The Michigan Daily-Friday, September 7, 1979-Page 13-s
NEW COACH MUST PRODUCE
Bruce shoulders OSU burden
ISU GYMNAST TOPS:
Thomas puts U.S. in
,COLUMBUS, (AP) - From a distan-
ce, it will appear to be the same-that
short, rotund coaching figure stalking
the Ohio State University football
sidelines.
But Earle Bruce is no Woody Hayes
and he does not intend to be.
"I know I'm following a great coach.
I guess he's difficult to follow. But I
lave great, faith in the Ohio State
program," Bruce has been repeating.
fgr the eight months he succeeded the
stormy, legendary Hayes.
SO CAN BRUCE, at 48, keep the
Buckeyes on. their traditional winning
path in Hayes' 28-year regime, keep
Ohio Stadium jammed with 87,000 fans
and keep the school's alumni happy?
Bruce wrinkles his nose, pauses and
says, "I guess I'll find out in the next
few months if I can do that."
He concedes he'll feel the pressure
when he leads the Buckeyes into their
opener Saturday against Syracuse with
another home sellout watching his
every move, his every decision.
"Some rabid Ohio State fans are
saying the Buckeyes should be no worse
than 8-3 in Bruce's rookie season. They
concede UCLA; Michigan State and
Michigan could account for the losses.
EVEN HAYES, with all of his ex-
perience, skill and hard work couldn't
do that in 1978. Ohio State struggled to a
7-4-1 season, climaxed by a Gator Bowl
loss that cost the 66-year-old
disciplinarian his job.
Hours after the 17-15 defeat to Clem-
son, Hayes was dismissed for slugging
Charlie Bauman after theClemson
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linebacker intercepted a pass in the
waning moments.
In an ironic twist, Hayes works in an
office furnished by the sprawling Big
Ten school just yards from Ohio.
Stadium. He's already written 800
pages on his new book relating military
history with football.
HAYES SAYS he will not be in the
giant horseshoe Saturday. He'll be out
of town on business.
Will he attend any future Ohio Staten
football games?
"I don't know yet," he replied
quietly.
It's a bitter role he must live with,
this living legend who tourned out 238
career victories, fourth on the all-time
college coaching list behind Pop War-
ner, Amos Alonzo Stagg and still active
Bear Bryant.
NEW YORK (AP)-Kurt Thomas, the
first American winner of a gold medal
in international gymnastic competition
for nearly a half century, said Wed-
nesday that carrying the burden of a
pioneer is a worthwhile contribution to
the growth of his sport..
"Yes, sometimes all the questions
bother me," said Thomas after accep-
ting an athletic award here Wednesday,
"but the exposure is what has got us
where we are now in gymnastics. I
really feel that it's good."
Thomas, a 23-year-old graduate of
Indiana state University, finished 21st
in the all-around competition in the 1976
Olympics at Montreal. Since then, he
has blossomed into the finest all-around
performer in the history of American
gymnastics. He won a gold medal in the
World Games at Strasbourg, France
last fall, the first American to win a
gold in international competition since
1932.
As for the 1980 Olympics in Moscow,
Thomas is hopeful with a modesty that
belies the intensity of his competitive
instinct. "I hope to do well, I hope we all
do well, although I think the best we can
hope for as a team is third," he said.
"But we're moving up. The best
spotlight
we've ever done in the world is fourth
place."
One of the reasons for the slow
progress of the U.S. gymnastic program,
on the world scene is the relative age of,
the teams, according to Thomas. EA
believes that the Soviet, Japanese an,
East German teams are the best inthe
world at this point.
"They all have national progran,
that are excellent," Thomas said. "One
of the big differences is the age of- the
competitors. The average age of the
Japanese team is 29 and our averagg
age is about 20."
On the other hand, Thomas said that
the future is bright for the gymnasts
representing the United States. "We
have a real good junior program and
that is the main thing for the future,';
Thomas said. "That's what's going to
keep us going."
Daily Photo
CAN FIRST-YEAR COACH EARL BRUCE reverse the Buckeye plunge? If he does, a prime factor will have to have
been Ohio State quarterback Art Schlichter, shown here eluding Michigan' linebacker Ben Needham in last year's 14-3
loss to the Wolverines. Bruce plans to implement the pass more that did his predecessor, Woody Hayes, and Schlichter
will be the man entrusted with making the revamped Buckeye offense click.