Omaha daily bee., 1919-06-15
Lee SUGGESTS
LOCAL COACH AT
NEBRASKA UNI
Bee Collegiate Sports Writer
Offers Argument for Home
Man as Leader and Asks
for Omaha Games.
BY rARL LEE.

In these days of "watchful wait
ing" when the fate of Nebraska
university's sport department seems
to depend on the whims of whose
ever happens to be members of the
university board of control, thou
sands of admirers are left without
an mixing of the real state Of af-
fairs at Lincoln.
The condition is deplorable. Ne
braska university today stands in
the limelight as one of the country's
greatest universities. Her football,
basket ball and track teams have at
times attracted national attention.
Men who have graduated from her
athletic department have gone forth
as the greatest athletes of the world.
School Makes Record.
Today the school stands at the
threshold of its greatest year. Next
fall will see the gathering of foot
ball material produced in. Nebraska,
such as never had before been
known. Track prospects based on
the talent produced by Stewart dur
ing the recent season are such that
the Corhuskers will have an inter
national championship team next
spring. Basket ball, wrestling and
base bali prospects are on similar
par.
Yet three things are evident.
!. Nebraska is without coach.
2. Nebraska is without a compre-
hensive system Of handling her de-
partfnent athletics.
s.. Nebraska is still bound part
and parcel to the czaristic rulings
of Nthe Missouri Valley Collegiate
association.
Taboo Valley Control.
For years Omaha and other real
boosters of the Cornhusker school
have fought for the withdrawal OF
the university from Missouri Valley
control. Repeatedly her two recent
coaches, Jumbo" Stiehm and doc"
Stewart, men Of meteoric careers in
the collegiate athletic arena, have
told the state board that such a
move was necessary. Yet just as
repeatedly that board has hesitated
to act.
Always the story is the same. For
years we have wathced the progress
Of the institution. religiously wor-
shipping its record, watching it pass
from the state circle to the Missouri
Valley, from the Missouri Valley
circle to the Western Collegiate,
from the Western Collegiate to the
Pacific coast and Eastern Collegi-
ate circle. Nebraska has met and
equalled such schools as Notre
Dame, Minnesota, Michigan, Mis-
souri,. Oregon Aggies and Syracuse.
Great Stars Produced.
The school has praduced Vic Hal
ligan, Guy Chamberlain, Dick Ruth
erford. Vincent Haskell, and Edison
Shaw, names of men that are rever-
ed in east and west--never to be
forgotten. In the Missouri valley
her record is one long series OF
championships, easily won and err
lily unchallenged.
Stiehm left the school in 1916
Now Stewart is gone. Yet the ath-
letic department has no system.
Two years ago Guy Reed coached
the track squad. Stiehm practically
ignored base ball and basket ball
concentrating almost exclusively on
football. Stiehm was a good foot
ball coach but his influence as a
disorganizer in other departments
had its effect.
Stewart Lays Foundation.
Then Stewart come. The Pacific
expert was a good coach. He tried
his hand in all departments, organ
lied the first base ball team of note
the school ever had. Yet it was a
failure. He could not combat the
demoralizing influence of the years
Of abandonment in this department
that had preceded him. He intro
duced new twentieth century tactics
on the gridiron.
He laid . foundation COACHING