Newspaper Page Text
4 OCTOBER, 1964
The Panther
1964 PANTHERS
Coach Epps Reports—
Panthers Prepare For Big Year
Coach L. S. Epps waved a magic hand over football practice a
few days ago and transformed Clark College’s prospects for a fairly
good season into what sideliners rate as a much-better-than-even
chance that he could do a repeat of last year’s performance.
The Clark mentor could not, however, brew up enough magic to
prevent his top-ranking fullback,
Sam Hamilton, from getting a
few hard knocks that yanked him
from practice sessions for a while.
He did, however, reach up his
sleeve and pull out Wilson Smith
a senior and former halfback who
has been “running well in the last
few practices.” It was not the
first time we heard Smith’s name
mentioned. Smith played a brief
role as halfback in several games
last year and scored one or two
Panther touchdowns. This may be
his year to hit full stride.
Coach Epps is particularly
pleased over the progress of his
defensive unit. In fact, he showed
more enthusiasm over this aspect
of his team’s progress than any
other.
Further cause for elation was
the return of Hubert Horne and
Harold Huggins, both linesmen
who returned to the Panthers and
Clark after several years’ absence.
Huggins is listed as a top candi
date for the center position.
Horne is a guard. Both are rem
nants of one of Clark’s stronger
teams of recent years and should
make valuable contributions.
The offense won no great nod
of approval from the Clark men
tor, but he did not retreat from
his earlier position that the Pan
ther backs, paced by Hamilton,
Archie Wilson and Elijah Nevett,
will be a hard-to-stop combina
tion.
Nevett, hero among Clark’s
free scoring halfbacks last year,
is one of the Panthers’ candidates
for all conference honors this sea
son. The Bessemer flash, who
scored Clark’s winning touchdown
against Morris Brown last year,
seems to have picked up some
speed over the summer and, pro
vided he gets the blocking sup
port, might well show that he was
just warming up last year.
To help him along, Coach Epps
has geared much of his running
attack to Nevett’s best-liked plays
from last year and fitted in a few
more to spring him loose. But
this year’s war book is not all
Nevett’s. Archie Wilson is des
tined to be a prominent figure.
Wilson has more power than
Nevett, but lacks some of Nevett’s
speed. He alternated last year with
Sam Hamilton. If Wilson reaches
his peak this year, Coach Epps
would be justified in having a
much more enthusiastic position
over his attack than he has—or
admits.
The first game of the season
was played at Griffin on October
3 in a night game with Fort Val
ley.
Panthers Fall
Before Wildcats
The Panthers of Clark College,
who have lost only two games in
the past two seasons fell to the
Wildcats of Fort Valley in Grif
fin, Georgia’s Textile Classic on
October 3. They were defeated
under rainy skies 13-6.
About 4,000 spectators were
there to see the Panthers in their
first game of the season.
The Clarkites entered the fra
cas with a background of four
consecutive wins over the Wild
cats, and subsequently they will
go against Tuskegee, Alabama
State, Morehouse, Savannah State,
South Carolina and Morris
Brown.
The one thing in favor of the
1964 Panthers will be their size.
Clark has what quite possibly
amounts to its heaviest team yet,
and if the cardinal and black
squad can fit a few of its sopho
more and newcomers into the
ranks in early games, their
chances of picking up some ex
perience might pave the way for
duplicating or at least approach
ing their records of the past two
seasons.
Another factor which may in
fluence Clark's season is the
schedule. It carries them on the
road for four games and finds
them at home three times. But
this probably weights very little
since the Clarkites haven’t lost
on the road but twice in the past
three seasons.
Elijah Nevett, halfback for the
Panthers, scored the first touch
down of the season and Coach
Epps will be looking for great
action from the Bessemer, Ala
bama, player in the remaining
games.
At the half, Fort Valley lead
the Panthers by 13-6, which the
Panthers held until the final
moments of the game.
CLARK COLLEGE
1964
FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
DATE TEAM PLACE
Oct. 3—Ft. Valley
Griffin
Oct. 10—Tuskegee
Tuskegee
Oct. 17—S. Carolina ...
..Orangeburg
Oct. 24—Savannah
Homecoming
Oct. 31—Morehouse .
