Page 4 University Daily Kansan Tuesday, Nov. 11, 1952
Spencer Sees Tough Slate Of Games for Jayhawkers
By CHUCK MORELOCK
Kansan Assistant Sports Editor
Take it from someone who is in a good position to know—there are no breathers on the 1952 KU football schedule.
This statement comes from Oliver Spencer, 21-year-old, 6 feet 2 inch, 220 pound tackle, who received berths on the 1951 all-conference team and the Associated Press all-American second team.
OLIVER SPENCER
"Big Ollie," and guard George Helmstadter were the only returning veterans on the KU offensive line when they opened opposing in System Consequent, Chilley that had little relief from his left tackle slot this season, which has seen the Jayhawkers wade into their toughest schedule in years.
Ollie's rise to football greatness was a hard, slow process. He played fullback in high school and was not converted into a lineman until the spring practice of his freshman year. Two factors were responsible for his development, excellent coaching and Ollie's burning desire to play football.
Ollie was no squirt when he reported for football practice in his freshman year at Trusdale, Kan. High school. He tipped the scales at 180 pounds and was 6 feet tall. He was starting fullback for Trusdale during the season, whose team won the South's league championship twice.
Ollie said that he had never thought of attending KU until assistant coach Wayne Replogle contacted him at a Ulysses basketball game in his senior year. Ollie remembered the University a few months later, covering books, tuition, board and room.
His family moved to a farm near Ulysses, Kan., in the summer of 1948, and Ollie quickly nailed down the fulback post for Ulysses High.
His KU football career began in an inauspicious manner in the fall of 1949. Ollie was a fullback candidate then but because of a knee injury suffered in practice, he saw action in the Frosh two-game schedule.
In the 1950 spring practice, Ollie was shifted to tackle by the KU coaching staff. Although he had never played this position, the coaches thought he might make an outstanding prospect since he was big and getting bigger. Also, like most men his size, he was not particularly fast and could thus be utilized more effectively in the line.
Although he watched from the sidelines most of the time, he says
Ollie warmed the bench during most of the 1950 season, getting in just enough time to letter. He started the season by playing behind defensive guard John Idoux and was later shifted to fill in for offensive tackle Mike McCormack.
Strife Continues Over Telecasts
Philadelphia- (U.P.)—The running feud between Bob Hall, chairman of the NCAA television committee, and Franny Murray, University of Pennsylvania athletic director, over the NCAA football television program was no nearer settlement today despite a televised debate between them on the issue.
Murray, the arch critic of controlled television, charged on the (NBC) "American forum of the air" yesterday that controlled televising of football games would lead to commercialization. Hall said the same thing about uncontrolled televising of grid contests.
Hall, who also is Yale's athletic director, charged that the millions of dollars paid to colleges with winning teams if televising the game was not controlled would create an "incentive to buy a team" and would result in a "football aristocracy" of 15 or 20 colleges.
Murray countered with a charge that controlled televising of football games is in itself a manifestation of football commercialization and asked, "is football a worthwhile sport if making money is the only way you can justify it?"
that his participation in one game marked the turning point in his tackle career. In the 1950 K-State contest, won by Kansas 47-7, the reserves took over in the third quarter. Ollie played longer than in previous games, threw a number of key blocks, and suddenly gained confidence in his ability to open holes for the backs.
Ollie developed quickly in the 1951 spring practice and demonstrated that he was to become an outstanding tackle for the Jayhawkers.
He and Carl Sandefur were chosen as first string offensive tackles for the 1951 team which opened against TCU in Fort Worth. Ollie pointed out that the game, won by Kansas 27-13, helped to raise KU football prestige tremendously, for the Texas fans were "cocky" before the game and "had no respect for KU football." After the game, however, "they had plenty of respect."
News of this selection made the town of Ulysses burst with pride, and shortly after the football season ended, an "Oilver Spencer day" was held in the western Kansas community. Several KU coaches attended as well as defensive guard Bob Hantla and linebacker Galen Fiss, from near-by Meade and Johnson.
Ollie developed into one of the great tackles in college football as the season went along, and climaxed the campaign by being named to the AP second team offensive platoon.
When asked to pick his choice as the most outstanding running back he has faced, Ollie was unable to make a selection since he admits that "The Big Seven is loaded with stars." He was quick to choose Buck
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McPhail of Oklahoma, however, as the greatest blocking block he has seen, even better than Leon Heath, 1950 Sooner all-American.
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As to the toughest linemen, Ollie chose Jerry Minnick of Nebraska and Neil Cheatham of Loyola of Los Angeles. Cheatham gave him "the toughest physical beating I have ever received in a game."
The 1950 and 1952 Colorado games have provided the most thrills for Ollie in his KU career. He said that the tremendous last quarter rally two years ago, which netted three touchdowns and a 27-21 victory, was "something that happens once in a lifetime."
Ollie will still be around next fall but will be ineligible to play. He is enrolled in advanced AFROTC and will receive his commission along with a physical education degree in February, 1954.
Although the loss of a tackle with Ollie's ability would be a crippling blow for any football team, Ollie thinks that his shoes can more than adequately be filled by Dean Ragon, sophomore from Gary, Ind. Ragon, said Ollie, has "lots of ability and a terrific initial charge."
