page 10
thursday, november 15, 1979
daily nebraskan
Toe injury lades Hipp's Heisman dream
By Paul Huscher .
Coming into the 1979 season it looked like Nebraska's
I.M. Hipp would challenge Oklahoma's Billy Sims and
USC Charles White for the Heisman Trophy.
Hipp, a 6-0, 200 pound senior from Chapin, S.C. was
the first running b.ack in Nebraska history to gain over
1 JDOO yards in consecutive seasons. He rushed for 1 ,353
yards in 1977 (an NU record) and 1,002 yards in 1978.
Last year he was an AP Honorable Mention All-Amer-ican
and was named to the AP and UP1 All Big Eight
second team.
According to Nebraska's 1979 press guide, Hipp is
probably the most famous walkon in college football
history. As a sophomore he set the NU record for most
yards in a game-254 against Indiana-until Rick Berns
broke that last year with 255 against Missouri.
After nine games this year Hipp has a career total of
2,833 yards which is the NU all-time rushing record. Berns
had the old mark of 2,704 yards.
HIPP INJURED HIS TOE in the Huskers' second game
this year. At first it was diagnosed as "Turf -Toe", a fairly
common injury, but later the doctors said Hipp had gout
in his foot. -
He has been bothered by the injury since the Iowa
game and has gained 478 yards this year.
After reinjuring his toe against Kansas State, Hipp said
he is doubtful for this week's game against Iowa State..
He explained that a toe injury is especially bad for him.
"When I run I push off the ball of my foot, but with
my bad .toe I can't," he said. "I have to turn my foot
V I ' .-V ;
(J r
Photo courtesy of Sports Information
I. M. Hipp
sideways to make my start and that slows me down."
Hipp said he has no hard feelings about this year.
"I've been satisfied with what's happened," he said. "I
wasn't planning on an injury," ..
v 'The season's not over yet, we still have two, three
games left this season and I'll do all I can do to contribute
to a winning team." , , - '
, HIPP SAID THE people haven't changed since he came
to Nebraska in 1 975 . . ;
"They're still nice. They speak to me and I speak to
them." .
When asked if he'd come to Nebraska again if he could
do it again he said "I don't reflect too much to the past,
you should never go backwards."
However, he said he's glad he was able to become NU's
all-time leading ground gainer and he's learned a lot from
the coaches at Nebraska.
"The coaches have helped a lot as far as making.me a
better team player," he said. "I learned personal goals
have to be put aside, because it takes a team effort to
become a national contender."
He also said the Huskers have a good chance to become
Big Eight champs if everyone continues to play well.
Hipp said if he gets a chance to play against Oklahoma
he'll give 110 percent.
"IT'S THE LAST step toward a Big Eight Title and a
possible national championship," he said. "You can't hold
back nothing."
When Hipp went out with his injury another Husker
I-back named Jarvis Redwine came into the scene.
Redwine has proved to be an adequate replacement for
Hipp having led all Big Eight rushers until last week:
Hipp said he knew Redwine would get a chance to play
this year "because he's a good back."
"It's part of being a team player, splitting time with
some one," he said. "You always want someone who's
fresh and can give 100 percent.
Hipp said he. hasn't thought much about playing
pro-ball because the season's not over, but he said, if given
the chance I would play." x
Williams observes Windy City meet from different angle
By Betsie Ammons ;
For Husker gymnast Mark Williams, the team's yearly
trip to' the Windy City Invitational in Chicago is a little
like a jaunt into the past. - - . - . ; ...-:.;,-
The Nebraska gymnasts will travel to the University of
Illinois in Chicago to compete in the 14-team meet Friday
and Saturday.
Williams, a senior all-arounder, attended high school in
La Grange, 111., a suburb of Chicago. He said his high
school gymnastics coach took the team to the Windy City
meet each year so they could observe college gymnasts.
But, he said, participating in the meet as a UNL fresh
man was a different story . '
"I couldn't believe was in it after watching it .for four
years," he said.'
Williams, recovering from back trouble, said he feels
ready to compete against high school acquaintances in the
meet he described as "like all our state meets coming back
again."
Despite his injuries, he said he has practiced hard with
the team all week. During practice, he said, he suffers
from muscles spasms, but they subside if he rests between
hard workouts. ,
The team also is more prepared for the Windy City
meet than it was for last weekend's Big Eight Invitational,
Williams said. He attributes this to more practice time and
the recovery of freshman Phil Cahoy and junior Chuck
Chmelka.
However, he said its not going to be as easy to repeat
as national champs as we thought."
The team must regroup from its second place finish to
Iowa State in the Big Eight meet, Williams said. In that
meet, he added, routines were down and "a lot of us were
not prepared to go out and win."
But the team is psyched for the Windy City, Williams
said.
We've seen what it is like to be second," he said, "and
I don't think very many of us liked it."
According to Williams, the teams to watch for in the
Windy City are Iowa State, Indiana State, Minnesota and
Northern Illinois.
He said two gymnasts he knew in high school will
compete in the meet-Indiana State all-arounder Don
Osborne and Breck Grigas from the University of
Northern Illinois.
