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Show Signpost Tuesday, 29 July 1986 7 SIDEJINES. Dave Allison Sports Editor Academic advisors for athletes at colleges have instrumental roles in helping an athlete graduate. Yet there is talk by the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletes to increase the amount of influence it already has on an athlete's ability to get a diploma . . . some of which may be going too far. If you haven't heard of the NAAAA, you're not alone. The NAAAA is a well kept secret from many of America's higher education facilities, despite having been around since 1973 and "boasting" a membership of over 200 persons. The organization's ties are mainly with big universities and is not a mandatory group which colleges have to accept. Colleges' advisory programs are individualistic in a sense, because they choose their own method of advising athletes. But this isn't good enough for the NAAAA. NAAAA is currently organizing an effort to certify advisors throughout America's colleges, thus assuring a college of an athletic advisor to watch over an athlete's academic progress. Certification of NAAAA's is thought to be the key in giving advisors more say into the academic affairs of college athletes. As the situation stands now, college advisors answer to athletic directors (A.D.s) and coaches with no power to enforce academic regulations for athletes. The advisor sends grade reports to the athletic office, and decisions regarding an athlete's eligibilty or punishment is left up to the A.D.s and coaches. The NAAAA would like more say and wants to be able to tell a coach to bench a player if he or she is behind academically. Their point is a valid one and a more recognizable one, especially after the publicity the University of Maryland received when NCAA officials uncovered the academic deficiencies of many Terrapin athletes while investigating Len Bias' death. Bias was 24 credit hours shy of his degree, which upset academia officials since he was ready to leave UM for a professional basketball career. A lot of undue criticism was directed at Maryland basketball coach Lefty Drisell and his academic values, something the NAAAA feels they need to be more involved with. But do colleges really need a certified advisor to reprimand athletes for not going to classes? It's hard to believe coaches and athletic directors would not be concerned with a student athlete's progress towards graduation. And for that matter should the athletic department be too concerned with a student athlete's academic success? After all, what is an athlete doing at a college if he or she is not trying to get a degree? Weber State athletic advisor Joyce Rich is not a member of the NAAAA and hasn't experienced any problems in dealing with WSC coaches in 20 years of advising Wildcat athletes. "We have a good relationship with the coaches," said Rich. "We push for graduation and we want them (WSC athletes) to succeed. But the coaches won't stand for being told what to do with their athletes; they would rebel." Advisors should stick to helping the athlete achieve his or her academic goals and not have the iron hand in deciding an athlete's eligibility. Hopefully, the NAAAA's effort will not reach these proportions. Second generation Wildcat looks to follow in father's footsteps at WSC Michael J. Tupa Ass't Sports Editor While he played for Weber State, Sid Otton wore number 71 and frightened opponents with his huge 252-pound frame which was highlighted on the cover of the Oct. 8, 1965 Signpost. One Weber State assistant football coach who, as a young man, watched Otton play recalls him as a "a big guy, a big man." While separated by 20 years of history from Vietnam to Watergate to Star Wars, Otton's son should soon be running the turf of Wildcat stadium and, like his father, hoping also to reach the heights of college football. A former Weber State All-American, the older Otton has some definite ideas on the college athletes of today as compared to when he played in the early 1960's. One of those athletes of today, his son Tim, will be pulling on the purple and white as a freshman at WSC this fall. "Nowadays, the kids in college are stronger, quicker, and faster than we were," the senior Otton said in an interview from his Tumwater, Washington home. "We didn't have football camps like the 11 which Tim has attended and some of the other training programs of today." An article in a past Signpost agrees with Otton. "Athletes today work more than twice as hard as those of ten years ago," the article said. "The new training methods have implications beyond just their meaning for athletes. They show that hard work can strenghten healthy hearts and lungs just as it toughens motor muscles." Also supporting this viewpoint was a Reader's Digest article which said, "Today's generation of athletes is the most phenomenal in history." Both articles were printed in October 1964, the year Sid Otton was a Wildcat junior. Sid Otton was apparently one of the great college athletes of his day. In fact, he was the first Wildcat All-American after Weber State became a four-year college, according to Dave Arslanian, present WSC assistant football coach. Arslanian is part of another Weber State father-son combination. "I still have his (Otton's) picture in my hallway," Arslanian said. He remembers as a youngster seeing Otton play for his father, former WSC head coach Sark Arslanian. In Arslanian's first year over the purple and white football program in 1965, Otton was a star defensive lineman senior on the team that went 8-1 and tied for the Big Sky championship with Idaho State. Otton said, "The year I was a senior was a pretty good year," but downplayed the importance of his All-American on the only team in WSC history to lose only one game. "A lot of those awards come because you're part of a great team." Otton, who is currently the head football coach at Tumwater High School where Tim graduated from last spring, admitted "I didn't have much of a choice on where to go to school if I wanted a scholarship." Only Weber State and one other school offered him one. He said that Tim, however, had more of a choice. Among the schools which showed an interest in 6'2", 210 outside linebacker Tim included the University of Washington, Oregon State University, the University of Montana, and Montanta State, besides Weber State, according to the younger Otton. Asked if his fathers Weber State football history and honors had something to do with his decision to play for the Ogden college, Tim Otton said, "It had a little bit to do with it," but cited other reasons as well. "I was impressed with Weber State when I visited it while still in junior high school. I thought the campus and the area was kind of choice." Otton also cited other reasons as being "a coaching staff that seems to care about its players." He continued, "I'm trying to take everything one year at a time. First, I want to try to make the travelling squad this year and get some road time." Otton said he'd like to eventually make All-American and get a shot at pro football like his father had, "but I guess everyone wants that." The senior Otton tried out with the Dallas Cowboys, but was cut and took his Weber State experience and education into his coaching career. Tim Otton and the other Weber players will arrive on campus by August 26 to begin season preparation. Dragster victory Lucas and Beal successful at races Dan Taylor Staff Reporter During the last four years, Dennis Lucas has been the perennial runner-up to Brian Raymer in the National Hot Rod Association Division V Top Alcohol dragster bracket. At last, he has two months to brag about his first-ever WHRA Division V Top Alcohol dragster victory. Lucas watched chief rival Raymer, who is the six-time defending champion in that division, get blown out of the championship running in the semifinals by Bonita, California driver Bruce McDowell. In the final, Lucas ran a 6.99 second elapse time to McDowell's 7.17 elapse time. McDowell had downed Lucas here a year ago in the finals, but this year, the California driver saw his tires go up in smoke at the starting line, making Lucas an easy winner. Lucas' victory was shadowed by Raymer's decision to waive his Bonneville points and opt instead to count a Denver race on September 13-14 as his final season race. "We'll follow him wherever he goes," said Lucas, "We're just think ing right now that we're the champs." Lucas, who towed up from Grand Junction, Colorado, pointed out they had run Raymer in a race at Denver earlier in the season and had run faster. "We had some problems here at Bonneville and still won the race. We'll be ready for him (Raymer) in September," said Lucas. San Diego's Chuck Beal, driving a 1985 Camaro, claimed his first top qualifying berth since the 1983 WHRA Winter-nationals by turning a 6.71 elapsed time late Saturday. Moments after Lucas claimed his Division V points meet win, Beal came to the line in the Top Alcohol funny car to face two-time defending World Champion Brad Anderson of Covina, California. To get the finals, Beal beat Bob Mineron the first round and drew a bye in the second round. Most of the 4,500 fans had their money on Anderson, who has made a late-season change from Division 7 to Division 5 in order to have a shot at a third straight world title. But in the final Beal drove and over powered Anderson for the Alcohol Funny car title. |