2005 Recruits

[SDSUFAN]

Re: 2005 Recruits

This track-football discussion is one that is needed and I dont know why there has been separation. I cant help think back to last fall and watching the NDSU-SDSU game. Some fans around me could not figure out why Andy Peck was doing the kickoff when Parker Douglas seem to have the leg and also could not understand why Andy was kicking short and towards the sideline.

When you look at NDSU special teams, they had at times Marques Johnson and Alan Burrell in the back field for reception of kickoff. Also if I recall correctly NDSU had a true freshman named Washington who had also ran some kick off into the end zone. Had Pick kicked deep to these guys with the key blocks, and their track speed, the Bison could have had 6 via special teams.

I agree with JDJack we do need to have combo players especially on kick returns. I think Kevin Brown should have been out for track, but I dont think he was. Yes Franky was a good one and probably the last football player that was out for track.

[Texas_Jacks_Fan]

Re: 2005 Recruits

JaRon Harris is another I would like to see on SDSU's track team. If i'm not mistaken he ran a 10.37 100 meters in high school (SF Washington). He red shirted last year but should see some playing time this year as a wide receiver.

[footballfan]

Re: 2005 Recruits

I also think our football program would benefit from some of the football players going out for track. There are a number of shot put and discus throwers on the football team also. I think it would be a win win situation for both programs

[MilwaukeeJacksAlum]

Re: 2005 Recruits

As far as I'm aware, there is nothing holding the football players back from running track if they choose...at least not on the part of the football coaches. Of course, I'm no longer involved in the program aside from the occasional call to Stig, but when I was still lacing them up we had quite a few players who ran track. Nate Millerbernd, Jason Harris and Brett Beran spring to mind. I also know my cousin Greg Niederauer (WR) was asked to run, but he chose not to. He ran a sub 4.35 40 (fastest on the team in 98 & 99) and made the state track meet for the 100 and 200 during his junior and senior years in high school. He decided to focus more on increasing his size and football abilities than running track. I wonder if maybe that may be the reasoning of some of the current speedsters on our team.

Also, in the 5 years I was a part of the football program, the off-season workout programs became increasingly intense and time intensive. From what I've seen and heard from Stig and Lee Munger, the program they currently have makes the one I went through seem like calastenics. Hard to find time or energy to run track if that's the case.

Finally, when SDSU changed track coaches, I seem to remember hearing that he was not real interested in using football players who wouldn't be available to him year round. That is completely hearsay, but I thought there may have been an issue there. Anyone else hear anything like that?

[JackTwice]

Re: 2005 Recruits

I am not sure if he still is or not but Hank McCall was also running track but I think he might be the only one on the current team. Milwaukee is right about the offseason program. They are lifting/working out nearly 2 hours a day 4 days a week plus on their own work they do.

This weekend people should get a good view of the recruits at the NDSU game. From what I heard about 3/4 of the kids being recruited will be coming in this and next weekend.

[JackJD]

Re: 2005 Recruits

Frank Blalark was a great sprinter and played football. He is probably the last example of one who did both.

Last year's NCC shotput champ came to SDSU for football but I understand he hung up football and went out for track. His name escapes me right now...was a freshman from Yankton.

I think the posts about the length and nature of spring training points out the de facto rule: if you want to play football at SDSU, you'd better be at every Spring practice. Yet, I see other teams making it work.

Many of you will recall when Wayne Haensel was an assistant coach in football and the throws coach in track. In those years, SDSU had some of the best throwers and they were all football players.

JaRon Harris is extremely fast. I don't think we've seen yet what he can do in the sprints. He was looking forward to a great senior year in high school but pulled a hamstring and missed most of the season. He came back with about one or two meets left and finished very well (2d or 3d) in 100 meters at the State Meet. Not too bad after missing most of the season.

I talked to JaRon during the football season (he was redshirted) and he expressed interest in track and indicated his football coaches said he can run track.

I think the new coach, Rod DeHaven, is very interested in rebuilding the track program. Many fans think Cross Country is just a different form of track but it should be considered an entirely separate sport. SDSU absolutely dominated the NCC in cross country and there was no question it was time to move on (over the years, SDSU had something like 29 NCC championships and the next closest school had 9...SDSU had more championships in Cross Country then the other schools combined!). With limited resources, our coach focused on distance runners and dominated the field.

Another side benefit of growing a track program: it's sometimes a little easier to get women out for track than other sports and you can keep the numbers up which will help balance the football numbers.

I think we should be looking for sprinters who want to both play football and run track and then we have to accomodate them and let them use their talents. I do not see that happening at SDSU (I hope JaRon Harris is an exception and maybe the start of a trend).

You want speed: go watch the 100 meter dash at a track meet and take note on which ones play football.

