USD Football 1991

1991 USD FOOTBALL PROFILE Eight years ago, a goal was set by the new football staff to develop a football program that would be nationally recognized, but to do so while reflecting the philosophy and values of the university. In order to achieve this goal, it remains important for the university to attracttrue student athletes. Notonly must they be good football players,but good students as well. The USD football program is part of the NCAA Division 111, which means they are ;, nonscholarship. The Division Ill philosophy places the emphasison academics first, ¥

with athletics being an integral part of the educational process. This does not make Division Ill football any less competitive or intense. Many great athletes who some how "didn't measure up to the Division I standards" find themselves at Division Ill programs. This makes for an exciting brand of football that is played with the same " enthusiasm and fervor that you find at the "major college" programs. The USD football program has seen a tremendous growth over the last eight years.The quality of its players hasrisen steadily both academically and athletically. The minimum requirements for incoming students are 3.0 GPA's with a 900 on the SAT, and many of the players on the present squad were highly honored student- athletes at their high school. This combination of academics and athletics makes USD football an attractive opportunity for the serious student who is looking to get a good education as well as participating on an outstanding football team. The major recruiting emphasis is on high school seniors. This is a departure from the previous philosophy which depended heavily on transfers. To develop the consistency needed to be successful every year, players should be part of the program for four years. This process was slow, but, has paid great dividends. National and regional rankings over the past four seasons, along with four Academic All Americans are just a few of the bench marks that point to how far this program hascome. The team GPA of 2.8 tells that USD's players are successful in the classroom as well.

The Torero's offense is coming off one of its finest seasons since Coach Fogarty arrived on the scene in 1983. Since switching to the Wing T offense, USD has given opposing defenses many different things to worry about defending. This misdirection offense is perfectly suited for taking advantage of the strengths of San Diego's personnel. Although USD loses some key performers from the offense, four offensive starters return from last year's 7-2 team. The offensive line returns center Gene Fontana (6-0, 240) and tackle Neil Greer (6-2, 250). Taking the snaps from Fontana and directing the Wing T offense will be junior QB Michael Bennett (6-1, 191 ). He'll be counted on to replace four-year starter Brendan Murphy. The running attack should be solid with junior Scott Sporrer (568 yards, 4 TD's). senior John Eck (6-0, 175) and senior Charlie Taumoepeau (5- 11, 230) sharing the bulk of the ground duties. Leading candidates for receiving duties include senior WR Dave Bergmann (6-1, 200) and senior TE Brad Leonard (6-3, 210). Senior John Eck hauled in 16 passes a year ago, good for 189 yards and 2 TD's. The Torero coaching staff has every reason to believe the 1991 offense will be every bit as productive as their predecessors.

The San Diego defense has established itselfas one of the best in Division Ill football. With seven returning starters, the Torero defense figures to be outstanding once again. The front seven will be the strength this year, with all the defensive linemen and three of the four line backers returning. Key returners include linemen Christian Sirek (6-5, 210, Jr.), Rick Salazar (6-0, 220, Sr.) and Jim Washam (6-1 , 235, Sr.); ILB Dan Chandler (6-0, 215, Sr.); OLB's Ken Robak (6-3, 210, Sr.) and Paul Sellers (6-0, 202, Sr.); and DBDave Paladino (5-8, 170, Sr.). Paladino, a3-yearstarter inthe defensive secondary, paced the Toreros in 1990 with 86 tackles. USD special teams will continue to be a major reason for Torero success. At this time the kicking chores will be handled by senior Dave Bergmann. Bergmann has converted 26-of-38 FG's the past two seasons. Freshman Robert Ray will take over at punter, replacing four year performer John Gillis. Top candidates for kick and punt return duties include seniors Greg Frinell and Dave Paladino. 1991 is the year when the Toreros hope to put it all together and reach their goal of going to the NCAA playoffs. Last season saw them ranked as one of the top six teams in the NCAA Division Ill western region. It marked the second year in a row that USD just missed a berth in the NCAA post season playoffs. But, USO has to deal with a very tough schedule that includes two Division II opponents as well as teams that comprise the always tough SC/AC confer- ence. The future looks very bright for USD and 1991 should be a very good year for the Toreros.

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