Chargers are powered up with an ‘underdog’ energy
Giants are confident
of dampering effect
on San Diego team
MIAMI (AP) — Although many aren’t
giving San Diego much chance in the Super
Bowl, the Chargers believe they can pull off the
improbable.
Load them down with the ballast of recent
AFC failures. Stack on the record 19-point
spread. Throw them up against perhaps the
best team of the Super Bowl era. For good
measure, add in a recent rout at the hands of
that opponent, the San Francisco 49ers.
Then watch them quiver.
Well, not exactly. Not only aren’t the Charg
ers apologizing for making their first Super
Bowl, not only are they expecting to make a
game of it, but they are talking about winning
the thing, something no AFC team has man
aged in a decade.
“We know going into this game that we are
the underdogs as a team ana as a receiving
group,” said Chargers receiver Tony Martin,
whose 43-yard touchdown catch beat Pitts
burgh in the AFC title game. “The thing about
us is that we have a lot of heart. We have a lot
of pride about ourselves.
“We don’t let anybody tell us that we can’t
do something. If we did that, we wouldn’t be on
this team today.”
After the victory over Pittsburgh, Martin
said the Chargers were confident they could
beat anyone.
“We know that in our hearts we have enough
character and enough pride about ourselves to
go out there, and we’re going to fight you tooth
and nails the whole time,” he said.
But the Chargers can’t avoid the questions
that, while phrased more kindly, all basically
ask: What are you doing here?
Only twice in their NFL history have the
Chargers made the conference championship
game, losing in 1980 and 1981. They’ve been
in the playoffs just five times since the merger,
including the 1982 strike season, when eight
AFC teams got in.
Few thought they would finish among the
top teams in their division, let alone knock off
Miami and Pittsburgh in the playoffs and place
themselves opposite an impressive 49er team.
“According to the national news and every
thing else, we’re not supposed to be here,”
Charger linebacker Junior Seau said. “The
ratings of ABC will probably go down because
of us.
“But being the underdog is nothing new,
and it’s not going to hurt or help us. All it does
is show you’re not respected, and you’re not to
the level where you should be respected yet.
And in order to do that, you have to do some
thing rare, and that’s to win a Super Bowl.”
San Francisco has won four of them, scored
505 points this season, beat the two-time cham
pion Cowboys for the NFC crown and is loaded
with talent. Some say overloaded, which could
lead to overconfidence, particularly since the
Niners routed the Chargers 38-15 in Decem
ber.
“There is confidence and there is overconfi
dence, and I don’t think this team is overcon
fident,” said center Bart Oates, who won two
Super Bowls with the Giants. “I think it is very
confident. If you look at the accomplishments
of the team, I think they justify a great deal of
confidence.
“We have played well and we have won
games the way we wanted to win games.”
They have won games by dominating, scor
ing early, making big plays on defense, doing
everything expected of a great team with four
Super Bowl championships on its resume.
So shouldn’t the 49ers be expecting to walk
all over the Chargers for their unprecedented
fifth Super Bowl title?
“That is the furthest thing from the way this
team is handling this game,” league most
valuable player Steve Young said.
Are You Late?
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Introduction to Microsoft Word for Macintosh
Monday, January 30 2:30 - 3:20 p.m. Andrews 17
Thursday Madness
Come to Friday s on Thursdays
for 20c chicken wings all day, all
night (lounge only). Order all the
wings you can eat (in orders of 10).
Enjoy the best Long Island Iced
Teas in town every Thursday for $2
from 11am to lam. Weekends
always start on Thursday at:
467-4007
ATTENTION
now hiring graphic artists.
Drop by 34 Nebraska Union (in the
basement) and fill out an application
today.
IF A MIRROR FOGS WHEN HELD IN FRONT OF YOUR MOUTH,
All-American Jennings invited to ‘95
Pan American basketball team trials
Former Nebraska All-American
Karen Jennings was named as one of
20 women invited to the USA Basket
ball Pan American Games Women’s
Basketball Team Trials Wednesday.
A pair of 1992 USA Olympians
and three members of the United
States’ 1994 World Championship
team are among the 20 women in
vited to the trials, which will be held
Feb. 25-27 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
The 12-member USA Pan Ameri
can Games Team will be selected by
a subset of the USA Basketball
Women’s Player Selection Commit
tee following the three-day trials.
The 1995 Pan American Games
are slated to be held March 9-26 in
Argentina, with the women’s basket
ball competition scheduled to begin
Sunday, March 19 and run through
Saturday, March 25 in Mar del Plata.
“Initially, the timing for the 1995
Pan American Games was such that
we were concerned about whether we
could even field a team, but in the end
we were pleased with the quality of
applicants and are very excited about
the 20 players who have been selected
to attend the trials,” said Carol Callan,
chair of the Women’s Player Selec
tion Committee.
“We have what we feel is an excep
tional combination of experienced
USA Basketball players, including
some former Olympians, as well as
some younger players who will help
shape the future of the the USA pro
gram.”
The two Olympians are Teresa
Edwards from Georgia, and Carolyn
Jones from Auburn. Edwards has
played in three Olympics in 1984,
1988 and 1992. Jones was an Olym
pian in 1992.
Both Jones and Edwards were on
the World Championship team from
last year. Joining both of them at the
trials are Carla McGhee and Sheryl
Swoopes, who were on the team as
well.
Jennings
Continued from Page 7
Russell and other former Huskers will
be on Jennings’ team.
She wi 11 get a chance to play against
former teammates Sara Offringa,
Rissa Taylor, Nafeesah Brown and
Amy Stephens.
“It should be pretty fun,” Jennings
said. “I played with some girls that
were All-Big Eight and could have
been All-Americans.”
Jennings said she had looked for
ward to getting her jersey retired since
Coach Angela Beck told her about it
in December.
“I was floored,” Jennings said. “I
was greatly flattered that they even
considered that.”
Jennings said this weekend would
be the perfect cap to her career.
But she also had some words of
advice for this years’ injury-plagued
Husker squad.
“I know they are doing every
thing they can,” Jennings said. “It
will make them tougher, not only at
the end of the season, but for next
year as well.”
HERE’S YOUR CHANCE TO..
SELL
YOUR
SOCKS
OFF!
If you like meeting challenging goals and selling a great product, you
may be the Account Executive we’re looking for. The Daily Nebraskan
Advertising Department has openings immediately to sell advertising
space. Candidates should be available 20-25 hours per week and should
be prepared to work hard for generous commission and great experience.
Call 472-2589 for more information or stop down in
our office, Room 34 Nebraska Union for an application.
