THE MICHIGAN DAILY PAGE FIVE Fortunes Back s May Determine Gri dders' Ptacek, Herrnstein Bolster Solid Group of Returnees By DAVE GREY Daily Sports Editor There has been quiet optimism in the Michigan football camp so far this fall, along with some promising new faces and a few major problems. As the Wolverines head into the final 10 days before the season's opener with UCLA, Coach Bennie Oosterbaan and his staff have been able to concentrate their efforts on their leading candidates of a squad that numbers over 60, in- cluding 20 returning lettermen. Encouraging in Tough Schedule The results are definitely en- couraging as Michigan prepares for another rugged schedule in the "loaded with power again" Big Ten. The difference between being good and outstanding, however, may depend largely on how well Michigan's sophomore talent can produce under the pressure of Var- sity competition. The Michigan camp seems anxious to give them- selves a real game test; and until then, only speculation is possible. The new names in an otherwise all-veteran first team are two rug- ged backs from Ohio, John Herrn- stein from Chillicothe and Bob Ptacek (pronounced tot-check) from Cleveland. Herrnstein, a 6'2" fullback, weighs a hefty 212. Ptacek, the all-important tailback or left half- back in Michigan's maybe-more- often-used-single-wing attack this year, registers at 6'1" and about 205. Both players carry their weight well and have good speed. It's been a long time since Mich- igan has had as big a backfield in size. Combined with rugged right half Terry Barr and either Jim Van Pelt or Jim Maddock at quar- ter, Michigan seems to have a solid first-team running offense. Passer A Problem But the problem of finding one really good passer again may slow the Wolverine attack. Ptacek and Jim Pace, the fleet tailback from Little Rock, Ark., have been doing a good deal of the throwing in drills so far. Both have improved, Oosterbaan says, from last year. Van Pelt, Maddock and Barr all did a considerable amount of passing on last year's team with Inconsistent results. The running of Herrnstein, Ptacek and Barr since drills started at the beginning of the month show signs of real strength. Ptacek is the "locomotive" type of runner who gains momentum in an open field and is hard to bring down. Herrnstein has ap- peared strong on many of Michi- gan's straight and spinner power plays through the middle of the line. Barr and Pace both look es- pecially fast this year and are in strong physical shaps. Pace, whose main drawback in earning a first string position still seems to be his defensive play, has added over 10 lbs. this summer and seems more than ready to go. Behind Barr at right half is stocky veteran Ed Shannon; while another promising new face in the backfield is Jim Byers, a fullback without Herrnstein's power as a runner, but still an offensive threat and a solid line backer on defense. Topflight at End The concern over finding "the passer". to add variety to the Michigan attack naturally stems from the two towering ends-"All- American" candidates Ron Kramer and Tom Maentz. Kramer and Maentz, if unpag- ued by injuries this fall, could prove to be one of the finest set of flankers in the history of col- legiate football. Both have looked tough in drills, which have been closed to the general public. Behind Kramer at left end at present are 210-lb. sophomore Gary Prahst and 195-lb. junior Dave Bowers. Maentz is backed by veteran senior Charley Brooks and another big sophomore, 215-lb. Walt Johnson from Dearborn. Experienced Tackles The tackles are experienced- Jim Orwig (200) and Al Sigman (215). Showing great promise is another tough sophomore, Willie Smith, at right tackle, who rocks the scales at 237. As with the guard and center positions, however, a coupleof injuries to key personnel and Michigan might have a major lack-of-depth problem. Behind Orwig are Dick Heynen (200) and Jim Gray (215), but neither has had much actual game experience. The first string guards are also veterans, Dick Hill (190) and Marv Nyren (205), both of whom have speed and agility for what they may lack in weight. Behind Hill, who is rated by many as one of the better guards in the country today, is Larry Faul (195), a con- vert from end. Mainstay behind Nyren at right guard is sophomore Gerry Marcin- iak (225), who along with tackle Smith is rated by. the Michiganj Grid Schedule (Last season's result in paren- theses -- Michigan's score appears first.) Sept. 29 UCLA (H) -- Oct. 6 Michigan St. (H) (14-7) Oct. 13 Army (H) (26-2). Oct. 20 Northwestern (H) (14-2) Oct. 27 Minnesota (H) (14-13). Nov. 3 Iowa (A) (33-21) Nov. 10 Illinois (H) (6-25) Nov. 17 Indiana (H) (30-0) Nov. 24 Ohio State (A) (0-17) BOB PTACEK ... tailback candidate MacKAY GAINS DAVIS CUP BERTH: Michigan Athletes Make Good Summer Showing JIM BYERS junior fullback coaches as having fine natural ability and potential but needs mainly to master the plays and get some game experience. Rotunno Makes Switch At center the present first- stringer is Mike Rotunno (197), who has done an amazing job in his switch from the end position this fall. Rotunno is rated as one of the best all-around players on the Michigan squad and is just too good to have to play behind a Kramer or a Maentz. Almost even with Rotunno Is Gene Snider (205), who was in- eligible last year, but who was a strong line-backer on Michigan's 1954 squad. "Unless we have a lot of injuries, Rotunno will play center and Kramer will be at end," Ooster- baan says. This injury question could be a key one in just how successful Michigan will be. MacPhee Hurt So far of note this fall is the amazipgly few number of injuries. Only reserve center Bill MacPhee, who has reinjured his knee, has been seriously hurt. Michigan seems at present in topflight shape. So the picture appears pretty bright with a "new blood"' back- field that averages just under 200 lbs. and a fast starting line that averages 206 and can reach nearly 215. But the work is cut out for Michigan as all pre-season ratings indicate. Michigan State and Ohio State are both ranked as strong again in their bids for the Big Ten championship, although neither school is eligible for the Rose Bowl trip this coming Janu- ary. Illinois is also potentially strong, and Iowa, Purdue and Minnesota all are possible darkhorses. In the conference race, Michigan will play seven Big Ten opponents, as will Illinois, Minnesota and Pur- due. Ohio State, Michigan State and Iowa will play only six. WANTED s 1000 HEADS be they square, flat or rounded for that crew-cut at The Daseola Barbers Near Michigan Theater JOHN HERRNSTEIN ... rugged soph Michigan's Top Grid Candidates Here is Michigan's tentative football roster, consisting of the leading candidates for the squad. The present number one man at each position is listed first. LEFT END: Ron Kramer ('57), Gary Prahst ('59), Dave Bowers ('58). LEFT TACKLE: Jim Orwig ('57), Dick Heynen ('57), Jim Gray ('59). LEFT GUARD: Dick Hill ('57), Larry Faul ('58), Tom Berger ('58), Jim Davies ('57), Alex Boch- nowski ('58). CENTER: Mike Rotunno ('57), Gene Snider ('58), Ray Wine ('59), Don Remblesa ('58). RIGHT GUARD: Mary Nyren ('58), Gerry Marciniak ('59), Clem Corana ('57). RIGHT TACKLE: Al Sigman ('57), Willie Smith ('59), Bob' Boshoven ('58), Maynard Stetten ('59). RIGHT END: Tom Maentz ('57), Charlie Brooks ('57), Walter John- son ('59), Gordon Morrow ('58). QUARTERBACK: Jim Maddock ('57), Jim Van Pelt ('58), Jack Lousma ('59), John Spidel ('59). LEFT HALF: Bob Ptacek ('59), Jim Pace ('58), John Greenwood ('57), Dave Rentschler ('58). RIGHT HALF: Terry Barr ('57), Ed Shannon ('57), Mike Shatusky ('57), John Batsakes ('58). FULLBACK: John Herrnstein ('59), Jim Byers ('59), Steve Zer- vas ('58), Eugene Sisinyak ('59). BandIDay High School Band Day at the University, an annual event which has grown from a modest beginning to one of the great- est and most colorful spectacles in the country, will be held be- tween halves of the Northwest- ern game, October 20. This year's spectacle will fea- ture more than 172 bands, or nearly 12,000 high school bands- men, drum majors and major- ettes. Wolverine Notes What does it take to be an All- American? Ron Kramer, Michigan All-Am- erican left end, received a bruised leg muscle in a long, gruelling scrimmage which climaxed the Wolverines' twice-a-day practices last week. Kramer was in sweat clothes early Sunday morning, jogging alone on the runnick track to work out the stiffness even before the training quarters had opened. * * * - Terry Barr, halfback, and Dick Hill, guard, were the "iron men" Of Michigan's 1955 