symbolic name is unique at the same time that it is approp riate. It sets him apart from the typical linebacker, as if his play at the position didn't already serve that purpose. Naturally, he takes his name for granted. Naturally, others do not. The questions about the basis for Moon's first name come often. "All the time," he says softly. "I wasn't aware of if (being unique). But one thing about it, they say my name flows. Like Mic ahhh Moooooon. Like a tune or something." " ! ! ' The ironic thingjs that those who know him rarely address him by his first name. He is known simply as "Moon." His outrageous sense of humor surely has made some of his teammates wonder if his last name and his birthplace are one and thS same. He can play the role of a comedian equally as well as he has played inside linebacker the past three seasons. It's one of the many reasons his teammates appreciate him. "He's a clown," says Troy Simmons, who has roomed with Moon since the two arrived at UNC in I98L "He comes up with the weirdest jokes tTiat pick people up at the right time. Because of that, a lot of people look up to him." The UNC coaches don't neces sarily enjoy his antics. It's not uncommon for Moon to bring defensive coordinator Denny Mar cin a cup of water at practice. One might consider it an unusual gesture for a player with All American written all over him. There is a catch, though. The cup is empty. Before practice even begins. Moon is the one counted upon to cure any feelings of anxiety that might be in the air. His imperso nations of coaches and teammates have become almost legendary. "You can sense some guys are worred about practice before it even starts," Simmons says. "Then him and Earl (Winfield) will start dancing, and it has people rolling. You can feel the tension in the locker room, and after Moon does something like this, it gets everyb ody relaxed." During a 7-on-7 drill in practice recently, Moon was rushing the quarterback when his progress was stopped unexpectedly by a machine used to simulate a line man over which the passer must throw. His jersey became snagged on a screw, sending him back in the opposite direction. Taking the machine with him, Moon began to walk off the field. The other players could barely contain themselves as they watched the incident. "That's like offensive holding," Moon says, shaking his head. "A machine holding me. It was on film, and they kept runnin' it back, checkin'me out, laughin'and stuff. Like it could only happen to me." His ability to provide comic relief is spontaneous. Like his name, it is a trait he rarely thinks about. "I can't help it," he says. "I try to be serious, but the thing about it, I know when there's a time to be serious. And 1 try to have a good sense of humor because I realize that getting along with people and being accepted into the environment is very, very impor tant. Not only in football, but in other aspects of life, too. At 6-1, 233 pounds, Micah Moon is easily recognized as a football player when he walks across campus. The development of his legs and upper body make it clear. The finely chiseled face hidden partially by black sun glasses does not disguise the notion that he is, in the view of many students, one of the chosen few. It was exactly this idea rich vs. poor that Micah the prophet detested. It is a similar image UNC football player vs. "typical" UNC student that Moon says he resents. Not to suggest that his calling in life is to fulfill the role of a modern day Robin Hood. He has yet to be seen outside of the undergraduate library offering football tickets to strangers. Nor does he distribute ice-cream cones to the non-athletic population of Ehringhaus. All he wants is to be understood. "I don't like to be considered a jock," he explains. "If they do have that stereotype of me, that's them. That's their business. But as long as I know how I am, that's all that matters." And how, exactly, is he? "Chilled out . . . just havin' fun, knowin' what I've got to do to keep everything in perspective." The jock stereotype is one that apparently bothers Moon. "People think that we get all the special privileges," he says. "Classes. You know, 'You ain't gotta do this in class.' That's just not true. "Like saying we've got AC in our rooms, and we get to eat steak at the training table. If some of the people realized what you as an athlete have to go through, then I think they would change their minds, and wouldn't be talkin' about stuff like that. They don't have to go out there and lay around in the rain in practice, or play with bruises and bumps." This season, his last at UNC, Moon will again be delivering his share of bruises and bumps. Only this year, they will come at outside linebacker, which officially became his new position over the summer. The Tar Heels had virtually no experience there going into this season. And although Moon had no experience at the position, either, coach Dick Crum decided that he could make the adjustment and that moving his top defensive player to a new spot would be in the best interest of the team. . Crum thought Moon could not only adjust, but that he could thrive on