I r4'. ENOUGH By Billy Neff The big game ... " "just a game This weekend has a special meaning for me, not because Michigan is playing Notre Dame in football, and not because the game will be on national 'television, but for a more important reason. A friend of mine, Kris, is coming into town to see the game. No big deal, right? Well, this friend of mine is different - he lost his legs in an accident at a recycling plant this summer. Tomorrow will be his first time together with all his friends since the accident. 4 How will everyone react to seeing Kris in a wheelchair? Who knows? How will Kris,react to all the attention? I know: with the same spirit he reac- .ts to everything. -' When news of the accident came forth, everyone was stunned. Friends flew in from all over the country to lift his sagging spirits. There was onlyf one problem. His spirits weren't sagging, only ours were. rY. He was up and around every day. One minute he was doing chinups in his "bed, and the next minute he was off for a ride in his wheelchair. I kept thinking to myself that he should be an emotional wreck; I know I would be. But no, the nurse would come into his room and Kris wouldn't be there..He was outside sunning himself while the hospital staff searched for ' him. Normally, the staff would be very upset with a patient who kept disap- pearing. But not Kris! They admired his courage too much. Not only that, every day Kris went to visit the nurses who took care of him when he was in intensive care. Nurses have so many ill-tempered patients that they adored his graciousness. They loved him, as- well they should; he showed a lot of courage. There he was, a fantastic athlete who could never play sports again. His life revolved around sports; he was an all-city swimmer in Detroit for three ' years. In addition, he led his dormitory team to the all-campus champion- ship in football last year with 11 touchdowns (the whole team had 20) in seven games. And at a mere six feet tall, he could easily dunk a basketball. That was all gone. It was depressing to know that Kris would never be my teammate again in basketball. I'll miss him gliding through the air to grab a rebound over people three or four inches taller than he. No shame felt' Worse yet, Kris was an avid bicyclist who spent a good part of his sum- mers bicycling throughout the nation. His bike trips took him from Detroit to Maine, New Hampshire and New York City, on three separate trips. His favorite passions in life were taken from him, but his spirits never dampened. When I asked him about the accident, he responded, "At least I'll beable to walk (with artificial legs) and travel." He had accepted his fate willingly and without a touch of pessimism.' Kris talked about the accident freely as if he had stubbed his toe or cut his arm. He said, "I slipped and fell and then I realized, Kris, you screwed up." He was laughing about it. It made everyone feel so good. There he was, seriously injured for life, and he was laughing. It makes us realize how small our day-to-day problems are. We worry about what classes to take or whether or not our girl or boyfriend will keep z us. Kris' problems are much more severe and he never utters a complaint. He even asked me what my reaction was when I first saw him after the accident. I was befuddled when he asked that question. I had never dealt with that type of situation before, and he was being so damn candid about it.. Hell, I would have been sulking, but there he was, smiling. I knew he wanted the honest truth and since he was so candid, I felt com- pelled to tell him. "It really shook me up; I tried to visualize (when I was n way fr6m him) but it just makes you queasy," I answered. He laughed and said, 'Some people said they had to walk out; they couldn't take it." He could smile and not preoccupy himself with his con- dition. He is an example for us all, Whenever I get depressed, I think of Kris. He puts a smile on my face when I realize he has all these problems, yet he worries little about them. Most of us can lead normal lives. Kris, unfortunately cannot, but he leads a much happier existence than most of us.' So as the game approaches, it doesn't really matter who wins or loses, whether Vagas Ferguson rambles for two touchdowns or not, or even who quarterbacks for Michigan. Instead, I'll just be content knowing Kris is wat- ching and enjoying himself. Whether we win or lose, I know Kris will be en- joying himself; he doesn't know any other way. But once intramural basketball starts, not only will our team be losing our big forward, but we'll be losing the heart and soul of the team - and it's quite a big heart we're losing. WOMAN ROOKIE REMAINS WITH CLUB Pacers cut Meyers The Michiqan Daily-Friday, September 14, 1979-Page 13 NFL TESTS DEPAgTED HEROES