THE MICHIGAN DAILY

Lapse or Decline?
S AMPIONSHIP teams have been rare around Michigan for the
"past few years. In fact, tennis and swimming are the only ones
Orho have madey the Big Ten crown room recently. It used to be that
he Wolverines brought home four or five titles every year, but the
157an0d 1958 years-have ended with only one each.
1},Actually, the more important fact in Michigan sports history
ias been the overall high caliber of the athletic teams. Although the
ftl erines haven't been known for an abundance of NCAA champions
hey have alway displayed power in both Big Ten and National meets
in ,almost all sports.
Although seldom pointed out, Michigan has been a consistent
04-sports power in the Conference since the early 1940's. If an all-
ports trophy were awarded each year, Michigan would have been a
shoo-in -- up until this season.
Only one championship a year the past two seasons Is only part
>f the story. Aside from first places, there is a great difference. The
0956-57 year celebrated an unusual number of bridesmaid squads -
rour seconds, three thirds and one fourth, plus only one second dlvi-
5ion group in the form of basketball's tie for sixth. This year it has
been quite different. The 'M' squads have come up with only four
rirst division finishes - a first, a third, a fourth, and a fifth-place
tie - and six second division flops - a sixth, a seventh, two eighths,
nd a ninth. They finished fifth in the unofficial Big Ten all-around
standings.- Yes, the Wolverines seldom failed to be considered as a
title threat in all' sports - until this season.
New Era of Sports...
HIS DECLINE - both in titles and overall balance - has been
a subject of great discussion and controversy around the Michigan
eampus for the past year. Of course, what students, faculty, alumni
and athletes and coaches themselves want to know is: Is it simply a
bad year that will soon be forgotten, or is it the beginning of a new
era in Michigan sports - an era of mediocrity rather than excellence?
Perhaps some of the reasons can h. #. nd by a careful study of
the Big Ten Conference. A number oV eha .ges have taken place re-
cently which have greatly affected Michigan's role in the league.
The most important of these changes was the addition of Michigan
State., Up until 1950 any athlete in the state of Michigan that was
of Big Tenncompetition caliber, came to Michigan. But since then
Wolverine coaches have been forced to share all prospects with the
Spartans. Not only has MSU hurt Michigan in the recruiting area,
but the fact that they are part of the Conference has meant another
outstanding team in almost every sport. Too often this extra team
has been just a little more than the 'M' men could handle.
Any slack that Michigan has let out in the all-sports area has
been grabbed up by Michigan State. In the 1956-57 season, only six
year after entering the league, the Spartans were second only to Mich-
igan. This year they made the final jump - and rank as the top all-
round team in the Big Ten. No, Michigan State is not the only Con-
ference team on the upswing. Iowa has also leaped into a prominent
place, as they finished in third place last season in the overall stand-
iings and remainedl there this year. Illinois, the team with the most
titles in Big Ten history, is the only other school on the upswing.
Ohio State and Indiana are barely holding themselves in the first
dtvlsion by virtue of a few top squads every year.
Many on Decline *0*
BY COMPARATIVE standings in all sports from year to year one
finds that the. other schools are on the deline. Purdue and Min-
ne ota have been strong in a few sports, so that they have garnered
a 'title or so' each year. Wisconsin, formerly one of the Conference
powerhouses, and Northwestern have dropped almost into obscurity.
The Badgers have specialized in eighth and ninth place finishes, while
the WldCats brought home six lasts in the ten different sports this
There are many reasons for these fluctuations. Recruiting prob-
lems, which weren't ironed out until the new Big Ten Aid Plan came
in last year, have favored some schools. With the new program now in
effect, many of the differences will disappear. Scholarship levels, and
entrance requirements are another factor that must be -considered -
and one' of the real headaches for Michigan. Thus far no effective
solution has been suggested or attempted in this field, and the chances
are that it will remain the nemesis of the Conference for many years
to come.
'One of the more important reasons for both rises and declines
in athletics on the part of any single institution is the importance
given to gqod teams by the school administration. It has been appar-
ent in the past few years that both Michigan State and Iowa's ath-
letic plants have been looked upon favorably by the institution's
academic leaders. On the other hand, much of Northwestern's decline
has been due to what is commonly called "de-emphasis" on the part
of the administration.
Constant Policy, Future Hope...
N THIS DEPARTMENT Michigan has been fortunate to have a
constant policy that hasn't changed according to the whims of the
current administrators in either the athletic or academic departments.
Our standards of scholarship are high, but have always been so, and

