*Duc&
By Jerry Claussen
Cmcrild Co-Sports Editor mam
Oregon track fans, who already get an eyeful watching
their own Ducks in action are in for a big treat May 27-2S.
That weekend the Pacific Coast conference track meet will he
held here on Hayward field as the first big home meet for Ore
gon since the PCC-Big Ten meet in 1951.
There will be many outstanding performers here from
the nine conference teams—but one in particular should
have the fans really talking. There is a certain USC athlete
who should give a performance that will come close to pro
viding the thrill given by world javelin champion Bud Held
here a few weeks ago here. The Trojan’s name is Ernie Shel
ton.
Anybody who follows track probably recognizes Shelton’s
name and knows his achievments. He happens to be the de
fending NCAA and PCC champion in the high jump and has
vowed to clear the magic 7‘ mark and go even higher before
hanging up his spikes. Hast year at Ann Arbor, Mich., the
scene of the NCAA meet. Shelton captured the high jump
with a mark of 6' 10*4". I* was a good showing, but Shelton
was disappointed.
Davis Holds Mark
Shelton had his heart set on topping 7’. Walt Da\ is, now a
professional basketball player, hold.- the world's record for
the high jump w ith 6*111 ■/'. Shelton wanted to beat that mark
as well as the NCAA mark set waj' back in 1941 by Oregon’s
own Les Steers at 6’10
The wind was blowing very hard when Shelton tried to
better the 7’ height at the meet and the 6’2" jumper just
nicked the cross-bar enough to let the wind knock it down.
His best all-time leap came last summer in an open meet in
Pasadena where the handsome art student, originally from
Kansas, topped 6'11 1/16".
Aside from being the world’s best active high-jumper. Shel
ton is known as a real character at USC. Take the way he prac
tices for a meet when not out on the track. He puts a piece of
adhesive tape, colored black and white like a cross-bar. on his
wall 7' above the floor ad then thinks about how to jump over
it.
Defeats Mental Barriers
He and his coach, the famous Jess Mortensen. say that this
is all part of doing away with any mental barrier to leaping
the magic height. Shelton is not only aiming for T but be
yond. His goal is 7’ 2” by mid-summer. He even carries a
steel tape measure around with him to measure off 7' on
school doorways and walls and then mentally leaps over it.
And there are other Shelton idiosyncracies, all performed
in the hope of becoming the first man to best the magic mark
in high-jumping. He tap dances in order to achive balance
and timing. He only wears one shoe, his left one, in order to
keep his right leg lighter to kick over the cross-bar in his
belly-roll. He practices as hard as possible before a meet to
get finer muscle tone instead of conserving energy as do
most jumpers. He even writes notes ta himself and studies
them just before jumping.
But these somewhat unorthodox methods have paid off for
the USC senior. Through last season he hadn't been defeated
in 56 meets. This season he has won every meet in his specialty,
several times clearing 6’10”. By the time'he gets to Kugene,
the quiet but friendly 22-year-old should be at his peak and
should remind several old-time fans of Steers, who was the
talk of the country himself back in 1941.
Future Olympic Champ
Shelton’s future goal in track, aside from beating 7' in the
high jump, is to make the 1956 U.S. Olympic team in the de
cathlon. In his first try in this event, a track marathon in
which each man competes in 10 different events for points
based on his performance, Shelton defeated both Bob Rich
ards, former national decathlon champion, and Fortune Gor
dien, the world discus record-holder.
Thus Eugene will be treated to a real show when Ernie
Shelton comes to town. He not only has the best high-jump
mark in the nation this season but appears likely to become
the first man in history to beat the goldfcn mark in that event.
Oregon may not win the meet, but watching Shelton should
make the day worthwhile.
Beaver Track Squad
Visiting Saturday
Making their final assault on
Northern Division dual meet rec
ords, Oregon's distance-strong
track squad plays host to the
ND winless Oregon State Bea
vers on Hayward field Saturday
as part of Spring Sports Day
! activity.
Webfoot Coach Bill Bowerman
! may set up another mile duel to
highlight the ND dual closer.
Last Saturday at the Vancouver.
B.C. relays Bowerman put Aus
tralian distance ace Jim Bailey
against NCAA mile champ Bill
Dellinger and the pair turned in
two of the best miles recorded
in the nation this year, with
Bailey winning in 4:15 and Dell
inger trailing at 4:15.4.
Bowerman will make his fi
nal decision this afternoon on
whether to pull Bailey out of
the 8110-yard run for the mile.
OSC Net Varsity
To Host Oregon
Coach Hilbert Lee's varsity
tennis team will conclude its
dual meet schedule of Northern
Division action Saturday when
the Webfoots play the Oregon
State Beavers at Corvallis.
Currently holding down sec
ond place in ND net standings,
the Ducks are fresh from twin
triumphs in the Inland Empire.
Idaho and Washington State fell
before the Webfoots last Friday
and Saturday.
In an earlier match, the Ducks
edged out the Staters. 4-3 on a
last-minute victory by the sec
ond doubles team of Dick Gray
and Dick Hamilton.
Sophomores Norman Merrill
and Bob Jensen top Irwin Harris’
Orange squad and are backed up
by veterans Pete Overton and
Dick Jacobson.
Favorable Conditions
Seen for Santee Try
SAN FRANCISCO (AP>—Wes
Santee “will be given every
chance in the world" to run his
first four minute mile Satur
day, the director of the West
Coast relays at Fresno said Tues
day.
“If he’s going to do it the
conditions Saturday will be per
fect,” J. Flint Hanner, relays di
rector, told the San Francisco
Touchdown club at its track
luncheon.
JU*TlDAY
bill we need
All work done here by a
real shaver expert. Parts
available for all leading
makes: Sunbeam, Schick
and Remington.
S&H GREEN STAMPS
llulli'N Iiuh toppl'd Hii' half mill'
meet record In the Duck*’ three
NI> dual meet* this year, but
the OSt'-Oregon tulle murk Ih
uIno invitingly low at 4:111.3,
net by At Martin for the Web
foot n In 1933. Both Dellinger
and Ituiley ure expected to go
under the time Saturday.
Veteran middle distance ace
Doug Clement will probably
make a try at the 8H0 record of
1:54.2 set in 1952 by the Web
foots’ Jack Hutchins.
Other marks which may fall
against the Beavers are the two
mile, broad jump and shot put
standards. Ken Reiser will be out
to surpass his 9:30.3 record pet
last year in the two mile; Mar
tin Pedigo has a good chance to
top the 15-year-old broad jump
mark of 23’ 8\" held by IChle
Reber of Oregon, and if Jack
Moad continues improving he can
easily smash the 49’ 27," shot
put effort of Hill Foskett of the
Webfoot* in 11137.
('oucli Hal Mor's Beaver* are
currently In a slump as fur u«
track Is concerned. The Ort'K»n
Staten* have lost the lont file
consecutive dual meets to Ore
gon and this yenr have not won
u Northern Division duel. The
Heavers' only cinder triumph
was In u three-way meet with
i/cwl* and t'lurk and rortluntl
university earlier In the year.
Leading the OSC thlnclad* |s
19M javelin champion Jerry
Church, who waa fourth In the
national collegiate studding * last
year.
Ernie Warren la the Beaver
workhorse, having consistently
entered five events, including
both hurdles, high Jump, pole
vault and 100-yard dash. The
versatile Portland State trans
fer has done well picking up
quite a few points in each meet.
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