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Friday, December 6, 1974
University Dally Kansan
SPORTS
Walker blamed, but one man didn't fire Fambrough
It's hard to believe the resignation of a football coach can cause such a furor. that has been the case this week after Don Mattingly was hired at the University of Kansas on Tuesday.
The man who has received the blame for it has been athletic director Clyde Walker. The public reaction has been solidly against it, resembling the mentality of a brochure mob.
The blame, however, is being placed on the wrong man. One man wasn't the cause of Fambrough's resignation. The situation in the KU athletic department caused it. When the turn, was caused by the belief in maintaining a big-time college athletic program.
WALKER SAID THE DECISION not to renew Fambrouch's contract was a one-man decision. What he meant was that he was responsible for telling Fambrouch that Fambrouch's contract wouldn't be renewed.
A successful athletic program requires money to operate. The KU athletic department doesn't have the money it says it needs. Football is the major revenue producing sport. A winning football game is also necessary for a profitable athletic program.
money. Winning. It doesn't matter that the head football coach is well-liked and respected throughout the state. He didn't want to tell him that he wasn't wanted as football coach.
There's only one thing that brings in
The question here isn't if the athletic department is right or wrong in firing Fambrough, which is essentially what happened. Considering the program's
Everyone complains about the excess money spent by the athletic department
ALMOST THREE-QUARTERS of the college athletic district in the country are running in the red. KU is one of them. If KU decides to stay on its current course of establishing a consistent program, as established in Section 15.4, the red until that consistency is established.
By Mark Zeligman Sports Editor
dedication to winning and Fambrough's. Fambrough's firing was inevitable.
and the enormous bureaucracy that has grown there. The only reason the department has acted in such a way has been to accommodate one goal, to win.
The question is whether the athletic program should maintain its philosophy of becoming a top-flight operation. College programs are facing increasing pressure to be more athletic, winning people in the stands and leading to generous contributions from alumni.
These same people who complain also complain when a Jayhawk athletic team begins to lose. They want the Hawks to win and they need to spend the money required for it to happen.
The alternative is there. All KU has to do
CLYDE WALKER doesn't want that.
Archie Dykes doesn't want that. And I doubt whether most of the people grumbling about the Fambrough affair want that.
Jittery 'Hawks eye Hawkeyes
Walker should accept part of the responsibility for Fambrough's resignation.
By MIKE FITZGERALD
is reduce its expenditures. Income, ticket sales and contributions will decrease. Winning will become a rare treat and the program will become second rate.
Snorts Reporter
Tomorrow's opponents, the Hawkeyes.
It's time to put away all the theories, conjectures and the "if we had only done this right," and take a look at the University of Kansas basketball team Wednesday night. The University of Iowa is coming to Lawrence tomorrow night to take on the Coyotes, who are House and it's not going to be a pushover.
The Jayhawks went through a short practice yesterday in preparation for Iowa and are expected to do the same today. Owens said the team was working on fundamentals and balance but turnovers cost KII the basketball game Wednesday.
"They're really good," said KU coach Ted Owens yesterday. "They have some good, young players. Coach (Duncan) Reid said they played disciplined basketball like Indiana and were a strong, aggressive team of fine shooters."
have a new head coach. Lute Olson replaced Richard Shultz in the position. Olson was head coach last year at Long Beach State, where his team went 24-2. Owens said Olson brought some good freshman players with him from California.
"They really have no outstanding weaknesses," Owens said. "They run a very good passing game and are on defense. They are playing against a fine basketball team."
Bruce King, a game, a 6-7 sophomore, averaged 16 points a game on the junior varsity team last year and will play center for the Hawkeyes this year.
Back from last year's 8-16 team are junior Scott Thompson, a 6-3 guard and junior Larry Parker, a 6-4 forward. Both averaged a game last week as a frequent starters.
