SR, VIRGIL MARKS OF CONSISTENCY:
walk-ons getting their kicks
The Michigan Daily-Friday, October 27, 1978-P
By ERNIE DUNBAR
They certainly didn't plan it this way,
but kickers Gregg Willner and Bryan
Virgil form one of the more interesting
one-two combinations on the Michigan
football team.
Willner, who's handling the punting
duties in addition to the field goals and
extra points this year, sports the
numeral one on his jersey. Virgil is
responsible for booming the ball out of
the endzone on kickoffs and wears
number two on his jersey.
Together, the duo gives Michigan
strong, consistent specialty teams
For example, Willner has converted
23 of 24 extra points and two of three
field goals, his longest coming from 46
yards out. His 41.5 yard punting
average got a tremendous boost last
week against Wisconsin when he booted
a punt of 66 yards en rote to a 50.5 yard
average.
But both players had to struggle a bit
in order to get to their present status.
Willner, at 156 lbs.,the lightest man
on the entire Wolverine roster, came to.
Michigan as a walk-on from Miami,
Florida where he was an all-state
placekicker. After writing 40 personal
letters to football coaches aroulnd the
country, he received 28 responses in-
formning him that the schools had
utilized their allotment of scholArships.
All of the schools invited him to come
out for their team as a walk-on, but
Willner finally decided Michigan would
present the best opportunity. _
"I really didn't plan on coming to a
school so far away from home because I
didn't know how well I'd adapt,
especially to the cold weather. I think I
made the right decision and if I had to
do it all over again I'd come here."
Virgil was in much the same situation
when he decided to attend Michigan. He.
played football, baseball, and basket-
tial and strong leg and wanted him to kickoffs have not been returned this
return for spring football. It was at that year. But he admits that the more
point that Virgil made the Michigan touchdowns Michigan scores, the
team. tougher his job is.
While both Willner and Virgil demon- , ._.. "In the Duke game I had to kick off
strate a high degree of proficiency each about 10 times and at the end of the
week, they are quick to point out that game you do get tired," he said.
,the kicking game involves a number of
factors which must constantly be Willner is in the opposite situation in
t
See the Daily's Hockey Supplement,
Page 12-14
For more Sports, see Page 15
that he'd like more field goal attempts
to boost his average.
"I feel confident in both (place I
kicking and punting). "If;I had to place
an emphasis on either one I wouldn't
want to because I think I do both real
well."
For Virgil, his job of kickoff specialist
is an interim job while he waits for
Willner to graduate so he can take over
the entire kicking game next season.
"I'm getting to play a little bit, but
yet the whole responsibility isn't on my
shoulders. I'm starting to ease into it. I
can just watch Gregg and then get
ready for next year."
Gregg Willner
ian Virgil
ball at Buchanan, a Class C high school
in southwestern Michigan with only 600
students.
"I didn't start kicking until I was a
junior in high school," said Virgil, who
has two more years of eligibility
remaining after this season as a result
of being red-shirted his sophomore
year. "I played quarterback and
linebacker and kicking was just
something extra. I'd just goof around
with it in practice.
"The reason I came up here wasn't
primarily for football, but for the
engineering school," the 5-10, 183 lb.
junior remarked. "I decided I'd go out
for the team and if I made it I did and if
I didn't I still had school."
Virgil practiced a week with the var-
sity his freshman year until coach Bo
Schembechler said he liked his poten-
refined.
"It's really a lot of concen-
tration-going into the game and trying
to blacken out the people and concen-
trate on the follow through and leg
plant," said Willner. "I think it's-more
of a sense of a feeling when you go into a
game. When you're hitting well in prac-
tice during the week, then when you en-
ter the game you have more confiden-
ce."
The main problem facing Virgil is
keeping his style consistent. "Once you
get a technique, you're pretty set. But
things change from week to week.
You'll start putting your foot in a dif-
ferent spot and your fighting yourself
most of the time. It's such a fidgety
thing."
Virgil's technique seems to be quite
sufficient considering a majority of his
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