Monday, Sept. 15 1952
Calling the flip of the coin before the games won't end the work of the 1952 Jayhawker co-captains halfback Charlie Hoag and tackle Oliver Spencer. The two boys figure on having quite a bit to do for the next 10 Saturdays.
CO-CAPTAINS Charlie Hoag and Oliver Spencer will be spending their Saturday afternoons for the next 10 weeks leading the Kansas grid teams on the field. Hoag, offensive left halfback, and Spencer, defensive tackle, may see action both ways during the full 60 minutes.
Co-Captains Hoag, Spencer Are Headed for Big Year
The team-leading position for the two is just another in the list of honors each has received the last two years under Coach J. V. Sikes, Spencer, a 224-pounder from Ulysses, Kan., last season bulled and blocked his way to a first string offensive bertn on the All-Conference team and a second team offensive spot on the Associated Press' all-American aggregation.
Nor does he limit himself to the pigskin sport. Hong has earned five letters in the last two years in football, basketball and track. He was a member of the Kansas NCAA champion and United States Olympic champion basketball squads. He also placed fourth in the Big Seven discus throw in 1951 as a sophomore.
Hoag, despite being hobbled with a groin injury for most of last season, gained 505 yards to rank seventh among the Conference ground gainers and won an All-Conference position at halback. He gained 940 yards as a sophomore in 1950 to become the greatest ball carrier in Kansas history.
For Spencer, 1952 looks to be his greatest year IF a knee injury doesn't hold him up. In 1950 as a sophomore he just barely lettered behind Mike McCormick, but he improved so rapidly during 1951 that he gained the honors mentioned.
Hoag keeps the defense off balance on end sweeps because of his dangerous passing ability. He completed four touchdown heaves last year in connecting with five out of 13 attempts. Even without the ball Charlie is a handy man to have around because he is a fine blocker.
Starting as a backlash as a freshman, Spencer was changed first to guard and then to a tackle. He has terrified speed for his size and is a prolific downfield blocker. He
This Kansas speedster is so fas on his getaway from the left halfback slot that the quarterbacks have to be wizards to get the ball to him before he is past. Once into the secondary he is one of the hardest runners in the conference to haul down, not because of his deception, but rather for his blinding speed and cutting ability.
The Oak Park, IL., lad now has 1445 yards in 18 games and will be setting new records with every carry this season. That total put him ahead of All-American Ray Evans and his 1431 total made in four seasons.
SECTION B
Assistant Basketball Coach Dick Harp will handle color for Merle Harmon, recently named director of sports of University radio and television. University radio is to broadcast all 10 football games on the Jayhawk schedule over the KU Sports Network.
blocks straight ahead with the best of them.
Daily hansan
From nine to 17 stations will carry each game under the share-the-cost network which began last year mostly for Kansas stations. The University furnished the broadcasts.
With the normal one year improvement, Spencer should be a great bet for all-American honors. An injured knee in an intramural contest kept the big fellow out of the entire spring football practice, but the tireless hustler should be able to make up for it.
Harmen comes to Mt. Oread from positions at stations KTOP and KJAY in Topeka and has had six years of radio-sports experience.
The number of stations carrying KU games will be expanded for several contests with the addition of Kansas City station KMBC, with Sam Molen, and WHB, with Larry Ray. The two stations plan to broadcast more than half the Jayhawk, games.
The KU assistant cage coach was assistant football coach and head basketball coach at William Jewell college before coming to the University.
Harp To Help With Broadcasts
Laird Named to KSTC Staff
The KU chain—in addition to chain featuring broadcasting by Max Falkenstein through Topeka station WREN—gives the widest radio coverage of Jayhawk games in the state on record.
The broadcasts will reach all parts of the state as well as many parts of Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Colorado.
Lester E. Laird, former assistant instructor in mathematics at the University, has been named to the staff of Emporia State Teachers College as an instructor in mathematics.
Station KANS, Wichita, will carry all six home games.
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
50th Year No.1
Jayhawk Football Schedule Includes Ten Strong Teams
Bv CLARKE KEYS
There's no better way to test your strength than to meet the best and the Kansas Jayhawkers will do just that as they work through the most rugged 10-game schedule in history starting Saturday against Texas Christian in Memorial stadium.
with the Big Seven conference presenting six top foes, plus meetings with four top non-conference teams, Head Coach J. V. Sikes and his charges will be solely pressed to come through with as good as last season's 8-2 record.
Galen Fiss or Frank Sabatini.
Picked by many as the team to challenge, if not de-throne, Champion Oklahoma in conference play, Kansas will not meet a "breather" in the 10-week marathon.
Despite the loss of 10 lettermen, including two-year all-American tackle Jim Weatherall, all-Big Seven performers Bert Clark and Art James, and back Dick Heatly, the Sooners will return with seven offensive and eight defensive starters of the 1951 campaign.
Despite the re-establishment of the freshman rule in the Big Seven circle, every club, bolstered by returning servicemen and an occasional West Pointer, is looking for an improved year over last. The squads are quite likely to be thinner, but much more experienced than ordinarily.
