Ram Notebook : Ex-Titan Coach Coury Back Home

Home at last, Dick Coury felt like he was home at last when he walked into Anaheim Stadium Thursday night.

It was only half a stadium when Coury coached there in 1970 and ’71 as Cal State Fullerton’s first head football coach, and now he, like the stadium, had gone full circle. He returned as the Rams’ quarterback coach for a scrimmage against the San Diego Chargers.

Coury rode to the scrimmage with Bruce Snyder, the running back coach.

“When we drove into that parking lot I said, ‘There must be something else going on here. There couldn’t be all these cars for a scrimmage,’ ” Coury said. “I told Bruce that sometimes our (Fullerton) crowds weren’t that big for a game.

“It was just a great feeling. I’ve always really dreamed of one day being on the Rams’ staff, and when they moved to Orange County I thought, ‘Boy, that would really be great.’ Even though it wasn’t a game, it was a real thrill just being back there.”

Like the old joke, for Coury, it was great being anywhere. For the previous three springs he had been a United States Football League head coach in Boston, New Orleans and Portland. Same team, just different towns.

But this week that financially strapped league was dealt what may be a fatal blow when it was awarded only $3 after winning its antitrust suit against the National League Football.

Coury said: “I appreciated the opportunities (in the USFL), but I thought if they were awarded anything substantial it would have really been a crime, because the NFL didn’t run the USFL out of business. We ran ourselves out with everything we did.

“If the league had stayed in the spring, it would still be playing. It was good football.

“I feel real bad for the coaches and players. It was more jobs for everybody. That’s the worst part of it. This time of year you can’t get a job.

“Right after it happened I had players that had played for me (in the USFL) call me: ‘Is there any chance anybody needs me?’ They’re all looking, even though (the owners) are still talking about playing.”

A couple of times Thursday night, Coury also was reminded of his six years with the Philadelphia Eagles.

“When Dieter (Brock) threw the first pass and got the boos, I went over to him and said, ‘I thought I was back in Philadelphia with (Ron) Jaworski.’ He laughed.”

Coury, who also formerly coached at Mater Dei High School, has finally sold his house in Portland and has been rejoined by his wife Bonnie. They will lease a house in Fullerton until deciding where to buy.

“When we left here 14 years ago, we sold our house for $40,000,” he said. “Right now it’s (worth) $195,000.”

Last spring’s “NFL Fastest Man” contest in Palm Desert--the one Ron Brown was supposed to win--will be shown on Channel 4 as part of “Sportsworld” at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Washington Redskin defensive back Darrell Green won by beating Brown in the semifinals and the Bears’ Willie Gault in the final. Brown, an Olympic gold medalist in the sprint relay, wants a rematch.

He apparently didn’t take it seriously enough.

“I’m looking forward to running it again,” he said. “They worked at it, and even if they worked at it I didn’t think they’d run that fast. Failing to prepare is like preparing to fail. It definitely came true for me.

“Darrell ran well. He said he trained for it a long time. But we’ve had races like that in the past and they never turned out very well--couple of people showed up--and I thought this was gonna be the same thing.

“But it was very well put together. I was kind of pumped after I got there--wow, this is gonna be real nice. I hope I’m in shape to run three races.’

Green won the first prize of $20,000.

“It wasn’t the money,” Brown said. “I just don’t like to lose. It was never like I was the fastest man in football, just one of the fastest.

“And it wasn’t so much me losing the race as much as it was that I didn’t prepare for it as I should have. That’s what really bothers me. If I do the best I can and still lose, that’s fine, but I didn’t and that’s what I’m upset about.”

It was only a scrimmage but it meant a lot to Steve Dils. The eight-year pro from Stanford might have improved his long-shot chances of becoming the Rams’ starting quarterback by completing 15 of 26 passes against the Chargers, including a long touchdown to Brown.

“I’m real happy with the way I played,” Dils said Friday. “We were going against their top corners, and I’m pretty sure it was their top linebackers.”

The fact that it felt more like a game than an ordinary scrimmage helped.

“I had no idea there’d be that many people (24,380) there. We were expecting maybe six or seven hundred. Being in the stadium gets you a little more pumped up, and it’s at night. I grew up playing football at night and it’s always seemed more like a game.”

Ram publicist Pete Donovan said the announced attendance was a turnstile count, not an estimate, although admission was free.

The event was a season ticket promotion sponsored by Kodak, which sold about 12,000 film packs at the concession stands because the containers could be exchanged for a free Ram cap.

But even better for the Rams, 142 season tickets were sold, according to Donovan.

The Morris Brown College coaches have been in the Rams’ training camp this week, continuing a National Football League program of summer seminars with coaching staffs from black schools.

The coaches were especially interested in quarterback Steve Bartkowski. Morris Brown is in Atlanta, Ga., where Bartkowski spent 11 seasons with the Falcons.

“We came all the way out here to see Bartkowski,” said one of the coaches.

“He’s still got it,” said Morris Brown head Coach Greg Thompson. “He didn’t have good receivers down there the last couple of years, but he’s got some now.”

Even though the Rams are yet to open the exhibition season, there are only two placekickers and one punter in camp.

Incumbent kicker Mike Lansford must still compete with rookie Steve Jordan, but Pro Bowl punter Dale Hatcher’s only competition, Scott Leet from San Francisco State, was released before Hatcher even arrived.

Lansford said: “It’s good to have competition and somebody else to take the load in training camp.”

Then he had an afterthought: “On the other hand, it’s sort of comforting to know your position is secure.”

The Rams play the Houston Oilers in the exhibition opener Tuesday night in Anaheim Stadium.

Competition often brings out the best in an athlete. The other day in practice, Brock completed a long, arching pass to Bobby Duckworth, who caught the ball in stride and ran away from Pro Bowl cornerback LeRoy Irvin.

Brock let out a yelp and shot one fist in the air.

Irvin said: “I’ll let him have one.”

Coach John Robison on cornerback Jerry Gray, who is playing in place of the injured Gary Green:

“He’s not on a level with the other corner (Irvin), but he’s a good, young corner. He’s a little like (wide receiver) Ron Brown. They have a lot of talent and natural ability, but there are a lot of little things they have to learn.”

Gray, who played safety at Texas, was the Rams’ first-round draft choice last year. He wasn’t expected to become a starter this soon, especially since he is learning a new position.

“There’s no alternative,” Robinson said. “He’s the starting pitcher without relief help.”

Green will be out indefinitely with a neck problem.

Rookie quarterback Hugh Millen’s right ankle, injured in the Charger scrimmage, was diagnosed Friday as a fractured right fibula and torn deltoid ligament.

Robinson said: “I’m afraid he’s not gonna play football the rest of the year. He might be in a cast for a couple of months.”