A

—T

April 28th, 1941

Mr. Howard Turtle
Kansas City Star
¥ansas City, Missouri .

Dear Mire Turtles

I am sorry that I was out of town and unable to answer your letter sooner,
but I assure you it is always a pleasure to comply with your requests. I trust that
you will land The fost for your ee Football Article. I am very happy to say
this to youe

: coached Kansas basketball in 1908 and 1909. At that time, the schools
were divided into a Northern and a Southern division, and we, here at Kansas, won the
Northern division. The schools of the North were Nebraska, Drake, Iowa State, etce
It was the Old Missouri Valley Conference; then Kansas and Nebraske played for
the title and Kansas won the championship. It was much on the same plane as they now
use on the Pacific Coast.

Now I shail try to answer your question, is it that Nebrasia, with |
its tremendous reservoir of material, can't win more “ig Six basketball championships",
and, with that big field house to fille Every year thet Webrasim has had a near
winning team, they have packed the field houses The Big Six attensmnce record is
held by Nebrasia, and it was made during the time when Nebraska was playing Kansas
for the Big Six championships

No, I would not say it is because Nebresim cannot play basketball. They
have had some wonderful stars therée I can remember the time when Nebrasm could not
win enything at track. They never did well until Henry ‘Sehulte went there.

Nebraska, in the early days, was known primarily as a football gchoole
Their big games then were with Mennesota and once in awhile, an astern School.
Nebrasim won the championship in basketball along in "15 and '16 when Rutherford,
Chamberlain, and those boys were playing with Nebraska. In fact, up until about
1918, Hebraska and Kansas had quite a few basketball jousts that were tough
Our record against Nebraska is: 39 won, and 11 lost.

Of course you remember that I coached football in 1920 at Kansas and
tied Nebraska, 20 to 203 the Kansas team being out-weighed 27 pounds to the mans —
I have never feared Nebraska, and we go after them just as if they had no football
reputation. Henry Schulte was football coach when I was coaching football here ~
at Kansas, in 1920, Schulte was re~placed at the end of the 1920 football season
although he had made a fine record, and he wis made head track coach. Missouri was
the “big gun” in track all during Sehulte's regieme; then the power shifted to
Nebrasin,. Schulte ws a ceaseless worker, covering the states and giving awards
_ of little bronze buttons for track performancese He set up standards of track com-
petition, and, as a highschool boy performed up to those particular standards, he
got one of the buttons. He really built track up in a splendid fashion.