the outside. "It's simply going to be a matter of him realizing just how much he's really capable of doing," Crum says. "Micah has the capabilities By MICHAEL PERSINGER Assistant Sports Editor North Carolina tailback Ethan Hor ton says he never has been much of a goal setter, but he certainly has some lofty ambitions for himself and his Tar Heel teammates for 1984. He insists that the first goals are team goals, and that the team goal is to go out and take the ACC championship. But he has set some individual goals. He wants to repeat as the ACC's leading rusher, a title he gained last year with 1,107 yards. He wants to repeat on the All-ACC squad. He wants to be an Ail American. And, he says, winning the Heisman Trophy would be nice. But Horton has all of his individual goals in perspective. "I know that if we don't Inve a winning season here this year, all the things that I accomplish like if I gel 1,000 yards and I get all-conference that won't be worth a hill of beans," Horton said. "One of the most important things to me this year is just to win, and that's what we are concentrating on. If we win, that will be great because I know that individual success only comes with team success." Still, Horton's goals are lofty, espe cially when you consider the fact that he has only been playing tailback for three years. Horton came to UNC as one of the most highly recruited quarterbacks in the country, but his career as a Tar Heel quarterback lasted just slightly more than half a season. That's when injuries felled both Kelvin Bryant and Tyrone Anthony, the. two tailbacks in the Tar Heel scheme. UNC head coach Dick Crum found a replace ment in the 6-4, 218-pound Horton, who responded with a clutch 94-yard, 26 carry performance against a tough Maryland defense after just one week at the position. Horton-got the chance because he was the best athlete available. He went on to share MVP honors with Bryant in the Gator Bowl win over Arkansas that season, and when Crum " know that if we don V have a winning season here this year, all the things that I accomplish like if I get 1,000 yards and I get all-conference that won V be worth a hill of beans. " Ethan Horton gave him the choice of staying at tailback or returning to quarterback the following spring, Horton chose tailback. It was a choice he has not regretted. "I really don't have any second thoughts about it," Horton said. "When I first did it, I had second thoughts about whether I would be able to be effective at tailback where I would have to learn something different, but now that I've made the switch, I am pretty confident with what I have done." Horton's performance during the past two and a half seasons has convinced both him and everyone else that he can perform effectively at tailback. Horton's 1,107 yards a season ago proved that conclusively. "I've improved over the years," Horton said. "I get a lot lower now, and I see a lot of the things that are going on out there. It used to be that I would just get the ball and run to the hole that I was supposed to, but now once I get the ball I see a lot of other things around me than just where I am supposed to go. My eyes have gotten a lot better. "And I think I'm a better combination runner now. I used to just try to run over people, but now I think I have the speed to get by them." Horton said he expects the UNC offense to be more wide open this season, and one change that should contribute to the diversification, as well as to Horton's improvement as a runner, is Crum's decision to move to a combina tion of the I-formation and the split-back pro set. "Split backs will really open it up for everyone, not just for myself," Horton said. "We have the split ends and the tight ends to do the job, and the defense won't be able to just key on the fullback and know that that's where we are going. "Everybody on the offense likes the split backs, because the I is kind of predictable. In the I, if you just watch the fullback, who is probably going to be the lead blocker, everybody will follow him. With split backs, you are not going to be able to tell which way we are going, and I think that is going to help us as an offense because you aren't going to be able to tell what we're doing." Alongside Horton in that split-back set will be fullback Eddie Colson, Horton's roommate and close friend. Horton said that the type of friendship he has with Colson can't help but make both of them better backs. "I have known Eddie ever since the Shrine Bowl, and just by rooming with him I think we both know the type of players and the type of people we are, and that has helped us both out a long way," Horton said. "I get a lot more exposure than he probably gets, but without him I'm really nothing. What makes me is him and the offensive line. "We would like to be the best backfield in the ACC," Horton said. "I'm hoping that he does good and he's hoping that I do good, so we are not really self centered or anything like that. We want to help each other out." So much for not being a goal-setter. But Horton said one thing is for sure UNC won't have to deal with high expectations this season. "We don't