Marvin West
Winning despite bad odds
Some of the
best recruiting stories are never told.
When coaches
venture into hostile territory in attempts to lure away favorite sons,
reactions can be negative – or even violent. I didn’t see the bruises
but Doug Dickey’s ace go-getter, Chuck Rohe, was, once upon a time,
supposedly shoved off somebody’s front porch.
There was no
physical abuse in the recruiting race of ’74 but Gary Wyant endured a
spectacular mental tug of war. His primary target was Robert Shaw of
Marietta, Ga. The effort required focus, concentration and almost every
Friday night of the high school football season.
Wyant had
spotted Shaw as a sophomore and convinced the youngster his future was
at Tennessee, great tradition, fantastic fans, beautiful part of the
world, mountains for a backdrop, river just outside the stadium gates.
For two years,
Alabama was on the outside, trying to sell a similar bill of goods. The
Crimson Tide had inside advantages. Robert was born in Tuscaloosa. At
toddler time, his grandfather established for him the goal of playing
for Alabama. The whole Shaw family favored the Tide.
Robert made an
early pledge to the Volunteers but pressure mounted in Marietta. Forget
it, Robert, you are not going to Tennessee. No way. The father built a
barricade. Wyant was no longer welcome. The coach was told not to come
or call.
Too much
turmoil caused a backlash. Young Shaw packed his gym bag, vacated the
premises, actually moved out and moved in with a teacher.
“Curley Holman
was recruiting Robert for Alabama,” recalled Wyant. “He was virtually
living at the Shaw residence, trying to convince the parents to stand
fast in their belief of what was best for Robert, to be more persuasive.
Curley had Thanksgiving dinner at their house.”
Wyant kept
close contact with Robert – and his girlfriend.
“I sweated out
the commitment all fall,” said Wyant, who also had defensive backs to
coach each week and big games on Saturdays.
“When I wasn’t
in Marietta, I sent Robert telegrams of encouragement. I could call him
through the teacher.”
Robert signed
scholarship papers at the teacher’s house. Wyant called the father to
negotiate his signature. Mr. Shaw was royally ticked. He refused to see
Wyant.
“He said to
just leave the papers in the mailbox, that he would come out and get
them, sign and return them to the mailbox. He didn’t want anything to do
with me.”
The late Sid
Hatfield, recruiting coordinator for Bill Battle’s staff, told of the
Tennessee victory celebration at the Marietta Holiday Inn.
“Coach Wyant
got to wondering what the boss would say about a signing party and a
bill for refreshments from a bar,” recalled Sid. “We decided to outline
the situation for Coach Battle.
“His immediate
reaction was a definite no. I reminded him that Shaw was 6-4, 235 and a
center. Coach thought about it a minute and said we should hurry on
down. The bar bill wasn’t too bad but the party moved on to the dining
room and ate up $700.”
Thirty-five
years later, Wyant could not recall the Marietta bar bill. He thought
700 sounded a little high for Pepsi and chips. Wyant did recall an
eventual luncheon meeting with the father to clear the air.
“I made the
proposal and to my surprise, Mr. Shaw accepted. We talked two hours.
When it was time to go, he said absolutely nothing had changed, that he
never wanted to see me again.”
Robert Shaw
lettered as a freshman. He was starting center in 1976-1977-1978, twice
All-Southeastern Conference. Tennessee fans may remember the ’76
Vanderbilt game. The Vols arrived in Nashville with a few chips on their
shoulders. It was Battle’s last game.
The Orangemen
were warming up when Commodores came streaming through the UT ranks.
Shaw fired a football and hit a Vandy cap. Robert supposes that might
have started the fight. I think so. Spirited skirmish. Vols eventually
won the war 13-10.
Robert and
Elizabeth Shaw live in Dallas. They have three children. He is a
prominent businessman. He was chair of the 1996 parade honoring the
Super Bowl champs.
In partnership
with another old Cowboy, Roger Staubach, Shaw developed a sizable
condominium tower. He was involved in redeveloping the Rice Hotel into
loft apartments. He and Gary Wyant remain good friends.
Marvin West
invites reader response. His address is
westwest6@netzero.com.