Greenwood-Farr Combination Is Working for UCLA

Marcus Greenwood’s father was not an all-pro player. He played some college ball, nothing special. So Greenwood, also a fullback for UCLA, doesn’t get the kind of attention that Mel Farr Jr., gets, even though he plays almost as much and averages a little more yardage.

“That’s to be expected,” Greenwood said. “Sometimes I feel a little overlooked, but the most important thing, now, is that I am getting to play. Finally.”

One of Greenwood’s biggest college games, to date, was in the 1982 Hall of Fame Bowl. Playing for the Air Force Academy, as a freshman, he rushed for 11 yards and caught 6 passes for 77 yards.

He then decided that military life was not for him, and transferred to UCLA. He had to sit out a year, 1983, then last season thought he was ready to go. He had some nagging injuries, though, and some other, equally nagging, frustrations.

“Any time you’re not playing, it’s hard to deal with,” he said. Then he reverted to Air Force jargon: “You try to fly the straight and narrow, and you don’t expect turbulence. . . . I thought maybe there were some political things. I guess that happens in all aspects of life.”

Greenwood, a junior from Bakersfield, has made the most of his playing time this season. Like Farr, he is making the transition from tailback and is getting used to the idea of blocking. He threw a block last Saturday, springing tailback James Primus free on a touchdown run.

Asked if he had any trouble dealing with his billing as a backup player, even though he shares the job, Greenwood said: “Sometimes I feel a little bit down because I’m not the starter, but that’s when I lean on my friends on the team, especially some of the guys on my line. We have a great line. . . . My friends have gotten me through.”