Wednesday, October 13, 1971
-THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Seven
Wednesday, October 1 3, 1971 1HL MICHIGAN DAILY Page Seven
Tom Darden-Michigan's
TD on defense
By DEBBIE WISSNER
College football has traditionally
been considered a game of offense,
with Heisman trophy backs and raz-
zle-dazzle plays dominating thehead-
lines. In the past few seasons, how-
ever, defensive football, which coach-
es have always maintained wins ball-
games, is also beginning to sell its
share of tickets.
The 1971 Wolverine defensive squad
has captured the hearts of the fans,
who apparently expect to see com-
plete annihilation of Michigan's op-'
ponents.
The heart of the Wolverine second-
ary, safety Tom Darden, or T.D., as
he prefers to be called, agrees that
the defense is finally getting the
recognition it deserves. "Great offen-
sive teams are being stopped this
year," he says, "and it has to be
because of great defenses."
T.D. has to be considered some-
what of an authority on defense, hav-
ing played a different defensive posi-
tion in each of his three varsity sea-
sons at Michigan. "Changing from
wolfman to defensive halfback wasn't
so hard-my basic responsibility was
still forcing the play," he says of his
career. "But now, at safety, I have
so much more room to move, and so
many more places to cover."
Darden admits, however, that this
freedom .t safety makes it his favo-
rite position. "It's a great challenge.
The ideal safety, on every play, should
be, if not in on the tackle, at least
somewhere near the play."
Although Michigan State's 13 points
was considerably more than Wolver-
ine fans are used to seeing racked up
by opponents, T.D. strongly asserted
that there was no defensive let-up on
Michigan's part. "Statistically, they
didn't get anything out of the ordinary
on us. We were hurt by a few big
penalties at the wrong times."
Before the game, the Spartans had
been claiming an emotional advant-
age, but Darden pointed out, "Both
teams are always 'up' for that game.
I guess the final score shows who was
more ready to play." He also said,
"I try not to pay attention to the
crowd, but I could tell the difference
last week. The home-field advantage
is all psychological, but it is a factor."
T.D. believes that the biggest key
to this year's defensive success is the
fact that most of the defense is play-
ing together for the third year. "This
has to make the team more solid. We
all know each other's moves and
capabilities; we can cover for each
other;"
Darden played his high school foot-
ball in Sandusky, Ohio, where he says
he was a fan of Clevelandhrunning
back Jim Brown. Although he might
have been expected to -pend his coil-
lege years under the tutelage of
Woody Hayes, T.D. confesses, "I
guess I was always prejudiced against
Ohio State. Some of my friends went
to OSU, and they had some really
bad experiences."
Darden has been playing football
since the sixth grade, and despite all
the games he has played in, he still
Darden stated. "It's just a matter of
priorities."
Professional scouts rate Darden as
a good pro prospect because of his
speed and his versatility, although he
says he is making no assumptions as
far as his chances in the pros. "But
I do feel that it's useless to go through
years of training and preparation
:: r::::::.^.".:::::v:. :gssstinsgs: iisi e . :.:vr::::.im gass l ": ' :": r:aiE : m is "":4:"i4"":"": ti:
"Great offensive teams are being stopped this year
. . . it has to be because of great defenses."
-Tom Darden
' :::::::::::::::. .. . r.:'. ... r l:::":i n:':': rigm i : .i 1 i s e:.....:..:: 5:: .............:":..r% r..rI.
rule out the possibility of Canadian
football, should he not get a chance
at the NFL.
"Athletics, and especially football,
has been a very important factor in
my life," T.D. said. "Football 'en-
ables you to deal with people of all
backgrounds. You have to put your
trust in white guys and black guys
and Jewish guys. You learn to judge
a person's character by what he does,
if he fades out when the going gets
rough, or if he rises to meet the situa-
tion. Also, I have made so many
close friends through football that I
would never have met otherwise."
The charge is sometimes made to-
day that college football exploits ath-
letes who are on football scholarships.
