A&T VS. CENTRAL, C3
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1988
Sports
C
rv coverage of black college football is next to nil
When it comes to national network television coverage, black college
3tball remains in the twilight zone. The major networks' top brass have
parently determined that black college football is to be avoided like a
jaded disease.
That’s a pity because everyone involved loses out and that includes the
|tworks.
With little or no national public exposure, college athletic programs
n't generate sufficient interest to build healthy budgets for their athletic
ffers. Without national TV exposure, many major sponsors tend to spend
lativeiy little on a game, which means that the potential for revenue has
en drastically reduced.
But with national exposure, major sponsors are willing to shell out the
i bucks because they know that the games will reach a large audience
M has the capacity and willingness to buy certain products and services.
Black Entertainment Television has done its duty to air black college
STRAIGHT TALK
With CRAIG T. GREENLEE
sports. But outside of BET, the Grambling vs. South Carolina State game
is the only black college football contest that has been able to get on a
"general market" national network.
Still, the big three (ABC, CBS and NBC) continue to overlook what
constitutes a very substantial market of viewers.
Black Americans comprise one of the most rapidly growing consumer
segments in the nation. As a group, blacks spend more than $200 billion
annually. That total surpasses the Gross National Product of some coun
tries. It's no secret that if Black America was a separate nation, say like
Mexico or Canada, the GNP would be ranked somewhere among the
world's top 12.
The argument that there aren't enough blacks with sufficient spending
power to attract major advertisers is ludicrous.
Furthermore, there are two shining examples proving that black col-
Please see page C2
Pete's Rams set for Saturday opener vs. Elon College
3y CRAIG T. GREENLEE
Chronicle Sports Editor
Get ready for some rock ’em,
:ock ’em football this weekend
vhen the Winston-Salem State
^ams travel to Burlington to take
)n NAIA powerhouse Elon Col-
t ege. Game time is 7 p.m. Satur-
lay at Burlington Memorial Stadi-
im.
In many respects, the two
earns are very similar on offense,
ioth have strong offensive lines
30 ind they prefer to run the football
is the staple of their attacks. The
tarns will put their ground game
n the hands of Broderick Graves,
Whe all-CIAA tailback who gained
■liver 800 yards last season, Elon
B^ill have Dwayne Clark who has
ushed for 3,023 yards the past
wo seasons.
/ Rams head coach Pete
(tichardson is outwardly reserved
^bout his first game as the WSSU
I op guy. But it’s hard not to get the
I eeling that he’s eager to tee it up
rVnd see what happens.
"It's imperative that both
earns get off to a good start," he
aid. "Elon has a fine football
earn and they've shown that the
last few seasons. They live and
^ lie by their offensive lines and
unning backs and we're pretty
./inuch in the same boat. Who wins
vill be determined by whose
lefense and stop the other team's
piffense."
Richardson doesn't feel that
lis team is quite where it should
■)e at this time of the season.
^ iowever, he is pleased that his
I roops are getting used to his way
|\pf doing things and is confident
jphat they will successfully make
f ;he transition as the season pro-
I presses.
F "We’ve had a lot of distrac-
ions coming into the pre-season,"
ii^-Uchardson points out. "They real-
l(lze that the past is history. And
history is good when you've had a
P^inning program. But they also
■^now that history doesn’t win
football games. Overall, our kids’
attitude about the season has been
very good. They’re still making
some mental mistakes but they are
making the good effort to pick
things up."
Aside from that, the Rams
mentor is concerned that his team
doesn't have much depth on both
Photo by The Magnificent Eye
All-CIAA olfensive guard Vernard Dillard Jr. Is eager to open some holes for the Winston-Salem State ground attack.
sides of the ball. Staying away
from injuries will be especially
important for the Rams to remain
as the top team in the CIAA
South.
Defensively, WSSU figures
to uphold its reputation as a take
no quarters, give no quarters
group. Nevertheless, Richardson
hasn’t been happy about the play
of his defensive unit as they enter
their first game.
"We are not executing on
defense at the level that I know
they can," he explained. "It looks
like our defensive people seem to
get ready when they see a differ
ent color jersey. If we would’ve
played a game this week, I don’t
think the outcome would have
been very favorable."
Richardson admits that the
three-a-day sessions could be
starting to take its toll. But by the
end of this week, he notes, they
should be in good shape since
school will be back in session and
they will practice just one time
daily.
