t
Times Are Tougrh And
Rewards Few Along:
The Offensive Line
By Jonathan Phillips
Special Correspondent
Center was always a tricky personnel decision in
those sand lot games.
On the one hand, you needed someone tough and
dependable to put the ball into play.
On the other hand, you hated to waste a real good
player there, because in those brutal no-pads, no
defense contests, the center was nearly always
smashed and taken put of the play.
Thus has it always been for the lowly offensive
lineman, though the good ones at more sophisticated
levels of play do their own share of smashing. Even
then, however, the offensive lineman's life is a
mnishing one with little or no glory.
^ Everybody knows the running backs and
Quarterbacks get all the publicity. Every marginal
football fan in Craven County knows the names of
UNC stars like Kelvin Bryant and Rod Elkins. Only a
few know Dave Dreschler, the tackle who lets Bryant
and Elkins keep their uniforms clean.
Ends and flankers get their glory when they make
a big catch. Defensive backs and linebackers make a
big tackle or an interception and get their names
called over the loudspeakers. Defensive linemen can
sack the quarterback or fall on a fumble to gain
glory.
An offensive lineman can do his job perfectly all
night long and get not a mention from the P.A.
announcer or a word in the paper.
Sometimes an offensive lineman will get a
mention-when his man beats him and makes a big
tackle. Occasionally, very occasionally, credit will be
given for a good block.
But even that only happens when the lineman
^nds his adversary flying, even though on most plays
it is trouble enough—and effective enough—to push
his man a few feet, or stay in his way.
In the trenches
Every coach at every level says it; it may be the
game’s oldest cliche: football games are won and lost
in the trenches, which means along the line of
scrimmage.
Fans don’t pay much attention, and keep on
worshipping backs. But there is no such thing as a
great offense, or a great team, without a great
offensive line.
Lpok at the 1980 West Craven High School team,
which was the Eagles’ best so far and brought West
Craven to respectability. Sure, there were great
REDSKIHS
Don Dawson
Vanceboro Athlete Leads
Team In Reception And
Yardage
Golden Bears. The team
comprised a 6-4 record
for last season in the West
Virginia Intercollegiate
I u
Sept. 12—at Philadelphia 1:00
Sept. 19—alTantpaBay 400
Sept. 26—ST. LOUIS 1.00
Oct. 3—CLEVELAND 1:00
Oct. 10—at Dallas 12:00
Oct. 17—PITTSBURGH 1:00
Oct. 24—at Houston 12 00
Oct. 31—SAN FRANCISCO 1:00
Nov. 7—at Cincinnati 100
Nov. 14-MINNESOTA 1:00
Nov. 21—at New Yofk Giants 4:00
Nov. 28— PHIUDELPHIA 1.00
Dec.5—DALUS 4:00
Dec. 12—at St. Louis 12:00
Dec. 19—NEW YORK GIANTS 1:00
Dec. 26—at New Odeans 12:00
COlXTBOViS
Sept. 13—PITTSBURGH (Mon.) 8:00
Sept. 19—at SI. Louis 12:00
Sept. 26—at Minnesota 12 00
Oct. 3—NEW YORK GIANTS 3 00
Oct. 10—WASHINGTON 12:00
Oct. 17—at Philadelphia. 4:00
lOcl. 24—at Cincinnati 9:00
'Oct. 31 -at New Yorh Giants -4:00
Nov. 7—ST. LOUIS 12:00
Nov. 14—at San Francisco 1:00
Nov. 21 —TAMPA BAY 1200
Nov. 25-CLEVELAND (Thanks.) .... 3:00
Doc. 5—at Washington 4:00
Dec. 13—at Houston (Mon.) 8:00
Doc. 19—NEW ORLEANS 3:00
Dec. 26—PHILADELPHIA 3:00
(Continued on page 11)
Don Dawson led the
West Virginia Golden
Bears in receptions and
yardage last season and
will be heading up the
deep receiving position in
the premiere game of thf
season September 4th.
