Off and running at last
After three years of adversity,
tailback Saladin McCullough
has found peace at Oregon
By Chris Hansen
Sports Reporter
This is going to be a weekend of mixed
emotions for Oregon tailback Saladin Mc
Cullough.
There will be the highs of playing in his
first homecoming game for the Ducks, and
there will be the lows of being 1000 miles
from his home in Pasadena when his son,
Saladin Jr. .celebrates his third birthday on
Saturday.
And that, more than
McCullough
anything else, serves as
a reminder of all that
McCullough has had to
endure over the last
three years just to play
football at a Division I
school.
McCullough—Sollie
to his friends —
achieved prep stardom
at Muir High School in
Pasadena. In 1993, dur
ing the winter of his se
nior year, he signed a letter of intent to play
football for the USC TVojans. But later that
June, McCullough’s SAT score was ques
tioned amidst allegations that he had cheat
ed on the test, possibly by getting an im
poster to take the test for him.
USC yanked its offer, and McCullough
spent the next year unsuccessfully trying to
clear his name of an allegation that he has
firmly denied.
He spent the past two years at two differ
ent junior colleges in the Los Angeles area
playing football and earning his AA degree,
giving him the necessary credentials to be el
igible to play football at an NCAA accredited
college. During that time he was heavily
scrutinized by the Los Angeles media for cer
tain incidents, including an allegation of
auto theft that was later cleared up with no
charges filed.
After USC, the school he had always
dreamed of playing for, showed no interest,
McCullough came to Oregon looking for a
fresh start and an opportunity to finally play
in the Pacific-10 Conference.
And so far, he hasn’t disappointed — on
the field or off.
“It’s been a real change, but it’s been real
good,” McCullough said of his new environ
ment. “I miss my son. It’s tough, but it is for
the best because I am in school and working
toward the future when I will be able to take
better care of him. ”
All along, McCullough has claimed that
he has never done anything wrong and that
the person here at Oregon is no different than
the person he was in Los Angeles.
“I just sit in my house or go to practice and
school," McCullough said. “It is the same
thing I did down there. But everything is go
ing fine now.”
Particularly since the local media isn’t
((
Up here they have
good things to say
about me. Down in
LA they had some
good things, but it
was mostly bad.
They wanted to
make me the bad
guy in everything. I
was glad to get out.
—Saladin
McCullough
Tailback
-99
Oregon's Saladin
McCullough
celebrates one of
the few bright
moments In the
Ducks’ 33-14 loss
to Washington on
Oct. 26. The junior
tailback has scored
eight touchdowns
during his first
year with the
Ducks.
waiting in ambush.
"It’s cool,” McCullough said of the treat
ment he has received thus far from the local
media. “Up here they have good things to say
about me. Down in LA they had some good
things, but it was mostly bad. They wanted
to make me the bad guy in everything. I was
glad to get out.”
Oregon running back coach Gary Camp
bell. for one, never bought into the negative
hype that surrounded McCullough.
“I think a lot of people kind of blow the
MARK McTYRE/ Emerald
problems out of proportion,” Campbell said.
“People perceive things that he has done as
problems when they were only allegations.
“I was only concerned with the reputa
Turn to SOLLIE, Paqe 7B
UA’s Desert Swipe
invades Eugene
■ DEFENSE: The
Wildcats enter a
new era of
interception
oriented defense
By Andrea DeYoung
Assistant Sports Editor
Whatever happened to Desert Swarm?
Arizona’s defense used to be feared in the
Pacific-10 Conference and was known
throughout the country for being extremely
tough. Although the Wildcats aren’t talked
about in the same way as they once were,
their conference foes know there is still
something coming out of the desert that
needs to be focused on.
Its name — Desert Swipe.
Its purpose — take away any and all balls
it can.
Last season, defense dominated the game
between the Ducks and the Wildcats. When
Turn to DEFENSE, Page 6B
Wildcat linebacker tackles the game
■ PLAYER: Chester Burnett has earned the
reputation of being a player prepared for'
anything that comes his way on the field
By Craig Sanders
Arizona Daily Wildcat
It is about preparation. It is about planning every
move you make. It is about knowing what your oppo
nents are doing before they do it. That is how Arizona
linebacker Chester Burnett approaches each game,
each play, each series.
When Burnett was nicknamed "Chess" few knew
how apt that name would really become.
"I sat down with Coach [Larry] McDuff before the
Washington State game, and he told me he wanted me
to take on more responsibility," Burnett said. "That is
when I started to think about what I would need to do
differently. I started to watch film and ask questions,
and I really began to realize how important mental
preparation is."
Combining that mental preparation with his natural
BURNETT
athletic ability has made Burnett
one of the most effective and ver
satile linebackers in the Pacific-10
Conference.
Burnett is currently second in
the conference in total tackles,
with 90, and is the conference
leader with 72 solo tackles. He has
also recorded three sacks and sev
en tackles for a loss, and intercept
ed two passes. It may be a cliche,
but wherever the ball is, Burnett is
there too.
I just try to get there, I can t really say I have a nose
for the ball, Burnett said. "Most of it has to do with
knowing what the opponents are doing and having
the speed to get in on the play."
Speed is probably Burnett's biggest physical asset.
He can run down tailbacks from behind, be used on a
speed blitz or even cover opponent's receivers. As evi
Tum to PLAYER, Page 8B