SUPER BOWL XXI : DENVER vs. NEW YORK : NOTEBOOK : Davis and Madden Will Be Turning Head Over Tails Before the Kickoff

Guess who has his picture on the commemorative coin that will be used for the Super Bowl coin flip.

Would you believe Al Davis?

According to John Madden, his picture and Davis’ picture are on the coin because they were the coach and owner, respectively, of the Oakland Raiders when they beat Minnesota in Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl 10 years ago.

Davis relayed this information to a group of unbelieving reporters at the Super Bowl Media Clinic held Tuesday at Chapman College.

“Hey, John, they don’t believe me,” Davis then hollered over to Madden, who was there along with Hank Stram, George Allen and Chuck Knox.

Madden nodded. “It’s true,” he said.

“They must want something,” Davis said. “I’d better call the office.”

It was press day at Orange Coast College Tuesday as sportswriters and broadcasters crowded around individual players to do interviews.

The Giants’ Lawrence Taylor drew the largest crowd--at least 100 reporters. Many probably figured they were getting their one shot at Taylor this week, and they were probably right.

Taylor said he was not going to do any more interviews “unless the NFL makes me do another.”

Why? “I don’t want to do any more,” he said.

So what’s he going to do with his free time? “I’m going to play golf,” he said.

Then there was Giant tight end Mark Bavaro. He took one look at the horde of reporters who had arrived in busloads and walked off.

About Denver quarterback John Elway, Taylor said: “I hit him three times and didn’t sack him. He’s so elusive. His legs are as strong as a horse’s. He’s got a stiff arm that can put you in the hospital.

“No question I can get to him--it’s whether I can bring him down.”

Clarence Kay, a third-year pro, will be the Broncos’ starting tight end Sunday. In December, he was suspended for four games because of drug abuse. He was permitted to rejoin the Broncos for the AFC championship game against the Cleveland Browns because he had volunteered for treatment.

“There are still a lot of hurdles to go,” he said as he talked openly about his problem to a relatively small group of interviewers.

“But I’m feeling pretty good about myself. I can’t say enough about the support given to me by Danny (Reeves, Denver’s coach). My relationship with him is more than just a football relationship. He’s more like a father.”

Kay said he experimented with drugs while still in college at Georgia. “I’ve had those tendencies for a long time,” he said.

“The toughest thing for any drug addict to do is admit he is one. It’s tough for anyone, but particularly tough when you’re in the limelight.

“When the news of my problem went national, I really thought my career was over.”

Giant tackle Brad Benson is becoming famous for a nose bandage. “I can be a thousand miles from home and someone will recognize me from a toll booth,” he said.

Benson got cut in mid-October, had 12 stitches and went to practice on Monday. “Tore every one of the stitches out,” he said. “Got to the point where I wasn’t going to stitch it. Too much scar tissue.”

So he wears a huge bandage on the bridge of his nose, which is not a perfect solution, either. “It’s a nuisance during games, breathing blood,” he said.

Giant Coach Bill Parcells is a superstitious sort. For the trip to the Super Bowl, he requested a pilot who had flown two previous Super Bowl champions. The pilot had to be flown from Los Angeles to pick up the Giants.

President Reagan can call the winners’ locker room Sunday if he likes, but CBS won’t televise it, executive producer Ted Shaker said, explaining that the practice is getting a little old.

Also, CBS won’t do an interview with the President similar to the one NBC did during halftime of the Fiesta Bowl.

Bronco offensive lineman Keith Bishop and Giant running back Tony Galbreath are among the players carrying video cameras this week. But Bishop and Galbreath have a purpose beyond just recording memories.

The plan is for their footage to be used by CBS during Sunday’s two-hour pregame show.

“I’m sure I’m going to have to make some copies for some of the guys on the team, too,” Bishop said.

Last season, cornerback Mark Collins was performing in front of crowds of 3,000 at Santa Ana Stadium for Cal State Fullerton. Now he’s in the Super Bowl with the rest of the Giants.

Collins, a second-round draft choice, moved into the starting lineup when Elvis Patterson suffered a groin pull early in the season. Then Collins broke his left wrist Dec. 1 against San Francisco, and now he is used on passing downs.

“It’s great coming back to Orange County,” Collins said. “You can’t beat the weather.”

Collins, who is single, said he’s out here to stay, moving back to his home in Fullerton. “My home in New Jersey is all locked up,” he said. “I’m not going back after the game.”

Collins grew up in San Bernardino and was a three-sport star at Pacific High School. But he was only recruited by Fullerton, Nevada Las Vegas, Northern Arizona and Utah State.

“Playing at Fullerton, I never gave much thought to playing pro ball,” he said. “But then I played in a couple of postseason all-star games and realized for the first time I had the ability to play.”

Giant backup quarterback Jeff Rutledge, traded by the Rams to New York in 1982, still makes his off-season home in Mission Viejo.

“I was excited when I was first traded,” he said. “I viewed it as a new chance, but things didn’t work out quite the way I planned.

“But I’ve got no complaints now. As a backup, I know I have to be ready if needed.”

Because of Elway, sometimes other members of the Bronco offense are overlooked.

Wide receiver Steve Watson knows about being overlooked. He was signed by the Broncos in 1979 as a free agent, but two years later turned into a star, making 60 catches for 1,244 yards.

He went over the 1,000-yard mark the next two seasons, and this season had 45 catches for 699 yards.

Watson had an outstanding career at Temple, where he was also a 24-foot long jumper. But still he was not drafted.

“Four other teams besides the Broncos were interested in me--the Colts, the Giants, the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia,” Watson said.

“I signed with the Broncos because I had something to prove. Babe Parilli had scouted me for them and said I’d be picked in the third round. Needless to say, I wasn’t picked in the third round.

“I got a $2,000 signing bonus and used all of it to go to Denver and try out.”

Bronco punter Mike Horan is another interesting success story. Signed as a free agent by Denver in week 13 this season, Horan was a walk-on at Cal State Long Beach.

He was drafted in the ninth round by Atlanta in 1982 but was cut during the exhibition season. He tried out with Green Bay and Buffalo before catching on with Philadelphia for two years. The Eagles cut him last summer.

Horan said he thought he had it made after being drafted by Atlanta. “But I messed that up,” he said. “I guess I was too up-tight.”

So what’s he doing to keep from getting up-tight this week? “I’m not watching any television, not reading any newspapers or taking any phone calls,” he said.

Reeves is concerned about having to pass too much. “There’s no way we’ll have a chance if we have to throw the ball 50 times,” he said.

But Seattle Seahawk Coach Chuck Knox, who had a reputation for being conservative while with the Rams, told reporters Tuesday that he believes the Broncos should throw a lot on first down. “Maybe 15, 16 times,” he said.

Al Davis said a trend he noticed about past Super Bowls is the team that leading after the first quarter almost always wins, and wins big. “I think only two or three times has that not been the case,” he said.

The Giants were given the day off Tuesday after the one-hour session with the press. Offensive linemen Bart Oates, Chris Godfrey and Brad Benson went deep sea fishing. Another group, including Taylor and Rutledge, went to play golf.

Times staff writers Richard Hoffer and Chris Dufresne contributed to this story.