Game holds special significance for Dumas
By Pfk Sawfoti__
Senior Reporter
Saturday’s football game will not only
match Nebraska with its neighbor to the west;
it also will match Nebraska linebacker Troy
Dumas with his neighbor from down the block.
Dumas, a senior from Cheyenne, Wyo., will
be playing against his home-state school this
weekend, when Wyoming travels to Lincoln.
He also will be going up against a good friend
in Cowboy sophomore safety Lee Vaughn.
“I know about three or four players on their
team, but I’m real good friends with Lee,”
Dumas said. ‘‘He used to live down the street
from me, and I used to hang out with his older
brother (Tyrone) all the time. I’ve played a lot
of basketball with Tyrone and Lee. Lee is a
very good athlete.
“I don’t know very much about Wyoming
football or their offense. All I know is what I
see when 1 glance to see if Lee was playing
last year.”
Vaughn, who was a sophomore when
Dumas was a senior at Cheyenne East High
School, backed up Dumas at safety for the
■— - Cheyenne East football
team.
Lee Vaughn’s brother,
Tyrone, was in the same
grade as Dumas and also
started in Cheyenne
East’s defensive backfield
with Dumas as a
cornerback.
“Troy and my older
brother kind of showed
me the ropes and showed
Dumas me how things were run,
Lee Vaughn said. “It
made that high school transition a lot easier.
They took me under their wing, and I looked
up to them for that.”
Vaughn is fifth on the 2-2 Cowboy team in
tackles. He has had 19, and 13 of those were
unassisted.
Dumas is third on the Nebraska team in
tackles with 15.
Although Dumas and
Vaughn don’t talk as of
ten now, each of them re
alizes what is on the line
Saturday — bragging
rights.
“There was a period of
time a while ago when we
talked about every week
or so,” Vaughn said.
Vaughn
Lately, the only contact
we have had with each
other has been through
Tyrone (who is playing basketball at Heston
College in Kansas).
“Lee (Vaughn) knows what's
up. All I can say is we're the
better team. He knows he’s
going to lose. ”
■
TROY DUMAS
NU linebacker
“But there was a time when we were to
gether at a track meet at the high school that
we had both come back for. We talked quite
bit about this game and shared our differences.
Dumas said he wasn’t concerned about the
bragging rights landing west of the border.
See DUMAS on 11
3 03
Jon waner/UN
Nebraska’s Kelly Aspegren and Jen McFadden try to block a spike during the Comhnskers’
win over Bowling Qreen State on Sept S.
McFadden’s career
young but recognized
By Tyvor Park*
Staff Reporter
Nebraska volleyball player Jen
McFadden was sore after last
weekend’s Arby’s Classic.
But McFadden wasn’t sore from
playing.
Instead, she was sore from back
spasms that put her on the bench dur
ing the Pittsburgh and New Mexico
matches. Back spasms also prevented
McFadden from traveling with the
Team to Missouri on Wednesday for
the Comhuskers’ match against the
Tigers.
“It’s gotten better over the last
week,” McFadden said. “I’ve had this
problem for the last few years. It’s just
a problem that comes and goes.”
Except for her back problems, the
6-foot-2 sophomore has gotten off to
a fast start this season.
Despite missing three matches this
season, McFadden is second on the
team in blocks, with six solo blocks
and 29 block assists.
And after only one full season and
nine matches this year, McFadden is
ninth on the Huskers all-time list for
solo blocks with 39.
McFadden is third on the team in
hitting percentage at .395, fourth in
kills with 82 and fourth in total at
tempts with 162.
Last week the Dubuque, Iowa,
native was named the Big Eight vol
leyball player of the week.
McFadden, a middle blocker, hit
.533 for the weekend and had 28 kills,
four errors, 18 blocks and 43 total
attempts in the second-ranked Husk
ers’ win in the Tiger Classic at Ba
ton Rouge, La.
“I was real excited about winning
the award, especially since we haven't
done anything in the Big Eight yet,”
McFadden said. “Actually it was kind
of shocking.”
" T^e Big Eight Newcomer of the
Year last season, McFadden amassed
a school-record 154 blocks, which
ranked third in the nation with a 1.86
block-per-game average. She helped
lead the Huskers to a 25-6 record and
a second-place finish in the Big
Eight.
The Huskers are in a good posi
tion going into the Big Eight season,
McFadden said, but they haven’t
turned their attention toward their
Big Eight foes.
‘‘We haven’t really discussed that
yet,” McFadden said. “We’re taking
it match by match.”
McFadden said Nebraska wanted
to regain the Big Eight title it had
held for 16 straight years before be
ing dethroned last year by Colorado.
