Jan Johnson peaks
New grip, same old watch change luck of KU vaulter
By BOB KEARNEY
Kansan Sports Editor
Grinning to himself with the satisfaction of his first 16-foot vault, Jan Jonson deserved some good-natured ribbing.
"Johnson's smelling that watch," remarked a friend standing nearby.
"You guys keep kidding me, but do you know that I've had that losuy watch since my twelfth birthday?" the KU freshman answered with a question.
All this time—and for 10 minutes now—Bob Steinhoff stood at the opposite end of the runway, concentrating on the task before him. Steinhoff had vaulted 16'6" one week earlier for the Texas Relays title and a school record.
And Johnson fidgeted nervously. The bar quivered as Steinhoff's chest brushed it on the descent. Then it fell, and one of the biggest surprises of the 44th Kansas Relays unfolded.
Jan Johnson smiled in the realization of his triumph, then proceeded to clear 16'4" for a Big Eight and KU freshman
Reliever Randy Stroup staved off a last-inning rally by visiting Nebraska to give Kansas a 3-2 victory and earn the Jayhawks a split in Saturday's doubleheader. NU won the first game 3-1 behind Allen Furby's neat 3-hitter.
Rich Slicker, the KU stopper all season, got credit for the win-his fourth of the year without a defeat. A single and bloop double over the head of shortstop Keith Lieppman sent Slicker to the showers with one out in the seventh.
Kansas splits in twinbill with Huskers
Stroup entered, got the second out on a pop up to the mound, gave up a run-scoring infield single, and finally extinguished the Husker fire on a game-ending force out.
After first baseman John Riggins walked, Biff Temple singled Womble home. Cole Stimson's double, driving in Riggins, provided the 'Hawks with their winning margin.
Kansas scored its runs in the first after a two-out Nebraska error opened the door. Lieppman reached first on the miscue and came home on third sacker Paul Womble's double.
In the opener, Furby just missed a perfect game when Tommy Anderson, John Nelson, and Riggins rammed out last-inning singles to spoil the Husker's no-hit and shutout bids. Dave Robisch started and took the loss for KU.
Apr. 21 1969 KANSAN 11
record. Well, almost "clear"—actually Johnson bounced over the bar trampoline-style, making it flip into the air three inches before amazingly coming to rest again on the supporting pegs.
Call it luck?
That's not to detract from an effort that surpassed by one foot his previous best as a Chicago schoolboy. Johnson admitted to being "so lucky" with a new watch to prove it.
“It's an old thing with a cloth strap and a scratched crystal, and it always runs five minutes fast,” said Jan in explaining his friend's razzing. “I think I'll keep wearing it though. It seems to have brought me some luck.”
But his well-worn Timex had nowhere as much to do with his winning as a bit of Steinhoff's advice. The veteran Kansas pole vaulter suggested two weeks ago that Jan and frosh teammate Bill Hatcher grip higher on the pole.
"That's when I changed from 14 to 15 feet, and you can't believe how much that affects your vaulting," says Johnson. "There's more pole under you, of course, and the longer arch on the pole gives you more time for everything. You're pushing off a foot less, too."
The 19-year-old freshman, competing outdoors for the first time this spring, had vaulted 15 feet at Oklahoma City and 15'6" at Michigan State during the indoor season.
"During the vacation, I did nothing," said Jan. "just rested." Johnson had done little since vaulting 15'6" last October in practice, and his 14'6" showing at the Kansas State Relays was "a terrible vault, a terrible day."
Work together
Maybe some of the problems had been in-fighting with freshman teammate Bill Hatcher, who shared with Johnson No. 4 national prep billing last year with 15'4" vaults. "We're working with each other now, and I expect Bill to be at 16 feet real soon."
Part of the Johnson-Hatcher tiff had to do with the limited number of KU athletes able to make the trips to major track meets.
"It's hard to make the transition from high school to college, especially here," says Johnson. "We can afford to take 30 or 40 to every meet, but there are so many outstanding individuals in each event that you find yourself competing against your teammates."
Johnson learned a lesson, with Hatcher's help, from Southern
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California's vaulting phenoms—Bob Seagren and Paul Wilson. Olympic champion Seagren holds the world record of 17'9" while Wilson owns the intercollegiate mark of 17'7-3/4".
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"Bill met Wilson at the UCLA dual and heard how they helped each other," says Jan. "Wilson even sends us movies on form and technique, and we (including Steinhoff) haven't even met him."
THE CONCORD SHOP
Now it was time for Johnson to see about that new watch. Coach Bob Timmons stopped him on the way to the awards stand.
Gift ideas in:
- Decoupage
"Shave your head and you'll go 17 feet," whispered Timmons, reminding Jan of the 'tucky' haircut that had been ordered Saturday morning.
- Tinware
- Woodware
Jan Johnson only laughed. The needle treatment would be getting worse, especially for a freshman.
Materials Cut To Order
And nobody will let him forget about that lousy old watch.
McConnell Lumber
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Especially since Jan may never wear the new one.
Player wins $30,000 in Champ's tourney
CARLSBAD, Calif. (UPI) — South Africa's Gary Player overcame a double bogey in the final round of the $150,000 Tournament of Champions yesterday and shot a par 72 to collect a first prize of $30,000 under a 72-hole total of 284, four under par.
U. S. Open champion Lee Trevino, tied with Player going into the last round at La Costa Country Club, slipped to a two-over-par 74 when his wild tee shots became embedded in deep rough on three holes, but he won $17,000 for second place with a total of 286, two strokes back of the British Open king.
Player, who said he liked the course with its bottleneck fairways and deep rough, had earlier rounds of 69-74-69 while Trevino had 74-68-70.
Three strokes back of Trevino at 289 were Arnold Palmer and Dave Stockton. Each won $10,000.
Gene Littler took fifth place and $8,000 with his 290 total, followed by George Archer with 291. Archer, the Masters champion, took home $7,000 for sixth place.
Player broke out of the third-round tie with Trevino when he birdied the third and fourth holes to go six under. However, on the sixth hole, a par four, 374-yarder, he was in a
GARY PLAYER trap with his second shot, had trouble getting out and took his double bogey six there.
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