SPORTALKS

Chuck Benedict

Believe it or not, there was an era when the image of a football

player’s mental ability depended on his weight and the position he played

on the gridiron.

Overweight movie actor Andy Devine often became Hollywood’s idea of a

football lineman, a lovable but not too bright teddy bear.

Army’s Heisman Trophy winner, Glenn Davis, in a brief movie career,

was the perfect image of the muscular, but handsomely trim backfield star

who was on the dean’s list.

Today, such categorical images are passe. Typical of the modern image

blend is Glendale High alumnus Duane Bickett, a native of Glendale who

parlayed versatility in football and a focus in the classroom to become

one of the top 10 athletes in the Nitros’ century of history.

Now retired from sports, Bickett lives in Del Mar with his wife, Mara,

and two boys, enjoying his own expertise in business finance.

At Glendale, Bickett was an All-CIF selection in basketball and

football. At the University of Southern California, he stayed with

football, first as a reserve tight end, but permanently as a gifted

linebacker.

Not only was he an All-American, he was an academic All-American twice

and an academic All- Pac-10 honoree three times, with a 3.67 grade-point

average.

Selected fifth overall by Indianapolis in the 1985 pro football draft,

he was the NFL Rookie of the Year and earned All-Pro honors in nine years

with the Colts. He finished his stellar career with the Seattle Seahawks

and the Carolina Panthers.

Bickett typifies a modern trend to new academic responsibility in

college football. For example, this year’s Clemson team, with the

nation’s most exciting player in quarterback Woody Dantzler, has nine

players -- including Dantzler -- who earned degrees before reaching their

final year of football eligibility.

DUANE BICKETT: In my case, football practice prevented me from

attending some of the classes I needed for my business degree, so I came

back and earned it after I became a pro.

CHUCK BENEDICT: Is this priority on degrees a trend?

DB: It certainly is at USC. At one time, the focus throughout colleges

was on keeping players eligible, and the so-called basket-weaving courses

often were available. Now a Trojan player has to take only courses that

lead to a degree.

CB: At what point in your career did academics become important?

DB: No one has enjoyed playing football more than I, but I can

honestly say that getting an education was more of a goal, and therefore

more satisfying than the feeling of being wanted and recognized as an

athlete.

CB: Do good student habits help in attaining athletic goals?

DB: They helped me. I’m 6 feet 5, but I controlled my own playing

weight as the game demanded. In high school, I played both ways, and it

was easy at about 200 pounds. At USC, I began at 205 and finished at 235,

but I always was conscious of the extent to which I had to make my weight

match a compromise with the needs for stamina, speed and strength.

In the pros, I played at about 245, and now I stay in training so I

can keep my weight at about 235 or below. One of the blessings I’ve had

is to be able to study my own weight needs and control the scales

accordingly.

CB: With a business degree and a 3.67 GPA, how do you feel about the

need for a pro player to have an agent who, supposedly, does the thinking

for his clients?

DB: I think it’s good for a young NFL draftee to retain someone who

has expertise in the field of drafting, negotiating and signing.

Sometimes an agent gets out of line, but it is unfair when the public

glares at him and blames the category. The sports world is full of agents

who do not stray from the path.

CB: When the great Stan Musial retired from baseball, we asked him

which aging process cause him to call it quits. Was it the legs? The

eyes? His reply was, “Neither. I found it no longer was enjoyable to have

to concentrate that much.”

DB: That was my experience, precisely. Concentration gets harder to

maintain as we get older and more interested in many other things. When

the fun of concentration starts to leave, it’s time to go new places and

do new things. So I did.

SPORTALKS is a column that appears every other Thursday. You can reach

CHUCK BENEDICT at 637-3200 (voice mail 974), by fax at 549-9191 or via

e-mail: BChuckbenedict@aol.com.