University Daily Kansan Thursday, May 3, 1962
Triple Reverse Kills Expansion Plan
By Steve Clark
A triple reverse has failed where a quarterback sneak would have scored.
Yesterday KU Athletic Director A. C. (Dutch) Lonborg confirmed reports that the proposed Memorial Stadium expansion program has been delayed.
THE REASON? Lonborg says financial problems along with public opposition have forced the delay. The hidden reason? Poor timing in
increase football seating by lowering the field while continuing the Relays—in a second-rate manner. Honesty generally is the best policy.
THE THIRD mistake was that very few people really could be fooled with the proposed changes. The addition of 7,200 seats sounded nice on the surface.
But interested parties who thought things out realized that the avowed purpose of stadium expansion (to sell more season tickets) really
announcing the stadium expansion program by the KU Athletic Board.
If students, fans and alumni would ever have good words to say for the Relays, they would say them during Relays week.
The Board tried a triple reverse when it announced the plan. The announcement was made during the Kansas Relays week. This was the most serious blunder one can imagine.
THEN THERE was the second mistake — the Board did not lay the problem on the line, but instead attempted to sidestep the real issue. Football is the money-making sport at Kansas. If anything, the Relays lose money.
Income from football is needed to support the entire athletic program (generally excluding basketball) and Board members could be expected to know when the football program should be expanded to better provide for the entire program. If the Board felt that the Relays would have to be sacrificed for a better all-around program (as is the suspicion here) it should have said so.
Instead, the stand taken was to
SOME COACHES said they would not be interested in bringing their teams to a has-been track show.
wouldn't be met by the plans as announced. Of those 7,200 seats, only 1,280 seats would be on the west side between the goal lines (count them yourself, 128 seats and 10 rows).
area schools immediately began talking about taking over the date for a Relays program of their own.
Assuming every one of the new seats would be sold for each home game the return would be $25,600 a year.
MOST OF THE trouble for the planners came following the first mistake. Cries of "The Last Kansas Relays" arose and fans flocked to the two-day meet in great numbers.
(The University says only 8,000 people officially attended the Re-lays this year. But this figure apparently ignores the students, among other groups, and the belief here is that students still are a part of the University scene. At least if there were only 8,000 fans in attendance then a check should be made on the gate keepers, for about 10,000 people got in some other way.)
This situation then focused attention on the second mistake. Could such an event be held under second-rate conditions? Part of the answer was quickly forthcoming as other
Would such new facilities be second-rate? As tentatively planned KU would gain one of the finest running tracks in the country — with some of the worst facilities possible.
KC Makes Bid for Title Fight
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — (UPI) — A Kansas City boxing promoter said today Kansas City has as good, if not better, chance of getting the Floyd Fatterson-Sonny Liston heavyweight championship bout as any other city.
fore and am a good friend of his manager, Cus D'Amato."
"In the first place, we can offer a better money deal," match-maker Max Yeargain said. "And in the second, I've promoted for Patterson beto the finest banking service that human Ingenuity can devise when you pay us a call. Right now, treat yourself to banking at its best. Stop in and get acquainted.
However, the chairman of the Missouri Athletic Commission, Charles Pian, St. Louis, said "Kansas City doesn't have a Chinaman's chance."
Pian said St. Louis was putting in a bid for the title fight.
Kansan Classified Ads Get Results
ENGINEERS ELECT Stanley Thurber
Vice President Engineering Council
SOCCER TOURNAMENT
No one objected to moving the track from Memorial Stadium to the Field House pasture if the proper steps would be taken. But the Athletic Board's idea of adequate seating originally was 2,500 permanent seats with some additional bleachers added.
GAME AT:
9:00 AM
11:00 AM
3:00 PM
SATURDAY, MAY 5,1962 INTRAMURAL FIELDS
THE KANSAS Relays with a 2-500 seat stadium and bleachers standing around would be like a county-seat rodeo.
Dressing facilities also were passed off lightly. There are two locker rooms in the field house with football, baseball and tennis using them in the spring. Imagine the chaos with 1,000 visiting athletes sharing these facilities.
Area sportswriters and broadcasters were quick to spot the flaws. The Lawrence Journal-World, the Topeka Capital, the Kansas City Star and radio stations WDAF and WREN, among others, jumped to the defense of the relays.
PRESS FACILITIES also were passed off lightly. But we are prejudiced in these lines. The idea was to put a couple of tables side by side on the infield, perhaps with a canopy, and there the press corps could dodge javelins, rain drops and possibly a bit of wind, too. Old boat anchors as paperweights might become as important as typewriters.
There was no allowance for spectator restroom facilities either. Any person needing to use the restroom would have to hike from the pasture stadium to the field house.
A second look was taken. There was no money.
ALUMNI APPARENTLY did not want to be a part of the proposal. The Athletic Board has problems.
The members can see the problems more clearly than most because they are dealing directly with them. The solutions are not that easy.
A quarterback sneak might have worked. If the announcement had been delayed until after Commencement, the proposal might have gone through virtually without notice. Now that chance has faded forever.
THE BOARD could have said that the Kansas Relays no longer could be run. There were probably enough facts on hand to overcome the emotion such an announcement would cause.
Or, plans could have been made to provide a first-class track plant—but that would have required more money.
Now the stadium expansion program is back in the planning stage. Kansas needs more football seating. Kansas needs top-flight track facilities.
BOTH CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED by going "up" with the stadium, removing the bottom two rows of seats (which are worthless anyway) and adding two lanes to the track.
It would be worth the added investment.
ST
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