Pro player says to be best off field By Matt Bender Emerald Contribute* All-pro cornerhack (ill! Hyrd told thi' Orison football team Wednesday night that the most important key to lilt; is for the players to dedicate themselves off thi) field us much ns on Ityrd. who plays for the San Diego Chargers, appeared mur tesy of the University Athletes in Action Hyrd is the Nl I s intercep tion leader over the last four years with 27 thefts, despite his luck of si/e and speed He is r> foot 10 and weighs about l'to pounds and runs the -to yard dash m ‘1 7 sei onds. slow h\ Ni l. cornerbai k standards "livery week I am on the (or ner and every week the other guy is faster than me," lie said Dili football is a game of an gles, and ll I study the other guy and I know where he is go mg i can lie waiting there after lie gets done '.villi .ill Ins iuts and fakes Hut football was not always easy lor Hyrd Hi rn rived no scholarship offers (aiming out of high si bool and had to talk his wav into a tryout at San lose State He made the team but played sparingly as a fresh man ‘' I he on I v r ea son that I GUI Byrd played was to hopefully get .1 scholarship so my parents s a 1 ari-er threatening knis- injurs I went from prospet 1 to mis pet t just like that,' lie said Byrd battled h.nl (rum Ih.il injury and another a broken wrist In salvage his senior year .md bar ome the 22nd player taken in the 1‘IH.i draft by San Diego At the time Byrd was drafted tie said tie had a SSO hairdo and a Virnt head tie started to believe Itiat tie was as good as his press i tippings made him sound, and lie tx-carne a hard person to tie around Midway though Ins rookie season all that c hanged for Dyrd "1 allowed Jesus to i ome into mv life and tilings hove never been the same, tie said Byrd impressed upun tin' plovers that student-athletes should be more < urn erneil w ith ttieir lives off the Held 'There are tremendous odds against you making It in the \FI lie told tile players, "hut we put so much emphasis on it Too imn It emphasis on it Bvrd said it is more impor taut for tin- players to gel their personal lives straightened out than It is to In’ good in football He said the only wav to do that is to Took to jestjs to help you be your la st The [JO Microcomputer Support Center presents < D Z Z < 0 Z CM APPLE ♦ CAERE ♦ CLARIS ♦ DELL ♦ IBM ♦ LOTUS MACROMEDIA ♦ MICROSOFT ♦ NeXT ♦ SUN ♦ SUPRA TSI ♦ WORDPERFECT ♦ AND OTHERS Thursday, April 30,1992 11:00 am - 4:00 pm Fir Room, EMU Presentations ♦ Product Exhibits ♦ Prizes ♦Vendor Representatives COMING SOON Tracksters go east for Penn Relays Three Oregon women's track and field alhlcles and five athletes from the men's team will compete at the prestigious Penn Relays In Philadelphia beginning to day. Distance runners Nicole Woodward and Lucy Nusrala and javelin star Kim Hvatl left with Duck head coach Tom Heinonon Wednesday for the event. Woodward will compete in the 5.000-meter run, and Nusrala will run in the t.OOO Heinorien said it was the group's goal to see some of the best athletes the college ranks have to offer "The whole goal for Luc \ and Nicole Is to see top flight competition and to run after having traveled,” Heinonen said "They need an N( A A (Championships) prep I or javelin throwers like Hyati. Hoinonen said it is simply a matter of time be fore they throw their Ix-st "In the javelin, it happens when it happens." Hninoncn said Helnonen also said Hyatt may compete in Saturday's Oregon Invitational at Hay ward Field The Oregon men's track team also sent its share of athletes to the relays In a distance medley relay that consists of legs of •}()(), HOO, 1.2(H) and 1,000 meters. Bob Gray will lead off. hand ing off to (ailey Candaele. to Alan Foster and Finally to Shannon Femora for the fi nal laps Those four athletes, ex cluding dray, are expected to participate in a 4X1.000 meter relay, along with freshman Tracy Hollister. dray is slated to compete m an invitational running of the too hurdles Saturday SCOUTS Continued from Page 9 ‘‘There wore .1 lot of good things about him Thomason uni Woods were the only Ducks invited to the prestigious Ni l. combine this year I In' combine brings in the top collegiate athletes to shim oil their talent in front of NFL scouts Tret/ said the one thing fa coring his team on dralt Sun da\ vs ill In that the Seahitwks are ic sing lor nevv people at all positions this season The -tfters. though, are look mg at filling some major holes on defense, including defensive linemen, linebut kers and tie lellsive ha; ks. Wilson said Sal; I rani IS(e: signed former I ho k (|uar ter hat k lit 11 M u s grave as a free agent last year and has i» en known tor having other Oregon alumni on its ros ter, mi hiding Tony (Tierrv. ivulltlt I’ut/ier and Mike V\ alter •liters head < o.ieh t.eorge Seifert was .ill assistant coach -it Ore gon !rom 1 * * t > 7 ■? 1 H it son. who s< mill’ll Mus grave lot tile 40ers while 1 Ilf qii.irli rh.ii k was .11 Oregon, h.is shown some inleri’sl m defen sive cittl Mali La Bounit S r h a f I e I d s .11 d 1 11 e Duck coach, tv ho h.is produced more professionals than arts other Oregon assistant, said he was recent I \ 1 unladed In Wilson who wa nted to k nOw I.nBountv s home phone num ber Wlifn they do that.'' Si hafleld said, they seem to <11 least have some interest \V 1 I s o li a g r e e d w t t h Si hatfeld s assessment "Matt is another guy that we kind ol like. Wilson said He's a tough, hard-nosed kid DRAFT Continued 'rom Page 9 slder trying out with a team the same wav former Dui k stars Derrick Lovillo and Terry Oboe did with the Seahawks two years ■igo Both were signed as free agents and .ire still playing Mr was .1 long snapper. ,md those arc hard to find Mow r v e r. W I I s o n sal d l.allounlv s si/c hloot-4, .!(>() pounds is not "quite .is ilea\ y as you'd like," hut he said lie thought that size would not lie as much of a considera tion as talent Ollier Duck players that Wilson said he looked it while at Oregon were linebacker Andv Conner, dclemive hacks Muhammad Oliver and Daryle Smith, and offensive linemen Todd Ovdesen and joe Baguio Of those players, Wilson liked what he saw in Conner the most (.(inner hr s tug enough it«> play in thr NFL).' Wilson said Hr\ .1 prulty gocxl all) Irtr a very intelligent kid kn l/ said hr also looked .it a manlier o! players while hr was Hi Fugene las! vrar Thf Srultlr scout said Conner, Oliver and Smith have potential, and he also mentioned Oregon ku ker Oregg McCallum as an NFL i andulate krel/ said all of the Oregon plavers on Ills list mav get drafted on Sunday These guys have all got dru (table talent, kret/ said I would think they all have a good i ham e of getting draft rd " The next logical question would he When will the Ore gon players gel drafted7 But as S( hatleld said liefore there Is little rhyme or reason as to (ire dictions of which round play ers will be drafted " They can tell you. but if someone takes a guy out of form, then it juggle* the line up," Schaffuld said "Some guys they say will go in the sixth (round) go in the third in the NFL. and Loville rec ent ly signed a two-year deal with the Kums Brcxiks said he )usl wants to see his players get credit when* credit is due. "I just hope the* players who have played so well for us have a chance to show their talents in the N’l'L." he said