THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 16, 1995 TAG: 9503150148
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY PHYLLIS SPEIDELL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 130 lines
THEY WERE BIG, and they were bad. But could they be Blue?
That was the question last Saturday, as 70 men sweated, strained and grunted to show they have what it takes to wear the royal blue and silver of the Baltimore Football Club of the Canadian Football League, popularly known as the Big, Bad and Blue.
At the urging of assistant coach and Suffolk native Donald Hill, the club held its first national tryout camp of 1995 at Nansemond River High School.
Seventy muscular hopefuls turned out: college players, high school heroes who had not played in a half-dozen years and a handful who already had played semiprofessional or arena football.
``What we have today are mostly wide receivers and running backs, the skilled positions, the glory positions,'' said Bill Chen, Baltimore's assistant to the director of player personnel.
Cardell Fosque, a 27-year-old Navy hospital corpsman stationed aboard the aircraft carrier Roosevelt in Norfolk, had played semipro ball in Florida. A running back, Fosque had spent three weeks trying to get back into his shape of 1990, when he last played.
``The toughest thing is going to be the 40, because there are a lot of fast guys out here. . . .'' His best time was just under five seconds, he said.
Fosque and the others were scored on speed, quickness and agility in a shuttle race, a 40-yard dash, a standing broad jump, a vertical jump and a variety of skill drills. Players need exceptional speed, agility and stamina in Canadian football because the game is played on a larger field than American football, there are only three downs with unlimited backfield motion in any direction before the ball is snapped and only 20 seconds to put the ball into play.
``It's not just muscle,'' Hill said. ``You have to be able to run across the field and, in 20 seconds, be ready to go again.''
Henry Powell, 22, and a former wide receiver at Green Run High School in Virginia Beach, worked to retain his skills and speed during two years in the Navy by playing whenever he could, wherever he was stationed.
``I have always wanted to play football, so I thought I might as well try today,'' Powell said.
A year ago, Baltimore became the third U.S. city to get a CFL franchise, the Baltimore CFL Colts. A legal wrangle with the National Football League over ownership of the Colts name (the NFL Colts moved from Baltimore to Indianapolis in 1984) left the franchise without a catchy name.
Despite its identity crisis, the team became the eastern division champions of the CFL in its first season and became the first professional football expansion franchise with a winning record.
Now, while the club is officially the Baltimore Football Club, the franchise promotes the Big, Bad and Blue nickname.
Tim Williams drove nine hours from Waynesville, Ohio, to try out as a kicker. A four-year starter with Ohio State, the 24-year-old has visited several tryout camps and is working with an agent to break into the pros.
``I know I can play at the next level,'' Williams said. ``It is just a matter of getting the breaks. . . ''
Williams plans to devote at least a year to getting picked up by a team before he calls it quits and returns to Waynesville to teach and coach at his high school.
After the drills had been completed and individual scores tallied, the coaches looked for standouts.
``We can work with a good athlete and bring him up to our standards,'' Hill said. Those one or two might be lucky enough to be invited to the Baltimore training camp in June.
``That would be a dream come true,'' said Michael Ambrose, 24, a press break operator with Amadas Industries in Suffolk. In 1989, his senior year at Gates County High School, Ambrose was a tight end and led his conference in receptions.
Ambrose entered the tryout hoping for the best, expecting the worst. ``I had nothing to lose,'' he said. ``After four years in the Navy, I am still in good shape and curious to see if I could still do some of the things I did in high school.''
Tony Poag of Rock Hill, S.C., hoped to secure a spot as a center. The 292-pound 23-year-old plays for Hampton University.
He also has a tryout scheduled with the Washington Redskins.
``I will play anywhere because just being on a team would be pretty good,'' Poag said. ``But if not, I am not going to worry about it.''
Les Barley, 27-year-old veteran of four years of arena football, was one of Hill's top prospects.
He has played linebacker for Winston Salem State and is a teacher in Durham, N.C. during the off season. He has played two years with the Charlotte Rage and two years with the Tampa Bay Storm.
Barley is familiar with Canadian foothall, having spent the 1990 preseason in the Saskatchewan Roughriders' training camp. ``But I was released right before the first game,'' Barley said.
When the tryouts were over, it was back to the ship, classroom or factory for most of the contenders. They knew professional football would remain dream. A few would try out again, hoping for that one big break.
Les Barley was one of seven men who attracted the coaching staff's interest at the tryout. ``He did well enough for us to take an additional step to see if he could help the club,'' Hill said.
After reviewing Barley's past game films, as well as those of other standouts from all the tryouts, the coaches will determine who to invite to training camp.
Saturday's tryout was held with the cooperation of the Suffolk Parks and Recreation Department. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
BIG? YES! BAD? SURE! BLUE? WE'LL SEE.
ON THE COVER
Candidates Tim Williams of Ohio State and Joe Pouncy of Virginia
Beach kick the ball around a bit in the cover picture, taken by
staff photographer Michael Kestner.
Staff photos by MICHAEL KESTNER
Tim Williams of Ohio State University kicks the ball - again and
again - during tryouts for the Canadian Football League's Baltimore
Football Club.
Jason Zachery of Rockford, Ill., runs some laps around the track at
Nansemond River High as he warms up for his chance at a spot on the
Baltimore Football Club.
Anthony Cooley of Durham, N.C., at left, who has played two years
with Toronto and one with Shreveport in the CFL, practices his
jumps, while Johnny Cruz of Norfolk, at right, shows coach Donald
Hill of Suffolk how high he can leap during tryout drills Saturday.
A couple of candidates for they CFL Baltimore Football Club and a
coach take a timeout during tryouts at Nansemond River High School.
by CNB