Men's Swimming
vs. Purdue
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Matt Mann Pool
The Michigan Daily-
SPORTS
Wednesday, January 13, 1988
Women's Basketball
vs. Ohio State
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Crisler Arena
Page 9
X1' v.y.x
full court
Woman
cager
makes team,
p
S1
lives dream as Blue reserve
By MICHAEL GILL
During Sunday's upset win over
Illinois, basketball player Barbie
Loeher sat on the bench. She shot
during warmups. She stood during
timeouts. She cheered on her team-
mates. She could want more, but she
was happy.
Happy as a rabbit. And then...
Michigan head coach Bud Van De
Wege watched a drive, a basket, and
a foul.
AS THE BASKET sealed the
victory and Van De Wege hopped
down the sideline in joyful glee,
Loeher sang "Here comes Bud Van
De Wege, hopping down..." to the
tune of "Peter Cottontail." He didn't
hear it at the time, but the bench ate
it up.
Loeher was there. She was part of
the team. That's what counts.
At the conclusion of Grosse
Pointe North's basketball season last
year, Loeher thought her career as a
hoopster was over. Forever. Decid-
ing to attend Michigan for academic
reasons, basketball was not in the
plans.
She had a dream.
"I tried out for the team just so I
could say to myself that at least I
tried," she said.
AFTER A FEW days of walk-
on tryouts, Van De Wege asked to
meet with the three finalists in his
office.
"It really sounded like he wasn't
going to keep anyone," Loeher ad-
mits. "We spoke of basketball and
how I would feel if certain situations
occurred. He asked what my attitude
would be like if I didn't play all sea-
son. I told him I wouldn't care be-
cause I'd be on the team and that's
something I dreamt of since second
grade.
"I was getting the feeling that I
made it but he hadn't told me. After
ten minutes he said 'We'd really ap-
preciate it if...' My heart dropped. I
thought he was going to ask me to
be manager - not that there's any-
thing wrong with being manager.
But I wanted to make the team. And
he said "if you'd be a member of our
team this year."
What started as a conscious clear-
ing motivation ended with stomach
aches, sleepless nights, and an invi-
tation to be the only first year walk-
on of the 1987-88 edition of the
Wolverine basketball team.
AGAINST ALL ODDS the
proverbial mountain climbed. But
this was just the beginning. The
emotion spills over.
"I'm sitting in his office trying to
be cool and calm while in reality I'm
going crazy," Loeher said.
"I was like shaking."
Like shaking. EEH-Gads. The en-
gineering student was now a jock.
TOO EMBARRASSED to use
the phone outside the athletic of-
fices, she ran to Campus Corner.
Carrying a roll of quarters with her,
just in case the unbelievable became
fact, she began throwing quarter after
quarter - $3.75 worth - into the
phone. She began telephone conver-
sations with half the Western world.
Her mom. Her high school bas-
ketball coach. Her math teacher. Her
dad's secretary. Her dad's colleagues.
Brother. Sister. Everyone.
"She's such, a classic case of
somebody that came to a tryout and
worked her tail off," Van De Wege
marveled. "You watch her play for
half and hour and you can see that
she's somebody who's going to help
you out.
See LOEHER, Page 10
X
S
a
Dolly Photo
Former Michigan great Anthony Carter, now starring with the Minnesota
Vikings, set a playoff record by catching 10 passes for 227 yards in last
Sunday's upset of San Francisco.
