University Daily Kansan
Page 5
THIS EVENING... By Roy Miller
All-America football players are made, not born.
So, how does a school create an all-America football player when its team can only possibly win six of its 10 games this season?
Such is the situation that may possibly keep Gale Sayers from being selected as all-America this season.
Were the teams picked on an individual's talent alone, you could say immediately Sayers will gain the honor this season.
BUT, THE matter is not that easily solved. All sorts of factors success of the team, its schedule, the candidate's newspaper clippings must be considered.
Don Pierce, KU's sports publicity director, believes Sayers has a good chance of becoming all-America this year.
"I think his chances are pretty good by the cables, letters and wires I'm getting from the people who select the teams," Pierce said yesterday. "My belief is also based on bare statistics."
The KU sports publicist thinks Sayers fine sophomore year will help greatly.
PIERCE DOESN'T plan to organize any campaign for Sayers' selection like some publicists have been accused of doing.
Sayers drew praise yesterday from the Associated Press District 5 All-America Board. KU's Mike Shinn and Brian Schweda also received praise from the board.
Don Klosterman, chief scout for the Kansas City Chiefs of the AFL, compared Sayers to professional backs in an interview Sunday with Bob Hurt of the Topeka Capital-Journal.
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 1963
Klosterman could only name Jimmy Brown and Lenny Moore as being better pro backs than Sayers.
SAYERS, WHO MADE a 99-yard record run against Nebraska Saturday, leads the nation and conference with 778 yards rushing.
His two-year total is 1,903,just 11 yards short of the KU all-time career rushing record of 1,914 yards set by Charlie Hoag during the 1950-52 seasons.
Sayers gained 1,125 yards as a sophomore. That total added to his output so far this season places him within hailing distance of the all-time conference rushing total of 2,562 set by Dave Hoppmann of Iowa State.
One record out of Sayers' reach this season is the single-season mark of 1.342 by Bobby Reynolds of Nebraska in 1950.
John Hadl, now quarterback for the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League, was KU's last all-America. He received the honor in 1960, when KU had its league championship lifted by league infractions, and in 1961 when KU beat Rice in the Bluebonnet Bowl.
HE LIKELY WILL break the 2,000-yard mark in his junior season which has been achieved previously by only 10 conference runners.
Pierce said Hadl's main attraction for the honor was being a triplethreat. He could pass, run, and was the national punting leader as a sophomore.
HOAG. A LEFT halfback, was "quick, fast, could cut good and was a good receiver," according to Pierce.
Koag, now an insurance salesman in Topeka, was an all-conference selection in his junior year and senior years. He never received first team all-America honors.
The teams Hoag played on finished fourth, third and fifth in the conference.
SAYERS, CONTRARY to the picture imagined by his youthful fans, wears old-fashioned high-top football shoes, not the more popular low-cut type.
"He was a quick starter, terrifically fast," Pierce said. "I'd say he started quicker than Gale, but Gale is a lot like him."
"They protect your ankle a little more," he explained. "The added weight is all in your mind. Our equipment man weighed both types and found only two ounces difference. I don't figure two ounces will slow me down."
Intramural Basketball Play Begins Soon
Intramurai basketball competition will begin Dec. 4, Walter J. Mikols, director of men's intramurals, has announced.
All team entries must be given to Mikols in Robinson Gymnasium by 4 p.m., Nov. 22. A schedule will be made for A, B and C division teams during the Thanksgiving vacation.
End, Quarterback Key Beta Success
By Dick Shireman
Beta Theta Pi has represented the fraternity division in KU's intramural football finals so often you begin to wonder if the dynasty will ever be broken.
Much of the team's success this year must go to quarterback John Atkinson. Atkinson, Topeka junior, led the Betas to another undefeated regular season with his passing arm.
The Betas will be seeking their ixth consecutive Hill championship when they play the Law team at 4 p.m. today on the intramural fields.
"THIS IS PROBABLY the best team we've had since we started our winning streak five years ago." Atkinson said.
At Topeka High School, Atkinson lettered in football, basketball and baseball. He decided to forego a football scholarship to Kansas State, instead accepted a ba ketball scholarship to play at KU.
Since, he has been here, however, he has been so busy with campus activities that he has had little time to devote to athletics.
ATKINSON IS majoring in chemistry and zoology, and is carrying a 2.7 overall grade-point-average. He was publicity chairman of Peace Corps last year, and has served on four SUA committees. He played on the freshman basketball team.
Besides serving as rush chairman of his fraternity, he is treasurer of Owl Society, and is a member of the College Intermediary Board.
"There has been quite a margin of difference in our games," he said.
"Our closest game this year has been with Phi Gamma Delta last Monday—we beat them 27-6."
Other scores range from a 46-0 win over Delta Upsilon, to a 45-8 win over Phi Delta Theta.
Another key player for the Betas is Bill Geiger, Leavenworth junior. Geiger caught 17 touchdown passes this year and has been strong on defense. In the Fraternity finals Monday against Phi Gamma Delta, he intercepted six passes.
MORGAN METCALF, quarterback for the Law team, was the Beta quarterback last year.
Failure to convert extra points almost kept Beta Theta Pi No. 1 from winning its fifth consecutive Fraternity B division championship in intramural touch football yesterday.
But Sigma Chi was unable to take advantage of the Beta weakness, because it was having the same trouble.
The Betas won the championship on the only conversion of the game, 19-18.
All the Beta scoring was done in the first half, with quarterback Parker Young connecting on two touchdown passes to Fred Littoyo and one to John Vratil. Bill Williams caught the extra point pass which provided the winning margin.
Sigma Chi scored in the second quarter on a pass from John Rader to Jim Ellis. The other two touchdowns came in the third quarter on Rader passes to Rick Knorr and Ron Reuter.