October 7 Tulsa University at Tulsa

October 14 Iowa State College at Ames

October 21 University of Nebraska at Lawrence
October 28 and November 4 - Open |
November 11 Kansas State Colleze at Manhattan
November 18 University of Oklahoma at Lawrence
November 23 University of Missouri at Kansas City

Football hopes at K. U. took a jolt when Bob George, frosh triple-
threat man, Joe Dickey, half-back speedster, and Frank Gruden, all Big
Six guard, were transferred by the Navy at the end of the winter tern
along with several other outstanding boys. The discontinuance of the V-5
program this summer will also remove a potential source of manpower
from the K. U. squad. Last year three V-5 boys won their letters at K. U.
' Too, the Navy has already announced that there will be a reduction of
personnel in the V-12 program November first. This means that an entirely
different team from that beginning the season may play the November games.

Naval transfers the first of July make a guess as to kK. U.'s football
prospects for 1944 even more hazardous. Since freshmen are ineligible to
participate until after one semester, there is little likelihood of
getting much help from that source. Undoubtedly we will lose more than we
will gain by the July transfers. On the hrighter side of the ledger is the
fact that fifteen lettermen from last year are still in school at the
present time.

Since Head Coach Henry Shenk has a pretty good knowledge of the compe-
tition in the Big Six Conference this coming season, I asked him what he
thought of Kansas’ chances. I recall the days when Shenk played for Kansas,
end particularly in 1927 when he caught a pass from Art Lawrence (now
coaching at Rosedale High School) and dashed 40 yards down the east side
of the field for: a touchdown that beat Missouri 14 to 7. Capt. Barrett
Hamilton caught the pass from Art Lawrence that made the first Kansas touch-
down. Kansas had experienced a rather mediocre season up until that time.
Missouri was Big Six champion and had beaten Nebraska and Northwestern,
and were prohibitive favorites.

So when I asked Henry Shenk about the prospects for this season he
replied, “So far as the Big Six this year is concerned it looks as if
Oklahoma will probably be the team to beat for the championship. They
have a large V-5 unit and a good many of their players back from last year,
and they can also be counted on to get some outstanding freshman talent.
Iowa State should also present a strong team since they not only have a
large V-12 uunit but also play a group of naval trainees corresponding to.
our electricians’ mates. Oklahoma beat Kansas 26 to 15 last year in a
thrilling game at Norman, and Iowa State defeated Kansas at Lawrence in
a rather drab game 13 to 6.

"Missouri and Nebraska and Kansas State have no naval trainees.
However, this may be an advantage in Big Six competition next year. It
is quite likely that the three schools that have naval trainees will suffer
from the cut of'personnell announced for November first, and those schools.
playing civilians should at least be able to keep their squad intact from
the beginning of the season until the end. The civilian teams are able to
have longer practice sessions and more time for chalk-talks than the navel
schools. The naval trainees maintain higher standards of scholarship with
fewer practice hours than do the civilians. These factors to o certain
extent counterbalance the lack of manpower the the schools having civilians.

86.