monday, february 23, 1981
daily nebraskan
page 9
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Wrestling coach delivers promised 3-year gains
Unlike a politician, Bob Fehrs does not easilv forcci his
promises.
When he came to Nebraska three years ago to take over
the foundering Ilusker wrestling program, Fehrs was not
shy about saying he would make things better.
"Fehrs Promises to End Mat Drought," read the head
line on an Omaha World-Herald story in April of 1978.
Fehrs photocopied the story and has it pinned to his
office bulletin board.
"When I arrived here," he said, "my overall goal was to
have the program become competitive and respectable. At
that time, it wasn't either one."
Three years later, Nebraska with a 174 dual record,
has broken into the nation's top 20 for the first time in at
least three decades. Fehrs said the last-rated Husker team,
to the best of his knowledge, was the 1948 squad.
But Fehrs had goals more specific than becoming
competitive and respectable.
"My short-term goal was to become competitive with
everybody except the top 10 teams or so," he said. "I
wanted to do that in three years, so we're operating about
on the schedule I've anticipated."
In two more years, he said, Nebraska should be actively
competing with every wrestling program in the nation.
"We're doing about as good as could reasonably be
expected," he said. "Of course, we're never satisfied with
where we are."
No seniors
Not being one who is satisfied to rest or past
accomplishments, Fehrs is looking for more results. One,
for example, is producing an individual Big Eight
champion, something the Huskers have not seen since
1962. It could be a bit much, at least this year, because
half the Husker first-line wrestlers are freshmen and
there are no seniors on the team.
With a squad that young, most coaches would be
enthusiastic about the future of the program-Fehrs is.
This year's freshmen will have to be the base of the
teams that could establish Nebraska as a national power
Fehrs said, saying that they have been doing a good job so
far, especially Jim and Bill Scherr and Mark Shortsleeve.
"I think they (the freshmen) should be able to contri
bute enough the next two years so that we can become
competitive with anybody," he said. "Then, if we can
recruit just three or four good individuals, we will really
have a good chance. We don't need many more, since we
aren't losing anybody this year. We just need more
depth."
Nebraska faces tough recruiting competition because it
is a member of one of the best wrestling conferences in
the nation. The five Big Eight teams with wrestling programs-Iowa
State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Missouri
and Nebraska-are all ranked in the top 20.
"Being in the Big Eight is a double-edged sword,"
Fehrs said.
Some recruits see wrestling at Nebraska as a challenge,
with some of the best competition in the nation readily
available, while others are lured by the established wrestl
ing traditions of Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Okla
homa, he said.
Tradition needed for recruits
In recruiting, tradition is the most important of all
factors, Fehrs said.
"Tradition is more important than the facilities, more
important than the coach's personality, or anything," he
said.
The Huskers are competing against established nation
wide networks of alumni, such as the situation Nebraska
football enjoys. With only one full-time assistant, Kelly
Ward, an Iowa State graduate and former NCAA champ
ion, recruiting is demanding, both physically and time
wise, Fehrs said.
With limited outside financial support and minimal
help from alumni, "it's a major task convincing them (re
cruits) Nebraska is the place for them," Fehrs said. That's
why he formed the Nebraska Wrestling Booster Club when
he arrived, and has been trying to expand it ever since,
he said.
Money contributed by the wrestling boosters goes
mostly toward sending Husker wrestlers to summer
tournaments.
"As we get better, more interest will be shown," Fehrs
said. "It's like anything else. When you really need the
money to get established, it isn't there. When you're good,
everybody wants to help out."
Fehrs is not reluctant to point out what he feels are
needs in the program, and he does not hesitate in giving
his honest opinion about his team.
"It's a definite advantage to be honest and set realistic
goals," he said. "I'm different than a lot of other coaches
in that if I think we're going to win, I say it."
One of Fehrs' realistic goals is to edge out Missouri for
fourth place in the conference tournament this year. Not
every day does a nationally ranked team find itself trying
to get out of the conference cellar.
Men's track shines in 'tune-up' meet
If Nebraska's track "tune up" meet is any indication
of how the Husker men will fare in this weekend's Big
Eight Championships, Nebraska fans are in for a
treat.
The Huskers won 10 of 15 events Saturday, easily
surpassing second-place Drake with 38 points, Wichita
State with points and Colorado State with 13.
Nebraska's Joe Staub improved his own school record
set last week in the shot put with a 62-8 throw. Staub,
who beat Wichita State's Phil Koonce by 0Vi feet last
week in the Husker Invitational, threw 60-1 Hi He is the
first UNL athlete to throw the shot more than 60 feet.
Randy Raymond won the pole vault at 17-H4-a
personal best for Nebraska's co-captain. Raymond has
gone over 17 feet only three times in his career and Sat
urday he broke the barrier for the first time this season.
Mark Newton, who set a Big Eight record in the
event with a vault of 17-6 last week, missed all three
attempts at his opening height of 15-6. Newton spent
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all of Friday night at airports across the country coming
home from the Jack-In-The Box meet at San Diego.
Raymond attempted 17-614, but missed on all three
attempts.
Brian Dunnigan, who has qualified for the NCAA
meet in the mile, Saturday qualified for nationals in the
1 ,000-yard run, although he placed second behind Drake's
Chris Mares by 0.14 of a second. Dunnigan finished in
12:09.60.
Ricky Simmons won the 60-yard dash for Nebraska,
posting the schools season's fastest time of :06.43, and
Rodney Lewis, won the 300-yard dash in :31.73 for the
Huskers.
Other Nebraska event winners included Charles
Lawrence in the 440-yard dash with :48.62, Mike Ciel
ocha in the 600-yard dash with 1:12.0, Everton DaCosta
in the 880-yard run with 1:55.05, Randy Brooks in the
60-yard high hurdles with .07.49, Wade Harrington
in the triple jump 49-6i and Jon Jones in the long
jump with 23.9 li.
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"We're working with young men, not children, Fehrs
said. "If I told them we were going to go over and
challenge for the Big Eight title, they'd look at me like I
was crazy."
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Photo by Mitch Hrdlicka
Nebraska wrestling Coach Bob Fehrs
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WHY WE ARE CHRISTIANS
February 23,24, 25
Lectures by Dr. Virgil Warren, Professor
of Biblical Studies at Manhattan
Christian College.
City Campus Union
7:30 Nightly
Mon. 23: "We Need What Only Christ G ives"
Tues. 24: "God Sent Him"
Wed. 25: 'The Christian Life Works"
East Campus Union
12:30 p.m.
Tues. 24: "Creation vs. General Evolution"
Wed. 25: "Evidence for the Bible"
Music by John Dietrich, Christian
songwriter and performer from Lincoln,
at the City Campus sessions.
Bring a friend!
Sponsored by the College Career
Christian Fellowship.