University Daily Kansan
Four-Minute Mile Possible For Freshman Distance Ace
Page 2
By Ernie Ballweg
A four minute mile could be in the making for young Gene McClain. Salina freshman and fastest freshman miler in Big Eight history.
McClain paced off a 4:05.8 mile in placing second to Missouri's Robin Lingle in the Midwest track and field federation championship meet held Saturday at Shawnee Mission. Lingle's time was the best by a collegiate miler this year.
"The race Saturday has definitely started me thinking towards the four minute barrier," said McClain. "I felt real strong towards the end of the race. I may have been able to run the last quarter a little faster but I can't say for sure." He added that the great finishing kick of Lingle's may have taken a little out of him.
THE 4:05.8 at Shawnee Mission bests McClain's best previous time by four and one half seconds, as his previous best was a 4:10.3, which he ran in the KU relays, where he also finished second. In addition, he has also clipped off a 4:11 indoor mile,
McClain said that he is anxiously awaiting the arrival next year of Jim Ryan and Mike Petterson, the two crack distance runners from Wichita East High School, who have indicated a preference to attend KU next fall.
"I think that we have a fine chance to have three or four runners at KU, who will be near the four minute barrier in one or two years. We should have a fine track team." McClain said.
which is the fastest indoor mile ever run by a Big Eight freshman.
McClain said that he began his running career as a sophomore at Salina high school. During that season he ran a 4:24 mile. Since that year his improvement has been steady. His fastest high school mile was a 4:13.3, which he ran in a national high school meet held in California during his senior year.
AT 57" AND 125 pounds, McClain is rather small as most milers go. He said that he has not had too much experience in the longer races, so the mile would have to be classified as his favorite race.
McClain said that he planned to stay in Lawrence during the summer to practice under new KU track coach, Bob Timmons. He added that he ran quite a bit during the summer months, but he had no set routine or schedule which he followed.
LEWISTON, Maine — (UPI)— If Police Chief Joseph Farrand's strategy goes as planned, there will be one policeman or special officer for every 27 spectators at tonight's Cassius Clav-Sonny Liston heavyweight title bout.
McCLAIN SAID that the publicity that Ryun receives does not bother him in the least, because of Ryun's great ability. "Jim may well be the best miler in the nation today, and it certainly is no disgrace to be somewhat overshadowed by him."
FARRAND outlined his strategy Thursday in the midst of circulated reports that followers of the slain Malcolm X may try to harm Clay in revenge for the murder of their leader.
Bout Draws Big Crowd Including 200 Police
Farrand plans to beef up his regular 72-man force to 200 uniformed and plain clothes officers to make sure no harm comes to champion Clav and to oversee the sell-out crowd of 5,500 who will jam the central Maine Youth Center to watch the bout.
Malcolm X, a Black Muslim defector, was shot to death at a New York City rally and his followers blamed the Muslims. Clay was brought into the Muslim movement by Malcolm.
Next year should be a productive one for KU trackmen, McClain said. He added that he is anxious to run on a four mile relay team with such returning KU veterans as John Lawson, Wyandotte junior, and Tom Yerv克ovich, Kansas City sophomore.
OFFICIALS in Clay's Chicopee, Mass., training camp denied or brushed off rumors of possible trouble and Chief Farrand acknowledged that "we've had no specific report of anticipated problems."
Farrand said he had "no knowledge" of any threats against Clay and explained that the small army of police was precautionary.
The wiry, 70-year-old former Mizzou quarterback (1915-16-19) returned to his alma mater in 1926 as freshman football coach, and was appointed intramurals director that same year. He coached here during the Gwinn Henry and Frank Caride regimes—and handled varsity baseball for two years. He has served continuously as director of intramurals and rounds out his 40th season this year.
COLUMBIA, Mo—(UPI)—A. J. (Stan) Stankowski, retiring director of intramural sports at the University of Missouri, was honored by "his boys" last week in a brief ceremony during the intramural track meet.
As are most of the KU trackmen, McClain said that he was really sorry to see Coach Bill Easton depart. He added, however, that Coach Timmons was well liked and he was eager to be performing for him next year.
Stan was presented two plaques—one from the Men's Residence Halls, and one from the fraternities—along with a handsomely engraved wrist watch from the Intrafraternity Council.
Mizzou Retires Sports Figure
Along with Stankowski, Dr. Herbert Bunker—chairman of the Physical Education department—retires next month. A former M.U. line coach under both Don Faurot and C. G. Simpson, Bunker was a four-sport athlete at Missouri in the early twenties.
The even tenor of its way is what the town of Lewiston, Maine, is pursuing, right up to fisticuff time. Easy does it.
Its picture is going to go flashing live through the heavens to television screens of the Western world in the most watched fight ever, but down-east sophistication has conquered municipal tizy.
Level heads prevail all over. Even as the closed-circuit television people were announcing they had insured champion Cassius Marcelius Clay's life for $1 million until he can get out of town, the police chief here was to point out that "we've got a peaceful community."
Downtown at the ticket office on Ash Street co-promoter Sam Michael, of Auburn, and his wife stood outside in the sun and whipping wind. Willie Reddish, the amiable giant who is Sonny Liston's trainer and head tactician, strolled up. Nobody on the street looked at him.
Three engine failures and one wreck kept two-time Indianapolis "500" winner Rodger Ward from qualifying for the annual Memorial weekend race for the first time in 15 years.
Ward Misses Pack at Indy
Ward's team rebuilt his rear-engined Watson-Ford just 15 minutes before the last qualifying runs, but
he failed to average 154 miles per hour, the cut-off speed for this year's race.
This year only four of the conventional front-engined Offenhauser roadsters qualified for the race, with the remainder of the field made up of 17 rear-engined Fords, 10 rear-engined Offenhausers.
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