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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 30, 1986)
Wednesday, April 30, 1986 Daily Nebraskan Page 7 Sport J 2 Lira From staff and wire reports Nebraska fullback Tom Rathman was the first Cornhusker picked in the National Football League draft Tuesday when the San Francisco 49ers made him the first pick of the third round. Two picks later, Nebraska defensive tackle Jim Skow was picked up by Cin cinnati. Rathman is from Grand Island and Skow is from Omaha. "I thought I had a good chance to go in the third round," Rathman said. "They called earlier and said they were interested in me." Rathman talked to 49ers' coach Bill Walsh and said the discussion was a positive one. "He said I had a good chance to be the No. 3 back behind Wendell Tyler and Roger Craig," he said. This was the first time since 1976 that a Nebraska player wasn't drafted in the first round. Rathman, however, was the 56th pick, which normally would have come in the second round. Buffalo forfeited its first pick this year after a trade with Cleveland, leaving only 27 first-round picks. Rathman set a school record for yards by a fullback last season with 881 yards. The Associated Press reported that Bo Jasckson, Auburn's Heisman Trophy winning running back, was the top selection in the NFL draft today. But he said he will wait until next month to choose between a career in baseball or football. "My heart" will make the decision, he said. As expected, the Tampa Bay Buc caneers waited only a few minutes after the start of the draft to pick Jackson, considered by scouts one of the best NFL prospects ever. Then, as shouts of "Bo, Bo, Bo, Bo" rang from the gallery of about 1,000 fans, he posed for the tradi tional picture with Commissioner Pete Rozelle. But in what is not traditional, Jackson declined to swear his allegiance to the NFL and the Bucs. "I'm sticking by my guns," Jackson said. "I won't decide until the baseball draft. If the baseball draft is today, the NFL people would want me to wait for their draft. "When everything is over with, there won't be people saying, 'Bo didn't give baseball a chance.' " Baseball's draft of college and high school players is June 2-4. The second pick also went as ex pected when Atlanta chose Tony Casillas of Oklahoma, a 277-pound nose tackle who won the Lombardi Award for top lineman in the country. "Casillas is dominating, and enough top football people around the NFL already have called him the best nose tackle ever," said Falcons President Rankin Smith Jr. The Houston Oilers surprised some people by drafting Jim Everett, the Purdue quarterback considered the best at his position. The Oilers had been ready to trade the pick and still might trade either Everett or Warren Moon, their $1 million-a-year starting quarterback. The Indianapolis Colts, who had wanted Everett but traded for Dallas Cowboys backup quarterback Gary Hogeboom on Monday, went for Ala bama defensive end Jon Hand. And St. Louis, which had wanted Hand, pulled the first shocker of the draft by taking Anthony Bell, a little-heralded 230 pound linebacker from Michigan State. But it was Jackson, the 6-foot-l, 225 pounder, who got most of the attention. An outstanding baseball prospect, Jackson did not have a good year in that sport this spring, striking out 30 times in 69 at-bats and hitting .259 before being ruled ineligible by the Southeastern Conference after he ac cepted a trip to Tampa from the Bucs to undergo a physical. Still, last week he traveled to Cali fornia to visit with baseball star Reggie Jackson and said today he still is con sidering baseball. "I played baseball all my life, foot ball for 8-9 years," he said. Like Everett, he will step into a posi tion already well-manned the Bucs used a one-back offense featuring James Wilder, who led the NFL in combined rushing-receiving yardage two years ago. In a two-back offense, one or both would be called on to block. "I love to run," Jackson said. "I like to block, too. But 1 don't want to block two-and-a-half to three quarters a game. "I think James Wilder's a great back," Jackson said. "He's done a hell of a lot for Tampa Bay. 1 hope he con tinues to." Linemen dominated the first half of the opening round, with four offensive linemen, four defensive linemen, two linebackers, two running backs and two quarterbacks going in the top 14. New Orleans, with the sixth pick, took 6-8, 296-pound offensive tackle Jim Dombrowski of Virginia, and Kansas City followed with 300-pound offensive tackle Brian Jozwiak of West Virginia. Then came San Diego, which tr ided for Minnesota's No. 8 selection and took Oklahoma State's Leslie O'Neal, a 248-pound defensive lineman and noted pass rusher. Pittsburgh chose 278 pound offensive guard John Rienstra of Temple, the national power lifting champion. Philadelphia, under new coach Buddy Ryan, gambled on Ohio State running back Keith Byars, who may be unable to play next season as he recovers from a twice-broken foot. Cincinnati took Washington line backer Joe Kelly No. 11 before Detroit drafted All-America quarterback Chuck Long of Iowa, runner-up to Jackson in the Heisman Trophy voting. San Diego made Southern Cal's 6 7'2, 280-pound offensive tackle James Fitzpatrick No. 13, and Minnesota took 253-pound offensive tackle Gerald Robinson, Jackson's teammate at Auburn, as the draft reached the mid point of the first round. The draft, being held at a midtown hotel, was expected to go all day and into the early morning hours of Wed nesday before the 12 rounds are com pleted. Each team had 15 minutes to make its first-round selection, 10 min utes for the second round and five min utes for all other picks. I AA I ) A I v ( v. Rathman i j CS r r X.