Oregon Statens new choice for head football coach. Tommy
Prothro. is beiivg looked to by Beaver supporters as the one
who can perform a miracle next fall at the state's largest col
lege. This young bachelor of 34 is highly rated as a potential
great in the coaching ranks and it will be interesting to see
just what kind of results he will get at the Beaver camp.
Prothro was one of a quartet of finalists in the race for
the OSC grid post vacated the Monday after Oregon beat
OSC last fall by Kip Taylor, for six years holder of the grid
reins at Corvallis. It took nearly two months for Oregon
State officials to even get their choice narrowed down to
four with Beaver alums and downtown quarterbacks
squirming in the meantime wondering who the next whip
ping boy would be.
The four candidates that came to Corvallis for interviews
with Glenn Holcomb. OSC's Pacific Coast Conference faculty
representative, included two popular head coaches as well as
a pair of assistant coaches unknown as far as Northwest fans
were concerned. Buck Shaw, the recently-fired mentor of
the San Francisco 49'ers, was in the race as was Skip Stahley,
Idaho miracle-man of 1954. Herm Meister, California line
coach, and Prothro, backtield coach for Red Sanders at UCLA
and with him also at Vanderbilt before that.
Prothro Favors Single-Wing
Three of the four were strictly T-furmation coaches with
Prothro being a solid advocate of the single wing that gave
UCLA the national championship in an flndefeated 1954
season. This undoubtedly was a big factor in Prothro being
chosen with Oregon State officials reluctant to cliange the
traditional Beaver sty le of play begun by Lonnie Stiner back
in 1933. Taylor was a graduate of Michigan State's single
wing when'he came to Beaverville in 1949 and kept the forma
tion which last year netted Oregon State one win and eight
straight losses.
But there were other factors involved also. First there
was the usual money problem. Stahley withdrew from the
race the night before the final decision was announced be
cause OSC was offering $2000 less than the $11000 he got
at Idaho last year when he brought the Vandal gridders out
of the football doldrums. That also quite probably let out
Shaw who was used to the fancy salaries of the pro leagues
that are double and triple those offered to most college
coaches.
Another thing that favored an unknown coach for the job
was the hope by Beaver officials that the college would hire
a coach who wotdd stay and build up OSC teams rather than
just use the post as a steppingstone to a. bigger job. And
this, together with Prothro’s single-wing favoritism,- diis
ability with backfield men as demonstrated at UCLA and
the fine recommendation given Prothro by Sanders, pretty
well cinched the job for Tommy.
Assignment Ahead Tough
But now comes the tough road ahead. Fans at Oregon State
are inclined to forget their bad seasons and hope for future
miracles, just like any other sports fans. But Tommy will find
that the pressure is terrific at Corvallis, especially if and when
OSC loses to Oregon. That's what undoubtedly forced Taylor
to resign after the worst season in history in football at Ore
gon State. For five years the Beavers had beaten Oregon
and Taylor was retained, but in 1954 the end was inevitable.
Prothro is going to have to start with a squad that lost
eight out of its first 22 men from the 1954 team. On top of
this he inherits a freshman team that was twice beaten by
Oregon’s Frosh last fall and had very few outstanding
players in the bunch. Sanders says he owes much of
UCLA’s success in football to Prothro’s great work with
Bruin backfield men but Tommy is going to need some good
material to work with before he gets anywhere.
Tommy is a hard worker and a perfectionist and will make
the Beavers pant plenty during spring workouts, something
they didn’t do much of under the easy-going Tavlor. Un
questionably, Oregon State has the spirit that good a team
needs, but it will be a long time before OSC hits the list df
top football powers as predicted by some optimists. But the
Beavers can’t go anywhere but up unless they lose to Idaho
as well as their other eight opponents next fall. We wish
Tommy Prothro luck (except against Oregon), because he
will certainly need it.
Frosh Paced
By Tuchardt
Paul Tuchardt has upped his
scoring lend and Bob Ayre has
moved up from seventh to fourth
in latest Frosh basketbull sta
tistics.
