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 It's only April, but ... Tide to begin Heisman campaign for Alexander at A-Day
Posted: Thursday April 08, 1999 09:34 PM
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- Less than 10 minutes after Alabama beat Auburn in last year's Iron Bowl, Crimson Tide coach Mike DuBose started campaigning. "If Shaun Alexander elects to come back for his senior year, we'd like to help him win the Heisman," DuBose said after the game. Alexander stayed in school and DuBose is living up to his word. In less than two weeks, the Heisman Trophy campaign will officially begin at Alabama. Fans who attend the A-Day game on April 17 will be given a poster touting the senior tailback's "campaign platform." The poster has a color photo of Alexander with the words "Run for the Heisman" at the top. To his left is a listing of his statistics under a category called "Shaun Alexander by the numbers." "This is the first part of what will be a very personal and low-key effort to get Shaun's name out nationally for Heisman consideration," said Alabama sports information director Larry White. This will be the first physical sign of a campaign by Alabama for a Heisman Trophy candidate. "We're going to do some things we may not have done in the past," said White. "I still think we are going to more of a behind-the-scenes campaign as opposed to some kind of blitz." White said the school will actually try to reach the voters through personal phone calls, which he believes has a bigger impact than mass mailings. So far, Alexander is enjoying the attention. "I do a few more interviews and get filmed doing some things. I just have a lot of fun with it," he said. "I think it's a great honor to be one of the first Alabama players to be pushed. It would be a great honor to win it for those other players." Meanwhile, linebacker Travis Carroll had successful surgery on Wednesday to repair rotator cuff damage and to place a screw in his fractured shoulder. The shoulder injury plagued Carroll for most of last season, but he is expected to be recovered in time for fall practice. "He should be able to recover in six to eight weeks," said DuBose, who visited Carroll at DCH Regional Medical Center following the surgery. "Hopefully it'll all go well and he'll be 100 percent by two-a-days." Also, sophomore cornerback Reggie Myles returned from spring break to learn he had been demoted at cornerback. Transfer Milo Lewis had taken over the No. 1 spot on the depth chart. Myles took the frustration of being demoted out on the receivers during Wednesday's practice. "He's mad, but that's good," DuBose said. "He responded well. He wants that red jersey [indicating starter] back."
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