European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 27, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Safe roof bal gears up is Chicksands Carter that Good by Bucko h x stiff writer Safe football s big base theory crashed in England last year Al Carter shot it out of the sky by coaching Choc Kisandi to the championship. Carter hit his target on nov. 22, 1986. That s the Day his fighting Chicks representing the second smallest fool Ball base in Europe beat the Pitburg Barons from one of the six biggest bases 29-22 in the Safe final. So much for excuses that emanate from Small bases. Forget the cries from Fairford Gimp new Amsterdam and Greenham common that they can t compete with Ramstein upper Heyford and Ben Waters. Two years ago Greenham coach Dick Midden resorted to that sob line. We re too Small to Field a team. We should Combine with Fairford before somebody gels hurl he moaned while his pirates Sank. Last year Fairford Safe s smallest football base threatened to quit the . Sports conference for Lack of players. Cna constantly gives ils 5ma" population As reason for winning one game per year. But Carter s Chicks charged to an a 2 record in the ., beating two huge bases Lakenheath and upper Heyford along the Way. They then played three playoff games against big boys Ben Walers Heyford and Pitburg and won them All. What Carter worry he would Tell us in the locker room How worthless those other learns were that we had no business losing id them said Chicksands wide receiver Ron Denard who caught a touchdown Paw in the Safe final. It was Tough enough for Carter to win a Safe championship. Some of the lop coaches in Europe Span Dahlem s Dave Lockwood Heyford s Dee Delaney Torrejon s in Kirksey have never won one. For Carter to win with Chicksands was remarkable. This was the same base that produced a 22-game Wonless Streak in the Early 1980s. Surviving threat of disbanding the Chicks broke the Streak but fell Back to 0-8 in 1984. Enter Al Carter this 44-year-old master sergeant looked like something out of my three sons upon his arrival with Nick Tony and Angelo. We d be watching games from the stands in 64," recalls Nick and he d say to me and Anieto i m Gonna coach this team " not just coach out also win. Chicksands had Talent insists Carter. They just did t have  Carter took Over in february 1985, he quickly corralled a couple of player coaches Herb Poirot and Laddie Lee who would key his championship. He recruited heavily a technique that when done Well can boost Small bases Over Lazy big bases. He talked of winning Safe immediately says Middle Ion Tony. He walked around talking with anybody big enough to play for  drier won at once. Picked to finish a fisc chop climb to 44 i Cdr of Pinsl Bilbury in Saff title Jame. , the Chicks went 7-3 and grabbed i division Lille from favored Greenham common. Despite winning ils division Chicksands was Kepi from entering the playoffs. A scheduling Snag was Given As the reason and an irate Carter swore he would quit. He could t. He won t think about anything else but football says Denard who once worked in Carter s Security polite unit. I had to get another supervisor because i could l land it. He does love  not  1 9b6 promised Utopia for Carter. Cone was his Topflight pass cd sch combo of Ken Smiley and Lohn Elgen. The Chicks looked old with 37 year old Poirot diking Over at quarterback and 34-year-old chops Chambers Starling Al running Back. Vel Carter says in 85 we won with . In 86 it was Talent and base support. The key to our winning it All was Herb realising our shortage of quarterbacks and donning a uniform and playing. If you re looking to give myself credit i won t do  neither will some others. Norm Hoffman who As online Olaf sports conference commissioner watched his Tilburg Barons Toselo Ink Sands dismisses Carter As Lucky to have so Many muscular Security policemen on base. Cal Bias the Ben Waters coach says of the conches i try to emulate drier is not Nutof  Warren Tate the athletic director at upper Heyford who coached chit Sands to . Lilies in 1177 and vol , Al Carter does t know football. He won because he had Porto running the offence and another  Veteran in chops Why does t Carter draw widespread Praise i m not too much of a conversationalist. May thai s 11," says Carter. Al gives the impression he does t know what he s doing says Denard. He gives the impression he s a Knucklehead. We were with Madden he other Day and Al acted exactly like thai. He Lulu me later he does t like to Tell hem  i be did t Tell his players everything either. He left the 1986 tul time harangues to Chambers. He left much of the play calling to Poirot who became the most valuable player of the Safe final. Says Denard he s no Genius Mie Sivi to Herb generally ran Hal. He s no Genius Wilh the line he left coach Al Carter of cmdr Jhc. Thai la Gene Isbell. But generally speaking he knows everything. Heck he played every  Carter earned football while growing up in Waco Texas. He played defensive end defensive Back and wide receiver at George Washington Carver High. He joined the air Force Throe weeks after graduating in 1962. Carter did t try tackle football again until he was 33. He played quarterback and Light end for Torrejas then running Back for he Lac Nikon when the olympians won the Mediterranean sports conference Lille in 1981. Carter also found time to  Nick and Tony in youth football. "1 in was the Best coach i Ever had says Akk. I be s strict says Tony he usually works hard until he gets what he wants or what he s comfortable with. The Good thing about him is he did t push us in   does push his football learn including statistician Mel Carter no relation who says he s a perfectionist. Second Best is nol Good  ii was t Good enough for upper i Kyford in 1986, but the sky Kings cuu Liln l help it. They faced Al Carter. They won so they had to have their stuff together says Heyford  h Delaney who As a fellow cop it t Carter in aliens in 1963. Whether Carter does in or has others to it he s successful. I can i Knock a Guy who Bali me. I give Carter credit. Chicksands re nest t have the Rullel for Talent like i have or Ben Waters has or Alconbury us. That s probably the smallest outlet for Talent in the . If he can do that win in All he had to do  it Ipei mat nine tuguil37, 1947