Oklahoma, usually a gymnastics power in the Big Eight
and Jhe nation, has a young team, and Williams said the
Husker gymnasts do not expect much trouble from the
Sooners.
Oklahoma's number one recruit, Peter Stout, has his
leg in a cast and last year's team standout Bart Conner is
redshirted.hesaid.
Williams said he is healthy enough to compete in all
events, and that he will be the number two all-arounder
behind sophomore Jim Hartung if Cahoy is unable to
compete in two events.
f Cahoy Is questionable for floor exercise and vaulting
because of a foot injury, said Husker gymnastics coach
Francis Allen, and there is only a 50-50 chance that he
will be in those events. . ' ;
. Although Allen agreed with Williams about the teams
to bat in the meet, Jie said none of them now are the
csliber of Nebraska.
Some will get better as the year goes on, Allen said, but
none of . them have gymnasts who compare with inter
national competitors like Cahoy and Hartung. , r4 ;
"You're not going, to see .our team much better than
we are right now," he added'.: : -T;- " p ' ' '''
Allen said one disadvantage in the Windy City will be
the absenccof vaulter Steve Elliott, who is competing in a
Big Eight sWimming'and diving competition that weekend,
Allen said.
Allen said he has worked freshman Scott Johnson
harder in preparation for the meet. Johnson, an all
arounder, was not ready for the Big Eight Invitational,
Allen said, but added that he expects a "gross improve-
ment" this weekend. -
x . As for Williams, Alien said; he is in-between being in
.. good and bad health. sv;t
"At any time he could twist himself just right and be
right back where he was, not able to stand up," he said.
Husker gymnasts who will Compete Friday and Satur
day include all-arounders Hartung, Cahoy, Williams, John
son and Chmelka. , j
A probable pommel horse competitor is John Balluff, a
freshman who was awarded a "pleasant" 9.1 score in the
Big Eight meet, Allen said. Freshman Frank Hibbitts also
may compete on the horse.
Allen said juniors Mark Hobson and Jim Winkelmann
are possible floor exercise competitors, and Kevin
Dunkley will perform on the still rings.
Mom was swimmer s first coach
By Paul Martin
JoDea Eckstrom, co-captain of the Husker women's
swimming team, has been swimming competively since
the age of eight. Yet throughout her career, spanning
slightly more than a decade, the UNL junior has re
ceived all of her coaching from only two individuals
her present coach at Nebraska, Ray Huppert, and her
mother.
Eckstrom said that shortly after she began swim
ming her family moved from Bloomington to the
smaller Minnesota community of Marshall. The high
school in Marshall had no swimming program, she ex
plained, so her mother, who had been her coach from
the beginning, continued to fulfill that capacity during
her high school years.
Mrs. Eckstrom did an outstandingjob of developing
her daughter's swimming abilities, according to Hup
pert. ' ' .
"She came to us with an outstanding background,"
Hupport said; "Her mother provided a great back
ground for JoDea in her stroke techniques and
mechanics.
Fifteen of the women on this year's 26 member NU
swimming and diving squad -who begin their season
with a dual meet Saturday at Missouri-are newcomers.
Eckstrom said she expects the group to be a "tremen
dous asset to the team."
"I EXPECT them to contribute," she said. "They're
a really talented group."
The young team needs leadership and Eckstrom is
an individual quite capable of providing it, according to
Huppert.
"JoDea has tremendous leadership qualities," Hup
pert said. "I look for her to be a strong base for our
program."
Huppert said Eckstrom was voted Most Valuable
Athlete on the team last year as a sophomore and that
this year "she is swimming better than ever before.
Eckstrom is not only a tremendous athlete but also
is a dedicated student, Huppert said. He describes her
as an "oustanding student-athlete" and said she cur
rently has a 3.9 grade point average.
She will have plenty to keep her busy outside the -classroom
since she will be swimming in seven events
along with some relays at multi-team events this sea
son. ' ; ... .......
Eckstrom said that when it is possible she will be
swimming 100- and 200-yard distances in. both the
backstroke and butterfly along with the, 100, 200 and
400-yard individual medley. In addition, she said she
will be a member of some relay teams which haven't
been designated yet.
The squad will have to be at their best to defeat
Missouri Saturday, according to Huppert.
"WE HAVE really got to be sharp and swim very,
very well to come out victorious," Huppert said.
Both Huppert and Eckstrom said team unity will be
a key factor in beating Missouri and in having a suc
cessful season. .
"If we get our heads together we can beat Miss
ouri," Eckstrom said. "It's not going to be easy,
though. It will be a tough meet."
Missouri finished In second place behind Kansas at
last year's Big Eight meet and this year both teams
have already suffered losses at the hands of other con
ference teams, according to Huppert.
Huppert said Oklahoma (fourth last year) topped .
Missouri and Iowa State (fifth last year) easily defeated
defending champion Kansas in early season action.
The Huskers finished in third place last year but
Eckstrom said that if "we do what we're capable of
doing" they can finish better this season.
She said that each meet leading to the Big Eight
Championships would be "stepping stones' leading to
the ultimate team goal of winning the conference. She
said that the meets before then would not be taken
lightly, however.
"We dont want to peak or taper before Big Eight,
she said. "But well do our best each time.
