The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, May 01, 1985, Page Page 13, Image 13
I SB2HH2L SpOrtS
Or
Seawright, Wilkes
deserve more attention
I
PEP TALK
1 Wfimm
As of 11:30 p.m. last night, Clcmson had taken the latest
?lead in the state's continuing battle for bragging rights.
Forget the fact that USC swept the Tigers the past
weekend on the baseball field. Disregard the Gamecocks'
22-21 football victory last November in Death Valley.
Never mind that Carolina has two consensus AllAmnrir*ntic
u;ho Hi/ln'i n?? <- K,r;l J
? U>HM > ?>vi ,iviv?.ivu 111 /tuciuaj ? iiri. uiuil
until the . . . when '.vas it? Don't ask us what round it was,
because wc had to go to press before they had been picked.
As Gamecock fans anxiously awaited mention of James
Seawright's and Del Wilkes' selection in the National Football
League's annual college draft, Clcmson was adding
five potential professionals to the pro ranks.
Only USC wide receiver Ira Hillary and corncrback l?arl
Johnson had been chosen by the ninth round last night.
? Hillary went to the Kansas City Chiefs in the eighth, while
^ ma... r\-1 _-i - - i ? i . .. -
ntw v^i icitns sciccicu jonnson in inc ninin.
Why did it lake so long, if ever, for the pros to come to
their senses?
If you take a good look at the first-round selections,
you'll notice that most teams went for meat ? something
the (iamccocks lacked last season. Because the NFL has
stressed the passing game in recent years, teams think size
on the line leads to success.
What about Wilkes? The offensive guard's 6-3,
266-pound frame seemed big enough for the pros, but his
slower speed might have been the deciding factor.
If they had wanted speed, they could have taken
Scawright. While the All-American linebacker's quickness
^ impressed many pro scouts, his size did not. At 6-3 and 220
? pounds, teams apparently felt the leader of the "Fire Ant"
defense wasn't good enough for the early rounds.
Obviously the NFL was not convinced that two firstteam
All-Americans who played on a 10-2 team were worthy
of early-round selection. Perhaps to be recognized as a
quality performer, one needs to attend a football factory
like Clcmson.
/racy Mixson is the sports editor of The Gamecock.
Former major-leagi
^ - Mt- ^V
ELLIOT COHEN/Tto Gamecock
m Columbia Mats ntanaear St>4 Harralsoii hits fuagooa to tin
oatfMd at Capital City Park.
Gamecock:
Purrv ninb
By Awclafd Pr? j
Clcmson tacklc William "The > j
Refrigerator" Perry was South r j
Carolina's one and only first-round h
pick in the National Football League's r j
draft yesterday. M
Perry, a 6-3, 318-pound defensive m
tacklc from Aiken, was chosen by the j
Chicago Bears. :
"It's very possible he could break in j, j
sit a (liirlrr " cni/l lim Palmor the t J
Bears' director of college scouting. "If
he can keep his weight down, we really
have an impact player."
PERRY WAS SELECTED No. 22
overall in a draft dominated by
linemen. A three-time All America and
finalist for the l.oinbardi Award,
Perry is Clcmson's fourth first-round
draft choice in the past four years.
"I I Kir. 1/ o Irt. n.nnU
< iinun u iwi vi |/vu|;iv ait .l.'lUtlWU
wc pickcd him in the first round,"
Palmer said. "It was a difficult pick.
Sometimes you get a pick where you're
damned if you do and damned if you
don't, but we think wc made the right
decision. He's ours and we're proud of
him."
Bears Coach Mike Ditka said the
selection of Perry was a gamble, but
one the Bears, 10-6 last season, were
wilting to take.
"This kid can play football. We
know that the other teams arc going to
have to worry about how they arc going
to play him," Ditka said.
Pt'ftRY PI AVI'I) in th? Huh.
in January weighing 357 pounds, but |
has dropped to 317. |
"We arc worried a little about his
weight," Palmer said. "Everything we w
checked was positive and our coaches tt
think he can handle the situation. o
We're going to get him to camp and ..
dip in the tank to sec what his fat content
is, but we think he can play T
anywhere from 295 to 310 pounds." ir
Perry set an Atlantic Coast Con- h
ference career records for sacks with
25 and tackles for loss with 60. The p
Tigers finished 7-4 last season. 4i
Clemson cornerback Tyrone Davis,
a 6-1, 185 lb. native of Athens, Ga., C
uer enjoys lead
By Ellit CoNin ~
The trim, tanned athelete in the
KAmi'c ^*^^..11.. LU. - 11
itivi a unnvim pi MWl Uliy IIUS II IIIIC
drive to the Admiration of those (
assembled in the ballpark's stands, as y
well as some IS players on the field.
It's more than just the gold chain
around his neck and the obvious age
difference that sets him apart from the
other players.
