Sports SideShow |; pvp.

 

 

 

 

a chance to see in action in bas-
ketball togs many of the stellar
football stars for both teams last
season.

* * *

“Phog”—One time many years
ago there was a young student of
osteopathy, somewhat of a star
town-lot baseball player up in Old
Missouri. Item among his talents
was a loud raucous voice with
which he baited the umpires and
opposing players. He lived through
the years to become nationally
famous but on neither account of
his stentorian voice nor his skill
as an osteopath, though excelling
in both. However, — vestigial to
those early days was the nickname
“Phog” which, rightly or wrongly,
is supposed to be a slight corrup-
tion and shortening of the word
“foghorn,” reminiscent of the gen-
tleman’s talented vocal cords.

* * *

Be that as it may, as the poets
say, the young Missourian’s pro-
fessional career got sidetracked
largely when he became coach and
athletic director at the State
Teachers collee, Warrensburg, Mo.
History has it that he took up
this chore as a sideline to his
manipulation and necromancy on
the many ills to which the human
body is heir. In any event, “Phog”
had phenomenal success with his
football an basketball, particularly
the last, teams at the Missouri
school and soon had the rest of
the members of the state confer-
ence taking to the tall uncut.

* *

About twenty years ago or
more, the Oracles of Mt. Oread

) at the ~Wniversity of® Kansas
. cast their eyes on: crystal
globe and saw that it needea
Phog” to come to Lawrence
and lead the Jayhawkers out of
the bullrushes in sports in gen-
eral. It can’t be said that
Phog” had much luck with
grid teams, but it must be re-
Imembered that he was only def-.
initely connected with this manly
game the first year there and

so can’t be held responsible. As |
to how he took the faltering |

 

long, long story of national and .
sectional and conference succes-
ses nearly year after year. He
is without doubt over a period
of years the No. 1 cage coach
on the campus of America, and
incidentally, an eloquent and de-
termined pulpiteer for or against
as the case may be, anything
athletic that he espouses or
condemns.
age * * *

This brief thumbnail sketch is
one of an old friend of ours, of
many years ago. We have not laid
eyes on “Phog” for centuries, it
seems. But we recently chatted
with an envoy from his sanctorum
at Lawrence and find that this
cage genius, formally known as
Dr. Forrest Allen, is as he always
was, a sparkling and colorful per-
sonality. The ambassador returned
from Lawrence is none other than
Big Tom Cordell; star grid and
cage player for the Bartlesville
Wildcats. Suffering from a per-
sistent shoulder and leg ailment,
both the result of athletic injuries,
Tom, through Fred Pralle, Phillips
66 player and one time brilliant
jewel in Phog’s cage diadem, vis-
ited Allen for a few days last
week. Among other things, said
Tom, it was found that one leg
was a half-inch shorter than the
other. “But Mr. Allen worked on
me with his skilled hands, and
fixed me up in fine shape.”

* *

Cordell was enthusiastic about
Allen’s “bone-setting,” for which
among interested circles he is as
famous as he is for his basket-
ball master-minding. ,

“He’s a grand fellow,” continued
Tom. “Had me work out with his
varsity players every day until I
got good and warmed up and then
put me on the table and gave me
treatments. And (in answer to a
question) he never said one word
or intimation about me casting
eyes at K. U. after I am gradu-
ated from high school.”
he * *

But perhaps “Phog” looking
close\y.as he had the opportunity
to at the big six-foot, husky Tom,
might. have thought along those
lines. |

cagers out of the bullrushes and
put them in the treetops is a !