Alumni gridders start new season By GARY LEVY Last May, the National Football League conducted the pro draft. Some 336 college seniors were selected, each with the hope of fulfilling his boyhood dream - to play professional football. But only a handful were chosen. Eight Michigan seniors were given the opportunity to fulfill this dream, but, unfortunately, dreams don't always come true. Whatever happened to Tom Seabron? Drafted in the fifth round by the San Francisco 49ers, the 6-3, 208-lb. linebacker made the 45-man squad. He starts on all special teams units and is backup outside linebacker. And, according to Seabron, the ad- justments from college to the pros are many. "BASICALLY, it's nothing like Michigan. The main difference is the business aspect over the thrill of win- ning," said Seabron. "Nobody is really emotional. You just go out and do your job. Bo fires you up with speeches. Here the coach says, 'let's go, guys'," he ad- ded. The social aspect of pro life is also a change. "I've been homesick. I miss my friends, the town (Ann Arbor). It's a stage where you have to grow up fast," said Seabron. "It was easier to make friends at Michigan. In college, you do things with players after the game. You have a real camaraderie. Here, you can build a camaraderie, but the guys might be gone tomorrow."' The most difficult adjustment for Seabron is losing. In his four-year college career, Michigan was 38-8-2, while the 49ers are already off to an 0-2 start. ANOTHER Wolverine whose dream has come true is Jon Geisler. Drafted in the first round by the Miami Dolphins, the 6-4, 255-lb. offensive tackle starts on two special team units and is backup at the tackle position. Two other gridders' dreams have come true, but have been delayed due to injuries. Harln Hucklel>y Fiullback Russell Davis, drafted in the fourth round by the Pittsburgh Steelers, had his professional career delayed due to a broken left arm suf- fered in the pre-season. A spokesperson for Pittsburgh said that Davis was placed on the injured reserve and that he will not play all year. INJURIES PLAGUED Bill Dufek throughout his career at Michigan and have already pestered him in his rookie season with the New York Jets. Drafted in the sixth round by New York, the of- fensive tackle suffered a back injury in training camp and is also on the injured reserve. Remember Harlan Huckleby? Michigan's fourth all-time leading rusher was the fifth-round selection of the New Orleans Saints. But Huckleby was a victim of numbers. "We had Chuck Muncie and Mike Strong ahead: of him," said a spokesperson for the" Saints. "He played well for a rookie. 'In time, he'll be back. He's good enough to play in this league" In the meantime, Huckleby, has signed with Saskatchewan of the Canadian Football League and doesn't. seem to mind foreign football at all. HUCKLEBY SAID he'd like to playin the NFL, but the money is just as good, in the CFL. He also pointed out some; personal advantages to playing, Canadian football. "The field is wider? and the linebackers are slower, botho4 which are an advantage to me, with my, speed," said Huckleby. A couple of dreams that weren't fulfilled were of Wolverines Jerry Meter and Gene Johnson. Meter was drafted on the fifth round by the Min- nesota Vikings and Johnson was signed as a free agent by Pittsburgh. Meter noted two reasons for his being cut. "The opportunity for a rookie linebacker to make the team wasn't good. The Vikings tend to go wit4 veterans," said Meter. "My size also wasn't quite big enough for them," add mitted the 6-2, 206-pounder. JOHNSON SIGNED with the Steeleri after the draft, but was placed oz- waivers during the training camp. The final player selected the draft was All-American quarterback Ricl& Leach. Leach was drafted on the fiftlh round by the Denver Broncos, and b" the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL' Leach rejected both offers and signed professional baseball contract with the Detroit Tigers. Many are called, but few are chosen, This phrase fits the pro draft so very wel. History casts doubt on Irish 'mystique' By BILLY SAHN Daily Sports Analysis Bo Schembechler's post-game words after Michigan's come-from-behind win over Notre Dame last year still ring in the ears of reporters that will cover tomorrow's re-match in Michigan Stadium. "We beat a great team today. All I know is that we beat Notre Dame," remarked Schembechler after the 28-14 victory, "and any time you do that, it's something." Unlike the last confrontation, the Wolverines will meet the Fighting Irish on their home turf with their fans in the majority. But despite its non- conference status, a game of this sort has a particular meaning to those in- volved: the fans, the players and coaches, and all those Notre Dame and Michigan alumni