Special
Daily hansan
Special
58th Year, No. 30
LAWRENCE, KANSAS
Thursday, Oct. 27, 1960
KU Put on Probation
Wescoe Calls Decision 'Star Chamber' Ruling
By John Peterson
Chancellor W. Clarke Wescoe was in a state of frustrated indignation last night. He said the University was dealt a gross injustice by the NCAA decision to place KU on athletic probation.
"The University was in effect before a Star Chamber proceeding.
"The NCAA is a tribunal beyond which there is no appeal, witnesses are not brought before the accused and the entire procedure is beyond judicial process," Dr. Wescoe said.
"The NCAA ban accuses the University of nothing. In fact, the NCAA officials commended our faculty for their fine cooperation in the proceedings.
"A basic fallacy is that the NCAA regards alumni as official school representatives," Dr. Wescoe said.
WHEN ASKED if he felt that it would be in order to change the procedure of the NCAA's investigation, the chancellor replied with an emphatic yes.
"One gentleman that is supposed to be a KU contact has not seen a KU athletic contest in 13 years," he said.
Dr. Wescoe said that all athletic scholarships are handled through the Endowment Assn. and that a yearly report is filed on expenditures. He said that the University does not and has never condoned any spending beyond NCAA and Big Eight Conference regulations.
"IT'S DIFFICULT to in a situation where the public does not have
CHANCELLOR WESCOE
"Star Chamber proceeding . . ."
all of the facts at its disposal. Ever the University is not aware of all the evidence that was presented. The entire proceedings are confidential. I would be perfectly willing to open our files to inspection, but this would be violating the NCAA's confidence and trust," he said.
Dr. Wescoe said that he was talking to the president of another state university two days ago that was placed in roughly the same position as KU last spring, by the NCAA. The chancellor said that the feeling at this school was also one of inadequate defense against the charges.
WILT CHAMBERLAIN . . pivot man
"I don't know anything except that we are on probation," answered Richard F. Harp, head basketball coach, to most of the questions put to him by reporters last night.
"I don't know the facts and I haven't read the story. You probably know more about it than I do," the head coach said.
Harp Cautious About Probation
Coach Harp was not available for a statement when the full story finally broke.
"At the start of each season we aspire to win the national championship. I don't know how the team will react now. I really do not believe that our being placed on probation will interfere with our having a fine team," he said.
"All the boys like playing the game and we will play each game to win regardless of the NCAA probation," he said.
COACH HARP SAID he did not think the probationary status would ruin the season.
MR. HARP thought for a long time before discussing the significance of the probation and what it meant to the players.
When asked to comment on why Kansas was on probation, Harp said that this was an administrative matter and that reporters should take it up with Mr. Lonborg.
Coach Harp said he had no idea what the charges by the NCAA were or why the team was placed on probation.
Weather
"YOU WILL HAVE to get that from the news story released by the NCAA," he told reporters.
Fair and little warmer today with high in middle 70. Increasing cloudiness and not so cool tonight with few thundershowers likely by Friday morning. Friday clearing and cooler. Low tonight 50.
NCAA Action Ends Bowl Tourney Dreams With Ban
By Ray Miller
Anger and frustration greeted yesterday's action by the National Collegiate Athletic Association's executive council which placed KU's basketball and football teams on probation, wrecking Orange Bowl aspirations and hopes for a possible NCAA basketball championship.
Only last week the Big Eight coaches were unanimously picking
KU as a hands down winner of the Big Eight Basketball championship and were talking of possible regional and national championships. The NCAA action ruled out any post season basketball competition for two years.
Also destroyed were three years of hard work by Football Coach Jack Mitchell to bring KU its first trip to the Orange Bowl since 1947. Post season football competition was
Lonborg Disheartened By Probation Decision
By Bill Sheldon
"I feel like a coach who had just lost a championship game."
