' DUCK TRACKS
By BERNIE HAMMERBECK
Sports Editor
Sportcaster Bill Stern goes to work on college athletics in
the April issue of Sports magazine. It’s the usual line of pap
on whether or not college athletes should be paid. Mr. Stern
comes to the conclusion that
amateur athletes should not be
paid. And to this conclusion,
of “course, we must heartily
agree.
Amply aired are the by
now familiar cases of Shorty
McWilliams and Mississippi,
Buddy Young and a number
of colleges, Oklahoma A and
** M’s Jim Lookabaugh’s crack
about some nearby school
spending $200,000 to produce
athletic teams, and a variety
of other well known cases. mH^^B IBS
Stern also included the of- • ART McLARNEY
ficial West Point statement deploring the professional aspects
of college athletics. And oddly enough Harry "Make it a mil
lion" Wismer is slated to pen the Sport's May issue dissertation
on the college athletics front. Mr. Wismer, having spent the
1946 football season peering over the shoulders of Cadets Doc
Blanchard, Glen Davis, Arnold Tucker, and company, could
perhaps give us a somewhat detailed account of just what
sort of thing goes on at West Point. However, ti.at seems too
much to expect.
This column holds no brief for professionalism in colleges,
but on the other hand why must American colleges, weakened
by the war and now attempting to regain respectable positions
bear the brunt of such attacks. Why not use as examples of
professionalism the “powers” that were during the war.
Army and Navy Doubtful, Too
No tangible evidence is available to say why such men as
Blanchard, Davis, Tucker, McWilliams, Bob Kelly, Bob
Hoenschmeyer, and others suddenly popped up on the Army
and Navy teams during the war. Blanchard had proved him
self as a frosh at North Carolina, McWilliams at Mississippi,
Kelly at Notre Dame, Honschmeyer at Indiana, and Davis
reportedly required the services of a tutor to help him through
high school.
No, there is no evidence to prove that such an array of
talent did not find its way legitimately to West Point and
Annapolis. But neither have we the proof that McWilliams
was offered $15,000 to return to Mississippi or that UCLA
offered Buddy Young everything but the presidency at
Westwood.
If we are to cast stones at the colleges of today, let us not
forget the teams that have enjoyed all the glory during the
last, few years.
Other than that Sterns has little to say of a controversial
nature. He's against pros in college athletics. So are we all.
* But what is needed today is a constructive plan toward the
future, not a rehash of yesterday’s sins. We are painfully aware
of them already.
True Names an All-American Team
While on the national publications topic, True magazine
has released the All-American basketball team that is really
supposed to be "it." The team is chosen by the votes of college
basketball coaches and representative members of the press,
-rffid please don’t chuckle when you hear the first team selec
tions. . . .
Sid Tanenbaum of NYU, Andy Phillips of Illinois, Ralph
Beard and Alex Groza of Kentucky, and Gerald Tucker of
Oklahoma. A fair country ball club to be true, but once
again everything0 ends up in the East. Lone Westerner
to break print is Don Barksdale of UCLA on the third tearn:0
The entire situation boils down to the same old story—an
accurate All-American selection cannot be made by popular
vote. Best method to date has been the use of a selection board
(vith a representative from each section of the country.
Along the Sports Front
.... UCLA is next on the list of West Coast schools
td sponsor a National Collegiate Athletic association tourney.
Washington was host last week to the NCAA swimming
meet, and the Uclans get their chance June 23 to 28 when
the nation’s top collegiate tennis players head Westwood
way. . . . The Texas Longhorns’ ace sprinter Charley Parker
recently lost his first and only race in 56 starts when he fell
to Bill Martinson of Baylor in a tight finish at the Border
Olympics. The judges required 10 minutes before making a
—-decision. . . . Hec Edmundsen’s Washington Huskies packed
in a total of 119,800 fans to 16 home basketball games during
the season just passed. That’s quite a figure for the new
hoop coach, Art McLarney to shoot at next year.
Rain Stymies
Diamond Drill
Rain again was the order of the
day for baseball after the weather
drove the little-drilled diamond
team to cover for the third time
since spring term opened. Howard
Hobson had originally planned to
give his proteges a loosening-up
workout, but the downpour called
another halt to such plans.
The batterymen were kept busy
yesterday Afternoon in the shed as
they were about the only ones who
could' get in any practice. t, At,
present, returnee Hal Sa’ltzman
appears to have the inside track
among the hurlers, but Hobson
has had such little chance to evalu
ate his material, that the other
pitchers’ ability is not known.
Hobson hasn’t had a really de
cent opportunity to see just what
he does have for the coming
Northern Division season, with
the rain dampening his chances to
look over the candidates with any
scrutiny. The nine hasn’t held a
scrimmage game thus far, and it
appears that Webfoots will have
to use their Willamette and Port
land tilts this weekend as almost
practice games.
Hobson plans to take mostly
lettermen on the weekend trip,
which he emphasized doesn’t by
any means decide the squad. Those
who don’t make the road jaunt
will not lack action as the JVs,
under Barney Koch, play a pair
of games with Lewis and Clark of
Portland.
The JVs may be in for the stiff
est action of the two teams, as the
Pioneers have already leveled the
Portland Pilots once this season.
Little is known about the Wil
lamette squad.
Although rain has cut down the
baseballers’ training, Hobson has
been spending most of the sessions
giving the men training routines
to follow, and limbering-up exer
cises.
Looking over the Duck roster,
they seem to lack left-handed hit
ters with punch at the dish. Right
handed swatters are in abundance,
but the southpaws just aren’t to
be had.
Veterans will be back to fight
it out for their old starting berths,
but all of the Northern Division
diamond squads pack a good wal
lop this season. Oregon’s first ND
foe will be the Idaho Vandals here
April 18.
Art McClarney at the University
of Washington appears to have the
favorite, with Max Soriano on the
hill, and Frank Constantino hand
ling the catching chores. Sammy
White, a highly touted backstop
has been shifted to first base,
with another star performer,
Boody Gilburtson, at short.
In summing up his material,
Hobson frankly admitted that he
doesn’t know just how capable the
Ducks are, with rain butting in at
every opportunity, but consolation
can be gained from the fact that
all of the ND teams are up against
the same factor in readying them
selves for the coming campaign.
Bulldogs Reinstate
Tracko Competitor)
SPOKANE, April 2—(AP)—The
o
first Gonzaga university track and
field team in 20 years will open a
six-meet season April 19 against
the University of Idaho at Moscow,
athletic director Claude F. Mc
Grath said today.
Reinstating track competition af
ter a lapse of two decades the Bull
dogs have scheduled a triangular
meet here with Whitworth and Far
ragut college May 17 and dual meets
withWhitman here April 26, East
ern Washington at Cheney April 23,
Montana University at Missoula
May 10, and Farragut at Farragut
May 23.
Newly Appointed Athletic Head Arrives
LEO HARRIS
Oregon's recently appointed ath
letic director, Leo Harris, arrived
on the campus yesterday from his
home in Carmel, Californian Harris
is expected to stay in Eugene for
approximateely a week acquainting
himselfo with the University, the
athletic administration, and the city
of Eugene.
This evening Harris has planned
a dinner with members of the Ore
gon coaching staff and various oth
er officials within the athletic ad
miniStration.
O
Harris will assume the position
of athletic direcloib July 1, at which
time he will have completed his du
ties a t Carmel. During the interim,
Athletic Business Manager Ans®
Cornell is filling Harris' position at
McArthur court.
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