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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 3, 1977)
sports Ambitious freshman hoping early work will pay dividends By MIKE MARINO Of the Emerald Gary Beck took a first down handoff in Oregon’s football scrim mage last Saturday and scrambled up the artificial turf at Autzen Stadium. After finding his hole, he pounded through the middle of the defense for six yards, where, as he feH, he looked for the yard marker. A good start, but still a ways to go. The run typifies the beginning of Oregon football for Gary Beck, the Ducks promising freshman running back: good, and getting better. Beck is no ordinary first-year runner. In theory, he should be finishing his senior year in high school, but in reality, he is enrolled at the University and busy with spring football. In anticipation, he is hoping to make the traveling team to Georgia in Oregon's first game next fall “I was starting to get sick of high school,” said the 5’9" Beck, who gained dose to 3,000 yards in two seasons at La Crescenta High School in Southern California. "And I had enough credits already to graduate early, so I decided to come up.” It was, nevertheless, a tough dedsion for the rookie. "It's beautiful country up here, but I was scared at first," Beck explained "I was leaving my family and friends — my securities. But now I feel like I’ve made it up here. "And it's really a race change from the smog," he added. Beck was originally contacted by Oregon head coach Rich Brooks while Brooks was an assistant at UCLA "He was trying to get me for UCLA; that's how I first met him," Beck said. "Then when he got the job at Oregon, I got a call from Coach (John) Becker telling me I had a scholarship if I wanted it. Meanwhile, UCLA lost interest ( "They said for me to wait and see"), so Beck took Becker, the Ducks' offensive coordinator, up on his offer. "The coaches are really personable up here," said Beck of the new staff. "They really get down to your level, talking to you but teaching you at the same time." And Beck hopes the teaching will help him face Georgia in the Ducks opener next September. "It's going to help me a lot, being up here early," he said. “I’ll have the offense down ahead of the other freshman.” "I've had to make a big adjustment," he added, “because this is a lot different from high school In college they hit harder and faster.” If it is a big adjustment, then Beck appears to be making it very well, thank you, having secured the number three running back position behind senior Dennis Bullock and junior Ed Raddiff. But there's always room for a little improvement. "I had a pretty good day today." said Beck after Saturday's scrim mage. "But I fumbled a pitchout, which I should've had. “It used to be when I had a bad practice I d be down on myself, but now I just try harder," he concluded. "And when I have a good practice, I'm as happy as I can be." And in the future. Beck's happiness might be Oregon's, too. Blazers conquer Nuggets PORTLAND (AP) — The Port land Trail Blazers, sparked by the shooting of Johnny Davis and Lionel Hollins, eliminated the Den ver Nuggets from the National Basketball Association playoffs Monday night, 106-92. TUESDAY, MAY 3 MEN S BASEBALL Oregon vs Lewis and Clark. Portland, 7:00 p m. WOMEN S SOFTBALL Oregon vs Southern Oregon, at Amazon Field. 3:00 p.m WEDNESDAY, MAY 4 WOMEN S TENNIS: Oregon vs Oregon State, at Corvallis. 3:30 p.m THURSDAY, MAY 5 MEN S GOLF Pacific Northwest Intercollegiate. Tokatee GoI Course, home match This * a three day event. May 5-7. WOMEN S TENNIS Oregon vs Portland State Alder St Courts. 3:30 p m MEN S TENNIS Eugene All Stars, home match. 2:30 p.m. WOMEN S SOFTBALL Oregon vs Oregon Stale, (DH), Amazon Field, 4:00 p.m. FRIDAY, MAY 6 WOMEN'S TRACK: Southern Area Championship, Gresham This is a two day event. May 6-7. MEN S BASEBALL Oregon vs Washington State Pac-8. Northern Otvision game, Pullman, 3:00 p.m SATURDAY, MAY 7 MEN S BASEBALL Oregon vs Washington State (DH), Pac-8. Northern Divtaon game, Pullman. 