Thursday, Sept. 11, 1958 University Daily Kansan
Page 9
Big Eight Fans Hesitate to Put Sooners at Top
For the first time in several years fans and sportswriters are waiting until the season is over to award the Big Eight football title to Oklahoma, the seemingly perennial champion.
The reason for this unusual hesitation is the thundering of buffalo hooves far in the West-out around Boulder, Colorado, to be exact The Colorado Buffs, with 19 lettermen and eight starters back from last year, figure now is the time to knock off the Sooners.
Last year OU squeezed out a 14-13 victory at Norman. This fall the battle takes place in the thin Colorado air, and the frustrated Herd is primed for an upset.
The 1958 Colorado team boasts one of the finest backfields in many years, plus a veteran line. Tailback Bob Stransky is gone from the powerhouse that led the nation in rushing last year, but senior Howard Cook and sophomore Jim Flowers should take up much of the slack.
Eddie Dove returns at wingback, and two seniors, Boyd Dowler and Ralph Herbst, are back at quarter. George Adams tops a three-deep corps of good fullbacks. Bob Salerno, injured last year, returns at tackle. Other line standouts should be guards John Wooten and Bill Mondt. Vooten was all-conference last year.
OU should be more explosive effusively, but not as tough densifly this year. The defending Big Eight and Orange Bowl champions have reigned as conference leaders since 1948.
Dave Baker and Bobby Boyd give the Sooners their best one-two punch at quarterback in OU history. Prentice Gautt and Dave Roll bolster the fullback spot. Main loss from last year was All America guard Bill Krisher.
OU Has Only 3 Regulars Back
Although 27 lettermen return, only three Oklahoma starters are back. Center Bob Harrison, second team All America last year, will lead the team again this year. End Joe Rector and left half Jake Sandefer were also starters in 1957.
A fast finish gave the KU Jayhawkers second place in the Big
Eight in 1957. Kansas' 4-2 record was the closest to Oklahoma's 6-0. Colorado and Missouri were each 3-3. Iowa State and Kansas State each 2-4 and Nebraska 1-5.
Missouri returns 18 lettermen and eight starters from 1957. Dan Devine, new Tiger coach, comes to Columbia from Arizona State.
End Jim Luzinski and haltback Ben Grosse are the only regulars among 18 letermen returning for coach Bus Mertes at Kansas State. Last year the Wildcats won league encounters from Missouri and Iowa State on the way to a fifth-place tie.
All-conference tailback Dwight Nichols will be the big gun again this year for the Iowa State Cyclones. Returning regulars are guard Dave Munger, tackle Don Meicale, end Gale Gibson, wingback Roger
Two all-conference players, guard Charlie Rash and fulback Hank Kuhman, will lead MU. Other returning starters are end George Boucher, tackle Owen Worstell, guard Don Chadwick, center: Tom Swaney, quarterback Phil Snowden and halfback Bob Haas.
K-State Has 18 Lettermen
Spaulding, fullback Bob Harden and Nichols.
Coach Bill Jennings of Nebraska is hoping to pull his team out of the Big Eight cellar and improve on the 1-9 record of 1957. George Harshman at quarterback should be the strongest post for the Cornhuskers.
Quarterbacks include passer Roy Stinnett, lettered junior Harry Tolly and soh shiner Dean Cozine. Regulars back are Stinnett, halfback Carroll Zaruba, halfback Larry Naviaux, and tackle Don Olson. Only 12 lettermen return.
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Center Trio Gives Kansas Strong Spot
Center is a well fortified spot for this year's KU football team. Bill Burnison was a regular as a sophomore through the final half of last season. John Wertzberger, a two-year-letterman looked the most outstanding during spring practice and Walt Schmidt was much improved.
At the present Wertzbereer has moved ahead of Burrison to man the No.1 position. With good over-all experience, this trio should cause coach Jack Mitchell very little concern in finding capable hands for the position.
Kansas Center Roster
Name Ht. Wt.
Brown, Jerry (Soph.) 6-1 203
*Burnison, Dill (Jr.) 6-3 213
**Schmidt, Walt (Sr.) 5-10 193
**Wertzbberger, John (Sr.) 6-3 210
(*Indicates lettermen)
No Veterans For Fullback
With Homer Floyd shifted to halfback, last year's Don Feller out of school and Jerry Baker graduated, KU fullbacks this year will all be sophomores.
Doyle Schick showed exceptional promise during spring practice and is expected to get the job with the first team. Norm Mailen is a good punter and will probably press Schick for the top spot. Fred Bukaty has shown all-round promise and will give this position needed depth. If these three develop as expected, Kansas should have no difficulty manning the fullback position.
Kansas Fullback Roster
Name Ht. Wt.
Bukaty, Fred (Soph.) 5-11 193
Mailen, Norman (Soph.) 5-11 198
Schick, Doyle (Soph.) 6-1 191
KU, MU Coaches Are Old Rivals
There already is a measure of rivalry between the two new football coaching staffs at Kansas and Missouri. Don Fambrough, who returned here under Jack Mitchell was line coach at Wichita last year when the Wheatshockers absorbed a 28-0 defeat from Arizona State, then tutored by Dan Devine, the new Tiger ringermaster.
"I have a lot of respect for Coach Devine," says Fambrough, who coached six years here under J. V. Sikes. "For an opening game his team was as well-organized and smooth as any I've ever seen."
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