Forward Dan Frost, a 6-7 junior, and 6-12 junior guard Cal Wulfsborg round out the starting five. Frost and Wulfsborg were teammates at Long Beach City College for
the past two seasons and came to Iowa with Olson. Owens considers Frost the best coach of all.
The top three scorers from last year's team were lost to graduation, however. They were Candy LaPrince (19.0), Neil Fesebank (14.1) and Jim Collins (8.4).
KU's junior varsity squad, which now has the record of 3-2 after defeating St. Paul's College Wednesday night, hosts Barton University Junior College at 8:15 p.m. tomorrow.
Despite the heavy personnel losses, the Hawkeyes were rated No. 20 in a pre-season poll by United Press International. Since then, Iowa has remained undefeated in two games against Virginia Commonwealth and Drake University.
Lacewell eyes post
Larry Parker (6-6)
Dan Frost (6-7)
Scott Thompson (6-3)
Cal Bulgert (5-8)
★ ★ ★
The opening was created when Don Fambridge announced his resignation Tuesday. Lacewell, who was speaking from a club in the Tulsa, Okla., Hilton hall, said he had directly contacted by KU. He didn't say what he contacted him or when he was contacted.
**Kansas**
Norman Crane (6-9)
Donte Von Moore (6-9)
Rick Suttle (6-10)
Lester Grace (7-10)
Roger Morningstar (6-9)
Larry Lacewell, the defensive coordinator at the University of Oklahoma, said in a telephone interview last night he was offered a coaching job by the coach/joint at the University of Kansas.
"I have been contacted in a roundabout way," Lcewell said. "I'm not in a position to anything right now, but I will say that I'm very interested in the job."
Lacewell also has been contacted by Kansas State University concerning its head coaching vacancy, which was created by Vince Gibson's resignation two weeks ago. Lacewell said he was still considering the K-State opening.
"I'm considering any head coach job," he said. "Kansas is definitely attractive and so is K-State. I'm not trying to play one against the other. It's an unusual situation for both of them to be open at the same time. Kansas was placed in both Kansas and Kansas State."
Another coach whose name has been mentioned in connection with the KU job, Tennessee head coach Bill Battle, said last sight that he hadn't been contacted by anyone from KU and that he didn't plan to leave Tennessee.
Meanwhile, KU's players started a move yesterday backing Jayhawk defensive coordinator Jim Dickey for the job. Junior cornerback Eddie Lewis drafted a letter to KU as a player in their choice to succeed Fambrough. Lewis began circulating the letter last night among KU players asking for their signatures as a sign of support for Dickey.
Waterlogged 'Hawks aim for Big 8 title
The University of Kansas men's swim team is ready for the Big Eight Relays this weekend in Ames, Iowa, Dick Reamon, swim team coach, said yesterday.
By JANET MAJURE Sports Reporter
The swim team has been practicing for more than three months, running, lifting weights and swimming more than 400,000 yards of water work. Reamon said the team was able to compete for three weeks, but had been unable to find anyone to swim against the relays.
The 18-member swim team does not have full death, he said.
"But the last few spots are filled by guys
TV losses at KSU blamed for cutbacks
Women's schedule
From the Associated Press
In an article in the Oklahoma City Times, Ernie Barrett, Kansas State athletic director, was quoted as saying the loss of revenue from the Oklahoma television ban on "Dish" networks were not telecast as much as in some years "all entered into the tightness of money."
OKLAHOMA CITY—The fact that the No. 1-ranked Oklahoma football team was barred from television was listed yesterday as one reason Kansas State decided to withdraw from the national wrestling, baseball, track, cross-country, golf and tennis to do drop gymnastics.
who've tried awfully hard." Reason said, Both low State and Oklahoma have more to share.
"Oklahoma's the one I fear," Reamon said. "They spent more for freshmen than I did for my whole team combined. They look tremendous on paper."
Reasonam said the freshmen KU recruited were good. Three freshmen will be going to the meet this weekend, including two high school All-America divers.
KU's swim team has been the Big Eight champion for seven straight years.