[JackTwice]

Re: 2005 Recruits

I was a student during Wayne Haensel's final years and got to know him a bit and several of the football players. The offseason training program back then was non-existent. Players had more spare time at that time. I remember a few who even played Baseball and missed most of spring practice. Of course, that was 20 years and a major class jump ago.

I don't think its as much about the coaches allowing the players to run track or not. It is about free time and being a college student at least a little bit. Also, there are much stronger guidelines for athletes as far as class completion goes now that we are D-1

The shotput champ was Jared Schwader. He was a reserve tight end in 2003 but decided that the commitment to football was too great.

[SDSUFAN]

Re: 2005 Recruits

Frank Blalark was a great sprinter and played football.  He is probably the last example of one who did both.

Last year's NCC shotput champ came to SDSU for football but I understand he hung up football and went out for track.  His name escapes me right now...was a freshman from Yankton.

I think the posts about the length and nature of spring training points out the de facto rule:  if you want to play football at SDSU, you'd better be at every Spring practice.  Yet, I see other teams making it work.

Many of you will recall when Wayne Haensel was an assistant coach in football and the throws coach in track.  In those years, SDSU had some of the best throwers and they were all football players.  

JaRon Harris is extremely fast.  I don't think we've seen yet what he can do in the sprints.  He was looking forward to a great senior year in high school but pulled a hamstring and missed most of the season.  He came back with about one or two meets left and finished very well (2d or 3d) in 100 meters at the State Meet.  Not too bad after missing most of the season.

I talked to JaRon during the football season (he was redshirted) and he expressed interest in track and indicated his football coaches said he can run track.

I think the new coach, Rod DeHaven, is very interested in rebuilding the track program.  Many fans think Cross Country is just a different form of track but it should be considered an entirely separate sport.  SDSU absolutely dominated the NCC in cross country and there was no question it was time to move on (over the years, SDSU had something like 29 NCC championships and the next closest school had 9...SDSU had more championships in Cross Country then the other schools combined!).  With limited resources, our coach focused on distance runners and dominated the field.  

Another side benefit of growing a track program:  it's sometimes a little easier to get women out for track than other sports and you can keep the numbers up which will help balance the football numbers.

I think we should be looking for sprinters who want to both play football and run track and then we have to accomodate them and let them use their talents.  I do not see that happening at SDSU (I hope JaRon Harris is an exception and maybe the start of a trend).

You want speed: go watch the 100 meter dash at a track meet and take note on which ones play football.

I remember Wayne Haensel as a player so I guess I am really ancient.  He was the guy from Walnut Grove with thick glasses and a high GPA.  Wayne has contributed a great deal and I heard so many good things about his coaching the weights. I think Wayne will get his turn in the Hall of Fame at SDSU.

I got a 1957 media guide where Wayne and Len Spjaners who hailed from Milbank are pictured on the front cover and when Len was inducted in the Hall of Fame a few years ago, he said that Wayne would have made it to the NFL were it not for his vision problems. Len had stated that he thought that Wayne was as deserving of this award as he was. They were co-captains of the 1957 NCC Champs in football.

As far as rebuilding our track program Ron DeHaven seems to be the right guy.  In an informed conversation  I had recently, the lack of a good facility kind stands in the way in bringing our program back to glory.  Coughlin Alumni improvements seem to be on the front burner now, but we can not afford to neglect our track and field program for too many more years either.  We need all the finanical help we can get.

I would agree too that increase in women participants in track and field  may be some of the solution to Title IX gender equity issue that faces SDSU.

I was looking at the Hall of Champions in Frost last Saturday and noted quite a number of NCC championships in both Track and CC in the mid 1970's. I think JackJD knows all about that. ;D

[Rabbit_FB_Alum]

Re: 2005 Recruits

I am a recent grad. of the football program. When I was there, there were a couple guys that ran track. Things may have changed in the couple years since I played, but when I was there there just wen't too many guys that were interested in running track. There just isn't time. To compete for a starting spot on the football field is a full time job in the off season and to football players, that is more important than running track. We got about 2 weeks off after the season, then we would have team workouts for at least 2 hours a day, 4 days a week. Thses are not just lifting a few weights and jogging some laps. These are lift and run until you are ready to puke.

It's not that the coaches said no. You just needed every chance you could get to improve your size, speed, and strength. Track practices and football work-outs are verry different. I am not saying track practice is easy, it just focuses on different things. Also, the "winter work-outs" is when your team is made. That is when you not only improve your body, but you build team unity. Alot of the time we would have our workouts a 5 am. When you get together as a team and run till you puke at 5 am it builds cohiesiveness.

I might be wrong because things may have changed in the last couple years, but when I was there the intrest just wasn't there.

[JackJD]

Re: 2005 Recruits

My question is this: why are some of the top sprinters at major powers also some of the top football players. Why does it work elsewhere?

