Tuesdoy, April 17, 1973
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Eleven
Tuesday, April 17, 1973 THE MICHIGAN DAILY
TEN
ROWS
DEEP
-Bob Heuer ---
LOLICH GETS SOME RUNS:
Tigers outbelt Bosox
-q.s
Godfrey Dillard.*.
* overcomg
REMEMBER THE STORIES of James Meredith, Dick Gregory
and other trailblazing "Negroes" who broke into lilly-white
Southern institutions back in the sixties? The recently concluded
intramural basketball season surprisingly unearthed another
similar, but less successful story.
The Law Gold cagers, playing in the independent division
I.M. league completed an undefeated season by winning the all
campus championship. Then, in the first Big Ten Intramural
Basketball Tournament, Law Gold levelled the opposition, beating
the host team Minnesota for the title.
Hurray! At least one Michigan basketball team did some-
thing this year. But so what? Well, one Godfrey Dillard, a
senior law student and sparkplug of the Law Gold team, played
some undergraduate ball at Vanderbilt a few years back. To
refresh your memory, Vanderbilt was one of those lilly-white
Southern institutions back in 1966.
During that year, Dillard graduated from high school in
Detroit and chose Vanderbilt over a number of other schools
because it combined good academics with a top flight basket-
ball program. It also made him the first black player, both
at Vanderbilt and in the entire Southeastern Conference, in-
cluding big-timers Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Alabama and
Auburn.
Dillard and Perry Wallace, an I
other black from Nashville, en
rolled simultaneously in 1966. Wal
lace was a softspoken, hometownh
boy who didn't make waves; while x
Dillard in his own words, was a
cocky, flambuoyant Northerner"r
used to having his own way. He
had gotten along fine growing upa
and playing basketball with white Godfrey Dillard
boys and anticipated no new problems adjusting to life in the
still .segregated South. But at Vanderbilt, things started out
badly, and got considerably worse.
"I'll never forget the first week I was there," he relates.
"A few of us (blacks) were walking across campus to get a
hamburger. Some white guys were sitting under a tree drinking
beer. They came over and started giving us trouble. Then one of
'em slapped me.
"I was stunned. I just wasn't used to that kind of treatment.
I didn't retaliate, maybe because we were outnumbered or just
scared. But I'll never forget his face."
The pressures didn't exactly subside when Dillard began
his freshman basketball season. Word got around the SEC that
he and Perry Wallace were doing big things for the Vanderbilt
freshmen. The reaction was quick and volatile.
At Mississippi State, Dillard remained on the bench while 1
his teammates dressed and retired to the stands to watch the
varsity contest. Four policemen were needed to shield him
from the hostile fans. Alabama cancelled their scheduled t
freshman game with Vanderbilt entirely.'
Despite the constant pressure, Dillard averaged nearly 20
points a game in a successful frosh campaign and was ready to l
step into a starting varsity spot when a knee injury shelved him r
for the entire season. During his moratorium from basketball in
1968, Dillard began concentrating more on academic affairs. He
improved his class standing and also organized an Afro-American l
Society on campus.t
Under Dillard's leadership the group brought speakers
such as Rap Brown, Stokely Carmichael, and Julian Bond to 1
Vanderbilt. His political activities didn't sit well with basket-
ball coach Roy Skinner and the athletic department. Or in
Godfrey's words, "They told me to cut that shit out."
Nevertheless, at the outset of his junior year, Dillard was l
told by an assistant coach that he would be in the starting line-up
when the season began. Then, after arranging an appearance by t
Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver rumor had it that "Godfrey <
Dillard would never start again for Vanderbilt."
When the '68-69 season began, Dillard did not start. But he
saw plenty of action coming off the bench. He averaged around 1
15 points a game playing guard for a Vanderbilt team ranked
third in the nation, behind UCLA and Houston. But as the
season wore. on, the team started losing and Skinner got more
and more down on Dillard.
"Skinner offered no help whatsoever," he explained. "And
the assistant coach, who alone had any faith in me, got sick
and eventually died. It was hard enough to play with my
mind clear. But they destroyed my attitude and just broke
me. I finally quit the team and left school in the middle of my
junior year."
Dillard spent the next year and a half at Eastern Michigan.
He got accepted in the Michigan Law School in 1970 and is now
completing his third and final year here. But as he explains,
the time spent at Eastern was filled with introspection and self
doubt.
"I had a lot of second thoughts then, about leaving Vander-
bilt," he recalls. "I had always been taught never to quit, and
it really bothered me to have just walked out. But I'm convinced
now that it was the best decision of my life."