“As far as an eight consecutive champions goes,” Reason said, “it’s within reach.”
He said that KU's swimming dominance of the Big Eight had helped recruited, but that the quality of education offered at KU was also a big factor.
"Their education is darn important to them," Reason said.
He said the Big Eight Relays were an excellent way to start the season and to give the freshmen an idea of the kind of competition they would be up against.
The results of the relays and dual meets the team participates in don't count in their race for the Big Eight championship. That title is awarded solely as a result of the Big Eight Championships meet at the close of the season in the spring.
Reamon said, "It's a great opportunity to see how good everybody is."
"I think we have a great deal of pride in our program," Reamon said. "They swim with a great deal of purpose. This squad will be able to perform well as a man for man than any we've had."
He said he was pleased with the men on KU's swim team.
Here is the women's intercollegiate schedule for basketball at Baylor. Today, basketball. Fort Hays State college at 7 p.m. in Allen Field house. football. baseball. William Penn College at Iowa, swimming. University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
Monday, basketball, Central Missouri State University at Warrenburg, Mo.
Monday, basketball, Central Missouri State University at Warrenburg, Mo. Mr. Foster's field intrasquad meet at 3 p.m. in Alfred Field Nose. Friday, basketball, Southwest Missouri State University at
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"We'll just go see what we can do."
It's obvious from his prior appointments to the athletic department that he wants to bring his own men from outside Kansas. He probably will continue this trend by hiring a football coach not connected with Kansas and probably from the South where both Wake Forest and Oklahoma are located.
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The athletic board also should take responsibility. Walker didn't recommend extension of Fambrough's contract, but neither did the athletic board.
Alumni, KU supporters and fans across the state should also take responsibility. Their insistence on a winning program makes a coach's stay short if he doesn't win.
Open 2-8 p.m.
The 1974 KU football team should also be held responsible. If some of the players didn't die down and die, as they did during the game, the team would have Pambrough might still be around today.
FAMBROUGH HIMSELF SHOULD also be held partly responsible. He never went to Walker or to the athletic board to demand a contract extension after the 1973 season. Fambrough, who is not that aggressive, thought it would automatically be offered to him. He admits now that he should have asked for an extension.
What makes this situation so tragic is the type of man Fambrough is. You've heard people who have said about him. He's the finest man I've ever known." It's all true.
This University means more to Fambrough than almost anything else in the world. His loyalty to KU is undying. Fambrough has more friends in this state than anyone else connected with this University.
But successful athletic programs don't reward loyalty, only success.
WALKER IS CAUGHT in a spiral that seems endless. He needs money, and to get that money he must win. He didn't think enough would produce a winning program.
The pressure on the new head coach will be incredible. Walker admits this. Walker keeps quickly a consistent, winning program with great successive 7-4 or 8-3 seasons. Walker's position isn't that secure either. If the next season is not as successful, Walker's job might be in jeopardy.
Neither did certain alumni across the state. Although the rumors are repeatedly denied, there is no question that a few inductees have been under heavy pressure on Walker to hire a new covert agent.
To attain that kind of record in the Big Eight, surrounded by such football powers as Nebraska and Oklahoma and away from heavy population centers seems too much to
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"It is no longer a game," Walker said at the press conference Tuesday. "It's a business, whether we'd like to admit it or not. You have to be honest about it."
The situation as it stands is cold and heartless, without any regard for sentience.
If you don't believe it, ask Don Farm brough.
country or it will do everything in its power to win.
Don Fambrouah
This coupon good for
2 hamburgers, 2 French fries
Sunday's $1.00
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Expires
Buy it now
THE CHOICE IS THERE. Either the KU athletic department decides to stop complying with the rules.
ask, but Walker is asking it. And so are most KU supporters.
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Come as you are . . . hungry
To find out how you can help acquaint interested high school Seniors from your hometown with KU, come to the STATEWIDE ACTIVITIES MEETING Monday, December 9th 7:30 p.m. Paid for by Student Activity Fee
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