THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 13, 1996 TAG: 9601130433
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
A week at the Snow Bowl, Division II's postseason all-star game for seniors, is part showcase, part show-and-tell.
For Aaron Sparrow, Norfolk State's record-setting quarterback, it is his first taste of the evaluation process he repeatedly will go through prior to April's NFL draft.
That was never more evident than when the 80 players on hand for tonight's game (8 p.m. Eastern time) at the FargoDome in Fargo, N.D., had to parade down a corridor lined with pro football scouts Tuesday for what East squad offensive coach Sandy Buda termed a ``cattle call.''
``We have 51 scouts registered here this week and we charge them $300 each,'' Buda said. ``For that, they get a hands-on week.''
Sparrow said it went beyond being up-close and personal.
``It was a meat market. You walk in there with nothing on but your shorts. They weigh you. They measure your height, arm span, hand span. They time you. They give you a 12-minute aptitude test that goes something like, `Bob has four apples . . . ' or `How does this word compare to that word?' '' Sparrow said from his hotel room.
Sparrow, who has accepted an invitation to the NFL combine in Indianapolis Feb. 9-12, is listed at 6-foot-1, 208 pounds. When weighed and measured, he was his listed height and two pounds light. The East squad's other quarterback, Lock Haven's Robert McLaughlin, didn't measure up to his listed height of 6-2, coming up two inches short, although Sparrow called him a ``solid 220.''
McLaughlin showed up two days late due to the blizzard, so Sparrow was the only East quarterback at Monday's workouts and got all the repetitions in front of the scouts.
``Did it help? Most definitely,'' Sparrow said. ``I talked one-on-one to scouts from the Browns, Jets, Buccaneers and Jaguars. The Packers scout said he thought I'd be sweet in their offense.''
This is the Snow Bowl's third annual game. The previous two have been steppingstones to the NFL for 17 players.
Among the Snow Bowl's 1994 alumni now in the NFL are San Francisco linebacker Lee Woodall, Green Bay defensive tackle Gabe Wilkins, Buffalo offensive tackle Ed Philion and Carolina offensive tackle Emerson Martin.
Of the '95 alumni, Buffalo running back Darick Holmes and Green Bay guard Adam Timmerman have made the most noise.
Sparrow will start for the East, playing the first and third quarters. Buda says Sparrow would have started even if McLaughlin had made all the practices.
``His strengths are his arm strength, his athletic ability and the fact that he seems to want to learn,'' Buda said. ``His only negative is the same all the players have, which is only five days to put in as much of a pro offense as possible. You learn as you go.''
The game, being produced for Prime Network, will not be televised live in South Hampton Roads and there are no immediate plans to show it on tape-delay.
Sparrow, a two-time CIAA offensive player of the year, is the only CIAA product in the Snow Bowl. Winston-Salem State power running back Richard Huntley and Norfolk State wide receiver James Roe also were invited, but went to Los Angeles for presentation of the Eddie Robinson Award, given to Roe.
With Huntley absent, the East squad will be more apt to throw the ball, another plus for Sparrow.
``We'll be wide open,'' Buda said. ``We'll run a lot of play-action and Aaron's pretty good at that.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Norfolk State's Aaron Sparrow is the East's starting quarterback in
tonight's Snow Bowl Division II all-star game.
by CNB