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PANTHER NOVEMBER, 1977 Page 6 SPORTS ROUNDUP By Rita Twinkle Campbell j 1TAKE THE BLAME i Atlanta Falcons Head Coach Leeman Bennet took full blame for his team’s 3-0 loss to Buffalo. Bennet said he should have s’uck to basics and took the field goal in the fourth quarter. He took 'he blame and deserved it.... W/NWWVWW ALI TO FIGHT FOR KIDS Muhammad Ali, the world’s heavyweight champion has agreed 'o s'age another exhibition match with proceeds going to the children's Ins'itute for Developmental Disabilities. WWWWWWYS. MILLION DOLLAR SMILE S'ar center Bob Lanier signed a five-year contract with the De'roit pistons wor’h $2 Million. The 6’11” center has led the Pis'ins in scoring and rebounding for the past six years and is the NBA’s 7'h leading shoo'er. Lanier could only smile after signing the con'rac'. vuwwwvwwv HAWKS SIGN ROBERTSON, TABLE LAUREL The A'lan'a Hawks picked rookie Tony Robertson from Los Angeles and placed ano'her rookie Rich Laurel on injuried list. Laurel was selec'ed No. 1 by the world champion Portland Trail Blazers in 'his year’s draft. uwwwwwwt QUOTABLE “I jus' don’' worry about getting hurt. When you start worrying abou' i', i' happens.” Panther football player Phillip Me Crary. IUWWWVVWW FACT Fac's are no' always the easiest things in the world to face. JWWWWW/A OPINION Do you 'hink 'ha' 'he Morehouse Maroon Tigers will make < 'he conference championship? Who should be Clark’s starting quarterback? Go' a commen'? Wri'e Opinion. The Clark College Panther Spor's Dep'., P.O. Box, Atlan'a, Ga. 30314. Letson Fits in Well By Charles Anderson Being the only minority member on an athletic squad is no big deal to LaRue Letson. At Brown High, a predominantly black Atlanta school, he was the inly white player on the football .earn. In his junior and senior years, he was the team captain and outstanding lineman. Now a Clark College junior, Letson is repeating his pattern of being 'he only white player on a team. After starting on the fresh man team for the University of Georgia in Athens, Letson decided he should transfer if he wanted extensive playing time on a varsity team. Head coach Jessie McClardy helped him to re'urn home to play for the Pan'hers. “I was basically 'oo small 'o play for them (U. of GA.) anyway,” admitted 'he 5’1J”, 205-pound Letson. "As a walk on. 1 was trying to earn some financial aid, which they didn’t gran' me. I also learned that 'here’s more to football than jus' 'he abili'y to play. Much of ■he game involves politics,” he added, “meaning the best man doesn’’ always get the op- por'uni'y 'o play.” Le'son has gotten ample playing 'ime on 'he gridiron for 'he Pan'hers, al’hough this is 'he middle linebackers’ first year of competing for Clark. Because Le'son 'ransfered, he was no' eligible 'o play during his sophomore year. He spent las' season as a trainer and s'udcn' a'hlete. This season, Letson has been a dependable and con- sis'en' defender for Clark.^ He leads 'he 'earn in tackles after five games. Letson is rated among 'he best linebackers in 'he Southern Intercolligiate A'hle'ic Conference (SIAC). "LaRue has good speed, lateral movement, and is a very intelligent thinker,” said McClardy. “He knows where the ball is and goes to it not minding the contact.” By pro standards, Letson is considered much too small for the linebacker position. ‘‘To be an effective linebacker on any level,” said Letson, “one must combine knowledge of the game, in telligence, and quickness. You also have to be aggressive and down right nasty. You have to get furious and act like the en'ire offense has slapped your mother. “I always get into my mind,” con’inued Letson, “that no one is better or can beat me. I'.’s important to have a positive a'ti'ude towards what you are doing. With the right attitude and desire, anyone can ac complish what they want to,” added Letson. Off the field, Letson ap pears complacent and mild- mannered in contrast to the savage appearance he displays on the field. Letson has the keen abili'y to get along with everyone. “I can get along with people period,” said Letson. “It doesn’t make any difference who they are. It’s the mental aspect that really counts, not the physical makeup. As long as I can coincide with an individuals men’al attitude, everything’s alright.” "I’ve never looked" at dim as being one white player I have on the team,” declared McClardy. “To me, he is one s’uden'-athlete here at Clark who is doing an outstanding job> LaRue jus’ fits real well into our program.” Being the only white player has not hindered Letson’s performance. In fact, he has visions of becoming a small college all-America. Homecoming Game Typifies Clark's Season By Robert A. Richardson The Clark College Panthers lost their homecoming game to Knoxville College Oct. 15th by >he score of 16-15. This was a game in which the Panthers out- hi', out-bustled and out-played Knoxville only to come up one point short. Walter Landers and Ken S'andifer played extremely well on offense and Darryl Wells ('wo interceptions, one field goal and four tackles), Johnny Wilder (seven tackles), and Charles Cheeks (six tackles) were the defensive anchors. The loss left Clark with a won-lost record of 2 and 3 but many players feel the team should be at the very least 4 and 1. The three defeats seem to follow a pattern in which Clark played as well as or better than i's opponents. But mistakes, penalties, and mental lapses have cost them victories. Againsi Miles College, Clark’s offense had possession of the ball inside Miles’ 10-yard line seven times. Four drives ended on fumbles, one ended with an interce and the other two were s tcold. ■: ■ Photo by Jerome Bailey Walter Landers handles ball for Clark during Clark-Knoxville game. Clark’s lone touchdown came on a 41-yard run by halfback Walter Landers. Against Fort Valley State, Clark scored three touchdowns. However, two were called back because of penalties In fac*, if was penalties and not 'he Fort Valley State defense that made Clark’s offense ineffective. As a result, Clark’s defense was forced to spend far too much time on the playing field and was too fatigued near the end as Fort Valley scored an “insurance” touchdown. What happened agaipst^;' Knoxville College was best, termed by Coach Jesse McClardy when he said, “My defense just had a total mental letdown’.’ Clark’s offense scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:18 left in the game only to witness a Knoxville drive of 55 yards in a little less than a minute to get the tying touch down and the winning extra point. McClardx hasized that although his .cfense was disappointing down the stretch, “The defense shouldn’t be blamed for this or any other loss.” In fact, there are those who believe that Clark’s defense could be the best in the con ference provided they could get some rest. The offense, on the other hand, is a different story. Specifically, the offensive line. As McClardy puts it, “The guys are simply not carrying out their blocking assignments.” With receivers like Phil McCrary, Charles Gammage, and Kenny Ellison, and runners like Walter Landers and Charles Metts, it is very distressing to see Clark’s offense averaging only , 14.4 points per game. Because of the lack of pass protection and “down” blocking, a notentially great offense is jtist an average, and sometimes ineffective one. And whe the offense is ineffective, the defense has to spend more time on the field than it should. It is here where Clark’s poor won-lost record lies. Clark is not a two &.:id three football team. And with McClardy making the necessary adjustments, Clark may be able to bounce back and finish at least five-hundred.