Fort Worth Star-Telegram from Fort Worth, Texas • 169

Wednesday-Thursday July 24-25 1985 THE ARLINGTON CITIZEN-JOURNAL 13A 210) uto Cunningham aims for quick recovery from mishap I :0 '4 4 I' 0 i 4 "i 1 i 4 ti'" KS ::4: I i ti: 41'' t''N i 1 1 I i '7 1" i "il Ik'' 4A l' 0:: 1: 7''' -ii''''''''''--71kI''-i 1 I -1''1: :2: ek' I i i '''''l -1' 1 ttz 1 lt" i 619h i :4: f1- '''s '1 i 1 :4 1 4 1'44 iii'4: i -4''' i jtit" 4'4 4 i '5 3 4 i A' ik' ti tii 1t O' 03kr41 e- 13-: 44A41 '44 14 1 At I'1 il 1 g': '4'4'4 '2-''i' '4 1' 3 t4 k' -40Ari' rP0241 ''t 't: 11k tt 7' ii': ----4i N5 Cunningham says he'll be in the arm cast for a month before getting a lighter cast to begin workouts Texas Tech freshmen report Aug 12 and Cunningham still has that date marked to be in Lubbock "We've got no table to go by" said Wilson an All-SWC quarterback in 1965 "If he missed that many (four games) It'd be extremely difficult to learn what we are doing" Only time will tell if Cunningham is redshirted or if he plays a major role in 1985 with the Red Raiders the only SWC school that hasn't been to the Cotton BowL "We're going to change that" said Cunningham who plans to room with Irving Nimitz running back Derrick Trigg "Between now and the next four years" Cunningham said he has had numerous friends drop by to check out his status including a lot of his high school teammates and all of his coaches One of the biggest surprises was Martin coach Ben Bailey stopping by to see Cunningham "One of the great things that happened today was the Martin coach (Bailey) came over and gave me a get-well card" said Cunningham Monday Schoolboy teammate Robert Charanza who'll attend the University of Texas this fall also paid Cunningham a visit "He came over with a Tech cup for his dip (snuff)" said Cunningham "I told him 'You don't do that with a Tech cup' redshirt the highly-regarded quarterback Cunningham regained the feeling in his arm following five hours of major surgery and he says he hasn't had any loss of the feeling in his first week of recuperation "The only time I lost it (feeling) was when the nerve was cut" said Cunningham "I had it back after I got out of surgery I didn't feel weak or anything" Ironically Cunningham has never worn a cast in his football days dating back to pee wee leagues The District 7-5A Offensive Player of Year was in tip-top shape and ready to battle for Tech's starting quarterback spot Texas Tech is relatively unexperienced at quarterback with Ballinger sophomore Aaron Keesee who dislocated his shoulder during spring drills and freshman redshirt Billy Joe Tolliver of Boyd the top candidates With a fast start Cunningham was prepared to battle for the top spot "It's one of those very unfortunate things that sometimes happen" Texas Tech offensive coordinator Tom Wilson said of Cunningham's mishap "We were hoping to look at Keith to see how he fits in our new offense (the Flexbone)" The 6-foot 185-pounder will have to put the Monday morning of July 15 behind Wilson is optimistic about Cunningham's return "He feels good about it" said Wilson pointing out it will be a wait-and-see situation "I don't think we'll know how it is until he gets out of the cast" By MARK GOODSON C-1 Sports Editor Keith Cunningham had a knack for being in the right place at the right time in Sam Houston High's 1984 banner year Last week the right-hand man of Arlington football fortunes was in the right place at the wrong time The easy-going Cunningham was injured in a freak accident just 45 minutes before he was to leave for Lubbock to begin the countdown for his freshman season at Texas Tech University Cunningham sliced his right wrist when he broke a light fixture while moving the box springs off his mother's king-sized bed The sharp-edged glass fixture shattered when struck by the box springs Pieces of the flying glass speared Cunningham in his forearm and wrist cutting ligaments arteries and nerves "All I felt was this here" said Cunningham pointing to the stitched cut on his forearm "I couldn't feel my wrist because it cut a nerve There was a lot of blood I just ran to the bathroom and grabbed a towel and put pressure on it" Cunningham who amassed 1720 yards total offense and scored 19 touchdowns last season rushed to the hospital for what he thought was a few quick stitches "I went in and told the doctor I need a couple of stitches because I've got 45 minutes before I go to Tech" said Cunningham The injury will keep Cunningham out for six to eight weeks and threatens to C-J Photo by Mar Keith Cunningham using patience to overcome accident Fort Worth Nolan adds Arlington flavor to football team 1 between Texas Houston and TCU as his future college Switzer plans to play the AJGA event in Tulsa this week Te' 1 't 1 1) 1111 Fort Worth Nolan will have a distinct Arlington flavor when the team takes on the Kennedale Wildcats in their football opener in September The Catholic private school is expected to feature three Arlington youths in its starting backfield under first-year head coach Greg Grady The trio are Steven Sign Matthew Sign and speedster David Thompkins Steven Sign is a junior transfer from Lamar High while Matthew Sign will be a freshman Matthew played on Shackelford's unbeaten eighth grade team last year Nolan lost to Kennedale 54-0 to start its third straight winless season a year ago The Signs are the younger brothers to Bobby Sign the heralded Lamar High standout who started at the University of Pittsburgh as a freshman Sign has been moved to guard for the