To this charge, Darden replies, "I
don't expect to get something (my
education) for nothing. But by the
same token, I can only give In return
for what they give me."
"It's true that college football is a
business," T.D. admits, "and every,
business has it's impersonal aspects.
But for the most part, the coaches
and sports staff here at Michigan
have taken a very personal interest
in the athletes. A very high percent-
age of Michigan athletes do graduate,
and this is something that the athletic
department and the University can
be proud of."
enjoys watching football on television.
T.D. did say, however, that he,
"couldn't come out to Michigan Sta-
dium every week to watch a game.
I don't know how all those people do
it. I couldn't be a spectator."
In the last ten years, Darden has
devoted coountless hours to football.
Here at Michigan, actual daily prac-
tice time is about two hours. When
the time involved in getting dressed
and taped, team meetings, and watch-
ing films is included, it amounts to a
total of 4-5 hours daily. "You find
time to do what you want to do,"
without reaching the highest level of
achievement," he said. "Pro football
has to be the ultimate goal of every
player. Any college player who says
he doesn't want to play pro ball has
to be lying."
T.D. makes it clear that he has no
preferences when it comes to playing
for any specific team; he just wants
a chance to play pro football. "Of
course," he said, "I wouldn't play
for nothing. They'd have to offer me
some reasonable amount of money."
Although he admitted that he hadn't
given it much thought, Darden did not
Tom Darden on the run
BuCs
Blass
PITTSBURGH (P)- Steve Blass,
unmercifully shelled in the Na-
tional League playoffs, turned
Baltimore's lethal bats into tooth-
picks yesterday with a three-hit,
5-1 victory that gave the Pittsburgh
Pirates their first ,World Series S
triumph over the Orioles.
The defeat ended an amazing NIG
16-game winning streak put to- JOH
gether by the defending champion
Orioles who won 11 games at the
end of the regular season, three blazing fast
consecutive playoff games and the curves and
HT EDITOR:
N PAPANEK
balls and round house
held them scoreless
Robinson homered in
burns
Blass, who had a no-hitter work-
Ing. until Brooks Robinson singled
with one out in the fifth, thus
made something of a prophet of
Pittsburgh Manager Danny Mur-
taugh. Murtaugh had w a r n e d
against counting the Pirates out
until they returned to their home
ha bP . t ThrPP Rivers Stadium.
Blass set the Orioles down 1-2-3
in the top of the eighth, took a
standing ovation from a crowd of
50,403 when he came to bat in the
Pirates' half of the eighth and then
went out to the mound in the
ninth to finish it up.
He struck out Merv Rettenmund
fly to center and then surrendered
a single to his only tormentor,
Frank Robinson.
But then he ended it by getting
Hendricks on a one-hopper to sec-
ond baseman Cash.
In all, Blass threw 136 pitches,
striking out eight, walking just
two and going to a full count on
only three other batters.
Baltimore
Pistons wallop Knicks;
76ers bounce past Bulls
II
first two series games.
Dave Cash scored Pittsburgh's
first run, Jose Pagan drove in the
second and BobRobertson cracked1
a three-run homer. But the day
belonged to Blass as the Pirates
pulled back into contention after
two defeats at Baltimore.
Driven from the mound in both
his playoff starts and facing a
Baltimore team that had mauled
Pittsburgh pitching for 24 hits and l
16 runs in two previous games,I
Blass bounced back with an over-
powering performance.
The 29 - year - old right - hander
kept the Orioles completely off
balance with an assortment of'
until Frank
the seventh.
That trimmed Pittsburgh's lead
to 2-1, but it was the only time
the Orioles were able to break
through against Blass, a 6-foot,
170-pounder' regarded as one of the
easiest-going members of the Pi-
rates.
