Cal Fans Can’t Get Enough of Marc Hicks : Kapp Says He May Unleash Promising Freshman Running Back Against USC

The Golden Bears of California have been in hibernation for several years when it comes to football. They’ve settled into the second division of the Pacific 10, but that may not be permanent.

There’s an aura of excitement about the football program for the future and it has been generated by Marc Hicks, a multipurpose running back from Davis, Calif.

Although the Bears have been competitive this year and are most likely better than their 3-6 overall and 1-6 Pac-10 records indicate, it’s too late to salvage this season.

A victory over USC Saturday at Berkeley, however, would be an auspicious steppingstone for 1986.

If ever a player was a catalyst for a football program, Hicks fits that mold.

As one of the most highly recruited players in the country, Hicks turned down such prestigious football schools as Ohio State, Nebraska, Penn State and Washington to enroll at California.

His freshman season so far could be called tantalizing. He usually plays about half a game, and fans in Strawberry Canyon are clamoring to see more of him.

But California Coach Joe Kapp doesn’t want to put too much pressure on his rising young star. Not this season, at least. Hicks has also been bothered by some nagging injuries.

Kapp said, though, that he plans to use Hicks more against the Trojans. “He’s a tremendous ace, a card we need to play more without ruining him, or his psyche,” Kapp said.

When Hicks is on the field, he adds an element of excitement to what has generally been a disappointing season for the Bears.

Hicks is a throwback to another era, the triple-threat running back. At 6-2 and 200 pounds, he’s a stylish, tackle-breaking runner, who also is the Bears’ regular punter. He has thrown only one pass this season, but he has a background as a passer, having performed as a shotgun quarterback in his senior season at Davis High School.

The Old Blues, the Cal alumni, haven’t seen such a versatile athlete since Vic Bottari and Jackie Jensen took the team to the Rose Bowl in the ‘30s and ‘40s. Nor has Cal had an outstanding running back since Chuck Muncie in 1975. Undistinguished plodding types have come and gone in the last decade.

Hicks, though, has brought the big play to Cal’s offense. For example:

--As a receiver, he teamed with quarterback Brian Bedford on a 79-yard touchdown pass play last Saturday against Arizona State, the longest completion of the season.

--He also has contributed the longest run, 44 yards against Washington; the longest kickoff return, 38 yards against Oregon State, and the longest punt, 56 yards against Arizona State.

Hicks has gained 402 yards as a running back, a 5.7 average, while backing up senior Dwight Garner. In total offense, he is averaging 91.8 yards a game.

He is averaging 39.1 yards as a punter and has placed six of his punts inside opponents’ 20-yard lines.

Hicks’ rushing statistics are almost identical to those compiled by USC’s Aaron Emanuel, who also was heavily recruited. In fact, they made a recruiting trip together to Nebraska.

Emanuel has gained 372 yards in 72 carries, one more than Hicks, for a 5.17 average. It would be good theater if two of the nation’s best freshmen runnings backs could be showcased Saturday.

But Emanuel is suffering from a severely sprained left ankle and it’s doubtful whether he’ll play, or even make the trip to the Bay Area.

California hasn’t played in the Rose Bowl since 1959. It hasn’t won a conference championship since it shared the title with UCLA in 1975.

But Hicks says the Bears will be back with a vengeance next year, mentioning that only 10 of the top 44 players are due to graduate.

When it was suggested to Hicks that the Bears might be a Pac-10 contender next season, he said: “Going to be? We will be.”

Hicks also said that people who have soured on Cal’s football program will be surprised next year and will be jumping back on the bandwagon.

“We have a young team behind the seniors that is building,” he said. “We are ready to break out with all that anger and rage of not being a great winning team. But we have a lot of talent and we’re going to shock some people.

“People on the outside don’t know about Cal football, what goes on in the practices and meetings. They have only one opinion of us. But next year, when we win and go to the Rose Bowl, they’ll say, ‘Oh, they’re a great team. We always knew that.’ ”

The enthusiastic Hicks had anticipated that Cal would have a better record this season and, with a few breaks, the Bears could have been a .500 team or better.

Cal lost three games, to Washington State, Oregon State and Arizona, in the final 90 seconds. The Bear outgained Washington, 392 yards to 262, and had 17 more first downs than the Huskies in a 28-12 loss.

The Bears had 411 yards in total offense to 236 for Arizona State, but lost, 30-8. Cal self-destructed with seven interceptions and a fumble, one interception resulting in a 93-yard touchdown return for the Sun Devils with less than a minute remaining in the first half.

“We’ve had our ups and downs this season, but we’ve accomplished a lot,” Hicks said. “The only team that really beat us was UCLA (34-7). We should have wiped Arizona State’s clock clean . . . and other teams we’ve met, but we had some mental breakdowns.”

Not only was Hicks an accomplished running back in high school, he also found time to play basketball, baseball and was a 23-foot 11-inch long jumper on the track team. As a catcher-center fielder, he was drafted on the 26th round by the Minnesota Twins. But Hicks said he plans to concentrate on football at Cal.

Whenever an outstanding running back emerges from high school, it is assumed that USC will be in the recruiting picture.

The Trojans, however, were recruiting Emanuel, and Ryan Knight, another highly touted prep star, was already at USC, a fact not lost on Hicks.

“USC recruited me early, but I didn’t feel it was the school for me,” he said. “Then, they laid off. They had their share of running backs, and I wanted to go to a school where I could help turn the program around and do something for myself.”

It remains to be seen whether Hicks can awaken the long-slumbering Bears. But he is already making a name for himself, and as the late Al Jolson often said, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

THE WORD ON MARC HICKS

California Coach Joe Kapp: “A great player can lift a team to a higher level--and Marc does that. He’s a talent that doesn’t come along very often. The added part is the attitude he brings. It’s an enthusiasm that’s contagious to the players and fans. He has a running style that is similar to Gale Sayers’. He’s a long strider with a change of direction that can blind you. But he’s unique to himself.”

USC Coach Ted Tollner: “He’s going to be a headache for all of us in the conference for the next three years. We knew he had size and speed, everybody knew that. But the thing that surprises you is the way he runs with his eyes in the the open field, and makes the right cuts as a freshman. There is no question he’s a big-time back.”

UCLA Coach Terry Donahue: “He’s what I would classify as a great freshman. He’s got speed, size, and the ability to play in the big games. He’ll become one of the great, great runners in Cal history.”

Washington Coach Don James: “After our game with Cal, I associated him with Charles White coming into the league. But the more I’ve had a chance to think about it, I think he’s the best football player to come into our league in 11 years. I can’t recall a freshman coming in and being in a dominating position like this.”

Oregon Coach Rich Brooks: “Hicks is a great player. He has brought a new dimension to the Cal offense. He runs over you, around you, catches the ball and does it all. He just has great vision.”

Washington linebacker Bo Yates: “He’s so tough to bring down. I can’t count how many tackles he broke on us.”