1 00 p.m WOMEN S JV SOFTBALL George Fox Invita tional, Newburg MEN S AND WOMEN S TRACK: Oregon Twilight, Hayward Field, 5:00 p m. Coed. Portland won the best-of-seven senes, 4-2, and will meet the win ner of the Golden State-Los Angeles game in the Western Conference finals. The Blazers shot to a 13-2 lead in the game s first foor minutes. Denver scored the next six points to make it 13-8, but the Midwest Division champions never got any closer. A 40-footer by Hollins at the first quarter buzzer gave Portland a 17-point lead, 33-16. The Blazers increased their lead to 22 in the second quarter and 25 in the third period. Denver, behind the inside play of Marvin Webster, pulled to within 11 points with 1:46 left in the game, but Davis stole the bell and stuffed it at the other end of the court to lift Portland out of trouble. Netters gain second PULLMAN — Oregon's men’s tennis team captured second place in the Washington State University Team Championships here Saturday. Playing without its regular No. 1 and No. 4 players Jim Hard and Tom Benezra, the Ducks opened with a 7-2 loss to eventual tourney winner Idaho State and then beat Washington State, 6-3, and East ern Washington, 6-3, to cinch second. Oregon’s women, meanwhile, dumped Lewis & Clark, 9-0, Fri day and then beat Southern Oregon, 6-3, Saturday. * Photo by hike Marino Oregon has been a "nice change from the smog ” for running back Gary Beck, who finished high schooi early so he could leave California behind and come north for the Duck football squad's spring workouts. Women linkers trail UW by 40 GEARHART — The University of Washington’s women goffers took a commanding 40 stroke lead over second place Oregon as the second round of the four team Gearhart Invitational dosed here Monday. With a pair of Washington golf ers, Patty Marquis and Mary Lou Mulfler leading the event at the end of the second round with 153 totals, the Huskies lead the team competition with a 620 score. Oregon is second at 660, fol lowed by Oregon State's 666 and University of British Columbia's 667. Ginny Burkey leads Oregon's women with a 159 following the second round, with Karen Henry (165), Kathy Young (169), Liz Cooper (169) and Cheryl Wrede (177) trailing. The tourney concludes today. Last weekend the University men s and women's golf teams garnered seventh and first place finishes respectively in team competition. The men’s golf squad recorded its highest finish ever in the Sun Devil-Phoenix Thunderbird col lege golf tournament last Satur day in finishing seventh behind Dick Shafer s one-under-par-71 showing in the final round. Oklahoma State won the tour nament at 1,046 behind Lindy Miller s individual win with a 13-under-par 203 total. Meanwhile, the women golfers won their match against OSU, last Friday, amassing a 658 total to win by eight shots. Oregon’s Kathy Young nar rowly missed the title, losing to OSU’s Rose Alexander by three strokes. Women finish behind OCE MONMOUTH — With Shawna Baxter gaining a no-hit shut out in one pitching victory and striking out 10 in another, the University's women’s softball team finished second here Saturday in the Oregon College of Education Invi tational tournament. Baxter threw a no-hitter at Oregon Tech in the women’s first contest Saturday and the Ducks walked away with a 18-0 win. In the day’s second game, Baxter struck out 10 in Oregon’s 8-0 win over Portland State. Oregon fell to host OCE in the championship game, 7-2, to finish second. Hurling in her third game of the day, Baxter got the loss, along with a leg injury. The Oregon pitcher now holds a 6-3 record on the year. Oregon, now 6-5 against col legiate competition, takes on Southern Oregon Tuesday after noon, before meeting Oregon State Thursday. In JV action last week, Oregon’s Jenny Cushing blasted a home run as the JVs beat Linn-Benton Community College, 16-8. Are you overwhelmed by midterms; homework, and POFCD*? Then come to an hour long talk and question answer session on the "The Power Of God", by Omar Horacio Rivas, a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Mr. Rivas is a Teacher, Lecturer, and Practioner of Christian Sci ence. Time: 7:30 p.m. Tonight EMU (room to be posted) * Plain, old fashioned campus doldrums Sponsored by the U of O Christian Science Organization
