European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 3, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 26the stars and stripes tuesday december 3,1991 College football knee injuries skyrocket on army s turf by John kek1s West Point . A Willie Mcmillian sits at Michie stadiums 50-Yard line staring into the distance when a White haired fan Calls Down from the stands. A you Gonna be ready for Navy a the Man shouts. A no sir a Mcmillian answers. A a in a through. I wont be playing any in army a third game this season Mcmillian Cut upheld against Harvard at Michie stadium and suffered torn knee ligaments. End of season. And for the senior quarterback who emerged As a Star last year by running for 195 Yards against Navy end of career. Now he watches and he has plenty of company on the army Bench Ron Warner Mike Makovec and Reggie Thomas a All pm abcs a and sophomores Reggie Dobson Ryland Reed Todd Turner and Tyson Lee also suffered season ending injuries to knee ligaments on the artificial turf at Michie stadium. And none involved Contact according to maj. Robert Arciero the team doctor who operated on Mcmillian. Mcmillian for one thinks he would still be in the lineup if the Harvard game was on grass. A your turf is kind of Tough a said Mcmillian who played exclusively on grass during an injury free High school career. A a it a not All that bad but at least on grass you a have a in an Era when grass is even becoming a recruiting tool schools have begun to switch. Alabama Florida Iowa Ohio state and Michigan have returned to grass in the past two years giving it a 55-51 Edge Over artificial turf among the 106 colleges in the country that play division i a football. The safety of Michie stadiums turf is an Issue a you can to Dodge a according to or Arciero. A in a matter of trends i think that grass is probably safer a Arciero said. A i can to say unequivocally that grass is better. But any rational person would have to say with this number of injuries that there has to be an Arciero a duties at West Point Are simple. He has to make sure the players have the greatest Chance of graduating fully fit and ready to pursue any Branch of military training. A i have to make it so they can run go infantry jump out of air planes a he said. A so when we have a year Tike this where we have so Many knee injuries on one surface i have to take a hard look at that and say honestly what a my opinion yeah i think it is the playing surface. That a my opinion. 1 can to prove it. Its an the jury is still out on which surface is safer because a definitive study has not been conducted. For Iowa coach Hayden Fry the verdict already is in. A a there a no comparison a said Fry whose Hawk eyes switched to prescription athletic turf Pat in 1989. A i get tickled that there a no major in depth Survey made in regards to reducing the number of injuries. I done to have to have one though. I see what we be done Fry said 19 players required surgery after the 1988 season and he attributed it to the artificial surface. A the year we took the artificial turf out we reduced it to six Quot Fry said. A last year we had two. We be had two this year and neither happened on our grass Field. And that a not even talking about the abrasions the infections that come from the skidding and tearing the skin Oil. Its the most intelligent decision in be Ever made in at some schools grass is being used As a recruiting advantage. A it would t bother me if we never played another game on artificial turf a Ohio state coach John Cooper said. A in my mind its safer playing on grass. It makes a difference to the players. There Are some High school players who la Tell you they done to want to play on turf they want to play on Quot i really like it a said Michigan coach Gary Moeller whose wolverines played on real grass Pat this year for the first time since 1968. A one of the reasons we went to it is because we think it will Cut Down on Pat a fast draining surface of grass that can handle an Inch of rain or More an hour was invented by the Purdue University agronomy department in the Early 1970s As an alternative to artificial turf. Or. William Daniel one of the two professors responsible for the development and evolution of Pat now Heads turf grass services the Indiana based company that installs Pat and business is brisk. A a we be got a pretty Good baiting average a said Daniel who has supervised the installation of 33 Pat Fields. A everybody loves it because they know it works. Player feedback has been marvelous. You want to have a decent life afterwards. When you reduce the Chance of army quarterback Willie Mcmillian is one of nine cadets to suffer season ending knee injuries on Michie Tail in artificial turf in 1991. Despite the injuries West Point plans to install a new Artl Lucial so a a new la or injury you be made their when West Point installed artificial turf in 1977, Academy officials said Michie stadiums grass Field take the pounding of football Lacrosse and extra curricular activities such As graduation. The surface was replaced on schedule in 1984. It May be just coincidence but West Point accepted the lowest bid on the replacement Job and the Field needed work the next year which is very unusual according to Dan Collier of Balsam the Parent company of astroturf industries. And the company that installed flip Field super turf went out of business a year later. The Field is due to be replaced again prior to next season with More artificial turf because school officials say its the right thing to do for the program. The question is Why it costs . Taxpayers More than $230,000 to educate each Cadet at West Point. Most players recruited for the football team have never played on artificial turf until they begin their army careers. Of the approximately 19,000 High schools in the country Only about 100 have artificial turf and a fifth of those Are in the Seattle area according to balsams Collier. As former running Back Mike Mayweather now an assistant coach says a you have to understand there is a difference Between artificial turf and grass. And you do have to think about it you really do. You have to learn How to run on part of the reason May also be psychological. After decades of excellence that produced consecutive National championships in the 1940s and three Heisman trophy winners army football suddenly fell apart amid the anti War turmoil of the Vietnam War Era. The cadets lost Alt 10 games in 1973 and had Only one winning season in the next 10. Worst of All. Army went 1-91 against archrival Navy during those dark years. That one winning season was 1977, the teams first year on artificial turf. And since they went to the run oriented Wishbone attack in 1984, the Black knights have been consistent winners. When the players look at the turf they see victories. A after having played four years on turf i play on grass a said Mayweather who from 1987-90 rushed for More Yards than any other Back in service Academy history. A but i know that Sall in my a at army we always thought we were slower. We hated to play on grass a said Charlie Taaffe an assistant at West Point for before taking Over at the Citadel. It became a mental and maybe not Only on the Field. Because of the strenuous regimen at West Point and the fact that service academies can to compete recruit new be with the big time football schools army athletic Otti vials regularly schedule games against division i a schools such As Harvard and holy Cross. But they also have begun scheduling seven games at Michie Sta Sun a ? a it Raj season t0 give the cadets that extra Edge. Nobody likes a loser especially at a school that has a tradition of turning out winners. The companies that produce artificial turf have made great improvements Over the years. But should an athlete at a service Academy be competing regularly on it Navy and air Force have artificial turf practice Fields but they play Home games on grass. Both schools have As Many intercollegiate sports As army and air Force has Demon w us a service Academy team that employs the Wishbone can Excel on a grass surface. R. , natural grass is a much better sur face Navy athletic director Jack Lengyel said. Initial Cost is most assuredly a Large consideration at of in Deral budget cuts. A state so Ai Fass would pro Bably Cost twice As much to a All but it would not have to be replaced in six years risk uni Larain tenant costs Are not unrealistic. The a in is act be on Pat and it costs the team approximately $30,000 each year to maintain. Despite Alt of that artificial turf remains on the army Agenda. Lengyel thinks he knows Why. A do you think its a coincidence the army Mascot is a mule a
