M Rugby Club v. Louisville Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Mitchell Field SPORTS Michigan Hall of Honor Banquet September 21, 5:30 p.m. Crisler Arena for tickets, call 763-6870 Page 7 The Michigan Daily Thursday, September 20, 1984 ON WISCONSIN 'Crazylegs' badgered By CHRIS GERBASI Still "Crazy" after all these years. To his friends, that's what Elroy Hir- sch is: The former Wisconsin football star is better known and still known as "Crazylegs," and he'll wind his way in- to Ann Arbor this weekend for a dual purpose. TOMORROW EVENING, Hirsch, who serves (swerves?) as Wisconsin's athletic director, will be officially in- ducted into the Michigan Hall of Honor. On Saturday, he'll watch the Badgers attempt to knock off the Wolverines on the gridiron. No, the university is not opening the Hall doors to former Wisconsin athletes, but some people forget that Hirsch played for one year, 1943, at Michigan after two years at Madison. "I was in the V-12 (training) program for Marines and the different services went to different places. The college students were at the unit at U- of-M because it was the only one in the Midwest," the Wisconsin native ex- plained. "We took courses dictated by the Marines and we could only leave the base for 48 hours so we had to play Friday and Saturday night basketball games." AND HOW he played. It was a brief but spectacular career as a Wolverine for Hirsch, who garnered letters in football, basketball, baseball and track, becoming the only Michigan athlete ever to do so in one year. Don Lund, a friend and former teammate of Hirsch's who will also be inducted tomorrow, remembers "Crazylegs" as being a very deter- mined athlete. "That year the Big Ten track cham- pionship was in Champaign, Illinois. Elroy went on Friday and competed in the broad jump," Lund recalled. "He finished second or third and got some points for his team. That night, our equipment manager, Henry Hatch, drove him to Bloomington, where we were playing a doubleheader against Indiana, and Elroy pitched onegame the next day. He was a very com- petitive guy." HIS TEAMMATES didn't call him "Crazylegs" in college, but the running style which would earn him one of the all-time great sports nicknames was evident in the versatile Wolverine. "He ran with his knees together and his lower legs kind of flipped out to the sides," Lund said. "It was a very unique way of running." Hirsch finally picked up the name while playing for the Chicago Rockets in the professional All-American Con- ference. "MY LEFT FOOT points out further than my right and (when walking) my leg has to swivel, if you will, to make the next step," said Hirsch. "The faster I would try to run, the more I would wobble. A sportswriter in Chicago, Francis Powers, game me the name and it stuck." After a short stint in Chicago, Hirsch moved on to Los Angeles, where he established himself as one of the first and best flankers in pro football. His most memorable year was 1951, when the Rams won the NFL cham- to Hall pionship and Hirsch set receiving records of 1,495 yards and 17 touch- downs. He ended his career after the 1957 season with 343 receptions, good enough to earn him induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968. HIRSCH SERVED as general manager of the Rams for 10 years before the athletic director's job at Wisconsin became available in 1969. "They were making a change over there and some of the alumni urged me to apply," Hirsch said. "It was (a hard decision). I (had) lived in L.A. for 19 years, I had two children in school and the weather was a consideration. But as it turned out, that wasn't really a fac- tor. I've been here 16 years and my blood's a lot thicker now." In those 16 years, Hirsch is proud of the fact that he has helped put Wiscon- sin's athletic budget in the black and upgraded the athletic facilities. "WE HAVE a solid foundation," said Hirsch. "We don't just concentrate on one sport, we have a well-rounded overall program. Rookies lead Tigers over Brewers, 4-2 By JOE EWING Special to the Daily DETROIT - With the American League East title already in the bag, the Tigers decided to take it easy and call out the reserves last night. And the reserves were all they needed to down the Milwaukee Brewers 4-2. The Detroiters got a 3-for-4 per- formance from reserve outfielder Nelson Simmons and some solid in- field from backups Scotty Earl and Doug Baker to help complete the three-game sweep of the Brew Crew. MILWAUKEE opened up the scoring in the second inning when Roy Howell ripped a 2-2 Jack Morris fastball into the upper-deck seats. But the Tigers bounced back in the bottom of the second stanza, pushing across three runs off starter To Can- diotti. Howard Johnson