............ i Page 10 - The Michigan Daily, Wednesday, December 11, 1985 Kattus returns or big season Towering tight end makes most 4 of decision to play fifth ear r rl Philling it Up f By Ph il Nussel The Michigan Daily, Wednesday, DMv Rosters By MIKE REDSTONE A year ago at this time Michigan tight end Eric Kattus was trying to decide whether to come back to Ann Arbor for a fifth year of football. In a post-season meeting with coach Bo Schembechler, Kattus was promised the inside track to a starting position if he decided to return in 1985. AFTER catching only seven passes for 60 yards in his first three years as a Wolverine, the 6-6 223-pounder felt he had something to prove to himself, his coaches, and his fans. Kattus also did not want to leave Michigan with the memory of a miserable 6-6 season fresh in his mind. At the time, even Kattus himself had no idea how important that decision would be for him and the rest of the Michigan team in 1985. As it turned out, Kattus surprised almost everyone by finishing second on the Wolverines this year with 35 receptions for 544 yards and a team- high eight touchdowns. "I WAS surprised with the season I had," said Kattus, who was named to the AP All-Big Ten first team. "Everybody comes up here (to Michigan) wanting to be a really good player and I felt after my senior year that I didn't accomplish that. I had an opportunity to come back this year and I took advantage of it." "Took advantage" is an under- statement for one of the best season's ever by a Michigan tight end. In a rags to riches year, Kattus has not only earned recognition from the Michigan community, but he is also being mentioned as an All-American candidate. "If there is a better tight end in the nation I'd like to see him," said Schembechler of Kattus. "If he's not on some All-American teams it would be a real shame." KATTUS' PRO prospects have also improved greatly with his perfor- mance in 1985, but he is being cautious not to expect too much when draft time rolls around. "Everyone has a fantasy of playing pro football," said Kattus, who is con- concentrating all of his attention on the upcoming Fiesta Bowl against Nebraska. "But I didn't come back this year because I wanted a shot at playing pro football. "I think I'll be very happy if I get drafted but I don't want to put my personal goals in front of my team goals right now. All I'm looking for- ward to is playing Nebraska. They're a top-ranked team and it would be a great win for this program." KATTUS HAS always been a team oriented player. In fact, his first ex- perience in organized sports was with soccer, not football. The Cincinnati native did not start playing football until he was in sixth grade, after he was pressured by his gridiron buddies - who called him a "soccer sissy." Kattus, who says he has always been tall and thin, played his first game as a tight end four years later as a sophomore at Colerain High School. Two years and 53 catches later, he was a high school All-American and a top college prospect because of his size: In his senior year, Kattus already stood 6-6 and weighed 220 pounds. It didn't take him long to decide which college to attend. "WHEN I CAME up to Michigan I was very impressed with the school and with Bo Schembechler," said Kattus, who was also considering UCLA, Illinois, North Carolina, and Miami of Ohio. "It didn't take me too long to decide that if I was going to play football in the Big Ten, it was going to be at Michigan." A good deal of Kattus' success in a maize and blue uniform stems from his intelligence and versatility in dealing with a complex position. Tight ends must work with the offen- sive line coach to get blocking assignments down, and they must also concentrate on pass routes. "Tight end is kind of a tough position because everyone is always The near-perfect season... ...some suitable awards B EFORE the 1985 Wolverine football season began, I predicted in this space that Michigan would finish in a tie for second place in the Big Ten with an overall record of 8-3 or 7-4. At the time, people thought I was crazy. Now, after 12 weeks and a 9-1-1 record, people still think I'm crazy, but my prediction looks a little better. This Wolverine squad looked good from the start and