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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 2, 1948)
DUCK TRACKS . By DON FAIR ; Co-Sports Editor When the first gridiron workout of the spring session starts Monday afternoon there are going to be a number of new faces, along with the returning veterans. This spring prom ’ lses more action on the practice p field than last year even, when ; . hustle and eagerness was • plenty obvious. Because not \ even the hard-working first- [■ stringers from last season arc : certain of starting berths on ! the 1948 eleven, and much will N depend upon their showing \ ■ during the early session. The * loafers are likely to find them- I , selves out of the picture en- ' tirely, with some junior college : lads in their places. Backfield positions are going J AttlC L.1C1CHT to be under fire especially, with a host of material available. Some strong talent from the junior schools has shown up, and if they live up to their advance notices they should be very stiff competition for the returning lettermen. One of the newest, Bob ‘Bunny’ Easter, from Wentworth • Junior college in Missouri, was a junior college All-American back. Although small in stature Easter is solidly^ built, weigh ing around 175 pounds. Then there is Woodley Lewis from Los Angeles, rated a top breakaway runner, and Tom Lyons, as a prep senior an all-Southern Cal fullback, no small distinction. These are only three of the many newcomers who will be out. May Have More Than 17 Players One of the best things about the tough competition for for every position is that next fall it means there will be some strong reserve power. No longer will the Ducks have to depend upon the “sacred seventeen” to play the whole game. At least one game, the UCLA battle, was lost last season only because the California squad out-reserved and out-lasted Oregon. Ol course all the above depends upon the strength ot the - newcomers. Just how good they are will show up this spring, and then Jim Aiken will know just what he has to work with, • for the rugged fall schedule. There will be plenty of scrimmag ing during the 30-day early period, enough to show the coaches . just who is going to come through. Jake Leicht, Oregon’s great left halfback who has now turned ' professional is going to help Aiken coach the left halfbacks this spring. Leicht will kill two birds with this move—help his . alma mater, and keep in condition for his own career. . . We - ran across and interesting story about the Aiken system of grid coaching. Dan Jones, coach at Oregon City high, and Harry Thompson, football mentor at Gresham high, both spent their summers at the University working on their mas ters degrees. While here they became indoctrinated with the present system, and introduced it to their respective squads “ last fall. Well, the two prep elevens clashed during the season, each coach used practically the same plays, each knew what - the other was going to do. The result?—a 7 to 7 deadlock. Track Squad Weak in Middle Distances Oregon’s track squad is woefully weak in the middle dis tance events—the 440 yard dash and the half-mile. There - has been talk of cancelling the Saturday relay meet with the Beavers because of the shortage of runners, although it probably will be run . . .There is also a shortage of man agers for the various teams. The managers get to travel . with the squads to all their games, and it is a good oppor tunity for ambitious lads. Oregon State students, over 1000 strong, staged a big “Keep Slats Gill” rally Wednesday night in front of the hoop mentor’s home, in hope of influencing him into staying at Oregon State, instead of accepting one of the several offers for the head hoop job elsewhere. A petition signed by 1500 Beavers was presented to the coach, testifying to their allegiance, and asking, him to stay. - Kirsch Named Manager in Cascade Lew Beck, former Oregon State guard, has earned a place on the United States Olympic basketball team. Beck, a member * of the championship Phillips Oilers, is a teammate of the great * Bob Kurland . . . Don Kirsch, Oregon’s youthful diamond -coach, has been named manager of the summer Cascade League . entry, the Miller Lumbermen. Kirsch was an infielder with the -Snellstrom Braves in the same loop last year. The teams play - three times a week during the summer months. - Party Planned An “April Fool” party will be ' the featured attraction in the Wes -ley house program for this week. The event will be heeld Friday eve ning, starting at 8 p.m., in Ger *^jnger annex. Sports Staff: Fred