BARELY A BRUIN; ATKINS ALMOST LOST ACADEMIC ELIGIBILITY.

Byline: Jon Wilner Daily News Staff Writer

The interceptions against Tennessee, the fumble recoveries against Arizona, the sacks, the tackles, the big plays - that's the easy part for UCLA junior safety Larry Atkins.

He is the Bruins' best athlete and perhaps their best player - one so gifted that longtime assistant Bob Field compared Atkins to some of the best safeties in UCLA history: Eric Turner, Matt Darby, Don Rogers and James Washington.

But as good as Atkins is on the field, he's that bad with time management - a failing that nearly cost him the season. When the spring quarter ended, Atkins was face to face with academic ineligibility. He had three incompletes. He had a hold on his records, and he had a dead history professor who seemingly took a crucial grade to the grave.

``I was pretty stressed about the whole thing,'' Atkins said. ``I thought, `Oh, no, I'm not going to be able to play.' I really wasn't sure. It took a long time to get everything sorted out.''

Atkins' troubles began in the spring of '96, when he received a C and two Ds. His cumulative grade-point average was not in jeopardy - he even made the honor roll as a freshman - but the athletic staff became concerned when Atkins took incompletes in the fall and winter quarters last year.

``It was a question of creating the difficulty and of not seeing a sense of urgency from Larry to clear it up right away,'' said Ed Kezirian, the team's academic counselor.

Atkins rallied this spring with As and Bs, but because of the incompletes he did not have enough credits for eligibility. That's when Field, who coaches the safeties, intervened. He explained the situation to Atkins, detailing what needed to be done and what was at stake.

``Coach Field had all the classes I'd taken in the past year and a list of things that were holding me down,'' Atkins said. ``He went down the line: incomplete here, incomplete there. He told me that I wouldn't be able to play.

``That's when it hit me that if I wasn't able to play, the program would go on and somebody would take my spot. I knew I'd regret it.''

Atkins finished a jazz paper, which erased one incomplete. Another professor had taken a quarter off, so Atkins tracked him down. Then Atkins realized the grades could not be posted because of a hold on his record. The culprit was an unpaid phone bill from his freshman year. He had signed nothing. He had received no bills, but his name was on it. He had to pay.

``I kidded him a lot in the spring,'' Field said. ``Our joke was that he had dug himself a deep hole. Every time I'd see him, I'd say, `Is your head out of the hole, or are you still climbing the wall.' He had holes everywhere.''

His next move was to the history department. Professor Boniface Obichere, who taught African Civilization, had died last year without grading Atkins' midterm. Atkins spent several desperate weeks tracking down Obichere's teaching assistant, who had left town, and eventually got his grade.

``The phone bill and the professor dying were bad breaks, but I put myself in that position because of the incompletes,'' Atkins said. ``I had terrible time management in high school. Back then, it was a lot easier, so you could do the assignments the day they were due. College has been a big adjustment.''

The brush with ineligibility forced Atkins, who is one of UCLA's most soft-spoken players, to better manage his time and responsibilities. That, in turn, has made him a better player. He's second on the team with 20 tackles. He's tied for the lead in fumble recoveries (two), and he leads the nation in interceptions (four). The secret to his success - other than his size, speed and hands - is humility.

``Larry has the talent, but he's not overly impressed with himself,'' Field said. ``He doesn't think he has redefined the position. He's eager to learn. He likes absorbing the information.''

After spending the summer trying to salvage his season, Atkins won't soon forget what he learned. He's better organized. He's more disciplined, and he no longer waits until the last minute - unless it's to intercept a pass.

``We knew Larry would be someone we'd need to work with,'' Kezirian said. ``But he has been much more accountable since he spoke with coach Field. Like he's developed as a football player, he's developed as a scholar.''

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Photo

Photo: UCLA junior safety Larry Atkins, perhaps the team's best player, almost lost his academic eligibility because of poor time management.

Myung J. Chun / Daily News