Friday, April 17, 1964
University Daily Kansan
Page 7
SOONER PERFORMERS—Led by Anthony Watson (far right), the performers from Oklahoma are expected to be here this weekend for the KU RELAYS.
From left, they are John English, Preston Bagley, Mike Hewitt, Walt Mizell and Watson, a spinner and broad jumper who is considered an Olympics prospect.
Sayers' Spikes Still Flying in Memorial Stadium
Gale Sayers, who is best known for playing football in Memorial Stadium, will be competing in his first KU Relays here this weekend.
Sayers, KU's all-America half-back, is scheduled to compete in the low and high hurdles and the broad jump events.
Up to this year, it was frowned upon—to put it mildly—for football players to miss spring drills and participate in spring sports.
But, because of a change of policy in the athletic department, the players are being allowed to make themselves available for spring sports.
AND GAYLE SAVERS isn't the only football player who has taken
advantage of this change in policy
Steve Renko, Harley Catlin and Jim Shanks are members of the baseball team. Dave Crandall,
Lloyd Buzzi and Brian Schweda are competing in track.
PROBLEMS FOR SAYERS early in the season were getting into
"I didn't decide to go out for track because of the change," Sayers says. "I just decided to go out for track because I figured it would build up my speed."
After only a week's practice, Sayers placed fourth in the low hurdles in the Big Eight indoor meet in February. His first outdoor action came earlier this month in the Texas Relays at Austin.
shape and reviving the form that placed him in the national high school track spotlight as a senior.
Sayers' 24-10% leap as a senior at Omaha Central High School gave him the nation's best prep broad jump of the season.
The same year he ran the 120- yard high hurdles in :14.5, a time lower than the existing state record, and ran the 180-yard low hurdles in :19.7.
Savers, who led the nation in rushing most weeks last season, broke at least one record in every meet as a senior. In what he considers his best meet, he broke records in his three specialties and ran a leg of the record-
NOT ONLY DOES Galloping Gale think track will increase his speed, he also thinks it will help him be in better condition for football next fall.
breaking 880-yard relay team.
"I plan to work out all summer long," he says. "If I didn't go out for track, I'd probably have trouble getting myself to work."
"But, with track running into June anyway, it won't be any problem."
AND, IN CASE you're interested, here's Sayers' predictions for Jayhawker football in 1964:
"We should win 11 straight—10 on the schedule and the bowl game. We've got all the horses. "We're two deep in all positions, and in some positions three deep.
"Oklahoma should be tough again in the conference, but I don't see how we can lose. Syracuse will be a problem, too. They'll be tough because they've got a lot of boys back, too."
New Facilities, Events in Relays
The 39th Kansas Relays field will have an expanded card and improved facilities.
Meet Director Bill Easton has added one new event, the 400-meter dash in the open class, and three new events, the mile steeplechase, triple jump, and 330 intermediate hurdles, in the high school division.
"There is a good field available for this event." Easton explained in regard to addition of the open quarter, which never has been run here. "Too, it is an Olympic event and this is an Olympic year."
The three new prep events will be counterparts of three traditional open events. The triple jump, once included only on Olympic years, has been a fixture here since 1952. The steeplechase stretches over 2000 meters for university, college and post-grad contenders; the intermediate hurdles over 400 meters.
They, too, were added to the permanent card in 52. The three new schoolboy events also will be annual affairs.
"We are trying to offer Kansas high school distance men something to run in the spring," Easton said. "Cross country has grown tremendously in this state, plus the foot of the emphasis in this country is more and more toward Olympic events and the Kansas Relays always has offered collegians, and post-grads an opportunity to compete in these."
IT WILL BE an invitational affair, with a limit of six men. Invitations already have been issued to Earl Young, a former Olympian; Ray Sadler, Texas Southern; Charles Strong, four-time Big Eight champion from Oklahoma State, and Ollan Cassell, formerly of Houston. All have run close to 46.0 in open competition. All but Sadlier are post-grads.
into Memorial Stadium for Relays weekend.
Pole-vaulters and high-jumpers will draw an extra bonus with addition of foam-rubber pits which will replace the old sand-sawdust landing areas in these two events. Kansas used these pits during the Indoor season and will wheel both
The steeplechase water-jump already has been dredged and track resurfacing has begun.
Relays writers and broadcasters will be working out of the new Jay-hawker press box, a 97" x 20" concrete structure, for the first time. This was ready for the 1963 football season, but last year's earnival was covered in the old box amidst the confusion of stadium expansion.
BEST NEWS FOR competitors will be pouring of all-weather rubberized asphalt runways and take-offs for all four jumping events. Construction of the new surfaces was begun recently. Heavy rain formerly forced the leapers into swampy going, which grew progressively worse in every round.
Some of the eager scribes started dismantling the old box at the close of 1563.
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