Wildcats choose three seniors as team captains

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat Senior runningback Kelvin Eafon (38) runs downfield as freshman center Steven Grace (66) blocks Oregon's junior roving linebacker Michael Fletcher (1). Eafon was one of three seniors named team captain last week by head coach Dick Tomey based on the players' votes.

For defense, it was no surprise as senior cornerback Chris McAlister earned the nod.

For offense, it was no surprise as senior running back Kelvin Eafon was selected.

For special teams, it may have been a surprise when senior Barrett Baker was named a captain.

Maybe to the person on the street, but not to anyone else on the team.

"No, he works (too) hard not to be a captain," Eafon said of Baker. "Anyone who works that hard deserves it."

For Baker, the title of captain marks the culmination of a long and sometimes difficult career.

"It was the biggest compliment anyone could give you," Baker said. "Having them recognize me for something football-related was just great."

He was injured in his senior year of high school while playing for Tucson's Santa Rita High against future Wildcat Kevin Schmidtke. While Schmidtke went on to play at UA, Baker had to walk-on at Glendale Community College.

After two years he walked away from football, when he was not picked up once his Glendale eligibility ran out. He returned to Tucson and enrolled at the UA as "a full-time student only."

Baker said that if he planned to return to football, "I want to do it under my terms."

In the spring of 1997 Baker walked onto the UA practice field, and after blocking a punt in practice the next fall before the season-opener against Oregon he found himself a spot on the team.

"Coach Tomey was running around yelling 'Put him on the traveling squad' after I did that," Baker said.

Baker got into his first game of the season at Washington State last year, and this year has seen action on special teams and as a back-up defensive back.

He also was awarded a scholarship by Tomey at the end of Camp Cochise in August of this year.

"It was nice because finally, someone said I'm good enough to play for them," he said. "A walk-on appreciates a scholarship more than anyone in the world. I wanted to prove to myself I could do it. I wanted to prove to the colleges who had ignored me they made a mistake."

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The injury report for Arizona was not as bad as thought after the Oregon game.

Sophomore defensive end Mike Robertson's injured shoulder was not a rotator cuff tear, as earlier feared.

The MRI taken yesterday revealed Robertson would not require surgery.

Before the results were announced head coach Dick Tomey said, "We'll just have to keep our fingers crossed."

Though still wearing his arm in a sling, Robertson was upbeat at practice Monday.

"It's just really swollen right now," he said. "The doctor gave me some Motrin to get the swelling down."

Robertson said that if the doctors clear him and the swelling goes down, he'll be on the field come Saturday against Washington State.

His importance to the defense was noted by fellow defensive end Joe Tafoya.

"He's the guy that puts the pressure on the (opposing) quarterback," Tafoya said. "We're going to have to think of something else to do if he can't play."

Another injured player who looks like he'll return to action is sophomore running back Leon Callen.

"I think he's getting there," Tomey said. "It'll take several weeks of feeling good for him to be all the way back."

Tomey said Callen could have played last week, but he was kept out because he was not "at full-speed yet.

"Trung (Canidate) and Kelvin both played 24 to 27 plays last week, and that's more than we'd like them to have," Tomey said. "We hope he'll (Callen) be able to play this week."

Chris Jackson can be reached via e-mail at Chris.Jackson@wildcat.arizona.edu.