Sunday, MaicH 28, 1M3
DAILY NEBRASKAN
Bill Easton
Takes Only
Short While
As Drake Director
BY E. H. RUBY.
Hlrector of h Drake Relays.
It has taken only two brief years
to affix the desired adjective "en
viable" to the work of M. E. "Bill"
Easton as Drake relays director
jmd Drake track coach.
Look first of all at the 1941
inlays, the first under the super
vision of Easton. Innovations rose
constantly thru the groundwork
of the relays.
For instance, Karl Greenlee of
Iowa State was appointed as per
manent, non-coach starter. High
school competition was limited to
Iowa schools and all Iowa colleges
were allowed to participate in the
Iowa division before limited to
members of the Iowa Intercolleg
iate conference.
In a sort of physical tribute
to Easton's able management,
eight records were broken-and two
others tied in the two days' com
petition. Texans set a world mark
of 3:23.2 in the sprint medley re
lav. Five of the new standards came
in the university section, two in
the Iowa open division and one in
the College II section. The records
th.it were eoualed were in the
Colleee II class.
Kaston has planned a special
freshman mile relay for Iowa col
leges and universities for 1942,
plus a Special, invitational 440
yard event. This will replace the
440-vard hurdles.
As a successor to Franklin
(Pitch) Johnson, Easton came
from Hammond. Ind., where he
built state championship high
school squads in 1938 and 1939
and a second place outfit in 1940.
He has also coached basketball.
Purdue Relays
Replace Butler
Annual Affair
LAFAYETTE, Ind., March 27
The Purdue Relays, to be in the
Boilermaker Fieldhouse this Sat
urday, are designed to replace the
traditional Butler Relays which
were cancelled when the Bulldogs
gave up their fieldhouse to the
Navy.
Hoosier thinlies who will com
pete against the more experienced
veterans of Michigan, Notre Dame,
and Illinois include the two-mile
relay team of Harry Price, Larry
Falwell, Clark McClure, and Don
Queller.
The University Medley Relay
event will be run according to the
edley distances: quarter-mile, Bob
Nichols; half-mile, Queller; three
quarters, Tom Judge; and the mile,
Charlie Labotka. In 1937 the Ind
iana cinder men set a world's rec
ord for this event, with a time of
10:004.4 which has since been
broken.
Four Mite Relay.
In the University Four-Mile Re
lay Indiana will run weak, accord
ing to Coach E. C. (Billy) Hayes.
A squad of freshmen and sopho
more recruits, made up of: Charlie
Kelsey, Paul Wibel, John Wade,
and Greg McKeon, are to compete
against strong odds.
"The speed-up program has
caused many of our veteran track
men to graduate early," said Coach
Hayes. "Other schools, such as
Michigan, Notre Dame, and Illinois
who have kept their old schedules,
still have many of their expe
rienced men left. Makes it pretty
tough on our youngsters," he
added.
Purdue Opens.
Baseball Term
. . Large Turnout
LAFAYETTE, Ind., March 25.
Coaches Doan and Sanders, who
are acting as head baseball coaches
until "Dutch" Fehring is relieved
of his spring football coaching du
ties, issued a callout for infield and
outfield players yesterday after
noon and the results were more
than factorable.
The squad's pitchers and catch
ers have been working out for
the past two weeks and with the
appearance of the new group, the
squad now totals around 40 men.
Graduation and the selective
Sooners May
Gamer One
Blue Ribbon
NORMAN, Okl., March 27.
Oklhamo's lone first place at the
1943 Texas Relays April 3 at Aus
tin, Tex., may be scored by John
Jacobs, her veteran track coach
and honorary referee of the event.
If that special 20-yards hurdle
race between the 49 year old
Jacobs and Clyde Littlefield,
Texas track coach, director of the
Austin carnival and Jacobs' hurd
ling rival of 30 years ago, is n
the level, it will be up to Jacobs
to repeat this trumph scored back
in 1913 over Lttlefield because his
1943 Oklahoma track team is
probably too inexperienced to win
any blue ribbons.
Composed almost entirely of
freshmen and sophomores in the
university's various military -re
serves, the 1943 Sooner thin clads
are as green as a bowl of new
peas. Minus their freshmen, they
scored only five points in the re
cent Big Six Indoor meet at Kan
sas City.
Gone from last year's potent
Oklahoma relay squad are such
lads as Bill Lyda, national col
legiate 880 yard champion who
motored thru a 1:49.7 half mile to
power the Sooners to a new world
record in the sprint medley at the
Drake Relays; Dick Smethers,
Texas Relays 3,000 meters champ
who alos ran the mile anchor on
the championship Sooner dis
tance medley team; John Sharp,
Hoyt Burns, Warren Lehman, Bob
Hodges and portly little Orville
Mathews, Texas and Kansas Re
lays 100-yard champ. I
Ed Weir Back
History Told
By Ames Presg
Ames, la., March 27. Next big
sporting event in Iowa is the
Drake Relays and midwest track
sters are eagerly awaiting ap
proach of that nationally-import
ant cinder event.
