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UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN; LAWRENCE, KANSAS
WEDNESDAY; NOV. 12, 1941
Wake Up, Faculty! A K.U. Analysis Henry Not to Blame
BY CLINT KANAGA Kansan Sports Editor
Queries have reached this corner many times in the past few days all to this effect—"What is the matter with Coach Henry and the Kansas football team? Having been a close follower of K.U.'s grid fortunes for a number of years and a fellow traveler this fall with the team to Oklahoma and Nebraska, this columnist feels fully qualified to write his own conclusions frankly and directly.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Gwinn Henry as a coach. With a 30-year background of fine teams at Emporia, Missouri, the St. Louis Gunners, and New Mexico, it wouldn't take any brain storm to figure out that Gwinn knows his share of football tricks. With no slights intended, we would venture to say that Henry knows more about football than any other coach in the Big Six conference. After 30 good seasons, it doesn't stand to reason that a coach will suddenly fail to produce due to lack of insight and adequate knowledge.
If it's not the coach, let's take a glance at the team. There's nothing wrong with the team spiritually—no team ever fought more valiantly against overwhelming manpower than did the 1941 Jayhawkers in their battles with Oklahoma and Nebraska. In both contests, the Kansas boys scrapped their hearts out until the games ended despite one-sided scores.
If Henry doesn't have the necessary replacements and reserves as the last paragraph indicates, why doesn't he get them like "Biff" Jones and "Snorter" Luster do? Here's the answer—Henry has gotten enough good players to give Kansas a swell football team but he can't keep them. Why can't he keep them?
Now we reach the chief source of most K.U. football failures: Mark it down in your books that one of the reasons we have had weak football teams in Lawrence is that too many of our football players have not passed their courses.
Figures don't lie: They show that many footballers have flunked. This may be because of their class attitude, or because professors may not have had concern enough over Jayhawker grid prospects to give them some much-needed individual instruction.
It might even be a good idea for the University to hire a staff of tutors to give the football boys some extra training in the fundamentals of their courses on the Hill.
Here are some who flunked last year: Tom Robertson, the finest frost center in Kansas history, now performing for the Brooklyn Dodgers professionals; Frank Baker, 230-pound all-state tackle from Texas, now attending Texas Tech; Gwinn Henry's regular tackles of the '40 team, a pair of 200 pounders, W. F. Jack and Ross Relph; and four other excellent prospects—"chesty" Childs, Tanner, Henkel, and Younger. What it would have meant to Henry to have had some of these men, to have had a center better than Darold Jenkins and three crack tackles on this year's ball club is something one cannot express in words.
What it would have meant to Henry if some of his former prospects could have passed their courses, or had some private instruction that would enable them to do so.
This article is not written to antagonize the faculty, but rather is an attempt to awaken everybody to the facts. Some of our professors could exhibit a little more interest in football and the men who play it.
Harvard is generally ranked as one of the finest scholastic institutions in the United States, the place where the scholar may be sure to find the best in education. Yet Harvard had a good enough team to defeat Army 20-6 last week, and Notre Dame, a football factory plant, could do no more than tie Army 0-0. Judging from these results Harvard's professors evidently teach their football men enough to pass their respective courses. An example of what is also needed here is the Texan spirit. When Texas came home from a 7-7 tie with Baylor, the president of the university and the dean of men met the team at the train and welcomed them. A football player does more to earn his education than any other student, so why should anyone try to make it tough on him.
Phi Gam's Whip Phi Psi's
Stopping four scoring drives within the 10 yard line, the Phi Gam's came out on the long end of a 2-0 score over the Phi Psi's in yesterday afternoon's feature intramural game.
