Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, January 27, 1995 TAG: 9501270040
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Bobby Ross has coached Georgia Tech football to a share of a national championship and the San Diego Chargers to Super Bowl XXIX, yet the Richmond native isn't in the VMI Sports Hall of Fame. What else does he have to do? Ross is only the most prominent athletic alumnus in VMI history.
It seems the VMI Hall's charter states a person can be inducted only for accomplishments in one sport. Well, Ross was injured as a VMI football player, although he was a member of the unbeaten 1957 Keydets team. He was a football and baseball co-captain as a senior. He earned eight letters, including one in basketball. He was the school's Most Outstanding Athlete in 1958-59, his senior year. He also was a football assistant coach at his alma mater.
Yet, he can't get into a Hall of Fame that has honored second-team All-Southern Conference one-sport players and running backs with 300 yards in one season. Ross' coaching accomplishments in recent years have done more for VMI sports than the Keydets' own teams.
Wake up, VMI, and honor someone who has brought honor to the institute.
Virginia appears headed for its greatest ACC men's basketball victory total since senior Ralph Sampson's 1982-83 team was 12-2 and regular-season co-champion with North Carolina. Coach Jeff Jones' team should finish at least 10-6, and 8-8 in the ACC definitely is good enough to reach the NCAA Tournament field.
The Cavaliers (5-2) will finish the first-half of its ACC schedule Wednesday as an underdog at Maryland, then get five of eight conference games at home after playing five road dates the first trip through the league. UVa will visit only Clemson, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech.
One obvious reason for Virginia's improved play is improved shooting. After hitting 41 percent or better in only 11 of 31 games last season, the Cavs already have 11 outings with 41 percent or better marksmanship in an 11-5 start. Although still small, UVa also has been outrebounded only four times - including losses to Ohio U., Stanford and Wake Forest.
The Feb.15 expansion draft in the NFL doesn't have much established talent available to Carolina and Jacksonville, which is why a tough receiver like Pulaski County native Gary Clark should be attractive, although he will turn 33 before next season.
Clark was left unprotected by Arizona because he is due $1.225 million to finish the three-year, $6 million deal he signed with the Cardinals after leaving Washington as a free agent in 1993. He took a pay cut this season to satisfy coach Buddy Ryan, then made seven catches in the Cardinals' regular-season finale to finish with 51.
Don't be surprised if Clark returns to his USFL home before he joined the Redskins - Jacksonville. Clark is the only player in NFL history with at least 50 receptions in each of his first 10 seasons, and he ranks eighth all-time with 662 catches and ninth in career NFL yardage receiving with 10,331.
The repeated recall and return of goalie Dave Gagnon and defenseman Michael Smith between the Roanoke Express and the International Hockey League's Minnesota Moose makes a mockery of the East Coast Hockey League. Is this league interested in credibility in areas other than filling seats, selling souvenirs and granting expansion franchises?
The slide of men's basketball fortunes at Roanoke College was predictable from the start of the season, because the Maroons couldn't make free throws then and haven't improved. Roanoke ranks second-to-last in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference in field-goal percentage (.444) and last in the ODAC in free-throw accuracy (.615). The Roanoke women are hitting .635 from the stripe.
Besides Virginia Tech, the schools that are interested in taking the Atlantic 10 Conference to a 12-team league are Dayton, Buffalo, Western Kentucky and LaSalle. If Tech goes that way, Dayton should follow as the 11th team. Virginia Commonwealth already has a gentlemen's agreement to move from the Metro Conference to the Colonial Athletic Association.
by CNB