Ed Weir, University of Ne
braska track coach, has been
named referee of the 1943 Drake
Relays. The Relays will be held
in Lies Moines ai me uraite
Stadium, April 23 and 24.
In the past, Weir has brought
some of the Relays' most colorful
performers to Des Moines. In
1939, two Cornhuskers copped
first place?. Bob Simmons won
the 440-yard hurdles in :53.5, just
.3 over the Relays record, kdsei
Wibbels was the other Nebraska
winner when he tossed the discus
158 feet.
Weir's 1941 team won both the
indoor and outdoor titles in the
Big Six and was the victor in dual
meets with Kansas State Okla
homa and Oklahoma Aggies, the
Missouri Valley titlehoklers. The
galaxy of stars that he brought
to the Relays included Gene Lit
tler, William Smutz, Robert Kah
ler, Herbert Grote, Harold Hunt
and Wibbels. The bewhiskered
Grote won the javelin throw with
a toss of 211 feet and Hunt tied
for first in the pole vault event
with a 13 foot 8 inch leap.
The Relays referee was an ail
American tackle at the University
of Nebraska in 1924 and 1925. He
played on the Cornhusker team
that won the Big Six champion
ship and defeated an Illinois team
that was led by Red Grange, 14-0.
Drake fans also remember that
that same Nebraska team dropped
a 14-0 decision to the Bulldogs in
a howling blizzard.
He joined the Nebraska staff in
1929 as an assistant and took over
the head track coaching duties in
1936.
Weir is the second Cornhusker
coach to serve as the Drake Re
lays official. Henry Schulte, his
predecessor at Lincoln, was the
supervisor of the 1928 eventj
service, Army, Navy, etc., has
taken its toll this season, but
Coach Doan believes that the
squad will do fairly well this sea
son. The Boilermaker team Is
made up of a burly group of men
and heavy hitters should be at a
maximum in the lineup.
As soon as the Indiana weather
beams out in its new spring at
tire, the diamond squad will move
out to Its field behind the Field
house, to get in some valuable
practice sessions. Until then, the
lada will continue to toss the
sphere around in the Fieldhouse
amidst the confusion of track men,
wall scalers, and others.
oiOhASL '" Y
I: C ' -
; By Norri Anderson yf
I ; (SporU Editor) ' 'y'
On "Grid Nuts
This column is going to be a hit-and-run job, negotiated on
the eve of our departure for Kanric City and the N. C. A. A.
playoffs. Answer from the athletic board has yet to be re
leased for press use on the pending Missouri- I ask er spring
grid question, so we'll retaliate here with our explanation for
the drive.
We belong to that curious knot of harmless saps called
"grid nuts." .You see them for three months only September,
October and November. They crawl back in their cocoon at
event of the seasonal finale, lend a weather ear to spring foot
ball proceedings and otherwise hibernate until fall.
A grid nut in some instances in an out-and-out lunatic.
Often he's a hen-pecked husband
and umpires. Sometimes he is
blanketed from sight by a crowd
tity is never lost. We quote one grid nut :
"I bee-an booms' football clavers about 1925. but I think
I probably reached my peak in
booed an opponent of Tech when
with a broken leg. He is what is known as a major grid
put." We belong to the "minor" sect of the species.
Since grade school days, we've chucked aside textbooks to
follow the Cornhuskers hook, line and sinker. LaNou, Sauer,
Cardwell, Dodd, Mastcrson, all those Scarlet heroes were out
pride and joy. We grew up therefore with a damned-near-sacred
regard for University of Nebraska football.
We noted with chagrin that spring grid turnouts needed
a shot in the arm. Thought of a spring, match with Missouri
struck us and we sounded out Mentor Presnell on the issue.
We jointly reached two conclusions: L.That we had nothing
to lose and everything to gam. Z..Tnat a campaign ior a spring
ra.me. whether successful or not. would be bound to bring out
more candidates. Our campaign moved swiftly toward ths
petition stage. A written request by the grid club to tne ain
letic board brought a meeting to decide the enigma.
Time reouired to stir enthusiasm necessary for an athletic
ooiino mav have post,
of Presneirs main sruns mit off
tlii enrinrr nrnmo WAS hMrd.
Umnc in iwn weeks mJe clear
have to perform the task of
for performance in two short
t
An outstate track prospect
promotion for "personal glory"
wtnol fnr a trnfk sound trin to
"Why not play football in its own season?" was his argu
ni roursA h? knew full well that none of Nebraska s
present grid squad would have any chance for competition next
fall or maybe forever. He also certainly realized that Ed
Weir's track candidates still have a full spring schedule to
enjoy.
Four Vets
Spark I-S
Track Team
AMES, la., March 27. Four
lettermen will form the veteran
unit when Coach George Bretnall
sands the Iowa State College out
door track team into action next
month.
Dick Bliss, holder of the school
shot put record; George Cast, jav
elin thrower and discus man; Burt
Eberlein, jumper, and Jack Gib
son, middle distance runner, are
the only award winners on hand
for the 1943 season.
