Homecoming
Daily hansan
60th Year, No.41
SECTION A
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
Sports
Friday, Nov. 9, 1962
Homecoming Fervor At KU
Sayers Is Set for 'Huskers'
How does a Nebraskan playing for Kansas view tomorrow's Jayhawk-Cornhusker clash?
"It's no different than playing any other team." Gale Sayers, KU's starting sophomore halfback sensation maintains.
"I know about everybody on their team, though," Sayers, who comes from Omaha. Neb., notes as one reservation. "And, a lot of people have asked me for tickets," he also adds.
SAYERS, LEADING the Big Eight backs early in the season, was the subject of concern for KU coaches early in the pre-season drills this fall. Sayers, reported 20 pounds underweight, dispelled much of this worry when the season began.
Up to 191 pounds, from a low of 170, by the Iowa State, game Savers, was the leading Big Fight back.
Fans expect Sayers to reel off 10 and 20 yards every time he carries the ball anymore. And, often he does just that.
Sayers is one of KU's recent prize recruits. While still a senior at Omaha Central High School, Sayers was one of the most sought after prep players in the
A 22-FOOT-PLUS broad jumper and a 9.7 100-yard dash man, Sayers' football talents appeal more to Jayhawker coaches, even though Coach Bill Easton would be delighted if Sayers was on the KU track team come this spring.
country. And, besides his football talent, coaches were also eyeing his track abilities.
Last year's freshman offense was built around the speedy halfback. It was said that the freshmen had two plays, either "Sayers right" or "Sayers left."
Sayers scored all of the frosh's six touchdowns. He netted 321 vards rushing in 41 carries.
Did Sayers ever have any notions of going to Nebraska instead of Kansas? "I started to go there," Sayers says, "but I changed my mind."
Sayers has a brother, Roger, who is well-known in the Midlands in football and track. Roger attends Omaha University and was their leading ground-rainer as well as top dash man last year.
Rumor has it that attempts were made to recruit the elder Savers, Roger, a year older, for KU.
"They've got a pretty good team," Gale says of Nebraska. "But I think we can beat them." he adds.
Big 8 Dark Horse Fired for an Upset
Nebraska's complete turnabout from a mediocre 1961 season to a successful Big Eight team competitor through the first half of the current season has been one of the Midland's biggest surprises.
Last year the Huskers won three games, lost six and tied one. This year, an inspired Nebraska team took an early lead in the Big Eight race.
Much of the credit for this turnabout must go to the head Coach Bob Devaney and his staff. They not only pumped new life into the floundering Cornhuskers, but also introduced new offensive and defensive patterns.
All America candidate Bill "Thunder" Thornton and junior quarterback Dennis Claridge have also been contributing factors to this year's success.
Thornton, the quick, 210-pound fullback from Toledo, Ohio, ranked third in conference rushing last year with 618 yards. He excels in all phases of the game and has led the Huskers in scoring both his sophomore and junior years.
Cabrera Is Key To Jayhawkers Loop CC Hopes
Bv Rov Miller
One of the more pleasant surprises for Bill Easton, Kansas track and cross country coach, when he returned to KU from coaching the Malayan national track team during the summer, was George Cabrera.
Cabrera, the top Jayhawker cross country man this season, ran a mere sixth and seventh last season on the squad. The Kansas City, Mo., junior, though, earned the top spot in two pre-season time trials this year and has stayed atop ever since.
IN THE Jayhawkers' first two meets of the season, Cabrera placed first for KU, the Kansas distance men defeating Southern Illinois and the Chicago Track Club.
Cabrera has no visions of holding a tight grip on the number one spot for the entire season, however.
And, it's this depth that Coach Easton will have to depend on tomorrow when the Jayhawks attempt to defend their league Big Eight title.
"There'll probably be different guys running in the first spot from now on," Cabrera said after the Southern Illinois dual. "If Dotson (Bill) had hurt himself last year, we would have been up a creek. This year we've got pretty good depth."
CABRERA, incidentally, feels confident that the Jayhawkers will retain the title. Coach Easton is not so optimistic. ("He just doesn't want us to go into the meet overconfident," said Cabrera.)
To gain the top spot on the team, Cabraha had to surpass his roommate, Charlie Hayward, captain of the team.
"It's a surprise," Hayward said, who in the pre-season analysis appeared to be the logical number one man, of Cabrera's surge.
"But it's a pleasant surprise," Hayward added. "Everyone was wondering how we were going to replace "Dot" (Dotson, number one man and captain last year). This is what we needed, a young man to come up and take first place.
crea believes his rise from last (Continued on page 10)
"WERE TRYING to find out how he did it. He won't tell us."
He was named to the Associated Press All Big Eight team last year. In addition to being a leader on the football field, he has been named to the Innocent's Society, men's honorary society at Nebraska. He is the first Negro to be accorded this honor.
Denis Claridge has come into his own this year as one of the league's top quarterbacks. He fits perfectly into coach Devaney's system of a quarterback who can both run and throw. Aside from having good running speed, the Robbinsdale, Minn., junior threw for 464 yards and three touchdowns as a sophomore last year. At 6-3, 210 pounds, he possesses the size to become one of the top three quarterbacks in the Big Eight this year.
Another of the big factors in Nebraska's success is their veteran line. The Huskers are deep up front.
Such stalwarts as Bob Brown, 6-5, 259-pound right tackle who intercepted a crucial Iowa State pass to shut off a Cyclone scoring surge; Al Fischer, 215-pound, who spearheads the alternate line from his tackle position: Tyrone Robertson, 229-pound tackle whose hustle has been paramount in the team's success; Dwain Carlson, hard hitting co-captain, and Lloyd Voss, 6-4, 225-pounder from Magnolia, Minn., have helped the Husker game shine.
Nebraska is a veteran team with only three newcomers playing regularly in the top two units. These are Jim Baffico, center, Dave Theisen, halfback, and Kent McCloughan, halfback.
NU has not won a game against the Jayhawkers since Jack Mitchell became head coach five years ago. In 1957, the score was 14-12; in 1958, 29-17; in 1959, 10-3; in 1960, 31-0, and last year 28-6.
But Mitchell remembers Nebraska Coach Devaney's last trip to Lawrence. Devaney and one of his prize pupils, All America Quarterback Chuck Lamson, led a spirited band of Wyoming Cowboys into Memorial Stadium last year and surprised the favored Hawkers with a 6-6 tie.
The game tomorrow could be full of more surprises like this.