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Friday, April 19, 1974
University Daily Kansan
Relavs Get Talent Despite Pro Tour
By BRETT MARSHALL
Kannan Sports Writer
The Kansas Relays has been known for its ability to attract the top track and field athletes in the world. Competition with other meets for these athletes was nominal until just over a year ago when the Professional Track Tour was established.
"Sure the pro tour has taken away some of the top names in the sport," said University of Kansas assistant track coach Tad Thalley, "but when you see the type of players on the field you'll realize that the need hasn't lost its ability to get the best available athletes."
Absent this year will be Jim Ryun, once the unbeatable miler from Kansas, and Randy Matson, who hasn't seriously missed the world record in the shot put recently.
They probably would have drawn a large crowd, especially Rvn.
Other stars who have dotted the Kansas Relays' entry list in the past but are now professionals include Dave Wottle, former Bowling Green middle distance runner, Katie Stuart, former pole vault and Bob Seagran, world record holder in the outdoor pole vault.
"THERE ARE SO many good competitors in track and field that the quality won't decrease. Talley said. "We believe we can win it if we are of the best in the history of the relays."
Talley said the pro tour would help improve the quality of college athletics. He said that results wouldn't be seen for a few years and would have to come from the top names were not competing here.
"I think the pre tour will help college track and field," Talaed said. "It will be the
major leagues of other sports and the competition will be the minor league.
The pro track circuit, in fact, probably has less influence on college and amateur track competition than other professional sports.
FORMER GREAT sprinters Bob Hayes, Jim Hines and others have played to play professional football. They use the pro track season as a means of staying in condition.
Even major league baseball put its foot in the door a few weeks ago when Oakland's owner Charlie Fhire hire sprinter Herb Kline to a multi-year contract as a pinch runner.
Talley said the professional tour had made amateur track and field more competitive. The collegian has more incentive to compete with the caller of athletes has increased.
By JIM SHELDON
Kanan Sports Wriller
Scholarships,Improved Recruiting Behind Emergence of KU Tennis
Almost four years ago, the University of Kansas began to build a tennis program that has gradually emerged from its traditional mediocrity and is now challenging for Big Eight honors and national attention.
The reasons are fairly simple. According to KU tennis coach Mike Howard, the tennis program's turnaround is a result of more scholarships and better recruiting.
This year's KU squad includes four freshmen, all of whom were outstanding high school performers. In Bill Clarke, Dennis Cahill, Bill Timpkins and Paul Waltz, KU has four talented freshmen that not many schools can match.
"To recruit the players we did without any real foundation was an important factor in our improvement," Howard said in a recent interview.
ALTHOUGH KU DIDNT have a solid tennis tradition on which to base its recruiting, it may not have been hurt by the lack of one.
"I wanted to go somewhere where I could play," said Waltz, who was Pennsylvania State High School doubles champion. "I knew that I'd be able to play here."
"We are recruiting tennis players now with national rankings," Vann said. "We need a better way of thinking."
Number one singles player Carlos Goffi, captain Steve Vann and John Farrar, combined with three returning lettermen, these players may finally be building the winning tennis tradition that KU has never really had.
When Howard first came to KU in the fall 1970 as an assistant coach and law student, KU's program was far from the essential minimum.
HOWEVER, IT IS TOUGH to recruit if you don't have athletic scholarships to offer. That's why we offer funds to offer six scholarships. Since dual matches consist of six singles matches and three doubles, any school that hopes to build at least six scholarships at its disposal
"When I first came here we had one-half scholarship," Howard said. "But the first thing I saw that we needed to do was to get better courts."
In the spring of 1971, Howard and the players resurfaced the courts behind Allen Field House, but the scholarship problem still had to be solved.
Sheldon Coleman, head of the Coleman camping supplies company in Wichita, was, and still is, one of the key people in the development of KU tennis. Even though he isn't a KU graduate, Coleman has an active interest in KU tennis.
"THE NEXT THING I did was send letters to people, alumni and players and asked if they'd like to help support KU's athletic teams." The students were very helpful and made donations.
"I also contacted Mr. Coleman. He made some further contacts and got what things came."
"He helped me tremendously." Howard said of Coleman, "especially for a man that has no real connection with KU. He is not an alum and his son doesn't play for us any more. He just wanted to see us build a good program."
IT WAS PARTLY through the contributions of Coleman and others that the KU Athletic Association was able to provide the six scholarships for tennis.
"I was acquainted with several of the people in the tennis program at KU"
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Coleman said of his interest in KU terms, "I knew Mike Howard the coach and also Eberhard the chairman of the Athletic Association, who is the president of a WSOE club."
“At the time (last year), I also had a son who was playing number two singles for KU, but I also made a donation after I had played many games. I didn’t need, not to play the next year.”
Coleman said he was also familiar with the tennis program at Oldahoma, the traditional powerhouse of the Big Eight, and several former Big Eight schools with top players.
"THEE WERE AT LEAST four other schools in the conference with good programs and I saw no reason why KU didn't have a good one, too." Coleman said.
It was through the efforts of people like Coleman, who is 72 and still plays tennis every day, the KUAA and Howard that KU has been able to increase its scholarship pool for tennis and recruit outstanding players.
The organizations that do hurt the meet in respect to drawing the top names are the amateur clubs that hold contracts over many of the competitors.
The efforts have paid off on the court, as KU is beginning to receive nationwide recognition for its tennis. This spring KU has turned in a second and two third place finishes in tournaments that featured some top collegiate teams teams in the nation.
In a recent match against Arkansas, a team that had beaten KU earlier, the 'Hawks turned in an impressive performance with a 6-3 win over the Razorbacks.
title. According to Howard, KU, Oklahoma,
which has lost to Arkansas, Oklahoma State
and Colorado should fight it out for the
conference championship.
These performances have established KU as a definite contender for the Big Eight
KU'S IMPROVED PLAY and a general boom in the national popularity of tennis has been reflected by an increased interest in KU's team.
"People are starting to look at us," he said. "If they come out and see these players, they are going to see some of the best.
"The clubs that have contracts with these athletes control where they compete and how much money they demand," said Talley. "In many instances they ask for more money than we can afford. We do the best we can."
Howard said that he had tried to capitalize on student interest by using student scorekeepers and that he hoped to use girls in this capacity in the future.
THE TWO HARDEST hit events are the open 120-yard high hardships and the shot put, both of which can be done by a single player.
"It was just a matter of money in a couple of cases," Talley said. "Most of the top hurdlers are in college or are competing elsewhere."
Despite those circumstances, the 49th running of the Kansas Relays will have its
Four of the top 10 sprinters in the world will compete in the open 100- and 222-dyard dashes. The quarter mile will have Larry Jones, the defending NCAA champ from Northeast Missouri State and Curtis Mills, the record holder and a graduate of Texas A&M.
The Glen Cunningham Mile will have an excellent field of competitors.
Heading the list are Tony Waldrop of the University of North Carolina and Rick Riordan of Duke University.
Waldrop is the current world record holder of the indoor mile. His time of 35.50 was part of an unbelievable string of eight races that included four which he ran the rule under four minutes.
Wohlfahrter is the world record holder in the 800 meters. He broke Jim Ryns' (Jimmy) world record.
"These are just a few of the great athletes who will be here," Talley said. "We will continue to draw the top names because of the meet's tradition. The pro track tour is such an achievement, but there is such an abundance of talent that won't decline in quality very much."
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