Phog Allen Says Lexington

4

Is Biggest Gambling Center

By HENRY HORNSBY
' Leader Sports Editor

_ Phog Allen—Dr. Forrest C.
‘Allen — outspoken crusader
against gambling on college
sports; basketball coach at the
University of Kansas, the man
who gave Adolph Rupp his
training in hardwood science,
today stated in a long distance
telephone call from Lawrence,
Kansas, that “Lexington is

probably the biggest high

school and college gambling

center in the United States.”

‘Dr. Allen, long an advocate of

“cleaning out” gambling within col-

‘Jcge sports, made the assertion
few days ago that Lexington was
the college gambling center of the
nation and repeated his charge in
the telephone conversation.

The Kansas coach said that head-
quarters for the wagering customers
‘was a room above the Mayfair bar,
located at 224 East Main street, and
that the telephone’ number
3730. Dr Allen said that he did not
know whether there was any co
nection between management of
the bar and the gambling joint.

“But I do know that a gigantic

 

was

 

handbook agency is located above
the Mayfair,” the coach continued,
“and that the establishment, dur-
ing the period of racing, handled

‘considerable money on horse races,

end that on Saturdays during the
football season handled as much as
$500,000 on college football games.
The place has been doing a. big
business in basketball gambling.
The joint has telephone lines to a
number of major cities,’ Dr. Allen
went on, “and, with a monthly tele-
phore bill of around $2,500, can put

‘calls through to these cities in less

time than can an Army general.”
Predicted Scandals
“Dr. Allen ‘long. has argued that
gambling on college sports was

chcking the very life out of such

sports, and months ago predicted
that if college authorities didn’t

wake up they would be confronted

with scandals which would make
the White Sox World Series affair
cf 1919 seem tame by comparison.
His contentions were borne out to
a marked degree with the recent

disclosure of the Brooklyn College’

“sell-out.”
Though primarily a “basketball”
man, Dr. Allen says that he is con-

cerned with the threat which other

sports face—football being endan-
gered most of all.

“Even track,” he said, “has now

been invaded by the gamblers,
especially in the eastern cities and
in the midwest.” 2

The Kansas coach believes that
the only solution is the selection of
a “ezar”’ who is empowered to.
wield a heavy club in college ath-
letics much in the manner the late
Judge K. M. Landis did in base-|
ball.

Dr. Allen said he has no qurrel
with tne subsidization. of college
athletes if it’s done in the right
way. But since there is little super-
vision of such tactics and _ since
there is little that can be done to
schools violating agreements, he
believes that a commissioner of col-
lege sports is the only logical
answer.

“Subsidization is all right, but
doing it surreptiously—as it’s being
done—is very dangerous,’ he as-
serted.

Deplores Proselyting

One of the most deplorable prac-
tices in college athletics, according
to Coach Allen, is that of prosely-
ting. “Coaches go after a boy, who
already has settled at some school;
offer him a large amount of. money
and take him away.”

But getting back to the question
of gambling, Dr. Allen stated that
athletic directors. and not “long:
bearded deans and_ professors”
should be in full charge of athletic

 

 

 

programs at educational centers.

“Athletic directors should be in
full charge of sports programs,” he
said. “They, and not faculty rep-
resentatives who know nothing
about ‘the business, should deter-
mine policies and be answerable
for all criticisms.”

He continued that. under’ the
/present set-up in most sections
coaches and athletic directors are
nothing more than business man-
agers. These two groups should be
/made fuli professors, Dr. Allén be-
'lieves, with the powers and priv-
_ileges ane the respect accorded to
' professors.

And another thing. Dr. Allen
“says the threat to college sports will
not .be removed until gamblers,
who invade the sanctity of the
campus, are jailed for offenses.

“Those Brooklyn gamblers are
still laughing about the affair at
the college there. They’ve been
gambling on college sports for
years, and they’ll keep on until the
law puts a stop to it. The Brook-
lyn College scandal was a_ small
thing by comparison to what goes
on. And as long as we have places
like the one there in Lexington the
threat to our colleges and to our
college boys will continue.”