This was a saddened A. C. "Dutch" Lonborg speaking. The KU athletic director had just received the official notice from the National Collegiate Athletic Association Council of the probation placed on Kansas.
Lonborg looked like the disheartened coach he had commented about; he was sitting in his chair glumly glancing about his office trying vainly to describe his feelings about the situation.
HE WAS OBVIOUSLY DISAPPOINTED with the Council's decision, a copy of which was lying on the desk in the form of a multi-paged telegram. But with somewhat of a sigh of relief he added, "As I have said many times, I wanted to get the Chamberlain case resolved. It is good to have it finally settled even though I am not pleased with the result."
Lonborg went on to explain he had been going to meetings such as the one this week in San Francisco for five years and worrying that the NCAA was going to place Kansas on probation because of Wilt Chamberlain.
LONBORG NAMED CHAMBERLAIN as the player accused by the NCAA of having received a car as a gift in 1957.
Lonborg did feel the NCAA has done a thorough job in investigating the causes for the present KU probation. He had no complaints about the investigation or the manner in which it was conducted.
ruled out by the NCAA for one year.
He explained:
"I went out to San Francisco to try to refute the accusations of
Booricott Gives Penalty
(Continued on page 3)
Booricott Gives Penalty Late yesterday afternoon H. J. Booricott, president of the NCAA, announced the only penalty met by the association's San Francisco meeting was against KU.
Specifically, the NCAA charges stated that a KU basketball player in 1957 had been given a one-year-old car valued at $1,564 "as an inducement to continue his career at the University . . ." This was the same year Wilt Chamberlain played his first year of varsity basketball for KU. (See 'charges,' page 3.)
The council said the University had viiized recruiting procedure on two counts. The first count found KU guilty of recruiting "three student athletes of other member institutions of the NCAA without contacting the athletic directors" of the schools as required by the association bylaws.
Entertainment Violations
The second count found KU violating "excessive entertainment of prospective student athletes" regulations.
This was the same summer Bud Adams, wealthy Houston oilman and head of the American Football League's Houston Oilers, took Bert Coan, then attending TCU, to Chicago from Texas to view the All-Star game.
During the summer of 1950, according to the report, a representative of KU athletic interests "transported a student athlete . . . from his Texas residence to Chicago for the purpose of viewing the All-Star football game. . . "
Denies Being Booster
"I have never been a KU booster nor done any recruiting for KU." Adams said. "Bert (Coan) went on the trip to Chicago to see the All-Star game with me, but he paid his own way. My only interests in
(Continued on page 3)
Mitchell Says Action Unjust
After hearing of the probation placed on Kansas, head Kansas football coach Jack Mitchell said, "This team has been working all season with but one objective—going to a bowl game."
One of the stipulations of the probation is that Kansas cannot participate in any post season athletic event, which includes bowl games.
JACK MITCHELL "... just another team."
COACH MITCHELL said: "I have no idea how the news would affect the squad." But he added, "One of the strong features of this team is their desire, drive and morale. If we lose that we are going to be just another football team."
Mitchell said he felt especially sorry for the seniors on the squad, stating that he felt it was an injustice to them to be penalized in such a manner.
ABOUT OKLAHOMA'S probation he said, "Oklahoma had a good chance to get over their probationary status. They received it after the season was over. We are taking it right in the middle of the season, which makes it hard to get used to."
When questioned as to the effect the probation would have on the football team's playing, Mitchell said, "I don't see how the probation . . . make us a better team.
"They placed us on probation for something I didn't know was happening," he added. "Therefore, as a representative of the University, all I can say at this time is that I背 the statement of Chancellor Wescoe."
IN CLOSING, the worried Mitchell said, "The NCAA has spent a lot of the public's money on this investigation, and it had to show some results."
Bert Coan said last night:
"If we broke any rules in the exchange from TCU to KU it was completely unintentional.
(Continued on page 3)
BERT COAN "... a mystery to me."