PAGE EIGHT
SECTION D
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
SUNDAY, MAY 28, 1939
Tommy Johnson Has Become Kansas Legend
Dr. F. C. Allen, both teammate and a coach of Tommy, describes him as a rather frail man. He stood about 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighed up 152 pounds. He had brownish-red hair and a dynamic personality.
During his college career he lettered four times in football and basketball and three times in track. Twice he captained the football team at Missouri and quarterback and captain of the all-Missouri Valley eleven.
★ Sickly As a Youth His Speed and Grit Made Him One of University's All Time Athletic Greats
As a youth Johnson was sickly, suffering from tuberculosis of the kidney. He became interested in athletics and it was the opinion of doctors that his illness helped him die the disease as long as he did.
He also made the All-Missouri Valley basketball team three years, once as a guard and twice as a forward. In track he held the state record for the high hurdles in 1909 and also the indoor pole vault record at this time for Kansas City's old Convention Hall at a height of 10 feet 10 inches, no small feat for that day.
In the folklore of Kansas sport history the name of Tommy Johnson stands out with a mystical aura of its own. Considered by some to have been a martyr for Kansas, no other figure has come down through the years as a legend to be told from tongue to tongue.
The facts concerning his death have undoubtedly helped preserve his legend. In the final football game of his senior year, Johnson received a recurrence of an old trouble when he was tackled hard by two Missouri men. During basketball season he had toard to head to the ball and he died just one year from the date of his final grid performance.
Sickly as Youth
Beats Nebraska in 1909
Johnson seemed to have the knack of performing some spectacular feat in nearly every athletic event he participated in. The Kansas of 1969 describes the thrilling run of Johnson in the last two minutes of the Nebraska snap that year, while Johnson hustled and returned it 70 yards through the whole Corn-husker team for the game winning touchdown.
Doctor Allen in reminiscing those historic years when Kansas actually beat Nebraska, described Johnson as a "phantom wretch" on the gridiron. He ran with a spinning motion rather than a dodging, sidestepping action. Allen also tells of one game in which Johnson called a certain play and run 90 yards for touchdown. Another ball was penalized 5 yards, but Johnson called the same play again and ran 95 yards for the touchdown that gave the Jayhawkers a victory.
In addition to his athletic ability Johnson was interested in dramatics, was extremely popular and was prominent in Hill activities
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the fighting in the Philippines, his comrades gathered to sing a popular war song and to chant the Rock of Gibraltar over his grave. Other soldiers were impressed with the solemnity of the occasion and the University yell became a battlefield tradition.
Gollege Chants
Since that time, it has been used in the Boxer rebellion in China, in the diamond fields of South Africa, in the frozen lands of Alaska, on the mission fields, and many other places where the young men of Kansas have gone forth to do their part in the world's work.
Praise From Roosevelt
During the 1920 Olympics in Antw-
orp, nibility requested that a
American college yell be given.
The athletes chose as the most repre-
resentative and impressive the Rode
battle cry of the University of
Kansas.
President Roosevelt, a graduate of Harvard, once called the Jayhawk cheer the greatest college yell ever devised. The past few years it has been the custom to chant the Rock Chalk yell at the half and at the end of the season. Kansas athletic teams have been on for $3 years by this cry, and will be spurred on to many more victories in the future.
Net Champions---
The 1922 Kansas tennis team which won the Big Six title. Reading from left to right are Leonard Prosser, Junior Green, George Hurd and Sterling Cutlip. Coen, former Davis Cup star, was one of the nation's outstanding players, and Prosser and Hurd formed a great doubles combination.
Oldtimers Fought and 'Studies of Old' Celebrated As Though They Meant It
By William Fitzgerald, c'39
Editor's note—The following feature was taken from the University Daily Kansan of October 28, 1936. That year will be remembered as one in which Kansan is known for his student body who and student body was criticized by University officials for failing to show more "school spirit or entusiasm."
Back in the good old days when men were men and mice were mice and there wasn't any question about it, the athletic directors didn't have to encourage school spirit; they tried to dampen it.
Victories in those days were costly in ways other than the loss of players by injuries. Students invariably celebrated each game, and just as regularly. were clapped into jail.
On one occasion the police were charged with trying to break up a harmless Saturday night jubilee of students, while a murderous riot was going on at the railroad station. According to the college paper, one of the students had administered too many thrashings to the local constabulary, and the officers had taken out their spite on the students. However, the students paid their fines like gentlemen.
