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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 1951)
'Duck (ZfavileA PetviAOH Emarald B porta Wrttar 'flic once, almost magical i’oak of unstillic*«l dignity wliicli once upon a time used to distinguish bigtime college athletics from other more plchinu forms of sport turned up grimy about the edges again hot week. Of the three most conspicuous instances pointing to the clay feet of the foot ball idol, two were significant in that they were cases of ball plavers themselves blowing the whistle on their alma maters. No. 1 came when Ernest Nemeth, late of Denver University’s grid squad, stepped forth in righteous indignation to demand $26 in back salary he said his school owed him for the week April 13-20, 1950. Just as righteously, the school shot back that Nemeth was not only not paid to play football—perish the thought—but was not employed by the university at all. In other words, you’re another. Well, in any case we think it was mighty ungentlernanly and most unlike a college man to so embarrass his good grey school. A more solemn indictment of bigtime football is an article published in the Atlantic Monthly's October issue, written by Allen Jackson, a three-year letterman on the University of Michigan teams of 194X-19-50. Jackson's tale is in some ways mild in comparison with the more lurid yarns of football’s corruption, yet it illustrates how the sport can get out of focus at one of the acknowledged finest centers of learning in the country. No Subsidization For instance, there is no subsidization at Michigan, Jack son says, with the exception of some help given players who would be unable to attend school without it. Michigan’s repu tation attracts' plenty of talent, making it unnecessary to chase around to the four corners of the country soliciting it. W hat disturbed Jackson when he looked back on a three year varsity career, which included service on last season’s Rose Howl winner, was the exaggerated importance which football assumed in proportion to other aspects.of college life. Whgn a player’s time was such that he had to make a choice between service to the team or something else, say studies, he was led to understand that the team came first. To flout this policy was to risk, at the least, a certain amount of ostra cism at the hands of coaches and teammates; at the most, aj demotion on the squad. If a player was injured, he was expected to devote extra time from a. crowded schedule to having his injury treated. Jackson hints that under pressing circumstances players were subtly urged, if not obliged, to play when hurt. Grid Machine Jackson also observes that the football team of today, of Michigan’s caliber at least, has become more a machine than a group of human beings playing ostensibly because they like the game. To achieve the precision for which the Wolverines are [#med, most of the time during practices is spent in perfecting minor details, details which when mastered are the distinguish- ^ ing marks which separate the good from the great. It is in these hours spent pounding the blocking and tackling dummies that the fun goes out of football, Jackson says. Well, there’s part of his story. If you want the rest you can look up the magazine. You may wonder why the guy suffered through all of this if. as he intimates, he wasn’t dependent upon football to put him through school. A good question, but apparently the answer is that Jackson didn t stop to look at the situation until he was through. In any event. Jackson's article is an important shot at \\h,it happens at the best-regulated of schools. \\ liile possibly over drawn in parts, it is a valuable addition to the arsenals of those who would return football to its rightful status. Hen-Snatching The third in the series of bad knocks which football took last week was the expulsion of Arizona’s Fullback Arnold Burwitz from school for raiding the university s poultry farm. Burwitz, of course, was missing from the Wildcat squad here Saturday, but Jim Donarski, one of the intrepid band of barn yard commandos, seemed none the worse for his expetience as he split the goalposts on three straight point-after-touchdown tries. Up the valley in the cow country, meanwhile, we see wheto a band of 300 Aggies, playfully indulging in their year-round outdoor sport of fireman-baiting, were neatly doused by the amateur smokeeaters. Three cheers for the fireman. You’d think the Aggies would have the decency to keep their comments to themselves—after all, the firemen could lia\e had their blaze during milking time and nobody would have been able to attend. College of Pacific Loaded—And How! Oregon's next opponent, the powerful College of Pacific 'I igers, already lias two impressive wins in the young 1951 season. 'file California gridder.