Thursday, January 24, 1980
University Daily Kansan
7
Lonborg and Nesmith recall golden Olympic days
By KEVIN BERTELS
Sports Writer
The amateur sports world is in an uprere. The United States may boycott the Moscow Olympics. Scandals have uncovered amateur athletes accepting money for other activities. Other athletes have been caught using city building drugs and illegal stimulants.
Amid this furor, two men sat back in the confines of Allen Field House last week and relived an amateur athletic event that both said was a highlight of their lives.
Arthur C. "Dutch" Lonborg, athletic director emeritus at KU, and Dean Nesmith, now in his 2nd year as head coach of the 16th U.S. Olympic basketball team of the 16th U.S. Olympic basketball team of
Lonborg was the team manager and Nesmith the trainer at the Rome Olympics.
THE 81-YEAR-OLD Lonberg, a two-sport All-America at KU in 1919-20, smiled at the first mention of the 160d gold medal winner.
"We were the best team in Olympic history," he said.
Indeed, the statistics bear out Lonborg's assessment. With such names as Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas, Jerry West and Walt Bellamy, the All States won all of
its games, with no opponent coming closer than 24 points.
The Americans averaged 102 points a game and held their opponents to 60.
Lomborg became team manager because of a tradition that called for the chairman of the U.S. Olympic Basketball Committee to manage the Olympic team.
The chairman in 1960 was Lonborg, who was also KU's athletic director at the time.
IN ORDER FOR Nesmith to become one of the eight trainers for the entire U.S. Olympic team, he answered a letter that was sent to most university trainers.
"They sent out letters to everyone asking if they were interested and I wrote back and said I was. Nesmith recalled." "That was in 1965," the secretary, I found out that I had accepted them.
Lonborg, as manager of the basketball team, was one of the team to, too. Neashaw got the job, and the addition of Allen Kelly, a KU guard, gave the team even a Jawhayk
Also on the team were Kansas State star Bob Boozer and Oklahoma standout Lester Lane, a native of Wichita.
MANY OF Lonborg's memories are
associated with his administrative duties as manager.
He remembered the evening that a disappointed Italian bus driver left the team at a.m. without a ride after the U.S. team had defeated the Italians.
"we eventually stopped a Volkswagen bus from an Italian radio station," Lonberg said. "I asked for a ride to the Olympic Village and he shook his head.
"I tried to talk him into it, but finally I pulled out a pallet $b$ bill and held it out to him even though all Olympic athletes were in a level free. He just motioned for us to get it."
Both Lohnborg and Nenns treasure their gold medals, but they also have fond memories of the athletes—even those who were not on the basketball team.
The Rome Olympics was filled with big name athletes. The United States' stars were Rafe Johnson, decathlon winner, Wilma Rudolph, triple gold medal winner in women's sprints, and Muhammad Ali on the gold in light heavyweight boxing.
NESMITH REMEMBERED Ali as "a very quiet individual." But he added, "He was just an 18-year old kid. He was around a lot, but he didn't say much.
"One of the greatest thrills that I've ever had was seeing all three of the American flags when we swept the 400-meter hurdles,
and having KU's Cliff Cushman up there with them."
Cushman finished second, but he was not the only KU track man in the Rome Olympics.
"BELL NIEDER was an alternate in the shot put and won on to win gold," Nismith said. "At Olerer won one of his four gold medals in the discus at Rome.
"I tried to be there anytime one of our boys was performed."
Also participating from KU in 1960 were javelin throwers Bill Alley and Terry Beucher.
Lonborg and Nesmith threw around the names of some of the greatest athletes in history. For awhile, Nesmith and Lonborg
were back at the Rome Olympics, or so it seemed.
"That was probably one of the great highlights in my life," Nesmith said. "You all meet kinds of individuals. I think some of them are in need of an education in awe, when they are only regular kids.
With memories fresh in their minds,
Lonborg left to pick up his wife and Nesmith set out to rectify an inventory problem in the training room.
It was 1980 again and their duties were calling.
Editor's note: This is the second in a multi-part series on KU and its ties with the Olympics. The series will continue Tuesday.
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