At the beginning of the second quarter the Phi Psi eleven passed down to the three-yard line but their offense bogged. In the closing minutes of this period, Fiji John Connelly smashed through the line and tagged Bill Hodge behind his goal for a safety. The second half opened with Jack Cadden intercepting a pass for Phi Psi. Bill Hodge then tossed a long one to Bob Siddons which put the ball on the Fiji six-yard line. The Phi Gam's took the ball on the six-yard line but Connelly had another pass intercepted. Hodge passed one to Mike Sheridan which put the ball on the Phi Gam 15-yard line. The whole Phi
Gam line broke through and set Bin Hodge back to the 31-yard line. Hodge then kicked and the Phi Gam's had the ball on their own 15. Two plays later another Fiji pass was intercepted and Hodge passed one to Sheridan on a "sleeper" play to the seven-yard line. The Fiji's held again. Bill Hodge and Mike Sheridan stood out for Phi Psi while John Conneley and "Swede" Olson were the Phi Gam main-stays.
Beta "B" piled up a 32-2 triumph over Newman "B". Bill Jones and John Kreamer tallied 13 and 12 points
An article written by Dr. Forrest C. "Phog" Allen, head of the department of physical education and varsity basketball coach at the University of Kansas, has been accepted by Esquire for publication soon, it was learned today.
Tigers Prepare For Invasion From Norman
Coach Don Faurot drilled the Missouri Tigers until dark yesterday on defense to stop the Oklahoma Sooners Saturday. Putting a great deal of emphasis on aerial plays Coach Faurot said that Missouri would use about the same offense as it has all season, with a few new plays which he hopes may sidetrack the Sooners.
Rayburn Chase and Leo Milla fullbacks, returned to practice yesterday, easing Faurot's fullback worries somewhat. Bob Brenton, first string tackle, is suffering from rheumatism in his hip and possibly will not play Saturday. Ed Hodges and Jack Carpenter, sophomore tackles, will be likely substitutes for Brenton if he still is on the injured list by Saturday.
In preparation for Missouri the Oklahoma Sooners held their heaviest scrimmage of the week yesterday with the freshmen running Missouri "T" formation plays and all three varsity elevens taking turns at defense. The last fifteen minutes of the day's practice was given over to offense.
The Kansas State Wildcats drilled on pass defense yesterday to meet the Jayhawks' aerial thrusts Saturday. Max Timmons, blocking back and Don Shaffer, line backer, knocked down everything Sopho more Ronnie Conrad could toss.
Lyle Wilkins Kent Duwa
As the Nebraska Cornhuskers resumed practice again yesterday; Coach Biff Jones moved Marvin Athet, quarterback, back into the first team position in place of Allen Zikmund, Rose Bowl star, who was injured in the Gopher game. The Huskers meet Pitt at Lincoln next Saturday.
Hall, Johnson Win Free Throw Contest
Hall was first with a total of 184 charity tosses out of 200 attempts. Johnson was next with 176. Each member of the varsity squad makes fifty free throws a day on four days during the week; all attempts must be made under competitive conditions, and no more than ten can be made in immediate succession.
Vance Hall and Bob Johnson were winners in the varsity squad pre-season free throw contest for the first week, it was announced today.
The contest, the purpose of which is to provide an incentive for the players to engage in free throw practice, was originated and is sponsored by a downtown clothing store. Small merchandise awards are given to the winners each week.
Sports Slants By Clint Kanaga
THE PRIZE HARD-LUCK TEAM
Every football coach has his share of heart-breaking losses but in the past two years, Lynn Waldorf of Northwestern had had enough disappointments to take care of himself for the next five years. Against Minnesota's national champions last fall, Waldorf's Wildcats lost 13 to 12. Two weeks later in their annual clash with Michigan, Northwestern outplayed Harmon and the Wolverines but were beaten in the closing minutes 20-13. Waldorf's lads won their other six games, including a 20-0 win over Notre Dame.