The 6’8” 165-pouhd
speedster from Vance
boro is a rising senior
computer management
and data processing
major and likes the wide
receiver position because
of his size and because he
can utilize his speed.
W. VA. Institute of
Technology coach Roy
Lucas is looking for a big
year from Dawson who
will probably be an All
Conference candidate.
According to team
statistics, in eight games
last season, Dawson
scooped up 14 receptions
for a total of 252 yards
and scored three touch
downs. He also caught the
longest reception for the
team for a total of 68
yards.
Dawson’s speed and
good ball handling will be
a definite asset to the
Sept. 12
Sept. 19
Sept. 26
Ocl.3—
Oct. 10
Oct, 17-
Oct. 24-
Oct . 31-
Nov. 7—
Nov. 14
Nov. 21
Nov. 28
Dec.2-
Oec. 12
^ec. 18
^flc. 26
!—vs. Green Bay (Milw.) 12:00 ,
DETROIT 1:00
at Philadelphia 1:00
at St. Louis 12:00
ATLANTA 1:00
at-San Francisco 1:00
NEW ORLEANS 1:00
at San Diego 1:00
atNewOrleans 12:00
-NEW YORK GIANTS 1:00
-atAtlanta 1:00
-KANSAS CITY 1:00
SAN FRANCISCO (Thurs.)... 6:00
-DENVER 1:00
-at Oakland (Sat.) 1:00
-CHICAGO 1:00
2-Drawer Files
only
$4450
CAROLINA
Supfib^ Co-
Where Good Things Happen
315 Pollock St. 638-5621
Downtown New Bern
Athletic Conference and
placed second in the
southern division.
The premiere game
will be against George
town, Kentucky Sept. 4th
in Lexington, Kentucky.
The Golden Bears
reported for practice and
training August 15th.
Dawson is a 1978
graduate of West Craven
High School and is the son
of Mrs. Annie B. Dawson
of Vanceboro. He report
edly gained a few pounds
with his mother’s home
cooking this summer and
is looking for a good
season with the Golden
Bears.
WmI Craven Hiahlights, August 26,1682, Page 9F
Williams Keeps Secret
Raleigh-For five months, Eric Williams has been
keeper of the secret.
It isn’t easy being the silent partner to "Playboy”
magazine, but the free safety on N.C. State’s football
team obeyed the orders and kept his mouth shut.
If he had wanted to tell anybody the day he found
out, he’d have had to mumble anyway.
“I had just had five wisdom teeth-I had an extra
one coming in-pulled that day, and my face was all
swollen up,” recalls Williams. “They called me and
told me to come down to Case (Athletics Center).
Then they told me, and I forgot all about my teeth
until I went back home and looked in the mirror.”
The big news was he had been named 1982 pre
season all-America by “Playboy” magazine. The
edition with the colegiate all-American selections hit
the stands Monday, and now-finally-Williams is
free to talk.
“As soon as I found out in April, I wanted to tell
somebody,” says Williams, who did. “I told my mom. I
wanted to tell my dad, but he’s the type of man who’d
tell the guys at work, and I couldn’t.”
Now that the word is out, the elder Williams can
safely be the proud father.
But he already was before the accolades started
rolling in. Williams, the Wolf pack’s.second straight
Playboy pre-season all-America following last year’s
selection Robert Abraham, was also named all-South
on the “Southern Living” pre-season team.
Williams earned those honors by his play on the
field.
In 1979, he led State in interceptions with four,
including a school record three in a single game. He
broke his left leg in pre-season drills and missed the
1980 season but he came back in 1981 to lead the
Atlantic Coast Conference in interceptions with
seven.’
Williams was a big reason the Wolfpack was
second in pass defense and third in team defense in
the ACC last year, but that wasn’t enough. He
decided to give up football.
“I told the coach before the last game that it’d
(Continued on page 10)
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