. THE MICHIGAN DAILY F iDiAY THE MICHIGAN DAILY FRIDAY. A. LIVALii 1 SOME PROBLEM? Lack of Depth Bothers Duffy by TOM ROLAND It's a not-so-optimistic Duffy Daughtery up in East Lansing this fall. The title-smashing defeats at the hands of Minnesota and Pur- due last year might have some- thing to-do with it. Even Daugh- erty is reluctant about sticking his neck out in the face of mounting Ruggers Practice. Tomorrow afternoon at 1:30 the first rugby practice of the season will be held at Wines Field. All interested are invited to attend. alumni pressure and-as was the case last year-into the noose of the mock capital punishment from the local natives. The graying Zeus of Michigan State football glory looked un- usually thoughtful as he spoke to newsmen or press day at Spartan stadium two weeks ago. "We are going to have to get our best 11 players on the field at one time," commented Daugherty. "Platoon- ing is a luxury -we won't be able to afford." Discussing Luxuries While the seven-year head coach veteran was solemnly discussing the luxuries he won't be able to afford, his center-line nucleus was standing in the background pos- ing for photographers. Dave Behrman, a trifle 253 lbs. stacked on a 6' 4" frame, will be up front at the center post- All-American and All-Big Ten last year, most improved lineman on the team last spring. He's the big- gest regular ever to play for State. Then next to Behrman on one side is George Azar, now starting his third year as first-string guard, and on the other side Charlie Brown, 5' 9" weighing 207. Someone asked Duffy about Playboy magazine's rating the Spartans as top. grid power in the nation. Playboy also picked Duffy as coach of the year. 'Humor Magazine' Duffy replied that, of course, Playboy was a "humor magazine," and that it was banned in East Lansing anyhow. While everyone chuckled at this, the remaining beef on the State front line plodded into view. MSU's B-boys at the tackles: the can't- be-missed, barrel-man, 247 lbs. of Jim Bobbitt (and all that rests on a 5' 8" foundation) and Ed Budde (who stands even with BehrmaA at 6' 4"; he weighs 234.) End Ernie Clark likes to play games with Duffy. Duffy throws Ernie bullet passes at point-blank range. And Ernie catches them- one-handed. Matt Snorton, 6' 4" and 235 lbs., guards the other flank. And then the matter of logis- tics came up. It seems fate has determined that every fourth MSU team will be a loser. Duffy found rough going in 1954, his first ;fear as head coach, and then again in 1958. And now, 1962. Not Superstitious, Says Duff: "I'm not supersitious -except that I believe it's bad luck to be behind at the end of a game. I'm much more con- cerned with some practical matters facing this 1962 Spartan team. "We will try to accomplish more with fewer proven players than any time since I've been around here. We're just hoping that the abilities in this squad will com- pensate for the lack of numbers." The news scavengers then broke up to watch State's number one backfield quartet in action. Michi- gan fans will remember quarter- back Pete Smith, who Duffy said "came into his own" against the Blue last year. Smith has the top signal-calling post right now, but Major League Standings AMERICAN LEAGUE is getting plenty of push from sophomore Charlie Migyanka, who starred during spring drills while Smith was playing baseball. Twist Champion Behind Smith: fullback and captain, George Saimes, who took an All-Big Ten slot last fall while taking twist honorssat campus dances, is back with his fast-step- ping 186 lbs. Saimes averaged 5.5 yds. per tote a year ago, starred with a two-touchdown effort that stifled an upset-bound Notre Dame eleven. State will be all speed in the halfback ranks. Sherman Lewis, whose 154 lbs. makes you think of a cute little boy reading comics in the corner drug store (he's only 5' 8"), has lighting agility. Taking first place in the Big Ten indoor broad jump and 300-yd. dash events in the spring, Lewis picked up 6.2 yds. a carry while scoring 38 points last year. - Dewey Lincoln holds down the other halfback slot. Named most improved back at the close of spring drills, Lincoln (5' 8", 177) was third leading groundgainer for State a year ago. Less Depth Duffy's right when he says State has less depth than in previous years. But he's got plenty to work with. Already familiar names like Lonnie Sanders, Herman Johnson, Ron Rubick, Earl Lattimer, and Mike Currie (Dan's brother) are giving the Spartans back-up power. It's been said that State prob- ably has the best first team in the conference-if not the coun- try. If Duffy can keep it intact while bringing up support from the inexperienced ranks the Spar- tans could well pose a threat to Ohio State's conference crown. You can bet that it's a very injury-concious Duffy Daugherty who holds his breath through every practice scrimmage. Myhra Signs New Contract FARGO, N. D. (P)-Steve Myhra, placekick specialist released by the Baltimore Colts, said yesterday he has agreed to terms with the San Diego Chargers of the American Football League. Myhra was contacted by the Chargers while visiting his wife and new baby here. He left yes- terday to join the AFL club. Myhra was told by San Diego coach Sid Gillman that he would be used in the Chargers' game Sunday. Myhra, graduate of North Dakota, was not claimed by other clubs in the National Football League in the 24-hour waiver period. New York Minnesota Los Angeles Chicago Detroit Baltimore Cleveland Boston Kansas City