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University Daily Kansan Wednesday, Feb. 17, 1960
Minor Sport Program Needs Financial Aid
By John Peterson
Money may not be everything, but it is the deciding factor in the success of the Kansas "minor sports" program.
No one is more aware of this situation than Arthur C. (Dutch) Lonborg, director of athletics. Mr. Lonborg is a firm believer that substantial investments breed successful seasons for KU athletic teams.
"In the so-called minor sports—baseball, tennis, golf and swimming—the top school in the conference is invariably the institution that can afford to lure the best high school prospects with attractive scholarships," Mr. Lonborg said.
Strong evidence backing up the athletic directors' contention is the success of the Jayhawker swim team in the past two seasons. The Kansas squad is favored for second place in the conference meet after unsetting Iowa State, perennial runner-up to Oklahoma, earlier this year.
Mr. Lonborg said that the University athletic department had farreaching plans for its sports program, but that all of these plans hinged on the monetary situation.
First priority on the list of objectives that the athletic office has set up is the reorganization of a variste wrestling team.
he has been a great deal of in
from students and alumni
b wresting program, Mr. Lob.
h commented, "but we just
fourteen students and alumni for wrestling program" Mr. Lon-
become more careful, but we just have it been able to get the needed $150 to $15,000 that such an operation would take to get started."
In addition to bolstering the other minor sports, plans have been made for eventually building a combination swimming pool and gymnasium. This, however, is in even the more distant future than the wrestling program.
The State Board of Regents have not even considered the proposition in its proposed long-range building plan that goes through 1970. Mr. Lonborg admitted that the funds for such an enterprise would have to come from a private source.
Minor sports are poorly termed as those which have not become popular spectator sports. Wrestling would definitely be a minor sport at Kansas, but at Oklahoma State more than 8,000 people turned out to see a dual meet with Oklahoma.
Baseball, the national pastime, is another example. Few college teams draw appreciable crowds
"In the Big Eight, all competitive sports are officially considered major, but we still talk about them as being minor regardless of their official standing", Mr. Lonborg said.
Few people realize the importance of having a winning football and basketball team. All big schools invest heavily in the three major sports — basketball, football and track — but the schools expenditures in minor sports are dependent on additional funds available.
The last University fiscal year ended June 30, 1859, with the University of Kansas Physical Education Corp., official governing and financial body of varity sports, showing more than a $4,000 deficit.
The corporation is an independent body receiving no funds from state appropriations. This means that all varsity sport programs primarily are financed by basketball and football, $39,227.36 and $147,760.84 respectively. Track was the big liability last year, losing $25,034.82.
Baseball lost $0,191.67, swimming,
$3,333.41, the KU Relays, $550.81
while tennis was $102.38 and golf was
$197.74 to the good.
"If we can fill the football stadium and Allen Field House consistently in the immediate future, then it is feasible that the University soon will have its wrestling team and other badly needed facilities," Mr. Lonberg said.
Actually more is at stake than just having good teams in all sports. Each year the Big Eight gives an All-Sports Trophy, emblematic of conference athletic supremacy.
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With three first places perennially in the bag in cross-country, indoor and outdoor track, it would seem that Kansas should win the trophy its share of the time. However, Oklahoma has won it 21 of 30 while KU has claimed three.
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KU annually picks up an automatic last place in wrestling and does not finish high enough in all other sports combined to make up the deficit.
"A strong, well-rounded athletic program greatly enhances the prestige of the University in attracting high school students as a desirable institution to attend." Mr. Lonborg claims.
Marathon Event
BOSTON—(UPI)—One of America's oldest sporting events to be held annually in an unbroken string is the Boston Marathon, sponsored by the Boston A. A. since 1897.
Butting Ram
LOS ANGELES — (UPI)— Duane Putnam, offensive guard for the Los Angeles Rams, has to have a new face guard put on his helmet every other game because he specializes in "butting" opposing ends and half-backs when blocking them.
WHAT?
Glen Buell, an All America graduate student, and Bob Harper, a sophomore, who are two of the team's best players will miss this week's action.
Coach Kevin Jones said today "KU's volleyball team will make a strong effort to win the Southwest Open tournament held Saturday in Oklahoma City, but we could fall on our face."
Coach Jones said, "I doubt that we can win the event without the aid of Buell and Harper."
By Bob Gilchrist
A BRIDGE TOURNAMENT?
Harper sprained his leg last week and will not be able to play in the Oklahoma City tournament, but he will be back for the following one in Tulsa.
Buell will be going home to attend a wedding this weekend.
Commenting on his team, Coach Jones said two of the players have greatly improved this year. Harper is one of these. "He has become our best setman," Coach Jones declared. Coach Jones said that Harper was becoming more and more consistent at setting the ball up for the spikers."
"The other greatly improved player is Dick Lee," he said. "Lee is a spiker and at a height of six-four, he is built for spiking.
"Of course our two best boys are Bob Russell and Buell," he said. Both are All Americas, Russell made
All America last year, and Buell did so the year before.
"They would not be getting anywhere this year if it were not for Lee and Harper, however," Coach Jones said.
Volleyball Squad Faces Rough Test
The season is beginning to look more hopeful for the Kansans which all but rode the bottom at the start of the season.
Last week the team won third place in the Omaha tournament. They won seven and lost eight games, a great improvement over the season's opener which saw the Jayhawkers win only two of the nine games that they entered. The season's opener was played here Dec. 5.
The Jays also entered the Wichita invitational tournament Dec. 12. They won two games and lost seven in that event.
"The team is definitely improving," Coach Jones said. "However, we have a long way to go before we will be as good as we were last year.
"We lost two of our setmen and one of our spikers this year so its going to be a rough road to the top," Coach Jones explained.
Defending Champ
Yes, S.U.A. is sponsoring a bridge tournament
NEW YORK —(UPI)— Joe Louis, who won the heavyweight boxing crown from Jimmy Braddock in 1937, successfully defended it a record 25 times in the next 11 years, knocking out 20 of his challengers.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17 at 7:00 p.m. in the KANSAS UNION PARLORS