viewing on their home television sets. Schembechler's words are substan- tial. An undefinable "mystique" ap- pears to surround-the Irish. Part of it is due to their independent status - the fact that they don't belong to any foot- ball conference. But another reason for this attitude revolves around their rich football tradition. Names from the Fighting Irish's past are immortalized in the hearts of foot- ball fans across the nation as well as in Hollywood. Pat O'Brien made a box of- fice legend when he portrayed Knute Rockne, one of Notre Dame's greatest coaches. George Gipp ("the Gipper") and the Four Horsemen are among others from a long list. All these names, and more, have contributed to building the Irish tradition. Yet one thing that perhaps escaped Schembechler's mind when he uttered his post-game comments is the fact that of the 12 times the Wolverines have clashed with the Irish, Michigan has, in fact, ten victories in comparison to Notre Dame's two. In the limited Michigan-Notre Dame series, Michigan suffered an 11-3 defeat in 1909 under the guidance of Fielding H. Yost. But the last Wolverine team to lose to Notre Dame came in 1943 when Coach Fritz Crisler's team took a 35-12 thrashing. In essence, if any team should com- mand the praise that Schembechler gave, it should be his own. Fans from the Wolverine side of the fence may look at Notre Dame with awe, but in light of the outcome of the 12'meetings thus far, Michigan has clearly dominated the rivalry. "Notre Dame may have had mystique in the early days," commen- ted former Michigan coach Fritz Crisler, "but back then, tradition came from the Ivy Leagues," continued Crisler who coached at Princeton before coming to the Big Ten. "Now, Michigan's contribution is much more," he concluded. Another Wolverine legend, '0198 Tom Harmon who played under Crisler and remains Michigan's only Heisman trophy winnerto date, had this to say about the powerhouse match-up: "It's a natural rivalry. Both Michigan and' Notre Dame are predominant powers in football. I know both teams are as good as each other." According to Crisler, when he was coaching on the sidelines, to play Notre Dame was just another game on the schedule. "They had tradition, but so did the other teams that Michigan played: Harvard, Yale and Princeton," he remarked. Without question, tomorrow's game is a classic gridiron contest. Both teams will want the victory, not for standings sake, but for pride more than anything else. No Rose Bowl trip looms on this game. There is no mystique involved, however. The clash 'consists of two hard-hitting teams both backed by great traditions and large fan support. If Notre Dame Coach Dan Devine is victorious in this gridiron classic, then perhaps he should be the one to echo Schembechler's words after the game, substituting Michigan for Notre Dame. purest, finest cigarette papers money can buy. Sole Importer rghway Imports Inc .155 Ave of The Americas. New Yor Y. 10013 BOWLING LEAGUES NOW FORMING. Teams or Individuals Sign Up NOW-UNION LANES Mens, Womens, and Mixed Leagues Open till 1:00 A.M. Fri. and Sat. 12:30 A.M. Sun.-Thurs. 9 '. ^r I .4F By The Associated Press Ann Meyers won't be in uniform but Bill Walton, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson will when the 22 National Basketball Association teams open their pre-season training camps this weekend. Meyers, trying to become the first 'woman to play in the NBA, failed to survive the Indiana Pacers' rookie camp earlier this week. The Pacers were among several clubs to hold special workouts for rookies and free agent hopefuls prior to the veterans' *eporting date. CMEYERS GOT the bad news from tobby Leonard, the Pacers' coach and 'eneral manager, Wednesday night. "If she was six inches bigger and 40 $ounds heavier, it would have been a different story," Leonard said of the 5- foot-9, 140-pound Meyers, a former UCLA All-American and sister of Dave Mleyers of the Milwaukee Bucks. But as it is, Meyers won't be among the players reporting to the Pacers' j regular pre-season camp, which opens Friday. It hasn't been determined what her role will be with the team, which -.signed her to a $50,000 guaranteed con- tract, but she may work as a radio or -television commentator. The Pacers are among 17 NBA teams who will open their pre-season camps .Friday. By Monday all clubs will be holding two;a-day workouts in preparation for the start of the exhibition schedule next Thursday. The regular season begins Oct. 12. LIVE at the SECOND CHA~NCE MITCH RYDER with special guest "TIGHT" Monday, September 17 Advance tickets at the Second Chance, Schoolkids Records, and Wherehouse Records in Ypsi. $4.50-limited number available. earn $100 amonth for 2 or 3 hours a week of your spare time. donate plasma W"retig a GtA~~ a'