PAGE SIX THE MICHIGAN DAILY FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1953 PAGE SIX FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1953 !!!M= _____ by Ivan N. Kaye Sextet Opens with McGill To night Rinkmen Face Rough Road In Defense of NCAA Crown 'M' Matmen Prepare for Indiana, Illinois T WAS A GLOOMY DAY in the early autumn of 'the year 1919, and a tall, bespectacled sophomore stood with books in hand intently watching a practice session of the University of Chicago varsity football team. The undergraduate was a pre-medical student, whose long hours of study had left him fatigued, and so he had decided to stroll down to the practice field and watch the drills. The venerable Amos Alonzo Stagg, then in his middle fifties, made it a practice to run up and down the sidelines following the course of the scrimmaging. As one play developed, Stagg rushed along the sideline and smashed into the young pre-med; ,the collision flooring the coach. Stagg arose furiously, "If you want to knock people down," he bellowed, "go put on a football suit!" Then as an afterthought he demanded to know the stu- dent's name. The pre-med, who by this time was quaking, managed to stammer 'Crisler, sir, Herbert Crisler." The Beginning .. . HUS BEGAN, although neither Amos Alonzo Stagg nor Herbert Orin Crisler knew it at the time, one of the most colorful careers in the history of athletics. In the years that followed, Crisler was to become not only one of Stagg's greatest players, but almost a son to the fabled "Grand Old Man of the Midway." Following Stagg's orders, young Crisler donned the practice garb of the Chicago Maroons. He needed a great deal of coaching, this lean splinter from nearby Earlville, but Stagg envisioned great things and made him into an end. Crisler's blocking was weak, and it drove the coach to such dispair that on one occasion he roared "I'm going to call you Fritz, youngman! Do you know why?" Crisler shook his head. "Because Fritz Kreisler's violin soothes me, and your blocking does just the opposite!" snapped Stagg. The nickname has re- mained ever since. Crisler's playing reached such a high level during his three years on the Chicago varsity that he was named to the third team All- America eleven of Walter Camp in 1921. CRISLER GRADUATED from the University with nine letters in football, baseball, and basketball, and a near Phi Beta Kappa average in a pre-medical curriculum. Moreover, a deep bond of friendship had grown between Stagg and his favorite pupil. Late in 1929 when the University of Minnesota asked Stagg to recommend someone as a candidate for the vacant position of head football coach, he unhesitatingly submitted the name of Fritz Crisler. So it was that in the midst of the great depression Crisler trundled off to the land of the lofty pines to take over the gridiron reigns, at Minneapolis. The Paul Bunyon country was in an uproar over the departure of the fiery "Doc" Spears. Bad feeling ran high and there was an atmosphere of unfriendliness when Crisler arrived on the campus. Many influential alumni wanted a Minnesota graduate for the posi- tion, and some even said so in public utterances. CRISLER PLUNGED into the task of improving the Minnesota football situation, and in this capacity he became acquainted with a burly young guard candidate named Clarence Munn. Munn became an All-American in 1931 and his association with Crisler was to bring him in seven years to the campus of the Univer- sity of Michigan as line coach for Fritz's first eight teams at Ann Arbor. Crisler also struck up an acquaintance with a young track- man named Les Etter, and it was the close personal friendship between the two that brought Etter to Michigan as Athletic Publicity Director. Crisler's style of coaching did not please the Gophers. He was not' given to join in the scrimmages and he had a penchant for stirring locker room orations that fell upon the deaf ears of the strapping lads from the Mesabi country. He quickly acquired the reputation of being "too dignified" to handle the rough and tumble Minnesota football team. A Call from Princeton.. . BESPECTACLED FRITZ showed an army of doubters in 1930 that civilized methods could bring results by coaching the Gophers to a scoreless deadlock with Wop Warner's heavily favored Stanford powerhouse. The moral victory sent