, FEB. 16, 1939
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
AGE
FEB. 16, 1939 - PAGE
PRESS PASSES
By BUD BENAMIN
(Editor's Note: In the absence of Bud Benjamin, the column this week will be
hpndled by former sports editors of the Daily still on campus. The second in the
stries is the product of Bill Reed, sports editor in 1935-36, who wrote THE
HOT STOVE.)
A Boost For Bennie .
By BILL REED
As Henry McLemore might say, I was flattered then Bud came around
to my little counterfeiting shop some time ago and asked me to appear in
this column. I forthwith decided to honor the Benjamin profile on my new
twenty-dollar bills.
However, Bud's kindness has not extended to the point of selecting
a fit topic for consideration here, and the same problem that faced
George Andros Tuesday now confronts me. I might take up the chal-
lenge that George so subtly hurled in his contribution, but instead have
decided to let the track team speak for itself. Or, as the senior of this
week's contributors I might do a little reminiscing, but I fear that is out-
lawed by the fact the presence on the campus of some of your con-
temporaries, Norm Nickerson, Freddie Olds, or Little John Emery, must
certainly go back as far as I could reach.
Therefore, with some particular reasons, I resort to the figure whom I
have had occasion, as a regular contributor on this page, to describe as my
favorite character.in Michigan athletics, player and coach--Bennie Ooster-
baan.
To speak ofBennie necessitates some comment on his first basket-
ball team, and with no thought of an apologiwun, I take recourse here to
the answer I have consistently given my friends in the provinces from
which I hail when they ask "What's wrong with that Michigan team?"
Without succumbing to the temptation I have felt to refer them to the
results of Bennie's meetings with Michigan State College, for I suffered
greatly at the hands of my provincial friends until last fall, I have simply
answered as I felt-there wasn't much to begin with.
With more than considerable respect for the spirit of Leo Beebe, Ed
Thomas and their teammates, I think it must be recognized Jim Rae was
Michigan's only really good basketball player as the season opened, although
Tom Harmon has stepped in with his offensive guns of late. That there
stands an impressive non-Conference record and a not-hopeless Confer-
ence situation makes for confusion and stands only as a tribute to Rae's
ability, the courage of his teammates and the spirit instilled by Oosterbaan
as coach, the subject I had in mind when I turned this piece towards him.
Bennie, of course, was one of the most remarkable athletes ever pro-
duced in an American college. His records are familiar, his feats fast be-
coming legendary, and all the result of a superb co-ordination of brain
and body.
When Bennie's athletic feats are mentioned there is always re-
called the air of nonchalance which he affected at all times, the ulti-
mate in relaxation which was his to an extent probably unequalled by
any other athlete. Unknown, however, was the inner tenseness that was
his before every contest, product of his desire and determination. To me
,it was a revelation when he casually explained one afternoon that he
was never able to eat for a day before a football game.
And it ws that inner tenseness and resolve that Bennie today
believes was his greatest asset as an athlete, far greater than his superb
gifts of physical co-ordination.
There are other features of Bennie's makeup, too, that I believe are little
known, hidden by his years in a "sinecure" coaching job and the jibes at
his "hands-on-hips" manner on the coaches bench. For all his apparent in-
difference and affected facetiousness I have found him basically the most
serious of men, the consequence of an innate honesty which reminds one
of his friend, Franklin Cappon, and reflected in a sincere concern for boys
and the problems of athletics.
But as these features have been obscured, Bennie's job was a tough one
when he took over as head coach this year-I like to say "came of age
athletically."
Nevertheless he set himself deliberately at the formulation of a
coaching program, and it of course was the fruition of his own experi-
ences-as a player, as an assistant to Cappon, whose honesty with men
is universally admired, and as a consequence of his intimacy with, the
new football staff, in whom he saw the same qualities he cherished in
Fielding Yost when he was Yost's most brilliant protege.
That program, or rather philosophy of coaching, resolves itself into
simple terms-that the best results in athletics, both As for the record
and the ultimate good of the athlete, are achieved upon the basis of a
single element, spirit.
As intangible as that may be, it has real meaning to the athlete who
is willing to give his utmost, of himself and for his team, and to get the ut-
most in inner satisfaction from the game. That is all Bennie has asked of
his team and he has placed prime emphasis upon it with an effort to
dedicate himself entirely to his squad and their interests. 1
There must exist some question as to the efficacy of his program.
But to me it was the most logical approach to a squad as I have described
the present squad to be, and in my mind the early-season record with a
healthy combination winning consistently from favored opponents
stands as a monument to the spirit which Bennie cultivated and his
team achieved.
Bennie himself has had serious doubts as to the logic of his program.
He had them after the Minnesota game when he explained the result simply
as a matter of superior coaching. And he;must have had them after Mon-
day's game.
But I, for one, hope he won't give up. For his ambitions and his ideals
are something to look to and tie to in this sometimes threatening sea that is
intercollegiate athletics.
