Newspaper Page Text
Page 20
— Griffin Daily News Thursday, August 16,1973
Chargers depend on ‘legend’
Unitas: one more time
By Murray Olderman
IRVINE, Calif. - (NEA) -
The one concession made by
the San Diego Chargers to the
age of John Unitas is that he
doesn't have to participate in
grass drills.
The grass drill is a grueling
training exercise made infa
mous at Green Bay by the
late Vince Lombardi. It is a
staple part of the Chargers'
training program, a series of
staccato calisthenics.
But John Unitas is 40 years
old and at that age in football
one depends largely on guile.
He isn't going to be paid
around a quarter of a million
dollars this year for his ability
as a contortionist. Besides, his
right knee is arthritic and
hurts.
His arm also isn’t what it
used to be and he probably
sets up a shade slower in re
treating from behind the cen
ter.
But his mind is sharp and
his reputation legendary, and
the San Diego Chargers are
prepared to risk their fortunes
for 1973 on his ability to lead
and to recognize defenses and
to throw well enough to score
touchdowns.
Harland Svare, whose job it
is to overcome the specter of
Oakland and Kansas City per
ennially dominating the west
ern sector of the American
Football Conference, says, “I
think it’s just a matter of him
getting hurt that’s the risk.”
Svare has had experience
operating with aging quarter-
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backs, having both played and
coached on the same side of
such antiquarians as Charlie
Conerly, Y.A. Tittle and Sonny
Jurgensen. He's not treating
Unitas like a special basket
case. “He has to run,’’ says
Svare, “like everybody else/’
And the truth is that during
his career Unitas never has
expected deferential treat
ment. Why, at this stage of
his life, apparently well fixed
with multiple real estate and
restaurant interests in Balti
more and Orlando, Fla., and
an advertising agency in New
York, does he submit to the
physical rack of football?
"Because I like it,” he says
simply. (The cash inflow, I
am told, doesn't hurt either.)
“I’m not trying to prove
anything. To sportswriters, to
football or to myself. What
have I got to prove?”
Well, there was the debacle
of last season when a legend
ary quarterback who had nev
er played for any pro team
but the Baltimore Colts was
brusquely benched after five
games and seldom used again.
And then he was peddled off
like common merchandise by
Joe Thomas, the controversial
general manager of the Colts.
Unitas shrugs. “What do
you do about a guy who won’t
look you straight in the eye?
If they had a team in Nome,
Alaska, he would have traded
me there.”
The Chargers let him room
by himself in a small two
room suite at their sleek dor
mitory-campus training setup
at the University of California
GETTING READY for the 1973 season at his own pace,
John Unitas prepares to take over as the San Diego
Chargers’ “new” quarterback.
in Irvine. With his hair grown
out after 20 years of a butch
crew-cut and his still flat bel
ly, he fits into the player mil-
ieu. A deep wrinkle under his
Slavic eyes is the only age
tipoff.
“I don't know why they
want me here,” he says.
There is still in Unitas a
mocking self-effacement, but
he claims he’s serious.
“They got a kid,” he contin
ues, “who’s a good quarter
back. He’s been here four
years. A team’s got to make a
move. How the hell they ever
going to knowhow good he is?”
But Wayne Clark, who’s tall
and throws impressively, has
only eight passes in his pro
career ledger (Unitas has
more than 5,000) and came
out of a little local college
called U.S. International.
Owner Gene Klein personally
intervened to get Unitas from
the Colts. The Chargers have
to make a bid to win right
now before their defensive
line, like Unitas, wears out
from old age. They started
training camp with nine for
mer all-pros on their roster.
The question about Unitas,
of course, is the strength of
his throwing arm. Because in
the early practice sessions, he
has been tossing mostly soft,
short lobs, there was a suspi
cion he was reluctant to test
his arm — or didn't have one
to test. Not so, bridles Unitas:
“My arm last season was the
best it’s been in four years.”
The toughest part for him in
joining San Diego has been a
change in offensive philoso
phy. For all his 17 seasons in
Baltimore, the Colts played
wide open offense, letting Uni
tas strike for the long ones
and his practice throwing was
geared to that philosophy.
“Here,” he smiles wryly,
“we play the Green Bay of
fense. Throw to the backs.”
Surely, the Chargers have
long fly patterns for their
wide receivers, which will
give Unitas a chance to open
up. “They got to be in the
book,” he shrugs, “before you
can use them.”
But there’s an underlying
confidence he'll be able to
persuade the coaches, primar
ily Bob Schnelker, the offen
sive coordinator, to use his
bold approach to play calling.
Schnelker clashed on this
issue with John Hadi last
year, and that's why Hadi was
traded. Unitas carries special
clout as a living legend.
(NEWSPAPER ENTERPRISE ASSN I
Palmer
leads
Weaver
ST. SIMONS, Ga. (UPI) -
Marietta Country Club pro Billy
Palmer shot a 68 Wednesday to
take a two stroke lead over de
fending champion Dewitt
Weaver in the second round
Georgia State Open at the Sea
Palms Golf Club.
Placing third was Stan Moore
of Brunswick at even par 144,
and the low amateur entering
the final round Thursday is Pete
Coleman from Brunswick with
14IL
Sports Briefs |
By United Press International
Tickets on sale
HOUSTON (UPI) - With
prices scaled up to SIOO a seat,
tickets went on sale Wednesday
for the Bobby Riggs-Billie Jean
King SIOO,OOO winner-take-all
tennis match.
The Astrodome offered 1,200
of the court side SIOO seats for
the Sept. 20 best three-of-five
sets between Riggs and Mrs.
King.
Infielder to
Phillies
MILWAUKEE (UPI) - The
Philadelphia Phillies obtained
veteran utility infielder Billy
Grabarkewitz from the Cali
fornia Angels Wednesday for a
player to be named later.
Grabarkewitz, who batted
only .163 in limited roles with
the Angels, will report to the
Phillies in San Francisco.
Second victory
AKRON (UPI) — Hometown
favorite Don Johnson delighted
his supporters with his second
tournament victory of the year
Wednesday and added a $4,000
first prize to his winnings.
His latest earnings gives
Johnson a total of $36,613 in
prize money for the year in the
Professional Bowlers Associa
tion circuit.
MILLER'S
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State Trained Personnel
PHONE 227-1585
24 Hour Service
WHIG Royals to play
Statesboro in open
The WHIE Royals will play
Statesboro Friday at 6:30 p.m.
in the first round of the State
Women’s Softball Tournament
at Douglas, Ga.
WHIE won a regional
championship recently and will
compete against three other
teams for the state title.
Besides WHIE and States
boro, Douglas and Milledgeville
will be represented in the
tournament.
The starting lineup for
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WHIE’s first game is: Lanell
Combs, first base; Glenda
Lyon, second base; Sandra
Bailey, third base; Faye Col
well, shortstop; Deloris Lyons,
left field; Margie Vickery,
Centerfield; Linda Brown, right
field; Zenobia Kinnebrew, short
field; Liz Jones, pitcher and
Charlotte Gaston, catcher.
Catherine Bedenbaugh,
Elizabeth Shackleford, Pat
Kimbrell and Belinda Weems
are the reserves.
The team is managed by Ceci
Mays. Dewey Vickery is coach
Cox optioned
LOS ANGELES (UPI) - Th
Montreal Expos Wednesda
optioned infielder Jim Cox t'
the Pennsylvania Whips t<
make room on the roster so
Bernie Allen, who was pur
chased from the New Yorl
Yankees.