Women's Volleyball
vs. Iowa
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
IM Building
SPORTS
Wednesday, October 7, 1987
Field Hockey
vs. Northwestern
Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
Tartan Turf
The Michigan Daily
Page 9
Dv-I -W S j rat *Fullback Phil Webb worships
-Di 11W tra' ""'his hi gh and mighty coach Bo
By RICK KAPLAN
Old-time Ann Arbor football fans
tell a joke about the college-football
fan who died and went to heaven.
An angel showed him the first
room, where a crumpled old man
stood scrawling X's and O's on a
chalkboard. "I know who that is,"
the fan said. "That's legendary coach
Amos Alonzo Stagg."
In the next room was a man in a
bear-skin jacket, looking down on a
football practice from a tower. "I
know who that is," the fan said.
-p
"That's legendary coach Bear
Bryant."
The angel led the fan to another
room, where a man in a maize and
blue jacket, holding a headset in his
hand, stood screaming at a referee. "I
know who that is," the fan said.
"That's legendary coach Bo
Schembechler."
"No," said the angel. "That's
God. He only think's he's B o
Schembechler."
Michigan fullback Phil Webb
understands that story. He too
equates Schembechler with God.
Webb's regard for the Wolverine
head football coach runs so high that
"I guess I put him up there with
God," he said.
The fifth-year senior chose to
attend Michigan for one reason -
Schembechler.
"All through junior high and high
school, I heard great things about
him," Webb said. "I heard that Bo
Schembechler had done this, and he
was the first coach to do that.
"Michigan is Bo Schembechler. If
you go here, you become one of
Bo's boys. I've always wanted to
become one of Bo's boys."
Webb is one of Bo's best boys
this season. After four years of spot
'Michigan is Bo
Schembechler. If you go
here, you become one of
Bo's boys. I've always
wanted to become one of
Bo's boys.'
- Phil Webb
Michigan State coaching staff while
still in high school. Spartan head
coach George Perles heavily recruited
the 6-1, 202-pound running back.
Perles went to see Webb play in
high school and personally visited
his home.
"It was George Perles' first year,"
Webb said. "He was coming to
change the whole state's outlook. It
was going to become a Michigan
State-owned state."
The Spartan brass told Webb he
would play for Michigan State im-
mediately. Michigan, having an
abundance of experienced backs,
would not make that promise. Both
Webb's father and his high-school
coach pushed for him to choose
Michigan State.
Webb chose Michigan anyway.
"If I went to Michigan, even if I
didn't ever play, I would become a
different kind of man," Webb said.
"Bo changes you, even if you don't
play at all. He has an effect on you
unlike any coach I've ever heard of,
even the great ones like Bear Bryant
and Joe Paterno."
Schembechler had his biggest
effect on Webb last Tuesday, when
the coach spent a day in the hospital
for kidney-stone treatment. "When
he didn't show up for practice, I was
really down," Webb said. "It's
undescribable the way I felt. 'God,
he's gone. I can't believe it.'
"The entire time I've been (at
Michigan), he's never missed a
practice. Usually the players are the
ones who miss practice. But when
the head coach misses practice, it's
an eerie feeling."
Schembechler returned the next
day, but Webb could not return to
form. "I was nervous," Webb said.
"It had been a long time since I
dropped a pass, and as soon as he
came back, I dropped two. He got on
me."
duty, the Romeo, Mich., native is
finally getting his chance to start in
the Wolverine backfield. He is the
lead blocker for Heisman Trophy-
candidate tailback Jamie Morris.
Webb has gained 85 yards on 19
carries this season.
Personal accomplishments are
secondary to Webb. Playing for
Sch'embechler is his main concern.
"When I came back this fall, there
was still some indecision about who
was going to start at fullback,"
Webb said. "I decided I was going to
make him play me. I just worked so
hard. Finally, he respected me.
That's one of the things I always
wanted to do, gain his respect."
Webb gained the respect of the
Daily Photo by SCOTT LITUCHY
Fifth-year senior Phil Webb has rushed for 85 yards this season.
TIGERS CAN'T AFFORD TO UNDERESTIMATE MINNESOTA:
Knicks sign Pistons' Green
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)
parlay seems to be Frank V
the Minnesota Twins' hom
advantage.