Bretnall indicated that the
squad would probably have its
first taste of competition in the
annual Iowa State Teachers col
lege Relays which are scheduled
for April 17. The Drake Relays
and the Big Six meet are other
probable scenes of action for the
Cyclones. In addition several dual
meets will probably be added to
the schedule.
The track squad includes the
following men:
Rill Siivr, Aekworth; Ma Harry,
Adair; Pan Walklna, Albla; Writ BIIsh,
Jnck Giboon, Bob Own, Bob Tagiie, all
of Amea; Mlrhael I)i-ane, Boenoa Aire.
Ar. Jay Clltheroe, Oder Rapid; Herb
Mvndrlann. Chiearo. III.: Selnier Hodne,
toon Ranidm Hob Heer. tornlnr; Le
Klrhardwnn. t'nnnrU Bluff.
Hiiro Brannllrh, Tanl Kopruckl, both of
llavenport; John Ford, Ie Moinen; rfonn
Stale. Frederick, Md.j Roger HeWolf,
(illmore City; Hnane Uankel, f Hidden; Al
vln uhr. Hartford. Win.; Ray Wehde,
Hoy Ueixle, boUi of Uolatelat Kllla
who vents his spleen on rivals
a hero worshiper, lie can be
of 00 thousand, but his iden
Omaha during 1930 when I
they carried him off the field
all chances for the came. Many
reporting until definite word
I act that the COlltCSt Uate
the fact that Pressnell might
readying an unconditioned squad
weeks,
eockily accused us of using the
and wants us to campaign m
California.
Huteher, Jonlln, Mo. I Ruiwell Helmi
Madrid. . . ,
Bob l-ary, Marlon; Burton r.nenem
.Mankato, Minn.; Dick Watnon, Marshall
An- iirtiA SMHtr. Mllhonxne: Joe Mat'
then. Mount Pnlaakl, III.; tiarnin
Mateika. Omaha. Neb.; Oeorre Cut,
UHage and Ken Tbarp.
Of thirty-one Reds on the spring
roster, twenty-eight are classified
3A, two are 4F, and one is 1A.
Al Lakeman, a reserve catcher, Is
the lone native of Cincinnati now
with the Crosley Crew ... All
thirty-one of the Reds are married
and only seven have no children . .
Of the last 23 all-America quin
tets Purdue has placed a man on
13 of them.
THE HAND IS QUICKER
THAN THE EYE
And Blacklcdgc the Magician
Proves It
IN HIS BAFFLING AMAZING SHOW
8:00 p. m., Tonitc, March 28
Union Ballroom I dent. Cards Please
Indiana Team
Matches Reds
. . . Spring Drills
Bloomington,, Ind., March 27
One sign that spring has peeped
around the corner is the turning
of the Crimson diamond squad to
Jordan Field. Yesterday the team
was busy in the first practice
game of the season, trying hard to
compete with the Cincinnati Reds.
Spectators thronged along the
sidewalk at the edge of Jordan
Field, and leisurely watched the
teamwork of the Crimson base-'
bailers. Practice is becoming more
settled and intense now as the
opening game of the season, with
DePauw on April 1, is just a little
more than a week away.
The Hoosier team was issued its
new uniforms yesterday, so that
the practice game took on the
aspect of a regular game. Stray
spectators were heard to ask "Who
are we playing?"
I-State Ball
Season Opens
. . . April 9-10
AMES, Iowa. March 27. Iowa
State will open it3 baseball sea
son April 9 and 10 with a 2-game
series against either the Simpson
Redskins or the University of
Minnesota, Coach Chick Suther
land announced yesterday. A 14-
game schedule ha3 been lined up
for the Cyclones but the dates are
still in the tenative stage.
Only one big Six school will
meet Iowa State on the diamond
this spring. The Cyclones will
travel to Columbia for a 2-game
series with the Missouri Tigers.
Nebraska, Kansas and Kansas
State are not supporting teams
this year while transportation dif
ficulties make competition with
the traditionally strong Oklahoma
Sooners an impossibility.
Big Ten Team.
The remainder of the card is
filled by a Big Ten team, three
Iowa schools and a service team.
Minnesota's Golden Gophers of the
Western Conference and Iowa
State will meet four times, twice
at Minneapolis and twice on the
local diamond.
Gridsters In
Offence Drill
Husker spring footballers drilled
on passing and running rorma
tions with brief contact work Sat
urday in an outdoor drill.
Maestro Glen Pretneu wmppea
up two backfield combines from
among his Scarlet tutorleges. One
outfit had Reichel, Metheny, and
Long doing the ball toting with
McKee, Hazen and Thompson
forming the pigskin carrying corps
of the other.
Lacking enough men for two
full squads to carry out his
planned scrimmage. Presnell con
centrated on offensive formations,
Schleich and Debus Toss.
Over on the UN cinder oval
weightmen Schleich and Debus
were geared to action under the
watchful eye of Ed Weir.
Debus unleashed the discus in
several fine efforts and propelled
the iron ball out around the 47
foot mark.
Schleich unloosed his wing with
the shot flying to the 49 foot
mark and beyond.
The two Huskers are prepping.
for the first UN meet, .he Drake
relays on tab for April 23 and 24.