Carter cruises into
NFC championship
BY STEVEN GINNS caught 10 passes good for 227 yards,
Former Michigan Wolverine, engineering the Vikings' win over
Michigan Panther, and current Min- San Francisco, 36-24.
nesota Viking-wide receiver Anthony In the process, the three-year NFL
Carter has hit on all cylinders this veteran establish a new standard for
season. playoff performances. His 227 re-
The 5'11", 174-pound Carter ceiving yards easily surpassed the old
sparked the Vikings to an 8 -7 record of 198, set by former Los
record, which earned them a wild card Angles Ram Tom Fears in 1950.
birth in the NFC playoffs. The Vikings road to the NFC
CARTER charged ahead of all playoffs was not smooth, however.
cther NFL wide receivers by catch- Problems both on and off the field
ing 38 passes for 922 yards and have plagued them.
seven touchdowns. His average of On the field, the Vikings had
24.3 yards per catch led the league, trouble deciding which quarterback to
and earned him a spot in the Pro use. Throughout the season, Tommy
Bowl. Kramer and Wade Wilson were in-
consistent, forcing head coach Jerry
Burns to alternate between the two.
'A luzfln j Furthermore, during the strike,
Minnesota's replacement team hurt
their playoff chances by losing all
three games.
OFF THE FIELD, several
players faced personal problems.
Kramer and defensive end Keith
"This season has gone pretty Millard, admitted alcoholics, were
good for me," said the soft-spoken forced to join Alcoholics Anony-
Carter. "I'm pretty much on top of mous to solve their drinking prob-
my game. I feel I have performed to lems.
the best of my ability." The Vikings, however, have
During the NFC playoffs, Carter been able to overcome these obsta-
helped lead Minnesota to two upset cles, and according to Carter, those
victories over the New Orleans problems "have not affected us at
Saints and San Francisco 49ers. all."
In the wild card game against the By overcoming these difficulties,
Saints, Carter displayed what his the Vikings are now just one game
abilities mean to the Vikings. He away from playing in the Super
caught 6 passes for 79 yards, and Bowl. A victory over the Washing-
scored two touchdowns; one with an ton Redskins in the NFC Champi-
84 yard punt return, and the other on onship game, this Sunday, will send
a 25-yard pass from running back the Vikings to San Diego for the
Allen Rice, as Minnesota sped past Super Bowl.
New Orleans 44-10. The key to the game, isto "get a
AGAINST the 49ers in the lead and be able to put (the
NFC semifinals, Carter shifted gears Redskins) away and not keep them
and improved his performance. He in the ball game," Carter said.
ISRAELI FOLK D A N C ING
One hour of
instruction
followed
At Hillel by open dancing.
For beginning and
339 E. Liberty W J' advance students.
time
Thursdays, Beginning Jan. 14 7:30-10pm
Ourthree-yearand
two-year sholarshipofeeeswon'
Just easier to pay for.
Even if you didn't start college on a scholarship, you
could finish on one. Army ROTC Scholarships
pay for full tuition and allowances for educational
fees and textbooks. Along with up to $1,000
a year. Get all the facts.
APPLICATION DEADLINES ARE SOON!
Call (313) 764-2400 or visit the Army ROTC
Office at 131 North Hall, Ann Arbor, ,I
ARMY RESERVE CFFICERS' TRAINING CORPS
Doily Photo by ELLEN LEVY
First-year student Barbara Loeher won the final position on the Michigan
women's basketball team during a try out for walk-ons. She scored heg;
only two points against Ball State January 3rd.
c'mon... thursday's classes aren't all that important
L AUGA 'd RACK
Stand td Ip Comnedy
presents comedian
TONY HAYES
Student Comedians
MIKE TOWER
ERIC CHAMPANELLA
WEDNESDAY
JANUARY 13
And Your Host
PETER BERMAN
IN THE U-CLUB
10 P.M.
$2.50 Admission
/ KTHE
onAUY" "4" ,494 LPUG~i ACK fuyd . FridAy S turd a iN~ RS
Su'iday M 0-133'~~~*,N IHSI
~ANN ~ ~ .-1SMltNt,..N 0JO+
)C) nut
Become a
Daily
Photographer!,
I
Read
and
Daieqj
Ceaoaijied6
CENTER FOR
WESTERN EUROPEAN
STUDIES
Study abroad in Spain or Italy through
The University of Michigan
Earn in-residence credits; financial aid applies
MICHIGAN-CORNELL PROGRAM IN SEVILLE, SPAIN:
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