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Page Eleven
PANTHER October, 1974
Overpowers Fisk And Ft. Valley
'Red Machine’ Picks Up
Two Big Victories
By Vernard Howard
Clark’s “Red Machine”
picked up two big victories
against Fisk and Fort Val
ley Colleges. The victories
made Clark’s record to 3
wins, 0 losses, and gave
them the best record in the
second division in the SI AC.
The Panthers defeated
Fisk College 21-20 onSep-
tember 28, at home in a
very close battle. Quarter
back, Charles Turner went
to work right away on their
first offensive play bypas
sing a 67 yard touchdown
bomb to Arthur Allen. The
PAT was no good.
Clark’s second score
came in the second quarter
on a three yard run by the
powerful running back
Bobby Sumlin. ’ The PAT
was no good. The Panthers
went into the lockerroom
at halftime trailing 13-12.
During the second hall
the Panthers scored twice.
On their second series ol
plays in the third quarter,
Turner pass to Cedric
Morris on a fake field goal
for a 12 yard touchdown
The PAT was no good
The Panthers were be
hind 20-18 late in the*
fourth quarter but they re
fused to be defeated. Ricky
Grayson, who missed three
consecutive extra point
kicks, booted a 36 yard
field goal with two minutes
left in the game to give the
Panthers a 21-20 win over
Fisk College.
Fisk tried to come back
with a two minute drive but
it was ended by an inter
ception by Leroy Farley,
who had 10 individual
tackles
On October 5, the
Panthers went to Griffin,
Georgia to defeat Fort Val
ley College 27-14 in the
Annual Textile Classic.
The Panthers defense
recovered a fumble on Ft.
Valley’s 20 yard line on the
second play of the game
which led to the Panther’s
first score. Ricky Grayson
booted a 36 yard field goal.
Charles Turner opened
the second quarter by pas
sing to his tight end Greg
McCrary for a 39 yard
touchdown. The PAT was
good.
After scrambling
through Ft. Valley’s de
fense Charles Turner pass
40 yards to Bobby Sumlin
for another Panther score.
At the close of the first
half Ricky Grayson kicked
his second field goal of the
game to give the Panthers
a 20-14 halftime lead.
During the second half,
Clark scored once. The
score came in the thirc
quarter on a nine yard rur
by quarterback Charles
Turner. The PAT by Gray
son was good which made
the final score 27-14
Clark.
Clark’s defense held
Fort Valley scoreless dur
ing the second half. The
defensive charges were led
by Daryl Farley and O.J.
Sampson.
Charles Turner had a
good game, passing for 197
yards, two for touchdowns
and he rushed for 44
yards.
The victory should put
the Panthers in the top ten
among Black Colleges.
Clark and FAMU are the
only unbeaten teams in the
SIAC. Clark is in first
place of the second divi
sion in the SIAC, with
three conference victories
and three wins overall.
Another Victory! CC Coaches are elated.
Charles Turner
Most Valuable Player
Charles Turner has been
selected as the Most Valu
able Player for both games
against Fisk and Fort Val
ley colleges. This selec
tion was made by the
coaching staff of Clark
College.
Turner, a senior Phys
ical Education major from
Greensboro, Georgia, has
led the Panthers to three
consecutive victories.
Me nas compleuedbO per
cent of his passes for 522
yards. He is averaging a-
bout 184 yards per game
passing, making him the
best passer in the Southern
Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference. He has passed
for six touchdowns ranging
from 67 yards to 12 yards.
Turner, also, is the pun
ter for the Panthers,
averaging 35 yards per
punt.
GILLIAM OVERRIDES RACISM
TO BECOME BLACK NFL QB
By Ron Jenkins
The Pittsburg Steelers
of the National Football
League has set a prece
dent for the world of foot
ball.
The Steelers, in 1972,
drafted Joe Gilliam, a
quarterback from Tennes
see State University. In *9
74, on opening day of the
NFL season Gilliam wear
ing number 17 was the
designated starting quar
terback. Gilliam, the first
black to draw a starting
position in regular season,
went on to beat the Balti
more Colts 30-0, passing
for 257 yards, two touch
downs and going 17 of 31.
That was just the be
ginning for Joe Gilliam,
and hopefully the begin-
ing for many future black
quarterbacks. To date Gil
liam has passed for 956
yards and five touchdowns.
He is 74 of 152 for the sec
ond best completion per
centage in the league at
48.72%r-
With the acquisition of
Gilliam to the starting
ranks, it seems that the
doors of racial prejudices
have been closed. Now
Gilliam is not the only
black quarterback in the
league, but he is the only
'one that really earns his
keep. Until Gilliam, the
talents of blacks as quar
terbacks had been regula
ted to the bench, and ex
hibition games.
Marion Briscoe, of the
Miami Dolphins, is the
oldest black quarterback
in the league, but when he
replaced the injured
Charley Johnson at Den-i
ver, the following year he
was traded. Briscoe is now
a wide receiver for the
Dolphins, and the only
throwing fakes on defens
ive backs. The Rams’ Joe
Harris, was drafted in
69, but from then to now he
has accumulated about one
season of playing time.
The sudden shift for Gil
liam is due to two
reasons: one he showed up
at practice during the play
ers strike; and the World
Football League is using
several black quarter
backs. The first reason is
the strongest one, being
that Gilliam threw 11
touchdown passes in pre-
season. The second reason
will have a delayed effect
upon the league. The World
Football League has rec
ognized the ability of the
black quarterback and this
will eventually pressure
the NFL into using more
blacks in that position.
Some of the black quar
terbacks that have slipped
pass the NFL are Chuch
Ealey from Toledo, who is
leading the Canadian Foot
ball League in passing and
his Toronto team to two
CFL championships; Eddie
McShan. a product of Geor
gia Tech, is quarterback
ing the Jacksonville Sharks
of the WFL; DC Nobles
came out of the University
of Houston. He was over
looked and now plays for
the Shreveport Steamers,
also of the WFL; Matthew
Reed, a Grambling gradu
ate, was selected by the
Patriots but they wanted
him to convert to defens
ive back. Reed now plays
for the WFL’s winningest
iteam, the Birmingham
Americans.
The upcoming graduat
ing class will have a good
selection of black athletes
for the prescouts to choose
from and the chances will
be that the Scouts will look
further than the black run
ning backs.