And he probably couldn't help
smiling wv h e n his teammates,
mocked for their inability to find
a crack among the Orioles' 20-
game winners during two defeats
in Baltimore, put it away against
left-hander Mike Cuellar on Rob-
ertson's three-run homer in the
bottom of the seventh.
ase atue vca aauii.
leading off, got Powell on a long
The trumph also underscored thel
critical nature of tonight's fourth
game-the first World Series night
game in history. Baltimore's fourth
20-game winner, Pat Dobson, will
go in that one against Luke Walk-
er, 10-8 during the regular season.
But it is doubtful that more
attention could be focused on one
man than was focused on Blass in
this one. For even as he checked
the Orioles they weren't out of it.
until Robertson's blast in the sev-
enth inning.
That made it 5-1, and all Blass.
had to do was coast the rest of
the way. But just as ne had done
after Robinson's homer, his sixth
hit and second homer of the Series,
he bore down.
By The Associated Press;
NEW YORK -- Burly Bob La-
nier muscled his way for 29 points:
last night and led the Detroit
Pistons to a 91-84 victory over the
cold-shooting New York Knicker-
bockers in the National Basket-
ball Association season opener for
both teams.7
The 6-foot-11, 260-pound La-
nier scored 20 of his points in the#
first half when Detroit built a 46-
43 advantage it never relinquished.
The Pistons went ahead to stay
with 2:39 remaining in the second
quarter, 39-38, on two free throws
by former Knick Howard Komives.
Dave Bing, the Pistons' all-time
leading scorer, was held to eight
points in the first half but col-
lected 16 after intermission for a
total of 24.
* * *
Philly flies
CHICAGO - Philadelphia's one-
two punch, Archie Clark and Hal'
Greer, produced 57 points last
night to lead the 76ers to a 114-
100 victory over the Chicago Bulls
in their National Basketball As-
sociation season opener.
Greer, who netted 28 points, and
Clark, with 29, led the 76ers to a
55-49 helftime edge.
Philadelphia scored eight straight
points in a surge led by Luke
Jackson and grabbed a 83-74 lead
entering the fourth quarter, and
were never headed.
Royals ream
CINCINNATI - Tom Van Ars-
dale, red-hot from outside, erupted
for 22 points in the second half
and 34 for the game to pace the
Cincinnati Royals over Atlanta
127-113 last night in the National
Basketball Association opener for
both clubs.
Van Arsdale, connecting on 16
of 23 field goal attempts, tallied
13 points in the third quarter to
help the Royals widen a 58-57 edge
to a 92-80 gap by the end of the
period. He added nine more points
in the final quarter when the
Gridde Pickings
"Margaret, answer the door!" shrilled Jim through the barrier
separating the two spacious compartments of bliss. Startled by the
piercing ripples of sound emanating from the oaken plank, .the merry
maiden wavered, "Who could that be at this unearthy hour of the
evening?"
"Could it be a bearer of evil tidings? Perhaps it is the Caped
crusador merely checking up on a pair of ordinary citizens. Per-
chance it is Michael Anthony delivering one of his humanitarian
gifts on behalf of the anonymous John Beresford Tipton."
A short stubby darkly clothed figure extends his handlike ap-
pendage. In it is a small rectangular white envelope. Margaret
quickly seizes it and slices the top off. "It's . . . . your ticket for your
free Cottage Inn Pizza for winning last week's Gridde Picks.
Royals ran up as much as a 22-
point lead at 107-85.
** *
Sonics 'soar
BUFFALO -- Spencer Haywood
collected 29 points and 14 re-
bounds in triggering the Seattle
SuperSonics to an easy 122-90 vic-
tory over the Buffalo Braves in
the National. Basketball Associa-
tion season debut for both clubs.
CHEAt'ERS NEVER PROSPER?
Spartans' rules rile rug gers
Be like Jim Mecoli and turn
But who is Margaret?
1. Illinois at MICHIGAN
(pick score)
2. Ohio State at Indiana
3. Minnesota at Iowa
4. Michigan State at Wisconsin
5. Purdue at Northwestern
6. Pittsburgh at Tulane
7. Western Michigan at Toledo
9. Kansas at Nebraska
10. Stanford at USC
11. Texas at Arkansas
in your picks by Friday midnight.
