Page 12 University Daily Kansan, November 20, 1980
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Kerwin Bell's Record-breaking Season
A Game-By-Game Look At His Rushing Totals
20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200
Summary:
KEVIN KOSTERU Kansan
35-year-old freshman wants a chance
"He may look like Tarzan, but he plays like Jane."
—Don Fambrough, before the 1980 season
By GENE MYERS Sports Editor
Sports Editor
Three months ago, Fernando De San Miguel
three years ago, in Bell and Frank Sessel,
two of his classmates.
The name and story of De San Miguel was appearing in newspapers across the country back then. His was the story of a 35-year-old former movie stuntman trying to make it in college football, even though he had never played a down in his life.
Not much is heard of the De San Miguel story now. It didn't have a Hollywood ending. The hero was kidnapped by a group of thugs.
BUT THE HERO has become a member of the Kansas Jayhawks. He has become a contributing member. He feels that he belongs and so do his teammates.
De San Miguel has spent this football season in relative obscurity, putting in his time in the daily grind and hoping to earn some time on game day. So far, that varsity time hasn't come.
Junior varisty action has, and De San Miguel had his share of tackles and a fumble recovery over the last quarter.
"Every day I felt that I might not make it," De San Miguel said after another practice yesterday. "But my strength and discipline have kept me going."
HE IS ONE of the strongest players on the team, bambooing up the mound. That is the power of teamwork and bodyfitness in his life.
his native Mexico City. He spent 23 years there and still carries an accent.
"My upper body took the punishment well," he said. "I got hit quite a few times. My legs are not as good as my knees."
De San Miguel intends to do that running. He intends to be back out there for spring practice and then again next fall. He wants to earn a scholarship and playing time.
Holding him back is a lack of technique. He needs to learn the finesse of his defensive positions. He needs to stay low to make it tougher and to push off with his hands to get around them.
The fall wasn't a good time to learn, De San Miguel said, because the coaches didn't have time to teach. But spring practice is classroom time for football players.
"IT'S TOUGH RIGHT now because I'm going against players that have played for 18 years," he said. "I've played for 70 days. But I've learned a lot and enjoyed myself.
"It's great to go against our seniors. I go against Big Eight caliber players every day, and I am in accomplishment. To say that I was hit by big Bighorns and survived is a great accomplishment."
Few, including De San Miguel, thought he would survive at the beginning of the season. He has lived in Lawrence since marrying his wife and moving from Mexico City in 1968. He has been around the athletic department lifting weights for about a decade. Before Keith Kephart become strength coach in 1979, De San Miguel was an unofficial expert with weights.
All that time there was a joke that De San
Miguel should go out for football. Former Head
Coach Jorge Salinas had the advice.
THIS SUMMER, however, De San Miguel decided his time had come. He quit his construction job, enrolled in school and put on the shoulder pads.
"I was working hard all summer so I was in better shape than anybody at the beginning," he said. "I was surprised to see 80% of the surprised people, just I surprised about 80 percent of the people by actually walking on."
With him, he brought an interesting background. He made about 20 movies in Mexico and South America, acting and speaking in some of the films. He also did a lot of work with Ron Elix, the television Taranak.
De San Miguel has worked bit parts with John Wayne, Walter Matthew and Edward G. Robin-
BECAUSE OF HIS movie work and age, he attracted more attention than he thought he deserved at the start of the season. When the Big Eight skyrwriters came to KU, De San Miguel had almost as many interviews as Bell and Seurer.
Since then he has slipped out of the limelight.
He doesn't mind a bit.
"I was around enough famous people to know that publicity doesn't mean a thing," he said. "I turned down a few interviews from TV people that wanted to do some things on me. I want to and should be known for football and not the other stuff."
Until then, he's going to run and get a part-
time job. He's saving the financial burden of schooling and of tuition.
"How much longer I can play I don't worry about," he said. "It's the old one day at a time. But I love being around the young players and the team. I want to stick around."
When Kerwin's healthy bell tolls for opponents
ByGENEMYERS
By GENE MYERS Sports Editor
Kerwin Bell, the country's second best freshman running back, has come face to face only once with Herschel Walker, the country's best freshman running back.
The two met behind the scenes at last year's Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. They met only briefly, one high school super-recruit greeting another.
Since then, their paths haven't crossed. They meet only in comparisons. Walker went to Georgia, where he has gained 1,411 yards and taked the篮球队 to the No. I. rating. Bell came to Kansas, where he has gained 1,089 yards and taked the Jawhaws to respectability.
WALKER, BECAUSE of Georgia's rise to the top, has the country's football eye on him. Bell, a former Iowa State freshman, is one.
Bell, too, has his eye on Walker. He keeps track to see whether he's keeping up. Walker is Bell's standard. Success or failure comes from comparisons.
"When I think about myself, I think about Herschel Walker," Bell said. "The team comes first, but after that, it's me and Herschel Walker."
While Walker has been running in the national limelight, Bell has been running in the conference limelight. He's drawn rave comments over opposing coach but one—Nebraska's Tom Osborn.
Bell's conference accomplishments received their first official recognition yesterday when the Associated Press announced its All-Big Eight teams. Bell was a first-team team back, as were Iowa State's Dwayne Crutchfield and Oklahoma State's Johnny Heisler; he was the conference newcomer of the year.
