Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-12-31
sport IN OMAHA
LOOKS BACK OVER
y GREATEST YEAR
Rourkes Win Pennant, Many
Big Events Are Held and
Fans Only Get Stung
One Time.
GREAT MOTOR CLASSIC
Stecher-Lewis Match, Great
Western Races, Western
Handicap All Big Events.
OMAHA HAS MANY CHAMPS

Gldnclng backward over inc olu
wear before we give it parting kick
in the stats and speed it on its way
into the dark recesses of the forgotten
past, one finds that 1916 was pretty
good old year for Omaha lovers Of
sport. The Rourkes won a pennant,
Omaha was fortunate enough to land
a number of big events, and only once
did the chaps who PUNK down their
change at the box Office fail to get
their moneys worth.
The largest piece of good fortune
for the largest number of Omaha's
sport lovers was, of course, the sue
cessful pennant campaign OF the
Omaha base ball club For the first
time since 1907 the local team cap
tured the Western league pennant.
The Rourkes got away to a flying
start shortly after the season opened
and they maintained their lead against
all opposition until the end. The
largest crowd in the history of the
Western league turned out for dou-
Bile header between Omaha and Lin
coin at Rourke park the latter part of
August. 1t totaled almost 5000 paid
admissions.
In the way of big sporting events
Omaha got more than its share, Not
"a city of corresponding size and pop
ulaton entertained as many big events
as did Omaha during 1916.
\ Many Rare Treats.
A big automobile classic, the
Stecher-Lewis wrestling match, the
! Western Handicap trap shooting
tournament the state golf tourna-
ment, the Great Western circuit har-
ness races, the big indoor athletic and
gymnastic meet, all were rare treats
for Omaha.
The automobile derby held on the
East Omaha oval went down in the
annals Of automobile racing as one
of the greatest speedway classics
ever held in this country. No more
closely contested, exciting, thrilling
gasoline speed contest has ever been
held on United States soil. Dario
Resta, the famous English Italian
pilot, won the championship event
after a gruelling contest with Smiling
Ralph milford, averaging over nine
ty-nine miles an hour in the face Of
a blistering sun in order to do it.
Ralph De Palma won the short race,
marking up new competitive record
for fifty miles.
Three worlds records were estab-
lished on the Omaha track by three
of the speed demons entered in the
race Ralph Milford set up a new
mark of over III miles an hour for
single lap on a speedway. Dario
Rcsta made new record for FIVE
miles and Eddie Rickenbacher estab-
lished new mark for twenty-five
miles.
Five days OF Great Western cir
cult racing were staged on the
Omaha Driving clubs track for lovers
of harness stepping. Some Of the
classiest PAGERS and trotters in the
country took part in the events and
no more interesting races to see were
held at any other point, not even on
the grand circuit The grand circuit
races were a little faster, but the COM
pelltlon WdSH any closer ana the
rivalry any keener and the races any
more thrilling. Three days of state
circuit racing was also held on the
Benson track in June.
The biggest wrestling event of the
year was held in Omaha on July 4
when Joe Stecher and Stranger Lew
is FLASHED. This is the one event
which didn't pay dividends from tho
spectators standpoint. 1t was a dis
appointing bout to watch as a result
of the tediously careful defensive tao