Ward William a/Daily Nebraskan
Nebraska middle guard Lawrence Pete cools off after prac
tice Monday outside Cook Pavilion.
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Pete looking at season, not NFL
By Jeff Apel
Senior Reporter
When Nebraska middle guard
Lawrence Pete searches for inspira
tion, he looks no further than the
accomplishments of his former room -
mate.
Pete uses the accomplishments of
former Nebraska defensive tackle
Neil Smith as an inspiration each time
he finds himself soul searching. He
said Smith’s story is particularly in
spiring because the New Orleans
native arrived at Nebraska as an over
looked, lanky defensive tackle and
went on to become a 1 st-round draft
choice by the National Football
League’s Kansas City Chiefs.
“There ’ s a lot of guy s who use Neil
as an inspiration,” Pete said, “just
because of what he accomplished.”
Pete said he roomed with Smith
during his freshman, sophomore and
junior seasons. He said he has spoken
with Smith several times since the
former AII-America selection joined
the Kansas City organization this
season.
“We talk about what he’s doing,”
Pete said, “He says the NFL is a little
bit quicker and that he’s still learn
• _ »»
mg.
Pete said he hasn’t started to think
about a potential NFL career. He said
he just wants to focus in on his final
season at Nebraska.
Pete said he feels fortunate to be a
member of this year’s team because
he originally quit early in spring prac
tice. He said personal matters, includ
ing his recent marriage and the birth
of his son midway through spring
practice, prompted his decision.
Pete said he spent several months
wondering if he had made the right
decision after he quit the team. He
said he now realizes his decision was
wrong.
“It was an ill-advised move,’’ Pete
said.
Pete took several steps to rejoin the
team. He first expressed his desire to
Nebraska coach Tom Osborne and
HuskerdefcnsivecoordinatorCharlic
McBride, then explained why he left
to his Huskcr teammates.
Pete said his Nebraska teammates
held the final decision of whether he
could rejoin the team because they
voted on his reinstatement. He said
he’s glad his teammates allowed him
back on the team.
“I’m glad they respected my abil
ity and realized I’d be an asset," Pete
said. “I’m glad they showed a lot of
confidence in me."
McBride said he’s glad that Pete
rejoined the team because the senior
from Wichita, Kan., can shore up a
defense that surrendered 28 1 st-<juar
ter points in Nebraska’s 41 -28 loss to
UCLA. He said Pete overcame miss
ing spring practice and mononucleo
sis to become the Huskers’ 2nd-team
nose guard, then graded better than
fellow middle guard Mike Murray in
the UCLA game to earn a starting job.
Pete will make his first start of the
season when Nebraska faces Arizona
State on Saturday at 6 pjn. in
Lincoln’s Memorial Stadium.
‘He played good
against UCLA, but
he iust hasn 't got
over the sickness. ’
—McBride
McBride said he has been pleased
with Pete’s progress. He said Pete has
used his veteran experience to over
come missing spring practice, but has
not been able to shake a throat virus,
which has reduced his strength.
“He doesn’t feel real good right
now,” McBride said. “He played
good against UCLA, but he just hasn’t
got over the sickness.
“When he does, it will still take
him about three or four weeks to get
back in shape.”
McBride said he never pressured
Pete to rejoin the team. He said Pete’s
decision was made entirely on his
own.
“I never pushed him one way or the
other,” McBride said. “You don’t
want to talk somebody into some
thing and have it be the wrong thing.
That’s the last thing you want to do.”
McBride said he believes Pete quit
the team because of concerns about
his family and the absence of Husker
defensive tackles Lee Jones and
Smith, who used up their eligibility
last season. He said Pete entered
spring practice with a lost feeling
because Jones and Smith were two of
his closest friends.
McBride said Pete was thinking
about his future when he weighed his
family in his decision. He said Pete
decided that he would concentrate on
earning his degree rather than playing
football. He was in a position where
he had to be thinking about two to
three years down the road,” McBride
said. “He had a lot of things on bis
mind and he made an intelligent deci
sion by placing his family ahead of all
of them."
McBride said he tried to ease
Pete’s transition back onto the team
by relating a similar experience he
incurred in 1962. He said he knew
what Pete was going through because
he got married when he was a senior
student-athlete at the University of
Colorado.
“I tried to help him along anyway
I could,” McBride said. “It was a
situation where his coming back was
good for me and everything is back to
normal now.”
Pete said he wants to forget about
his decision and concentrate on the
rest of Nebraska's season. He said the
Huskers would consider an 11-1 sea
son a success because that would
mean they would be Big Eight cham
pions and would be in a position to
contend for the nationa1 champion
ship.
“If we lake one game at a lime and
do it Nebraska’s way, we’ll have a
very successful season,” Pete said.
“One loss isn’t going to destroy our
season."
Cornhusker tight end injured
An injury lo Nebraska light end
Monte Kratzcnstcin concerned Com
huskcr coach Tom Osborne after the
completion of Tuesday’s practice.
Osborne said Kratzcnstcin, a 6
foot-2,225-pound junior who is listed
2nd on Nebraska’s depth chart behind
Todd Millikan, appeared to hyperex
lend his knee during a non-contact
drill. He said the injury creates con
cern because Kratzcnstcin finished
spring practice as the Huskcrs’ only
healthy tight end.
Millikan missed all of spring prac
tice with a pulled groin, while senior
Corey Grobe also sal out spring drills
with a broken leg. Freshman Chris
Garreu, Nebraska’s 4th-team tight
end, suffered a dislocated shoulder
during this year’s spring game.
Osborne said he doesn’t know if
Kral/cnstcin will play in Nebraska’s
game against Arizona State on Satur
day.
“1 don’t know how bad it is,”
Osborne said.
Osborne said he has no plans to
pull William Washington, a 6-3,235
pound freshman, out of a redshirl
season unless the Huskers suffer a
long-term injury at the tight end posi
tion.
Teammates help
freshman adjust
VANHOUSEN from Page 7
Nebraska’s, Van Houscn said, but he
did have some weight training in high
school.
“My high school coach was really
into weights,” he said. "He had so
litdc to work with, but he was always
trying hard to get something better for
us.”
Van Housen said any progress he
makes in the weight room carries over
to his play on the field.
"If you’re a winner in your mind
(in the weight room), you’re a winner
on the field,” he said. “It makes you
feel good about yourself.”
Van Houscn, a mechanized agri
culture imyor, said he has always
wanted to play football at Nebraska.
He said he considered attending
Northwest Missouri Slate, but then
decided to walk on at Nebraska be
cause he said he has always wanted to
be a Huskcr.
Van Housen said he has not
thought much about what his future in
Nebraska football is. He said he wants
to continue playing well this season
and make a strong showing in spring
practice. He said any success the team
has far outweighs any success he may
have as an individual.
“It’s important to have a good
season as a team,” Van Housen said.
"Your teammates are people you
• depend on to be them <utevery play.
' ftx*ball isn't an individual upon its
a team sport”
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