Despite two defeats in their first six contests this autumn, this week's Associated Press balloting finds Northwestern rating the 8. no spot. Among the Wildcats' victims are Wisconsin, Kansas State, Indiana, and Ohio State. The two losses were to Minnesota 8-7 and Northwestern 14-7. Minnesota scored their lone touchdown on a trick play while Northwestern had a touchdown play called back because a Wildcat lineman was offside on a pass play. In the Michigan encounter, Northwestern had the game well under control until their captain, "Tuffy" Chambers, tried to intercept a Kuzma pass, instead of tackling the receiver, losing the pass and the receiver for a score.
It's a matter of debate whether Michigan and Minnesota have beaten Northwestern for two seasons on luck or not. It is, however, a cinch that Northwestern would stand an even chance against any eleven in the nation this year, be it Duke, Stanford, Missouri, Texas, Fordham, or Texas A. & M. Looking ahead, the Wildcats will have quite a battle on their hands this coming weekend with Notre Dame in Evanston.
THE CASE OF TEXAS
Baylor's Bears from Waco nearly knocked the pins out of Texas' Southwest title aspirations and a possible Rose Bowl bid. In their two Jacks, half-back Wilson and end Russell, the Bears have two of the best, but their 7-7 tie of the Longhorns came as a surprise to all football followers.
The Texas-Texas A. & M. fray Nov. 27 should be the most exciting contest of the 1941 season. Each has one hurdle to clear before the epic championship struggle. Texas tangles with Texas Christian and the Aggies engage Rice Institute, both games coming this Saturday.
The Big Ten conference is still the Big Ten conference, not the Big Nine as many sports writers have dubbed it. Chicago University, although not an active participant in football, is still a member of the Western Conference. . . . "Pug" Manders, formerly of Drake University, is the present league leading ground gainer in professional football. Manders performs for Jock Sutherland's Brooklyn Dodgers. . .
Sid Luckman, now starring for the Chicago Bears, never fails to send a good-luck telegram to his ex-tutor, Lou Little, before each Columbia game. . . . The old-fashioned mouse trap gave Harvard a 6-4 triumph over Princeton, with Franny Lee galloping 88 yards for Harvard's tally. . . . Speaking of Harvard, Coaches Carl Snavely of Cornell, and "Swede" Larson of Navy named guard Endicott Peabody 2nd, Harvard guard, as the best lineman they have seen all season. . . .
Frank Graham, New York Sun sports editor, names the actual running pass or threat of it as the greatest offensive play in modern football. To prove his theory, Graham names former great players who employed this technique to boost their teams to the pinnacle of football fame—Buzz Borries of Navy, Dixie Howell of Alabama, Andy Pilney of Notre Dame, and Bobby Wilson of Southern Methodist.
SIDE-LINES
After losing to Texas, L.S.U. gridsters adopted the motto, "Let's Stand United." It seemed to have worked as Louisiana tied Mississippi State, and then turned back Rice and Florida. A New York writer suggests that N.Y.U. might use as their platform "Never Yield Ungraciously." The Violets, in dropping five straight games, have scored seven points to their opponents 161...
Meet Replogle—
Wayne Replogle, freshman football coach at the University of Kansas, should know what the varsity coaches want the yearlings taught—he played under two of them.
In the fall of 1920 Vic Hurt, present assistant coach at KU, was
fresh out of College of Emporia. He began his coaching career at Coldwater high school and one. of his stars there was Replogle.
The Coldwater high ace enrolled at College of Emporia upon graduating from high school and played under Gwinn Henry,
PICK EM CONTEST — THE WINNAHS
Winner: Mrs. K. Bruce, 1225 Ky.
Prize: $2.50 Gloves
Second: Don VanKeuran (Carters)
Prize: $1.10 Box Socks
Third: K. McAlearney, 717 Mass.
Prize: $1 Pioneer Braces
Fourth: Fred Borland, 940 Maine
Prize: I Pioneer Braces
W L OP
11 1 12
11 1 20
10 2 12
10 2 12
Lost on Draw---
Helen Morhofer, 1304 Tenn.
"SOCK KANSAS STATE"
CARL'S GOOD CLOTHES
Nother Contest On