SEPTEMBER 1, 1975
GATORS TOP AIAA GRID PRESASON POLLThe Georgia Baptist Gators are considered the team to beat in college football, at least according to the preseason poll that was released last week. The Gators top the list and if they finish the year the way they started it, the Gators will be celebrating their record seventh AIAA football title. Georgia Baptist and its in-state and Deep South Conference rival Noble Jones College have each won 6 national titles. The Gators most recent one came six years ago after a perfect 12-0 campaign.
Georgia Baptist is coming off back-to-back 7-4 seasons, and missed out on a New Year's Day classic invitation both years, so there will be something to prove this season for a school that made ten classic appearances in an 11 year stretch last decade but has had its struggles in recent years. There are a number of new faces expected on both sides of the ball but the some big contributors return including All-American linebacker William Walter and big hitting safety Teddy Sanchez, who are both seniors. On offense, it appears junior quarterback Laverne Gilbert will be the starter for the third year in a row but he will have a short leash as highly touted sophomore Alfred Morgan, the top recruit out of the state of Georgia two years ago, is waiting in the wings and ready to take the starting job.
The Central Ohio Aviators are also a school looking to find past success that has eluded them in recent years. The pollsters think the turnaround will come this season for Central Ohio, which played in back to back East-West Classics in 1970 and 1971 but has gone just 19-14 over the past three years. Senior wideout Sal Parrish may just be the best pass catcher in the country and looks to be a lock for the preseason All-American team, as does senior guard Anthony Morales, who may just contend for the Ipswich Trophy as top linemen in the AIAA.
The St Blane Fighting Saints are third in the preseason rankings as the Saints look for their third national title in five years. Last season was a disappointment at 8-3 after being ranked no worse than second in the final polls each of the previous four years they slipped out of the top 25 in 1974.
Rounding out the top five are the Lawrence State Chippewa and the Mississippi A&M Generals. The Chippewa are coming off a 10-2 season and finished 6th in the final poll - their highest showing since 1962. Lawrence State will be led by junior running back Luther Dickson, who looks like a Christian Trophy candidate this season after rushing for 1,241 yards and 17 touchdowns a year ago. The Generals will have to fight their way through an always difficult Deep South Conference but there is plenty of buzz about their offense, led by junior quarterback Jimmy Ray Johnson and speedy sophomore running back Marcus Butler. The worry at Mississippi A&M is can its defense do the job as the Generals struggled mightily in that facet of the game a year ago.
Here is the AIAA preseason top 25.
TWIFS UNVEILS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN TEAMTraining camps opened across the AIAA this week, all 114 Division I programs officially turning the page toward a new college football season that will kick off on September 13. As is tradition, This Week in Figment Sports marks the start of camp by releasing its Preseason All-American team, a snapshot of the players expected to shape the 1975 campaign.
The squad features two holdovers from last season’s postseason All-American list: Cumberland tight end Johnny McClary and Detroit City College kicker Howard Lucas. Lucas, now a junior, is part of a strong Detroit City College contingent that places three players on the preseason team, joined by senior center Johnny Lemon and senior safety William Angulo. Mississippi A&M matches that total, making the Generals and the Knights the only schools with three selections apiece.
For Mississippi A&M, the recognition reflects growing optimism after a frustrating 6–5 season a year ago. The Generals have not claimed a Deep South Conference title since 1962, but there is a sense in Jackson that this group may be capable of ending that drought. All three of Mississippi A&M’s selections are underclassmen—quarterback Jimmy Ray Johnson (junior), halfback Marcus Butler (sophomore), and linebacker John Barnes (sophomore)—suggesting that even better days may still lie ahead.
Last season did not unfold as hoped in Jackson. Coming off a 9–3 campaign in 1973 and a top-20 ranking, the Generals were widely expected to contend nationally in 1974. Early returns were encouraging, with the only blemish through five games a road loss at Minnesota Tech. But injuries ravaged a thin defense, and Mississippi A&M faded down the stretch, losing four of its final six games. The most painful of those setbacks was a 28–25 loss to rival Northern Mississippi, a result that helped the Mavericks capture the Deep South Conference, finish 10–2, and place third in the national rankings.
The Generals’ slide was hardly the fault of Johnson. The then-sophomore quarterback continued a strong start to his college career, throwing for 1,668 yards—the third-highest total in the AIAA—and leading the nation with 22 touchdown passes while being intercepted just four times. With another year of experience and the benefit of having navigated a difficult season, Johnson is expected to be even more effective in 1975.
