European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 23, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday. December 23,1987 the stars and stripes Page 23 commentary Colts aim for super bowl heist if the Indianapolis Colts to to the super bowl and they May will it be inc biggest heist since brinks should these Guys Wear ski masks or carry burglars tools is there a part there for cd Ford or Newman Willie inc actor s Ulton never made a forc like these Guys. They should be on even Post office Wall in he country. The Fri should mate them All if of their most wanted whatever you do Don t gel in a card game with them. If they raise fold. Never mind that they lifted an entire football team Oul of the Center if Bali More in he tit and of night and had it rolling Halfway out of Clarksville before the alarm went off. The real sting is this outfit abducted Eric Dicker son out of . In a modern version of the Pigeon drop. When . Opened he bag All hey had was a whole Bunch of pieces of paper. The Colts should have at least had the decency to write a a on some Fhern Ron Meyer docs nol look like a member of a Stagecoach robber gang. It s hard a picture him with a Bandana Over his Mouth saying your Money or your life the face is handsome unlined. It glows with health. The eyes though arc a bit hawkish. They have the look of a Guy who might shoot first As you might expect he laughs a lot these Days. He has go lots of hair he wears an expensive deep Blue suit a two toned shirt and a Home colors Blue tie with a handkerchief pecking Oul of his breast pocket. You half cd need him to sell you a lot or Tell you to pick a card. He has the look of a Guy who just stole Christmas. Ron Meyer is inc coach of a team that just dealt itself aces. The Indianapolis Colts when Ron Meyer came to them were funnier than inc Mara Brothers. They had just managed to lose 13 games in a Row without working up a sweat. They had scored 147 Points to339 for the opposition. Meyer had come West to accept the coaching Job at his Alma Malar Purdue University. But in route he passed through Indianapolis. Coaches arc kind of complicated migratory work ers. They Slop to pick wherever inc car Breaks Down and inc Beds arc soft. Some say Ron Meyer dropped Anchor in Indiana Polis because he saw that the Colls were the bes 0 and 13 team in the business. They were in fact a pretty Good Leam As Meyer was shortly to prove when key won the last three games under his direction bul not As Good As they were to become. Giving the Indianapolis Colts Eric Dickerson Wasi Itic giving a Tiger another claw. No one knew this better than Meyer. He re acted to the news of Dickerson s availability As if he had just got news that tie White House was for Sale. Or the super Dow. I could t believe it he admits. Busy Wilh team preparation for an important game with the jets that week he resisted inc impulse to Fly to . And bring Dickerson Home on a Short rope. It would nol have been the first Lime Ron Meyer had recruited Eric Dickerson. The first time he had to fight off half the universities in America and All the universities in Texas and Oklahoma. Meyer As a coach is a specialist in distressed real estate. His first head coaching Job was with the la 0 University Nevada Las vegas. He boosted the re Bels to 11-0 before heading for big d and Southern method isl University. There he Gol Dickerson and he built them into a 10-1 team one season and a Cotton bowl team the next. By then though he had gone to the new England patriots. The patriots were 2-14 the year before Meyer took Over in i9r1. He began winning and never had a losing season. The patriots were 5-3 in1984 when management suddenly Cut him Loose. It was More a Mutiny than a firing Meyer contends. They had inc reputation for having a country club atmosphere Down there and it was a Bud  he says they had All Iha paranoia about cocaine Inich locker room in the nil and All and some of the Veteran players thought i was to strict on  has he changed at Indianapolis Meyer laughs. "1 Don t carry a  he says. When the Colls moved to Indianapolis the final Ball world thought that would be he last anyone would hear of them. They would be the answer to a trivia question where were inc Baltimore Colts headed when they were last seen Well the answer May be the super bowl. The team had not been on National to since it got to Indianapolis Eric Dickerson going to Indianapolis is almost afrank Capra movie. All it needs is a dog. The heart warming Story of the big time coming to the poor but honest people of America s heartland. Indianapolis leads the world in War memorials and other people s football property but it could be the biggest Victory for Down Home America since Green Bay. Ron Meyer could t understand Why i re rams did t just give Eric Dickerson Santa Monica and forget about in. The notion of their calling around the league and asking anybody want a super bowl is flabby roasting to a coach who had Dicker son once. The Colls would seem to have Only an open Field ahead to san Diego and super sunday. There Aren t Many Eric Dickersom in the acc. The air seems lobe coming Oul of the contending teams like inc chargers and so Hawks. Parity is supposed to do that in the nil. But. This is nol parity. It s a heist these Guys May have sin Len an elephant or hijacked a super howl. The Loi Angl met tin tit gators rally to Down South Florida 83-69 Florida s pal Lawrence left Battles South Florida s Hakim Obj had Tor it Ball. Gainesville a. A the eighth ranked Florida gators trailed by six Pom is Early in inc second half before rallying to beat South Florida 83-69 monday night. Coach Norm Sloan said he was t sur prised that his team. 7-1, had flirted with disaster. And the circumstances pointed to this happening and i m just Nappy we were Able to put together a stretch of Good basketball thai allowed us to win the game Sloan said. Freshman Livingston Chatman who had 17 p0 1" a1"1 helped key the gators rally said his teammates might have had their minds on Christmas vacation rather than the game. Everyone was looking Forward to the holidays and forgot we still had a gamely play Chatman said. I m just Grale Ful we did t hate thai big of a deficit to make  South Florida coach Bobby Paschal whose team has Only one Victory in seven games this year was frustrated Wilh inc toss. We had their Lead Down to five pain is with five minutes logo bul we just got impatient Down inc so Reich Paschal said i m disappointed bul 1know i m not nearly As disappointed As the kids  Vernpn Maxwell Ivd Florida with ii Points including 18 in the second half. South Florida got a career High 26 Points from senior guard Kenny Brant Ley. Darrell Coleman had 2 for the bulls and Hakim Shahid had 10. College basketball in Oiler games monday night Pittsburgh 67, Akron 63 Akron Ohio scan Miller scored 10 of his i5 Points in inc second half and Bobby Martin snapped a talc lie with two foul shots As no. 3 Pittsburgh rallied from an 11-Point second half deficit to defeat Akron. Syrup inv l08.tem-.-5nn Altunin 84 Syracuse. . Mall rot scored 16 first half Points including five in u 15-2 spurt Al inc end of the Lisl half As no 7 Syracuse pulled away for an easy Victory Over Texas san Antonio Lima 110, pan american 64 Iowa City Iowa a Loren in scored is Points and Roy Marble added 17 As no. 14 Iowa ran away from pan american to snap a to game using Streak. Fukchi hanard62 Durham . Pc Van Stilland scored 2h Points and Robert Drickey added 25 to Pace no. 9 Duke Uver har Vard. Michigan 78, crumbling Stair 61 Ann Arbor Mich. Michigan s Gary Grant scored is of his 32 Points in the firs 8 15 of the game As the Ullh ranked wolverines overpowered Gram bling slate to extend their winning Streak to eight. Iowa St. 76, �. Illinois 66, of Ames Iowa lakes scr Rhodes scored seven Points in overtime to Lead no. 16 Iowa slain Over Eastern Illinois