Revamped Ice
Squad Defeats
Woodstock, 6-2
Les Hillberg Collects Fiv'e
Markers; Ross Scores
Other OnPenalty Shot
(Continued from Page 1)
was called on Woodstock and Chuck
Ross drove the puck into the visiting
net. Although failing to make a tally
the second forward line of Jim Tob-
in, Ross, and Gil Samuelson was able
to keep the Trojans from scoring.
Bert Stodden, although visiting
the penalty box every period, played
a fine game at one of the defense
posts as did Larry Calvert. Over-
anxiousness caused George Cooke to
miss several set up shots after he
soloed down the ice leaving all Wood-
stock players well behind him.
Decisive Victory
Woodstock Pos. Michigan
Buggs G James
Rennick D Calvert
Rockett D Stodden
Kennedy C Hillberg
heave W Chadwick
Dolson W Cooke
Woodstock spares: White, Loft,
Weiler, Hemmings, Watson, Cle,
and Henderson.
Michigan spares: Tobin, Lovett,
Ross, and Samuelson.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: Hillberg assisted by Chad-
wick 7:22, Kennedy 19:05.
Penalties: Rockett, Loft, Stodden,
and Kennedy.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: Hillberg assisted by Chad-
wick, 10:36. Hillberg 15:22. Ross pen-
alty shot 16:32. Dolson assisted by
Neave 18:54.
Penalties: Stodden.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: Hillberg 17:44. Hillberg
from Chadwick 19:24.
Penalties: Stodden and Rockett.
FROSH BOXING
All members of the freshman
boxing squad who do not report
for workouts by the end of this
week will automatically be dropped
from the squad and put in gym
classes.
Vern Larsen, Coach.
Spartans Edge Temple
EAST LANSING, Feb. 15.-(P)-
Making the most of free throw oppor-
tunities throughout the game and
running up four additional points in
an overtime period, gave Michigan
State's cagers a 29-25 victory over
Temple here tonight.
I-M CALENDAR
Independent Events
Relays-February 21
Wrestling-February 27
Foul Shooting-March 31
Track and Field-March 29
Swimming-March 30
Sophomore Hopeful
Casualties Still
HinderCagers
Oosterbaan Drills . Team
For Chicago Saturday
If one Mr. Benjamin Ooosterbaan
can scrape enough players together,
the Michigans will engage the Chi-
cagos in basketball Saturday night in
Maroon territory-that's the latest
word from the Field House following
yesterday's diagnosis.
It is no wonder that Bennie feels
rather uncertain about the whole
thing. A survey of how things stood
at a late hour last night revealed the
following:
Four Men Missing
(1) First string center Jim Rae is
in bed at home with an injured back
that may keep him out for the rest of
the season.
(.2) Second string center John
Nicholson is in bed at the Health
Service nursing d' case of jaundice.
(3) Two of Michigan's better re-
serves, Dave Wood and Herb Brogan,
are ineligible for further competition
this semester.
Other than that the squad is in
pretty fair shape as they prepare for
the trip to the Windy City to meet
the cellar-dwelling Chicago team
which has won but one game this
season. For, the past two days the
team has been drilling against the
Maroon's zone defense as set ap by
Coach Ray Courtright who scouted
the Indiana-Chicago battle Monday
night.
No Pushover
And that game should be enough to
convince the optimists that the Wol-
verines' next contest will be no push-
over despite Chicago's unimpressive
record. The rangy boys from the
mid-way threw quite a scare into In-
diana's league leaders although final-
ly succumbing to them 46 to 33. The
Maroons were only two points behind
with but 10 minutes left to go.
As Minnesota's Coach Dave Mac-
Millan has put it, "Those big boys
are mighty hard to get around with
their zone defense."
wolverine-Buckeye Swim Feud
To Be Continued At Columbi
i
By MEL FINEBERGI
When Michigan's swimming teaml
meets Ohio State Saturday afternoon
in Columbus, the meet will be more
than a mere test between two of the
best teams in the country. It has
amassed the proportions of a grudge
battle, a Northern rejuvenascence of
the Hatfields and the Coys.
The feud had its inception in an
entirely natural manner. It was only
logical that the two teams who fought
it out for national swimming su-
premacy should retain vestiges of
rivalry. But the more immediate
seeds were sown at the last meet be-
tween the two schools on IJan. 20,1
Matmen Meet
State Saturday'
Combs And Savilla Return
To Bolster Wolverines
Coach Cliff Keen warned his un-
defeated Varsity wrestlers againstl
overconfidence yesterday and made
a particular point'in telling theth not
to take Saturday night's meeting with
the Michigan State Spartans too
lightly. Hie cited the Spartan club as
a very scrappy aggregation, quite cap-
able of giving any club a real battle.
The Wolverines will be facing a
team which has walked off with four
of its six dual meets to date and which
boasts a record of two wins out of
three starts against Big Ten compe-
tition. State started the season in
an "in"' and "out" fashion, swamp-
ing Case School of Applied Science,
losing to a perrenially strong Kent
State outfit, defeating Wheaton Col-
lege, and dropping a decision to the
Ohio State Buckeyes.
