University of Virginia Library

Practices Begin For Big 5

Virginia's five major college
football teams will crank up spring
practices within the next three
weeks.

Coach Bob Thalman of Virginia
Military Institute will be greeted by
more than 100 candidates when the
Keydets open drills next Thursday.

The University of Richmond
kicks off spring practice Monday,
with Coach Frank Jones looking for
replacements for six all-southern
conference performers and nine
other starters from the first string
offensive and defensive units.

Don Lawrence becomes the first
of the three new major college
football coaches in Virginia to get a
look at the available talent when his
University of Virginia team begins
drills Friday.

Thalman and Lawrence, both
former assistant coaches, have a
pretty good idea of what to expect
from their players, but Charlie
Coffey will be seeing his Virginia
Tech players perform for the first
time when the Gobblers open
spring drills April 13.