Tuchardt has railed in 146 tal
lies in nine games, while Ayre
found the net for 27 points over
the weekend to bring his total
to 57. Lanky Paul also edged
into the three-fig'ure column in
rebounds. The big forward-ren
ter is six above his nearest com
petitor. Hal Duffy, with 101 re
coveries.
Wendy Rasor has moved into
second place with 79 points, and
Dave Wanaka stayed in the top
three with 71.
Tuchards, Rasor and Ayre led
(he scoring as the Frosh rolled
over Marion Motors of Salem and
Clark Junior college last week
end by 68-50 and 6756 scores.
Next on the Ducklings schedule
are two AAU squads from Port
land. On Friday they meet Post
land Air Force Base, and on
Saturday they collide with a
strong Dehl-Penne Co. five.
Scoring through nine games:
FG FT PF TP RB
61 24 22 140 101
Player
Tuchardt
Kasor
Wanaka
Ayre
1 lasting *
Unity
Paris . .
Swan
Hellion
Slick
Diddock
William’*
i.indland
26
29
22
21
21
12
10
9
6
.. 2
2
0
1
0
12
11
8
8
4
2
2
5
1
0
4
1
0
18
20
18
18
21
10
9
12
5
6
5
79
71
57
50
$0
20
21
17
7
6
4
2
0
19
82
10
16
95
20
26
22
1
8
4
20
1
0
Total>
236 91 183 563 437
Practice Aids Eye,
But WSC Freshmen
Fined, Lose Game
Three Washington State col
lege freshmen basketball play
ers were arrested in Spokane
Monday after they broke into one
of the trio's old high school gym
to practice.
Bobby Reichert, an All-City
guard at North Central high in
Spokane last year, Richard Pask
of Portland and Ed Steele of
Pullman Were released on $50
bonds after police charged them
with disorderly conduct in break
ing and entering the gymnasium
to practive with two friends Sun
day afternoon.
All three were in action Mon
day night when the Cougar
Babes played the Conzaga fresh
men. Steele poured through 32
points and Reichert 18, but Gon
zaga won, 83-78.
Stall Pays Off
As Fans Boo
BALDWIN, Kan. (AP)—A bas
ketball player stood motionless
with the ball for a full five min
utes in Baker’s game with the
College of Emporia Tuesday
night.
Charley Dehlinger, College of
Emporia star, started the weird
shenanigan by stalling on the
back line after his team got a two
point 35-33 lead in the first min
ute of the second half. Baker
players tried to tie his up or
get the ball.
They succeeded only in fouling
Dehlinger. He sank the two free
throws and as soon as his team
got the ball he retreated again to
the back line.
Baker ignored him but the
crowd didn’t. They booed and
stormed for five minutes until
Baker went after the ball. Baker
fouled Dehlinger again and he
sank another pair of free throws.
When C of E got possession,
Dehlinger crawled into his shell
again and waited.
That was practically the only
offense C of E used in the second
half, but it worked. They won,
65-55, as Dehlinger dropped in
19 free throws. C of E made 16
field goals but only four came
in the second half.
HALBROOK OF THE EAST
Offers Pondered
By Prep Hooper
PHILADELPHIA (APt Wilt
the Stilt, America's most promi
nent high school basketball play
er, definitely is going to college.
The big question is. which one ?
Wilt the Stilt Is Wilton Cham
berlain, a seven foot Negro lad
who scores on a basketball court
at a point a minute clip. The 18
year-old giant plays for Over
brook high school in Philadel
phia.
At last count, Chamberlain
said, he has received close to
ISO bids to attend higher In
stitutions of learning and, of
course, to play a little basket
ball. Wilt says he has not made
up his mind where he’ll go and
won't until May or June.
”1 want to select a top-rated
school from a scholastic stand
point as well as one that plays
Medford Still Tops
Weekly Prep Pool
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Medford, which defeated a
strong Marshfield team twice
last week, continues to lead the
pack in the Associated Press poll
on high school basketball.
It was the third consecutive
week that Medford, with a 15-1
record, has earned the No. 1 spot.
Medford got 10 first place votes
from among the 12 sports writ
ers taking part in the poll.
