Hide Article Text (OCR)
oat brilliant Lincoln careerWestEver since Mike West came to Lincoln University in 1974, he's been chasing' Johnny McDaniels, the flashy pass receiver who holds nearly every receiving record at Lincoln and is now performing for the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals.With 9.4 speed in the ItfO-yard dash and hands like football magnets, you would think West would have had little trouble m surpassing McDaniels’ records. But anemic passing offenses his first two years and a knee injury his junior year have hampered West in his quest to be known as Lincoln’s finest receiver and number-one offensive threat.But, this year has been a differentr hclosingstory for the 5-8, 155-pound native of Chicago, 111. who caught 16 touchdown passes as a high school senior at Martin Luther King High. He has latched on to 32 passes for 621 yards and nine touchdowns. And while he will fall short of McDaniels’ career records, several season marks are within grasp when he lakes the field Saturday against Southeast Missouri for his final game.West is one of only six Lincoln seniors who will be playing his last game Saturday.He is also the smallest Blue Tiger. But his contribution to Lincoln football has been one of the biggest.He has played many roles at Lincoln,returning punts and kick offs, and he often served as a ball carrier on reverses.He has been amazingly healthy for a player bis size. Last year, he played in only four games before suffering a knee injury that shelved him for the season but that injury occurred off the field in a freak accident.Despite that misfortune, the Associated Press named him to its Little All-America team and United Press International named him “Midlands Player of the Week” after a strong performance against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Chicago’s Soldier Field. In that game he caught TD passes of 78 and 29yards and returned three kickoffs for better than 120 yards.His 32 catches this season rank him fourth in the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association. He is 12 passes short of McDaniels’ season record of 44. His 621 yards are just 103 short of McDaniels’ record of 724 and his nine touchdown catches have him tied with McDaniels for the school record. He's scored 56 points, third-best in the M1AA, more points than the entire Lincoln team scored in 1976.He probably would have even more receptions if freshman quarterback Greg Parker didn't have Ricky King and Matt Victor to throw to. They have hadgood seasons as well with 26 and 18 catches respectively.“We know that no one in the league can cover Mike one-on-one,M said receiver coach Jack Bush. “Defensive backs have tried everything on him this year, including pulling his jersey and tripping him at the line of scrimmage and they’ve still not stopped him.”Consequently, West’s reception and touchdown totals have doubled from years past. The fact that Lincoln’s gone to a high-powered passing game has not hurt those statistics.West caught three touchdown passes from Parker last week. They were goodfor distances of 17, 28 and 34 yards and tied the Lincoln record for TD catches in a game, set in 1964 by Sam Pareham.Also the team captain, West will have his work cut out for him Saturday. Southeast Missouri’s Indians, who will travel to Lincoln Stadium, boast a pass defense that leads the MIAA. They’ve allowed only 90 yards and six completions per game.But that should not stop the speedster from Chicago. He is determined to go out a winner and he has not yet finished the race. He hopes to chase Johnny McDaniels right into the National Football League.
Newspaper Details
Jefferson City Post Tribune
Jefferson City, Missouri, US
Thu, Nov 17, 1977
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Blake O.
NA, NA 27 Sep 2024
Other Publications Near Jefferson City, Missouri
Jefferson City Tribune Post
Jefferson City Democrat Tribune
Daily Democrat Tribune
Jefferson City Post Tribune
Daily Capital News
