Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 2, 1994 TAG: 9409020047
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
When C.J. Walker wanted to broaden his coaching experience, he went abroad. After coaching high school, college and semipro football in his native California, he headed west and found a job in the Far East.
In Japan, Walker spent two years learning a new language and trying to convince his players that running a fake punt wasn't being disrespectful to the opponent. Now, he is seeking a job in a different football world - the World League, which the NFL is bringing back starting next April with six European teams.
Walker won't get there in his Datsun 280Z, which he's driving around Botetourt County these days. While he's between jobs, he's living with his mom in a Buchanan mobile-home park. He talked to Liberty University coach Sam Rutigliano about a job, but the former NFL coach could offer nothing more than a volunteer spot.
``The World League is where I'd really like to go,'' said Walker, 37. ``I just think the more experience I can get, the better. I'd really like to coach in the NFL someday. Right now, I just want to coach.''
He could have stayed in Japan, where after one year as the defensive coordinator for the Xerox J-Stars, he was named head coach of the Okayama Standing Bears in the National Football Association, one of two leagues that would be that nation's ``version of the NFL,'' Walker said.
He said the football interest in Japan continues to mushroom and he wouldn't trade his experiences there, but he also realized he wanted to try the same game in another venue. He's also talked with the fledgling United Football League, based in Bowling Green, Ky.
In Okayama, a city of 575,000 residents west of Osaka, Walker was the lone American with his team, sort of a Papa Bear with a translator. His players, unsurprisingly, were small, quick, smart and respectful.
``The pro football teams in Japan are sponsored by large corporations,'' Walker said. ``There are two leagues, in Tokyo and Osaka, and the crowds are probably in the 30,000-40,000 range. The stadiums are nice, but not as big as the ones in the NFL, except the Tokyo Dome. The level of play I'd compare to about a good Division I-AA college program here.
``The strength is speed. The wideouts can really run. The weaknesses are size and aggressiveness. The average offensive and defensive lineman goes about 6 feet, 200 pounds. The aggressiveness, that's just not their nature. They make the hit, and then don't force it.''
Walker's Standing Bears were 5-5 in 1993, and every team plays summer and fall seasons. There are so many Bears in these leagues, you would think Jack Nicklaus was a corporate sponsor. Walker's Bears also played the Iwatani Sidewinders and the Sunstar Finnies, ``whatever they are,'' he said.
He returned to the U.S. last December, spent some time fishing in Oregon, then moved east to visit his mother. He's hoping the Japan experience on his resume will give him an edge another World League coaching candidate may not have. Asked often if he can speak Japanese, Walker responds, ``Yes, I learned it on the plane trip over. That was as long as law school.''
``One thing that impressed me was that the Japanese players work hard and they want to do something until they get it right,'' Walker said. ``If we'd try something in practice and it didn't work and I wanted to go on to another play, they'd want to keep trying until they could run it.
``On the other hand, they're very conservative. They don't want to try different things. When I'd put in a fake punt or a fake field goal, they didn't want to do it. We'd work on it, and I could see them looking at me, wondering about it. I'd say, `Trust me, we can pull it off.' And it [worked].
``They showed me a tremendous amount of respect. A coach is like a teacher, and teachers are some of the most respected people in Japan. It's a very prestigious position. I've coached, but I've never been treated like that before.''
What Walker didn't like was being called the ``gaijin coach'' regularly on the team's radio network. The term has become an oft-used slang description for U.S. baseball players performing in Japan.
``I told them they could call me `American coach' or `Coach' but I didn't want to hear `Gaijin,''' Walker said.
Something else he heard when the Standing Bears were left sprawled on the artificial turf was a phrase from the stands.
```Yankee Go Home,''' Walker said. ``In very loud, very plain English. You get the message.''
by CNB