Butler emerged as one of the league’s most productive backs as a true freshman, rushing for nearly 1,300 yards and finishing third in the Deep South Conference. Offense, then, is not the major concern for Mississippi A&M. The key to a legitimate title push will be defensive improvement, particularly against the pass, where the Generals struggled badly a year ago. Barnes, their most consistent defender as a freshman, will be counted on heavily as the defense looks to take a step forward.
Below is the complete This Week in Figment Sports 1975 Preseason All-American Team:
BACKUP QUARTERBACKS STEAL THE SPOTLIGHT IN PRESEASON WEEK TWOIf preseason football is about anything, it’s about opportunity — and in Week Two of the 1975 AFA exhibition schedule, the men cashing in most often wore the “2” on the depth chart.
With coaches protecting starters like heirlooms, backup quarterbacks have been getting extended auditions. In four cities — Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas and Washington — those auditions are turning into legitimate conversations.
In Cincinnati, incumbent Chuck Rayford still appears secure entering his fourth season as the Riverman’s starter. But Charles Clark has made things interesting. Clark, also in his fourth year, has started just four games over his career compared to Rayford’s 35, yet he’s been electric in two preseason outings. After tossing five touchdowns in a 56–28 rout of St. Louis in the opener, Clark followed up Sunday by completing 17 of 21 passes for 231 yards and two scores in a 28–7 win over New Orleans. Rayford was sharp in limited duty (6-for-7), but if Cincinnati’s offense sputters in September, Clark has clearly positioned himself as more than just insurance.
Cleveland’s quarterback situation has been front-page material since the Finches signed former 1971 first overall pick Saul Washington, who lost his job with the New York Titans. Danny Boudreaux has guided Cleveland to the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, though the franchise hasn’t celebrated a postseason victory in 28 years. Washington faced his former Titans on Sunday and delivered a pointed reminder of his pedigree, throwing for 186 yards and two touchdowns in a 28–7 victory at Forester Stadium. Cleveland head coach John Decker may have hoped for clarity by now; instead, he has a genuine decision to make.
In Dallas, Keith Hale remains the presumed starter, but longtime understudy Dave Lerma is forcing notice. The six-year veteran completed 16 of 18 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns in a 38–7 dismantling of Denver as the Stallions improved to 2–0. Lerma has waited patiently behind Hale — and he looks ready should opportunity knock.
Washington presents perhaps the most intriguing case. Charles Hartman supplanted Terry Bergeron two years ago, relegating the former playoff MVP and AFA champion to backup duty. The Wasps have opened with convincing wins over both Los Angeles clubs — 20–3 over the Olympians last week and 30–6 over the Tigers yesterday— but Hartman exited Sunday’s game with a hamstring issue after completing 3 of 4 passes. Bergeron stepped in and flourished, hitting 22 of 25 throws for 232 yards and two touchdowns. If Hartman is slowed for the opener against Milwaukee, Washington appears to be in capable hands.
Elsewhere around the league, the finishes were as dramatic as the quarterback battles.
Milwaukee edged the New York Stars 10–7 in a thriller. The Stars grabbed a 7–3 lead with just over two minutes left on a 44-yard scoring strike from Arthur Turner to James Graff, but Hubert Crisp answered with a 77-yard touchdown pass to John Fritz with 20 seconds remaining to give the Stags their first win after last week’s tie.
Boston went to overtime for the second straight week and this time came out on top, defeating Houston 34–28 on Donald Horton’s 24-yard touchdown run five minutes into the extra period. Stephen McKeever rushed for 109 yards for the Americans, while Houston’s Scott Starling gained 106 yards and scored twice on just 13 touches.
A pair of Brian Eagle touchdown passes was not enough to get the Chicago Wildcats their first win of the preseason. The Chicago backup quarterback was also intercepted twice including one that Rich Gilmer returned 45 yards for a score to lead the Philadelphia Frigates to a 20-14 victory over the Wildcats. Philadelphia is 1-1 in its two preseason games.
The Detroit Maroons managed just 105 yards of total offense but a strong Detroit defense helped the Maroons even their preseason record at 1-1 with 7-3 victory over the 0-2 Los Angeles Olympians. Detroit gained just 5 first downs on the day and Los Angeles was not much more successful. The difference was the Olympians fumbled the ball six times including a second quarter fumble deep in Los Angeles territory by Maroons defensive end Joe Chaney that set up the games only major.
Kansas City improved to 2-0 by downing winless Atlanta 13-3 in what proved to be another rough game for first overall draft pick Allen McAllister. The former St Blane quarterback completed just 5 of 15 throws and it is becoming very clear that he will not be pushing 36-year-old Pete Fairfield out of the starting job with the Firebirds this season.
