Page 5
By CLARKE KEYS
Kansan Sports Editor
While everyone is looking for the track events and the big names to provide the action and thrills of the season's opening indoor track meet against Kansas State at Manhattan tonight, four seldom watched events could prove to be the margin that might swing the meet.
White the Kansas squad is considered as being one of the best balanced squads in recent Mt. Oread history, the field crew is relatively untrained. The one field punch of last season, pole vaulter Jim Floyd, is gone. Back in that event, after a year's enforced layoff due to a broken leg, is Norm Steanson, a veteran of the 1951 squad.
Both the Jayhawkers and the Wildcats are taking a glittering array of talent into the meet, including an Olympic performer on each squad, but the strength of each team lies in the track events with the four field events wide open. Except for Wildcat ace Veryl Switzer, the field performers for both squads are relatively of unknown qualities.
Kansas coach Bill Easton has three burly footballers tossing the shot put for him in Merlin Gish, Dick Knowles, and Gene Vignatelli, but only Gish has been a varsity mainstay in the past.
-KU-
K-State coach Ward Haylett plans to enter Switzer in at least three events, including the broad jump and the pole vault. Switzer is the defending Big Seven indoor broad jump champion, and a good hand at the vaulting job, too. But the Wildcats have no depth to go with Switzer as they were shown last week when Nebraska piled up a wide margin in the four events.
The 440-yard dash likely will be one of the most exciting and indicative races of the season, matching Thane Baker, K-State Olympic representative and the meet record holder for the distance, and KU's Don Smith and John Riederer. Baker hit :50.0 in the dual with Nebraska last week and has been timed as low as :47.0 outdoors last season.
Smith has reached as low as:49.7 in the dark and narrow confines of the Memorial stadium indoor layout this year and with room to work in, probably will go even lower. Riederer, too, will be pushing the two favorites.
The race took on added importance last week when J. W. Mashburn, Oklahoma 440 man and Olympic star, was declared ineligible for the rest of the school year because of scholastic difficulties. Mashburn missed the Big Seven indoor meet last year, but won the 440 in the outdoor carnival. He twice defeated George Rhoden, the world record holder in the quarter, and certainly would have been one of the favorites in the Big Seven meet this month.
The Jayhawkers could find themselves in a tight spot in the distance events for a change, although the quality of the Kansas distance corps is about as good as ever. But the Wildcats have come up with a fine group of distance runners, too, and with a little luck, could take points that would upset the Kansans, who are shooting for their ninth straight dual meet victory.
-KU-
Saturday night's basketball game with Missouri in Hoch auditorium will bring together three of the top 10 Big Seven scorers in league games only. B. H. Born, the Jayhawker's scoring ace, is leading the scorers in conference games with a 21.4 average, although he is the third high scorer in all games played. Missouri will furnish the other two top point makers in Bob Reiter and Win Wilfong.
Reiter has averaged 14.5 in five games and Wilfong 10.8. The conference's leading scorer for the year, K-State's Dick Knostman, is in fourth place for conference games, having been outscored in all three of his outings.
The Jayhawkers will be working to stretch their fourth longest home winning streak in history against the Tigers, having gone undefeated in the last 16 games on the Hoch court. The all-time skein of 26 straight was erected from 1938 through 1941.
Friday, February 6, 1953 University Daily Kansan
7 KU Gridders Picked in Pro Draft Session
Seven Kansas football stars were selected in the National Football league player draft session last week in Philadelphia.
The seven are all-American defensive back Gil Reil, tackles George Mrkonic and Oliver Spencer, linebackers Galen Fiss and Merlin Gish, quarterback Jerry Robertson, and halfback Charlie Hoag.
Mrkonic was drawn by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round, Spencer by the Detroit Lions in the sixth round, Robertson by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round and Brown in the 13th round, and Gish by the Baltimore Colts in the 22nd round. Hoag was selected by Cleveland.
Robertson, Kansas passing star in 1951 and 1952, said "Tm pleased and eager to play." He said that he was taking a Marine Corps training course and would not graduate this spring. Robertson said that he hoped to take correspondence work while playing pro ball then come back in the spring of 1954 to receive his degree.
Reich was the first Jayhawker picked, being selected by the Green Bay Packers in the second round.
Spencer added that his selection "was a good honor" and said that "I'd definitely like to play pro ball."
Mrickan, after hearing of the choices, said he hoped to get in a year of pro ball before going on active duty as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force. He is in ROTC here. He added that "I'm quite happy with the selection for the Eagles have a good club."
Fiss, all-Big Seven linebacker in 1952, said the choice gave him "a good feeling by being selected by the Browns," and added that he would be with a "good club."
New York —(U.P.)— Rocky Castellani's in speed and skill made him a 14-5 favorite to beat Pierre Langlois of France in their nationally televised middleweight elimination bout at Madison Square Garden tonight.
Middleweight Bout On Television
It will be the Garden's first 12- rounder since March 25, 1949, when Jake LaMotta won a very unpopular decision over Frenchman Robert Villemau, stablemate of Langlois.
The bout is scheduled for 12 rounds, instead of the usual 10, because it is part of the tournament to find an occupant for the vacant 160-pound championship.
Castellani of Luzerne, Pa., is rated No. 4 among the world's middleweights. The three ranked above him are Randy Turpin of England, Bobo Olson of Hawaii, and Charley Humez of France. Langlois is rated 10th.
BRING THE GANG OUT TONIGHT Open Everyday Except Tuesday
Seton Hall's Close Win Top Tilt in College Ball Thursday
New York—(U.P.)-Seton Hall Coach Honey Russell, not yet over "A real bad scare," by-passed brilliant Walt Dukes today to credit unsung Richie Regan for stretching his team's unbeaten string to 22 straight games.
"We had a bad night," said Russell after Seton Hall was pressed to the limit before beating St. Bonaventure, 74-67, at Madison Square Garden last night.
After trailing 44-43 in the second half, Tenon Hall tied the score at 46-all, then went ahead for good in a pair of baskets and a foul shot by Dukes plus two free throws by the nimble Regan.
In the second game of the Madison Square Garden double-header played before a near-capacity crowd of 15,482, Manhattan scored its sixth straight triumph by subduing St. John's, 60-52. In other leading games last night, Boston College routed Boston university, 98-78; Canisius crushed Scranton, 72-55; Richmond beat Randelphol-Macon, 74-68; Duke ripped New York university, 89-82.
and Rice defeated Sam Houston State. RI-54.
North Carolina risks its Southern conference leadership and Washington its perfect record in the northern division of the Pacific Coast conference in leading games tonight.
North Carolina, ranked 16th nationally, faces a stern test against Duke. The Tarkeens were upset by Richmond last Saturday and now lead the league only by the margin of three games in the "win" column, with a 13-2 mark to 10-2 for North Carolina State.
California, ranked 11th nationally,
moves outside the PCC to play
Utah; Brigham Young, ranked 16th,
steps outside the Skyline conference
to play St. Mary's (Calf), and Holy
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