European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 30, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Saturday december 30. 1989 the stars and stripes Page 25 twos the night before deadline. 1k editor s note the stars and stripes receive about 90,000 entries in its annual super bowl contest which invites readers to pick the winners of 12 Colleg bowl games and win a a trip for two to the super . 1st class William Hammer and sol. Greg Marx have probably been the most dedicated entrants in the contest for the past three years. Last year after enter ing 550 ballots the two Cooks from Friedberg. West Germany came close. They would have won on the first tic breaker but they had one wrong pick Wyoming Over Colorado state. This year Hammer and Marx Are Back maybe for the last time in a Long time. They Are both on orders to leave in March Hammer for fort Riley kan., and Marx for fort Hood Texas. Their entries All 1,122 of them arrived in thursday s mail with a letter below. We thought our readers would enjoy Reading about what these two football fanatics have gone through to try to win a trip to new Orleans for the super bowl game on Jan. 28. All entries Are being checked twice during the next two weeks and the Winner will be announced Jan. 17. Hello again sports staff Well it s sgt. Marx and Sec. Hammer two of the biggest football fans to serve our country in a land so far last year you said look Forward to hearing from those Guys so Here we Are. After a year of strategic planning and conniving we once again came up with an even better Way to hopefully win this contest. Starting from the Day we found out we lost last year we planned out a graph of the 4,096 possible combinations. We Analysed the bowl games and took our Best hunches we went Hammer left and mane praying for inspiration. With Michigan state Over Hawaii and Miami Over Alabama. It will be a horrendous Christmas Day if our 1.024 entries picking Michigan Sla. Arc shot Down in names on the first bowl game. Santa knows we be been Good this year so maybe. But just in Case we also picked 64 entries with Hawaii to give us that second Chance. We even threw in a handful of extras for Good Luck. Last year our total was 550 entries this year 1,122. Of course All were filled out with a wish and a you Sec this is a very special year for us for we won t be Here next year. Yes sorry to say it but there comes a time in every career Soldier s life that he must do the unthinkable pcs. We will both be leaving after the new year. And after three years of overwhelming dedication to this contest. I must say auf because it is our last year we went for the Guito. We bought papers begged for papers made up entries and of course dug those dumpsters harder than Ever. No bags of used Kitty litter were going to stops. We pushed those bags of smelly diapers aside and grabbed those papers. We again apologize for the condition and smell of some of our entries. We be been laughed at talked about made fun of and almost reprimanded but our determination and love of football kept us going. It been a Long year but All we did was wait. This year has to be it it s the year of the no Over the past year Sec. Hammer got promoted and i sgt. Marx got promotable. It s been a Good year for us but win Ning those tickets to Bourbon Street will make 1990 even better. Win or lose. Sec. Hammer and myself would like to extend our Best wishes to All of you at the sports Sec Tion. You have Given us hours of pleasure and of course defeat. You be been with us for a total of 10 years combined and with us during Many eventful times. You be been with us at the dentist the Field the bathroom the Golf course the autobahn and the Coffee shop Over Many Many cups of hot and cold Coffee. The list goes on and on. For these times we thank you. Sec. Hammer and myself arc both Cooks so we know and appreciate the Long hours and last minute commit ments we know you must endure every Day. You arc All the Best and we will miss you. Hope to hear from you on Jan. 17, 1990. Goodbye for now. Sec. William Hammer sit. Greg ,5-18thinfbn. Outsiders Curry Erickson know the score by Ben Walker a sports write new Orleans although Bill Curry and Dennis Erickson Haven t met much they already know plenty about each other. Outsiders at their own schools. Resented from the Start. Challenged by the present. Chased by the past. We re very comparable Erickson Miami s coach said thursday of his Ala Bama counterpart. We both came into programs with great tradition places where winning has been done and is expected to for Erickson it has gone Well. He has a Chance to Cap his first season with a National championship if the second ranked hurricanes beat Alabama in the sugar bowl on monday night and if notre Dame stops no. I Colorado in the Orange bowl. For Curry in his third year with the Crimson tide the struggle continues. Seventh ranked Alabama like Miami is 10-1 and even that is not enough be cause As the Home folks say the Bear would be done better. You re dealing with Bear Bryant probably the greatest coach Ever and that s got to make it difficult Erickson said. What Curry has done coming into the situation he came into has been in Curry knows the Bear is there. Bryant May not be looking Over his shoulder but most everyone else in Alabama still is seven years and two coaches later. His influence is very powerful and very persuasive Curry said. In my View it s a positive not a negative. The expectations ought to be High and it s what 1 aim for even though Iii never be his thai s exactly what a fan bothered by a Homecoming loss to Mississippi in 1988, figured when he threw a Brick through Curry s office window. And those thoughts Are what prompt Dennis Erickson. 10-1 season silenced critics the hate mail and phone Calls that began when Curry was hired to replace Ray Perkins came when he went 7-5 in his first season and still come regularly. Despite an Overall record of 26-9 and a program that is said to be one of the cleanest in the country even some peo ple at the University want him gone. Going an 0-3 against archrival Auburn and a current controversy about Curry s contract Haven t helped his cause. You have to Deal with whatever comes. I be tried to do that Here. At no Lime have i thought i should leave Curry said. For my wife and two children it s been extremely difficult he admitted. My wife is a Terrib a rational person a . Scholar in history. When we be played poorly and we get criticized she understands that. But if we do a Good Job and still get criticized she does i under stand but no matter what Curry Likely won t up Weill Curry. Finds the Bear Lough to follow match Bryant s Success particularly in the 1970s when Alabama went 103-16-1 and won two National titles. And. To most of his detractors Curry,47. Will always remain an outsider a per son who was born in Atlanta went to school at Georgia tech and was hired from there. In football s Good of boy network that makes him a yellow belly South Ern speak for Georgia tech yellow Jack ets personnel. Erickson is entirely new to the South a place where in some circles coach is a More revered title than Erickson 42, was born in Washington and coached at Idaho Wyoming and Washington state before being hired this year. He faced controversy along the Way and once after announcing he would leave Montana got a Rock thrown through a window at Home. That was nothing compared to the storm he stirred up when he came to the hurricanes. He followed Jimmy Johnson who had strongly recommended that quarterback coach Gary Stevens be his successor and took Over a team that this decade had gone 88-19 and won two National championships. There was some controversy when came in like what Bill Curry faced Erickson said. But i did t have it nearly As bad As going 10-1 in his first season helped. He had less than seven Days of real misery Curry said almost envious la. People who say who is this Guy can i say anything when you re Erickson s players have responded to his willingness to adjust and his even tempered manner. Where Johnson would explode at his players and order them off the practice Field. Erickson s most volatile outburst during the first few weeks of Spring prac Tice was please straighten out the Hud when Erickson and his new staff took Over the players taught them the hand signals Miami has used for three years to Call audibles and some of the defensive sets. Being a senior there were a few times when i went up to him and said it might be belter to do it this Way than that Way and he d learn it for us. That says Good things about him All american defensive end Greg Mark said. Miami s fans seemed to get on Erick son s Side quickly too. But after the hurricanes Only loss to Florida state the letters started flowing. You can t control what people arc going to write and what people say on the radio Call in shows Erickson said. You have to Deal with people when you the biggest thing about making a transition to a new place is getting to know your players developing a Comfort zone with them. I think we be done that he said. But i Don t know if it s Ever Over with your
