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By KENT NIXONSS Sports WriterTOKYO — New Orleans sportscaster Wayne Mack, after a week of visiting military hospitals, said, “We who have come to visit GIs play a minor part in this tour. They’ve us up, instead of vice versa.”Mack, sports director for WDSU-TV and a three-time hon-oree as Louisiana’s Sportcas-ter of the Year, said after a week of visiting GIs in the Tokyo area:“It’s been a unique experience. We’re like the person who goes to the funeral and the bereaved person comes forward saying, ‘Everything’s all right here. How are things with you?Mack was accompanied on the 17-day USO tour by pro football stars Dick Butkus of the Chicago Bears, Jim Marshall of the Minnesota Vikings, Dave Whitsell of the New Orleans Saints and George Webster of the Houston Oilers.“I’ve been in the Army twice.I know it’s a world of its own, just like pro football. On this tour we’ve merely been spectators looking through a peep-hole at another world. It’s been a humbling experience.”Mack, whose interviews with big name sports celebrities have been noted for their humorous touches, said, “I did my best to bone up on the latest gags before starting this tour, but the GIs I’ve met have given me better material.”Creator of the “Saint of the Week” award in which he singles out the outstanding Saint player from their weekly NFL game, Mack also selects the “Saint of the Year.”Asked to comment on the Saints’ chances during the coming year in which the two pro leagues will merge, Mack said, “The Saints are constantly improving. I think they’ll better their 1969 record (5-9) without any trouble.”Gimeno Downs Okker
Newspaper Details
Pacific Stars and Stripes
Tokyo, Tôkyô, JP
Sun, Feb 15, 1970
Page 11
Full Page
Clipped by
Marc H.
VA, USA 25 Apr 2023
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