Hanks, Hussey high on Cardinals
By Brad Schmeltz
Dispatch Sports Reporter
Luke Hanks probably will leave Otterbein with several Ohio Athletic Conference passing records, but will he graduate without playing on a winning team?
Hanks, a 6-foot-6 senior from Hilliard, is zero-for-three in winning seasons.
Otterbein is 8-18-4 during his career, and hasn’t had a winning season since 1982.
“I think it depends on the first couple of games,” Hanks said. “If we win our first two (at Earlham and at home against Heidelberg), then I think we’ll have a better than .500 season. And, if things come together after that, this might be the year.”
Coach John Hussey shares that enthusiasm.
He’s so fired up about the Cardinals’ 1993 prospects that he’s adopted the same hair style he had in 1977 when he was a mainstay on a team that went 8-1. No Otterbein team has had a better record, although the 1960 and ‘61 teams also were 8-1.
“I call it skin tight,” Hussey said of his new haircut. “My wife, said, ‘What is this? You do this to yourself every 15 years or what?”
“But it’s my sign of commitment to this program. It’s the same haircut I had in my senior year, and I think this team has the same kind of attitude that team had.”
The Cardinals were 3-5-2 last season, 3-4-2 in the OAC.
Hanks enters this season 5,967 career passing yards on 580 completions in 1,012 attempts. Hanks is closing in on the OAC career record for attempts (1,024) and completions (587), both set by Shane Fulton of Heidelberg.
Fulton’s career record for passing yardage (7,345) should fall later this season.
Hanks said he’s entering his senior year in the best condition of his life.
“I’ve always had some tendonitis or bursitis in my throwing shoulder, but this year I gave it a real long rest, a six or seven-month restand it seems to have helped it,” he said.
Hussey said, “If our running game is healthy, he’ll be a much different passer. I expect him to equal his passing stats, but we’ll be throwing because we want to, not because we have to.”
Dispatch Sports Reporter
Luke Hanks probably will leave Otterbein with several Ohio Athletic Conference passing records, but will he graduate without playing on a winning team?
Hanks, a 6-foot-6 senior from Hilliard, is zero-for-three in winning seasons.
Otterbein is 8-18-4 during his career, and hasn’t had a winning season since 1982.
“I think it depends on the first couple of games,” Hanks said. “If we win our first two (at Earlham and at home against Heidelberg), then I think we’ll have a better than .500 season. And, if things come together after that, this might be the year.”
Coach John Hussey shares that enthusiasm.
He’s so fired up about the Cardinals’ 1993 prospects that he’s adopted the same hair style he had in 1977 when he was a mainstay on a team that went 8-1. No Otterbein team has had a better record, although the 1960 and ‘61 teams also were 8-1.
“I call it skin tight,” Hussey said of his new haircut. “My wife, said, ‘What is this? You do this to yourself every 15 years or what?”
“But it’s my sign of commitment to this program. It’s the same haircut I had in my senior year, and I think this team has the same kind of attitude that team had.”
The Cardinals were 3-5-2 last season, 3-4-2 in the OAC.
Hanks enters this season 5,967 career passing yards on 580 completions in 1,012 attempts. Hanks is closing in on the OAC career record for attempts (1,024) and completions (587), both set by Shane Fulton of Heidelberg.
Fulton’s career record for passing yardage (7,345) should fall later this season.
Hanks said he’s entering his senior year in the best condition of his life.
“I’ve always had some tendonitis or bursitis in my throwing shoulder, but this year I gave it a real long rest, a six or seven-month restand it seems to have helped it,” he said.
Hussey said, “If our running game is healthy, he’ll be a much different passer. I expect him to equal his passing stats, but we’ll be throwing because we want to, not because we have to.”
