The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-07
NINE TEAMS TO
 ENTER BIG RACE
Cream Of Dixie's Cross Country Talent To
 Compete

When the referees gun starts more than half a hundred scantily attired athletes off on their long jaunt through the streets of Birmingham-in the an- nual Birmingham Athletic club road race Saturday afternoon-the cream of Dixie's cross country talent will be entered in the competition for South eastern A. A. U. honors.
 Nine teams have been entered in the event, which will furnish a suitable finale for the south's banner year in athletics. Eight colleges will have rep resentatives present-A1a bama, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Mississipp, Mis- sissippi A. and M., University of Mis- sissippi, and Birmingham-Southern-- and their runners will compete for the intercollegiate championship. B. A. C.. entries will compete against the field for Southeastern A. A. U. honors.
 Race Starts At 8 O'clock
 The starting gun will be sounded promptly at o'clock. The start will be made from Sixth avenue and Twen- tieth street, with the finish being made on Sixth avenue at Twentieth street.
 Annually the Birmingham Athletic club brings to Birmingham the South's nual December road race. This event, inaugurated by c. w. (BnD Streit, staunch supporter of amateur athletics, has gradually increased in size and inn portance, until now it is regarded as one of the major events in Dixie track meets each year. Always the best of the runners are present, and this year the field of entry shows even more class than at any time in the past.
 When the race begins, the lanky Els worth Richter, star of many previous B. A. c. road races, will be on hand in an effort to stage comeback after absence from the meet of 1923. Richter won the race four consecutive times in 1919, 1920, 1921 and 1922-break- ing the record three times. Last year, due to an attack of appendicitis, Rich ter was unable to run in the race. Dur ing his absence, George Irons, Ala bama star, won the race in 1923, and broke all previous records set by Rich ter. Irons, who set the record time of 15 min., 27 4-5 sec., will not be on hand.
 From Mississippi will come trio of
 
 Miss. College and University of Missis- sippi. The latter two universities are sending teams to the B. A. c. event for the first time, and the showings made by their teams will be watched with interest by cross-country devotees.
 Local colors will be upheld in the race by the B. A. c. and Birmingham-So South ern runners. The state will be well represented by these two teams, as well as Alabama and Auburn, Mississippi has her three teams entered, while Tech gia will be represented by Georgia Tech and University of Georgia, who have only recently resumed athletic relations after long discontinuance.
 The meet this week will probably have unusual important bearing, inas- much as two teams-Georgia Tech and Mississippi A. and M.-will both make a desperate fight for permanent possess sion of the Birmingham News trophy. Three victories are necessary for the winning of the cup, and both Tech and A. and NJ. now have two legs on the trophy. Team victory for either school Saturday would mean permanent posses sion of the cup.
 Four team trophies-in addition to