0 Kickoff '93 Friday. September 10, 1993 14 ..._ w r .. _. , I-t Faster than a speeding bullet and a nice guy, too. Off the field, football hero Tyrone Wheatley is strictly Clark Kent A mani Toomer, a wide receiver for the Michi gan football team, is talking about his teammate Tyrone Wheatley. Wheatley, a junior tailback from Inkster, Mich., is one of the best players in college football and a candidate for the Heisman Trophy. Toomer is asked what one might find Wheatley doing in the locker room. Probably something like concentrating on the next game or maybe sitting by him- self, figuring out exactly how many yards it will take to win the Heisman, right? "You might find him playing with his little squirt guns just squirting them around," Toomer says. Buster Stanley is an- other teammate of Wheatley's. He is a cap- tain of this team, so he must know Wheatley well. He will explain that Toomer is wrong. The best running backs in the coun- try must be serious people. They do not have fun with squirt guns or laugh and joke. For crying out loud, this man's nickname is Clowning and crazy? It is odd, for certain. There is something about the aura and perception of a superstar athlete such as Wheatley that does not quite include water pistols and silly caricatures. But apparently, this is the case with the wonderfully talented Wheatley, who has rocketed to the top of the college football world but has left his personality back where it has always been: down to earth. "I remember last year he'd come by our room and he'd talk to me and my roommate and stuff," Toomer said. "I think when I first came here I was a little over- whelmed because he was so close to us. Usually, you come in and you think, the big-time, players are going to be a little unpleas- ant. It was surprising." So maybe it is possible for his dichotomy, of a nice guy with an alter ego of much-loved hero. The theme exists somewhere. Superman. Okay, so perhaps he does not have a phone booth. But some- thing changes dramatically within him when on the gridiron. Wheatley has achieved almost a superhero's status because of it. Just imagine for a second ... With a maize and blue outfit, and a "6" on his chest, our hero by Ken Sugiura spends his autumn Saturdays bolting around Midwestern foot- ball fields, a comet in Nikes and a winged helmet. He whizzesby linebackers and pulverizes cornerbacks, or vice versa, reserving his torturous blows for whomever it is that has caused the most trouble in the 'M'pire. Throngs of thousands cheer him on in his exploits, as he con- quers the forces of evil, villainy and Lou Holtz. And then, his work done, he is gone, down a tunnel, out of sight... And moments later, Tyrone Wheatley emerges from the locker room in a shirt and tie, Michigan Player Feature CHA i leaving others to wonder why they never see them at the same time ... Perhaps the comic book will have to wait. But when it comes, there will be a few powers this newest su- perhero will possess. 1.) Incredible athletic talent. Wheatley seems tohavebeen dis- playing it since the crib. To begin with, he has a rare combination of size and speed. Measuring in at 6-foot-1and a solid 225 pounds, he can run 40 yards in 4.3 sec- onds. With a 10.35-second time in the 100 meters, Wheatley fits the mold of a world-class sprinter as opposed a Big Ten tailback. And he has been blessed with the kind of athletic ability that seems to defy the realm of possibility. His team- mates and coaches rave about it, and they all seem to have their favor- ite stories. There was his 59-yard Stouchdown run last week against Washington State. In a run around left end, Wheatley pun- ished everything in his- path, stiff arming vil- Bug h"ts c for 'M' ly If Alfie Burch, Michigan's starting short cornerback has a confidence problem, know that it is because there is a surplus, not a shortage.. But, being a defensive back, Burch says that it is only natu- ral. "I don't know too many defen- sive backs that are real good that aren't real sure of themselves," Burch said. "Sometimes when you Seconda Vi i get back there, there's no one else. You're the last line of de- fense." Ifnothing else, Michigan's last line of defense is one of its most experienced units. Corner Dwayne Ware and All-Big Ten safety Corwin Brown are both gone, but wide cornerback Ty Law, strong safety Shonte Peoples and Burch have a total of 23 starts. Only free safety Chuck Winters, a converted FILE PHOTC Fifth-year cornerback Alfie Burch, known for giving opposing offenses a piece of his mind, leads a quick Michigan defensive secondary. I Special teams' play may give BI Superman. I What kind of Super- man plays with squirt > \ guns?. "He likes to clown around with the fellas," Stanley says. "He's fun to EX be around, acts crazy with '> k the fellas." Well, thanks, Buster. Maybe asking Wheatley himself would be better. ' What does he truly do with N his teammates? Certainly he will give' an answer revealing what it is that has made him such a wonderful player. Perhaps he will say he is ax leader to his teammates, encouraging them to place the team above all else. "I like drawing pictures of all of them, then give a them to the coach or tape' them up around the place," he says. "I have this onef picture of Che Foster. It's -FILE PHOT really nice. I wish I had it..FLEPT here to show it to you," When given a hole, Wheatley's size and speed takeover, making it difficult for any would-be tackler to catch him. Tyrone gained 1,905 yards Pictures? Squirt guns? in hts*fir t two seapors at Miehigan, ipclgipg o354n the;1993R1Rog Bowl. .:, ,'G c lains to the turf on the way to the end zone. It seemed everyone had something to say about it afterwards. 'That run he had, that was an astonishing run," Stanley recalled. "He didn't want to get tack- led, so he didn't get tack- led." "It looked like he was going to pick up 15, 20 yards, and the next thing you know, he was in the end zone," wide receiver Mercury Hayes said. "That was an incredible play." And get this - the incredible has become the routine on the Wol- verine practice field. "The runs Wheatley makes, he makes them in practice also," Hayes added. "We seehim make runs in games and it's O nothing really big to us." Or you can go back to his& -high school days,,.': Often the word "intangible" is used as an explanation for why a team seems to be able to rise above others of similar talent. The team is said to have a quality that comes to life at critical situ- ations. In Michigan's return teams, Gary Moeller might pos- sess just such an intangible. With the capability of break- [Special Teams down the left side of the field for a 50-yard scamper. His team- mates claim that the junior's breakaway speed is his mostvalu- able weapon. "Tyrone's got that fifth gear that all backs are looking for," senior captain and fellow tailback Ricky Powers said. "Once he gets into it, I don't think anyone can catch him." While Wheatley led the team in return yards, it was Hayes who had the most returns of any Wolverine in 1992. The sopho- more had 13 opportunities and averaged 19.5 yards. No stranger to the end zone himself, Alexander will be the key returner on punts. The fifth- year senior had two touchdowns on special teams lastyearinclud- ing an 80-yard run back against Michigan State. Hayes and Department of Recreational Sports INTRAMURAL SPORTS PROGRAM Depa SP %" W CHA ing one long, Tyrone Wheatley, Mercury Hayes and Derrick Alexander are all back to re- ceive kickoffs for the Wolverines. Wheatley averaged 23.5 yards a return last season and had the longest runback in the country when he went 99 yards for a touchdown on the opening kick- off against Houston. On. the opening kickoff of the 1993 season, Wheatley revealed his talents opeeagain as he broke WANTED! - Sports Officials- Soccer Softball Flag Football Ice Hockey Basketball TENNIS TC (Singles Entry Deadline: 4:34 IMSB M Tourney Begir Training Clinics conducted prior to each sport beginning. For Additional Information Contact IMSB 763-3562 For Additional Informati . 4.4. . . . .* * *.. 7' . * , . '. .- . 40. a - * . .. . , - o 0 *,* * A -, I - . - . . -1