PAGE EIGUT
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
TUESDAY, AUGUST 34, 1966
PAGE EIGHT TIlE MICHIGAN DAILY TUESDAY, AUGUST 30. 1966
V
Thinclads Miss
itles, But ophs Lift Hopes for '67
By BOB McFARLAND
Success, like time, is relative.
Even though Albert Einstein
never explicitly stated just such
a relationship, veteran observers
of Big Ten track will recognize
the truth of this statement which
was amply proven by the Wolver-
ine cindermen's performance dur-
ing the 1966 season.
Michigan managed a highly re-
spectable fourth place finish in-
doors and pulled off a tie for third
in the great outdoors, which does
not look bad in any man's record
book. Except, perhaps. . . Perhaps,
if these marks were compared to
the numerous titles which the
Wolverine squads have amassed
under the direction of head coach
Don Canham (seven indoor crowns
and four outdoor championships
in the past decade), then things
don't look so rosy.
Yes, a performance which would
make nine out of ten coaches in
the Western Conference sleep a
little easier at night wasn't ex-
actly welcomed with a red carpet
in Ann Arbor. For the Michigan
thinclads to be out of contention
for the Big Ten title is compar-
able to the New York Mets being
in the running for the National
League Pennant. But it happened
to the Wolverines and a literal
success turned into a relative fail-
ure.
Good, Not Great
The Michigan tracksters were
a
good team, but not a great one,
and for a good team to win, every-
thing has to click at the same
time. And everything didn't. Who
expected that Big Ten record-
holder George Canamare, the Wol-
verine captain for 1966, would fail
to place in the pole vault cham-
pionship indoors, or that Dorie
Reid, the Big Ten titlist in the 60-
and 100-yard dash in 1965, would
compete the entire season without
a single triumph?
Taking up some of the slack,
runners like junior Jim Mercer
and sophomore Ken Coffin made
up for the failures of their more
established teammates frequently,
this pair turning in a surprising
1-2 finish in the Big Ten indoors.
When the Wolverines were pitted
against the eventual conference
champions though, it just wasn't
enough.
Spartans Romp
The Michigan State Spartans
lived up to their name in scoring
runaway victories in both the in-
door and outdoor Western Confer-
ence meets, the only description
for their performance being over-
whelming. In fact, the MSU cin-
dermen were so overwhelming that
many of their opponents probably
wished they were engaging the
hardy citizens of the ancient
Greek city-state rather than their
modern-day counterparts from
East Lansing.
Michigan State dominated the
hurdles like General Motors domi-
nates the auto industry, sweeping
the first three places in both the
highs and lows indoors, and gar-
nering the top spot in both out-
door hurdle events. Gene Wash-
Jones led the Spartan onslaught
ington, Bob Steele, and Clint
in this department.
Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota,
in addition to the Wolverines and
Michigan State, filled out the first
division of Big Ten track for 1966.
Field Strength
As far as the Michigan thin-
clads were concerned, whoever in-
vented track and field would have
been much wiser if the track had
Senior
Suit
been left out of it. The Wolver-
ines earned three firsts, a sec-
ond, and a third in the field sports
at the outdoor finals in Blooming-
ton, but were not nearly as suc-
cessful on the running part of the
program.
The major reason for the wins
on the infield was a burly Michi-
gan athlete by. the name of Jack
Harvey, captain-elect for the 1967
season. Harvey made throwing the
shot put look as easy as flicking
an oversized BB, snapping both
the indoor and outdoor confer-
ence marks. According to head
coach Canham, the notable thing
about Harvey's performance is his
size. Although he weighs 235
pounds, the Wolverine senior,
Canham points out, "is not like
some of these giants who can drop
the shot farther than most guys
throw it."
Two Top Shotputters
No, Harvey's not dropping the
16-pound iron by any means. One
of his efforts at the Big Ten in-
doors, a 57' put, resembled a base-
ball pitch more than the charac-
teristic high-arcing tosses of his
specialty. Backing up Harvey in
the shot put, Wolverine Steve
Leuchtman also returns, after
having turned in a fifth place and
a third place performance in the
conference meets.
Retiring c a p t a i n Canamare
added strength in the field events
with his consistent 15'-plus vaults.
After his disappointing showing at
the indoor meet, he soared back
literally, tying for third place in
the NCAA championships at Cobo
Hall, and flying to second place in
the conference outdoor meet.
Without the assistance of a fi-
berglass pole, Michigan sophomore
Rick Hunt demonstrated that a
man can get fairly high, as he
cleared the bar at 6'6 ", good
enough to win the conference
title.
Donnelly Wins Discus
Now-graduated Bob D o n n e 11 y
complimented Harvey and Leucht-
man's shot p u t t i n g exhibitions
with a conference title in the dis-
cus. He hurled the plate 166'51/2"
to win his first Big Ten crown
this spring. The Wolverines were
not weak in the field.
Placing second behind the fleet-
footed Steve Whipple of Wiscon-
sin in the Western Conference
outdoor carnival, another depart-
ing Wolverine, Bob Gerometta,
tore off the 440-yard distance in
:48.1. Unfortunately, only three
other teammates joined him in
picking up medals for running ef-
forts.
Cecil Norde, a senior, and Mercer
grabbed third and fourth place,
respectively, in the 880-yard run,
following in the wake of young
Spartan John Spain, who knocked
two seconds off the old record as
he covered the course in 1:48 flat.
The only other Michigan thinclad
See SOPHS, Page 10
00
of
University
Men
!
~ .
4 _
HIGH JUMPER RICK HUNT sizes up the bar before trying for
a Big Ten record at 7'4". Hunt failed in his attempts but won the
high jump title with a leap of 6'63/," last year as a sophomore.
DIeans ate
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GEORGE CANAMARE GOES over the bar at 15'4" in the Big Ten
outdoor track championships. Canamare finished second in the
event. In his junior year, Canamare set a conference record,
clearing the bar at 15' 91/".
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