Washington ,w 88 83 82 77 74 73 72 70 65 57 L 61 66 66 71 73 75 76 78 82 93 Pct. .591 .557 .554 .520 .503 .493 ..486 .473 .442 .380 GB 5 512 13 M Y 1512 17 2 22 31 f2 hWINKS THINKS "T HAS BEEN common practice around this time of year for mem- bers of The Daily sports staff to reflect, ponder, and conjecture about Michigan football prospects for the coming season." Many years ago the above statement in a Daily editorial might well have been the prelude to an optimistic prediction of great things in store for Wolverine fans in the very near future. Lately, however, Michigan football columns. have lacked the glamour and strong feel- ing of pertinence associated with a winning team. This is not to say that Michigan has tumbled to an obsolete aggregate of rank amateurs on the gridiron; neither is it the case that Daily sportswriters have lost the ability to glamorize, overstate, plagiarize, and editorialize either. Football at Michigan is far from de-emphasized. The certain half-tangible feeling that football will not be too rewarding, which gains momentum as the season gets underway, does not derive from any de-emphasis of football on the part of either adminis- tration or coaching staff. The apology that becomes necessary to one's friends at Ohio State or Michigan State in August is not the fault of a lack of excitement for football in Ann Arbor - attendance records at Michigan belie this conjecture. Football at Michigan is just about or, perhaps, more ex- citing than college football anywhere else in the country. Mediocrity Hurts .,. THE FACTS ARE, unfortunately, that Michigan can no longer boast of one of the only good teams, bands, stadiums, or even cheer- leaders in the country. The facts are that, on paper at least, there does 'not seem to be that special "something" in the air concomitant with having the country's ONLY decent marching band, ONLY gi- gantic stadium, and ONLY exciting football team. There is no secret as to why people around Ann Arbor must tread lightly when mentioning football. The feeling that one wit- nesses football together with 100,000 other spectators is not made any less exciting because one knows that he can do the same somewhere else. The sound of the Michigan Marching Band is no less spectacular merely because Illinois, Purdue, and even Michigan State have fine bands. The defensive attitude toward Michigan football stems from only one thing: fear of another mediocre, or worse yet, losing team. The painfully obvious fact that the last appearance of a Wolver- ine squad in the Rose Bowl was January 1, 1951, is somewhat humil- iating and, to some, tinged with tragedy. Even more delicate is the embarrassing problem of not having beaten Michigan State since 1955, an interim of seven long years. Many fans are content to believe that the less said about foot- ball this fall by Daily sportswriters or anyone else, the better. These people, with a carefully conditioned apathy, prefer to sink their excitement in more optimistic ground than Michigan football: ex- perience is a great teacher for some. Yet amid all the seeming gloom attendant upon the opening of this season's grid endeavors, I feel it my obligation to briefly recount the ups and downs of a season which began with a comparable de- spondency, aggravated by an early showing which merited the pessimism. Tables Turn .. THE WOLVERINES blazed their way to a 2-3-1 mark with only three Big Ten games remaining in their schedule. Their conference record stood at one win, one loss, and one tie. The squad was injury- riddled and Daily headlines emphasized a "rebuilding job." Michigan faced tough Indiana and Northwestern. They would climax the year with an away game against unbeaten Ohio State. That November eleventh did not smell of roses any more than it does today. However, things began to happen. Michigan defeated Indiana 20-7 and disposed of Northwestern 34-23 while Ohio State lost two Big Ten encounters. Nevertheless, on November 25 Illinois, was fa- vored for the conference crown in the event the Wolverines upset the heavily favored Buckeyes. The rest is now hjistory. The year was 1950. Both Northwestern and Michigan upset their traditional rivals, enabling the Wolver- ines to capture the conference crown and compete in'the Rse Bowl. Michigan even beat California 14-6 in the New Years' elassic. This is where the happy story ends. The year is now 1962. Nobody is talking Roses and no one would be listening probably if they were. Michigan faces a desperately tough schedule and the squad is again beset by inexperienced men at key positions. Enough has been said. I am not willing to stick my neck out, either, at this time with outlandish predictions. Let me just add in closing, though; that apathy is NOT the only answer. Hopefully, (very hopefully indeed) maybe some day this, my first column may be remembered as the initiator of a victorious Rose Bowl bandwagon. I YESTERDAY'S RESULTS Detroit 14, Boston 6 (first game; second game cancelled, rain) Minnesota 5, Chicago 1 Kansas City 5, Los Angeles 4 Baltimore 7, Washington 1 (Only games scheduled) TODAY'S GAMES New York at Boston (n) Chicago at Washington (n) Baltimoreat Kansas City (n) Cleveland at Minnesota (n) Detroit at Los Angeles (n) WE INVITE YOU TO VISIT ANN ARBOR'S FINEST JEWELRY AND GIFT STORE :.., :. s i" | 5::.:o-;: NATIONAL Los Angeles San Francisco Cincinnati Pittsburgh St. Louis Milwaukee Philadelphia' Houston Chicago New York LEAGUE W L Pct. 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