Page 9
By JERRY THOMAS
Daily Kansan Asst. Sports Editor
It wasn't long before the event,
taking place every four years just
as it does now, became an international affair. Sports fans, tourists,
and athletes came from what is
now known as Italy, Sicily, Spain,
Africa, France, and Asia Minor.
When the Olympics open in Melbourne, Australia this year it is doubtful if the stadium there can comapre with the Olympic stadium of ancient Greece. The United State's largest mile race track at Wilmington, Del. would fit neatly on the field with room to spare. It was made of solid marble and held about sixty thousand people.
The ancient era of the Olympic games ended when the great Greek empire crumbled. A Roman emperor, Theodosius, ended them by decree in 394 A.D. It was a Frenchman who revived them.
Baron Pierre de Coubertin, inspired by archeological discoveries made in the late 19th century concerning the ancient games, began a world-wide campaign to bring them back. His dreams of world competitive sports became a reality in 1896 in Athens, Greece. Thirteen nations took part in the first modern Olympics. Greece was the unofficial winner.
Eight years later St. Louis was the site and the U.S. won her first Olympic title. She has won it six times since. France is the only other country to win it more than once. She has won unofficial honors twice.
In 1924 winter Olympic sports were added and in 1936 basketball. Since its inclusion in the games, top honors in basketball have always gone to the U.S.
A small group of slender, white clad men line up on a racing field eyeng the finish line two hundred yards away. A signal is given and the men are off and the first Olympic games are underway.
In the eyes of a timeless earth this happened only yesterday, but to men and especially western men it was more yesterdays than most can imagine. Historians tell us the first Olympic games took place between 1235 and 834 B.C. or about three thousand years ago.
If the Greeks of that day had watched their afternoon news broadcast of world affairs on television they would have seen such things as Ramses III building a bigger and better pyramid in Egypt. The sports news would have consisted of an account of a young man over in America who had won the most important race of his life by beating a grizzly bear to a tree.
Homer was not due in Greece for a couple of hundred more years and Hector wasn't even a pup.
The first Olympic games consisted of one two hundred yard foot race. Only pure Greeks could participate. If you or any of your relatives had a criminal record you couldn't run either.
Olympic games were recorded in 776 B.C. and a record of every one after the first recorded Olympic since then has been kept. Not long other sports were added. It wasn't long before there were many running events, something comparable to the modern discus and javelin throws, chariot racing, boxing, and wrestling. Tug of War, football, gymnastics, and weight lifting can all be traced to the ancient Olympics.
Serious stuff these competitive sports, but there is always time for a few laughs, too.
Felix Caravajal was so far ahead after 18 miles in the 1904 marathon race in St. Louis that he stopped to eat a few apples. They were green. Felix got cramps, lost the race, and Cuba lost her only chance at an Olympic marathon victory.
A portion of a writing by the man who brought the Olympics back, Baron de Coubertin, has become its code. The baron once wrote that "The important thing in the Olympic games is not to win, but to take part, . . .".
KU Favored Over Colorado; OU-K-State Game Not Listed
NEW YORK-(UP)Broadway oddsmakers took time out from the World Series today to pick Michigan State, the nation's second ranked team, by a close three points over fourth-ranked Michigan in what shapes up as Saturday's top game in college football.
Wednesday, Oct. 3, 1956 University Daily Kansan
A crowd of about 100,000 is expected at Ann Arbor, Mich., for the Big Ten clash with the oddsmakers almost reluctant to name a favorite. Michigan clobbered UCLA, 42-13, in its season opener last week, while State downed Stanford, 21-7, in its first game.
In the nationally televised game from Fort Worth, Tex., sixth-ranked Texas Christian was the pick by 14 points over Arkansas, while Oklahoma, the nation's top team, was established such a prohibitive choice that odds were not listed for its meeting with Kansas State.
TCU Over Arkansas
In the other games involving the ranked teams, fifth-ranked Ohio State was picked by 13 over Stanford; seventh-ranked Pittsburgh, winner of two straight, was the choice by six over California eight-ranked Mississippi 14 over Houston; ninth-ranked Southern California by only three over Wisconsin, and 10th-ranked Tennessee by six over Duke. Third-ranked Georgia Tech is idle Saturday.
Other Games
The point spreads for other major games:
East—Army 12 over Penn State; Princeton 19 over Columbia; Navy 13 over Cornell; Yale 14 over Brown; Colgate six over Holy Cross, and Dartmouth seven over Pennsylvania.
South—Georgia one over Mississippi State, Florida seven over Kentucky; Clemson seven over North Carolina; Wake Forest 12 over Virginia; Vanderbilt 13 over Alabama, and South Carolina seven over North Carolina.
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Gamma Phi Beta, Alpha Omicron Pi, and North College defeated their opponents Tuesday in the first women's basketball intramurals of the season.
Women's IM Play Started Tuesday
Marilyn Evans led Gamma Phi Beta to victory over Chi Omega with a total of 12 points. The final score was 22 to 14. Nancy Walker was high scorer on the Chi Omega team with 6 points.
Margo Chinnock helped the Alpha Omicron Pi team defeat Kappa Kappa Gamma by scoring 20 points. The score was 29-20. Jann Walker was high scorer on Kappa Kappa Gamma's team with 14 points.
North College defeated Corbin Hall 29-17. Judy Allen scored 18 points for North College while Jan Rodgers led Corbin Hall with 11 points.
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Irish May Change Offense To Wing
Notre Dame Coach Terry Brennan said Monday that he has been considering a single wing offense to utilize the full potential of quarterback Paul Hornung.
"We definitely were considering it for more utilization of Hornung, "Brennan said, "But we can't take the time to teach it until we thoroughly learn what we've already got under the split T formation."
Brennan also said that he thought there wasn't enough time in practice to teach a new offense to his men.
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