football squad. Barr, who will be shifted to right half to start his senior season, played 349.25 minutes, while Hill, also a senior this year, battled it out in the line for 344.30. Ron Kramer played 295.55, or exactly five seconds more than his wing-mate, Captain Tom Maentz. Coach Bennie Oosterbaan will start his ninth seaspn as head coach this fall and his 28th as a member of the Wolverine staff. Fritz Crisler, Michigan's athletic director and former football coach, was too small to play football at Earlville, Ill., and Mendota, III., high schools, weighing but 92 lbs. But he earned nine letters in fottball, basketball and baseball at the University of Chicago. * * . Ron Kramer, Wolverine All-Am- erican end, and Jim Van Pelt, quarterback, are student members of the University Board in Control of Intercollegiate Athletics for 1956-57. * * * Most popular Michigan football player with the pre - teen - age "autograph gang" that gathered around Ferry Field during the early fall practices was Ron Kra- mer, who was never too busy or too tired to talk to them. When ICramer made a play on the practice field, it wasn't nec- essary to see him do it-the shrill yells of the kids stamped the per- former on such occasions. Successful Wolverine athletes kept Michigan prominent in the sports world this past summer. Tennis star Barry MacKay's busy season was highlighted by three Davis Cup matches in inter- American zone competition. Rep- re se n t ing the United Sfhtes against both Canada and Mexico, MacKay won one match in his first Davis Cup play. 1 More valuable experience was gained by the highly promising young netter in tournaments at home arnd abroad. MacKay reached (as far as the third round in such major American tourneys as the National Clay Courts and Eastern Grass Courts and entered the famed Wimbledon's second round while in England. 'M' Sixth in NCAA Without the traveling MacKay, Michigan still managed to place sixth in the National Intercolle- giate Tournament at Kalamazoo. Dick Potter led the Wolverines by gaining the eighth-finals be- fore being eliminated by John Lesch of NCAA champion UCLA. Later in the summer Potter copped the Detroit Public Parks Cham- pionships. Two other Michigan teams at- tained some measure of glory in NCAA competition during the ear- ly summer. The golfers had Fred Micklow reach the second round of their tournament at Columbus, OLYMPIC QUALIFIER - Eeles Landstrom tied for third in the NCAA meet and placed on the Finnish Olympic squad during the summer. Landstrom has left school to join the Finnish army and will return to conclude his studies in a year, countries in the Olympics this winter in Australia. Senior Laird Sloan gained a berth on the Can- adian team for his efforts in both the 200- and 1,600-meter races. High-jumper Brendan O'Reilly was named to the Irish squad, but must still wait until his country collects enough money to finance the trip to Melbourne. Swimmer Dick Hanley and gym- nast Ed Gagnier were other Mich- igan stars who will be going to the Olympics. Hanley's photo- finish loss in the 100-meter free- style qualifying finals was still sufficient to cop a place on the U. S. team along with winner Bill Woolsey of Indiana. Performing as he had done for Michigan in his sophomore year, Gagnier became literally a "one- man team" as Canada's only gym- nastics representative to the Olympics. News of one other Wolverine athlete was pleasant this sum- mer, but it cast a shadow on Mich- igan's baseball outlook, for the 1957 season. Outfielder-pitcher Bill Thurs- ton gave up his final year of schol- astic eligibility to sign a minor league contract with Detroit's top farm club, Charleston of the Am- erican Association. Thurston's bat- ting average was around .350 for two years at Michigan. His pitch- ing record was 7-3. 0., while five members of the track squad placed in their meet at Berkeley, Cal. Dave Owen's shot put of 57'3/" was the top achievement of the thinclads who finished eighth na- tionally. He gained a third place in the event as did Geert Keil- strup in the 3,000-meter steeple- chase. Eeles Landstrom's pole vault of 14'4" was good for a third place tie. Mark Booth tied for fourth in the high jump at 6'4" and Ron Wallingford ran fifth in the 5,000 meter race. 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