-, who battle the Ducks Saturday at Stockton, opened the present campaign with an impressive .15-7 triumph over Hardin-Simmons, giving the Texans their most one-sided defeat in 19 years. The COPa gained 405 yards rush ing while holding the losers to 65. Coach Ernie Jorge’s Tigers blas ted Loyola 41-28 last Saturday, gaining a 41-7 lead before the Loyola air attack shaved the mar gin. COP gained 405 net yards by rushing to Loyola's 38 and gained 23 first downs rushing to I^iyola’s I 2. Those high-scoring Bengal per formances west not surprising, since the Tiger* have long had a custom of rolling up scores. The Bengals lost their well-known coach, Larry Siemerlng, at the end of the 1950 season, but they still remember his four years at the Stockton institution, during which his teams won 35 games, lost 5, and tied 3. Stagg Coaoher COPs Before Siemering arrived, Col lege of Pacific played under the direction of colorful Amos Alonzo Stagg, who had moved westward after being retired by the Uni versity of Chicago. Stagg earned Coach of the Year honors at COP. His 1946 eleven, his last Stockton team, opened that season with a 7-6 loss to Coach Tex Oliver's final Duck team in the only Ore gon-COP clash up to the present year. Jorge’s squad includes 22 letter men, 25 junior college transfers, 6 non-lettermen from the 1950 season, and 18 frosh. The 1950 Ik-ngal aggregation won seven, lost three, and tied one, the poorest COP season in four years. That season included a 40-0 vic tory over St. Mary’s, a 41-7 tri umph over Denver, a 43-7 rout of Nevada, a 52-7 slaughter of Fresno State, and a 55-7 walkaway over Boston U., a team which Oregon meets November 10 at Boston. The Webfoots, first Pacific Coast Conference squad ever to play in Stockton, will meet a defensive line Buck Shaw's 49ers Prepare for Eagles SAN FRANCISCO — (U.R) — Coach Buck Shaw and his 33-man San Francisco 49er football team depart Wednesday for their Satur day night tussle with the Philadep phia Eagles. Shaw trimmed his team to the 33-man player limit allowed by the National Professional Football League with the release Tuesday of stocky Bobby Downs, middle line backer from the University of Southern California. The release of Downs enables California's Jim Monachino, who was 34th man on the squad, to keep his left halfback job. Other rookies expected to make a good account of themselves dur ing their first season include Half back Joe Arena's of Omaha Uni versity, Halfback Pete Schabarum, University of California star of three seasons, and Billy Wilson, 6 foot, 3-inch pass-snagging end from San Jose State. I: which ranks "among the West Coast’s toughest defensive units” (according to COP p u bl i c i t y agents) and an all-letterman offen sive line averaging 210 pounds. Bengal Backficld Coach Jack “Moose” Myers, former Philadel phia Kagles star, recently stated: “We’ve got as good a backfleld as there is anywhere in the coun try, althoagh the line could stand more depth, considering the tough schedule we’re playing. However, if we were playing the 1949 schedule, we’d go undefeated.” The most-publicized gridder on the COP eleven is Left Half Eddie Macon, who scored 10 touchdowns in 1950. Macon, however, was out I gained in the Loyola clash by | Right Half Tom McCormick, who I averaged 6.7 yards per carry for a total of 175. Ex Duckling at Quarter Tiger Quarterback Tony Gere- j mia, who played 1948 Frosh foot- * ball at Oregon, is scheduled to start in the signal-calling position. | and starting fullback probably will be 191-pound Fullback A1 Smith, heaviest man in the Bengal back field. The top-heavy Tiger offensive forward wall is anchored by 210 pound Right End Wes Mitchell and Left End Harlan Berndt, 187 pounds. Other offensive linemen in clude 228-pound Right Tackle Burt Delevan, 215-pound Right Guard Duane Putnam, Center Keever Jankovich (only 211), Left Guard Jim Fairchild, 198, and Left Tac kle Bob Stoner, a mere 244 pounder. Swimmers Meet I All 1951 Oregon varsity and freshman swimming team candi dates should report to the Men's; Pool at 4 p.m. today. f?~ ' ■ --= Ducks Top PCC In Kick Returns I Oregon leads the Pacific Coast j Conference in the kickoff retur* j department, according to statistics released Wednesday by the PCC commissioner's office. The Ducks have returned 8 kick offs a total of 205 yards for an average of 25.6 per return, WSC i* second with 20.5 yards per re turn, and Oregon State ranks last with 11.8. The Webfoots also rank third in team punting, according to the statistics which cover all games, conference or otherwise. Oregon has punted 8 times for a total of 298 yards, an average of 37.3 per boot. The Ducks rank sixth in rushing (203 yards per game), fourth in passing (150.5 yards per game), fifth in total of fense (353.5 yards per game), sixth in punt returns (5.6 yards per try), and sixth in interceptions (4). Washington dominates the total offense marks with an average of 472 yards per game, and OSC leads the rushing field with an average of 364.5. Gridder Jim Slover, Oregon fres hman center, saw three seasons of hoop action with the Marshfield Pirates before enrolling at Eugene. ITS and BASS Saddles Open Friday night until nine shop NOW! OUR Anniversary Sale — Now and through Oct. 10 — clothes for men clothes for women and boys — At — — At — 1080 Willamette 1088 Willamette Baby is just CRYING — to go to the — RUSH INN • We serve breakfast lunch and dinner • Waffles served any time • Fine foods — Quick service — Try our Tin Roofs? ? > ■ > i II n ■=