I DUCK TRACKS
By BERNIE HAMMERBECK
Sports Editor
The Oregon students who are unable to attend Satin day s
traditional Wcbfoot-Bcaver tilt in Corvallis because they can
not obtain tickets emphasize a problem which is before many
colleges t o cl a y—to w h o ni
should athletics belong? The
ticket situation for the “Little
Civil War” has a lot of angles
which many of the disappoint
ed students do not consider.
First of all, it is Oregon
State’s Homecoming weekend.
There is a natural demand for
scats. The grads of years gone
by want to see the Alma Mater
iu action. They have a lot of
fond memories of their school
days. Many have sons, daugh
ters, and friends currently in
PERCY LOCEY
school. The Homecoming game means a lot to tncm.
Secondly, it is Oregon State’s home game, and our Web
foots are the visitors. In accordance with common practice
they are entitled to seats before the Oregon fans.
Thirdly, the Oregon State enrollment is at an all-time high
of 7,100 and Bell field has a capacity of only 20,000.
None of these reasons, however, will placate the hate stu
dent who wants to see his own school team in action but can
not because of limited ticket sales.
Oregon Students Have Good Reasons, Too
His reasoning is equally valid. After all, is not the Univei
sity of Oregon football team his team? Does it not represent
the students? Are the gridders themselves not students, sup
posedly placing the Saturday game because they have proven
themselves better ball players than their schoolmates? Why
must the Oregon student be denied the opportunity to see his
team play, so that an Oregon State graduate of one, five, ten, or
fifty years ago can see the game?
Despite the hush-hush attitude with which this issue is cus
tomarily treated, the fact remains that college football is “big
business” requiring tremendous financial advcntuie. College
students foot but a very small part of that bill, the large part
being derived from the sale of reserved seats, general admis
sions, donations to scholarship funds, etc. And the people who
contribute this major share must be considered too.
This is not meant to be a condemnation of Oregon's or
Oregon State’s athletic policies. In fact the present situa
tion shows how small is our “big business as compared to
many other schools. Bell field holds only 20,000 and the
1500 Oregon exchange tickets sold netted only a dollar apiece
after the tax deduction.
According to reports, students in sunny California do not
have the “Big Carnes" included on their activities tickets. They
have to fork over the greenbacks in large quantities if they
want to see their important games. And down there they have
stadiums of tremendous capacity. Students of both schools aie
paying SAID to see the UCLA-USC game in the hundred
thousand plus Coliseum. •
To maintain teams of sufficient calibre to compete in a top
flight football circuit, we have made football “big business.” We
must cater to alums and donors, whether school authorities
will admit it or not. And in so doing the students have been
caught in the pinch. •
Should We De-Emphasiz e Football
If on the other hand we were to de-emphasize football to
a much lower standard of play, there would be much less in
terest in Saturday's game. Fewer alums would attend; fewer
Oregon students would want tickets. There would undoubt
edly be seats to spare at Bell field if the Beavers and the Ducks
belonged to the Northwest Collegiate loop. But would you, the
students, want that brand of football? Most of you probably
would not.
The blame does not all lie on Athletic Director Percy
Locey of the Corvallis school, or when the situation is re
versed and the game played at Hayward field next year will
the fault lie at the Oregon athletic manager’s feet. The same
troubles vjill arise this winter when OSC students will want
admittance to McArthur court to see their Beavers play. A
few may get in, but not many; and there will not be many
Oregon students present when the Webfoots make their ap
pearances on the Corvallis court.
Saturday 3100 Oregon students will be the"victims of their'
own athletic system. They have a right to he unhappy. Yet
it is safe" to say that they would have it no other way. A good
show occasionally is better than smalltime athletics at a big
school.
JV Five Swamps Outdoor Store.
50 to 25 in City League Opener
Eagles Decision Theta Chis
In Semi-final Touch Playoff
Warren Directs
Swim Workouts
Coach John Warren put in an ap
pearance for the first time at the
men’s pool this week, and with the
JV football schedule completed for
this season, will direct the varsity
swimming team’s daily workouts.
Earl Walters, ace backstroker, has
been undertaking the mentor duties
in Warren’s absence and he will con
tinue to assist in the coaching tasks
in addition to his daily workouts.
