ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, January 17, 1997 TAG: 9701170075
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: TECH NOTES
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
Virginia Tech's Jim Druckenmiller will have a golden chance to enhance his 1997 NFL draft stock Saturday in Mobile, Ala.
Druckenmiller, who led the Hokies to a 20-4 record and consecutive major bowl appearances in the past two seasons, is expected to start at quarterback for the North squad in the annual Senior Bowl all-star game.
Druckenmiller is one of four former Tech players selected for the game, where an estimated 600 NFL assistant coaches and scouts are expected. Other Hokies on the North roster are defensive end Cornell Brown, free safety Torrian Gray and offensive tackle Jay Hagood.
Nebraska, which has five players on the North team, and Florida State, which has five players on the South roster, are the only schools with more representatives in the game than Tech.
Three former Virginia stars are on the South roster - running back Tiki Barber of Roanoke and linebackers Jamie Sharper and James Farrior.
The North squad is being coached by the Washington Redskins' Norv Turner. Kansas City's Marty Schottenheimer will lead the South.
The game will be televised by TBS (cable), beginning at 2 p.m. Kickoff is 2:30 p.m.
NO HULA DANCE: Billy Conaty has been forced to pull out of Sunday's Hula Bowl in Honolulu. The former Tech center still is slowed by a foot injury sustained during the Hokies' 41-21 loss to Nebraska on Dec. 31 in the Orange Bowl.
DRAFT TALK: Druckenmiller was rated the No. 23 prospect on the recent updated Top 60 list of NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.
Gray, not included in an earlier Kiper Top 60, rose to No. 25 in the ESPN draft guru's latest ratings.
Kiper listed Bryan Jennings as the No. 5 tight end, while Brown was rated the No. 4 defensive line prospect and Conaty the No. 7 center.
BROWN RE-SIGNS: Former Tech linebacker Ken Brown has signed a two-year contract extension with the NFL's Denver Broncos. Brown spent the past season on the NFL club's practice squad. Financial terms of Brown's contract were not released.
OLYMPIANS ON TRACK: Olympians Allen Johnson, Julie Henner and Jose Parilla are scheduled to join competitors from more than 40 college teams in the Virginia Tech Invitational track and field meet today and Saturday at Rector Field House.
Johnson won the gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles during this past summer's Atlanta Games with an Olympic-record time of 12.95 seconds. He is scheduled to compete in the 55- and 200-meter dashes.
Henner, who didn't medal in the 1,500 in Atlanta, will compete in the 800. Parilla, who also failed to win a medal in the '96 Games, will run the 400.
The meet, which begins at 4 p.m. today, is the first competition to be held on the Hokies' new $500,000 Mondo indoor track.
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. 1. Former Virginia Tech quarterback Jimby CNBDruckenmiller will display his talents for NFL scouts as a starter
for the North on Saturday at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. Three
other Hokies will join him on the North roster. 2. Former Hokies
safety Torrian Gray (left) is rated the No.25 NFL prospect by Mel
Kiper Jr. heading into the Senior Bowl.