European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 19, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Friday May 19, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 25 commentary Albany Grinders ready for a Ball you re a football player with the great Danes from the University of new York at Albany. Your name is Rich Strachan a 21-year-old Junior linebacker from Weston mass. You be just landed in Frankfurt to play football against German american teams first at 3 . Sat urday in near Offenbach then next saturday in Neu Ulm. You Check whether you brought the proper gear. Sunglasses Check. Jacket and tic Check. Movie camera Check. Game face get real. Even Strachan s head coach Bob Ford sees the direction of this trip we did t come Over to win football games. We came Over for the educational Ford s defensive tackle coach Dave Cohen makes this Point i be never been cast of Long is land or West of Pennsylvania. Everything is Albany s receivers coach Tim Callahan said we Are so fired up for this experience. It s a fab Ulous experience to be Able to come Over and play in Europe. It s the same feeling As Boston College had to have playing in Dublin last year. No matter what level of football it s great to Fly then there s Strachan s linebacker coach Mike Simpson who like his Star player is filming this trip. Simpson wants to find a Friend an air Force Guy named Robert Mcclendon. I was the Best Man in his wedding and he s Over Here somewhere said Simpson. I came Over a couple of times before with my family and we skied in Austria said Strachan while his Albany teammates hopped a bus outside of Frankfurt s Airport thursday. Some of them would live with German families for their two week stay. This is much More personal because Well see the German Way of life by staying with Strachan is about the Only great Dane who had touched european soil before thursday. These Guys Are mostly native new yorkers who want to Sec the Rhein and the main and of yeah play football. We be never had Spring football before said Strachan. To come Over for these German Ameri can teams we have no real sense How Good they arc. So we re nervous about playing the nervous local organizers were plenty nervous upon the great Danes arrival. The team was expected to Fly pan am out of new York but switched to Lufthansa at the last moment because of Over booking problems. No one told German american coach . Knox and officials from the Frankfurt military Community and merchants Bank which Are helping sponsor these games. They thought the great Danes had never left new York. An hour of fretting ended when the Albany group paged from Frank Furt s Hall b. The Danes had landed. In two Days they would play a football game against an All Star team com prised of 25 americans and 25 germans. Ready coach Bucky Fox of rafts a Meagan coach Ford Speaks linebacker Strachan shoots. God no said Ford. We would be kidding if we said we were. It takes 19 Days in the fall to be ready for a game. We had 10 Days to practice for this and with All the exams the players had we hardly had a full team the Albany contingent includes 41 players and nine coaches. They prepared for the journey by listening to a professor from the school s German department. Just the Marks and dollars and trying to compre Hend where you arc that s complicated enough said Ford. We Are aware that you Don t refer to Marks As funny Money. You have to show Ford was in the army More than 10 years but this is his first German trip. His record at Albany is 110-67-1, including last year s 5-5 Mark and thereat Danes boast one of the finest records in Mcaa division Iii history. You think this 52-year old coach is obsessed with padding his record we re going to play everybody is the Way Ford views these games. If i d go Home and had t played a kid i Don t know How i could face the kid or his the great Danes offer a Wishbone attack featuring Pat Ryder at quarterback and i Etc Pedro at full Back. They re headed for senior seasons. Which leads to this question will Ford seek to fill his 1990voids by recruiting from these German american teams it s not As far fetched As it seems when you con Sider How track and basketball have drawn Talent from Here said the coach. I could Sec talking with the son of an army family or a German kicker. We re not Over Here on a recruiting trip but if it happens to be a spinoff that s Ulf such is one such German kicker. He s 20 years old with High school football experience in South Carolina. Since that one Exchange student season of 1985, such has been living in the Frankfurt area and kicking for the Offenbach beavers of the German american league. On saturday he Hopes to catch Ford s attention with his booming kickoffs. I m excited to play against a College team be cause american football is different from German football such said during practice wednesday. American football is much More organized. They learn it earlier and for us it s a new Laray Harris a linebacker on the German Ameri can team in t trying to impress College recruiters. He s a 29-year-old Calif Oman and sergeant at Frankfurt s army Hospital so he has Long forgotten College Ball. For me football is like a Little Hobby " Harris said in his Best to Jackson imitation. For the younger Guys it s a great Opportunity. If they do Good they could have a shot at a scholarship to play hams says his a a team could beat Albany. So does Knox. The a a coach likes his chances for two reasons 1. His staff is deep in experience and includes Bill Carey the offensive line coach who helped map out Rhein main s Safe title drive in 1988. 