CAL STATE FULLERTON NOTEBOOK : Defensive End Siler Gets Medical Clearance, Expected to Join Workouts

Clarence Siler, a Cal State Fullerton defensive end who was wounded during an altercation with an off-duty police officer in April, has received medical clearance from a physician and will join the Titan football team for workouts later this week.

Siler, a 1989 all-Big West Conference honorable mention selection, was shot in the shoulder and forearm during the incident, which took place outside a Fullerton nightclub and involved several former Titan players.

Siler spent more than a week in the hospital, and doctors decided not to operate because one of the bullets was too close to his lung.

Fragments of the other bullet that struck Siler remain in his forearm, but neither those nor the bullet in his shoulder will prevent the 6-foot-4, 230-pound senior from reporting to practice with other Titan veterans Friday.

Kirk Harmon, the Titans’ defensive coordinator, says Siler appears fine and has regained the 10 to 15 pounds he lost during hospitalization. Siler also will be a welcome sight, considering Fullerton returns only four starters on defense.

“He’s probably our premier returning defensive player along with (defensive back) Terry Tramble, based on experience and playing ability,” Harmon said. “It will make a big difference having him in there.”

Siler may pose one minor problem for the Titans during road trips, though.

“He’s OK to play, but he may have a tough time getting through airport security,” Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy said.

A boost to boot: Another unexpected addition to practice Friday will be kicker/punter Phil Nevin, who was supposed to be with the Team USA baseball squad until mid-August but was cut from the roster before the Goodwill Games.

Nevin, a third baseman who led the Titans in home runs this past season, returned to his Placentia home July 23. Team USA is in Canada, competing in the World Cup Games, in Edmonton, Alberta.

During his six-week stay with Team USA, Nevin, who played in 17 innings during 22 games, kicked footballs every other day behind the barracks of the Millington, Tenn., Navy base where the team stayed.

“There were no goal posts, so I just aimed for some telephone poles and wires behind the dorm,” said Nevin, who brought five footballs with him to Tennessee. “I was trying to get back into a groove, and I think I did. I feel I’m ready right now.”

At last week’s Big West Conference media day, Murphy said Nevin, who made 15 of 21 field-goal attempts, 33 of 33 extra points and had a 39.1-yard punting average in 1989, was his best returning player.

If media-guide ink is an indication, Murphy may be right: Nevin’s biography takes up an entire page in the Titans’ 1990 football guide, more than any other player.

Dream season: Discussing the Titans’ demanding early schedule, which features consecutive trips to Auburn, Mississippi State and Akron, Murphy said he had a dream last week that Nevin, the team’s third-string quarterback, was calling signals by the end of the season.

“I couldn’t do that, because he has a definite future in baseball,” Murphy said, alluding to the risk of injury.

But Nevin, who played quarterback at El Dorado High School and is listed behind Paul Schulte and Terry Payne on the Titans’ depth chart, wasn’t intimidated by the thought.

“That would be great,” said Nevin, a sophomore. “I’ve been thinking about getting a spot play here or there against Auburn when we’re down, 80-0. I miss the hitting and playing the field--that’s why after I kick I’m one of the first guys down there.”

Changing channels: John Rebenstorf, the radio voice of Fullerton football for the past eight seasons, has taken a job as color commentator for UCLA football telecasts on KMPC (AM-710).

Rebenstorf, who will also host a postgame talk show, will team with Bruin play-by-play announcer Paul Olden, who recently replaced Joe Torre in the booth for Angel telecasts.

Rebenstorf has also handled play-by-play duties for the Titan basketball team the past nine years and the Titan baseball team the past five years. A replacement hasn’t been named.

Murphy, who celebrated his 51st birthday Monday, welcomed 40 newcomers--freshman, junior college transfers and walk-ons--to the first official day of practice.