Two Aztec Freshmen Fail to Meet Academic Requirements

Freshmen John McCartney, a Times’ All-County defensive back from Lincoln High, and Michael Landry, a cornerback from Marrero, La., have been declared ineligible to play football at San Diego State this fall, Coach Al Luginbill said Tuesday.

McCartney failed to score 700 points on the Scholastic Aptitude Test and Landry a 15 on the American College Test, the minimums required by the NCAA for freshman eligibility.

Under NCAA rules, those failing to meet one of the test requirements cannot receive athletic scholarships or participate with a team for one year. Players also normally lose a year of eligibility.

Instead, Luginbill said, McCartney and Landry have decided to stay out of school for a year and enter in the fall of 1991 if they can achieve one of the required test scores. They will have 12 chances to do so, Luginbill said.

Their situation is similar to that of Curtis Conway, a quarterback from Los Angeles’ Hawthorne High who sat out last year but is eligible as a freshman this fall at USC.

“We presented (the idea) to them, and their feeling was that the penalty was too severe, and they want to prove to everybody that they are capable of meeting the minimum requirements,” Luginbill said.

“These young men have made the choice to be at San Diego State in the fall of 1991, and they will be there. We have made that commitment to them.”

With newcomers reporting Thursday for physicals, and the returning players due Tuesday, Luginbill said that sophomore linebacker Eric Thompson is the only other player not expected to be there. Thompson, who started two games at inside linebacker in 1989, has quit the team. Luginbill said he thought about quitting during spring practice but changed his mind.

Of the 19 recruits (17 freshman, two sophomores), Luginbill said defensive backs Damon Pieri, a sophomore from Phoenix College, Steve Rudisill, from Thousand Oaks High, and Sam Williford, from Muir High, have the best chances of playing this fall.