Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, December 3, 1994 TAG: 9412220065
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: FROM STAFF REPORTS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Seals, a 6-foot-5, 245-pound offensive tackle for Magna Vista High School, was rated one of the top 20 football prospects in Virginia by SuperPrep magazine before the season.
``Our offense would have been in trouble without him,'' Magna Vista coach Don Bateman said. ``I don't think there's a better offensive tackle in the state of Virginia than George Seals.''
Seals picked UVa over Virginia Tech, South Carolina and North Carolina State. He did not take any visits.
Bateman credited Virginia assistant Danny Wilmer for his recruiting of Seals, who is the first Magna Vista athlete to accept a letter-of-intent with UVa.
``I think they're planning to redshirt him in hopes that George will play at 270 or 275 [pounds],'' Bateman said. ``I would anticipate him being a three- or four-year starter.''
Seals, an honor-roll student, scored over 1,000 on the Scholastic Assessment Test as a junior. His father was a one-time Roanoke College basketball player.
Maryland has received a commitment from one of the state's top linebacker prospects, 6-3, 240-pound Eric Barton from Edison High School in Alexandria.
Barton had 149 tackles as a senior, including 17 for loss. He tentatively had planned to visit Boston College, Nebraska, North Carolina, Wake Forest and Purdue.
Are Virginia Tech football fans excited about the Hokies' trip to the Gator Bowl or what?
The school's ticket office announced on Friday that it already had received applications for more than 9,100 tickets for the Dec.30 bowl game to be played at the 83,000-seat Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla.
``That's a great figure for only four days of sales,'' Tech spokesman Jack Williams said. ``I'm sure a lot of people have had trouble getting through on the phone because the lines have been tied up all day long. It's never been busier.''
Strong fan support was one of the big reasons Tech was selected by the Gator Bowl to face Tennessee. More than 10,000 Hokie fans made the trip to Shreveport, La., last year to watch Tech whip Indiana 45-20 in the Independence Bowl.
Tickets are $30, $35 and $40. Tech's ticket office can reached at 703-231-6731 or 1-800-VATECH4.
Virginia Tech's 1995 football schedule, unveiled Friday, includes five home games, beginning with a Thursday night contest against Boston College.
Tech plays its first three games at home, but it will be only the second time since 1988 the Hokies have played fewer than six home dates. In '91, Tech moved a home date with Florida State to the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla., for $1 million.
Besides BC, Tech has Big East Football Conference home games with Miami and Syracuse next season and non-league games against Cincinnati and Akron.
Tech, which will be coming off back-to-back bowl seasons for the first time in school history, meets Virginia, Navy, West Virginia, Pitt, Rutgers and Temple on the road, where the Hokies will play four of their last five games.
The schedule: Sept. 7, Boston College; Sept.16, Cincinnati; Sept. 23, Miami; Sept. 30, at Pitt; Oct. 7, at Navy; Oct.14 Akron; Oct. 21, at Rutgers; Oct. 28, at West Virginia; Nov. 4, Syracuse; Nov. 11, at Temple; Nov. 18, at Virginia.
The second annual Gagliardi Trophy, presented to the NCAA Division III football player of the year, will be presented Wednesday night during Stagg Bowl Week at the monthly dinner meeting of the Roanoke Valley Sports Club.
The meeting, with a 5:45 p.m. social and 6:15 p.m. dinner, will be held at the Salem Civic Center. The Gagliardi winner, to be announced next week by the sponsoring J-Club of St. John's (Minn.) University, will be present to accept the 64-pound trophy.
Advance reservations for the dinner may be made through Monday by calling Jody Moir at 989-5927 or writing to the sports club at P.O. Box 1112, Salem, 24153. The dinner is $10 in advance and $15 at the door for members and $20 for guests.
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes will again hold a breakfast in conjunction with the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl next weekend. The breakfast is scheduled for Friday, the day before the game, at 7:30 a.m. at the Salem Civic Center.
Former University of Richmond football coach Dal Shealy, the FCA's national chairman, will speak. Reservations are $15 and may be mailed to the local FCA chapter at P.O. Box 510, Roanoke 24003.
by CNB