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Pins: Valedictorian, Teetotaler, Gerard's Twin

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By G.D. ROTHENBERG

Just sitting there, he looked
like a typical student. Perhaps
more clean-cut than most, yet
as articulate as any student
here.

Quite simply, Dan Bonner
does not fit into any
convenient mold. The Greater
Pittsburgh native is a former
performer in the
nationally-known high school
Dapper Dan Tournament.
That, in itself, is adequate
proof of his athletic ability.

Dan does not want to be
known for his court talents
exclusively, however. He was
his high school class
valedictorian, the editor-in
chief of the gold medal
winning school paper
Ayonews, a former sports
editor of a modest Pittsburgh
periodical and the oldest
brother of ten younger
Bonners.

Bonner is of the
independent sort,
unquestionably. Two major
preferences separate Dan from
the rest of the basketball
squad.

"I don't like to go to
parties and I don't drink. That
probably distinguishes me from
the other people on the team,"
claims Dan.

The other characteristic led
to Dan's team nickname, Pins,
which is slang for legs. "I was
the first to wear kneepads at
the University. Weenie Miller
gave me the name when I wore
the pads after my knee
operation last year."

Without those knee pads
anymore to identify him, Dan
has had some minor problems
of recognition with the fans off
the court. "The recognition – I
can take it or leave it. It's nice
but ...", and here he waggishly
blurted "People call me Gus
(Gerard) an awful lot."

Good Sense Of Humor

Basic to Dan in our two
hour chat was this useful sense
of humor. He has a natural
timing to his wry remarks
which give him a witty air.
There's no fumbling for words
as he has a smooth, glib
delivery.

To get Dan to come here,
Virginia had to fight off
representatives of Pitt,
Fordham and Maryland. But
Bonner thought it was an easier
decision than it sounds.

"The thing that was
particularly attractive, besides
the education, was the attitude
of the players and the coaches.
No one is too big to be aloof,
or too small to be excluded.
For me, this was and still is the
biggest selling point of the
University."

A Bargain

The University may have
gotten a little more than the
four years with Dan Bonner for
which it bargained. Dan may
extend his four year hitch into
a seven-year odyssey for that
elusive law degree he is so
desirous of earning.

To do so, he will have to
maintain his 3.2 average. This
he explains, is a particularly
arduous task for a varsity
athlete to perform.

"It's hard during the first
semester because right about
finals we're having pretty
important games and we're on
the road. Up until then, it's not

so bad. At the beginning of the
second semester though, you
get punished. The problem is
you get so far behind you miss
out on the midterms. The ACC
Tournament is right at
midterm time."

Bonner cites an additional
obstacle to conscientious and
continual studying that all
readers, athletes and others,
can identify with – the
bothersome
roommate-syndrome.

Hobo, A Sneaky Scholar

As Dan describes it, "Hobo
(Jim Hobgood) always kids me
whenever I start studying, but
he studies as much as anyone
and kind of sneakily. He sits
around and gives me a lot of
trouble. He'd like to make you
think he's not studying but he
is, like before practice. He's
probably the smartest on the
team."

Dan's mild-mannered,
soft-spoken turns hard
when he discusses home
basketball games at U-Hall.

"The crowd's really
important to a basketball
player. There's a little ham in
all of us. The crowd does so
much to help...it gets the
adrenalin flowing," asserts
Bonner.

Most Wahoo Fans Fickle

While scoring most of our
fans for being "fair weather
fickle friends," Dan admires
and respects the fans at other
ACC schools, particularly UNC
and N.C. State.

"At UNC, 45 minutes before
the game, the place is packed.
When the players walk on the
floor the place goes berserk.
There's a constant roar all the
game. I've been more psyched
up for games at State and UNC
than any home game here."

Bonner also criticizes the
pep band's repertoire –
"they're a great organization
but they play the wrong kind
of music, dinner music" – and
the ticket distribution system.

"The ticket distribution
system gives the tickets to the
wrong fans. It's the most
unfair, biased policy I've heard
of." Dan favors the old
first-come first-served system

Great Hard-Core Fans

Dan also separated the
hard-core group of fans from
the fans maligned above.
"We've got as good a hard core
as anyone in the country,
especially the Basketball Club.
These are the best fans
around."

It's not too hard to get
on Dan Bonner's good side. All
one must do is to come to all
the games early, shout oneself
hoarse, and not call him Gus.
His name is DAN Bonner.