A Golden year ?

A Golden year ?

Athletics Football

This article discusses the prospects of the 1975-76 football program at WC, commenting on the loss of two stars who were drafted professionally.

Ed Miller

Quad Angles

Special Collections, Francis Harvey Green Library, West Chester University

9-9-1975

Randall Cream

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https://digital.klnpa.org/digital/collection/wcnp01/id/15464/rec/14

With this Saturday's season opener at the University of New Hampshire fast approaching, Coach John Furlow and his staff are still trying to come up with the right combination for West Chester State's varsity football squad. With sixteen lettermen gone — including quarterback Warren Mays and tight end Bob Hartshorn (Dallas Cowboys), halfback Guy Van Alstine (New York Giants), and defensive end Mel Hinton (Dallas Cowboys) — 1975 can be seen as a major rebuilding year for the Golden Rams. West Chester faces its toughest schedule in history this year. The Rams will open with New Hampshire and move on to play American International College (West Chester won a 24-21 cliff-hanger againt them last year), Hillsdale College of Michigan (they spoiled Rampage weekend two years ago 13-7), and perennial powerhouse the University of Delaware. To top it off the Pennsylvania Conference teams are all well balanced and powerful, with East Stroudsburg and Cheyney seen as the cream of the crop. Coach Furlow is still searching for the quarterback who will make the team go. Seniors Chuch Menas and John Newman both have looked good in the pre-season as have Darwin Breaux and frosh Ed Herbster. According to Furlow, "Menas is a good runner and has opened up the outside game for us. Newman is experienced, has been throwing well, and runs the option well. Herbster is new and is still getting used to the system. Breaux is pressing hard and may surprise some people." West Chester's defensive backfield was hit hard by graduation and Furlow is still shifting people around to fill the gaps. Experience in the secondary will come from senior letterman John Barr. Despite the graduation losses, Furlow is "cautiously optimistic" about the season. On the plus side, the Rams have a strong offensive backfield. Fullback Herb Mills should bring back West Chester's traditional bruising ground game. Outside speed will come from Chip Zawoiski and Clarence Miller. Furlow is excited about the depth of his backfield, "Paul Brown is a frosh half who we expect big things from, Dom Herbst is a converted quarterback and is big and fast, and Dave Novogratz — another freshman — has great potential." Offensively the Rams return Rich Hall and Jack Simon at tackle, Mike O'Connor at split end, and co-captain Mike Gowen at tight end. On the defense West Chester will rely on Joe Bucelli at end, Dave Sharpless at nose guard, co-captain Ron Horvat at end, and-ajough linebacker corps of Gary Smith, John Scanlon, Paul Givler, and Jay Weidenbaugh. Generally, the coaching staff is hopeful that West Chester can equal last year's 8-2 record. About this year's tougher schedule Furlow admits "that it's a step up for us. We are a young team and we have no breathers on our schedule. New Hampshire is this Saturday and it should be a great game. They're picked to win the Yankee Conference. They have a good quarterback, lots of lettermen back and they won five out of their last six games in 1974." West Chester has been the Eastern Division champions in the Pennsylvania Conference for the past six years, but have lost in the championship game to Slippery Rock the last three. Furlow thinks the Rams have a "better than average" chance to take the eastern crown again. Also West Chester wants another crack at the Rock. The championship game will be played at the eastern school this year (meaning here if the Rams win it) and as John Furlow says West Chester is "tired of being the bridesmaid, this year she's going to be the bride." Eleven weeks from now we'll know for sure.