Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 26, 1995 TAG: 9508300007
SECTION: COLLEGE FOOTBALL PAGE: CF-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LEXINGTON LENGTH: Medium
When their beloved coach, Gary Fallon, suffered a fatal heart attack in the spring, the Washington and Lee Generals were left with a feeling of emptiness. Fallon had filled their hearts and minds as their mentor, yet when he left, no one had a chance to thank him or say goodbye.
The best they can do is show their appreciation on the field this fall. Maybe then they can give him the send-off they feel he deserved.
``It will be like his last hurrah,'' said Robert Hull, a senior defensive lineman from Lexington. ``We feel like we owe it to him.''
Washington and Lee has 25 seniors on its roster this season, the most since Fallon took over the program in 1978. With that kind of experience, the Generals shouldn't have any trouble paying him tribute with a successful season. In 1994, the Generals won their final four games to finish with a 5-4 record and gain a major confidence boost.
On April 29, however, their morale was shaken. Fallon suddenly was gone.
``Everyone was in shock,'' said Hull, a Division III All-American. ``It was hard to talk about it.''
They think about and talk about Fallon often in Lexington these days. St.Patrick's Catholic Church had a memorial mass in Fallon's honor Aug.15. Visitors frequent his grave site in the Stonewall Jackson Cemetery. The impact of Fallon's death extended to the other college football program in town, too; Fallon was Bill Stewart's godfather when the VMI coach was baptized this year.
``I know you're supposed to move on,'' said Frank Miriello, Fallon's friend and his successor as W&L's head coach. ``But I want to stay close to him. I don't want to forget him.''
``We started off rocky, but then we were as close as you can get as a coach and player,'' Hull said.
Miriello has said frequently in the off-season that he wants the Generals to ``play in a manner to please'' Fallon, meaning beyond their talent. That could explain what happened in W&L's final conference game of 1994, when it upset Old Dominion Athletic Conference power Guilford 13-7 on the road. Although Fallon's vantage point has changed, the Generals feel he will be watching whenever they play this fall.
If the Generals have a carry-over from the Guilford game, which the coaches expect they will, it likely will come from the defense. W&L led the conference in scoring defense last season, giving up 13.4 points per game. Hull, The Sporting News' preseason Division III defensive player of the year, anchors the unit from one tackle spot.
The Generals also are strong at safety, with two-year starters Butler Ball and Stuart Hogue returning.
Although the offense lacks standout talents at the skill positions, sophomore running back Seth McKinley and sophomore fullback Jack Boyd, a transfer from Richmond and brother of W&L linebacker McGuire Boyd, could prove to be a tough combination. The Generals have two steady quarterbacks in juniors Brooks Fischer (a two-year starter) and Tommy Rueger.
One of W&L's main objectives will be cutting down turnovers. The Generals lost their first three games of 1994 when their turnovers-to-points-scored ratio was 14-to-2.
``We want to make it so we don't lose a game offensively,'' said 10-year assistant Jeff Stickley, who is serving as offensive coordinator for the first time at W&L.
Although the Generals may be a low-scoring team, their victory total should not decrease. Miriello says he thinks W&L will surprise some people. The ODAC coaches picked the Generals fourth among six league teams; Miriello picked them third.
``They're feeling very determined because of what has happened,'' he said of his players. ``Honestly, I expect them to play out of their shoes.''
by CNB