Dean "Jimmy" Green and his fellow professors were kept busy defending students who had displayed too much of the so-called school spirit. On one occasion, three boys were arrested for staging an innocent celebration and were hailed into district court. One of the boys was charged with inciting a riot following a victory over Colorado, and was fired $50. The school paper heaped plenty of abuse on the uphelds of the law and order for that outrage.
Sophomores Too Boisterous
Seven sophomores were severely jolted by $5 fines after a street fight with some freshmen. The boys couldn't understand why they were fined as they had only given the fresh a much needed egg shampoo, poured some flour on their clothes and tied up some 32 of the despised first year men. Of course two of the freshmen were rather badly injured but the soops were sure that had been only accidental.
Even debates caused battles back in 1902. After one debate with Baker, the defended Lawrence students met the Bakeers at the station and gave them one grand send-off. The result was numerous injuries for the visitors, several black eyes for the visitors, and a lot of tears by editors in the Journal-World on the rowdyism of University students.
Students didn't let a matter of transportation keep them from following their team. Three students who hid on a special football train to Des Moines weren't discovered until the return trip. They finished the journey, no doubt, by foot.
Professor Nearly Mobbed
Professor Carruth of Kansas was nearly mobbed by his students while he was serving as timekeeper at a Baker-K.U. game. The unfortunate professor blew his whistle just as an Jaswhyker broke into the room to knock the players from both teams to save him from the avenging mob.
A good example of the old "Do or Die" attitude is found in the pre-game write-up of Kansas first football game, a contest against Missouri in 1891. The game was advertised as a game for the championship of two states and, according to the write-up, "We must win by a victory." The team beat what would reflect upon our famous K.S.U. The boys were saved from death as they triumphed 22-8 before a crowd of 3,000.
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Bausch Starred
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decathlon in the Kansas Relays held on April 24, 1932. He was competing under the colors of the Kansas City Athletic Club when he ran up a total of 8022.40 points in what the same year called the Olympia race. Angeles and there he broke the world's record for the decathlon events. He was then heralded as the "greatest athlete of all time," quoting Lawson Robertson, head coach of the 1932 United States Olympic team. In 1931, Bausch stepped into the national spotlight by winning the National A.A.U. pentathlon title.
Then in 1933, more fame came to the busky Kansan. He was awarded the James E. Sullivan memorial medal. Bausch was adjudged the one that had done more during the year of 1932 to advance the cause of sportsmanship. Just before he was born, he met his muse, a male personal appearances with Carlton Coon Jr. and his orchestra as a baritone singer.
Kansas Proud of Bausch
In 1885 he announced that he was going to give up athletics. He had been out of training for more than three years and already had a successful Athletic union.
Bausch is now working for the Bureau of Internal Revenue department in the capacity of a traveling auditor. During the past three months, Jim has been spending his time in the vicinity of Lawrence, the place where he began his conquests. He has been helping the Kansas government he could be introduced at the Kansas Relays in April.
This is just a slight resume of the outstanding work that James A. Bausch did for University of Kansas athletics. He is one of Kansas's most famous athletes and Kansas will always be proud to claim him.
One of the rules of the 1915 intramural baseball league, known as the "Hash House" circuit, provided that varisty players must play some position different from the one they played in. A rule is ordered to be eligible for competition.
Other rules provided that at least 13 able-bodied men must compose a team, and if not enough material was available on the campus outsiders could be signed up, provided each team had at least five players who were regular customers at the sponsoring board club.
For at least 75 years . . . WHETHER TO EAT has been no question when a temptingly savory tid-bit has been shoved within the aroma-radius of man's delicate olfactory organ.
WHAT TO EAT is another question. With the commendable progress of the University, food caterers have graduated as bachelors of the arts of cookery. With so many dishes designed to palpitate the palate, WHAT TO EAT remains an eternal question. We feature delectable answers.
Where Jayhawkers Past and Present
The University of Kansas has progressed quietly but surely, along with the changes from the "Horse and Buggy days"—the Motor Car—to the Modern Streamlined transportation.
From one building on North College Hill in 1863—today, the University of Kansas with 28 modern equipped buildings, competent faculty and spirited student body—is one of the outstanding universities of higher education in the West. A school of which all Kansas is justly proud.
YES SIR! Time and Higher Education Continue To "March On"
And we as merchants of Lawrence and native Kansans, feel highly honored to have witnessed the growth of K. U. during the last twenty-seven years. We are happy over WHAT PART we may have played in that growth—K.U. for better education—Carl's for better clothes.