The Michigan Daily-Thursday, March 12, 1981-Page 9
Ready, set-from
'M'
gridiron tc
By GARY LEVY
'PASADENA, Calif. - One week.
m today, on Jan. 2, when the
C television cameras beam one of
the prettiest sights in sports, the Rose
Bowl with the San Gabriel Moun-
tains as a backdrop, into millions of
homes across america, the cameras
will focus on Rick Leach, Russell
Davis, Walt Downing, Mark
who spent the majority of his college
career on the bench, has found fame
and fortune in Hollywood as an actor,
currently performing in the nightime
television soap opera Flamingo Road.
THIS ROAD FROM notoriety to ob-
scurity and back to notoriety is a Cin-
derella story of sorts. Brown lettered in
football, basketball and baseball at
East Detroit High School and walked
onto the Michigan football team his
freshman year. The next year, the 5-10,
175-pound safety came close to
cracking Michigan's startine lineup in
his sophomore season prior to the
opener at Wisconsin. But in the team's
final scrimmage, a collision when
breaking up a Jim Smith post pattern
resulted in three broken bones in
Brown's foot.
"That set me back a couple of
weeks," said Brown. "I lost a bit of en-
thusiasm. It was my moment of glory
and..."
Although he was down, he refused to
quit. He evaluated the situation and
worked his tail off. Not until the final
moments of a home game in his senior
year did Brown see the only playing
time of his college career. He admits
the adjustment from star struck high
school athlete to nobody was a difficult
one.
"MY WHOLE LIFE I had been a
star. I finally found out what it was like
to experience rejection and failure,"
said Brown.
In the meantime, school had served a
dual purpose for Brown.
He was graduating from Michigan
with a business degree and had planned
to attend law school until an Introduc-
tion to Drama course his senior year
changed that. Although he "didn't know
a damn thing about acting," he applied
to several drama schools in New York
City and was accepted at the Circle of
The Square School of Drama. .
There, he "pounded the pavement"
until an agent tooka chance on him. He
netted a few roles in commercials, the
most notable of which was as the Moun-
tain Dew spokesman. A role as Wes
Osborne on the daytime soap opera
One Life to Lire followed and lasted
eight months.
HIS AGENT THEN decided that
Hollywood was the next step. Brown
was hesitant at first, but decided to take
the risk. He tested for a number of
roles, including that of Skipper Weldon-
on Flamingo Road. He won the part and
made the pilot. When he went back to
New York and found out the pilot was
going to be made into a series, he
moved to Beverly Hills. Brown recently
completed filming and is on hiatus.
Brown attributed his rilatively quick
success primarily to timing and luck as
well as a bit of ability because "when
you go to a screen test, you'd think
there were 50 clones there."
Looking back, Brown maintained he
has no regrets having attended
Michigan, and never getting the chance
to play. In fact, he insists he is a better
person as the result of it.
"WHATEVER HAPPENED, hap-
pened for a reason," says Brown. "If
given the right opportunities, I could've
been a standout. I believed in my ability'
and so did the coaches, but I was a vic-
tim of circumstances.
"It meant a lot to persevere.
Michigan football is hell and it was a
plus even to hang in there. Now, I think
I can confront anything in my life."
Those who knew Brown in his college
years might not recognize him these
days. He's dropped 35 pounds from his
playing weight, but still stays in shape
as a long distance runner, and has
qualifed for the Boston Marathon.
T.V.
Brown said that although he chose a
career in acting, he'll always be an
athlete first.
"I'll never change. It's the greatest
thing you can be," said Brown. "I'll
never forget the memories. I still get
the itch to play. Whenever I see people
hitting, I want to go out and get my
head knocked off."
Maybe Woody Brown never reached
the spotlight in his football days at
Michigan, but without a doubt, he's now
a star in his own right.
Donahue - the University of
Michigan's stars and starters.
Unless the director calls for a long
sideline shot, Woody Brown won't
make it on camera.
- The Detroit News, Dec. 26, 1977
True, Woody Brown never starred or
rted for the Michigan football team,
ht he certainly hasn't had any problem
making it on camera.
The former Michigan defensive back,
Brown
... Flamingo Road-ie
U_______________________________________________
Fish Tales
By MARK FISCHER
Time to get up for NCAA's.. .
S. .have your No-Doz ready
i
" Ready for college hoop's "second and a half"
season?
"Second and a half," because many teams in the
NCAA and NIT playoffs already played their
second season last week when they matched
moves in conference tournament action, while
others (like Michigan and its fellow Big Ten'ers)
will be participating in their first tournament ac-
tion of the year in the upcoming cage classics.
