The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-01-27
OPPOSED COACH
HINTS SUIT FOR
S16,75O SALARY
Federal Court Action Held
Probable If Demands
Are Not Met.
BACK TO BLOOMINGTON
Athletic Mentor to Stay on
Job Until April |
at Indian u.
BY DICK MILLER

Federal courts, the western con-
terence and the Indiana general
assembly today we're propelled into
the battle of Pat Page to retain his
position as football coach at Indiana
university, or force the school to
pay him s1e,75O on the contract the
state university would break.
Having received notice indirectly
from w. j. Moenkhaus, president OF
the faculty athletic board Of control,
that the school would pay him on
the contract until April l, Page has
returned to Bloomington, prepared
10 continue his duties as gridiron
mentor and general assistant to the
athletic director until that time.
Meanwhile, news from Blooming
ION names E. G. Hayes, track coach,
as Pages successor in directing In
diana's football teams. Page has
rendered his resignation, asked by
The athletic board, but says the uni
versity yet has not accepted his
terms of payment Of his contract in
full.
Suit Is Probable
After April ! if Indiana unlver-
sity has not acceded to his demands
to pay the salary he says was agreed
upon by university trustees in June,
1929, when they decided to assure
him of the three-year job, Page may
move to Chicago. where a son is
enrolled III Chicago university,
Pages alma mater
There he may consult an attorney
regarding advisability of filing suit
in federal court here against the
school for the sum he claims Is due
him.
Page sent his resignation with its
terms of payment after it had been
approved by John l.. Grifiiths, Big
Ten commissioner, he declares. He
refused to comment today on prob
ability Of Big Ten investigation OF
Indiana university because of his
dismissal, but said his resignation
and certain phases Of it spoke for
themselves.
Assured of EXOneratiOn
One paragraph of the resignation
demanded that in event OF any
criticism or denu@ciation of the uni
versity's actions he was to be
exonerated.
Possibility that he affair may
reach the legislature was seen in
information that friends of Gov
crnor Harry G. Leslie have said they
will sponsor a bill that would give
rthe Governor power to appoint In
diana university trustees, the same
as he does those of Purdue.
The Page resignation may evolve
into political football if the mentor
forces the school to pay the salary
on the contract he is asked to break,
with insinuations of useless waste Of
public funds in dismissing Page and
hiring another coach, paying two
salaries for more than a year.
may TASh AhHuhS
If the bill is introduced, Pages
friends in political circles may re-
quest investigation of the univer-
sity's athletic maneuvers similar to
one recently requested by the Gov
ernor of Iowa forsthe state school
there.
In June. 1929. Page asserts. he
was assured by trustees of the uni
versity that he would be retained
for three years, ending April /, 1882,
at an annual salary of $12,500, in
creased $500 annually.
He has photostatic copies of the
agreement, together with similar
copies of letters from Indiana uni
versity officials and his own letter
of resignation and terms accom-
panying it, to bear out his state
mentS.