NU KU-teams to beat in Big Eight
By JERRY KLEIN Assistant Sports Editor
The main topic of conversation among Big Eight basketball coaches this season is that the eventual league leader will have to be exceptional with no fewer than six teams battling for top honors.
For the 1966-67 race shapes up as the closest in recent years, and quite possibly, ever since the conference became an eight-member league with the admittance of Oklahoma State in 1957 and its competing one year later.
VIVID PROOF is that each team starts with at least five lettermen. Perhaps even more important is all teams return more than 61 per cent of its total offense with the exception of defending champion Kansas.
But if precedence holds in one of the nation's top conferences—its representatives have played more games, 17, in the National Collegiate finals than teams of other leagues—the Big Eight champion will find it necessary to utilize the winning formula: a proper balance between offense and defense.
Finding that key to success, however, will not come any easier than last season or before then. In
Big 8 Ratings
1. Nebraska
2. Kansas
3. Iowa State
4. Kansas State
5. Colorado
6. Missouri
7. Oklahoma
8. Oklahoma State
fact, the natural question is—just how many games will be needed to win the title? At present, no coaches have the answer. They don't even want to guess.
Except for the 1959-60 season when Kansas and Kansas State tied with records of 10-4, champions of the Big Eight have needed at least 11 wins. No one has gone undefeated since 1959 when the nation's No. 1 team, K-State, won 14 in the conference and 25 of 27, overall. In 1965-66, KU was 13-1.
A STUDY of this season's rosters shows each team has a solid nucleus of returning starters. Nebraska and Colorado lead with four each followed by three at Iowa State, K-State, Missouri and
Fifteen Jayhawk gridders receive annual awards
Fifteen KU football players were honored by the University and the Lawrence Quarterback Club Monday at the Kansas Union with the presentation of the following awards:
WRIST WATCHES from the Quarterback Club to seniors: Dick Bacon, Sandy Buda, Jerry Barnett, Don Davis, Jeff Elias, Bill Fenton, George Harvey, David Hinshaw, Halley Kampshroeder, Bill Perry, Bob Skahan, Bill Walters, Bill Wohlford and Dave Waxse.
K-BLANKET AWARDS:
Dick Bacon, Sandy Buda, Jerry Barnett, Jeff Elias, Bill Fenton, George Harvey, Halley Kampshroeder, Bill Perry, Bob Skahan, Bill Walters, Bill Wohlford and Waxse.
ORMAND BEACH Award, selected by players for general ability, sportsmanship and all-around ability went to Bill Wohlford.
Oklahoma plus two apiece at Kansas and Oklahoma State.
THE MIKE GETTO Lineman of the Year Award, chosen by Big Eight coaches, was given to Bill Wohlford.
THE DON PIERCE Award for outstanding defensive playing was given to Mike Sweatman.
Bill Wohlford, also was awarded the Art Weaver Award, given to a senior football letterman with the highest grade point average.
Wohlford is majoring in political science and minoring in German; he has a grade point average of 2.10.
With anticipation of such a close race, attendance figures should zoom to the top once again. Last year, the Big Eight set a record for total attendance and finished with the second best average per game in conference history.
In 88 home games, 563.230 fans watched their favorite team, an increase of almost 66,000 more than the previous high set during the 1964-65 season.
in 1957-Wilt Chamberlain's first year at KU.
AT THE SAME time, the Big Eight fan average was 6,400 for 88 games. The all-time record, however, is 6,911 for 70 home games
Although only one player, Don Smith of Iowa State, returns from the Big Eight first team selected by the Associated Press and United Press International, four individual statistical champions are back to defend their titles, and three of them are juniors.
The only senior is Ron Coleman of Missouri, who led all scorers
6 Daily Kansan Tuesday, November 29, 1966
for the entire season averaging 21.3 points per game.
VISIT EUROPE THIS SUMMER WITH PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE
All interested students and past participants are invited to hear
Jean Louis Boudoin
(European Coordinator For American Students Abroad)
7:30 Tuesday, Nov. 29 Kansas Union
Plans for the trip will be outlined
Deadline for signing up—Dec.15