the feeling, of the administration towards athletics has not been la-
beled either "emphasis" or 'de-emphasis'-- but rather a happy me-
dium.
concerning Michigan's present lapse, I feel that it is nothing more
than that. A close look at the sophomore and freshmen crops in many,
sports this year speaks of a bright future. Swimming and tennis seem
to be in no trouble at all now, and wrestling and track are definitely
on the rise. Gymnastics and baseball depended on sophomores this
year, and also boast good freshmen. On the whole, there seems to be
no reason to believe that the Wolverines are on a permanent decline.
There will be many obstacles in the future - primarily in the
areas of recruiting and scholarship. And there are tougher teams
to face now than in former years. But there is no reason to think
that in the future anyone but Michigan will rank as the all-around
best in the Big Ten.
I

'M' Netters Third Behind Iowa,l
Illinois in Championship Meet'
1Fultn Peacock Score
Wolverine Singles Wins
(Continued from Page 1)

I

WILKINSON

Daily 9 to 5:30
Monday 'Til 8:30

Metal Covered Lockers

SINGLES CHAMPION-Frank Fulton scored valuable points for
Michigan's third-place tennis team as he won the Big Ten fifth
singles competition yesterday at Northwestern. He was one of two
victorious Wolverines.{
esr e
Faculty R iesentatives
Tigh tenAdmission Rul

worked and Fulton emerged vic-
torious.
In the number six singles, Pea-;
cock proved too much for Illinois'
Joe Epkins.
Peacock played very well in the
first set, especially at the net. He1
kept the ball at Epkins' forehand
and took the set 6-1.
Peacock Relaxed
In the next set, Peacock seemed
to be too relaxed as he played
more at the back line and started
returning the ball to Epkins' back-
hand, which proved to be a mis-
take which cost him the set, 2-6.
In the third set, Peacock return-
ed to net play and won the set,
6-2. Throughout the match, Pea-
cock's serve looked very good.
The second and third 'singles
were an entirely different story, as
Jon Harris and Bob Sassone were
completely outplayed by Iowa's
Bob Pothast and Joe Martin.
Potthast practically toyed with
the Wolverine captain, as he
placed shots with uncanny ac-
curacy and scored at will.
Athanas, Army
Top Rifle Field
Special to The Daily
EAST LANSING-Ledby sharp-
shooting Tom Athanas, Michigan's
Army ROTC Rifle Team bulleted
its way to first place here yester-
day in the Inter-service ROTC
Rifle League Tournament.
Michigan's Air Force team was
sixth in the 10-team field.
Athanas recorded a 387 out of a
possible 400 points to pacerall
gunmen, as Michigan entrants
copped four of the five top places.
Others were Bob Fear, Air Force,
third; Bob White, Army, fourth;
and Phil Horn, Air Force, fifth.

Harris' loss wasn't an upset, but
rather the ease which Potthast
displayed. Sassone's loss would
have to be considered one of the
major upsets of the tourney.
In the number one doubles, Art
Andrews and Potthast combined to
defeat Jon Erickson and Harris,
6-2, 2-6, 6-4. In direct contrast to'
his play a few minutes before in
the singles, Erickson put on a good
performance, but it wasn't enough
to combat the team play of the
Iowa stalwarts.
While Michigan was. having its
troubles, Illinois was rapidly
wiping out the Wolverines' lead
over them. In'the fourth singles,
Roger Bielefeld handed Iowa their
only setback in the finals by beat-
ing Don Middlebrook, 5-7, 7-5,
6-1.
Andrews Top Player
In the match which held most
interest to the fans, Andrews es-
tablished himself as the top player
in the Big Ten with a convincing
6-0, 6-1 victory over Jerry Par-
chute of Indiana.
Following the match, Michigan
Coach Bill Murphy said, "We play-
ed very well, and I'm pleased with
the team's performance with one
or two exceptions."
The jubilant Iowa coach, Don
Klotz said, "We knew we had a
good chance, and it took a good
team and a lot of luck to win this
meet."
SCORE BY TEAMS
Io ,a, 57Y_., 111. 4611, Mich. 441/,
NU 32, Ind. 25%, MsU 14/2, Minn.
11-, Wisc. 9 ; OSU 41, Purdue 21/.