GONE WITH THE DRAFT—Bud Laughlin, Jayhawk fullback, has been drafted into the Army and out of the Kansas offense. The hard-charging back was within striking distance of breaking the all-time ground gaining record which teammate Charlie Hoag broke at the close of last season. The hole left by Laughlin is expected to be plugged with either
Of course the red circle date on the calendar as far as the fans are concerned is Oct. 18 when the Redshirts of Oklahoma invade the Memorial turf. Finishing in the Associated Press football poll's top 10 the last four years in a row, experts are again looking for the Sooners under the guidance of Bud Wilkinson to come out near the top.
COACH J. V. SIKES
Among the group are Tom Catlin, an outstanding center, and backs Eddie Crowder, Buddy Leake, and Buck McPhail. But bringing the biggest smile to OU fans is the return of halfback Billy Vessels who suffered a broken leg in the third game last year.
Out at Boulder, Colorado Coach Dal Ward has 31 lettermen in a squad of 64 working out daily. The Buffs lost only to Oklahoma in the conference in taking second last year and fell before Northwestern and Michigan State out of the conference.
Two key men were lost through graduation, all-conference fullback Merwin Hodel and tackle Jack Jorgenson. Ward also faces the loss of his two offensive ends plus Hodel's substitute. But returning to brighten the situation will be halfbacks Zack Jordan and Woody Shelton, quarterback Roger Williams, and Tom Brookshier, defensive halfback.
Ward joins the many other big time coaches in planning to have many of his players play both ways. The two platoon system will be seriously hampered at the mile high school due to the lack of reserves.
Nebraska is back in the running if Bobby Reynolds is, and Reynolds' performance in the last game last season and his work this year indicates that he is. The Cornhuskers lost only four seniors through the graduation route.
Coach Bill Glassford's crew is almost certain to improve over last year's showing of one win, a tie, and eight defeats. Reports from the school indicate that there is more competition to go along with this depth than there was last year.
Kansas State, finally pulling out of the cellar last season, is looking for still more improvement under Coach Bill Meek. Hampered by a squad numbering only 45, Meek has introduced the split-T replacing last year's single wing and has said that he will scrap the two platoon system.
Instead the youthful mentor is expected to field a different team each quarter with nearly everyone playing both offense and defense. Last year's defensive crew was one of the best around, but there was no offensive punch. The new style of play plus a speedier backfield should improve the offense this go around.
Abe Stuber, wily Iowa State head man, is hoping a fine quarterbacking staff can pull his 61-man squad to a better performance than last
year's 4-4-1 showing. Leading the list is Dick Mann who was the Big Seven's top passer in the 1951 season.
The Cyclones lost seven lettermen of last year, but will have 25 returning. Heading the list of returnees are Rollie Arns, a center and Dick Cherpinski and Frank Congiario, halfbacks.
The Missouri Tigers fell to the cellar last year in Missoula's worst season under Don Faurot, but things are looking up at Columbia. Basis for the optimism is a rejuvenated running attack to go along with the aerial game that last year placed second in the nation.
Back after two years in the service is halfback Nick Carras, a letterman from 1948-50 despite some bad luck in the injury department. Also operating in the running crew is a former West Pointer, Bill Rowekamp, a former end, but converted to fullback.
Sandwiched in between the tough six conference games are four contests with four top gridiron hotspots, including two from the always rough Southwest Conference.
With 28 lettermen returning, including Gil Bartosh, Malvin Fowler and Ray McKown, TCU expects to be at least as good as last year's club. The team has been consistently rated in the top group in the pre-season football polls.
Foremost among the foes are the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian. Defending Southwest Conference champion and winner in the 1952 Cotton Bowl classic, the boys of Dutch Meyer will present about the toughest lead off oif a team could play. An added incentive for the boys from down Texas way will be the memory of last year's 27-13 loss at the hands of the Jayhawkers.
Oklahoma A&M is relegating itself to the roll of giant killers this season. Meeting the predicted top two teams of both the Big Seven and Missouri Valley conferences plus darkhorse Arkansas of the Southwest, Coach Ears Whitworth's Cowpokes will have plenty of opportunities to do just that.
A stablemate of the Frogs, the Mustangs of Southern Methodist, also figures to be an improvement over last year when they finished last in the Southwest. The team is credited with fine backfield material and greater depth than last season. The Mustangs had a great Freshman team last year and despite the loss of some top defensive hands will be hard to beat.
The line is improved and fairly solid while Don Babers is back at the quarterbacking post. Elmer Stout, an Army transfer, seems to fill the fullback slot quite well.
Santa Clara, one of the two remaining West Coast independents, will bring West Coast football to Kansas for the second year. Loyola making the jaunt last year. The Broncos have a host of juniors and seniors with plenty of experience and rank with the tops in the West.
Easton Issues Call For Track Prospects
Track Coach Bill Easton has placed a call for all freshman men and junior college transferes who are interested in track and cross-country.
"We are interested," he said, in trying out any new man we can. It doesn't matter to me whether they came here from a large high school or a small one. Some of our best runners have been products of small schools."
Easton said that all interested should report down to the track at the East section, or should see him any morning at 105 Robinson.