"Physically, we’re in good
shape," the coach said. "Because
of the heat we've been practicing
in, we've had some people lose
weight. We don't have any major
injuries or the kind of injuries that
will prevent someone from play
ing. We've been doing an awful
lot of hitting in our drills too, so
when school starts back, every
body should have their legs back
and they'll be okay."
While the Rams running
game will highlight their offen
sive game plan, Richardson says
he won't completely avoid the
passing game. He has wideout
Keith Torrence back, but the
major question around camp has
concerned who will be the quar
terback.
At this time, Kenny Jones has
the edge over Keith James,
Richardson said. "We're going to
stay pretty much with the offense
we had last year, the same offense
that our kids are most familiar
with."
Does that mean that Torrence
will be a non-factor?
Not necessarily.
"I feel safe in saying that
we’ll' stick with our running game
until we have a quarterback that
matures and understands the lead
ership that’s needed to run our
offense. Both Kenny and Keith
are getting more confidence with
each sn^ they take. There may be
some surprises in our passing
game, though. We've worked on it
since day one (of camp)."
Elon (6-4 in the South
Atlantic 8 last year) will test the
Rams defense. Along with Clark
in the backfield is George Dixon,
a 4.4 speedster who can make
things happen quickly for the
Fightin' Christians.
Head coach Mack Carden has
put in a few wrinkles for his
offense in '88. In addition to the
Please see page C2
High School Soofliaht
Dred Booe pounds it out for Reynolds High School
By Chronicle Staff
red Booe Is a Demon load of football player.
The Reynolds Demons have a
steamroller of a football player in
massive Dred Booe, a 6-3, 245 lbs.
fullback/linebacker.
Coming into his final season,
Booe has potential written all over his
considerable frame. Even though he
missed seven games last year because
of a torn up knee that required
surgery, the college scouts continue to
drool over the big guy. He's healthy
now, thanks to an extensive recupera
tion program supervised by personnel
at Wake Forest over the past several
months.
"We've been getting quite a few
calls from the major schools about
Dred," says Reynolds coach Doug
Crater. "Illinois, UCLA, South Caroli
na and North Carolina talk to us on a
regular basis about him."
It’s easy to see why.
Booe runs a 4.6 in the 40, and
possesses bull-type strength. But
more importantly, he won't be a
Proposition 48 case. He reportedly
scored over 1,000 on the SAT, accord
ing to Crater.
In addition, big Booe is being
touted as one of the top high school
linebackers in the Mid-Atlantic region
by Super Prep Magazine out of Cali
fornia.
As a two-way performer, Booe is
a busy guy on Friday nights. In the
Demons' season opener against East
Forsyth last week, he gave his team
everything they needed in their 26-20
victory.
For now, he and Gerald Fenner
split time at the fullback slot. In the
early going, he's likely to see more
time at outside linebacker. "Some
times Dred has great offensive
games," Crater adds. "But on defense,
he's a big obstacle to get around
because you're not going to run over
him."
He is a terror at linebacker
because of his speed and agility. He
fends off blockers with ease and goes
after enemy quarterbacks with the
hunger and zeal that college defensive
coordinators adore.
On offense, Booe becomes the
bulldozer. On Reynold's opening scor
ing drive against East Forsyth, the
Demons had moved the ball inside the
Eagles 10, but stalled on the four-
yard line after three plays. Enter Booe
who slashed off left tackle, dragging
three tacklers into the end zone with
him.
Another new wrinkle that Crater
has added with Booe is as a blocker
on sweeps and pitches. Comerbacks
are in for trouble when Booe goes in
motion. He literally clears the field
for tailbacks Doimell Glover and Tor
rez Hughes when the Demons want to
turn the comers.
Crater feels that the most
improved part of Booe's game is his
maturity as a ballplayer. "He used to
be a big boy," the coach says. "Now
he's like a man out there. There was a
time when he didn't like to block, but
that's no longer tme."
Booe is a multi-purpose type.
He's the team's back-up punter and
has the sure hands to play tight end.
With all those possibilities, it’s a ques
tion of where college coaches may
want to play him.
Crater feels his best position
would be either defensive end or out
side linebacker. "But if he goes to a
school that has an option offense and
they like to pound the ball inside, he'd
be a good fit for that system," the
coach explained. "But more than like
ly, the school that gets him will recruit
him as an athlete and take his skills to
fit into their program."