Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-30
COrnhusker Track Athletes Left With
out Leader at Beginning Of
Training Season.
CLAPP WILL NOT HANDLE SQUAD
Decision Makes it Necessary for Ne
braska to Secure New Man.
sTEFFEN MENTIONED FOR PLACE
Chicago Star and Yale Man Are Pros
pective Candidates.
ONE TRIP FOR BASE BALL MEN
EARLY Date of Easter Vacation
Causes Board 60 Abandon the
LOnE Southern Journey
Planned for Team.
LAPP WILL NOT HANDLE SQUAD
Decision Makes it Necessary for Ne
braska to Secure New Man.

LINCOLN, Jan Observation-Disclosures
coach problem confronts the Nebraska
athletic mentors, DR., Clapp, for several
years instructor OF cInder path tactics. has
resigned his position as coach, though not
as physical instructor, and the Cornhus-
kers are looking for his successor in the
track work. SO great a task is the picking
Of a clnder path coach-as It presents many
OF tine features which marked the job OF
deciding on a foot ball teacher-that Just
now the brows Of the Nebraska authorities
are deeply furrowed.
Several former Nebraska. track athletes
nave applied for the position which Dr.
Clapp formerly held. but their requests
have not been received with much favor
by the local board. The Cornhuskers wish
more this year than usually-to have a
winning bunch Of representatives on the
track and they are inclined to the idea OF
getting an outsider to handle their
candidates for the spring running and field
events. An eastern man or a middle west
erner is the coach they would like to get.
A Yale graduate would suit them perfectly,
although a Chicago or Michigan man would
be satisfactory.
Because the University OF Iowa has
Coach Delany, an easterner, who is bright
ening up the Hawkeye prospects for the
Missouri valley meet in June. Nebraska's
Board of Control desires to get just as
good a coach so the local clnder path
artists will not be under a great handicap
when that important gathering is held in
Des Moines. The Cornhuskers have their
hopes. set on winning the conference games
and they want to get the best results
nocoihIa ont 90 tl,aIr otbIafaa. Oalx, a afrula
event defeated them last year in the games.
when Grinnell, coming up from behind,
nosed out a victory.
students Want Tried Coach.
The students at Nebraska feel that their
athletes should have won last spring. and.
now that Iowa has come up with a winter
coach, they want their athletic board to
get a proficient teacher who can put the
Cornhuskers Into just as good shape as
Delaney does the Hawkeyes.
Director Stage OF the University Of Chi
cago has recommended Walter steffen, the
former star OF Maroon athletics. to the Me-
braska board, and the election OF that
young man is now being considered at the
local school. A Yale man, who recently
coaches at Syracuse university, Is also
under consideration by the ~Cornhuskers.
If the eastern coach can be secured at
a reasonable salary he will be given
preference over Steffen, because the
Cornhuskers believe in the coaching
methods employed at Yale. Prof. Clapp,
secretary of the local board, is himself a
Yale graduate, and he held the worlds
pole v~aulting record in 1S9S-99. He is a
pleader for a man from his alma mater.
In lieu of the eastern man. shonld the
salary proposition stand in the way OF
his selection, the Cornhuskers Will prob
ably turn to Stefffen and ask him to take
the place, The Maroon has not filed an
application for the position. but 1t lie
known that he would accept an offer of
the position at a fair salary.
Steffen has had no experience as a.
coach except in helping Director Stage
handle the Midway track men. In that
work, though, he is said to have shown
a keen knowledge of the fine points Of
coaching. Stage says the young man has
done exceptional work. While a student
at Chicago steffen was captain OF the
track, foot ball and basket ball teams.
On the track aggregation he was a fleet
runner and made a few excellent records.
Dearth of Track Material.
No matter whom the Nebraska board
elects as coach, though. he must needs
be a man who can develop material rap
idly, for the state school is this year shy
OF veterans for the track team. Gradua-
ton last spring, failure to return 20 the
!, university and conditions in studies all
served to cut down the visible supply of
tried men for this spring. Most Of the
veterans on the squad, however, nave
their future before Them" and they
ought to come out in strong form during
the training season.
The short distance running events exhibit
, - A--N - -
century %sprinter, is no longer among the
midst Of HIS former students and is now
flirting with the fatal step that leads 70
the welded life. OF last years sprinters
> Campbell and Reed are still in service.
They were both fast and gave promise OF
acquiring exceptional speed by another
season.
During the present week Harry Minor. a
/, foot ball and track veteran. came back to
a school, and his appearance viii give the
short distance group another recruit. His
best event when he was on the team In 1908
was the 220-yard dash. When school closed
last year II was expected that Swanson, a
freshman from Aurora, would come back
this winter. but he did not. He was con-
sidered the speediest 1OO-yard runner In
q school last year, and won the short dash
, In the Charter day meet. His presence
this spring would have added great
; strength to the short runs.
; Captain Burke and Reed probably viii be
the stars In the 40 event. The former ran
this event In record time a year ago and
q hopes TO lower his mark next season.
9 Reed probably will run second TO him. Just
[ now these four men-Burke. Campbell,
. Reed and ~Minor-appear 10 be the only
tested runners that die COrnhuskers have
I I'm sight for the dashes and LONGER stretches.
The runs are no shorter OF men than the
other departments though. and VIII nOG