Like a soul brother
KU athletics clears another hurdle
By PHYLLIS JONES Kansan Sports Special
For the first time in its 104-year history, KU has hired a black coach.
Although KU has always had outstanding black athletes, some of whom-Wilt Chamberlain, Gale Sayers, and Bill Bridges-joined professional teams, not one advanced to a coaching position.
Ben Olison, 23-year-old education major from Bakersfield, Calif., was hired by Coach Pepper Rodgers last week as full-time assistant coach. Olison, who played split end for the Jayhawks in 1967, was hired along with two other former KU football players-J. C. Hixon and Sandy Buda.
Returned as student
After an unsuccessful try with the Dallas Cowboys, Olison returned to the
University this fall as a student. A former member of the track team, he helped with the freshman track squad.
Commenting on his new job, Olison said, "I was very surprised and thrilled to be chosen as assistant coach." Olison had had no previous indication that he would be hired.
What led up to this unprecedented appointment? Did the athletic department suddenly recognize the potential of its black athletes not only as players, but also as coaches?
Black football players boycotted spring practice last year and demanded the addition of a black coach to the staff. At that time, Rodgers refused to hire a coach because of financial reasons, the lack of qualified individuals, and because it was the off-season for hiring coaches
Offer several reasons
"I told the players that when the opportunity came, I would hire a black coach," Rodgers said. "But, at that time, I couldn't."
"We had a financial problem," Wade Stinson, KU athletic director said. "But we have had a successful program since Rodgers has been here. Now we can afford to hire more assistants."
At the time of the boycott, Rodgers had eight assistant coaches. He now has 10, including two part-time aides.
Both Rodgers and Stinson denied that Olison was hired because of outside pressures to hire a black coach.
"I hired Ben because he is smart, I like him, and he showed the maturity needed to be able to make the hard jump from player to coach," Rodgers said.
Rodgers emphasized that he hired Olison as a person he felt could do the
Pepper hires 'people'
job—not just a black coach. However, Pepper said that he was not overlooking the fact that Olison is black, but stressed that he hires "people."
"Olison is a good man who will do an excellent job," Rodgers continued. "I wouldn't have hired him as a coach if I thought he couldn't do the job."
Refuting reasons of outside pressures, Stinson said, "I don't hire anyone because someone wants me to. I'll go the other way. But, everything Olison has done sheds credit on him. I know he wants to be a coach and he'll make a great coach."
Ben himself said, "I feel Coach Rodgers hired me as a coach first, not as a black coach." Ollison said he and Rodgers have a "perfect understanding."
In light of demands by black athletes, Homer Floyd, head of the state Commission on Civil Rights in Topeka, gave Rodgers names of men he considered qualified black coaches.
"I gave these names to Rodgers in August after the boycott," Floyd, a former KU football player, said, "so I don't know what his position was at that time. But, from my own personal knowledge, I do know that there were qualified black coaches in the area who were doing good jobs at their high schools."
Floyd wanted to coach
Floyd called Olison's appointment an "important and significant step," and recalled that he and many other black athletes had wanted to go into coaching—but had not had the opportunity.
As assistant coach, Olison will be coaching fundamental drills, helping with the freshman team, and recruiting high school seniors.
(Continued to page 16)
Spring drills open April 5
KU football coach Pepper Rodgers has announced the Jayhawks would begin spring practice April 5 and wind up with the traditional intra-squad game May 3.
Rodgers also announced that KU's third annual football coaching clinic will be May 2-3.
The Jayhawk coach noted that his spring schedule encompasses only four weeks rather than the customary five. "If we run into some bad weather and don't get our 20 practices in by May 3," Rodgers aid, "we'll go a few days longer after the spring game."
--control and other small details are the things women tend to concentrate on and men tend to forget.
KU shooters know
Little things important
By JOE CHILDS
Kansan Sports Writer
Members of the KU Rifle Club are finding that it truly pays to keep your mind on what you're doing, and to play it straight—or at least to shoot straight.
The 'Blue' team, KU's best shooters, finished sixth with 1,050 points. The second team, Reds', slipped to 13th with a total score of 919, but the KU women's team ranked No. 1 in their division.
After a weekend of competition at the Rolla, Mo., NRA Invitational Inter-Collegiate Rifle Tournament this month, three KU rifle teams finished high in a field of 25 Midwestern teams.
The members of the championship squad are: Mary Arnold, Holton sophomore; Barbara Mattison, Newton freshman; Tana Monroe, Columbia, Mo., sophomore; and Sue Snowden, Atchison junior.
The fact that the Blue team is composed of four men is somewhat misleading, Maj. Perrenot explained. "Many of the best University teams in the country have women as members," he added.
Maj. Frederick Perrenot, coach of the Rifle Club-a 120-member organization-said the 15 best markmen are chosen for varsity competition.From these 15,a four-man Blue team is chosen with four others selected for the women's team.
"Physical make-up doesn't detract from shooting ability," Maj. Perrenot said, explaining why women are excellent marksmen. "Their psychological ability gives them the edge.
Gals are marksmen
"It's the small things that are important in shooting. Things like muscle control, trigger
12 KANSAN Feb. 21 1969
"Concentration is more than 50 per cent of a shooting technique. You can teach skills, but to be a good shooter you must have the power to concentrate," he said.
Rick Daly, St. Louis senior and captain of the Blue squad, even enlisted the help of a hypnotist to aid him in his
shooting concentration. Before Daly fires, he undergoes a process of self-hypnosis.
The pressure of a shooting match is so intense that "a good shooter comes off the firing line dripping wet from the mental strain of competition," the major said.
Rifle matches can be long and grueling, particularly the invitational matches—which generally run three days.
Hey Everybody It's dime time.
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No other sedan can make this statement.
"One trunk to a car" has been sedan dogma ever since sedans began.
(And why not? Isn't it obvious that a car can't have two trunks? After all, how can you add a trunk without subtracting an engine?)
Of course, while our Fastback may be the first two-trunked sedan, it's still a Volkswagen. So it can make a couple of more statements most other sedans can't make.
Well, you know how we worry about dogma,
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Average gas mileage: 27 mpg. The price:
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(What we did was to make the engine only 16 inches high and tuck it underneath the rear trunk.)
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Believers in the "one trunk to a car" dogma can call us heretics.
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AUTHORIZED
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