"To have a legitimate sho
got to do well here," Vi
yesterday.
Viola, the Twins' 17-
hander, will face Doyle Ale
Detroit's 9-0 right-hander,
(8:30 p.m.) when the twc
begin the American League p
k: Viol
- The The AL West champion Twins
iola and had baseball's best home record in
ie-dome 1987, 56-25, but they had the worst
road record of any division or
t, we've pennant winner in history, 29-52.
ola said The Tigers, meanwhile, were tied
with Toronto for the best road record
10 left- in the league, 44-37, and they were
exander, 4-2 this season at Minnesota.
tonight "Viola gives the Twins a
o teams legitimate chance in a seven-game
playoffs. series because he can win two games
apDoee
for you by himself," Tiger manager
Sparky Anderson said.
In the best-of-seven format, the
first two games will be in
Minneapolis tonight and tomorrow
night. The teams will take Friday
off, and games three, four, and five
are set for Saturday, Sunday, and
Monday at Tiger Stadium. The
teams would return to Minnesota for
the final two games, if necessary.
Viola actually could get three starts
if the series goes the distance.
"The way I see it, we have two
advantages," Viola said. "First, we're
not expected by anybody to do
anything. And second, we've got
four games at the dome, and we have
the best home record in baseball.
"The only problem is the Tigers
do pretty well here, too."
"No predictions," Tiger designated
hitter Bill Madlock said, "because
the Twins have a great club with
some very good ballplayers."
And that is what the Minnesota
players are hoping to prove.
"We're here," Viola said, "and
now people can get to know us a
little bit. That's all we wanted. The
emotion is starting to come out
now."
Viola had an up-and-down 1986
season, finishing with a 16-13 record
and a 4.51 ERA. This year, Viola
abandoned his slider and relied on a
fastball and changeup to post the
second-best ERA in the league,
2.90.
NEW YORK (AP) - Forward
Sidney Green signed a free-agent
offer sheet with the New York
Knicks yesterday and can join the
NBA team in 15 days if his previous
team, the Detroit Pistons, fails to
match the offer.
"We are testing the free-agent
waters," Knicks General Manager Al
Bianchi said. "Sidney Green was one
of the best power forwards available
in the free-agent market. Rebounding
is an area we need help in and we're
excited at the prospect of Sidney
Green playing for the Knicks."
Under the right-of-first-refusal free
agent system in the NBA, the
Pistons can either match 'the 'offer
and keep Green, waive the right to
match the offer in exchange for
compensation from the Knicks or do
nothing and let New York have him.
FULL PRIVILEGE
ADULT NAUTILUS
CLUB MEMBERSHIP
ONLY $75.00 DOWN AND
$20.00 A MONTH.
ANN ARBOR 'Y'
350 S. FIFTH AVE.
663-0536
Green averaged 7.9 points and 8.2
rebounds in 80 games for the
Pistons in 1986-87. He was a starter
at the beginning of the season, but
saw less playing time as the season
progressed because of t h e
development of rookies Dennis
Rodman and John Salley.
The Knicks said they were
impressed with Green's average of
12.8 rebounds per game projected
over 35 minutes.
In four years in the NBA with
Chicago and Detroit, Green has
averaged 8.8 points and 6.7
rebounds.
HEALTH FITNESS
(~ What's
Happening
Recreational Sports
" LAST DAY TO SIGN UP FOR
IM TOUCH FOOTBALL
11 am-4:30pm Intramural Sports Building
" ALL CAMPUS TENNIS TOURNAMENT
MEN AND WOMEN SINGLES
PRIZES AWARDED!
TOURNAMENT DATES: SAT., OCTOBER 10 and
SUN., OCTOBER 11 at Palmer Tennis Courts
ENTRIES DUE: TODAY! OCTOBER 7 4:30 p.m.
Intramural Sports Building
4
GEAR UP FOR FALL
AND LET LARRY HELP.
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Snext to Captol Cleanes
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2306 W. Stadium Blvd., Ann Arbor, MI 48103
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WE RENT TO 19 YR. OLD STUDENTS!
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-Associated Press
I i