There was considerable shuf
fling fur the other nine posi
tions, however, as six of the
leaders suffered defeats last
week.
Eugene, which won a pair,
climbed to second place. They
overtook defending champion
Milwaukte which dropped to
third after defeating South Sa
lem but then losing to Central
Catholic of Portland. Eugene got
one first place vote.
St. Helens, the only undefeat
ed major team in the state, also
got one first place vote and re
mained in fifth place, behind
North Bend.
After St. Helens came As
toria, Jefferson of Portland,
Albany, Cleveland of Portland
and Pendleton. It was Jeffer
son’s first appearance on the
list.
Franklin of Portland dropped
from No. 6 in last week's poll
into the also-rans after losing to
Lincoln. Beaverton and South
Salem, tied for 10th last week,
also dropped outrafter suffering
defeats.
The poll with the season rec
ord listed for each team.
1. Medford .15-1 ns
2. Eugene .14-2 94
3. Milwaukie .14-3 91
4. North Bend .17-2 82
5. St. Helens .15-0 76
6. Astoria .17-2 47
7. Jefferson .10-5 44
8. Albany .12-4 35
9. Cleveland .11-4 22
10. Pendleton .12-5 n
Others: Corvallis 8, South Sa
lem 7, Beaverton 6, Central Cath
olic and Grant of Portland 5,
9 ranklin of Portland, Lakeview
and Harrisburg 2, Powers, Mil
ton-Freewater and Seaside 1.
r
biff time basketball," said the
B-plus average student. He’s In
terested In studying business ad
ministration, possibly going on to
law school.
Ah a high school basketImti
er, the Htllt has scored 11*12
points, lie hus seven games to
play and. If he continues at his
4(*-plus-per-g»me average, can
eclipse the thrre-year scoring
record set by LaMalk-’s great
All-Amerleh, Toni (iola. The
latter netted 2322 points In
three seasons at La.Hallr high.
Wilt's one game high Is 74,
scored earlier this season.
Chamberlain's coach. Cecil
Monenson, says the Stilt should
become even greater than Cola,
who has been mentioned by many
experts as one of the top play
ers of all-time. Cola Is 6-7.
*‘<iola ha* mastered every
phase of the game of basket
ball. Wilt will never do that,
but I believe that because of
his slxe, strength and endur
ance he'll surpass (iota,” Mos
rnson says.
There has been some discussion
about Wilt's actual height, rang
ing from 6-11 to 7-1, but Wilt
settles It all when he says. "Let's
say I'm seven feet even." He's a
skinny 226 pounder.
Don't get any Idea that the
Stilt is a basketball "goon" who
merely stands around waiting
for the ball to drop In the bas
ket. He's a good one-handed shot
from outside, plays well on de
fense and rebound* against 6-H
and 6-7 opponents with good re
sults.
PiKA Keglers
TopKappaSig
Pi Kappa Alpha, led by Carl
ton Loenning, walked pant Kap
pa Sigma, 4-0 in the* only sweep
In Tuesday night's intra mural
bowling action.
Leonnig rolled a 200 for high
single of the evening to speed
the PiKA's win. Dick Harrison
hit a 537 for the night's high
triple in leading Tau Kappa Kp
silon to a 3-1 victory over Signm
Alpha Epsilon.
Delta Upsilon collected a 3-1
victory over Campbell Club des
pite the efforts of Elmer Jones,
who bowled a 197 and 477 for
high single and triple of the ser
ies.
Barry Ott hit a high single of
198 and Dick James rolled n
triple of 506 for Theta Chi and
high series honors, but Stewart
Johnson guided Phi Kappa Psi
to a 3-1 victory with a 181 single
and 503 triple.
Woody's
round the clock
DRIVE-IN
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Car Service Weekends Only
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On Any Room at
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1926 2nd Ava.
Coffee Shop Feb. 14 to 28, 1955 Dining Room
Only One Coupon Per Room
Rates: $2.75 and Up
Thu coupon is an introductory offer to many folk, who have not enjoyed a stay
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Our regular patrons may also use this coupon.