... Atlanta
Nov. 7—Open
Nov. 14—Alabama
Mobile
Nov. 21—Open
Nov. 26—Morris Brown
Atlanta
(Thanksgiving)
CLARK'S FULLBACKS—Samuel Hamilton, left and Wilson Smith, right, veteran
fullbacks for the Clark College Panthers give a few pointers to their under
studies Eugene Rhodes and Joseph Covey. Rhodes and Covey are newcomers to
the Clark lineup, but will probably see some action this year as Coach Epps pre
pares them for the vacancies to be left when Hamilton and Smith graduate in
June. (Photo by Cuadra).
1964-65 PANTHER LINEUPS
Name and Position
Ends
Hometown
Classification
Wt.
Ht.
1.
Archie Wilson
LaGrange, Ga.
Senior
190
6’1
2.
Morris Stroud
Griffin, Ga.
Freshman
215
6’8
3.
Isadore Lee
Atlanta, Ga.
”
185
6’0
4.
Robert Simmons
Brooklyn, N. Y.
190
6’3
5.
Michael Blossomgame
Atlanta, Ga.
195
6’2
6.
Ronald Mclllwain
Washington, D. C.
210
6’3
7.
Richard Bolton
Tackles
Atlanta, Ga.
185
6T
1.
David Champion
Atlanta, Ga.
Freshman
215
6’4
2.
Wilbert Soloman
Atlanta, Ga.
Senior
220
6’3
3.
Richard Lee
Birmingham, Ala.
Freshman
215
6’2
4.
William Trice
Atlanta, Ga.
Junior
203
6’0
5.
Jeffrey Peaton
St. Petersburg, Fla.
Freshman
230
6’3
6.
Jimmy Bell
Atlanta, Ga.
Freshman
240
6’3
7.
Alfonso Richardson
Guards
St. Louis, Missouri
Junior
206
6’3
1.
James Peek
Atlanta, Ga.
Senior
210
6’0
2.
Drajah Morrow
Little Rock, Ark.
Freshman
190
5’10
3.
Welcome Harris
Atlanta, Ga.
Sophomore
195
6’1
4.
William Peoples
Birmingham, Ala.
Freshman
180
5’9
5.
Walter Burton
Rochester, N. Y.
Sophomore
200
5’9
6.
Marvin Harris
Atlanta, Ga.
Freshman
207
6’2
7.
Hubert Horne
Centers
Atlanta, Ga.
Junior
203
5’9
1.
Harold Huggins
Atlanta, Ga.
Sophomore
203
5’8
2.
Albert Nevett
Bessemer, Ala.
Freshman
190
6’2
3.
Willie Roy Hall
LaGrange, Ga.
201
6’0
4.
Arrie Owens
Orlando, Fla.
195
5’9
5.
John Phillips
Griffin, Ga.
170
5’6
6.
Felix Turk
Quarter Backs
Anniston, Ala.
Junior
175
5’9
1.
Elmer Mixon
Bessemer, Ala.
Senior
155
5’8
2.
Earl Roberts
Savannah, Ga.
”
145
5’6
3.
Robert Lowe
Atlanta, Ga.
160
6’0
4.
Printis Cook
Bessemer, Ala.
Freshman
170
6’0
5.
Dwight Ellison
LaGrange, Ga.
Sophomore
165
5T1
6.
Raymond Ruffin
Backs
Chicago, Ill.
5>
175
5’11
1.
Charles Benford
Chicago, Ill.
Senior
210
6’3
2.
Robert Malone
Athens, Ala.
Sophomore
190
5’8
3.
Elijah Nevett
Bessemer, Ala.
Sophomore
183
5’11
4.
Cornelius Hudgins
Petersburg, Va.
Freshman
174
5T0
5.
Alexander Smith
Washington, D. C.
Freshman
185
5’9
6.
Wilson Smith
Fullbacks
Thomaston, Ga.
Senior
180
5’6
1.
Joseph Carey
Petersburg, Va.
Freshman
190
5’10
2.
Samual Hamilton
Knoxville, Tenn.
Senior
208
5’10
3.
Eugene Rhodes
Sylvania, Ga.
Freshman
185
5’10