The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-11-10
WILLIS SHEPARD
WILL LEAD THE
1928 FLICKERS
Earl Benser, Another Former
Demon Star, Also Awarded
His Letter
SLOPE BOYS SUCCESSFUL
Eighteen Members Of State
Championship Team Win
MonOgrams

Willis DuCp0IO, kTdUuAtC OIL OlSs
marck high school with the class of
1925, SON Of Mrs. Katherine Shep-
ard, Go Twelfth street, was unan-
imously elected captain Of the
University Of North Dakota foot
ball team of 1928, according to Paul
j. Davis, director of athletics at
the university.
Earl Benser, son of Louis A, Ben
ser, 500 Fifteenth street, was also
awarded his letter for service on
the 1927 varsity football team. Ben
ser was a member of the class of
1924 of Bismarck high school where
he earned all-state honors as center
on the great Capital city teams of
1923 and 1924. Benser has played
center and guard on the varsity grid
crews for the past three years and
will graduate in June.
A third Missouri Slope boy to win
his letter at the university this
year was Vernon Smith, Dickinson,
behemoth tackle Of the Nodaks, who
drew the largest pair of moleskins
when he reported for the freshman
team of 1926 that has ever been is
sued by the varsity athletic depart
ment. Smith is only sophomore
and has two more years at the uni
versity.
Plays Every Game
Shepard, former Demon star Of
the Bismarck eleven Of 1924, played
in every game on the Flickertail
schedule this fall. He started in
every game except the Homecoming
battle with Creighton on Oct. 8 and
in every contest critics and fans
were unanimous in their praise of
the calibre Of play that the Bis
marck boy offered.
Shepard matriculated at the
Nodak varsity in the fall Of 1925
enrolling in the College Of Liberal
Arts. He Immediately reported for
football and was awarded his Ilu-
merals at the end of the season de-
spite the fact that he was one of
the lightest men who had ever dug
cleats into varsity gumbo.
Dutch" Houser Recalled
The last Bismarck boy to captain
an athletic team at North Dakota
was Edgar T. dutch" Houser, rec
ognized as one Of the greatest bas-
ketball players in Flicker history.
Houser scintillated on the undcfea.-
ed North Dakota Aggie basketball
team Of 1926 that claimed the col
lege championship of North and
South Dakota, Iowa, minnesota and
Montana. Enrolling at the Grand
Forks institution he played on foot
III - IneLothc1I %oot,ac %hot
COPIED the football and basketball
championships of the state for three
consecutive years.
Like his brilliant predecessor
Shepard has played on Nodak foot
ball teams that have won the state
championship the last two years.
He succeeds Mike Geston, well
known to sports fans of the Mis-
souri, slope. Shepard and Geston
were the stellar flaEkmen Of this
years varsity aggregation.
Eighteen Win Letters
Eighteen players were awarded
their letters by the athletic board of
control at the university. They
are: Willis Shepard and Earl Ben
ser, Bismarck; Alex Solow and
Stuart Mcmillan, Grand Forks;
Rodger Thomas, Fargo; Mike
Knauf, Moorhead; Paul Boyd,
Boulder, Colo; Levy Lee, Valley
City; Ernest Kotchian, Lidgerwood;
Edward Showers, Kenmare; Mike
Geston, Grafton; Vernon Smith,
Dickinson; Joseph Keuber, Grand
Forks; Arnold Kirkness, Lake Park,
Mimi; Irwin Dunnell, Minot; Car
men House, East Grand Forks,
Mimi; Harold Westerdahl, Slayton,
MINI. and Delbert BiOrklund, Hope.