A dramatic finish in St Louis as the visiting Minnesota Lakers rallied for a 20-16 victory after trailing the Ramblers 16-6 late in the third quarter. The winning score was a 68-yard touchdown pass from Ivan Whitehurst to tight end Jose Rowland with just 41 seconds left in the contest.
Three Buffalo field goals stood up as the Red Jackets won another tight game, defeating the Seattle Roughnecks 9-7 a week after needing overtime to beat Boston.
The Pittsburgh Paladins exploded for 22 fourth quarter points to down the San Diego Admirals 28-7 at Fitzpatrick Park. A pair of the Pittsburgh scores came on Jerry Salisbury runs sandwiched between a 34-yard interception return for a score by Doug Howard.
Finally in San Francisco, Miami halfback Dave Kinard had a big day. The 1969 third round pick who ran for a career best 1,164 yards in 1972 but gained just 101 all of last season, carried the ball 17 times for 130 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Mariners to a 35-27 victory over the Wings. The Miami ground game was firing on all cylinders as Marlon Landrum added 91 on 8 carries.
Two weeks into the preseason, the wins and losses matter less than the questions being asked. At quarterback in particular, several coaches may have more to think about than they expected — and September is coming quickly.
AFA NOTES - The season ending injury to Michael Savage created an opportunity for Stephen Brown. The New York Titans lost Savage, a second year guard, for the season after he was injured in their preseason opener in Philadelphia. New York found a quality replacement in Brown, who started all 14 games for the Pittsburgh Paladins a year ago but was not resigned and could not find a suitable deal during the offseason. Brown, a 1971 second round pick out of Minnesota Tech, is expected to challenge Carlos Graham for a starting job on the Titans offensive line.
The Detroit Maroons also made three moves, primarily for depth. Detroit brought in three undrafted rookies in Travis College fullback Nicholas Owens, linebacker Robert Ackerman from Northern California and former Minns College kicker Junior Ward. All three are expected to end up on the Maroons practice squad roster. Following next week's final preseason game, AFA teams will need to get their active roster's done to 40 players with up to 8 more being allowed to be placed on the practice squad for each club.
AFA PRESEASON WEEK TWO RESULTS
Cleveland 28 NY Titans 7
Milwaukee 10 NY Stars 7
Philadelphia 20 Chicago 14
Washington 30 LA Tigers 6
Detroit 7 LA Olympians 3
Kansas City 13 Atlanta 3
Minnesota 20 St Louis 16
Buffalo 9 Seattle 7
Boston 34 Houston 28 (OT)
Dallas 38 Denver 7
Pittsburgh 28 San Diego 7
Cincinnati 28 New Orleans 7
Miami 35 San Francisco 27
NEXT WEEKEND'S GAMES
Boston (1-1) at Atlanta (0-2)
Cleveland (2-0) at Minnesota (2-0)
New York Stars (0-2) at Buffalo (2-0)
Philadelphia (1-1) at Seattle (0-1-1)
Chicago (0-2) at St Louis (0-2)
Detroit (1-1) at San Francisco (1-1)
Milwaukee (1-0-1) at Los Angeles Tigers (1-1)
New York Titans (1-1) at Los Angeles Olympians (0-2)
Kansas City (2-0) at San Diego (1-1)
Washington (2-0) at Houston (0-2)
Pittsburgh (2-0) at Denver (0-2)
Miami (1-1) at Cincinnati (2-0)
New Orleans (0-2) at Dallas (2-0)
SEASON ENTERS FINAL MONTH AS SUNS, IMPERIALS LOOK TO HOLD ON TO DIVISION LEADS Baseball has entered the home stretch, and with the calendar now reading September, teams are running out of time to cut divisional leads. For the Atlanta Copperheads and Seattle Kings, they don't have to worry about their leads going anywhere, and with how well the Los Angeles Suns have been playing lately, they may be next to join them.
Winners of six straight, the Suns have opened up a 6.5 game lead over the Houston Comets, who looks to be the only thing standing between them and a second consecutive Western division title. The dynamic duo of Tom Lally (.322, 28, 90, 8) and Sam Forrester (.293, 24, 106, 37) is easily the best in the business, and if you could award a co-Whitney there'd be an argument for them both to receive it, but what's really helped them out recently has been the pitching.
