University of Virginia Library

Ex-Wahoos Capture First Win Of Decade, 27-19

Alumni Score All 27 In First Half;
Defense Holds On To Foil Varsity

By Dave Marshall
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

After last year's humiliating
41-7 loss to the varsity Bob (Rock)
Weir, coach of the old grads in the
annual spring football game, vowed
his team would do better this year.
In fact the Virginia gentleman, a
brewery executive in the 'off'
season, said, "We'll have the
strongest Alumni team in quite
some time and I think we'll have a
good chance of beating the
varsity." Saturday yesteryear's
heroes, with a supporting cast of
the likes of Bob Paczkoski, Jeff
Anderson, Gene Arnette and Frank
Quayle proved Coach Weir true to
his word as they built up a big first
half lead and held on to escape with
a 27-19 victory.

With an estimated Scott
Stadium crowd of 8500, many of
whom were old grads back for their
traditional "Homecoming",
watching through intermittent
showers, the Alumni rolled up a
twenty point halftime bulge and
then stymied a second half
comeback bid for only their fifth
win in the game's 17 year history.

The Wahoo varsity gave up four
interceptions and one fumble to
help the "old men" to their
halftime margin. Bob Paczkoski,
All-ACC linebacker last fall, picked
off two errant passes and returned
one of them 58 yards for the
Alumna's second touchdown. The
Economics major, who never
intercepted a pass last fall, returned
the other aerial 31 yards to set up
the Alumna's fourth touchdown 22
seconds before halftime. It came on
a pass over the middle from Arnette
to Anderson from the eight yard
line.

The old grads' third score came
when Jim Meighen stepped in front
of the intended receiver at the 38
and picked off a pass. After racing
down the sideline and bowling over
Brian Kitchen, the quarterback, he
was tripped and fell at the eight. On
the third play from scrimmage
Anderson slipped through two
defenders from the two for the
score.

After the "old men's" third
touchdown the varsity scored on a
96 yard run back of the kick by
Dave Wyncoop. The fourth-year
Cavalier, who had played behind
Quayle the last two years, gathered
in the kick on the five. After
fumbling it back to the four he
picked up a block, sped to the right
side and, helped by a few more
blocks and old age, scampered
down the sideline for the score.

Anderson also scored the
Alumna's first touchdown, this time
on a plunge from the five yard line.
The play had been set up when Joe
Hoppe made a leaping catch of an
Arnette aerial in a third and eight
situation.

Tailback Joe Smith wasted the
first scoring opportunity when he
fumbled into the end zone and the
Alumna's Duane Bickers pounced
upon the loose ball for a
touchback. Smith, a first-year man
who played linebacker last fall, had
ground out 25 yards of the 47 yard
drive before his fumble halted it.

The varsity's final chance to
reduce the losing margin ended
when placekicker Dave Foreman
missed on a field goal attempt from
the 30 yard line. Originally the
younger Cavaliers had moved the
ball to the five, mostly on the
running talents of Jim Lacey and
Danny Fassio, but two penalties
and an eleven yard loss by Fassio
when Bob Kowalkowski nailed him
on a pass attempt had moved the
ball back to the thirty.

The varsity, undoubtedly rallied
by Coach George Blackburn's
touching halftime pep talk, came
right back with two touchdowns in
a short two minute span in the
third period. But despite the fine
comeback effort the varsity could
not make up the deficit as
yesterday's heroes rose to the
occasion to stifle two last ditch
scoring attempts inside the six.

Old age and the Virginia-type
party the Alumni threw Friday
night were evident in the second
half statistics. The old grads
managed only two first downs and
60 yards total offense in the final
thirty minutes after garnering six
first downs and 143 yards total
offense in the first half.

Coach Blackburn used three
quarterbacks in the first half,
Fassio, Kitchen and Larry Albert.
Each quarterback equally
complemented the stagnant
offense, though in the second half
Fassio did a good job directing the
attack. However, Coach Blackburn
was not too displeased with the
offense; "We had hoped for some
more offense, but we really didn't
expect too much. In fact, when we
got those touchdowns in the third
period that was the best we have
looked all spring on offense."

The Alumna's offense was
another matter, or as the ACC
Coach-of-the-Year told the Alumni
after the game, "I just got through
chewing out my team, and now I'm
over here to congratulate you on a
well played game."

Coach Weir, not exactly the
talkative type, said only, "I am very
pleased. I am very, very pleased"
and proceeded to hand out samples
of his company's product.

illustration

Retired Co-Captain Gene Arnette Tucks In Pigskin And Cuts Sharply To Evade First-Year Linebacker Rick Kohlbacker

Alumni Quarterback's Seven Completions And 102 Yards Passing Propelled Old-Timers To Upset Over Coach Blackburn's Varsity