Panthers Former Arlington High and Texas Tech placekicker Ricky Gann is presently looking to land a job with a National Football League team The fifth all-time leading scorer in Texas Tech history with 169 points turned down a Bahr The Browns have also signed two free agents Gann and his agent f26Jim Talbot of Dallas are still hopeful for this season Ex-Arlington Lamar golfer Grant Switzer who helped Elvin Jones squad to the state tournament in 1984 has decided to transfer from the University of New Mexico Switzer recently won the Texas-Oklahoma Junior championship with a 292 total to edge Jaimie Gomez of McAllen by two strokes Switzer said Monday before a practice round he hopes to decide Lamar golfers Todd Campbell Mark Murray JB Gardner and Kevin Hull are among the area linksters competing in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram junior tournament this week PGA touring pro Terry Snodgrass of Arlington took home $627 after a 282 at last week's Quad Cities Open in Coal Valley Summer heat brings ouR high jumper's best Marks By free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys on draft day "I turned down a contract with Dallas and I really shouldn't" said Gann Monday "I thought I'd get some more offers The contract wasn't that bad but I wanted to go until just before the school year begins White's father ran sprints the hurdles and did the long jump during his youth but Kyle said his father was "mainly a football man" The youngest of three kids White didn't fill out as much as his father might have wished for a football player so track was a logical choice not fast enough to be a sprinter" he said "People said if I worked at it I could become a sprinter or distance runner but this (high jumping) just came natural" Last year clearing 6-2 was a good jump for White he said This season he's averaging 6-8 a height eight inches higher than the top of his head "Coach (Gerald) Richey my high school coach wrote the book on track and field" said White "And I've worked with coach (Ron) Abrams for six years His specialty is jumps" So White feels fortunate to have had primo coaches to guide him to his current level of competition His own mental attitude plays a major role "I say to myself don't look at how high the bans Half or most of the high jump is a mental game "You just have to let it all out Shut your eyes and go Trust yourself and your abilities" and remarks Mark Goodson some place where I had a better chance of making it Septien (Rafael) has three or four more good years in him" Gann says the Cleveland Browns are a possibility for him Cleveland's veteran kicker is Matt igormi V3 to4 OrtrOrVIITIVM1 Kyle 7- i Iv- 04 i'- 555 At 77' 5 I 0 fs--y-T-4 :4 ita :::1:: 71 ::7: tIm14e '-''1' A :::1:::::: Jt: a 1 -1 -21 i Hz 44: r'' 4: '077-1 i It'o'- vvv wi)ts-: 4i4t(t 'A-: St -rkli 4 i i' ce'loosevNo 40 1:::: k1 4iy ''')'''''i-ir 4: -7 4 1'z-- lite- t- i 1:: ::004 1 1'" 1 eL'0' 44 0C4 'A? By CATHY SEABAUGII CNI Staff Writer Kyle White's lanky torso and dangling thin arms and legs used to be a drawback to his appearance so he thought Those traits now draw attention to him as a successful high jumper "People come up to me and say 'Hey are you a high jumper? You look like one" said White adjusting the arms on which the high jump pole rests "For a lot of years people thought of me as a skinny guy Now people say 'yea he may be skinny but he can jump high enough" White cleared 6-foot 8-inches at the TAC National Track and Field Meet in New York for a second-place finish among the top youth high jumpers in the United States two weeks ago The 6-foot athlete repeated the feat of 6-8 last week to win the regional title and set a record Ills performance at that meet held in Houston qualified him for another national meet July 25-28 in Seattle Wash He is undefeated In nine Texas meets this year "The guy who beat me in New York will be in Seattle" said White "Maybe I can bring it back home from Washington" The 17-year-old Arlington High otodent walked off his steps for him high jump approach His 165 pounds are proportionately distributed but his thigh muscles jut out vividly with each step he takes "I jump rope a lot and do squats with weights" said the athlete who has been active in this event for eight years "My legs are about as strong as they've ever been "I've been working on my upper body Your upper body is what gets you off the ground helps with your runup plant and spring" His personal best jump so far has been a 6-9 the all-time Southland Conference college record is 7-534 held by Lamar University's Thomas Eriksson White finished third in the high jump at last year's District 7-5A meet after the top three jumpers were forced into a jumpoff White is a wide receiver for the Arlington Colts football team in the fall then joins teammates for the Arlington Boys Club winter basketball league He attributes part of his jumping abilities to experience from rebounding on the basketball court "I played basketball in school until my sophomore year" said White "then the coach said you can't really play football and basketball and be good at both of them At the Boys Club it's not whether we win or lose You're just getting some good playing time There's not that much pressure on you" Then spring time starts giving birth to the bluebonnets and outdoor track athletes begin getting itchy feet to get back on the track White gets going in early spring and doesn't bag his track season C-J Photo by Cathy Seabaugh jump bar White measures up to high.