Thursday, December 30
Cardinal's leading receiver is out
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES -- Troy Walters cried when he realized his dream
of playing in the Rose Bowl would go unfulfilled.
Stanford's All-American receiver dislocated his right wrist in
practice Tuesday while running a catching drill. He wore a polo
shirt, glasses and a heavy wrap on his wrist as he watched his
teammates work out on Wednesday.
"It's finally sinking in right now," said Walters, tears
welling in his eyes. "It hurts, but I've done so much in my career, I can't
complain. We're a family, and we're a team. It hurts not being able
to go to war with them."
The injury could be devastating to Stanford, which
faces heavily favored Wisconsin on Saturday. Walters, the Biletnikoff Award
winner as the nation's top receiver, was the Cardinal's primary
offensive threat and an emotional senior leader.
"We won't replace Troy with any one player, but hopefully a
number of people will step up," said Stanford coach Tyrone
Willingham, whose team was already an 11-point underdog. "It
doesn't make our preparations any less difficult."
Walters suffered the injury when he jumped to catch a pass and
was hit by a defensive back. He put out his arms to brace his fall
and landed awkwardly on his wrist.
He didn't realize the seriousness of the injury until it was
examined late Tuesday. Walters said he will likely need surgery and
will be unable to use the wrist for at least eight weeks.
"I felt sick to my stomach," quarterback Todd Husak said.
"Just the look on this guy's face when he told me -- I'd trade
places with that guy in a heartbeat. If there's one guy that
deserves to play in this game, it's him."
Walters set Pac-10 and Stanford records for career receptions
and receiving yards this season, when he caught 74 passes for 1,456
yards and 10 touchdowns. He is Stanford's first first-team
All-American since 1991, and he was also the Pac-10 Offensive
Player of the Year and a first-team Academic All-American.
Small (5-foot-8, 175 pounds) but speedy, Walters was a focal
point of Wisconsin's defensive preparation. He finished his career
with 244 receptions for 3,986 yards and 26 touchdowns.
"It's a shame, especially with the kind of year he had, then
getting injured this close to the game," Wisconsin coach Barry
Alvarez said. "I feel badly for him."
Walters set four Pac-10 receiving records and six Stanford
receiving records during his career. The only other Stanford players
to earn a major individual award were Jim Plunkett, who won the
Heisman Trophy in 1971 and Jeff Siemon, who won the 1971 Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker.
Walters wasn't heavily recruited out of high school in Texas,
but Willingham took a chance on him. As a sophomore, Walters set
Stanford records for receptions and receiving yards, and after a
junior year slowed by an ankle injury, he had an outstanding senior
season.
The son of Minnesota Vikings linebackers coach Trent Walters, he
has already received his bachelor's degree and is working on a
master's degree in sociology. He had hoped to use his final college
game as a chance to impress pro scouts who think he will be too
small to succeed in the NFL.
"This was supposed to be his going-out party, but now this
gives us something extra to play for," said receiver Dave Davis,
who will likely start in Walters' place. "We're still the Pac-10
champs. It's just that now there's 92 of us instead of 93."
Ironically, the Cardinal said on Wednesday that defensive tackle
Willie Howard, arguably the team's best defensive player, might
play on Saturday. Howard was thought to be out for the year when he
suffered a right knee injury in Stanford's regular-season finale
against Notre Dame.
But Howard practiced in pads on Wednesday and looked ready to
play, though he said the team won't make a decision until Saturday.
"If I play, I'll remember Troy when I'm going through a
block," Howard said. "I'll remember he didn't have the chance to
be here."
Willingham plans to let Walters address the team before
Saturday's game, and Walters may take the field for the coin toss.
"I'm going to tell them to go out and really cherish this
moment, and play their best football," Walters said.
