Friday

May 1, 1998

New facility, new attitude

Dominick Porras/State Hornet Wide receiver Jeff Kool spots for quarterback Scott Towne at a bench press station in the Hornet football team's new weight room, built with $300,000 worth of donations.

By BRAD WILLIAMS
HORNET SPORTS EDITOR

Every Monday through Friday, before the sun comes up, Sacramento State strength and conditioning coach Bob Visger arrives at his office to post the day's weightlifting schedule. Visger is an assistant coach with the Hornet football team, and his office is the team's weight room.

It's 5:30 a.m., but the 49-year-old doesn't mind being up this early, at least not since his office was refurbished with $300,000 worth of donated building materials, weightlifting equipment and exercise machines.

The 50-by-50-foot building was built by Sacramento Surge owner Fred Anderson for the Hornets, after the now-defunct World League football team took over the old weight room inside the Hornet Stadium field house. The Surge needed the space for an additional locker room.

The new weight room stands just off to the side of the field house, on the south side of campus. From the outside, it looks like nothing more than a tin storage shed that Facilities Management might use to store lawn mowers. However; inside is a professional, health-club-like atmosphere, with mirrors and forest green carpeting along each wall, rows of gleaming white bench press racks, stacks of free-weights, and the smell of fresh paint and new vinyl. There's even a booming sound system.

"It's a little taste of heaven," said third-year offensive lineman Brandon Santos.

"I really tried to build a state-of-the-art facility," Visger said.

Visger has been in the building business for over 20 years. He has managed his own construction firm, and put himself through college as a laborer.

In addition to his construction business, Visger has been a coach at many different levels, including a six-year stint at Sacramento High School where he helped lead the Dragons to a 9-1 season, a Metro League Title and a playoff berth in 1992.

Nowadays, though, it is Visger's construction background that is helping him build better athletes.

"A weight room is critical to the development of any athlete, especially football," Visger said.

It was Visger's contacts in the industry that helped make the new weight room a reality.

Last April, the coach made phone calls to many former associates and to businesses owners in the community, requesting paint, lumber, lights, electrical work, heating and air conditioning, the works. Many of the people he talked with he had never met before -- only one company turned him down.

"The community has stepped up big time to help us," Visger said. "We have $300,000 here showing that the community is behind us."

One of the challenges in building the new facility was scheduling: the electrical wiring had to go in before insulation, drywall had to go up before they could paint, and the lighting and ventilation had to go up before the equipment was delivered.

"When people are donating their time and labor, you can't schedule it the way you could if you had a checkbook," Visger said. "You're kind of at their mercy."

The most common comparison shared by many players who have transferred to Sacramento State from other universities is that the football team's new weight room is "smaller but better" than what their previous school had to offer.

"It kicks Notre Dame's butt," said defensive lineman Joe Sarcinella, who attended a football camp hosted by the Fighting Irish.

Sarcinella is a midyear transfer student and said the equipment at his previous school, Boise State, wasn't nearly as nice as Sac State's.

"We've got some equipment here that most other schools don't have," said Sarcinella, referring to the "Colorado Power Machine" and a "plate-loaded" incline bench press. Both are pieces of equipment the Hornets acquired in the off-season.

The CPM is specifically designed to help football players explode off the line and use proper attack angles. It simulates the actual movement off the ball by down lineman.

The "plate-loaded" incline press develops chest strength from several different angles. Visger said this is especially helpful for players with shoulder injuries.

Visger, who visited other Big Sky Conference facilities, said the Hornets' weight room is half or one-third the size of many of the other schools', but said he prefers the intimate environment.

"We get a chance to get closer with the players, and the players get closer with each other," Visger said. "With a 10,000-square foot facility you can't be right next to each player or within ear-shot of him. You can't get that special one on one chemistry."

During each session Visger makes his rounds, talking with players at each station offering advice on lifting techniques as well as words of encouragement.

The team has two other new machines -- a gold-colored bench press and squat rack. The gold equipment has been given a place of honor in the center of the room, and is used only on very special occasions.

Every eight weeks, players are weighed and have their body fat measured. Afterwards, they gather around the gold equipment to watch their teammates attempt to break a personal or school record.

Music blasts in the background and players shout as their fellow Hornets struggle to push the weight up.

"There's more going on in this weight room than just lifting weights," Visger said. "We're really trying to build pride."

Part of that pride building means that players must arrive no later than 6 a.m. At 6:01 the doors to the weight room are locked and they have to make up the workout later.

Most of the team's 65 members attend the morning lift, but there is also an afternoon session for those players who can't make the morning workout because of their class schedule.

The Hornets are required to wear only school colors -- gray, white, green and gold -- while using the facility. They must put all the equipment back in its original position.

"To play well you have to be disciplined," Visger said. "I don't know how many teams are doing this, but at least we're doing it."

