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University Daily Kansan Tuesday, April 16, 1963
Texas Team Enters Top Pole Vaulter
Last April when Texas Southern relay teams were cornering the silver market by winning 15 of 17 races offered on the Texas-Kansas-Drake Relays circuit, someone remarked to Coach Stan Wright it was too bad the Tigers didn't have any field men so they could cart home that hardware too.
"We do have some good ones,' smiled Wright. "We just didn't bring them along."
ONE OF THE "good ones" he'll bring into the 38th running of the Kansas Relays Friday and Saturday is Gerald Pratt, one of the recent additions to the swelling, but still elite class of 16-foot pole vaulters.
Fratt cleared $16 - \frac{1}{2}$ on his home lot at Houston to win the Texas Southern Relays three weeks ago. This scarcely was a surprise since Fratt had managed 15-7 a year ago while sitting out the one-year transfer rule. But his feat was significant for these reasons . . . (1) He became the 11th man in world history to write 16-0 on his fiberglass pole; (2) It was a new high for Texans (surpassed a week later by Rice's Fred Hansen, who climbed 16-1 in the Texas Relays); (3) The highest leap in history by a lefthander, and (4) The highest of all-time by a Negro.
Fratt does most of his vaulting off a runway of odd construction. Its most important ingredient is oyster shells. The shells . . . three inches of them . . . fit between six inches of sand and two-and-a-half of asphalt.
"SHELL SEEMS TO hold the asphalt better," Wright explains, "especially when it's hot weather. We think it gives more spring too. We buy them from a company in Houston that sells them commercially. They've used them down here a long time for street and driveway construction."
Lest all schools rush to build oyster shell runways for their vaulters, it should be noted that Pratt achieved his 16-½ off a plain asphalt surface. No shells.
"Getting this boy was just luck." Wright admits. "I met him at the 1961 California Relays when he was competing for Los Angeles City college. I knew he had relatives in Galveston and that gave us something to talk about.
"I GOT SOLD ON HIM when I found he'd paid his way from Los Angeles to New York to vault in the 1961 National AAU, riding a Grayhound bus all the way.
Jayhawks Defeat Wichita in Golf
Minus its number one golfer, the KU golf team defeated powerful Wichita University $11_{1/2}-9_{1/2}$ in dual competition at Wichita yesterday.
Sitting out the match was John Hanna, Lawrence junior, who did not make the trip because of a heavy Monday class schedule and tests.
Paul Carlson was the low scorer for the Jayhawkers with a 75. Former Kansas state amateur champion Johnny Stevens was low scorer for Wichita and the meet with a 70.
Stevens defeated Reid Holbrook, Kansas City junior, who played in the number one position yesterday. Holbrook shot an 82.
The Jayhawkers next action will be here Friday when they host Kansas State, Nebraska and Oklahoma at the Lawrence Country Club.
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University Daily Kansan SPORTS KU Nine Picks Up Third Straight Win
The Kansas Jayhawker baseball team picked up its third consecutive victory at the expense of Washburn 8-1 in a non-league encounter at Quigley Field yesterday.
Trailing 1-0 going into the second inning, the Jayhawkers scored four runs on three hits. Ralph Pagani's single with the bases loaded scored Keith Kimerer and Roger Brock, KU's winning pitcher.
The longest hit of the day was Dick Ruggles' triple which came in the sixth inning. Fanning, who had reached first on an infield error, scored on the play.
DON MILLER then scored on Keith Abercrombie's sacrifice fly ball. Pagani scored on Dick Fanning's single.
Kimerer's grounder to Frank Pickens, Washburn third baseman, accounted for two KU runs in the fifth inning. Ruggles and Jerry Brown scored when Pickens overthrew to first base. Kimerer advanced to third base on the error.
RUGGLES SCORED Miller in the eighth inning with a long fly ball to center field to conclude the Jayhawkers' scoring.
KU now has a 6-5 season record. Washburn's record is 3-3. The Jayhawkers next action will be a three game series at Manhattan Friday and Saturday.
The KU football team ran through light contact drills yesterday in the opening session of spring football drills.
Spring Football Begins
When the whistle blew, 84 candidates were ready for action. Of these, there were 23 of 26 returning lettermen. The three missing lettermen were center Larry Fairchild, who recently underwent a knee operation, fullback Willis Brooks, who is recovering from a shoulder operation, and slotback Lloyd Buzzi, who is not in school this semester but who will return for the fall semester.
Head Coach Jack Mitchell announced that there would be a scrimmage session at 9 a.m. Saturday. The Jayhawkers will also practice on Wednesday and Thursday.
"We're looking for our top 33 men regardless of position," Mitchell said. "If we can find 33 good ones, we might play three teams next fall."
There was one injury in practice yesterday. Sophomore fullback Kent Craft from Council Grove injured his knee. The extent of the injury is not known.
BALDWIN ART THEATER
Sidney Lumet's Brilliant
A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE
From a play by Arthur Miller with
RAF VALLONE, CAROL LAWRENCE, JULIAN SOREL plus
Award Winning Short
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