Gridders Wait for the Pro Call

If Neil Phillips gets a call informing him that he has been drafted by an NFL team, he may have to read about it in the newspaper the next day.

"When people call," Phillips said, "I just have to bang on the phone a few times. I've got the technique down now. The person on the other end can hear me, so it should be okay."

And if Tony Hinz gets a call Sunday or Monday, then staying home and not participating in "The Survival Game"--a war-like game in which the participants dress in camouflage and shoot pellets at one another--with his friends in the forest will be worth it.

This weekend, Hinz, Phillips and Maurice Frilot will be waiting at home, hoping their names will be among the 336 called in the NFL annual draft.

"I'll be sitting by the phone, hoping," said Hinz, the Crimson's starting halfback the last two years and a big-game hunter in Montana. "A few teams called to ask where I will be on draft day, and I don't want to be off in the forest."

Hinz, who rushed for 1625 career yards, was one of 300 pro prospects to participate in the combine workouts February in Indianapolis.

"[The combines] were kind of like a beauty pagent," Hinz said. "You go through workouts, and there are about 400 coaches there, taking notes, inspecting your body."

Phillips, a three-year letterman at wide receiver in football and a four-year starter in basketball, says he will not attempt to follow in Bo Jackson's footsteps. If he makes it at either sport, the other will become a hobby at the playground, not professional, level.

"I can't play both professionally, I'll just take whatever I can get now," Phillips said. "My years as a two-sport athlete are pretty much finished. I want to take any opportunity to get into a camp, whether if it's through the draft or the free agency route."

Phillips, who caught 36 passes for 597 yards last fall despite battling nagging injuries, has tried out with several teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New York Jets, the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills.

Hinz worked out for the Jets, the Dallas Cowboys, the Denver Broncos, the Steelers, and the Seattle Seahawks.

Frilot, a three-year starter on the offensive line and an all-Ivy pick the last two seasons, has also been in contact with NFL clubs. Like Hinz, he has signed with an agent.

While all three players have filled out questionnaires for various NFL teams, they each also realize there is a very good chance they could all be by-passed.

"I'm hoping, but I'm not counting on getting drafted," Phillips said. "It's great if it works out. I just want to get into a camp and give it a shot. If it doesn't work out, I'm going to look into the possibility of going overseas and playing football or basketball there."

"If worst comes to worst, I'll try out as a free agent," Hinz said. "I've dreamed about playing professionally, but it didn't become reality until the last few years. It's hard to imagine yourself as a professional football player. I realize now that it's not out of reach, and I'm going to take whatever comes."

Hinz, Phillips and Frilot not only must compete with the numerous players fighting for precious few spots, but also must battle the stigma attached to Ivy League players.

Few Ivy League players have actually gone on to be professional stars. The most notable Ivy League product is probably Yale's Calvin Hill, a standout for the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins.

Hinz says he was singled out at the combines by other players and coaches.

"A lot of the other players would hassle me," Hinz said, "asking me if I was the guy from Harvard. You definitely have to prove more to even have a chance. It's tough."

"For me, I went to a small, private school, and I heard the same thing," Phillips said. "People told me 'If you go to Harvard, you're passing up the opportunity to play in the big-time.' Coming to Harvard, I realized that if you're good, people would take notice anyway."

This weekend, he hopes to get noticed. And he hopes he can hear it too.

"I may borrow a phone from a friend," Phillips said. "It might be worth it."