The uniform Hud Harrclson is wearing
is not that of the major league New
York Mets, but that of the Class A to
minor league farm team, the Columbia at
Mets. There are no George Fosters or tc
Dwjght Goodens among the group of fa
mostly 18-to 20-year-old big league S<
L r
nupciuis. fi<
Following his managerial debut with
the Mets* farm team in Little Falls,
N.Y. last year, the former Mets' star m
shortstop was invited this spring to tn
assume the helm of the Columbia lil
team. Accompanied by 14 players a
from last year, Harrelson has helped d(
the Mets get off to a 15-4 start. m
at
| "WE SEEM to be having a little
trouble catching Charleston in the in
funding*," he said. "We've been
playing real good ball so far, and 1 di
think we'll be looking reel good when tx
the season ends." fc
Although more than two decades le
have elapsed since he was just another tx
aspiring minor leaguer, Harrelson feels at
relatively little has changed. ol
"The actual playing conditions are
pretty much the same," he said. "I so
1 started out making $500 a month. d<
Now it's jtrtt a littie bit higher. sc
s wait on
ed in firs
Hillary goes
By J? Sitari
The 211th player choscn in
yesterday's National Football
League college draft was a
Gamecock.
The Kansas City Chiefs selected
USC wide receiver Ira Hillary in the
8th round of the draft while team
mate corncrback Earl Johnson was
pickcd in the 9th round by the New
Orleans Saints.
Brenda Boatright, public relations
manager for the Chiefs, said
Hillary was chosen because of-"his
good speed, hands and ability."
Boatright said the 5-11, 1K5
pound receiver should fit right into
Chiefs' head coach John
Machovic's pass-oriented game
plan.
Besides having a chance to make
the team as a receiver, probably the
Chiefs' strongest position, "Hillary
was also chosen to serve as the
team's kick return specialist,"
Boatright said.
As for USC players not selected,
defensive coordinator Tom Gadd
said he felt sorry for the Gamecocks
who expected to be drafted.
With no USC player drafted by
the 7th round, Gadd said, "You
hope for the young men's sake
they'd get picked up sooner."
as pickcd by the New York Giants in
ie third round, the 58th selection
verall.
DAVIS PLAYED in the shadows of
erry Kinard and Rod McSwain dur)g
the 1983 season before coming into
is own last season.
Clemson punter Dale Hatcher was
icked by the Los Angeles Rams in the
iK iU. n.u ?-11
hi i uuiiu, / /in acicvuuii uvciau.
Hatcher, a 6-2, 196 lb. native of
heraw, is Clemson's all-time leader in
ling Columbi
"I do imsi being out of a maji
jrateM to be back in any kind of i
with the 15 years of experience
"I think today's kids arc a little
illtflli'r In haiwllo Thci/'r? uu/ur?
id less afraid of authority than I used
? be. I was scared to death of my
ither, my teachers and my coaches.
;are tactics don't really work ef'fecfcly
anymore.
"BESIDES, THAT'S REALLY not
y policy as a manager. I'm pretty
uch a low-keyed individual, and I
<e to relate to relate to my players on
frinnHli/ haolc
VtlMI/ L'MJI.7 . I IIV/ IIOVV, 1IIVII JUU IU
>, and I have mine. I think that works
ore effectively than a military-like
mosphere."
Harrelson said his doesn't miss playg
the game.
"I think I was ready to retire when I
d," he said. "The playing aspect was
:coming a physical and mental grind
>r me. I do miss being out of a major
ague uniform, but 1 feci grateful to
' any kind of uniform and
riirtftfp these kids with the 15 year#
' exiggfepce 1 gained in the majors. /' "to*
WhCT M re*di about th* ?larl?c
me of the current ballplayer! earn,
>es he regret being born 13 years too
on ?
it draft.
;t round
to Chiefs
Ira Hillary
drafted in 8th round
He said he has seen players disappointed
because they weren't
drafted. "I really don't place much
value on the location of an athletes
draft position. I'm sure the players
arc disaDnointcd.
"People in the first round have a
better chance," Gadd said. "But at
the same time, there's still a lot of
teams that have made mistakes
drafting people in the first round
and there've been people who've
been drafted a lot lower than the
7th round that have made it.
punting averages with 42.6 yards a
punt.
He was an honorable mention for
the Associated Press All-America
team.
St. Louis picked Clemson tight end
K.D. Dunn in the Sth round, 116th
overall. Dunn was an All-Atlantic
Coast Conference selection and led the
league in touchdown receptions during
the 1983 season.
The 6-3, 220-lb. Dunn is a native of
Dccatur, C)a.,
a Mets
Dr league uniform, but I feel
uniform and.. .help these kids
I gained in the majors/'
Bud HarrelMit
Columbia Mats manager
"I CERTAINLY DO," he said,
"but I don't think any additional
money would have made me enjoy
playing any more than I did. I really
had a lot of fun."
While some critic's allege free agency
has lessened team comaraderie and
transformed the national pastime into
a cold, mega-dollar industry where individual
capital gain has superceeded
the desire of winning, Harrelson
disagrees.
"1 think it's great for young
athletes who have dedicated
themselves totally to baseball, and
then fincL?}>emielves lost in Umbo.
"Ther are lots of problems that go
along with the high salaries. I know it's
easy for fans who read the papers and
hear players complaining t$, Jtitnk,
'Oh, 1 wish I had those ktodir.tff proy.n?
* n..? ?i?. ...i.u ?-- t-t
vlviii>. uui hiuh| wnii me vig nieney
comes the added pressure to
iJKrform."- jjp
; HE CITKS Oeorge Foster'f iitUAftI
season with the Mets in 1983, whentne
Mets were criticized for signing the ex
Cincinnati Reds star to a five-year,
"Harrelaca." M