But the Spartans then deviated
from what was fast becoming a habit
and proceeded to take on and take
over two Big Ten teams, Wisconsin
and Northwestern. They routed the
when a disputed free style relay v
tory enabled Michigan to puil up t
42-42 tie.
Ohio supporters felt that the i
should have been called a tie, a
cision which would have given
Buckeyes the meet. Feeling that t.
had been cheated out of a much-
sired victory, the Bucks have brood
over the injustice of it all, nurtui
hopes of revenge in their bosoms
determined to win this one Saturd
just to show the world that "t
done us wrong."
But on the basis of the Wolvex
performance against Yale, the Bu
will be hard, pressed to show
world. In spite of the fact that V
ham Mathew "Coon-Dawg" Qu
swims his best races against Mie
gan, his best time, 52.5, is .4 seco
slower than the amazing time WV
Tomski, who just cleared the se
lastic hurdle, turned in last weekc
The duals between these two in
century and probably on the and
legs of the free-style relay mi
wellodecide the outcome of the m
The return of Tomski from
limbo of ineligibility will undoubte
enable Coach Matt Mann to shift
team strength to pick up more v
uable second and thfrd place poi
Capt. Tom Haynie, who nosed
Ohio's captain Bob Johnson for s
ond place in the hundred in the
meet, will probably be shifted to
distances where he is double Big'
3hampion.
Badgers last Friday, 22 to 8, and
next evening turned back the W
cats, 20 to 8. They hope to conti
this streak against Michigan S
urday.
The return of sophomore
Combs, 155-pound Oklahoman,
conveniently filled up a gap which
remained a question mark all seas
Combs, who was ineligible last sen
ter, has worked out with the to
since the start of the season
should be at peak form when he m
Cliff Freiberger of the Spartans.
Charles Barker versatile sopho-
more swimmer, will be counted on
heavily by Coach Matt Mann Sat-
urday, when his crack swimming
squad carries on a long-standing
rivalry with Ohio State in the
Buckeyes' pool.
Watson Enters Shot-Put
In National A.A.U. Meet
Bill Watson, Michigan track cap-
tain, will compete in the shot-put in
the National A.A.U. championships
to be held in Madison Square Garden
on Feb. 26, it was announced yester-
day by Lloyd W. Olds, vice-president
of the Michigan A.A.U. Other ath-
letes from the state who will compete
are Bob Luby, Wayne quarter-miler,
Allen Tolmich, former Wayne hurd-
ler, and Tom Quinn, Michigan Nor-I
mal middle distance runner.
D 0 B B s
HATS
I
l
ARE LO OKIN G FOI tMEN
WHO HAVE NEVER WORN
Tracksters Prepare
For Illinois Relays
Michigan's track team went back
to work yesterday after its impressive
77-18 rout of Michigan State Tues-I
day night, with baton passing and
more or less easy jogging making up
the program.
The next competition for the team
will be the Illinois Relays, Saturday
afternoon and evening at Champaign.
Michigan dominated the individual
events at last year's running of the
relays as well as placing high in all
the relays.
Coach Charlie Hoyt has been forced
to delay the naming of the squad
which will make the trip because of 1
the prevalence of colds and injuries
among' team members and he will
not make his final choices until to-
day.
The Illinois Armory in which the
meet will be held is larger than Yost
Field House, only 6 laps being
necessary to complete a mile as com-
pared with 8 on the Michigan track.
The spacious armory will be none too
large, however, as over 400 athletes
from 40 midwest colleges and univer-
sities have been entered in the classic.
Michigan entries in the individual
events are expected to be Elmer
Gedeon in the high hurdles, Stan
Kelley in the low hurdles, Bill Wat-
son in the shot-put and broad jump,
Wes Allen and Don Canham in the
high jump, and some sprinters to be
named today.
RADIO
,,SERVICE
ANY MAKE
DIAL 3694.
W EDEMEYER'S
221 E. Liberty
CAMERA
OWNERS
FOR YOUR NEGATIVES
v Clean, spotless developing in
best fine grain developer.
* Hardening process to prevent
scratches.
FOR YOUR PICTURES
* Careful printing.
A DOBBS HAT
It is no problem to sell a man his second
Dobbs hat- or his thirty-second. Once a
Dobbs man, always a Dobbs man. The dis-
tinguished quality of the hat and' the dis-
tinguished look it gives its wearer are
unmistakable.
So we are looking for men who have
never worn a Dobbs hat-who have never
known the complete satisfaction that comes
with a Dobbs hat.
Traditionally Dobbs hats are the hats of
successful men or men on the way to success.
Through the decades of Dobbs leader-
ship, the Dobbs label literally has been the
hat-mark a gentleman's self-respect. Expen-
It's nature's drink to refresh you any time
of the day..
A R r ~ P~
sive? They are not.
You can own a fine
Dobbs today for five
dollars. And what-
ever priced hat you
select, the Dobbs name
guarantees, style and
your money's worth.
You can be sure of that.
Fi
...........
I