The Daily Tar HeelThursday, August 31 , 1 9891 9A
FoDroeir UNC -fiootba
By ERIC WAGNON
Staff Writer
The best football team in the
Atlantic Coast Conference year in and
year out can be found in Clemson,
S-C., yet NFL scouts seem to have
quite an affinity for Chapel Hill. UNC
ranks 10th nationally in the number of
former players on NFL rosters. No
other ACC school even Clemson
T rans in the top 20.
'That statistic places North
Carolina's football program in a
group with such traditional powers as
Southern Cal the top school on the
list Penn State, Oklahoma,
Alabama and Notre Dame.
Lawrence Taylor of the New York
Giants and Kelvin Bryant of the
Washington Redskins have made
probably the most publicized impact
on professional football among for
mer UNC players. While Taylor and
Bryant have not worried over the last
month about making their respective
clubs, numerous recent UNC stars
have been working in various NFL
camps to make some team's 45-man
roster.
Former UNC running back Derrick
Fenner has also received significant
publicity over the last three years.
Unfortunately for him, the publicity
has been negative. Fenner's fall from
grace started with an academic sus
pension for the 1986 Aloha Bowl,
then his UNC career quickly ended in
April 1987 after a cocaine and
weapons charge. Fenner was charged
two months later with first-degree
murder. The murder charge was later
dropped, but Fenner was sentenced to
four years of probation for the former
charge.
The Seattle Seahawks apparently
thought that a lOth-round pick was
worth the possibility of Fenner's story
finally ending in a riches-to-rags-to-riches
saga. At this point, Fenner
looks as if he may play up to the
potential he showed in 1986, when he
set an ACC single-game rushing
record with 328 yards vs. Virginia.
.While Fenner has taken a long road
to the NFL, last year's All-ACC Tar
Heel center Jeff Garnica has simply
had to prove himself on the field.
That task has proved very difficult as
he first went to Tampa Bay, then to
Indianapolis. Garnica's quest ended
there after the Colts released him on
Monday. Obviously an extremely tal
ented lineman, Garnica, listed at 256
pounds during his senior year at
North Carolina, was hampered in the
pro ranks by his relatively small size.
Size is one concern the Denver
Broncos do not have with their third
round draft pick, former Tar Heel
offensive tackle Darrell Hamilton. At
6-6, 292 pounds, Hamilton adds a
behemoth presence to any offensive
line. He is also touted as an extremely
fine pass blocker. However, he may
need to develop his overall technique
to compete effectively in the NFL.
Hamilton was the only graduating
senior from the 1988 squad to be
picked in the NFL draft. Several other
1988 Tar Heels, including Garnica,
signed as free agents. Offensive tack
le Creighton Incorminias signed with
the New England Patriots but was
released on Aug. 24. Wide receiver
Randy Marriott signed with the
Chicago Bears but was released on
Monday. Defensive back Howard
Feggins spent this August in the
Patriots' camp. He was released on
Tuesday, so that the Patriots could
meet their first cut limit of 60.
While the Patriots released
Incorminias and Feggins, the New
England defensive line, at least, still
has a tint of Carolina blue. In the
fourth round of the 1987 draft, the
Patriots selected former Tar Heel nose
tackle Tim Goad, and the pick proved
to be a steal.
Goad turned out to be an All-rookie
performer, starting from game three
after Brent Williams, a four-year vet
eran, was moved to left defensive
end. Among a host of seasoned veter
ans, a major national football maga
zine ranked Goad as the sixth-best
nose tackle in the NFL.
Another defensive lineman from
the Class of 88, defensive end
Reuben Davis, also ended up exceed
ing expectations. As only a ninth
round pick of the Tampa Bay Bucs,
Davis was a longshot to even make
the team. He not only made the team;
he exceled for the Bucs, especially
against the run. Davis finished his
rookie season with 61 tackles, three
sacks and an additional 12 stops
behind the line of scrimmage.
Eric Starr, North Carolina's 1987
leading rusher with 550 yards, had a
much more inauspicious rookie debut
last season, spending the entire year
on Chicago's injured reserve list.
Under the NFL's Plan B free agency
system in which teams can only pro
tect 37 players, Starr was left unpro
tected and was subsequently picked
up by the Miami Dolphins.
After three exhibition games,
Miami decided that Starr was not the
answer to their rushing woes and
released him on Monday.
II players a hot In the pros
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Recent graduates of the Tar Heel football program, such as Tim Goad and Rueben Davis, make UNC a favorite stop for pro scouts
How Nolan Ryan struck me out, lookin
p.
