Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 22, 1994 TAG: 9411160073
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Even more special will be the opportunity to watch his son, Mike.
Al Groh is the defensive coordinator for the NFL's New England Patriots, who have an open date this weekend.
``I wasn't really sure what our practice schedule Saturday would be,'' the older Groh said. ``I was just hoping somebody would catch some of my vibes.''
Although Groh was on hand last year when his son threw the first touchdown pass of his career in a 41-7 victory over Ohio University, the situation will be much different today. Mike Groh will start at quarterback for 25th-ranked Virginia, which entertains No. 15 North Carolina at 3:30 p.m.
Ironically, Al Groh was an assistant coach at North Carolina for five years (1973-77) and later served as the head coach at Wake Forest.
``I've spent a lot of energy over the years trying to prevent Virginia from winning football games,'' he said. ``It's nice to get a chance finally to root for the school I went to.''
He has taken an even greater interest in the Cavaliers this year, now that Mike has gotten a chance to play as a redshirt junior. When the younger Groh learned on the eve of Virginia's game with Navy that he would replace injured starter Symmion Willis, it caused a quick change in family plans.
``My wife and younger son [14-year-old Matt] were able to get to the game,'' Al said. ``As soon as I got back to the team motel [after meetings], I watched on TV as the score kept mounting and stared at the telephone until it rang.''
North Carolina coach Mack Brown referred this week to the countless hours the Grohs have spent watching film together, but that's not exactly the case.
``It's not like he sat me down in a dark room or we talked football 24 hours a day,'' Mike said. ``We had a father-son relationship, not a coach-player relationship.''
Nevertheless, the younger Groh once held the cords for his father's headset and later charted plays while Al was head coach at Wake Forest.
``As he got older, he went with me on recruiting trips and we went to high-school games together,'' Al said, ``but I've never been his coach. I always wanted him to learn from someone else.''
Toward that end, the older Groh has been careful not to offer too much advice this week.
``I told him that big games have a way of changing people,'' Al said, ``but it should be the other way around. People should change the games. I think he understands the position [quarterback] pretty well for a college kid. The best thing he can do is listen to himself.''
by CNB