NBC and the cable TV sports networks, ESPN
and USA, are certainly ready. Between the three
of them, all of the NCAA games and the majority
of the NIT contests will be televised. That's right,
all, 47 NCAA barnburners, even Howard vs.
Wyoming. (Howard vs. Wyoming? Sounds more
like a court case than an NCAA tournament mat-
chup.)
I know some characters around Ann Arbor who
are almost too ready. Equipped with several cases
of beer in their fridge, easy chairs centered
around their "boob tubes," tabs of caffeine, and
popcorn at their side, they plan to devour each of
those games. Yes, all 47 NCAA's plus however
many NIT's. It's roundball lovers (or should I say
addicts?) like these that remind you that "fan" is,
but an abbreviation of the word "fanatic."
" Speaking of Howard vs. Wyoming, there are an
awful lot of awe-less squads in the NCAA classic
this year, aren't there? I mean I've heard of dark
horses, but teams like Ball State, Southern
University, James Madison, and Mercer are next
to invisible.
In fact, the NCAAs are so diluted with ho-hum
teams which automatically qualified for the tour-
ney by winning their small conferences, that the
NIT may well draw a lot of attention away from its
bigger (though younger) cousin. Look for some
exciting and talent-packed NIT clashes between
teams like Marquette, South Alabama, St. John's,
and some of the Big Ten's very own: namely, Pur-
due, Minnesota, and Michigan (which plays
Duquesne at Crisler tonight). At least these teams
should lose no sleep worrying about being over-
shadowed by NCAA games like Northeastern vs.
Fresno State.
* A word of "too bad" to the Ohio State cagers
seems in order. The Bucks, who beat Michigan
twice this season, went from being ranked in the
Top Ten in preseason to not even receiving a tour-
nament bid-despite carrying two of the better
frontcourt players in the country in Clark Kellogg
and Herb Williams.
Well, I've got to go get ready myself now. The
Creighton-St. Joseph's game is just about to start.
.
* _____________________________________________
t--
MCFARLAND, KLASSON, MCKAY QUALIFY:
LSAT GRE
GMAT
Test Preparation
'M' wrestlers set for NCAA's
By CHUCK JAFFE
The odds are 34 to 3 that Michigan
will have an individual national cham-
pion in wrestling this weekend at the
NCAA finals in Princeton, New Jersey.
,The reason for the odds is that there are
iwrestlers in each weight class, and
~ichigan is, sending three wrestlers.
Eric Klasson, Joe McFarland, and Pat
McKay are Michigan's three NCAA
qualifiers and their quest for the
national individual championship
begins tonight in Princeton.
"We would haveliked to have placed
more in the nationals," said wrestling
coach Dale Bahr. "But these were the'
three I was really counting on. How th-
do depends on their attitude and
Readiness. They could be national
champions or they could be nothing."
AS FOR THE wrestlers, they see the
NCAA's as just another tournament in
terms of preparation, but a whole lot
more in terms of excitement: Klasson
was in the tournament last year, but did
not place. This year, the Michigan
heavyweight goes to the tournament
having lost his individual Big Ten
championship.
"Nationals are a funny tournament,"
lasson said. "There are tons and tons
Of upsets and surprises, so it will be
tough, but if I put five good matches
together, there is no reason why I can't
win. But that remains to be seen. First I
have to stop making mistakes."
McKay and McFarland are more ex-
cited about the prospects of their first
national tournament. "I have to go out
and be aggressive," McKay said.
cKay is a strong wrestler on the mat,
but is vulnerable while on his feet. "I
have to keep composed whenol'm stan-
ding," the 190-ponder said, "and get
that first take down. The first take-
down will be the key to every match for
me."
118-pound freshman Joe McFarland
is a definite possibility for a national
championship. McFarland lost in the
Big Ten'finals to Barry Davis of Iowa,
when the Hawkeye scored a take-down
with five seconds left in the match for
the win.
McFarland figures that the nationals
are part of his growth as a wrestler.
"I've been improving all year long, and
I think I can keep going," the 118-pound
freshman said, "but it's going to be a
hell of a lot tougher."
The three wrestlers have remained
composed, despite the pressure of the
tournament, which will crown national
champions on Saturday. "We have
nothing to lose," said McKay, "and a
nation to win. That's a lot. That's what
I've been dreaming about for a long
time.
The biggest battle for Coach Bahr
and the wrestlers may come at night
when the nervous jitters set in. "The
conditioning in this tournament is a
given," Klasson said, "so a lot of it will
be decided by mental fitness." An ex-
cited freshmen Joe McFarland put it a
little simpler. "There's going to be some
good grappling," McFarland said.
"And I bet I won't be able to sleep
tonight."
How do you pre are
for these impoant
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