The unwieldy squad has dwind
led somewhat in the last few days,
as competition becomes stiffer and
the training routine more strenu
ous. Most of the top positions in the
various events are held by veteran
paddlers at the present time, taut
with an entire winter of practice
and daily grind ahead, no one is as
sured of a number one berth at this
point in the season. Don Rush and
Bob Hiatt appear ot be the one-two
men respectively in the free-style
distance event, and in the sprints,
lettermen George Moorehead holds
a slight advantage over his compet
itors in time trials.
This year’s squad has abundant
material in both swimmers and di
vers, from which to choose a varsity
group to represent Oregon in the
post-war sports boom. However, the
other schools in the Northern Di
vision are also welcoming back for
mer stars and developing potential
aquatic greats, though the Oregon
boys appear strong in comparison
to last year’s team, actual compe
tition will be the only standard by
which to judge the hard-working
Ducks.
Ki Si-Fi Si Tussle
To Buck Melchior;
500 Fans Expected
Sunday afternoon at 2:30 Ore
gon students will get their final
glimpse of 1946 football when the
annual Phi Psi-Chi Phi Beer Bowl
contest gets underway. Using
regidar equipment borrowed
from the PE department, the
game will' be played on the var
sity practice field. Tom Hughes,
varsity trainer, who was an All
American at Purdue, will referee.
Despite the Melchior concert
slated for the same afternoon, a
partisan crowd of nearly 500 is
expected to lie on hard for the
fiercely contested battle.
Outweighed nearly 30 pounds
per man, the light Chi Psi eleven,
coached by former Berkeley Hi
star Bob Neiderholt/er, will have
to depend on speed and decep
tion to get around the ponderous
Phi Psi steamroller, coached by
Lou Robinson. Captain Chuck
Ruffner’s starting Chi Psi line
will average only 167 pounds, his
backfield 158. Bob Reed, captain
of the Phi Psi juggernaut, will'
start a line that averages 195
and a backfield that averages
185.
Botli teams will operate from
tiie T-formation with Jack Ruble
calling signals for the Chi Psi
Lodge and Les ‘Red-dog’ Hixson
naming the plays for the Phi
Psis.
To the winning team will go a
keg of beer and the possession
of the traditional silver cup. The
cup is now in the Phi Psi trophy
By DON FAIR
Employing the “most yardage in
four downs from the 20-foot system,
the legal Eagles sloshed their way
into the semi-finals of the intramu
ral touch-ball play-off, by decision
ing Theta Chi after five pointless
periods, at Howe field yesterday.
After four plays, the Theta Chi
seven ended up with a minus 10
yards while the Legal Eagles broke
even in their quartet of downs by
gaining yet losing nothing. The
field, still a sea of mud from Mon
day’s rain, offered little stable foot
as both teams managed to mark up
ing and long gains were infrequent
a pair of first downs apiece.
At the end of the five-period
stalemate, the Theta Chi team was
given the ball on their own 20 with
four downs to advance it. On the
first play, Bill Harber cracked right
tackle for two yards.
Deciding Break
An attempted forward went
awry. On the next play came the
break which decided the contest, as
the Theta Chi squad was penalized
15 yards from their 17 to the 2 for
an illegal block. Harber flipped a
pass to Tom Colley for 8 yards to
the 10 and when another pass fell
incomplete, the Theta Chi team was
10 yards behind their original posi
tion.
Sensing their advantage, the bar
risters used their four plays cau
tiously, coasting to the win.
In the opening period, Theta Chi
made their deepest penetration into
Legal Eagle territory as Center
Farley Everton speared an oppos
ing pass on the Eagle’s 22. But on
third down, John Brock, righ guard
for the victors, intercepted one of
Harber’s tosses to avert the threat.
Roger Dick followed this up by get
ting off a 52-yard quick kick..
... On the other hand, the barristers
made their initial first down and
deepest penetration in regulation
playing time on the last play of the
fourth quarter when Dick skirted
right end for 26 yards to the oppo
sition’s 24.
Recover Punt
In the fifth stanza, however, the
Eagles really turned on the heat
after recovering a poor Theta Chi
punt on the loser’s 27. Dick rifled
the ball to Gene Brown on the 17
and Dick romped to a first down on
the 10.
