University Daily Kansan Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1959
By Doug Parker
On many a wintry evening this year the upper atmosphere of Allen Field House is vacant. Not so in 1946-47 when World War II veterans squeezed on the campus to push the enrollment to 9,000 plus, part of whom wished to view basketball games being played in Hoch Auditorium.
Students dissenting against crowded conditions at that time and an athletic secretary who kept plugging for a field house were the forces behind the huge cage palace we now have, the second largest campus field house in the United States.
Hoch Auditorium had a basketball seating capacity of 3,500 in the 40s—including about 500 seats in the second balcony, from where the entire floor was visible.
Earl Falkenstien, athletic secretary then and athletic business manager now, began pointing to long lines of students waiting to purchase tickets, and was frequently quoted as saying "this is why we need a field house."
The ticket system was overly complex, even for a college campus. Tickets were sold in two blocks, one for four home games, another for four more home games. There were all types of priority questions to be answered, such as should a guy and his girl get to sit together or should there be family tickets.
Students, who had the proper priority, could buy a block of tickets, but only one block. Thus, part of the students saw half the home games, and the other half of the ticket holders saw the other home games. It was on a first-come first-serve basis when it came to handing the ticket over at game time.
The already yellow newspaper clippings of 1947 tell of Falkenstien announcing that the system of selling tickets would be changed.
Students who were packing their suppers to stand in line to get some of the few seats commanding a view of the floor in the tiny Hoch gym were asked to submit their answers to the situation.
Student opinion was small—only 45 replies to Falkenstien's plea--but the few were all in favor of getting a field house. If a field house could not be had, the majority of the 45 wanted reserved seating.
No one was able to work up a fair reserved seating plan, so tickets were again sold in two blocks, leaving the hardiest students to gain access to the best seats by coming early. A block of tickets was sold for $21.15, allowing admittance to four home games.
"We'll stick to this system as long as there is any selection left." Falkenstien said. "No seats will be reserved."
Adding to the large college population at that time was added enthusiasm over the basketball team's powers of winning a large number of league championships.
Falkenstien and the students won out in a couple of years as the state Legislature appropriated funds in 1949 for the "dream field house."
The hushed sounds emitting from Hoch Auditorium this year of 1959 do not tell of the excitement, patience and sometimes resentment in the day when 9,000 students had a varsity gym not fit for a high school.
The sparseness of fans at times, in Allen Field House belies what some might sarcastically call the good old days.
No-Clock Basketball Game At K-State Is Big Success
MANHATTAN — (UPI) — Kansas State coach Tex Winter today termed a no-clock basketball game a big success, but said he wants to see more of it to be sure.
The highly-regarded mentor staged a test game last night in which the first team hitting 60 points was the winner, and two of the three officials sat in an isolated booth 75 feet above courtside.
The K-State varsity reserves beat the "Red Shirts" 60-38 in the game which took just 48 minutes from the opening tip.
A third official was at the floor to govern the jump balls and other mechanics. He called five personal fouls and the other officials tallied a total of 21.
Winter ran the experiment because he said officiating is getting too difficult and because stalling should be eliminated. He said ridance of clock watching shuts out stalling.
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Kansas State is currently at the top of the conference pile with an unblemished 7-0 mark. The Wildcats need only two more victories to wrap up its second straight Big 8 title and a berth in the NCAA regional tournament.
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Coach Dick Harp's Jayhawkers will be the underdogs Wednesday night when they meet Kansas State, the third-ranked team in the nation.
Over-all this season the Wildcats have a 17-1 mark while the Jayhawkers possess a 7-10 record. The series between the two Kansas powers began in 1907. Since that time KU has won 91 games to the Wildcats' 45.
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Wayne Hightower scored 26 points to lead the Jayhawker freshmen to a 72-57 victory over the Kansas State freshmen at Manhattan last night.
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Hightower connected on 8 of 24 from the field and 10 of 12 from the free throw line and topped KU rebounders with 13. The 6-7½ Philadelphia scored all of the Jayhawkers' fielders in the first half.
Not since 1952 has Kansas State been victorious on its own floor in the fierce rivalry. In contests played last season the Jayhawkers walloped K-State 61-44 at Manhattan and lost a thrilling 79-75 overtime victory to the Wildcats in Allen Field House.
Kansas State led 28-19 at intermission. But the Jayhawkers followed the same pattern they used against Kansas City Junior College last week and came back strong in the opening minutes of the second half. After 10 minutes, KU led 51-41.
Conference action last week saw the Kansas quintet walking over Oklahoma 71-44 in a conference match and dropping an 82-74 decision to Louisville.
Kansas State continued its victory march last week as the Cats edged Nebraska 50-43 and kept Colorado down in second place with a 70-59 victory.
Jerry Gardner scored 16 points and Bill Goetze hit 15 to back up Hightower's output. Phil Heitmeyer
Three A's Sign Contracts
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — (UPI) — Pitchers Jack Urban and Dick Tomanek signed their 1959 contracts with the Kansas City Athletics yesterday, raising to 24 the number of players who have come to terms. Urban had an 8-11 record last season, and Tomanek had 5-4.
Emporia Beats Omaha
OMAHA, Neb. — (UPI) — Emporia State turned on the steam in the second half last night to defeat Omaha University 88-75. The Kansasans led 39-63 at halftime. The second half spurt by Emporia was accomplished despite a red-hot flurry by Omaha's Phil Gradoville.
All America candidate Bob Boozer leads the Wildcat attack with a 25 point plus average.
Forwards Wally Frank and Steve Douglas should be in the Aggies' starting lineup as will guards Don Matuszak and Bill Guthridge. Douglas could possibly be used at guard to make room for 6-6 sophomore Ced Price.
Sophomore Bill Bridges will probably be assigned the major task of guarding Boozer. The lanky Jayhawk center will be supported by guards Bob Hickman and Bob Billings and forwards Al Donaghue and Ron Loneski.
Game time Wednesday night is slated for 7:35. A five-station television network will carry the contest with local viewers having access to two outlets, WIBW-TV in Topeka and KMBC-TV in Kansas City.
Coach Markley is a 1958 graduate of KU and is now working on his Master's Degree while coaching the team.
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