-A" t L. . . I Skow 4 ,-,--Z-r-- A" ' ' ' 0 ' J ? Dave BentzDaily Nebraskan Ace in the hole Nebraska's Jean Gilpen hits a shot at the women's Big Eight Golf Championship at the Country Club of Lincoln on Tuesday. Gilpen hit a hole in one during her round to help Nebraska rate a third-place finish behind Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. Nil's .Harrison out pitches and out wits hitters By Jeff Korbelik Night News Editor Huskers defeat Tarkio, Bellevue By Chuck Green Senior Reporter Nebraska's baseball team improved its record to 30-17 Tuesday as the Cornhuskers defeated Tarkio, Mo., College 17-9 and Bel levue College 7-4 at Buck Beltzer Field. Nebraska wasted no time in disposing of Tarkio in the first game, scoring nine runs in the bottom of the first inning. Tarkio answered with three runs in the top-half of the second inning, but Nebraska added two runs in the bottom of the fourth, putting the game out of reach. Tarkio scored six runs in the final three innings, but a six-run sixth inning for the Huskers ended Tarkio's comeback hopes. Nebraska out-hit Tarkio 15-12. Steve Spurgeon recorded the win for Nebraska, raising his season record to 3-1. Butch Crozier took the loss for Tarkio. In the second game, Nebraska fell behind early. Bellevue's John Firmature and Jeff Waters both walked, then scored on an error by Nebraska's Curtiss Heflin, giving Bellevue College a 2-0 lead in the top-half of the second inning. Nebraska tied the score in the bottom of the third inning with RBI-hits from John Franklin and Jeff Taylor. Bellevue scored two runs in the top-half of the fourth inning, but the Huskers cut the lead to one run on Heflin's one-run single in the bottom of the fourth. Nebraska took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth-inning as left-fielder Bruce Wobken hit a two-run single, scoring Jeff Taylor and Rich King. Nebraska added two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. The winning pitcher for Nebraska was Phil Goguen, raising his record to 3-0. Nebraska coach John Sanders said he was pleased with the performance of his team after finishing a tough schedule last week. "It was a good game for us," Sanders said. "It was very up tempo. We had some tough games last week and it was good to see the team come out here and play the way they did today." Nebraska will travel to Omaha today for a double-header with Creighton at 5 p.m. in Rosenblatt Stadium. The Huskers then return home Thursday to face Wichita State at 3 p.m. Nebraska's final home appearance will be this weekend against Oklahoma State in double-headers Saturday and Sunday. Two years ago, Nebraska pitcher Phil Harrison would have tried to force a fastball by an opposing hitter with a 3-2 count. The result: fewer strikeouts and more walks and hits. This year, the redshirt sophomore isn't afraid to go to his curve ball with a 3-2 count. The result: more strikeouts, less walks and a 7-3 record, the best on the team. "I lacked confidence and would go to my fastball," Harrison said. "Now I try to mentally outwit the hitter. I have a variety of pitches." During his redshirt year, Harrison, from Glendale, Calif., added a screwball and a change-up to his collection of pitches that included a fastball and curve. Harrison had the change-up as a freshman, but used it sparingly. "I thought they would crush it because the ball comes in slower. But now I can keep the hitters off balance because they don't expect it," he said. Harrison's fastball and curve earned him a 10-3 record, 11 complete games and a 2.66 ERA his freshman year. He struck out 63 batters in 74 innings but walked 64. This year, Harrison's ERA has increased (3.56), but he already has pitched in 70 innings and improved his strikeout-to-walks ratio. He has struck out 77 and walked 51. Harrison also has earned the respect of baserunners. Pick-offs are not an official NCAA statistic, but if it had been, Harrison holds the "record" with 33 at first base, according to Collegiate Baseball. His accomplishment earned him recognition in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd." This season he has picked off seven base runners. With a two year record of 17-6, Harrison could be drafted this year by a major league team. "My friends think I'll be drafted, and I look at it as being a plus. It's been my little-boy dream to be drafted, but I don't think this is the right thing or the right time," he said. "I would like to play a legitimate three years in college." Harrison's redshirt season resulted after he broke his foot during the last week of fall baseball. He said he thought he had a bone bruise and kept playing, making the fracture worse. He wore a cast into second semester. Harrison is expected to start one of the four games with Big Eight power Oklahoma State. Harrison said that with his renewed confidence, he looks forward to games like these and facing the top quality players. Two years ago, Harrison said he faced Oklahoma State ail American Pete Incaviglia and USC ail-American Mark McGuire in separate games and didn't do as well as he would have liked. He walked McGuire after being ahead with a 1-2 count. He walked Incavigilia and forced him to ground out. Harrison said the two intimidated him. "I psyched myself out. I tried to overpower them," he said. I've calmed down and I'm using confidence. "I can't respect them, I've got to go at them."