University of Wisconsin Platteville - Pioneer Yearbook (Platteville, WI)

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4 m0 G N. M O C E M O H

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There was little Packer-mania in Platteville last sum- mer as the University prepared to host the 1984 train- ing camp for the Chicago Bears. The Bears moved to the relative seclusion of the UW-P campus where, ac- cording to Coach Mike Ditka, players would be able to concentrate solely on football without distraction. Much planning and preparation was done prior to the Bears' arrival. The first three floors of Dobson Hall were made ready to house both players and coaches. Each player received his own room; two student-sized beds were bolted together to make one king-sized bed for each player. The Bear's presence gave the Platteville campus and community valuable recognition and pub- licity. There was also the added advantage of more summer jobs for students, such as working at the front desk, security, laundry and general housekeeping. The training camp began on July 16 and lasted for 2 V2 weeks. Eighty-six players were in the Bears' training camp - 48 veterans and 38 rookies. The first few days of training were intense. Ditka turned the players out in full pads almost right away; No point in wasting time. These drills are not gonna get anybody hurt. They just let us see what kind of technique the rookies have. And the rookies really had to fight at this training camp for final positions on the team. Coach Mike Ditka was available for a press interview each evening after the practice. There was also a Bears Hotline ; anyone could dial this number and re- ceive the latest update on what had happened during each day's practice. The reaction of both coach and players to training here in Platteville was positive. In the past, the team did their pre-season training at the Lake Forest, Illinois headquar- ters. But players could not step off the field without being greeted by friends and family during the training sessions at Lake Forest. Here in Platteville, the players were free of such distractions so that they could, in Coach Ditka's words, eat, think, and talk football. Coach Ditka also likes Platteville because it has five playing fields whereas the Lake Forest training site has only two. Ditka said that the Platteville campus facilities were excellent. Players were also pleased with the accommodations. Most of the rookies were so concerned with whether or not they could survive in the NFL that there was very little time to notice surroundings. Several important posi- tions were vied for during the training camp. Left guard had wide open competition with five candidates trying for the spot. There were also spirited battles for right tackle, both outside linebacker spots, tight end, place kicker, and punter. Probably the two most valuable rook- ies were outside linebackers Wilbur Marshall and Ron Rivera, the first-and second-round draft choices whom Ditka considered serious candidates to start on the left and right sides, respectively. The highlight of the Bears' stay in Platteville was the intrasquad scrimmage in Pioneer Stadium on July 28. Over 7,821 enthusiastic fans packed the stadium to watch the offense play off against the defense. The defense proved very powerful and held the offense in check for most of the game. Rookies defensive back Gayle Shaun and line- backer Wilbur Marshall were outstanding. Veteran Otis Wilson showed that he would not give up his starting spot without a fight. Ditka was disappointed that the game was tipped so much in the defense's favor; the fans would have enjoyed watching a more even battle if the offense had been rougher. Even though offense never made much of a scoring threat, Ditka insisted that the offense had not lost its punch. The Bears left Platteville on August 3 with high spirits. They had a lot to be enthusiastic about; Walter Payton is the best all around running back in pro-football. Willie Gault is sprinting towards NFL stardom as the Bears' best and fastest receiver. By late November the Bears had cap- tured the NFC central division title. They have not gone this far since 1963. And who knows, perhaps the Bears' managers will decide that Platteville is a 'lucky charm' and send their team back for pre-season training again next year. Paul Ophus 17

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Where's the Beef? , a slogan bor- rowed from a popular Wendy's televi- sion commercial, set the theme for this year's Homecoming festivities, held during the week of October 14-20. Homecoming activities throughout the week drew the largest and most spirited crowds ever. After surviving the unparalled amount of competition during the Yell Like Hell elimina- tions, Pickard Hall and Delta Sigma Phi screamed their way to victory Tuesday evening. Several changes were made in this year's agenda, resulting in a fun-filled Homecoming program for everyone. The traditional Thursday night concert was moved to Saturday night, allowing students to enjoy an emotion-packed performance by Juice Newton, free from worry of the next day's classes. Tom Hughes and Ginger Malko were crowned Homecoming King and Queen Friday night at a separate cere- mony in the Beaux Arts Room, a loca- tion more befitting the occasion's dig- nity. Stunt Night was renamed Enter- tainment Night and was also held in the Beaux Arts. Delta Sigma Phi took first place with a skit combining music and comedy in a search conducted by famous detectives Looking for the Beef twhich was finally found by Pio- neer PeteJ The Airband Contest was held in the Beaux Arts Wednesday night with Otis Day and Nights taking the competi- tion before a crowd of 2300. Added to the Games competition were an obsta- cle course, food-eating contests, and Frisbee-toss. McGregor Hall and Alpha Gamma Rho took first place in this challenging category. Melcher Hall's outhouse commanded first place for the second year in a row, while Delta Sigma Phi won in the Greek division of v the Outhouse Race. The University of Wisconsin-Platte- ville football team scored 21 points in Saturday's game, but it was too late to foil UW-River Falls' 38-21 victory. In overall Homecoming competition, Hugunin Hall and Delta Sigma Phi took first place, while McGregor Hall and Delta Sigma Phi won the Chancellor's Spirit award. The ASSMRwReclamation Club took first place overall in the com- petition between organizations. Wesley Kraszewski 19