Page Eight
THE CAMPUS ECHO
Friday, October 29, 1965
Stevens Reflects
On Eagle Defeats
By Robert Stevens
To the untrained eye, final
scores are sometimes very de
ceiving. Although they tied St.
Augustine’s College, 12-12, and
lost to the Virginia State, 14-6,
the gridiron Eagles have made
tremendous strides within the
last two weeks of plays. Win
ning both games statistically,
the Eagles have been the vic
tims of costly mistakes and bad
luck.
October 9th seemed to be the
turning point in the 1965 grid
iron season. Against St. Augus
tine, the Eagles scored their
first points of the year, giving
themselves a much needed
boost in moral. At home
against Virginia State, they al
so scored, and have begun to
move the ball down field with
greater ease. Both rival teams
scored early in the first period
to take an early lead, thereby
acquiring a psychological ad
vantage of N C C. However,
veterans, Billy Alsbrooks, Bob
Ferguson, Herman Byrd, James
Devone, and others have re
turned to their old form. With
the help of freshman Lonnie
Paige, Harold Beatty, Doug
Wilkerson, Charles Holloway,
Charles Brown, and particu
larly Fred Baldwin, the vete
rans are beginning to function
as a unit.
As a result of the ferocity
of the Eagle defensive line, the
St. Augustine Falcon lost many
feathers, and displayed a great
-inability to leave Mother Earth
after numerous plays. Virginia
State also volimteered a player
to help the advancement of
medical science, when con
fronted by the Eagles. This line
is being anchored by sturdy,
seasoned veterans, and very
promising frosh.
The secondary is somewhat
inexperienced, particularly at
the halfback and safety spots.
As a result, the opposing teams
have been making long gains
and numerous touchdowns by
means of a passing attack.
However, this is natiirally ex
pected when veterans are being
covered by freshman backs,
who are unaware of the differ
ent tricks and fakes of a sea
soned pass receiver. These-boys
have begun to work together
and are slowly, but surely cor
recting their mistakes, one by
one.
Offensively, freshman quar
terback, Fred Baldwin is rapid
ly making the transition be
tween high school and college
football. In spite of his mis
takes he has done a very good
job of signal-calling, and must
be given moral support by the
fans as well as the team if he
is to continue his strides to
ward perfection.
A tip of the hat must also
go to the little speedsters James
Devone, Colon Oliver and Roy
Anderson, who have constantly
given their all in spite of their
small statures.
Halfback Billy Alsbrook con
tinues to dazzle the crowd with
his agile, and shifty running
style. With an increase in
blocking, he will surely rein
force his potential as a scoring
threat in future games.
The overall outlook of the
Eagles seems bright. Baldwin
and his teammates are apt to
surprise several teams in the
near future.
Evans Exhibits The ‘‘Eagle” Eye
Robert Ferguson, captain of the football team, kneels in readiness
for the annual Homecoming clash.
Memorial Service Held For Bears
PROCESSIONAL
HYMN The EJagles Laid His Claw on Me
SCRIPTURE Brother Fred Baldwin
PRAYER . Brother Robert Ferguson
HYMN I Saw An Eagle in the Sky
REMARKS Brother Billy Shropshire
SOLO Brother Bobby Asmond
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF CONDOLENCES Brother Her
man Byrd
EULOGY : Doctor Billy Alsbrooks
RECESSIONAL
Pall Bearers Honorable Pall Bearers
Brother James Black Brother J. A. Stevens
Brother James DeVone Brother G. L. Quiett
Brother Charles Johnson Brother Johnson
Brother Milton Fitch, Jr. Brother Charlie Cox
Brother Douglas Wilkerson
Brother Joseph Smith
Brother Lonnie Page
Brother Colon Oliver
Shed no tears, family.
The Bear has joined his clan
Oh! he was glad
To depart from Eagleland,
He left a message
For the gold and blue
Dear A & T Aggies.
They will get you too.
Great Occasion- H’coming’s Here
By Norma Brown
Once again, we, the Eagles,
have begun celebrating that
great occasion caUed Home
coming. This year the dates are
Wednesday, October 27 through
Saturday, October 30.
To kick-off this affair, a
Maroon and Gray Day was
held. On this day the true
Eagles wore their maroon
sweaters, blouses, or shirts and
gray skirts or pants. A Home
coming Talent Show was also
held on this day. The place of
this event was the B. N. Duke
Auditorium at 7:00 P.M. Im
mediately following this pro
gram, there was a social hour
on the lawn from 9:00 - 10:30
P. M.
On Thursday, the most ex
citing and fun-filling fimeral
was held. This occasion was
marked by the burial of the
Shaw University Bears. This
day also marked the beginning
of preparation for the parade
and planning of the floats.
A bon fire and a pep rally
from 7:00 - 8:30, a weiner
roast and dance from 8:30 -
11:00, and the continuation of
preparation for the parade are
on the agenda for Friday.
On schedule for Saturday is
a dawn dance from 4:00- 6:30
A.M. in the Men’s Gymnasium;
a parade at 10:00 A.M.; the
selling of box luncheons and
box dinners to the visitors from
11:00 A.M. - 6:00 PJVT.; a re
ception given by President and
Mrs. Massie for the alimmi
from 12:00 noon - 1:00 P.M.;
the biggest event of the annual
affair, the Homecoming Game
and the crowning of Miss
Homecoming at 1:00 P.M.; a
reunion of the classes at 5:00
PJM.; and the climax of this
gala affair in a victory ball
featuring Garnett Mimms and
his band to be held in the
Men’s Gym.