Bell led a group of KU players who received Al-Big Eight honors. Senior flanker David Verser made the first team for the second straight year. Bucky Scribner, a redshirt left tackle, and season副席KU was the first team punter, and senior Stan Gardner was the first-team noseguard.
Bell has gained more than 100 yards in six games this season. Only Nebraska in the fifth game and an injury in the 10th have kept him from the 100 mark since game No. 3.
OSBORNE'S THIRD-RATED Cornhuskers are the only team that has stopped Bell this season. As Bell's rushing totals have grown, so have the Jayhawks.
He needs 83 yards to break Laverne Smith's 1974 school record. He's averaging 149.4 yards per season.
Bell discount's a straight cause and effect relationship between his 100-yard games and the team's improvement. He gives credit to his teammates and his line. But he also knows that his presence on the court has freshman value in one big reason that KK is 4-2-3 and has a chance to go to the Patch Bowl.
HE'S PROVEN HIMSELF," Bell said. "He's deserving of everything. He's getting all the publicity now, but sometime I'll be right there with him.
Bell wants that bowl. He wants it because the game is played in Atlanta, the home base of the Nets.
"I love him and hope he gets his respect. But after getting to the Peach Bowl, I'll get mine."
It's talk like that and the curiosity of comparing Bell and Walker that has impressed the Peach Bowl's selection committee. Whether it will be enough to get KU a bid to the bowl won't
be known until after Saturday's game with Missouri in Columbia.
But win, loe, or as is often KU's case, draw,
Bell is looking more toward next season.
Joining Bell in yesterday's AF honors were two players on the second team and four bowlers.
"WE'RE FIRED UP for spring practice already," he said. "What we do this season will reflect on our recruiting for next season. Right now, we're not training that USC, Notre Dame and Alabama have."
On the second team were senior defensive base line Tumplup and senior defensive tackle Jeff Foe.
The honorable mentions were senior offensive guard Fred Obson, senior defensive back Frank Wattete, junior linebacker Kyle McNorton and freshman quarterback Frank Seurer.
JAHYAWK NOTES: Kansas' hopes of receiving an invitation to the Peach Bowl improved yesterday when Louisiana State dropped out of the running. LSU, which was being considered with Kansas, Indiana, Stanford and Miami, Fla., asked the Peach Bowl selection committee to ignore the Tigers because of numerous injuries.
Athletic Director Paul Dietel said that Coach Jerry Stovell met with the 14 seniors on the team, who unanimously voted to "express the feelings of the Peach Bowl" but to bow out of contention.
"For this year," Dietzel said, "our football squad and coaches wish for the annual game with Tulane this Saturday to be our bowl game." LSU participated in the inaugural Peach Bowl
LSU participated in the inaugural Peach Bowl in 1968.
The Peach Bowl will be played Jan. 2. In a
tech-enhanced Indiana Tech will be announced Saturday.
John Haddi, KU's offensive coordinator, had a surprise yesterday when he discovered that he was listed as a candidate for the head coaching position. He was greeted him when he read the morning paper.
"I haven't been contacted," Hadi said last week. "I don't know the reason that I was listed."
Tuesday, San Diego State fired Claude Gilbert, who had been the Aztecs' head coach since 1973 and was the sixth-winningest active coach in the country. A San Diego writer evidently created his own list of candidates for the job, and it was picked up by the wire services.
San Diego State athletic officials said yesterday that they had no list of candidates and that they would have an open search for a new coach, releasing the name of each applicant.
Hadi, who applied for the head coaching job at KU when Bud Moore was fired in 1978, said he was not interested in applying at San Diego State.
"No way," he said. "I'm not at all interested." Hadl spent more than a decade in San Diego as the All-Pro quarterback of the NFL's San Diego Chargers. He played in San Diego from 1962 to 1972. A two-time All-American at KU, Hadl also played for Los Angeles, Green Bay and Houston.
The injury report from yesterday's practice wasn't too bad, Head Coach Don Bambrough said. Harry Sydney, the starting fullback who has been out since midway through the season, last week, 8, did not practice yesterday and is very doubtful for Saturday's game with Missouri.
But Steve Oliver, starting offensive tackle, practiced and will start against Missouri.
EMERALD CITY
ANTIQUE USED FURNITURE
LARGE SELECTION
JUST NORTH OF THE BRIDGE
MOTOR VEHICLE WORKSHOP
(Ignorance Isn't Bliss)
"THE POTENTIAL CRIMINAL & CIVIL CONSEQUENCES OF DRIVING:
THIRD FLOOR, CONFERENCE ROOM SATELLITE UNION
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2nd-7:00 P.M.
TOPICS TO BE DISCUSSED:
1. Insurance Requirements in Kansas.
1. Insurance Requirements in Kansas.
2. O.U.I. (Operating Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs)
Considerations.
a) Police policies and procedures leading to arrest
b) Tests to determine degree of influence
c) Potential loss of driver's license
d) Proposal necessary for criminal conviction
e) Procedures needed from arrest through court action
f) Potential Benefits
4. Kansas Comparative Negligence Law
5. The Law and Practical Tips on Auto Repair
3. Kansas No-Fault Insurance Requirements & Application
4. Kansas Comparative Negligence Law
5. The Law and Practical Tips on Auto Repairs
6. Not Criminal Consequences of Traffic Violations
7. Traffic violations to prevent loss
8. Civil Liquidity - Neighborhood
7. Accident report requirements
Paid for by Student Activity Fees