By CHUCK DRUKIS
The dreams of an undefeated
season for the Michigan ruggers
skidded to a halt in East Lan-
sing Saturday. To say the least,
it was an unexpected loss.
The reason for the setback is
quite obvious, however. Michi-
gan State wanted to win the
game more than Michigan did.
State came prepared to play
the game, except they forgot to
make the field the right size,
forgot to bring a game ball, for-
got to get a referee, and forgot
to put up the goal posts prop-
erly. Moreover, the State touch
judge was more interested in
editorializing from the side line
than he was in observing where
the ball went out of bounds.
Overlooking State's m i n o r
faults, they played a fairly good
defensive game. Their ! backs
quickly covered Michigan's of-
fensive sweep. Whenever the
Blue tried to pass out to one of
the wing positions, State confi-
dently moved in for the tackle.
If a State player missed his
man trying to cut down the
sideline, State wouldn't be at all
dismayed. The condensed field
was sure to find Michigan step-
ping out of bounds.
Early in the second half Mich-
igan's Richard Thompson at-
tempted a 35-yard penalty kick
which would have been the mar-
gin of a Blue victory. As soon
as it was kicked it became ob-
vious that the kick was right on
despite a prevailing crosswind.
However, at the last moment the
ball seemed to die. It hit the
crossbar and fell back toward
the playing field.
But would the kick have been
good with regulation goal posts?
Ten minutes after the scheduled
starting time, several State play-
ers were still digging holes for
the goal posts. Another was
pulling old nails out of one of
the goal posts to nail the cross-
bar in place. Since everyone was
anxious to get the game started,
they didn't bother to dig the
holes deep enough so the cross
bar would be at the proper
height from the ground.
Regardless of whether State's
actions were unethical or a mat-
ter of circumstance, the Blue is
a better team than the way they
played during the game. Michi-
gan was guilty of failing to cover
sufficiently on a n u m b e r of
plays.
Michigan's backs also failed to
adjust to the bizarre "playing
conditions. The indication of a
good team, however, is the abil-
ity to adjust to the unexpected
and play accordingly.
Hopefully, by this Saturday
the ruggers will have forgotten
the unpleasant memories of the
past and start anew.
Notre Dame will send one
team to Michigan on Sunday to
battle the Blue. The Irish play a
style of rugby that is character-
ized by hard hitting and aggres-
sive tackling. They like to kick
the ball into the air and be there
to recover it when it comes
down.
The ffme a ainst Notre Dame
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Colorado at Oklahoma
North Carolina at Notre Dame
Davisson at Furman
Alabama at Tennessee
Hofstra vs Wayne State
University
Xavier at Temple
Iowa State at Kansas State
Maryland' at South Carolina
LIBELS vs Football Managers
I
SALVtATION
the people's store
will begin at 1:00 on Palmer-Associated Press
Field. PITTSBURGH PIRATES' WINNING PITCHER Steve Blass
Toldeo will also send a team mounts teammate Bob Robertson after the Bucs' 5-1 victory in
to battle the Michigan Gold on the third game of the World Series yesterday. Blass fired a three
Sunday.The Toledo - Michigan hitter and Robertson blasted a three-run homer to narrow Balti-
game will start at 2:30 on Pal-
mer Field. more's series lead to 2-1.
TOM & hARRY'S WATERBED FANS!
WITH STUDENT
i I.D.
SAKING
QUEEN 00
DOUBLE$1
SINGLE
I rvf&
7eta CapitalS ..
i'eleaje4:
John Leno-laine
S
A
L
The Band-Cahools
Steve Miller Band-Rock Love
Joy of Cooking-closer to
the Ground
Seatrain-Marblehead Messenger
___
PRESCRIPTION EYEWARE
and SHADES
.
4
Sale through
Sunday, Oct. 17
at both Salvation
Record Stores:
$257
each l.p.
330 MAYNARD
(through Nickels arcade
769-5458)