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Summer Session Kansan
Tuesday, July 25, 1961
By Chuck Morelock
The immediate reaction to last week's announcement that a national magazine has selected KU as the nation's No.2 football team this fall was one of skepticism.
Everybody seemed pleased but a trifle leery. There isn't much doubt that the Jayhawkers belong in the top twenty, or even the top ten, but No.2. . . Apparently the editors of Smith and Street, the publication which put the Hawks on such a lofty pedestal, based their prediction on KU's splendid showing at the close of the 1960 season, plus the fact that most of the men from that team are returning.
ONE MAN WON'T BE RETURNING HOWEVER, at least for the first five games, and it's doubtful he will see any service at all. That's Bert Coan, of course.
With Coan in the lineup, Kansas would have one of the greatest backfields in modern college history. Without him, it's still a potent force, but men like Bullet Bert aren't replaced overnight.
Consider his 1960 record for instance. Among other things, he was named back of the week for his showing against Missouri. In the Colorado game, he drove local fans out of their minds with a 72 yard touchdown burst in a play which was about as complicated, at least from the stands, as a grade school quarterback's offensive book.
BERT SIMPLY GRABBED THE HANDOFF, put his head down, and ran right up the middle. Nobody could stop him.
A TCU player told this story after Kansas had whipped the Frogs 21-7 in the season's opener. This player, incidentally, was a teammate of Coan's on the TCU freshman team.
"I saw him coming through the line and I told myself, here's where I make 'ole Bert respect me. And then he ran right over me."
ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF THE LEDGER, KU still has two pretty fair country ballplayers in quarterback John Hadl and half-back Curtis McClinton. Hadl, one of the most versatile men in college football, can always return to left half, where he received all-conference honors as a sophomore, if the attack bogs down. McClinton, a hard-nosed bruiser who likes to run over people instead of around them, will probably be used more often this fall. In addition to his running ability, he's also a fine pass receiver.
Hugh Smith came into his own last year with some dazzling cutback runs and will be a valuable cog in the machine. Still, you can't forget Coan.
MOST SPORTS WRITERS OVERLOOKED THE KU LINE LAST YEAR, feeling it was good, but not great. This always puzzled me because Iowa was the only team to score more than two touchdowns against the Jayhawks, and IU had one of the greatest offensive attacks in the country.
The Hawkeyes beat Kansas 21-7, hardly a runaway score. Syracuse also defeated us 14-7, but the New Yorkers' line outweighed KU's 25 pounds to the man.
In the Missouri game, the lightweight Jayhawk forwards weren't supposed to be in the same class with their Tiger counterparts, but you know what happened. Most of the Kansas linemen are back this year, and that's something to cheer about. Biggest loss is all-conference center Fred Hageman, who graduated.
BUT LET'S GET BACK TO THAT NO. 2 PREDICTION. To finish this high, KU will just about have to win every game, something that's possible although mighty difficult. Two of the toughest games, with Colorado and Oklahoma, will be played on the road. The Buffs are always rugged at Boulder as are the Sooners at Norman.
Things have been strangely quiet in the OU camp this summer but don't let that fool you. Bud Wilkinson's crew, which wasn't as bad as its 3-6-1 record indicated last year, is loaded with vets, especially in the line.
The Sooners may have proved they're merely human, but they're still a long way from being dead.
ALL POINTS CONSIDERED, the 1961 campaign should be an interesting one indeed. Whether or not Kansas can live up to its rating remains to be seen. The mere fact that we have received this honor is striking tribute to the tremendous rebuilding job coach Jack Mitchell has performed during his four-year stint here.
By the way, in case you're still wondering, Ohio State is rated No. 1...
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Carey, Hamilton Enter Baseball Hall of Fame
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — (UPI)—This picturesque New York State village welcomed many familiar baseball dignitaries yesterday for the enshrining of Max Carey and the late Billy Hamilton, two stars of a bygone era, into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Hall of Fame games at nearby Doubleday Field in the afternoon. This year, the Baltimore Orioles played the Los Angeles Dodgers for the Hall of Fame cup.
A crowd of more than 10,000 was expected for the morning installation services at the museum in downtown Cooperstown and the annual
Carey was on hand for the ceremonies, along with his wife and son, while Hamilton, who died in 1940, was represented by his daughter, Mrs. Howard Prior of Belmont. Mass.
Carey and Hamilton were elected to the Hall of Fame last January by
the 12 members comprising the committee of veterans, which considers only men who have been inactive as players for 30 years. Their election increased the members in the Hall of Fame to 86 players, 25 of whom are living.
His wife not only edited his works but edited him.—Van Wyck Brooks. Custom reconciles us to everything —Edmund Burke
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