Dillard compared his experience at Vanderbilt to the
treatment many athletes, especially blacks, receive at Michi-
gan and all over the country. "They never thought of me as a
human being," he said. "During the season I was only a
basketball player, and after the season I was nothing. I
believe that I was before my time at Vanderbilt," he con-
tinued. "They weren't ready for the kind of game I played.
Nowadays, blacks can play their own game. Back then I had
to adjust. I guest that goes with being first."
Vanderbilt apparently learned a lesson of sorts from their
experience with Godfrey DiPard, at least in their own minds.
Roy Skinner is still the coach. And in an age when Alabama
now starts five blacks, Vanderbilt has, in the last five years,
recruited the sum total of one black basketball player.
R REGULA TION
JUNGLE BOOTS
CANAS TOP
BOSTON JP)-The Detroit Tigers
had an 8-1 lead over the Boston
Red Sox at the end of four innings
Monday and it looked like an easy
victory.
"It looked like a laugher, but it
wasn't," said Detroit Manager
Billy Martin after his club had
hung on for a 9-7 victory before
a Patriots Day crowd of 29,006.
"You can never get in front in
this park," Martin said. "I re-
member once we were playing the
Sox here and they were leading
9-0, but we beat them 15-10."
The Sox scored two runs on a
Reggie Smith homer in the sixth,
one on a sacrifice fly by Dwight
Evans in the seventh, another on
a solo homer by Smith in the
eighth, and two on Carlton Fisk's
homer in the ninth.
After Doug Griffin grounded out,
Evans and Tommy Harier walked.
However, Luis Aparicio and Danny
Cater were retired and the Tigers
were victorious.
Powerful Willie Horton had made
the score 8-1 in the fourth when he
slammed his first home run of the
year, connecting with two on.
daily
sports
NIGHT EDITORS:
THERESA SWEDO
ROGER ROSSITER
"I got a slider," he said, talking.
about the last pitch thrown by
Boston starter Marty Pattin. "I
made up my mind I was going to
hit the ball hard. I pulled it."
Horton's drive, his first homer
of the season, followed an inten-
tional walk to Gates Brown after
Al Kaline and Norm Cash had
rapped consecutive doubles in the
fourth inning. It climaxed De-
troit's second four-tun outburst
against Marty Pattin, 1-1, and en-
abled the Tigers to offset four
Boston homers, two by Reggie
Smith.
The Tigers had tagged Pattin
for four runs in the first inning on
run-producing singles by Cash,
Brown, Aurelio Rodriguez and
Mickey Stanley.
Tony Taylor homered in the
eighth off reliever Bill Lee for
Detroit's final run.
Rico Petrocelli hit a solo homer
for the Red Sox in the fourth off
Mickey Lolich, 1-2. .Smith connect-
ed with one on in the sixth and
again with the bases empty in the
eighth.
Carlton Fisk, who doubled and
scored on Dwight Evans' sacrifice
fly in the seventh, slugged a two-
run homer in the ninth off reliever
Lerrin LaGrow.
Boston manager Eddie Kasko,
was ejected in the third inning
after protesting a called third
strike on the. Red Sox' Doug Grif-
fin.
AP Photo
DETROIT TIGERS' rightfielder Al Kaline (6) slides safely into third base ahead of Rico Petrocelli's
tag in the second inning of the Tigers' 9-7 triumph over Boston yesterday. A Patriot's Day crowd
of 29,006 witnessed the contest, but all went home disappointed as four BoSox homers could not
keep Mickey Lolich from posting his first Bengal victory of the 1973 campaign.
Major League Standings
American League
East
National League
lSOn
DETROIT (A)-Johnny Wilson,
dismissed last Friday as coach
of the Detroit Red Wings of the
National Hockey League, fired
repeated volleys of criticism at
the team's front office during a
news c o n f e r e n c e yesterday.
"Everybody was coaching this
hockey club and they all -had
their own ideas," he said.
Wilson said there were count-
less meetings during the season
. HARKNESS, BISHOP CITED
blasts Red Wing brass
Baltimore
Boston
Detroit
Cleveland
N.ew York
Milwaukee
Kansas City
Minnesota
Caifornia
Texas
Chicago
Oakland
w
6
4
4
3
3
L
2
2
4
S
4
Pet. GB
.750 --
.667 2
.500 2
.375 3
.373 3
.333 3
Pittsburgh
New York
Chicago
Montreal
Philadelphia
St._ Louis
East
w
5
4
3
3
1
L
1.
2
3,
4,
4,
7
Pet. GB
.833 -
.714
.571 1
.429 2%
.429 2s/
.12.5 5
West
in which he was called on the
carpet by General Manager Ned
Harkness and Executive Director
Jim Bishop.
"Even when we won the first
six games of the season I was
criticized by them," he said.