Minnesota grid stock zooming and converted scores to the Crisler fold. In the spring of 1932 there came a call from Princeton and Crisler, still feeling keenly the animosity of those Minnesota alumni who wanted a fellow graduate at the coaching helm, packed his bags and headed for Old Nassau. He turned the tame Princeton Tiger into a ferocious Ivy League champion in one year. His squads in 1933 and 1935 had perfect seasons and he was hailed as the outstanding young coach in the East. At Princeton he ran into the same alumni trouble as at Minnea- polis. There were those who had to have a Princeton man as head coach even though a Chicago graduate was giving their long-suffer- ing Tiger a diet of raw meat. HOMESICK FOR THE Middle West and the Big Ten country, Fritz jumped at the opportunity extended to him by Michigan in the spring of 1938. He found at Ann Arbor a scene much like that at Minneapolis, where the coach had just departed after going through some trying seasons and the alumni pressure for a winning team had reached tremendous proportions. The Wolverine had been dormant for four long years during which time 22 defeats had been inflicted. Crisler remedied all that however, and with such greats as Tommy Harmon, Ed Frutig and Forest .Evashevski leading the way, Michigan climbed back among the nation's football .elite. Under Crisler's masterful guidance Michigan rolled to 71 vic- tories as against only 16 setbacks during the decade from 1938 through 1947. IN HIS FINAL CAMPAIGN he was acclaimed both Coach and Man of the Football Year. His team is considered to have been the greatest in modern football, and reached its zenith on the sun-baked turf of the Rose Bowl where it massacred Southern California 49-0. Satisfied with his performance, and sorely pressed by the conflict- ing duties of football coach and athletic director, Crisler stepped down after the Rose Bowl game, turning over the reins to a loyal son of Michigan-Bennie Oosterbaan. Some men are indeed fortunate in that they are able to look back through their lives and discover a turning point which set- them on the road to success. For Herbert Orin Crisler that turning point was an accidental collision with old Alonzo Stagg more than three decades ago on the Midway of the University of Chicago. A young pre-med decided to forsake the profession of Hippocraties, and Michigan and the sports world have gained the benefits of that decision ever since. By HANLEY GURWIN Michigan's puckmen open their 1953-54hockey season tonight as they meet the Redmen of McGill University in what may turn out to be the beginning of a long rough road for the Maize and Blue icers. The opening face-off for both tonight and tomorrow's games will be at 8 o'clock at the Hill Street Coliseum. ** * WHILE THE Wolverines will just be playing with several new faces on the ice, the invaders from Montreal are returning to Ann Ar- bor with a stronger squad than the one which dumped the Michigan sextet in two meetings here last season. Back from last year's team are defensemen Ron Robertson, Len Shaw and Frank Slavin. Robert- son, who is fast, tricky, and pos- sesses a good shot, is now in his fourth season with the Redmen. Shaw, now in his third year on the squad, scored two goals and assisted on a third in last sea- son's encounters. The only serious loss for the Redmen is that of their big 6'2" goalie, Bob MacClellan. In the nets for McGill tonight will be a new- comer, Moe Jacques. Jacques is a 20-year old goal-tender who had a very good record last year while playing Intermediate hockey. IN ADDITION to all this talent, the McGill sextet has had a tune- up game with Rensselaer Polytech in which the Redmen bowed, 6-2. However, McGill did not use its full squad in that game due to a heavy examination schedule. The Wolverines, although facing one of the toughest teams they will Tickets for tonight's and to- morrow's hockey games against McGill University will go on sale this morning at the Ath- letic Administration Building. The building will be open to- day from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and tomorrow until noon. Tickets go"on sale at the Coli- seum beginning at 5 p.m. -Don Weir PETE McELHERON . . . McGill forward lBalog Picked COn MSC Top Opponent .List EAST LANSING - (A') - Ohio' State, Purdue and Minnesota do- minated the