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Show Football team begins Spring Training starter in the defensive back-field. back-field. Tillman had 43 tackles and one pass interception last year. The Thunderbirds finished 5-5 last season, winning their last three in a row. In the T-Birds' last three games the defense held the opposition to a mere 159 total on the ground and sacked the quarterback 28 times. As a team SUSC finished second in defense against the rush in the HMAC and NAIA District Seven allowing just 137 yards per game. With the returning talent and experience plus some outstanding out-standing recruits, the 1977 edition of the football T-Birds will be looking for a winning season. Twenty-four lettermen . return for Football Coah Tom Kingsford and the Southern Utah State College Thunderbirds in 1977. Fifteen starters (nine offense and six defense) are included among the lettermen. The six offensive starters are center Kit Janes ((6-5, 240, junior), all RMAC honorable mention last season, Rich Hernandez, flanker (6-0, 195, senior), also all-RMAC honorable mention. Hernandez led the T-Birds in receiving with 23 catches, 279 yards and four touchdowns. Great things are expected form him in the 1977 season. Hernandez also punted 56 times for a 38.4 yard average to make him one of the top punters in the RMAC and NAIA' District Seven. Ben Doson, split end (5-10, 170) grabbed 15 passes for 259 yards and one touchdown. Running back Mike Powell (5-11, 190, senior), the squad's second leading rusher with 468 yeards, also grabbed five passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Tom Kingsford, Jr., (6-1, 180, junior) returns at quarterback to head the offense. Kingsford threw for 758 yards and 10 touchdowns. Other returning starters are offensive guards' Jerry Haslem (6-0, 220, junior) and Paul Tate (6-0, 220, sophomore), and tackles Bob Martin (6-0, 230, sophomore) and Ted Crego (6-0, 230, senior). Defensively, John Lundstrom (6-.0, (6-.0, 180, sophomore, linebacker) leads the way. Lundstrom was second-team all-RMAC as a freshman. He also led SUSC with 136 tackles; that ranked him second in NAIA District Seven. Gilbert Rodriguez (6-0, 225, senior and three-year letterman) returns at tackle. Rodriguez was honorable mention all-RMAC and finished third on the team with 101 tackles. Ken Manzanares (5-10, 190, sophomore) started every game at linebacker along side Lundstrom. Lund-strom. Manzanares was in on 73 tackles last season. Lane Martino (6-1, 200, sophomore) and Bob Klee (6-0, 220, senior) return at the defensive end position. Martino also received honorable mention honors from the RMAC. He led the T-Birds in quarterback sacks with 14 and was in on 50 tackles. Klee was injured early in the season but came on strong to finish with 52 tackles and five quarterback sacks. Jerry Tillman (5-11, 180, senior) is the only returning |