“We don’t really go into it as re
venge,” McFadden said. “It was
something that was ours, and we let
it go. It’s not going to happen again.”
Tommie Fraziers injury shows that he isn’t invincible
Tommie Frazier has the most fa
mous blood clot in America.
When Frazier was released from
Bryan Memorial Hospital on Wednes
day, the press was there. Photogra
phers. Reporters. Doctors.
Even Sports Illustrated was there.
But most importantly, Tommie
Frazier was there.
And Frazier may have educated
the whole state on the medical ter
minology associated with blood clots.
Never before have I seen the words
“blood clot” splashed around so many
newspapers and TV stations. Those
two words never meant much to me
until now.
Now I know what blood thinners
do. I know what a blood clot can do.
And I know what a blood clot can do
to Tommie Frazier.
Sure, everyone thought he could
play through any kind of pain, but
this pain may be too unbearable for
even Frazier.
You saw his gutsy performance
against Colorado last year. You saw
him fight through injury after injury.
But one fact remains.
He's not invincible. He's not Su
perman, although many seem to think
he is. And he’s not God.
He’s your normal 20-year-old, just
like you and me.
Well, not just like you and me. Just
the same age.
Here’s a man whose name is
known across the entire country. Ev
eryone loves Tommie Frazier.
And I’m sure everyone sent flow
ers or a get-well-soon card to Frazier.
Now Frazier’s out of the hospital
and in good health.
His football season is on pause
right now. The tape may be stopped
for the season, or it might just be on
hold — at least for one week.
And the task of replacing Frazier
falls on Brook Berringer’s shoulders.
Berringer, who has backed up
Frazier for the past three seasons, is
taking the attitude of “speaking softly
and carrying a big stick.”
The words of Theodore Roosevelt
live now, almost a century later.
They live in the mind of Brook
Berringer.
Roosevelt replaced the assassi
nated President William McKinley in
1901 and said: “It is a dreadful thing
to come into the presidency this way,
but it would be a far worse thing to
be morbid about it.”
Tim
Pearson
Sound familiar? Kind of? Maybe?
Bcrringer said the same thing —
somewhat — after Frazier entered the
hospital with a blood clot in his right
calf.
“But I hate to have the job this way
... I’ve been waiting for this for a long
time. I’m excited for it, and I’m anx
ious for Saturday to get here.”
And Berringer truly is one who
speaks softly. He’s not one to brag
about his accomplishments.
But does he cany a big stick? Or
in other words, can he lead the Husk
ers past Wyoming?
Can he lead the Huskers through
the entire season if Frazier does miss
the rest of the year?
Turn back the clock to last spring
when Frazier went down with a
sprained ankle.
Berringer came on to get some
extra practice in a scrimmage. Then,
Berringer said it was good for him to
get some throws in; it was good for
the Huskers to build some depth be
hind Frazier.
It could have been an omen head
ing into this season. Maybe Berringer
knew that Frazier would go down
with the world’s most famous blood
clot. Frazier’s ankle injury in spring
practice gave the quarterbacks more
practice time.
Now may be the time when that
practice pays off.
All of this publicity surrounding
Frazier's injury doesn’t seem to have
affected Berringer in the least.
At practice on Monday when re
porters hounded Tom Osborne about
Frazier’s condition, Berringer simply
walked toward the locker room,
avoiding the media rush.
“Speak softly and carry a big
stick.”
Berringer has big shoes to fill.
Frazier has gotten national recogni
tion. Nebraska has gotten national
recognition.
And now it’s Berringer’s turn.
Nebraska fans have to be hoping
that Berringer can receive as much
praise as Frazier. Or at least half as
much.
Every coach has thought highly of
Frazier.
UCLA coach Terry Donahue:
“My comments before the game
were that I thought Tommie Frazier
was in an elite class of athletes in the
country. After playing against him on
Astroturf, I feel even stronger about
it than I did before the game.”
Pacific coach Chuck Shelton:
“I think Tommie Frazier, for what
they are trying to accomplish, is the
best college quarterback in the nation.
Having to face him again next year
may be why I retire. I am all for him
coming out (for the NFL draft).”
Berringer may be under pressure,
but expect him to come out and carry
a big stick.
„ And in the meantime, Berringer
is the man to lead the Huskers to the
coveted national title.
Miracles do happen, and
Berringer may be the man who plays
miracle worker for the Huskers.
But remember he’s not Superman.
He’s not God. He’s just a 21 -year-old.
Just like you and me.
Pearson Is a junior news-editorial major
and the Dally Nebraska* sports editor.