Evening star., 1938-05-20
BIG TROJAN SQUAD
|STALENT-PACKED
TaI|ey, Day, Strobe, Thurber
Head FavOriteS to Win
at Minneapolis.
By FRANCIS J. POWERS.

BY FRANCIS J. POWERS.
LOS ANGELES, Calf, May 20.-lt
looks very much as if the University
Of Southern California will clean up,
as per custom, in the N. c. A. A..
track and field meet at Minneapolis
next month. It will be cold year
indeed when Dean Cromwell does
not have one of the strongest track
and field contingents in the country
and the temperatures certainly are
up to usual this spring.
The Trojans showed their power by
scoring 71l2 points to win the Fresno
Relays last week and have been mop
ping up all Pacific Coast honors this
spring. with much the same ease.
You find better track here on the
Pacific Coast than any place in the
country, largely because the boys are
able to work out of doors the year
around and again because there seems
to be more enthusiasm for that sport
than in most sectors So, whichever
team wins the Pacific Coast cham
pionship usually wins the N. c. A. A.
or I. c. 4-A title back in the East.
Talley Runs s.5 Century.
doubt if any sprinter will head
Adrian Talley. the Trojan captain, in
the century, if the weather is favor
able at Minneapolis. I saw the South
ern California star go at a 9.5 pace
in the Fresno Relays and there are
not many around who can equal that
speed. The Trojans also have three
hne pole vaulters, and Lorin Day is
likely to do IA. feet on a good dav.
In the mile run, Louis Zamperini
is a likely winner in the N. C. A. A.
unless one of those Indiana boys comes
up with hot race The Troians al
ways are strong in the relays and
several OF Cromwell's combinations
have authored worlds records in the
past.
However. the old dean never had a
better quartet than the one consisting
OF La Fond, Anderson. Jordan and Tall
!ey' "hlch set new world record for
the 440-yard relay at Fresno. Well
matched as to pace. the Trojans ran
the race in 40.5 seconds, lettering the
Old word record. made by Southern
California in 1886, by two-tenths of
second.
Strobe Crack ShOtputter.
The best shotputter on the Pacific
Coast this season is Woodrow Wilson
STROBE. big Negro from University
OF California at Los Angeles. Usually
stanford dominates the country in the
weight events, but this is an off year
for "Dink" Templeton, and Strobe has
been winning with the brass ball
1t is rather unsual that two of the
years best shotputters should be
Negroes, Bill Watson of Michigan being
the other. Negroes have excelled in
running and jumping for many years,
but never showed any great aptitude
for weights until these boys came
along. Strobe is consistently better
than so feet and Watson is capable
Of that distance
The U. c. L. A. star also does around
$50 feet with the discus and that will
earn points in any competition. Strobe
Is a crack end on Bill Spaulding's foot
ball team and usually on the receiving
cilo VI Nelllly WdSIllllglOnS long
passes.
Thurber Great Jumper.
Out this way. veteran coaches rate
Washington as the best Negro football
player since Fritz Pollard of Brown
and Paul Robson of Rutgers, and
stamp him as an all-America prospect
next fall.
Getting back to the Trojan track
sters, the team has a possible cham
pion high hurdler in Humphrey, who
ran 14.2 at Fresno a fine javelin
thrower in Soper. who can do around
220 feet and 6i2- foot high jumper in
Thurber. 1t will be considerable up
set if Southern California does not
clean up in the N. C. A. A. games.