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Sentemher 22. 1978
Clark College PANTHERHHT
Look Out for
Number 83!
By Veverly Byrd
Outspoken, cheerful and
very disciplined when it comes
to Panther football, this
particular player was named
‘‘The Most Spirited
Freshman” by the veterans of
the Clark College Football
Squad.
Aldo Gaither, 20, received
the award, which is the first of
itskind in Clark history, for be
ing a hard worker with lots of
determination to he a Panther
and always going beyond the
call of duty, according to Mark
Brown, captain of the team.
Gaither, who attended
Atlanta's Booker T.
Washington High School,
commented that he was quite
surprised hut very
overwhelmed at the presen
tation.
‘‘Although this is the 25th
trophy that I have received in
my ath letic career, it motivates
me more and really makes me
proud to he a Panther,"
Gaither said.
He said that his being a little
older than the other freshmen
may have helped him mentally
to be able to deal with the
freshman orientation which
included a shaving of the
heads and a talent display at a
recent pep rally.
Gaither, tightend and defen
sive back, wears a number 85
on the squad. He predicts that
Clark will win more games
than they will lose.
In view of the recent loss to
Miles College, Gaither feels
that the team was never really
out of the game but there is a
great need for a few ad
justments.
“The team is very capable of
being number one in qur
division. I would like to see a
little more togetherness on the
squad,” said Gaither.
“The coaches are very good
but like everything else, there
is always room for im
provement,” Gaither said.
“And all the upperclass team
mates showed very good exam
ples of the strength (mentally
and physically) it takes to be a
Panther.”
The 1978 Clark College Panthers football team, coached by Jesse McClardy,
features several experienced gridders and talented newcomers.
(Photo by Carl Dickerson)
Poise Is Key
To Success Why All the Injuries?
By Veverly Byrd
Bv Charles Anderson
If past experience is any in
dication of how well a team is
going to perform, Clark’s foot
ball team should be at the top
of the SIAC standings.
Evidence of Clark faring well
in the standings lies heavily in
their rugged defensive unit.
What would you do if you
were an opposing quarterback
and had to face Clark's defen
sive crunch bunch - Charles
Cheeks, Mark Brown, Dwellie
Hynes, LaRue Letson, and
Arturo Cato, just to name a
few? These guys are monsters
and savage hitters. Letson
stated last year in an interview
his attitude towards the game,
“You have to get downright
nasty and act like the entire
offense has slapped your
mother,” he said. After hear
ing something like that, I
wouldn’t even suit up for the
game, better yet show up.!
But, I guess that’s not the
point. Opposing teams are go
ing to show up, and in uniform.
The question about Clark’s
ability to intimidate op
position is just a matter of
poise. Remember the word
poise, because it will be the key
to their overall success this
year on the gridiron. The word
poise is no stranger to Head
Coach Jesse McClardy since
his team lost three games last
year by a single point.
In the first game of this
season against Miles College,
Clark was unable to establish
themselves offensively in the
first half. McClardy credits
that to a lack of concentration
and yes, poise.
“We didn’t play in the first
half,” McClardy said. “The
offense had problems adjus
ting to Miles’ defensive stunt.
We missed a lot of blocking as
signments because of this, plus
we didn’t come off the ball well.
We were able to move the ball
offensively in the second half,
especially on the ground.”
If Clark can put together a
complete game and retain
their composure, they just may
end up at the top of their
division, because the monster-
guys should be able to scare
somebody- • •
Ice packs, splints, casts,
crutches, bandages, etc., etc.,
etc., etc. No, this is not a list of
things that one may find in a
doctor’s little black bag. What
these things are is what the
picture looked like after two
weeks of Panther football
training here at Clark.
Many experienced and
valuable players are walking
around with legs in casts, arms
in slings, ice on knees and
fingers bandaged — some who
have played key positions in
the success of the “Roaring
Panthers.” The question is
why?
Why would one teammate
hurt another, days before the
season starts? Of course some
of the injuries are due to
careless mistakes and others
are just by fate. But why would
so much roughness be allowed
so close to a game. One would
look for teammates to protect
each other and save the rough
stuff for the opponent. A'team-
mate’s absence could play a
big role in the outcome of a
game. If there are no players,
there is no strength. If there is
no strength, how can there pos
sibly be victories? If there are
no victories, there is no cham
pionship. A championship is
definitely what we need. We
have the players, many of
whom are pro caliber. But if
there is a consistency of in
jured players, we may not have
a football team by the time the
season ends.
**Editorial comments are
welcomed.
Alumnus
Dies
A dark cloud passed over
•Clark College on August 10,
this year with the tragic death
of one of most , prestigious
alumni.
Schley C. Williamson, a 1950
graduate, died when he was
unable to escape his inflamed
house on Fair Street.
Known to most people as
“Sly” Williamson was an
outstanding football and
basketb.all player at Clark in
the late forties. His niece. Ms.
Penny Childs, presently a
a senior at Clark. She was
unavailable for comment.
Williamson, 54, was athletic
coach at Atlanta’s Booker T.
Washington High School. For
Head Coach Jesse McClardy tries out instructions to team
during practice.
(Photo by Kenneth Hodges)
28 years he religiously
dedicated himself to the
school, sources said.
Daryl Wells, football player
for Clark, remembers him as a
coach that stressed his points
and motivated the team. “He
was a person I always looked
up to when it came to football,”
Wells said.
During his tenure at
Washington High, Williamson
coached the defensive team in
football. He coached a year in
basketball and won “Coach of
the Year” honors in track in
1970. In 1971, he became
athletic director and remained
so until his death.
Director of Alumni Giving,
Ms. Juanita Eber, said that
Williamson was a dedicated
alumnus and dedicated to the
survival of the the institution.
He is survived by two sons,
Schley C. Ill and Anthony; a
daughter, Berita; one sister,
Ms. Thomas Chambliss; one
brother, Calvin; a grandson,
Charles; and a host of friends,
former and present athletes at
Washington High and the
Clark College Family.
Football
Schedule
SEPTEMBER 9
Miles College-Birmingham,
Ala.
SEPTEMBER 16
Lane College - Jackson,
Tenn.
SEPTEMBER 23
Fisk University - Atlanta.
Ga.
SEPTEMBER 30
Fort Valley State - Griffin.
Ga.
OCTOBER 7
OPEN
OCTOBER 14
Knoxville College
Knoxville, Tenn.
OCTOBER 21
Savannah State
(Homecoming) - Atlanta. Ga.
OCTOBER 28
Morehouse College - Allan
ta, Ga.
NOVEMBER 4
Albany State - Atlanta. Ga.
NOVEMBER 11
OPEN
NOVEMBER 18
OPEN
NOVEMBER 23
Morris Brown College
(Thanksgiving) - Atlanta, Ga.