2. He can play As Many americans As he wants. Since this is a German american team and not a g a league team he need t abide by the Rule of nine germans for every two americans. Three of the . Hulks nose guard Mike Drew and guards Tim Langley and Rich Lawton played on the 88 Rhein main champions. Knox an army sergeant in Frankfurt helped found the a a league in 1977 and now coaches his fifth team Offenbach s beavers. The georgian is in his glory with this game. This is to pay Back the americans who were forced to play with two on the Field but still come out to support the coaches said Knox. I m Knox won t be ecstatic Over saturday s score. His american players might have deep experience but they can t match Albany for conditioning and youth. The great Danes might play division Iii football but every player who arrived thursday looked like a Brick. Check history. In 1973, the Rhode Island rams were the first College team to play Over Here and they clobbered the Safe All stars 34-6. In 1984, the William Jewell cardinals won four games against finn and German american teams by a combined score of 214-13, on saturday make it Albany 42, German Ameri cans 7. Then Rich Strachan and his greatest Danes can get Back to filming the Sites. The Star and strip Arizona Alum shoot for wildcats is. Germans compiled by kl1nt Johnson assistant spurts editor basketball University of Ari Zona alumni who wish to sit together atthe game Between Arizona and the Ger Man National team sunday in Stuttgart Are invited to Call it. Col. Bud Dragoo atets42i2-8i8 or civilian 0711-751837. The game is scheduled for the Dingle Finen sport Hall at 3 . Tickets can be bought at the door for Between 6 and 12 Marks. An alumni meeting with Wildcat players after the game is tentatively planned. Softball Hanau will hold a me Morial Day open invitational May 26 29 at flip terhorst and Pioneer caverns. The tournament will be double elimination with a target of 24 teams. Action starts at 6 . Friday May 26, and continues at 10a.m. The next three Days. Entry fee is $85 per team. Contact Greg Holzinger at ets 322-8960 or civil Ian 06181-88-8960 for More inform local Roundup Tennis Bamburg s Warner bar Racks will be the site of a memorial Day singles and doubles tournament May 26 29, with the tourney open to military and Dodds players. Competition which starts at 6 . May 26, will be in open singles Veteran 35-45 years singles open doubles and mixed doubles. Entry costs $5 per event. The Warner Barracks courts Are out door on an artificial surface. In Case of rain the matches will be moved to a indoor hard surface. For More information Call 469-7645/8890. Golf the Monteith Golf course in Furth near Nornberg will Host a 36 holc tournament june 10-11. There will be 18 holes of qualifying for handicaps the first Day and 18 More holes of medal play the next Day. The entry fee is $20, which will in clude Green fees. Trophies will be awarded Fust through third places in three divisions. There will also be longest drive and Clos est to the pin contests. The Contact is Peggy Heusinkveld at 089-6905313. The third annual Uso Germany open Golf tournament is scheduled for june 25 at the Heidelberg Golf club. Golfers will be divided into flights for the 18-holc tournament. The entry fee of $50 or 100 Marks includes breakfast a awards dinner and free Range balls. Application deadline is june 19. include a new Volvo airline tickets Golf merchandise and video equipment. Call Uso Germany at ets 320-7513 or civilian 069-419021 for More information. Bowling the 1989 european Yaba championships will begin next Friday Ai the Hessen Bowling Center in Hanau and run through the Day before memorial Day. The tournament is for the champions of each Register Center for youths through the 12th Check in for grades 6-8 is Friday Between 2 30 . And 3 30 . Grades2 and below Check in 8 30-9 15 . Sat urday and then grades 3-5 from 12 30 1 15 . The sunday Check in for grades 9-12 Handicap is 8-8 45 . Grades 9-12 scratch Check in from 2-2 45 . About 550 bowlers Are expected to compete in the tournament. The nor deutschland men s bowl ing association will hold its 29th annual tournament May 27-june 4. The team event at the Clay Bowling enter will be rolled May 27-28. And the doubles and singles will be held at Bowling Center june 3-4. This is a Handicap tournament for members of the sponsoring association. Cost is $8 per event. Correction saturday s a Emral High school soc cer tournament will be played at Fulda not Gissen As previously reported
