for
■ Oregon State’s star tailback,
Ken Simonton, has put
himself in position to become
an NFL draft pick
By Robbie McCallum
Oregon Daily Emerald
With all that Oregon State tail
back Ken Simonton has accom
plished this season, the question
arises: What is left for him to do?
The preseason All-American
holds the school records for career
rushing yards and all-purpose
yards, and is the all-time scoring
leader at 118 points. He also holds
the school record for most 100-plus
yard rushing games at 20.
Simonton has left his mark on the
conference as well. He is fifth all
time in rushing yards at 3,875 and
10th all-time in scoring. Last week
end, Simonton became one of only
six players in the conference to
have rushed for more than 1,000
yards in three seasons. What is ex
traordinary about that feat is that Si
monton is a junior — he is the only
Pac-10 rusher to have gained more
than 1,000 yards his freshman year.
This season, the Pittsburg, Calif.,
native is the eighth-leading rusher
in the nation and seventh in scor
ing. Simonton was fourth in the na
tion at one point before a 73-yard
performance against Arizona
brought his numbers down.
The 5-foot-7,175-pound tailback
is a finalist for the Doak Walker
Award, the honor for the top run
ning back in the nation, and the
Football Magazine Offensive Play
er of the Year award. Simonton, al
though a dark horse, has also been
lauded by many as a candidate for
the Heisman Trophy.
Simonton is one of the reasons
why the eighth-ranked Beavers are 9r
1 on the season and in position to
play in the Rose Bowl for the first
time since 1965. Oregon State’s turn
around from a Pac-10 doormat into a
top-10 team began when Simonton
and quarterback Jonathan Smith ar
rived in Corvallis three years ago.
Then-Oregon State head coach
Mike Riley recruited Simonton out
of Pittsburg High School in Califor
nia to begin his rebuilding process
of the Beaver program. Riley was
the only Pac-10 coach to knock on
Simonton’s door, which was a ma
jor factor in his coming to Corvallis.
Although Riley has since left for
the NFL, the foundation he laid
Emerald
Ken Simonton is dancing on the line between staying at OSU or joining the NFL
down has helped Oregon State get
where it is today. During Simon
ton’s career in Corvallis, Oregon
State has won five, seven and nine
games in successive years. Simon
ton’s statistics have grown too, from
1,028 yards as a freshman to 1,329
last year. He is on pace to record
1,545.6 yards this season.
“He’s the guts of this football
team,” Oregon State running backs
coach Dan Cozzetto said. “The
things he does are unbelievable for
his size. He possesses the gift of
knowing how to get into the end
zone. He hasn’t gained all his yards
by being average.”
If Oregon State does play in the
Rose Bowl this season and Simon
ton does garner one of the highly
touted postseason awards, Simon
ton won’t have much left to do at
Oregon State next year.
Is the National Football League
draft up next for Simonton? Who
knows.
“As a businessman, I’ll weigh my
options,” Simonton told Sports Il
lustrated. “I have every intention of
coming back, but if [the NFL] is
speaking my language...”
“If you put him through those
tests the NFL scouts do, maybe he
doesn’t do so well,” Oregon State
head coach Dennis Erickson said.
“But when you see him on video
and coach him live, he fascinates
you more every time you see him.”
If Simonton stays at Oregon State
for his senior year, he could risk an
injury or hit a senior slump, hurting
his chances as a first-round pick.
But he is not a lock-in as a first
round pick this year either.
If the Beavers come up short in
their quest for the Rose Bowl, Simon
ton would have an incentive to stay.
Another question to ask is:
Would Simonton leave a senior
laden team? The Beavers lose 12 of
fensive and defensive starters to
graduation this spring. Will Simon
ton be the 13th and leave Erickson
with a big hole at tailback?
Simonton is shorter than what
most professional scouts are look
ing for. His speed in the 40-yard
dash is good, but not great, at 4.42
seconds.
One of Simonton’s outspoken
goals is to play in the NFL, but
whether he plays next year or in
2002 is the question that remains to
be answered.
“As fun as business can be, it'd be a
little more fun if I had another zero at
the end of my paycheck at the end of
every month,” Simonton said at the
weekly Oregon State luncheon. “I
still only get $600 a month. I still have
to deal with the pain, but it's fun
though. It's still a business. Winning
and losing — you've still got to pre
pare and focus the same way, so for
me, you know, it’s more cameras. ”
f I smell roses, j
010732
Taco Bell supports the University of Oregon Ducks.
TACO
BELL
S6S0L0.
Haircuts.$1000
regular Si8 with shampoo & conditioner
Perms.$3295
Loop rods & spiral.$4295
regular $75 with conditioners, cut & style.
Longer, color treated hair slightly more.
Good through December 4,2000 077/
< ///ffS 707/6'
1311 Lincoln
T
Willamette Towers Building
345-1810
DISCOUNT
SPORTS & VITAMINS
(VITAL FOOD)
BEST PRICE & SELECTION
255 E. 18TH, EUGENE 343-0971
MO.
DO
American Sports Nutrition
Bio-Tech
Pinnacle
Champion Nutrition
Sportspharma
Prolab
Muscle Tech
Optimum
Nature's Best
Twin lab
Atkins
laBrada
Gen
Cybergenics
Metaform
Isopure
Next Nutrition
BEST SELECTION OF BRANDS AND
PRICES N. OF SAN FRANCISCO
“Our Mistake, YOUR PRICE BREAK!” WE ARE
S'*
ots»
-if^
$49
$69
$65
$109
5179
AMERICAN MATTRESS
WILL NOT BE UNDERSOLD
free
KING KOIL
FIRM SUPPORT
TWIN SET S1 69°°
FULL SET $1 99°°
QUEEN SET $259°°
10-Year Warranty
KING KOIL
SUPER PLUSH
TWIN SET $239°°
FULL SET $289°°
QUEEN SET $359°°
KING SET $459°°
10-Year Warranty
KING KOIL
PILLOW TOP
TWIN SET $29900
FULL SET $35900
QUEEN SET $399°°
KING SET $599°°
10-Year Warranty
Bring in this ad for FREE DELIVERY
Mon - Sat 9-6
Sun 11-5
jf AMERICAN
MATTRESS
MANUFACTURING
4075 W. 11th
343-2690
wmdailpmefald.eom