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By The Associated Press
LAYETTE, Ind. -- The Big
Ten yesterday tightened its admis-
sion rule for financed athletes and
rejected a proposal to reduce aid
tenders from 100 to 75 per school.
At the same time. the policy
making faculty representatives ex-
tended a vote of confidence to
Michigan State's faculty man,
Harold B. Tuckey, whose recent
resignation try was thwarted by
the school's president.
Tuckey had submitted his resig-
nation as a test of the faculty
athletic control at Michigan State.
President John B. Hannah refused
the resignation, a victory for Tuc-
key over the Spartan athletic de-
partment policy.
The action on admissions will
now require that a prospective
athlete must be in the upper two-

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thirds of his high school gradu-
ating class to receive financial aid.
Previously, any prep athlete ad-
mitted to college was eligible for
aid.
Both of today's actions must be
submitted to individual faculties
for approval under the White Res-
olution. If one objection is raised,
the items must be considered again
at the conference meeting next
December.
The athletic directors closed the
two-day Spring business meeting,
by showing favor to a possible Big
Ten Christmas holiday basketball
tourney, proposed by the cage
coaches.
The group also approved cham-
pionship dates and places for next
year, including the outdoor track
at Michigan on May 22-23.


'ONE OF THE BEST GROUPS':
Star Prep Gridders Sin' 'Tenders

LAST CHANCE!I

By JIM BENAGII
Michigan football coaches had
a right to smile yesterday after
they tallied up results of their
winter recruiting: some 29 star
high school gridders named Michi-
gan as their choice of schools on
Big Ten financial tenders.,
Although the 29 prepsters -
many with brilliant reputations-
signed Michigan tenders, they are
not obligated to come here. How-
ever, theyecan't go to any other
Big Ten school.
The final date for acceptance
is Augusts1. Several other pros-
pects are still uncommitted.
Could Be Great
Assistant Coach Bob Hollway,
who was given the job of co ordi-
nating recruiting, hinted that the
incoming crop could be one of the
best squads in years.
"It's the product of a fine all-
Tigers Get Hazle,
Recall Valentine tti
DETROIT (P) - Outfielder Bob
(Hurricane) Hazle, who helped
propel the Milwaukee Braves to
the National League pennant last
year by hitting .403, was acquired
in a straight cash deal yesterday
by the Detroit Tigers.
In another move for help, the
Tigers recalled relief pitcher Vito
Valentinnetti from their Charles-
ton (W. Va.) farm club in the
American Association. -

out effort," he said, "as the whole
staff turned in a tremendous job."
Several backs, with star-studded
reputations, brighten the prospec-
tive roster issued by the athletic
department yesterday/ Included
are two fine sprinters, Roger Koff-
man of Wilkensburg, Pa., and Ben
McRae of Newport News, Va.
The latter is a state champion
in the 100- and 220-yd. dash. Koff-
man, a 196-lb. fullback, has been
reporterd to have run a pair of
:09.8's in the century dash as a
15-yr.-old last spring.
Among other outstanding run-
ning backs listed were all-stater
Gary Anderson, Shelbyville, Ill.,
who averaged 14 yards per carry;
Detroiter Ken Tureaud, all-city
selection; Glenville's Frank John-
son, another all-Illinois choice;
and Jim Korowin, Wyandotte (St.
Patrick), who won all-Detroit
Catholic honors.
Some great passers also an-
swered Michigan's bid. At the top
of the crew is John Stamos, the
third all-stater from Illinois in
five-years to choose Michigan. The
6'3" and 196-lb. Chicagoan (Lane
Tech High) follows Jim Van Pelt
and Stan Noskin here-after re-
fusing offers from all nine other
Big Ten schools.
Another fine crop of ends also
expressed interest in Michigan.
Leading this group is Jay Huff-
man, Clariton, Pa., who w6n high
school All-America mention. He
comes from the same school that
produced Al Groce, a Wolverine
halfback.

The Wolverines also gained
wingman Wayne Stickler of Little
Calumet, Mich., the same Upper
Peninsula institution that got
Notre Dame's George Gipp and
Hunk Anderson to their starts.
Bob Brown, 6'4" son of a former
"M" captain, and Pennsylvanian
all-stater Ernie Stitzinger, New-
castle, are other top fiankmen.
The coaches also got claims to
star linemen in Ron Perry, Vine-
land, N. J.; Paul Schmidt, Skokie,
Ill.; and Wallace Herrala; Muske-
gon Heights, who Freshman Coach
Wally Weber lauds as Western
Michigan's best tackle.
All Areas
With products from throughout
the Midwest and others from the
South and the East, Hollway had
proof to show that "we are talent
hunting into more areas."
Scholastic standards weren't
lowered at all, he claimed-point-
ing out that 22 of the 29 were in
the top quarter of their graduat-
ing classes.

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