"They would say I didn't do
this right, I didn't do that right,
I should bench certain players,
etc."
Wilson, well-liked by sports
writers and fans, said: "Any
Ruggers stage comeback
to take third straight win
By CHUCK DRUKIS
The Michigan Rugby Football Club finished strong, beating Illinois
14-12 Sunday afternoon for their third consecutive victory after suc-
cumbing to Ohio State in the preliminary round of the Big Ten
Tournament in East Lansing.
Peter Hooper recovered a Cleland Child kick into the corner with
two minutes remaining in the match to pull the game out after
Illinois had taken a 12-4 advantage early in the second half.
Meanwhile, underdog Minnesota stunned the heavily favored
Buckeyes 21-3 for the championship in what may rank as the biggest
upset in the history of Big Ten rugby.
Michigan took an early 4-0 lead when Child burst around the scrum
after the Blue won the heel and Ibolted between an off guard Illini
backfield. The Daley State, however, narrowed the halftime margin
to one with a converted penalty kick.
After the second half kickoff, Illinois took advantage of several
Michigan defensive lapses to convert another penalty kick and a
converted try.
The Blue, hustling back into enemy territory, narrowed the
difference to 12-10 as Quentin Lawson ran 25 yards through numerous
Illini tacklers for the try and Child converted, setting up an opportunity
for Hooper's last moment heroics.
Captain Walt Hooloway commented after the victory, "I'm not
too disappointed about our performance with the exception of the Ohio
State ganie. In the rest of our matches we've finally come up with a
good backfield combination that will help us in the NCAA Tournament
This Friday the*Blue will host Chicago Amoco in a night game on
Ferry Field. Next week the Blue will have an off date before making
a bid for the National Collegiate title at Palmer College in Davenport,
Iowa.
coach is a little stubborn and
likes to do things his own way."
But he said Harkness, Bishop
and other front-office personnel
wouldn't let him.
The 43-year-old Wilson said
that "except for two or three
times in which he sat in on meet-
ings, at no time did they bring
in Gordie (Howe) or consult with
him."
He referred to former Wing
superstar Gordie Howe, a vice-
president in the organization.
"It's a shame we didn't use his
knowledge," said the calm, cool
Wilson.
The Wings announced the firing
of Wilson late Friday in a terse,
several graph release over a
Netters wetted
The Wolverine t e n n i s team
was forced back to practicing
indoors yesterday when their
scheduled match with Western
Michigan - was r a i n e d out.
Mother Nature permitting, the
netmen will take on Toledo to-
morrow on their own Varsity
Courts.
public relations news wire.
Harkness, who said he made
the final decision, said the firing
came because Wilson failed to
put Detroit in the NHL playoffs.
Poll results
Here are the winners of the
recent Michigan Daily Athletic
Achievement balloting.
Jerry Hubbard was voted by
Michigan students as athlete of
the year, wrestling coach Rick
Bay was named coach of the
year, and the Michigan-Purdue
football game was singled out
as the most exciting moment in
the last 12 months of Wolverine
sports.
The Red Wings' front office
called a news conference for to-
day and will likely try to rebut
some of Wilson's statements.
Wilson said Harkness and Bis-
hop suggested he spot-play team
captain Alex Delvecchio, the
42-year-old star center who play-
ed regularly and finished with 72
points.
He also said among the things
that annoyed the front office were
players Ron Stackhouse, Delvec-
chio and Mickey Redmond grow-
ing mustaches.
7
4
s
3
3
3
3
4
5
.77&
.571
.500
.400
.333
.286
2
3
4
Cincinnati
San Francisco
IHouston
San Diego
Los Angeles
Atlanta
' ~ Yestl
West
7
5
5
4
3
3
4
6
6
6
. 0
.636
.455
.455
.400
.333
terday's Results
Yesterday's Results
Detroit 9, Boston 7
Other clubs not scheduled
Today's Games
Detroit at Boston
California at Minnesota
Texas at Chicago
Milwaukee at Cleveland, night
New York at Baltimore, night
Oakland at Kansas City, night
Cincinnati at San Diego, Inc.
Houston at Los Angeles, inc.
Other clubs not scheduled
Today's Games
Chicago at New York
Philadelphia at Montreal
Pittsburgh at St. Louis, night
Atlanta at San Francisco, 2, twinight
Cincinnati at San Diego, night
Houston at Los Angeles, night
-
2%
2%
3
GARGOYLE
RETURNS!
(campus humor magazine)
MASS MEETING
Wednesday, April 18-8:00 P.M.
Student Publications Bldg.
420 Maynard
for info: CALL 663-7747
With TWA
it pays to be youn.L,
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A free pack (ull of eveiything you need
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