All five current members of their rotation have ERAs below 3.50 and ERA+ above 115, so no matter who they send out on the mound, the opposing lineups are gong to have a lot of issues. Star level production was expected from Heinie Schmidt (14-9, 3.05, 125) and Pete Meissner (14-7, 3.37, 142), but I've been very impressed with Bob Hinzman. Coming from the Kings' pitching factory, he started 37 games for them in 1973 as a rookie before being moved to LA in the offseason. Last year he split time between the farm and majors, 5-3 with a 4.09 ERA (95 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP, and 47 strikeouts in 94.2 innings pitched. This year has been a different story, as despite a 12-10 record, he's got a strong 2.88 ERA (137 ERA+), 1.21 WHIP, and 108 strikeouts in an out shy of 200 innings. A stabilizing force at the back of the rotation, the two days away from 28-year-old needs to hold up for just one more month, and he can make the trade that acquired him worth it already.
LA also has a very reliable pen, including one of the top stoppers in the game in Ron Clark. The 26-year-old had a major breakout last season, working to a 1.43 ERA (272 ERA+) and 1.14 WHIP in 120 innings last season, finishing 10-7 with 25 saves and 84 strikeouts. This season the ERA is higher, a still well above average 2.43 ERA (162 ERA+), though his 2.65 FIP (67 FIP-) is even better. Through 74 innings he has 33 saves and 68 strikeouts, dropping his BB% from 8.1 to 6.6, and rather surprisingly the only pitcher with more saves is St. Louis' Roy McDonald (5-11, 34, 4.12, 58), despite the Pioneers' having just 60 wins on the season. When the backend of the Suns pen gets the ball, good things happen, and their ability to hold leads will be crucial in finishing off the title race.
The New York Imperials are lucky that no one in their division wants to win, so even when they go 3-3 they're generally doing as good or even better then the teams chasing them. In fact, they were 13-16 in August and still hold the exact 1.5 game lead they opened the month with. They also have three teams within five games of them and all six teams are within ten of each other. This wide open field could end up with a crazy and chaotic finish, but at least now it looks guaranteed the East leader will finish above .500.
They also get to only play fellow Eastern division teams the rest of the way, with a home and away series against their five competitors. This coming week is key, as the Imperials start the month with road series against the two teams closest to them. First, it's three in Milwaukee, where even if they did get swept, they'd at least still have a half game lead on the Arrows. They'll get the back three of the rotation, Johnny Hoskinson (9-8-, 3.09, 80), Mel Maddox (9-8, 3.37, 85), and new rotation entrant John Carpenter (1-1, 1, 2.75, 22), and as long as they can get some runs on the board, they shouldn't have any problems. The three in Cleveland may be tougher, as they are a far more complete team and matched the Imps 13-16 August. This week could play a key role in the Eastern division race, but lucky for everyone involved, as long as you can split your week you'll stay in the race.
HANDING OUT THE AUGUST HARDWARE
- Double duty on the awards this time around as both the weekly and monthly honours were handed out. For the week the top player in the Continental Association was Bobby Garrison of the Los Angeles Stars. It marks the 17th time the 33-year-old first baseman has won the weekly award, but the first time this season. In the Fed, the winner was Phil Church, first baseman of the New York Gothams. The 27-year-old Church won for just the second time with his first coming in his rookie season of 1973.
- Two of the monthly awards went to Detroit Dynamos first baseman Lou Strader. The 23-year-old was named the batter of the month in the Federal Association for the first time while also claiming rookie of the month honours for the second time. On the season Strader is batting .330 with 18 homers and 56 rbi's.
- Joe McCarthy of the Houston Comets went 5-1 with a 2.77 era in August to claim the Fed's pitcher of the month award while trying to keep his club in the race for the West Division title. On the season, the 31-year-old who won the Allen Award a year ago, is 9-4 with a 2.58 era.
- A former Allen Award winner also took the Continental pitcher award for August. Moe Lowery, who won his Allen in 1971, and is making a case for a second one this season (18-8, 2.64) was the pitcher of the month for August.
- Chicago Cougars rookie Bill Barlett might have something to say about the CA Allen Award. Bartlett is 10-4 with a 1.98 era on the season but excelled in August with a perfect 3-0 record and a 1.68 era to claim the CA pitcher of the month. Chicago Daily News columnist Tip Harrison has seen Bartlett up close all year and says "I don't know how it happened, but Bill Bartlett has become the best pitcher in baseball. Taken in the 3rd Round of last year's draft, the graduated 42nd ranked prospect has thrown nine shutout innings in three of his last four games and four of his last six. All these shutouts have allowed him to qualify for the ERA lead, and his 1.98 (199 ERA+) mark is the only one in either association below 2.50, and the 22-year-old seems likely to run away with the Kellogg, and even make a run at the Allen award
- Second year outfielder Tony Keil of Kansas City was named the CA batter of the month for August. The 25-year-old hit .359 last month with 21 rbi's and 18 runs scored.