Coaching at CSUS and getting the weight room built has special meaning for Visger. He graduated from Sacramento State in 1971 with a bachelor's degree in social science. He also played linebacker for the Hornets from 1966 to 1968.

"I never dreamed when I was a player that I would be able to come back here and coach, Visger said.

"This is my gift to the university. My life would be totally different if I hadn't come to Sac State and played football."

Hornets annihilate hapless Aggies 18-2

By MARK AVILA
HORNET STAFF WRITER

Feeding off the momentum of last weekend's series victory over University of the Pacific, the Sacramento State baseball team continued to display its offensive productivity with an 18-2 crushing of UC Davis Wednesday at Hornet Field.

Dan Elorduy's towering first-inning home run landed on top of the five-story parking structure behind left field, spearheading the Hornets' 21-hit attack.

The Hornets -- who have scored 67 runs in their last four games -- showed no mercy with their causeway rivals, racking up back-to-back four-run innings. Heading into the seventh inning, Sac State led the Aggies 14-1.

"This is the way we've been playing for the past three weeks," said head coach John Smith. "We have a pretty good chemistry going on and we've been putting a pretty good team on the field."

The victory gives the Hornets (22-28) momentum heading into this weekend's pivotal series with University of Nevada-Reno. Sac State is battling the Wolfpack for first place in the Big West Conference North Division.

"I'm extremely excited about playing in a series that has some meaning so close to the end of the season," said Smith. "Whoever wins this weekend's series has an advantage toward winning the North Division of our conference.

"Right now we're right where we want to be."

After an early-season foot injury, Elorduy has recovered well enough to contribute in a big way at the plate. After his opening blast, he went deep again in the third inning, giving him 14 home runs on the season.

"Danny's having a great senior year," said Smith.

Brandon Marshall also had a big day, going 6-for-6 with a home run and two doubles. He also accounted for half of the Hornets' final tally with four RBI and five runs scored.

"He's as steady as they come from start to finish," said Smith of Marshall. "He comes right back every game."

The starting pitchers for the Hornets consisted of a rotation that combined to keep the Aggies' batting lineup off-balance.

Allan Paisano recorded three strikeouts over two innings of work, while Todd Zancaner earned his second victory of the season. Four other Sac State pitchers assisted in shutting down Davis. The Hornets will travel to Reno for three games beginning Friday at 2:30 p.m., and continuing Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. on both afternoons.

This weekend's series was originally scheduled to be played at Sac State, but poor conditions at Reno's field earlier this season forced the teams to switch the two series.

Five named to Hall of Fame

Bob Mattos -- the winningest football coach in Sacramento State history -- and four former Hornet players were inducted into the Sac State Hall of Fame last Saturday.

Donald Hair, Jeff Hoffman, Greg Robinson and Mark Young were also honored at the induction ceremony and Football Reunion, held at the Capitol Plaza Holiday Inn.

In his 15 seasons as the Hornets' coach, including the school's only 10-win season in 1988, Mattos compiled an 84-73-2 record. That year the Hornets went 10-3 and captured the NCAA Division II regional championships.

After leaving Sac State, Mattos -- who was a quarterback for Sac State in 1962 and 1963 -- moved on to the Canadian Football League, serving as a special teams coach for the Sacramento Gold Miners and San Antonio Texans.

Hair, a star running back on the 1988 squad, was the first scholarship athlete in Sac State football history and with 30 rushing touchdowns, tied the school record. Hair was a preseason All-American in 1988 and was named to the All-Western Football Conference team three times during his career.

It was Young, another player from the 1988 championship team, whose game-winning touchdown -- with 13 seconds to go -- gave the Hornets their first Causeway Classic victory against UC Davis in 19 years.

Young was named first-team all-conference that season and was also named the team's most valuable player. He later played two years of Arena Football for Chicago and Albany, N.Y.

Hoffman, a center for the Hornets from 1981 to 1984, started all 44 games during his career at Sac State. He was named to the Division II All-American team in his final two seasons, and was voted the team's most valuable lineman his final three seasons.

Hoffman was signed by the New England Patriots as a free agent after finishing at Sac State, and played two seasons for the Seattle Seahawks.

Robinson, who played for Sac State for two years after transferring from the University of Nevada-Reno, was an Associated Press All-American and drafted in the 1985 National Football League draft along with teammate Mike Black.

Scrimmage, open house set for Saturday

This Saturday, starting at 8 a.m., the Sacramento State football team will have its annual Green and Gold Scrimmage at Hornet Stadium. The event will signal the end of spring practice.

"There has been much more competition this spring than I've seen," said head coach John Volek. "They're battling two-deep in a lot of areas, trying to take a spot, and we haven't had that kind of depth in the spring in the past."

At the scrimmage the team will run 80 plays and be officiated by Big Sky Conference officials. The scoring system will also allow the defense to score points as well.

Following the scrimmage, there will be an open house and reception at the new weight room from noon to 2 p.m. Students, faculty and the general public are welcome to attend.