Taylor Don Fair Dick Cramer Ehvin Paxson Dick Mase Beck Makes Casaba Team NEW YORK, April 1—(UP) — Riflin’ Ralph Beard, who can toss a grain of salt through a needle eye at 30 paces, and seven-foot Bob Kurland, the stairway star, today headed the U. S. Olympic basket ball team selected from perform ers in the trial tournament. Beard, the churning crackshot, was one of the five Kentucky men picked on the 14-man squad. The others were Alex Groza, Wallace (Wah-Wah) Jones, Cliff Barker and Ken Rollins. From the National AAH cham pion Phillips Oilers, who licked Kentucky in the thrill-mill finals of the Olympic tourney last night, the selection committee picked Kurland, Jesse Renick, R. C. Pitts, Lew Beck and Gordon Carpenter. From the Remainder of the teams in the tournament came Don Barksdale, brilliant Negro center of the Oakland, Cal., Bittners; Vince Boryla of the Denver Nug gets, the Rev. Jackie Robinson of Baylor and Ray Lumpp of New York university. Beaver Relay Hopes Suffer OSC hopes for a rousing victory over the Oregon Webfoots tomor row suffered a blow with the loss of 440-yard sprinter letterman Dick Harlow, who dropped running ac tivities because of illness. The Beavers, who have been handicapped by the same condition that has held up Webfoo't practices -—the weather, will be in the favor ites’ role in the meet, however, by virtue of their victory last spring, and their superior strength this year in the distance runs, and the 440 and 880. O. B. Hughes and Lyle Schlavin, both lettermen, will carry the bur den in the mile relay. Two other members are Bob Labhart, state prep champ in the event in 1944, and A1 Leonard. Another white hope is Dick Pe terson, a terrific prep miler, and a strong freshman runner, but out last year with sickness. Peterson has shown promise of returning to form, and is expected to be potent in the mile. The defending co-champion of the Northern Division high jump ers, Ken Elliott, will lead his mates in this event. There are no experi enced Beavers in the shotput hurdle events. Any artist who thinks the public taste is unformed has only to try entering his snow scene in the exhi bition. BOWL TO KEEP FIT The favorite indoor sport of all America is bowling. For it's a healthy sport that keeps you fit. Be one of the crowd and bowl here— Dorsey's U - BOWL 1 29 West 11 th ! Phone 4716 ' First High School Swim Meet Opens Saturday Eighty-five prep swimmers will invade the Oregon campus for the first annual state high school swim ming meet set for Saturday morn ing and afternoon in the men's pool. The meet, sponsored by the ath letic department and sanctioned by the OHSAA, is the first of its kind to be held in Oregon, according to Co-Director Earl Walter, and will be staged yearly in the University tank. It will be dedicated to Jim Reed, captain of the 1937 PCC champion team, who was killed in the service in 1942. Participating in the aqua-fest will be splashers from Grant, Jef ferson, Roosevelt, Franklin, Lin coln, Benson and Washington, of Portland; West Linn, Oregon City, Salem, Klamath Falls, Springfield, and University high of Eugene. West Linn Favorite The West Linn crew looms as a pre-meet favorite over the remain der of the schools entered, with Grant and Lincoln selected to bat tle it out with the Lions for top spot. Assisting directors Ray Kireilis and Walter will be the frosh and varsity team members who will serve as officials and timers. Preliminary heats are scheduled for 10 a.m. and the finals, consist ing of the five entrants who turn in the best times in preliminary ac tion, will begin at 3:30. An admis sion pi-ice of 60 cents will be charged for the preliminaries and 90 cents for wind-up contests in the afternoon. Trophies Donated Several trophies have been do nated by Eugene and Portland al umni. They will be awarded to the winning 160 and 180-yard relay squads, the number one diver, and the outstanding swimmer in the meet. A giant cup will also be pre sented to the school accumulating the highest number of points. Med els will be given to first, second, and third place contestants in each event. Any school capturing possession of a trophy three times will be giv en permanent possession, Walter said, and a new one will be pur chased prior to the following meet. A character everybody would like to see is one person who was reformed in a reform school. MOLIERE’S FARCE LES PRECIEUSES RIDICULES Starring Nina Sue Ferniman and Betty Brown Friday and Saturday Nights ‘ 60c GUILD HALL 8:15p.m. Willamette Park Dancing 9-1 Friday April 9th Admission $2.60 inc. tax and his TY7WRAN/f/VE