MILESTONES & ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- George Love hit his 300th career homerun for the New York Imperials, becoming just the 40th player in FABL history to reach that milestone.
- A pair of veteran outfielders each drove in their 750th career RBI last week. Ed McNaughton of Washington and Montreal's Jim Hendricks each turned the trick.
- On the mound, Dick Couture of the Cleveland Foresters notched his 1000th career strikeout.
- It was a big week for the bats as three different players enjoyed five hit games last week. First it was Bobby Garrison of the Los Angeles Stars who went 5-for-6 in a 2-1 loss to Montreal that went 13 innings. It was the fourth 5-hit game of Garrison's career and all four have come against the two Canadian teams, although he did also have a 6-hit game a year ago and that one was against the Chicago Cougars.
- A day after Garrison's quintet of hits, both Sam Hamilton of the New York Gothams and Rankin Ziegler of the Chicago Chiefs each had 5 hit games.
- For just the third time this year a player hit 3 homeruns in a game. It was Lew Davison of the Philadelphia Keystones who smacked three longballs yesterday in a 7-3 win over St Louis. The 26-year-old now has a career high 20 homers on the season.
- The Atlanta Copperheads clinched the Federal Association East Division on August 26. it is the fourth year in a row the former Pittsburgh Miners franchise has won the division.
Wolves Finish with West By Going 4-3 The Toronto Wolves story had just two possible outcomes over the final week of August. If they got any kind of starting pitching they won, if not they lost. In the four wins the opposition score a total of 12 runs, in the three losses Toronto allowed 29 runs most early in the game.
The week started with the winning streak coming to an end when the Kansas City Mavericks erased a 4-0 Wolves lead with a 5 run fourth inning and then cruised to an 11-5 rout. Off season acquisition Manny Espinosa, who was supposed to stabilize the Toronto rotation, has been anything but a reliable source on the mound. Of 3 losses for the week he was the pitcher of record in 2 as he also giving up runs early and often in Dallas on Saturday. Espinosa's record for the year is now 5-14, 4.46. To be fair he has been the victim of 28 unearned runs in 25 starts and only 2 of 8 runs were in earned in Saturday's loss in Dallas.
After the winning streak was halted the Wolves began another short streak by winning four, the last two against Kansas City at home then 2 more in Dallas. The Wrangles took the last two of the four game set to finish the month of August, winning by 9-2 and 9-4 counts.
The month of August ended with the Wolves first winning month of '75 going 16-13. Dunbar is hearing rumours that the performance in August -given it was against the tough West Division - probably saved Carl Evans' job. Senior management has not yet announced any extensions as of yet and they may be waiting to see if the Wolves can keep the good play going in September.
The roster expansion to 40 has come into effect but Toronto officials say that they will not expand the roster to the full 40. September will see many of the fringe players playing for their jobs in the FABL in 1976. With the final series with the West in the past the Wolves finished with a record of 29-43 (.402) against the other division for the season. Take out the drubbing by the Kings, 1-11, the record would be 28-32, not world beating but respectable for a team looking to the future. There is lots work to do in Toronto moving forward.
The Wolves begin the last month of the season at home hosting the Cannons in an attempt to lengthen their half game lead they have on Cincinnati to stay out of the cellar.
In other news Davenport could clinch the Heartland West this upcoming week. Tuscaloosa could also claim another GSL West division crown early in September. While there is some good news in the lower minors the upper levels are struggling this season. Chattanooga has recently fallen 8 games off the pace in the Dixie with 20 to play. Buffalo has fallen into the Union League cellar at 53-68, to add insult to injury the Nickels had Syracuse's Allan Morris toss a perfect game against them on the last day of August.
The Week That Was
Current events from the week ending 08/31/1975
- Senate Judiciary Committee approves John Paul Stevens nomination, clearing the Supreme Court pick for a full Senate vote with little organized opposition.
- President Ford orders expanded federal oversight of New York City finances, tightening conditions as loan guarantees move from planning to execution.
- Congress debates sweeping tax reform proposals, with lawmakers pushing simplification and relief amid lingering recession pressures.
- Vietnam refugee integration strains schools and housing, prompting emergency funding requests from cities and provinces hosting large numbers of newcomers.
- Bicentennial planners warn of funding gaps, as organizers seek additional federal and private support to meet 1976 expectations.