Two pass attempts failed and a
15-yard penalty was socked the
Eagles for tripping. On the fourth
down, Dick hit Brad Francher with
a perfect pass in six-point terri
tory but Francher slipped, with the
ball trickling off his fingers in
complete.
Outstanding defensively for the
Theta Chi squad was stringbean
wingman Bill Cramer who several
times knifed through the Legal
Eagle forward wall to drop the
ball carrier for losses ranging
from 7 to 12 yards.
Lineups:
Legal Eagles Tlieta Chi
Rodman .C.Everton
Brook .R G. Martin
Sliiller .L G. Miller
Francher .R E.... Steelhammer
Smith .L E. Cramer
Dick .F.Harber
Gray .Q Colley
Eagle subs—Jim Williams, Es- I
tes Snedecor, Gene Brown. Theta
Chi subs—Gene Hebrard.
room by virtue of a 6-0 win in
1941. A 0-6 tie in 1942 enabled 1
them to retain possession
throughout the dormant war
years.
By FRED TAYLOR
With Paul Sowers leading the at
tack with 13 points, Oregon’s ju
nior varsity hoop squad outran the
Outdoor Store’s entry in the City
League circuit to win going away,
50-35, in the first of a series of
triple-headers in McArthur court
last night.
The jayvees go against the one
win Eagles Lodges tonight at 7 p.
m., on the same court.
Outdoor Store’s quintet took the
lead at the start of the game on
two free throws by Forward Pal
mer King, who was the main spark
of their outfit, racking up nine
points, but this was the only time;
the independent team held the leaef
during the evening. Center Dan
Ducich promptly sank a one-hand
er from the key to tie the score,
and then the redhot Sowers put up
a lay-in for two more counters,
and that pulled the locals out in
front, where they easily stayed for
the rest of the contest.
After the Jayvee team increased
the lead to 9-3 on a free throw and
two more lay-ins, the Outdoormen
found their range for a short while,
and brought up the score to 9-6,
but here the defense clamped
down again and after Bob Lavey
sank a free try and followed
through with a one-handed push
shot, they really began to pour on
the speed. The pace began to
catch up with the independents, and
for the last six minutes of the first
half they failed to score a point,
while the JVs were making hay,
racking up nine points and totaling
38 by that time.
Team Changes
Ted Schopf, Jayvee coach, had
been constantly shifting
chai'ges in and out of the lineup,
but he started the original team
again after the half, and they con
tinued on their winning way, de
spite the efforts of the game Out
doormen to halt them. Lynn Hamil
ton, Bob Don, and Lavey all hit
for field goals, along with a free
try, to boost the total to 35 points
before their mates relieved them.
And the ever-changing lineup,
which kept relatively fresh men in
play all the time, was almost
matched by the Storemen, but their
reserves failed to keep pace with
the JVs. Lanky Cal Bonney, cap
tain of his team, and main threat,
had his hands so full watching the
centers of the opponents that he
was limited to two field goals all
evening, while the two alternating
centers of the jayvees, Ducich and
Jerry Switzer each hit for that
many.
Only casualty of the game was a
bloody nose suffered by Lynn Ham
ilton who was forced to leave the
game temporarily.
In the other two games played
last night, the lanky Oregon Lumj
ber Sales, with Center Brophy can
ning 16 points, outclassed the Rich
field Oilers, 49-21. Dale Warberg
and Clay Thomason each hit for
eight counters to lead the Oilers at
tack in the initial tilt. In the second
contest, after leading for the whole
game, the Coos Bay Pirates were
nosed out by the Eagles Lodge, 49
42, in the last two minutes. Chuck
Taylor was high man for the Eagles
with 16 points, while Chuck Stam
per of the Pirates was close behind
with 14.
Lineups for the JV-Outdoor Store
as follows:
Jayvees (50) Outdoor Store (25)
Don (5).F . (3) Sertic
Hamilton (9).F.(9) King
Ducich (4).C.(4) Bonney
Sowers (13).Cl. (3) Plath
Lavey (10).G.(1) Lyons
Subs for Jayvees: Kirseh (3),
Lovelace (2), Switzer (4), Deveny,
liilips. Subs for Outdoor Store:
V illiams, Robertson, H. RobertSHi'
(1). Renfro, Carrol, Weinstein (3),
Smith, Norris, Sullivan (2).