By James Evans
The surest way for one to get
kicked is to be down because
everyone is likely to kick one
while he is down. After their
first two shutout losses of the
current football season the 1965
edition of the North Carolina
College football squad will find
immeasurable validity in this
statement.
Most Eagle supporters in
cluding the omnipresent “fair
weather” fans were spared im
mediate exposure to the initial
loss of the season, 28-0, at the
mercy of Allen University in
Coltunbia, South Carolina. One
need only view the statistics in
the Durham Morning Herald
however to deduce that the
Eagles’ attack proves no threat
to the recognized supremacy of
the Packers or the Colts. In
fact, after the first game, the
NCC offensive statistics strik
ingly resembled the “national
debt.” Whether the Eagles were
that “un-offensive,” or Allen
University was that formid
able, or more plausibly a com
bination of both is difficult to
say.
On October 2 at 1:30 p.m. at
O’Kelly Field, followers of the
Eagles were afforded their op
portunity of formulating their
own first-hand conclusion. The
opponent was the perenially
powerful Bears of Morgan
State. A week earlier they had
humiliated Hampton Institute,
42-0. The Eagles took the field
against Morgan State which
was practically NCC’s one and
only positive acquisition that
a ft e r n o o n. Immediately the
“feathers flew,” Eagle feathers
that is, as the Bears immedi
ately initiated their “plucking
Smalls Interviews
James A. Stevens
By Curtis Smalls
With the present football sea
son reaching its mid-way point,
the faculty, students, and alirni-
ni of NCC anxiously await the
Eagles 1965 Homecoming tilt
with Shaw University, Octo
ber 30.
In anticipation of the gruel
ing contest to come, we were
able to catch Eagle mentor.
Coach J. A. Stevens, in his of
fice going through the games
scouting reports. “We are ex
pecting an all-out effort from a
very spirited ball club,” he
said. “The Bears will use every
thing from a spread offense to
an imbalanced line,” he added.
Although Coach Stevens hasn’t
seen the Bears play, he stated
that the Eagles would be up
against 5-4 Oklahoma defense
or a 6-2. When asked about the
Bears coaching, he replied,
"Coach Royster of Shaw Uni
versity, who is an exponent of
Jake Gaither of Florida A. arid
M. University, is a bright,
young, imaginative coach and
will use all the tricks in the
book against us.”
On the other hand, the Eagles
will be looking for the return
of Leon Walker, a 257-pound
tackle—^fullbacks Ben Carring
ton and Billy Shropshire. Also
back, Kenneth Davis and end,
Charles Holloway are expected
to play.
In stunmarizing what fans
should expect. Coach Stevens
said, “It will be a very inter
esting contest with teams play
ing wide open football and
should shape into a real bat
tle.”
process.” The visitors from the
Chesapeake Bay area gracious
ly accepted the opening kick-
off and 16 plays later they
possessed their first touchdown.
It was now the Eagles turn to
attack; and attack they didn’t!
Forced to punt the NCC pxmter,
Shropshire, realized the ap
preciable impossibility of punt
ing in crowded conditions;
especially when those condi
tions are created by and com
posed of Morgan State person
nel. As the blocked punt at
tempt rolled in the end zone
and was recovered for a Bear
touchdown, the pattern of the
game was beginning to unfold.
For the major portion of the
afternoon the Eagle offense
closely resembled a dance rou
tine 1, 2, 3, kick! The two NCC
freshman quarterbacks must
have been quite surprised at
the increased number of men
allowed in the backfield—the
Eagles’ running backs and the
various Morgan State linemen
who had become “de facto
members” for the afternoon.
As Cole and Baldwin dropped
back to pass they were in
variably accompanied by a
major portion of the Bear “rush
line.” As the maroon and gray
“speed backs” tried to get out
side to turn the ends they were
repeatedly “detoured” by the
Morgan State version of Gino
Marchetti. Running inside the
tackier had been long since
eliminated by the voluntary im
mobility of the Bear lineman.
As football games are not
called because of rain, there
was no need for an Eagle rain
dance. Consequently, the final
gun was, the only reprieve
Coach Stevens’ men received.
This attempt to accurately
interpret the North Carolina Col
lege football performance, is by
no means smother discreet kick
at the temporarily downed
Eagle. For it is inevitable that
he will rise again. His ascen
sion may have begun in Ra
leigh on October 9 as the Eagle
played St. Augustine to a 12-
12 tie. Those who consider a
tie a negligible accomplishment
must remember that this is the
first sign of offensive proficien
cy shown by the Eagles this
season. This is a yoimg team
highly dependent upon fresh
men and other inexperienced
personnel. It is generally con
ceded that the defensive de
velopment of a team will ex
ceed the offensive development
because although modern de
fensive football is intricate, of
fensive football can be even
more so. Led by freshman
quarterbacks, the problem with
the offense has not been mere
ly inadequate personnel, but
the fact that the offensive unit
has not yet jelled and assumed
the necessary confidence and
solidity. One need only recall
the Morgan State game to see
that although 33 points were
scored against the Eagles in
their shut-out loss, far too
many of the points were at
tributed to offensive lapses and
the surrendering of the ball by
the Eagles in excellent field
position for Morgan State.
So, for those sincere and in
telligent football fans, North
Carolina College’s squad should
provide an excellent study in
the maturation of a football
team as it achieves that co
hesion and solidity peculiar to
a successful unit. And for those
“fair weather” fans who have
nothing but scorn and defama
tion for the Eagles, the Eagle
is no common, ordinary barn
yard fowl. The Eagle is a
mighty bird, and he will fly
high again! Perhaps sooner
than you think!