and Sim- mons led off the inning with the back-to-back singles and then John- son scored when Baker hit into a fielder's choice. After the runners advanced on a wild pitch, back-up catcher Dwight Lowry brought Simmons home with a grounder to first. Earl then followed with a triple to score Baker. The Tigers completed their scoring in the third when Johnson and Simmons again hit back-to-back singles and then Mike Laga ripped a one-bagger up the middle. ONJOSTENS GOLD COLEGE RINGS. Obviously, Hirsch will be rooting for the football part of that program Satur- day, but he still has close ties to Michigan. "Don Canham and I are very good friends, and I keep in touch with a lot of former athletes. I played with a heckuva bunch of guys. We had great comaraderie and it was a great ex- perience." Some of those friends, such as Lund, will no doubt be present at the banquet tomorrow, and Hirsch will be proud of the company. "It's a special honor (to be inducted). y Especially since I'm a Wisconsin man originally, and to go over and join all the great athletes at Michigan. It's a helluva thrill." Five other former 'M' greats will join Hirsch and Lund to enter the Hall, but the name that stands out is "Crazylegs." "People still call me 'Legs'," Hirsch said, laughing. "Or just 'Crazy'." Even after all these years. Then and now: Elroy Hirsch as a four-sport star at Michigan in 1943, and today (inset). "Crazylegs" is currently Wisconsin's athletic director. See your Jostens representative. He'll be at Ulrich's Monday, Sept. 17-Friday, Sept. 21, from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm to answer questions and show you the entire Josten's line of gold rings. IM softballers psyched for new season Psi Upsilon 'B' 12, ZBT 'B' 11 The Psi Upsilon 'B' softball team squeezed out a win from the ZBT 'B' squad. The Psi U's started the game off with a five run rally. The ZBT's, however, kept the game close. Had the game ended at 8:15 because of darkness, the Psi U's would have lost. IM Update But by tying the game in the sixth in- ning, 11-11, and taking the lead in the seventh, the Psi U's captured the win. Highlights of the game, were a gran- d slam homerun by catcher David Boyle, consistent hitting by President Pat Fishman (4 for 4), and Ken Messingschlager's running catch to save the game. Bebs 5, Those Big Guys 0 The Bebs beat Those Big Guys Sun- day night without even performing one spectacular play. The Bebs said they are proud they kept the Big Guys to only three hits. According to their manager, Bryan Goke, "everyone played a great game.'' The Idols 4, Navy 3 The Idols took the Navy softball team for a quick win Sunday night. The Idols were ahead "all the way through" ac- cording to their manager Dave Muhler. However, in the sixth inning Navy put runners on second and third before an easy grounder to third ended the inning. John Gaines pitched for the Idols giving up four runs. Dave Muhler and Kevin Shreck both hit homeruns for the triumphant Idols. Sigma Alpha Mu 'A' 31, Chi Psi Lodgers 'B' 2 The Sigma Alpha Mu 'A' softball team annihilated the Chi Psi 'B' team 31-2 in the first softball game for each team Monday night. The win came as no surprise for the Sammies. This week's IM roundup was compiled by Daily sports writer Susie Warner. Main Store: 549 East University Electronics Showroom: 1110 South University Ann Arbor, MI 48104 (313)662-3201 5O th Anniversary A MORE THAN A BOOKSTORE IM Scores I MONDAY'S RESULTS INDEPENDENT Hobgoblins 7, Brody-Kinin Bunch 3 Schtuppers 11, Pirahnas 2 Whitehouse 6, Mugambo Hunters 4 Those Big Dudes 9, Guam Bombers 6 Bill Team 14, Alpha Tau Omega 4 Judeo-Christian Assn. 11, Environmental Law 3 G/F/S Whimsical Ipse Dixits 15, Molars 8 M-1-Scalpels 15. Legal Soul 12 Sigma Alpha Epsilon 'B' 9, Alpiha Epsilon Pi'B' 3 Sigma Alpha Mu 'A' 31, Chi Psi Lougers 'B' 2 TUESDAY'S RESULTS INDEPENDENT Patterson Dental 6, (won by I.M. rules), Ledgers Unlimited 6 Misanthropes 19, Daily Libels 4 BE A ROAD SCHOLAR RENT FROM NATIONAL Get away and get a free T-shirt. Getting away this weekend may be easier, more fun, and less expensive than you think. That's because National rents to 18-year-olds, and gives you clean, sporty cars at low prices. Absolutely no mileage charge. And now a free Road Scholar T-shirt will help make your week- end a great getaway. You can rent at any of the National locations below. All you need is a valid student ID and driver's license. Use a major credit card or submit a cash qualifying application 24 hours prior to rental. You pay for gas and return the car to the renting location. T-shirt offer good while supplies last. You deserve National NationalCar R attention.- *i > ental* mmwft 41 L PER E. DAY NO MILEAGE CHARGEr