I had no hesitation in picking them to win all 11 weeks. They should have won all 11 games, but a field goal from Iowa's Rob Houghtlin and a Gerald White fumble on the Illinois seven yard line kept that from happening. Michigan could easily be going into Pasadena this New Year's day as the top-ranked team in the land. But hey, for a team that was supposed to have a losing record, you can't complain. And considering that Michigan beat Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Ohio State - its most hated rivals - the season looks even better. It's been a memorable season indeed. Here are some awards for the people and events which made it that way: *The Most Ridiculous Statistics A ward: The Michigan defense. Besides being one of the top squads in the country, Gary Moeller's crew has produced some numbers that will be hard t.o equal for a long time. The stat everybody has looked at is touchdowns allowed, which is five for the Wolverines. Of those, only two were scored on sustained drives - one was scored on the second team by Minnesota and the other was scored by Ohio State on Jim Karsatos' desperation fourth down bomb in the fourth quarter. " The Most Improved Player A ward: Jim Harbaugh. Who else could qualify? The Michigan quarterback went from being a decent Big Ten quarterback to one of the most efficient in the nation. He has set Michigan season passing marks in nearly every category and if he continues this pace into next season, he could become the best quarterback in the school's history. Just ask Brent Musberger. One reporter at Bo Schembechler's last press luncheon even suggested that Harbaugh could be a Heisman Trophy candidate next year. In- teresting... " The Silent Achiever Award: Mark Messner. With Mike Hammer- stein on the same defensive line, Messner has been left behind by the media hype. Hammerstein may not win the Lombardi Trophy for the nation's outstanding lineman this year, but Messner will before he leaves Michigan. The sophomore has a team-leading 11 sacks along with 62 tackles. " The "Let Me Play Quarterback" vard: Gerald White. The junior runningback had his best and worst moments of the 1985 season against Illinois. He did commit the crucial fumble on the Illini seven, but he also threw a beautiful 40-yard bomb to Paul Jokisch - the only non- quarterback pass of the year. " The Best Interview A ward: Billy Harris. This middle guard could be an entertainer some day. Not only is he articulate, he is known to be a very fine singer. In fact, when he met the press the Monday after the Iowa loss, he sang a song about his home town of Xenia, Oh. which was devastated in 1973 by a tornado. " The Isiah Thomas A ward: Jamie Morris. The sophomore tailback has the same soft-spoken humility that was made famous by Detroit Piston Isiah Thomas. He also has a smile on his face for nearly every in- terview, just like Thomas. * The "What Did I Do Now?" A ward: Pat Moons. After getting beaten out by two new faces for the starting kicking job, the senior was mistakingly arrested at practice during Michigan State week for bank robbery. Needless to say, Schembechler and the Wolverines were slightly surprised that day to see Moons in handcuffs in the back of an Ann Arbor police car. But Moons got justice by scoring nine points against Ohio State. The real bank robber, according to Schembechler, was also brought to justice. " The Hypocrite of the Year A ward: Hayden Fry. Who else? After criticizing Schembechler for complaining about the crowd noise at Iowa when the Hawks won 12-10, the Iowa leader cried endlessly about the crowd at Ohio State which raised hell when the Bucks beat Fry's boys 22- 13. Speaking of Iowa... " The "I'm Too Tired To Get Off My Butt "A ward: Larry Station. Anybody who votes this lazy Iowa linebacker for any post-season awards better think twice because this guy unfairly delayed the Purdue game by not getting back in position for a final play that could have been a game- winning touchdown for the Spoilermakers - and a Rose Bowl 'trip for Michigan. " The Play of the Year A ward: John Kolesar's 77-yard touchdown catch against Ohio State. It was the play that broke the Buckeyes' back and will be remembered for years to come. " The "I'm Out of Space"A ward: Me Michigan No. Name Pos. Ht. 2 Bob Cernak ........................... QB 6-2 3 Russ Rein....d........................ QB 6-0 4 Jim Harbaugh....................... QB 6-3 5 Erik Campbell........................KWR 5-10 k John Whitledge.......................KQB 6-2 6 Demetrius Brown................... QB 6- 6 Pat Moons......................... PK 58 7 Rick Sutkiewicz .................... PK 5-8 8 Doug Mallory......................... DB 6-1 9 Dwayne Freeman ................... DB 6-3 9 Michael Taylor ........................ QB 6-1 10 Kyle Anderson ........................ RB 6-1 10 Greg Randall ......................... DB 6-1 12 Ernie Bock .......................DB 5-11 12 Chrislurbrugg....................QB 6-1 13 Garland Rivers ....................... DB 6-1 14 Mike DeBoer .......................... P 6-2 14 Tony Gant ...........................DB 6-0 15 David Arnold ...................... DB 6-3 15 Don Lessner. ....................DB 5-10 16 Scott Crawford ........................ QB 6-3 17 Ivan Hicks ...........................,DB 6-2 18 Mike Jones............................TE 6-3 19 Mike Gillette ....................PK/P 6-1 20 Anthony Mitchell ...................... WR 5-11 20 Bob Stites............................. LB 5-11 21 Gene Lawson ......................... WR 5-10 21 Olatide Ogunfitidimi.................. WR 6-0 22 Gerald White ....................FB/RB 6-0 23 Jamie Morris ...................RB/WR 5-7 23 John Zingales ......................... DB/K 5-10 24 Bobby Abrams ........................ DB 6-4 25 Rick Hassel ...........................DB 6-0 25 Rick Stites......................... LB 5-11 26 Gilvanni Johnson..................WR 6-1 26 Gulam Khan .......................... PK 5-8 27 Thomas Wilcher ...................... TB 5-10 28 Ed Hood .............................. DB 5-10 29 Geoff Bissell .......................... WR 6-1 29 Tim Schulte........................... OLB 6-3 30 Brad Cochran ......................... DB 6-3 31 Ken Higgins........................... WR 6-2 32 Mike Edwards ........................ DB 6-2 33 Jeff Akers ............................ ILB 6-2 33 Phil Logas ........................... SE 5-11 34 Sean LaFountaine ..................... WR 6-0 35 Diete' Heren.....................OLB 6-3 35 Vince Washington. .................. FLK 5-10 36 Brad Burrows ......................... LB 6-3 37 Bob Perryman ........................ FB 6-1 38 Ken Mouton.......................... DB 6-0 39 John Willingham ...................... ILB 6-3 40 John Kolesar .......................... FLK 6-0 41 Todd Schulte.....................ILB 6-3 42 Mike Mallory....................ILB 6-2 43 Steve Woroniecki.................DB 5-11 43 Monte Robbins ..................... P 64 44 Dan Holloway ......................... OLB 6-2 45 Pat Fitzgerald ........................ SE 5-9 45 Mike Reinhold....................MG 6-3 46 Phil Webb ......................... RB 6-1 48 Ernie Holloway ....................... RB 5-10 49 Andy Moeller ........................ ILB 5-0 50 David Weil ........................... OG 6-4 51 John Duerr ....................... OLB 6-3 51 Mike Krauss. ....................OG 6-4 52 Frank Petroff......................... DL 6-4 53 Chris Simmons ........................ OLB 6-2 54 Andree McIntyre..................ILB 6-1 56 Joe Boyden ....................... C/LB 6-3 56 Billy Harris........................... MG 6-0 57 John Althouse ......................... LB 6-3 57 Dave Dever....... ................. OG 6-4 58 Keith Cowan....................... OLB 6-0 59 Brian Reid .......................OG 6-5 60 Mark Messner ........................ DL 6-3 61 John Plantz........................... OT 6-5 62 Chris D'Esposito ...................... OG 6-2 64 Dave Chester ......................... OG 6-2 65 John"Mihic-........................OL 6-4 65 Derrick Walker ....................... ILB 6-1 66 Mike Hammerstein ................... DT 6-4 67 John vitale ...........................O & 6-1 68 Andy Borowski ...................... C 64 69 Dave Herrick.....................C 64 70 Mark Erhardt......................... OT 6-6 71 Pat Oszewski......................... OT 6-8 72 John Elliott ........................... OT 6-7 73 Robert dePalma ...................... OT 6-5 74 Mike Husar...........................OG 6-3 75 Jerry Quaerna....................OT 6-7 76 Michael Dames...................OG 6-2 77 Bob Tabachino................... C/OG 6-2 78 Mark Hammerstein ................ OT 6-4 79 Clay Miller......................... OT 64 80 Jeffrey Brown ..................... TE 64 81 Eric Kattus.......................TE 6-6 82 Paul Schmerge........................ TE 6-2 84 Paul Jokisch .......................... SE 6-8 85 Jim Scarcelli....................... OLB 6-5 86 Steve Thibert...................... OLB 6-5 88 Scott Mandel.....................TE 6-2 88 Brent White ........................... DT 6-5 90 Keith Mitchell......................... TE 64 91 Jack Walker ......:........ 92 Keith Cooper ............... 93 David l+olkertsma .......... 95 J.J. Grant.. .......... 96 John Herrmann........... 97 Joseph Holland............. 97 Dave Mandel.............. 97 Marty Shimko.............. 99 Carlitos Bostic........... NeL Daily Photo by DAN HABIB Michigan tight end Eric Kattus shows who he thinks is number one after catching a touchdown pass against Purdue. The 6-6 senior finished the year with a team-leading eight touchdown receptions. Name Dale Klein.............. von Sheppard .......... Gary Schneider......... Guy Rozier.............. Brian Washington....... Keith Jones............ McCathorn Clayton...... Ray Nelson............ Mike Otte .............. Jeff Taylor............ Jeff Tomjack........... Clete Blakeman......... Travis Turner.......... Scott Hill................ Cleo Miller............ Brian Pokorny.......... Bryan Siebler.......... Paul Miles............... Doug DuBose........... Roger Lindstrom........ Dan Casterline......... Matt Strasburger........ Tom Rathman ........... Dennis Watkins .......... John Custard........... Dan Thayer............ Gene Chealy........... Brian Davis............ Dana Brinson............ Todd Proffitt........... Kevin Parsons.......... Doug Welniak.......... Steve Forch............ Blake Henning........... John Kelley............ Marc Munford.......... Mike Carl .............. Todd Millikan ........... . Mike Knox............ Chris Carr............. Chad Daffer............. Dan Wingard........... Micah Heibel........... Ken Kaelin............ Danny Groskurth........ Jeff Sellentin........... Mark Cooper........... Jack Noel............. Keven Lightner......... Pete Lawrence......... Jim Dittiner............. John McCormick....... John Nichols........... Brad Johnson.......... Tim Roth................ Phil Rogers............ Ron Galois............ Bill Lewis ............. Tom Welter........... Brian Blankenship......... Rob Maggard.......... Todd Carpenter......... Stan Parker........... Mike Hoefler.......... Chris Spachman........ Tim Rother ............. Todd Frain............ Brad Smith............ Paul Gangwish......... Gregg Reeves......... Robb Schnitzler........ Jason Gamble.......... Tom Banderas......... Rod Smith ............ Scott Tucker........... Brian Moore............. Tony Holloway......... Neil Smith............ Rod Reynolds......... Brian Hiemer......... Danny Noonan. ......... Jim Skow.... ....... Tony Palmer.......... Lee Jones ............ Ken Shead ............ IF THEY ONLY HAD 24 HOUR BANKING... They wouldn't be standing in line! " 17Branch Locations " 15 CONVENIENT 24 HOUR BANKING Locations Iwo F OF O FDIR0 AMEIASM Member FDIC Kattus ... glad to be back telling you to do something else," said the b.g.s. major. "You have three coaches telling you to do three dif- ferent things. Michigan puts most of its emphasis on blocking, though." THAT MAY BE a surprise for some people who think that the tight end is primarily a weapon for the passing at- tack. Kattus enjoys all aspects of the game, however. "I love getting hit and I love blocking," he said. "I think it's very satisfying to make a good block and then have the back make a big gain. That's just as good as catching a pass for me." Kattus may soon have to adjust to an entirely new lifestyle of blocking and getting hit in the NFL. If he makes it, he will be one of only a han- dful of former Michigan receivers in the pros. Not bad for a guy who just a year ago could count his career recep- tions on one hand. MIMIIMI MAIM-I I I I M IIIIrI4111M o r