Hide Article Text (OCR)
By Jim Bryant~ Brad Kramer has proven himself a superb ‘athlete at the amateur level, now is hoping to join former Chaffey High School teammate Steve Young as having the qualities good enough to play in the National Football League.For the Tigers, Kramer won post-season acclaim «.*in both football and baseball, but of lesser notice is the fact that he was also lauded as the most inspirational player during his junior year for his work on the varsity basketball team.Kramer, whose uncle Jerry was a stalwart withthe Green Bay Packers, later won fame in bothbaseball and football at Chaffey College and AzusaPacific College — sandwiched around a brief stint at UCLA.At the latter school, Kramer was on the verge of .becoming the Bruins’ No. 1 specialist, although he disdained the kicking shoe in favor of a bare foot.• After serving the Panthers, Kramer moved on to the Westwood campus where he was considered to• -’be a strong candidate to be the top placekicker for the Bruins.Veteran letterman Efren Herrera had the job at the time and it is no secret that it’s pretty hard to push a holdover out of a starting job.But Herrera almost eliminated himself, openly .criticizing a coaching move that went for a two-point play after a touchdown rather than the “sure” one point of a placement conversion. After yet another TD, Herrera openly stated that he had plans to purposely miss the extra point.- It was then that Kramer “almost” became aregular.Rather than wait, though. Brad finished out the ,year, then oved to the little Azusa school, where his 50-yard plus field goals and tries in the 60 and 70-yard range became a legend.Now he is part of the mob scene working out daily at Eastern Washington State Teachers College in Cheney.At present he is one of 79 assorted rookies, free agents and selected veterans seeking to catch the eye of Coach Jack Patera and the Seattle Skyhawks assistants. The first contingent of the total roster Vof 109 candidates began two-addav workouts Friday. Three quarterback hopefuls, including CalPoly (Pomona) University standout Jim Zorn, began drills today, with another 27 veterans listed for camp duties Friday.By that time, 25 to 30 of the first brigade will have been dismissed.Kramer, despite having signed three one-year Contracts, has no assurance that he will not beamong the missing.Unlike his former placekicking rival at UCLA, though. Brad Kramer knows only one way to compete. Those who have been privileged to have his services in baseball, from his Little League days onward, knew he was available to pitch, catch or play any pf the other seven positions.And the same held true in Football.Patera likes the attitude of the Chaffey product. And the man who helped mold the successful defensive lines in Los Angeles and Minnesota, is not worried about his immediate future.. “I have a five-year contract here and we’ve sold nearly 59,000 season tickets (in a stadium that seats 65,000),” Patera notes. “Brad (Kramer) is iiot real big physically,” Patera added, “but he’s a competitor. He wouldn’t be the first free agent to stick on a National Football League team.”Good luck, Brad!
Newspaper Details
Ontario Daily Report
Ontario, California, US
Mon, Jul 12, 1976
Page 15
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
CA, USA 12 Mar 2020
Other Publications Near Ontario, California
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Ontario Daily Report