have a lot of pressure on us this year with people saying we should win the national championship and we should beat them and we should beat them. Now it's just up in the air, and each game we have to go in and work hard." A9 AWWA IP 6y s 3 mviwiw warn , v ." i v A 4. -X S. JAW HHiiia t &x. nu a AnriMA - Jilt ' ' vf UH Yr4 l f? " 4 A t ' W? J 1 VA - s -.1 S -f r-: ... . .:. .. y. ' x-.:.k.:v:.:4:mov. : $1 v -Jb i: : : sue".": :::.: , ..mMwjfeasav::.:!.;; M . .: . x , ' , ,l'f Y IV vS' ' A - v - w W IA4 Af- : A'. Ik y 1 Hk'.a -4 - 'V J ' AJ I - i Yi 4 v , J WWWwmnlM Jter !m,-vAit.to . i. . J L v SA3.AV v7pA r1 Ti A-'T0 -4,' , i yh ) A"" . rA; j A .... te, A . x r'? Y " - vA 4vx iAAvV ft?fAw AAAt- Xa vrAv-A wl A W'ViliVJW.v. W,V, iv William Fuller came back to UNC to earn his degree in industrial relations Fuller thinks like a businessman See MOON on page 20 Micah Moon is noted for a sense of humor that keeps his teammates laughing on and off the field By MIKE WATERS Staff Writer Business-like. It's an odd term for a man whose job is the destruction of the well laid plans of others. Still, businessman seems to fit former North Carolina football player William Fuller. Fuller is back on the UNC campus this fall after completing a tremendous rookie season with the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL. Just as for everything else, Fuller has a purpose for the time he is spending earning credits toward a degree in industrial relations. "I'd like to be able to handle the money I'm making right now in the best way possible," Fuller said. "I need to make sure of my investments and tax-shelters. I hope that there will be a career in business after football; I'm planting a few seeds in that direction right now." Choosing the USFL over the NFL was another business deci sion for the man who made the Tar Heels' pass rush so impressive the last three seasons. "When you get to that level, it's a job," Fuller said. "You're getting paid, so you take the job with the highest bidder. "I tried to figure my worth, and I kind of new what I'd be able to get with the NFL. I got a lot of guarantees (from the Stars) and I had the opportunity to play right away," Fuller said. . .Fuller took advantage of that opportunity and started in the Stars' first 1 1 games of the season at defensive tackle. A broken right ankle forced him to miss the next five games, but he returned for the last two regular season games and the playoffs. The Stars, denied the USFL's first championship by the surpris ing Michigan Panthers in 1983, were unmatched by their playoff competition. The New Jersey Generals had twice upset Philadel phia in the regular season but were no match in the post-season, falling 28-7. The Birmingham Stallions, led by Joe Cribbs, couldn't do much better in a 20-10 defeat. The Stars led 20-0 late in the game before Birmingham added some respec tability points. "There was no doubt in anyone's mind that we would win," Fuller said of the championship game against the upstart Arizona Wranglers. "The guys, especially the ones who had been with the team the first year, didn't want what happened last year to happen again." The Stars so overpowered the Wranglers that the 23-3 game is not remembered as a blow-out but more of a boredom festival in which the outcome was never in question. Fuller's background at North Carolina quickened his develop ment in the pros in a couple of ways. Former UNC defensive line coach Chuck Priefer, now with the Green Bay Packers, honed Fuller as a collegian, and with the Stars, Fuller joined former Tar Heels i Kelvin Bryant and Joe Conwell. ; "Carolina's program was really good training," Fuller said. "I had had a good background in tech niques, so it was easier for me. Guys from the smaller schools didn't have the training. All I really had to do was learn the plays. "It's always hard to go through a new place," Fuller said of the adjustment to the professional experience. "Kelvin and Joe being up there too made it easier to adjust." The strength of the Philadelphia Stars organization makes compar ison of the two pro leagues easier for Fuller to bear. "Philadelphia has a first-class organization," he said. "It's run just as well as any organization in the USFL or NFL. We have a great management that runs ever ything first-class. "The owner, Miles Tannen baum, is close to the players. If you have a problem you can go talk with Miles. After each game he writes each player a note. That takes a lot of time when you have 40 players." Fuller also has some opinions of the two pro leagues and the possibility of a merger. "You go into the NFL and you have a lot of players playing on reputation," FuJler said of the older league. "They're like an institution. That was one thing I didn't want to run into. I didn't want to work just to watch some older guy play. "I'm pretty sure a merger will happen," Fuller said. "That's one reason why we're moving to Baltimore (for the fall 1986 season after one more spring in Philly). See FULLER on page 19
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Sept. 13, 1984, edition 1
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