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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 9, 1994)
' ' ; ■ ' ' • . , . ■’* „ - i • ... ,_A _ • \ ... Sports Wednesday, November 9,1994 Page 10 Shaun Sartin/DN Nebraska quarterback Tommie Frazier, who has missed the past six games because of a Mood dot, throws with wlngback Jacques Allen before the Colorado game on Oct 29. Injured Packer returns early By Dmk Suwon Senior Reporter When a second blood clot in Nebraska quarterback Tommie Frazier’s leg made the headlines five weeks ago, the conclusion was that Frazier’s season had ended. That was the same conclusion to which Green Bay Packer offen sive lineman Guy McIntyre had come. But McIntyre has returned ffom a Sept. 4 blood clot that he originally thought would keep him out until mid-December. McIntyre returned to action in Green Bay’s win over Chicago on Oct. 31. He sat out only six weeks of the season. If Frazier, who had surgery to tie off a vein, could recover at the same speed, he would undoubt edly be able to return by the bowl game. McIntyre — whose blood clot was in the same place as Frazier’s but did not require surgery — said his unexpectedly quick return was in part because of a careful ap proach. “We got all the medical opin ions we could,’’ McIntyre said in a phone interview from Green Bay, Wis. “We went to specialists in Canada, and we took all the neces sary precautions. That helped me get back a lot earlier. “We weren’t going to do any thing out of standard procedure. We were taking a conservative approach to it. They told me it was standard procedure to be out three to six months, so we were sur prised I was able to go so early.” The 1 lth-year pro is monitored twice a week for any reoccurrence of the clot in his left calf, but doctors said he should be over the problem. “At first, 1 was looking at three “People can look at him (Frazier) and myself and say we were cursed or something to have such a thing happen to us. But for whatever reason it happened, God let it he found before it could be really dangerous. ” GUY MCINTYRE Green Bay football player months, which put me coming back in mid-December,” McIntyre said. ‘‘That would have put me back right before the playoffs. But they told me if I was predisposed to clotting, my season would be over. ‘‘There was a feeling that there might be an outside chance I could return before December, but ifthere was history of blood clots in my family, that would probably end my season too. Luckily, there wasn’t, and I recovered fast.” If Frazier’s recovery were that rapid, the junior would be ready for Nebraska’s game at Oklahoma on Nov. 25. McIntyre, who tried unsuccess fully to call Frazier after he heard the news, said Frazier’s recovery time needed to be up to him. ‘‘I would tell him to make sure it’s not them pressuring him to get back, and it’s his decision,” he said. “He needs to measure the pros and cons. He needs to do some research, because it’s his life he’s talking about and that he can’t get back.” McIntyre said he put his family before football when he learned the seriousness of his injury. “When they first told me what it was, my reaction was ‘Can I still play?”’ he said. “Then the doctors said they weren’t talking about playing; they were talking about life or death. Having a family, that really put football in a different light real quick.” McIntyre said he felt no effects from the injury after the Chicago game, and he didn’t feel any pain during the game. “I haven’t had any soreness in the calf other than the initial in jury,” he said. “From what I know, as long as you recover and a clot doesn’t reoccur, you are com pletely free of this injury. If you’re not predisposed to clots, you shouldn’t have to worry about it again.” Frazier, who led Nebraska onto the field two weeks ago against Colorado, has the most difficult part of the injury behind him, McIntyre said. “I’m not an expert on this, but from my own experience, the most frightening part of the injury was when I got the blood clot,” McIntyre said. “My understand ing is that he is done with the hardest part. He just has to take it slowly and work into things. Maybe run and then try lifting weights, increasing what he does on a daily basis. “If he can do that without any See GUY on 11 American-style volleyball suits Swedish Husker well ■y Mitch •hfwin Senior Reporter Maria Hedbeck remembers reading Sweden’s volleyball magazine when she was 12 years old and hoping that someday she would be able to play in the United States. “We had a girl playing for Hawaii,’’ Hedbeck said. “Every single issue there was something about her and how great volleyball was and that they paid for school.” Seven years later, Hedbeck, making only her third trip to the United States, fulfilled her dream by coming to play volleyball at Ne braska. “I didn’t think I would get to play at all,” she said. As one of the best junior players in her hometown of Sollentuna, Sweden, a suburb of Stockholm, Hedbeck was well-prepared for the vigorous American style. The 5-foot-10 outside hitter immediately moved into the Comhuskers’ starting lineup and, as a freshman, had one of the best defen sive seasons ever for a Nebraska volleyball player. Her 359 digs a year ago rank her third on the Nebraska single-season charts. This year, she has been just as impressive, starting every match for the 23-0 top-ranked Huskers. Tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the NU Coliseum, the Huskers play host to 5-17 Kansas. While every match is important at this point of the season, Hedbeck said Nebraska had been peeking ahead to its Nov. 16 trip to Boulder, when it will play defending Big Eight champion Colorado. “It’s probably going to mean everything,” Hedbeck said. “It’s not like we’re looking too far ahead to the Colorado match and just skip the other two, but still, every practice we do something related to Colorado.” Since coming to Lincoln last year, Hedbeck has been able to make only two trips back to Sweden, but her parents have had an opportu nity to see her play. Before the Huskers defeated Kansas State on Nov. 2, her parents, Inger and Bjorn, were introduced to the NU Coliseum crowd. For the next two matches, they sat in the See HEDBECK on 11 Offensive line carries on with tradition of excellence Only at Nebraska would the top three quarterbacks suffer injuries in a five-week span. But only at Nebraska would a team be able to overcome the adversity to post a 10-0 record and be only three games from its first national champi onship since 1971. And the reason Nebraska has gone through its first 10 games untouched is the offensive line. Nebraska leads the country in rush ing with an average of 365.9 yards a game, behind what could prove to be the best offensive line at Nebraska, a place with a rich tradition of great offensive lines. Many coaches, especially Colorado’s Bill McCartney and Kan sas State’s Bill Snyder, have experi enced that tradition firsthand this sea son. The latest to learn this lesson in smash-mouth football was Kansas’ Glen Mason. “If Tom (Osborne) says this is his best offensive line, then I’m going with Tom,” Mason said. "But those guys never seem to change... Do you guys have different water or some thing up here?” No, just tradition. Tradition that includes names I ike Rich Glover, Dave Rimington, Dean Steinkuhler and Will Shields. Add to this list the entire 1994 line of Rob Zatechka, Joel Wilks, Aaron Graham, Brendan Stai and Zach Wiegert. Although only Wiegert’sname has been mentioned as a finalist for the Lombardi and a favorite for the Out land, all five could share the distinc tion of being Nebraska’s best offen sive line ever. Could any other offensive line carry a team through such adversity this season? Could any other team beat an un defeated and rated Kansas State team in Manhattan by running only plays up the middle? What about making Colorado’s Derek Samson defensive front — one of the best defensi ve lines in the country—look like school kids? Only at Nebraska. “We found out a lot about our selves through what’s happened (with the quarterback situation),*’ Wilks said. “We found out against a good team like Kansas State that we can run basic plays up the middle and get the job done. Then we found out against a team like Colorado that we can come out and do the job against those guys. “It’s a step-by-step thing, and it’s building to the end of the season like it should.” However, Osborne prefers to wait until that time before he makes any bold statements about this line. “I try not to make any compari sons until the season is over,” Osborne said. “I know last year I thought we had a pretty good offensive line, and we didn’t knock anyone off the ball against Oklahoma. Athletically, this is a very good group, and maybe as good as we’ve had.” Should Nebraska climb the final three steps to the national champion ship trophy, the linemen can scratch in l994atthetopofNebraska’slistof “Best Offensive Lines." And only at Nebraska would you need to win a national championship to earn that distinction. Wiegert, who is trying to become the fourth Husker to win the Lombardi Trophy, grew up in Fremont during the reign of Rimington and Steinkuhler, who both headed up the offensive line in 1982. “When I was a kid, those were the big-name players," he said. “Those guys will never be forgotten, because they were maybe the best to ever play college football. We try to play up to that level, because we want to be remembered as one of the best offen sive lines.” The four seniors and Graham, a junior, already are in that category. Three more wins would give this year’s line the chance to prove it is the undisputed best offensive line. “I’m really proud of what we’ve done,” Stai said. “You have the of fensive lines in the past that have qualities in them that made them good, just like we have some certain qualities that make us good. “I’m just really proud to be an offensive lineman for the Nebraska Comhuskers.” And Nebraska is proud to have you and your four friends, Brendan. Only at Nebraska could the offen sive line lead a team to a national title. Samson b a Junior news editorial major ami a Dally Nebraskan senior reporter.