Columnist Ron Kantowski: Lots of all-stars and a pair of Boll Weevils

Thursday, Dec. 4, 2003 | 9:44 a.m.

Ron Kantowski is a Las Vegas Sun sports writer. Reach him at ron@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4088.

The East roster for the Jan. 17 Las Vegas All-American Classic at Sam Boyd Stadium features not one, but two players from Arkansas-Monticello. You know, the Boll Weevils.

But there also are representatives from Miami, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Boston College, LSU, Clemson, Maryland, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Kansas State, Washington State and Texas.

In other words, even if you've never heard of the Boll Weevils, Eli Whitney or the cotton gin, there are still lots of reasons to buy a ticket to Las Vegas' newest sports diversion.

"There will be more talent on the field for any one game in Las Vegas than anybody has ever seen," said Darry "Gator" Alton, founder and CEO of the college all-star game that began as the Paradise Bowl in St. George, Utah, in 2001.

"We're bringing some (familiar) helmets ... and a lot more tradition than Las Vegas is used to."

With the possible exception of Miami's Jarrett Payton, Walter's son, the heads inside those helmets probably won't be familiar to most local fans. Most of the household names are committed to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., the granddaddy of the college all-star games, primarily because it has the NFL Coaches Association's seal of approval. And that's primarily because you can't bet on the game in Mobile.

But give Alton credit for taking a realistic approach to cracking Las Vegas' dubious live sports market. During his remarks at a kickoff press conference Wednesday at the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame at Findlay Toyota (the game's title sponsor), Alton said a crowd of 10,000-14,000 for the first game here would make him happier than Ralphie the Buffalo at feeding time.

"No, we don't have Eli Manning or Casey Clausen or Roy Williams," Alton said of the Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas stars. "But to get talent like that, it's going to take 3, 4 or 5 years.

"A couple of years ago, I couldn't even get Gary Crowton at BYU to call me back. He didn't want to hear about the Paradise Bowl. But this week, he called with eight names ... and we're going to have four kids from BYU.

"So it's good to hear from coach Crowton all of a sudden."

That's what happens when you put Las Vegas on your stationery and business card, Alton says. No offense to St. George, but there's only so much paint you can watch dry before they roll up the sidewalks from under your feet.

"Walk down the Las Vegas Strip, and you've got lions and tigers and castles," Alton said. "They've got roller coasters coming over the side of buildings. That excites a 20- or 21-year-old young man.

"Hey, we're never going to be president. But I wouldn't mind being vice," Alton added about the Senior Bowl's seniority when it comes to college all-star games. "If they're the Yankees, we'd like to be the (Red) Sox. Why not be a very good second?

To do that, the All-American Classic would have to pass, the East-West Shrine Game, the Hula Bowl, the Gridiron Classic and the Blue-Gray game, a.k.a. the Indiana and Baylor Alumni Classic. Because that game is played on Christmas, it is only open to players from non-bowl eligible teams.

Having a couple of veteran coaches should help provide the All-American classic with instant credibility.

Galen Hall, who recruited Emmitt Smith to Florida and led the Gators to a 41-18-1 record in six seasons, will coach the East. Before that, Hall spent 18 seasons as an assistant at Oklahoma, where he coached Heisman Trophy winners Steve Owens and Billy Sims. The guy knows a thing or two about running the football.

Wade Wilson, the former Vikings quarterback, and Wes Chandler, a former all-pro receiver with the Saints, will be two of Hall's assistants, so the East should be able to throw it as well.

Joe Pendry, the former head coach of the USFL's Pittsburgh Maulers -- he's still griping about the knee injury that kept Mike Rozier out of the lineup -- and a longtime NFL assistant with the Chiefs, Bears, Panthers, Bills and Redskins, will coach the West.

One one his assistants will be Vince Tobin, the former Arizona Cardinals head coach. So if the stadium is half-empty it may give the West an edge, in that Tobin has seen a lot of field goal attempts rattle around empty bleachers.

Naturally, there will be a UNLV presence, as Rebels center Dominic Furio and wide receiver David Relf, who will be used as a return specialist along with Air Force quarterback Chance Harridge, are on the West roster. Alton said there also are openings at running back and kicker, which probably will go to the Rebels' Larry Croom and Dillon Pieffer.

Beside all the guys in the familiar helmets, Alton said local fans may want to keep an eye on the guy under center in the nondescript white one. That would be Jackson State's Robert Kent, who Alton said has been heralded as the "next Steve McNair" by some scouts.

Kent and Massachusetts' Jeff Krohn will quarterback the East, although there are still two openings on the roster for QBs. Ditto for the West, which so far has Harridge and Oregon's Jason Fife.

And there there are the Boll Weevils. One of them, tight end Devon Stewart, who caught 62 passes for 1019 yards and 15 touchdowns this year, played at Las Vegas' Valley High School.

"The Boll Weevils ... we've touched every corner of college football," Alton said of merging college football's Rockerfellers with its Clampetts.

And that's the cotton pickin' truth.