University Daily Kansan
Page 13
lays to give him a clean sweep.
SHOOTING FOR A GRAND SLAM—Kent Floerke, broad jump champ of the Texas Relays with a jump of 24 feet $6\frac{1}{2}$ inches, leaped only one-half inch less when Kansas crushed Oklahoma A&M 85 to 46. If he wins this Saturday, he will need only a victory at the Drake Re- laws to give him a clean sweep
Floerke Took 3rd In AAU While Still High School Senior
It's unusual for a high school trackman to compete against college athletes, but Kent Floerke, now a KU sophomore, did more than that when he was a student at Rosedale High School in Kansas City, Kan.
As a senior, he leaped 46 feet $10\frac{1}{4}$ inches in the National AAU hop, step and jump event and 24 feet 1 inch in the broad jump to take third place in each event.
The amazing thing about it was that it was only the second meet in which he had ever done the hop, step and jump.
Fleerke well recalls the first time it was in the Missouri Valley AAU meet in 1954.
"I had just finished tying for first in the broad jump and was feeling pretty good, so asked Bob Smith (then KU's top broad and hop-step-jumper) just what the hop, step and jump was. It was more like a joke," Floerke added, "but after about 10 minutes of coaching from Bob I decided to try it."
Floerke proceeded to capture third place with a 45-foot 3-inch mark, and to find a new event in which to participate.
Since then his efforts have indicated he may become the finest broad and hop-step-jumper in KU history. He set the school indoor record in the broad jump earlier this year at 24 feet $^{3/4}$ inches in the Michigan State Relays, and took second in the Big Seven indoor meet with a 24-foot $^{1/4}$-inch distance.
As a freshman, last spring he set a Kansas Records record of 49 feet $ \frac{1}{2} $ inch in the hop, step and jump, and took third in the National AAU meet several weeks later with a jump of 48 feet 4 inches.
He won the Texas Relays broad jump two weeks ago with a leap of 24 feet $6\frac{1}{2}$ inches, his all-time high. Two of his leaps in the hop, step and jump at Austin would have won him first place in that event too, but he fouled in both by about one-fourth of an inch. He had to settle for third place with a jump of 46 feet 5 inches.
Foerke said the team was "very happy" and a "little surprised" at its domination of the Texas Relays. As for a national championship, he said.
"If all the guys make a conscientious effort to do their best, KU should have the best chance ever to win the national. But we'll have to cross each hurdle as we come to it."
The 6-feet 3-inch, 190-pound Floerke came to KU on a basketball and track scholarship, but now is concentrating on track after he suffered a knee injury last year. He was a starter on last year's freshman basketball team.
Relays Referee An 'Old Timer'
Frank G. Anderson, head track coach at Texas A&M, who has been associated with track for 44 years, will be this year's referee at the 31st Kansas Relays.
Known as "Colonel Andy," Mr. Anderson has been at Texas A&M for 35 years, of which 23 have been spent as head track coach.
"Colonel Andy" went to Texas A&M in 1920 as freshman football coach and then moved up as head track coach in the spring of 1922.
He wasted little time in getting started on the right foot as he won the Southwest conference championship in his first year and since has won eight more championships.
Mr. Anderson had his biggest thrill in seeing three of his athletes place high in recent Olympic games.
K-State Star Hurdle Threat
In 1948, Art Harnden was a member of the winning United States 1600-meter relay team in London.
The other two were Walt Davis, who still holds the world record in the high jump and who won the Olympic high jump in 1952, and Darrow Hooper, finished a close shot in the shot put at the Helsinki games in 1852.
"Colonel Andy" still has one great honor coming up this fall, that of traveling to the 1956 Olympic games in Melbourne, Australia, as one of the official U. S. track coaches.
In all of the Kansas Relays that Texas A & M has participated, Mr. Anderson's athletes have won a total of 12 gold medals.
Four years ago Kansas presented a strong Olympic 400-meter hurdles hope in Bob Devinney. He set a still-standing national collegiate record of 32.4 in the 440 hurdles at the Drake Relays that year, then barely missed an American Olympic berth when he tumbled over the final hurdle.
He earned three letters each in basketball and track in high school and two in football. He was selected on all-state teams in all three sports.
Floerke is a pre-medicine student and a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, YMCA and Gamma Delta, Lutheran fraternity.
Now KU's sister school, Kansas State, has come up with a similar threat in Gene O'Conner, Hosingham sophomore. He'll defend his Kansas Relays title over the 400-meter distance April 21 in what is taking shape as another tough field. Running this race for only the fourth time, O'Conner recorded the best clocking of his career last Saturday, 53.1, to win at Texas. Among others, he beat Oklahoma Baptist's 1954 Kansas champion, Jay Chance.
This win gave O'Canner three victories in his four starts over the last two years. Lone loss was to Fort Hays State's Dwyer in the 1955 Missouri Valley AAU. He reversed that by whipping Dwyer in the meet record time of .534 at the Agiee Preview last month.
"The best thing about O'Connor," says his coach, Ward Haylett, "is that he likes the event and has ambition to improve in it. He is not fast, but is rugged and durable, something you need to run this race."
O'Conner's best quarter time, at this writing, is no better than :49.3. DeVinnev for comparison, reached :48.0 in relay carries. However, O'Conner has clocked as low as :14.5 in the 120-yard highs, a figure DeVinney never reached.
At least four good hands oppose this gang. Dwyer and Chance are two. Compton's Willie Atterberry and Rice's Roy Thompson complete the cast. Atterberry ran second in the National AAU at Boulder last summer, two lengths ahead of Dwyer. He clocked 52.4 in that race over the metric distance. He has reached 53.6 this year.
Haylett owls another quartermile hurdier of better than average ability in Ray Russell, who finished second here last year and fourth at Texas last Saturday. He clocked 54.4 in the latter race, almost nipping Carpenter at the twine.
In the 1951 World Series, the New York Yankees set 10 team records.
Today Features Strong Array Of High School Javelin Men
April 20, date of the Kansas Interscholastic Relays, is circled in red on the calendar of McPherson's Ken Barber, the defending state class AA javelin champion.
The wiry 165 pounder lost only one time last year as a junior, and that was at the huge KU prep carnival. It wasn't much of a loss, but it sticks in Barber's memory. He was beaten my the margin of one-quarter inch by Atchison's graduated H. C. Palmer, who tossed 166 feet 1 inch.
"Kenny's sights are really on the KU relays this year," says MePherson coach Ross Estes, "and his sights are on first place this time."
Barber saved his best for the last during the 1955 season. In the state outdoor finals, he soared the spear nearly 10 feet beyond his best previous effort to win at 190 feet **|| inch**. Barber will be obliged to do at least that well to win at KU. The javelin field is loaded.
Barber, in fact, rates only second in the state, although he has a 190-feet 4-inch heavie to his credit. Heading the list is Hayden's Therlo Conner, who finished second to the McPherson star in the state meet last year.
With this array of spear carriers even Rittell's all-time best state mark of 201 feet 7 inches cannot be considered completely out of reach.
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