I stood in the Arlington Stadium
parking lot on Aug. 10, 1989, with a
look of unbridled joy and amazement
on my face.
Finally, I was there, the home of
the Texas Rangers. It didn't matter
that the Rangers were mired in fourth
place in the American League West,
or that they were playing the woeful
Detroit Tigers.
It was a special moment in the life
of a baseball addict. I was getting to
see another major league baseball sta
dium. It was my seventh such intro
duction, and the most impressive for
someone who was weaned on a circu
lar concrete cocoon otherwise known
as Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia.
Nolan Ryan, a living legend of
baseball, was on the mound. A former
pitcher myself though of the left
handed, junk-balling variety I was
beaming in anticipation of the hard
throwing right-hander, baseball's all
time strikeout king. But, for now, the
Ryan Express was going to have to
wait while I soaked it all in.
I could see the fans who would
soon become my neighbors in near-
Dave Glenn
Sports Editor
history in the hours to come in the
center field bleachers as I walked out
side the stadium.
I could see the bright lights. I could
see the popcorn vendors. I could
smell the real green grass and hear the
crowd abuzz.
Here I was, an old man by college
standards at 21, a kid again. If I had
my beat-up old Little League glove
with me the same one that caught
a home run off the bat of Houston
Astros' star Cesar Cedeno when I was
six years old I would have
demanded to bring it inside.
I paid eight dollars for two general
admission tickets (OK, so I'm a cheap
date) and wandered wide-eyed toward
the left field bleachers.
My pulse quickened as the clock
approached 7:30, five minutes before
game time, and the heavens opened.
Yes, it started raining. Hard. The sky
was dark, very dark. Black, in fact. It
was the opposite of the glorious scene
I witnessed from the outside.
At that very moment, I felt like a
combination of Ziggy, Charlie Brown
and a Columbia football player.
As we raced to protection, I inno
cently spotted a wonderful-looking
young blonde selling programs. "How
much?" I asked, in a unique display
of intelligence. "Two dollars," she
said, eyes sparkling. So I handed the
money over and, meaning every
cheesy word of it from the bottom of
my heart, said, "Thanks, you don't
know how much this means to me."
She smiled. I smiled back.
It had stopped raining. A deep
voice rattled through the names of
Cecil Espy, Rafael Palmeiro, Ruben
Sierra and Harold Baines as we
returned to our new seats, better ones.
Of course, we did race past a couple
of old ladies in "Don't Mess With
Texas" T-shirts. Rough world out
there.
I particularly liked it when
announcer reached the name of the
Rangers' third baseman.
"STEEEEEEEVE BOOOOOOO
SHELLLLLLL," came the call from
above. He is also known simply as
Steve Buechele in print to the
Rangers faithful, who affectionately
yell "BOOOOOOO" every time he
steps to the plate. I couldn't help but
wonder if he ever gets confused.
Then, it was simply "Nolan Ryan."
Yes, the simple good ol country
boy he of 100 m.p.h. fastball fame
was closing in on his 5,000th
strikeout. From Hank Aaron to Paul .
Zuvella, victims came, saw and went,
beating a path of frustration to and
from the opposition's dugout.
Five thousand strikeouts. Heck,
even if you went to He's Not Here
every night, it would take you almost
14 years to reach that kind of magic
number.
I didn't see number 5,000 that
came two starts later, in Arlington
but I did enjoy one of the most excit
ing pitching performances I have ever
seen.
I looked on in awe of his compact
delivery, his driving legs, his perfect
follow-through. He had a lot of
walks. And a lot of strikeouts.
And he had allowed no hits, zero,
through eight innings.
The story I was going to tell my
grandchildren whether they like
baseball or not, of course immedi
ately changed. Not only did I see
Nolan Ryan pitch, but he pitched a
no-hitter. And he was 42 years old.
And it was just days before his histor
ical 5,000th strikeout. And Sparky
Anderson was there, too.
But there was Ryan, a man who
has taken the ball every fifth day for
22 years and counting, firing away.
One out in the ninth.
Two more outs and he would have
his record sixth no-hitter. My two
dollar program felt priceless.
Then, it happened.
Dave Bergman punched a shot to
shallow left field for a single. It was
over, with the quickness of a 100 mile
per hour fastball.
As I dropped back into reality, I
felt as if Nolan Ryan had struck me
out, looking.
At least I'm not alone.
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