Troy St. Faces New Season After a Tragic Off-Season

Troy State, the defending NCAA Division II football champion, endured a tragic and tumultuous off-season. Three players were killed, the head coach left, and the only experienced quarterback suffered a serious injury.

Robert Maddox, who replaced Rick Rhoades as the Trojans’ coach, hopes the adversity will bring his team closer together.

“When one player dies, it’s like losing a member of the family,” he said. “They sweat, eat, live and do everything together, and when you lose one through a tragedy, everybody hurts.”

Thomas Miller, a linebacker who moved into a starting role late in the season because of injuries, and brother Sean Miller, a backup offensive lineman, were killed in a traffic accident Dec. 14--two days after Troy State beat Portland State, 31-17, in the Division II championship game.

Then, on June 9, Mark Chipmen, expected to anchor the defensive line this season, was stabbed to death outside a restaurant in the hometown of Arcadia, Fla.

“You just can’t go on the field and fill their vacancies like nothing’s happened,” said Maddox, Rhoades’ defensive coordinator since 1985 and a member of the Trojans’ staff for 10 years. Maddox took over the head coaching job when Rhoades moved to Southern Illinois.

Last season, the Trojans won 12 straight games on the road to their second national title in four years. They also have won 18 consecutive Gulf South Conference games since 1985 and are the favorite to repeat as league champions.

At the heart of the team’s success the last four seasons was wishbone quarterback Mike Turk, but he’s no longer around.

“The quarterback is definitely the trigger man for the whole thing,” Maddox said. “Everyone has to do a job, but the quarterback’s job is a little more difficult.”

Bob Godsey, who passed for 347 yards and ran for 216 more as Turk’s backup in 1987, was the leading candidate to take over the quarterback job, but he injured his left knee during spring practice and underwent surgery.

Godsey is questionable for the Trojan’s season opener Sept. 3 against Southeast Missouri State, the only team to beat Troy State last season. If he can’t play, the quarterback job will fall to either sophomore Randy Barnes or freshman Steve Summers--neither of whom has taken a snap in a college game.

Fullback Tony Jackson, the Trojans’ leading rusher last year with 938 yards and eight touchdowns, returns in the backfield, along with halfback Robert Carter, who gained an average of 7.3 yards a carry in 1987--tops on the team.

Troy State’s top offensive threat is Titus Dixon, a wide receiver who caught 32 passes for 651 yards and five touchdowns. He also finished second in the 100-meter dash at the Division II track and field championships.

Maddox is particularly worried about his team’s depth in the trenches. He’ll have to replace three starters on the defensive line, and only one full-time starter returns on the offensive line.

“We lost a lot of offensive and defensive linemen,” the coach said. “I’m more concerned about those areas than quarterback.”

Senior linebacker Gerrick Pimienta, who’s closing in on the all-time school record for tackles, anchors the defense. He had 198 tackles last season--more than 13 per game--and saved his best for last with 22 in the championship game.