128-BOYS HEAR
‘PHOG” ALLEN

Famed Cage Coach Makes Hit
With Youngsters at League
Banquet

Dr. F. C. (Phog) Allen, who is the)
father of six children and who has}
four grandchildren, has a way with
youngsters.and kept 128 boys as quiet
as the proverbial mouse last night at
the Methodist church with a heart-to-
heart sports talk that every boy in
the world should have heard.

Dr. Allen, who is head basketball
coach and director of the physical de- ||
partment at Kansas university, spoke
at the first annual banquet for players
in the Y. M. GC. A.-Church league at |;
ithe Methodist church,
| The dinner began at 6:30 o’clock and
idue to an extensive program Dr, Allen
did not begin to speak until after 8:30.
By that time the boys were somewhat
tired of sitting still and—like all boys—
were about as quiet as a bowl full of
gelatine being held by a\ man with
palsy. However, Dr, Allen gained the.
attention of his young audience from
the outset and held it for the entire
time he spoke. Every adult present
was greatly surprised at the apparent
ease with which the speaker seemed |
to charm his listeners.

‘Dr. Allen developed his theme around
the lives of Dr. James Naismith, the
inventor of basketball, and Glenn Cun-
ningham, the greatest miler the world
has ever known. Dr. Allen has been
associated with both men at Kansas
university for years and knows the in-
side stories of their early hardships
and trials.

He told how an uncle, who was a
poor man, reared Dr, Naismith in Can- |.
ada. Both made the greatest sacri- ||
fices that young Naismith might have ||
an education. It was in Springfield, ||
Mass., that Dr. Naismith invented the ||
game of basketball. Dr. Naismith is ||
now 77 years old and has lived to see
18 million people playing basketball ||
each year throughout the world. |

Dr. Allen related how as a child
Glenn Cunningham was severely burn-
;ed on the legs in a fire that took the
\life of an older brother and of the
'great handicap that scar tissue on
“his legs had been to him in becoming
a world’s champion runner. Neverthe-
less he attained his goal.

“Willingness to make sacrifices, to
work hard, to use will power and to
persevere are as important to building
courage and a champion as exercise
and wholseome food are to building
muscles and a strong body,” declared
Dr. Allen.

Other speakers included George
Cleland, chairman of the boys’ work
committee of the Y, and Merwin H.
Rector, Y. M. C. A. program director
for young men and boys.

Ralph Fletcher led the community
singing and Elbert Van Osdol of St. |.
Joe gave a very interesting magic per-
formance.

The invocation was - by the
Rev. Matthew Hall, O. S. B., and the
benediction by the ee E., E, Tillot-
son,

Carl Brown acted ’ master of cer-
emoaies. a

Plaques” were wierd” to ie win-
ner the two divisions of the league.

the | intermediate division — firsi
ee was won by the First Methodist.
church and second place by St. Mark’s
‘Lutheran church. In the junior divi-
jsion St. Mark’s placed first and the].

{First Presbyterian church second. ‘
| All but 12 of the 140 boys eligible to
attend the banquet were present.