all-opponent team se- lected today by the Michigan State football players and coach- The Michigan wrestling team will make its first appearance of the 1954 season when it faces In- diana on Friday and Illinois on Saturday after Christmas vaca- tion. Coach Cliff Keen's matmen cap- tured their fifth Big Ten Cham- pionship last year topping the co- favorite Michigan State, by a 27- 22 score. In doing this the Wol- verines- captured two champion- ship crowns and placed several more men in the scoring column. KEEN has recently been select- ed as a member of the Olympic Games Committee . along with twelve other wrestling coaches and experts. This group will handle all the business and selection of United States wrestlers for the next Olympics and selection of wrestling candidates for the com- ing Pan-American Games. Bob Betzig, former Michigan wrestler is Keen's assistant and is now serving his fifth season in this position. He is also a for- mer captain of the team and aid- ed Keen in the development of a wrestling film now being used throughout the country as a teaching device. Norvard "Snip" Nalan is cap- tain of this year's team and it is the second year in which this hon- or has been bestowed upon him. He wrestles in the 130-pound di- vision holding the Conference crown and the NCAA crown in this event. Another Conference champion, is Dick O'Shaughnessy who dumped George Myers of Iowa to take the 177-pound division crown. O'Shaughnessy, who was 1953 football captain, will be moving up to wrestle in the heavyweight division this season. Another returnee from last year's squad is Andy Kaul' who will be competing in the 137-pound division. Kaul is a junior who was undefeated in dual meet competi- tion last year. He moved into the Conference Championships win- ning all his matches until he met Illinois' Pete Compton. KAUL had been the onley man to defeat Compton in dual meet competition but lost to him in the final by an 8-3 score. Joey Atkins is another Wol- verine wrestling veteran and will provide competition in the 123 pound division. In the 167- pound division, Bronson Rumsey will carry the Michigan hopes. Rumsey competed in the Big Ten meet last year and managed to add some valuable points by taking a fourth in his division. Harold "Pepper" Holt, will go the way in the 177-pound slot which has been vacated by O'Shaughnessy moving up. How- ever this event will not be without an O'Shaughnessy as Dick's younger brother, Ray, will be competing in this division. -* * * BOB WEBER, a junior, and John McMahon, a sophomore will wrestle in the 157-pound division filling the vacancy made by the graduation of Miles Lee who took third place in the last year's Con- ference meet. Backing up Captain Nalan in the 130-pound class will be sopho- more Frank Hirt. Don Haney who is also a sophomore will be wres- tling in the 147-pound division. Michigan Designed HAIR STYLES by mnen who know how! Sparkling Shines 2 71. Nit. Univesi 715 N. University i I x Returning on the forward lines see all season, are by no means just es. for McGill is a host of players in- coming along for the ride. The three Big cluding such key men as Whitey Tonight's encounter will mark ed two men each Schutz, Pete McElheron, Herb Eng- the beginning of another hockey opponent eleven. lish, Len Kent, Wally Enio, and season at Michigan, one which Michigan. vndi. Gord Currie. finds the Maize and Blue puckmen Christian and X. SCHUTZ IS one of the finest out to keep the nationalcrown one man each or SCUZISoeoftefietwhich they won so handily last!. players in collegiatie hockey and March at Colorado Springs. LEFT HALF has been a leading scorer for the and fullback Bob] Redmen for several years. McEl- the team from ( heron was one of the most improv- due entries were ed players on McGill's squad last dd guard Tom B year and should be even better a~I ~nnuadsom wE now. McElheron is good, fast skat- Minnesota were er with plenty of drive.T Alsoenamed tc Emo is another man with tackle Andy Hou plenty of experience. The big Morgan Williams hard skating wing, who assisted tian, tackle Jim on a couple of goals last season, gan, quarterbac is now in his fourth campaign ski of Indiana an for the Montreal school. Drzewiecki of M, f KEEP LOOKING TOWARD T HE CLOUDS! {A I J, ,. Y I { Boxed Ready for Christmas Presentation 0 ,I I I if mm ff III I