New York—(U.P.)—Mighty Michigan State retained the No. 1 spot in the United Press college football ratings today for the eighth straight week, but four perfect-record powers were poised to take over the top ranking if the Spartans falter next Saturday.
Kansas Falls to 17th; OU 7th in UP Poll
Georgia Tech moved into second place, 42 points behind Michigan State, in this week's ratings, with Maryland and the two Pacific Coast conference giants — UCLA and Southern California — close behind. All five top-ranked teams are undefeated and untied.
Michigan State is expected to receive its stiffest test of the season next Saturday when it meets Notre Dame, which jumped two notches to sixth place this week. If the Spartans get by this one, they're a good bet for a second straight perfect season in championship. After the Irish, Michigan State has only Marquette left on its schedule.
After walloping Indiana, 41-14, last Saturday for their 22nd consecutive victory, the Spartans attracted 18 first place votes and 315 out of a possible 350 points from the 35 leading coaches who comprise the United Press rating squad.
Oklahoma, Tennessee, Purdue and Texas rounded out the top 10 teams. The Sooners, dropping two places, had 126 points; Tennessee jumped two notches and had 78 points; Purdue retained ninth place with 47 points, and Texas moved up from 12th to 10th with 30 points.
The nation's four other perfect-record powers were involved in a dog-fight for second place. Georgia Tech was second with five first place votes and 263 points; Maryland, idle last weekend, dropped one place to with five first place ballots on 258 points, leading UCLA by one point.
Wisconsin led the second 10 teams followed by Mississippi; Alabama and Pittsburgh (tied for 13th); Princeton, Duke, Kansas, Villanova, and Illinois and Navy (tied for 19th).
UCLA, which also dropped one notch to fourth place, had four first place votes and 257 points, while Southern California had two first place ballots and 247 points, moving up one place to fifth. Notre Dame, upset conqueror of Oklahoma, jumped two places to sixth with one first place vote and 176 points.
Washington, California, Michigan, and Florida were other teams that received points in this week's listings. Points are awarded on the basis of 10 for a first place vote, nine for a second, and so on down to one for a 10th place vote.
Texas, the Southwest conference leader, among the top 10 representing Kansas.
The United Press college football ratings (first place votes and won-and-lost records in parentheses):
1. Mich. State (18) (7-0) 315
2. Georgia Tech (5) (8-0) 263
3. Maryland (5) (7-0) 257
4. UCLA (4) (8-0) 257
5. Southern Cal. (2) (7-0) 247
6. Notre Dame (1) (5-1-1) 176
7. Oklahoma (5-1-1) 126
8. Tennessee (6-1) 78
9. Purdue (3-2-2) 47
10. Texas (6-2) 30
Second ten—11, Wisconsin, (17);
12, Mississippi, (16); 13, Alabama and
Pittsburgh, (15 each); 15, Princeton,
(11); 16, Duke, (10); 17, Kansas, (9);
18, Villanova, (8); 19, Illinois and
Navy, (7 each).
Others—Washington, (5); California,
(O4); Michigan, (3); Florida, (1).
(1)
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Midwest Schools Join New Loop
Minneapolis—(U.P.)P—Formation of a Midwest Intercollegiate Hockey league was tentatively agreed upon yesterday by representatives from six of seven Midwestern universities which field hockey teams.
All the schools were represented at the meeting here except the Colorado school whose delegation failed to arrive on time.
Members of the proposed league would be the University of Michigan, Michigan State college, Michigan Tech, North Dakota university, Denver university, the University of Minnesota, and Colorado university.
Approval by the governing athletic bodies of the seven schools must be received prior to actual formation of the league.
Rules recommended by coaches and athletic directors included:
Each member school will abide by NCAA and their respective conference rules on amateurism.
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Any member team playing Canadian or United States teams will observe the existing NCAA ice hockey rules.
A student who, after matriculating in any member school, participates as a member of any team other than a club representing that institution shall be declared ineligible for one year in addition to the year during which this outside competition takes place.
There shall be mutual agreement as to the selection of officials, with each home team submitting a list of candidates to the visiting team for its approval.
“Most of the schools involved already play each other anyway,” he said. “All that remains to be done now is to get final approval from each school.”
Ralph Young, athletic director at Michigan State, said the conference may be ready to operate during the 1952-53 season.
Other representatives at the meeting were; Amos Bessone, hockey coach, Michigan State; Vic Heyliger, Hockey Coach, Michigan; Glenn Jarrett, Athletic Director, and Cliff Purpur, Hockey Coach, North Dakota; Neil Celley, Hockey Coach, Denver; Al Bovard, Athletic Director, and Al Renfrew, Hockey Coach, Michigan Tech; Ike Armstrong, Athletic Director, Lou Keller, Assistant Athletic Director, and John Mariucci, Hockey Coach, Minnesota.
President James Garfield was shot July 2, 1881.
THE WINNERS
CARL'S FREE
FOOTBALL
PICK-'EM CONTEST
1st: Guy Ousdahl
2nd: Mrs. S. M. Johnson
3rd: Mrs. Oral Paxton
4th: Mrs. Harry Brown
Winner Missed 2 Games Off 13 Points