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Track Coach Easton Among Nation's Finest Big 7 Gridirons KU Track Squad Expected Will Hold 265.500 ToContinue Big 7 Domination
Thriving on hard work and expecting his trackmen to do the same, track Coach Bill Easton has built a reputation as one of the nation's finest coaches.
Starting his tenth year at KU, Coach Easton is working on a string of nine Big Seven cross-country championships. Before coming to KU he built a high reputation as a cross-country coach when he piloted three consecutive NCAA cross country championships at Drake in 1944-1946.
If anyone thinks distance running represents Easton's sole coaching ability, his teams have won the Big Seven indoor and outdoor track pennant for five years in a row. In 1955 the team finished third in the NCAA meet and last year climbed to second behind UCLA. These finishes represent the most lofty finishes ever compiled by a Big Seven team.
He added his fourth with his Wes Santee-paced team of 1953 at Kansas. He has had three individual champions at Kansas in Herb Semper, Al Frame, and Santee.
Coach Easton has coached ten all-Americans at KU, the last three being Bill Nieder, Norm Bitner, and Al Oerter.
COACH BILL EASTON
Better Balance This Year This year's cross-country team appears to be better balanced than
it has been for some time, but Easton pointed out that it lacks the big man who might place among the top three places at the national meet. Easton said several of the boys are capable of finishing high if they should have an exceptional day. He predicted that the KU team would finish in the top three teams in the national championships.
Coach Easton, when asked where he gets his distance men, said "sleight of hand, of course. Seriously though, it takes lots of hard work to get the good distance men and a lot more to develop them into top notch college athletes."
The track team lost several great performers but Euston said that if the sophomore replacements improve as expected the Hawjawkers will probaby finish among the top three teams in track, too.
"We don't think it is the thing to do," Easton said. "There is plenty of talent in our American boys Many coaches have the idea that the American boy won't work. This idea is absurd. All the American boy needs is guidance and confidence and he will work as hard a he can for a winning team.
Easton's stranglehold on the Big Seven track scene has caused member schools to bring in track talent from foreign countries. Both Nebraska and Oklahoma will have top track men from different countries this year.
"Another part of this situation that I don't like," he said, "is the fact that when the foreign boys score at our track meets, they are taking away places from American boys There should be some checkmate or this."
Developing Is Hard Work
The former Indiana quarter-miler started his winning ways at Hammond, Ind. High School before moving to Drake. He served a four-year term as secretary-treasurer of the National Track Coach Assn. and is a past president of the Central Collegiate Conference and NCAA cross-country associations.
Nebraska's 1955-56 basketball team placed fourth in the Big Sever Conference with a 6-6 record.
WEATHERCAST FOR HOMECOMING
Big Seven football stadiums will seat a total of 265,500 spectators. During the 1955 season, the stadiums were occupied by 875,500 fans at 33 home games for an average of 26,.530 per game.
The MU stadium consists of two rows of concrete bleachers on opposite sides of the field. A second tier is added between the 35-yard lines on either side—providing far more choice seats than most stadiums.
The Tiger stadium is unique in hat it offers more seats between he 35-yard lines than any other big Seven structure.
Owen Field at Norman, Okla., is the largest of the conference stadiums. It will seat 60,000. It was built in 1949 and is the newest stadium in the Big Seven.
The second largest stadium in the conference is Folsum Field at Boulder, Colo., home of the Colorado Buffaloes. A recent addition raised he seating capacity to 45,000. This 5,000 more than Missouri's Memorial Stadium and Nebraska's Memorial Stadium.
The highlight of Owen Field is its pressbox. The facilities offered here are said to be among the finest in the country. It is even equipped with an elevator for the convenience of members of the working press and radio and electric score board giving total yardage as the games progress and other data important to newspapermen.
Other stadiums and their seating capacity are Kansas' Memorial Stadium, 38,000; Kansas State's Abearn Memorial Stadium, 22,500; and Iowa State's Clyde Williams Field. 20,000.
Counts On Tidwell
The Jayhawkers are counting heavily on Charley Tidwell, Independence sophomore, to take over Blair's vacancy in the dashes. Tidwell has turned in a low of .094 in the 100 yard dash in practice trials. He will also bolster the low hurdles corps if his timing of .069 for the 60 yard indoor low hurdles can be any indication. Last year's Big Seven 60 yard low hurdles champion ran .071.
Dave Tams and Bob Lewis, both lettermen, return in the pole vault. Tams has reached 13 feet, 8 inches while Lewis and Jere Potts have both gone 13 feet.
Hurdles letterman, Dave Freeman, will help give the Jayhawkers a solid punch that was lacking last year in these events.
Although the other teams in the conference are stronger this year. Kansas will be a heavy favorite to win the Big Seven triple crown, cross-country, indoor, and outdoor championships for the sixth straight year.
The broad jump should be one of the strongest all around events the Jayhawkers will have. Returning are all three lettermen, Frank Mastin, Blaine Hollinger and Kent Floerke.
In the high jump, the Jayhawkers return Bob Cannon. Haskell graduate, who soared 6 feet, 6 inches last year. Larry Frisbie, letterman, will help in this event.
Strong In Broad Jump
Probably the top star in Coach Easton's vast stable is Al Oerter, holder of the longest college discus throw last year, 183 feet, 4 inches. With the absence of Bill Nieder in the shotput, Oerter will be striving to take up the loss. His best put last year was 55 feet. Bill Dryer, Garden City sophomore, also is being counted on to help in the shotput.
Oerter Back
By DICK BROWN
Last year's entire group of 440 yard -dash men return. They are Bob Franklin, Larry Stroup, Larry Frisbie, Louis Stroup, and Ray Wyatt, all lettermen. Joining them will be Vern Gauby and Bob Lida, both sophomores.
Once again Kansas will rely on the distance events to pile up points. Jan Howell, cross-country captain, Lowell Janzen, indoor-outdoor captain, Bernie Gay, Hal Long, Jerry McNeal, Bob Nicholson and Verlyn Schmidt return to form a powerful distance crew.
Good Distance Crew
Nebraska's season record in 1955 was 5-5-0.
Kansas' track squad just like Ol' Man River, keeps on rolling along, year after year, seemingly getting stronger all the time.
However, Coach Bill Easton has 22 vantage lettermen returning plus a group of sophomores regarded by many as the greatest KU freshman track team in the school's history.
Graduated are Bill Nieder, the nation's first college shotputter to hit over 60 feet; Les Bitner, American collegiate record holder in the javelin; Dick Blair, greatest sprinter in KU history, and Al Frame, great distance man.
This year's edition promises to be no exception, although four members of the 1955 squad, who played prominent roles in KU's track success for three years, are lost.