Maybe we need to recruit the kid who wants to do both.

Some posters talk about the time commitment but it seems they're suggesting that the time commitment to football will remain the same and the track time will simply be an addition. I think there is another approach: 1) The coaches work together and recognize there's only so many hours in the day. 2) The coahes recognize that there's a direct benefit to football if a id does a good sprint workout on the track and runs well in a weekend meet. 3) The athlete gets "credit" for being at practice even if its on the track.

I've watched the NDSU football players win on the track...or maybe I should say I've watched the outstanding NDSU runners contribute a great deal to that successful football program. That has been the case for years and continues to the present.

Wayne Haensel is a great individual. He should be in the Hall of Fame.

[MilwaukeeJacksAlum]

Re: 2005 Recruits

While speaking to a couple of my buddies over the course of this past week, I brought this subject up. Unfortunately, God blessed me with a hard head (both literally and figuratively) but passed on the sprinter speed so I don't have any first hand knowledge on the matter.

According to a couple of SDSU's fastest (Nate Millerbernd and Greg Niederauer) there was a general concern among the coaches that the track workouts were simply not demanding enough to warrant missing out on the winter workouts. Now, both of the above mentioned did run track. I believe Nate may have won the NCC 100 one year and I know Greg always did well in the 55 yard indoor sprint, but I'm not positive on the results.

When the off-season conditioning program was rachited up the feeling with the fastest 'Bits was that running track just wasn't a big enough priority to warrant the extra time. From what Greg and Nate said, there wasn't any real pressure from coaches discouraging or encouraging participation. It was basically an individual decision.

I just thought of this. Kelly Kobernous (sp?) was an O-Lineman who graduated in 98 or 99 who also threw shot and disc during his last couple of years in football if I remember correctly.

So, a long post to basically say I think most of the players aren't really interested in participating in track from the sounds of it.

[Rabbit_FB_Alum]

Re: 2005 Recruits

Doug Schultz and Ben Fast also were throwers for a couple years.

Anyway, it looks like MilwalkeeJacksAlum and I have the most recent experience here and are both saying the same thing. A lot of you are asking why it can't be like NDSU, etc. I don't have an answer for that, but I don't think it matters. Yes, we need speed in a bad way! But I don't think getting caught up in this whole track/football thing is the answer. If you need speed, recruit speed. If they happen to want to run track fine. The coaches will let them.

[JackJD]

Re: 2005 Recruits

Interesting discussion. Here's my reply:

I do not disagree that current and recent football players had their priorities set on football over track. I have wondered what influence the coaches had over the setting of those priorities and I will assume as fact that the coaches have done nothing to discourage football players from participating in track and field. (I am, in fact, pleased to hear that.)

You should know tht until this past season, I have not closely followed SDSU football (I watched for the scores but that's about it). The first year in D-1, however, really caught my attention and I listened to, or watched in person, every game. Season tickets for next year are part of the plan.

A recurring theme on this message board is the need for speed on the football team. Many (probably most!) of the posters to this Board know a lot more about football generally and SDSU football in particular than me. So, I accept your comments that we have to have faster players.

I also accept as fact the comments made by some who have been in the program: the players wanted to focus on football and weren't interested in track.

That leaves us with some great guys who want to focus on football but apparently aren't the speedsters that everyone on the message board says we need in the program.

Since we have to build a track and field program, why not look for the two or three burners who want to play football? Isn't that basically what everyone is saying?

So if the football players we've had --- and I know they've been great ones --- have their priorities set on football over track; and, if the football players we've had are not fast enough and we need to recruit faster players, then do you think that just maybe we should be going after the guys who want to show their stuff in the 100 meters as well as at Coughlin Alumni Stadium? My suggestion is to purposefully go after the guys who WANT to run track AND WANT to play football. All it takes is about three or four.

The Olympic Gold Medalist at 400 meters, Warriner from Baylor, was recruited to Baylor to play football and run track. He was a little undersized for football but they liked his speed. Well, it didn't work out in football.....

[JackTwice]

Re: 2005 Recruits

I don't think your far off there JD. I think the day we get to 60 scholarships we can take a flyer on a guy or 4 who are fast that may pan out as football players. Right now with the 40 or so we have we need to focus on fast football players. We will improve team speed, I am sure the coaches were aware of our needs going in and I have faith that they will address that. I believe next year you will see some Red shirts display that speed including the aformentioned JaRon Harris. That kid can fly as well as about 3 or 4 others who haven't seen the field yet.

[JBB]

Re: 2005 Recruits

It seems to me football players that participate in track get the benefit of extra coaching. A track coach is focused on developing speed. They might also benefit from cross training. There might even be scholarship advantages. I think its a real good deal too.