The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-05-08
SLIP MADIGAN NO SUCCESS AS
 TRACK BOSS
Backers Lost Much Money in Golden Gate Club; Ex.
 grid Coach Hopeful
By JOE WILLIAMS

tAASOG NAaJG JVu N1V RuN1kSU W1lStklSl
 to put on your head guard and talk
 football with him or put on your blinkers and talk horses with him.
 When you met the Slipper some
 ten years ago he was Q football coach and as such lie remained ur to recently when he became @ race track operator On the Pacific coast This was an extraordinary shift from the campus to the paddock from the dalloping daels to the galloping gee-geeg.
 The Slipper is in town en route from the erby to the Preakness. AS usual he Is travelling Q special train and aS usual he Is accompanied by flock of friends; that's the way he used to travel when he was head coach of the St. Mary's football team. Always first class. Always with hoopla.
 A year Or 50 ago he got out of football. There was . change i1 policy at the college. It was not to the Slippers liking SO he resigned after nineteen years Of coaching, Q long stretch during which he devel- oped great teams and great play. CTS.
 Many Offers ...
 He could have stayed in football. There was all offer to head the Pro- fessioral Football league. There was another offer to coach the De- troit Lions. There were several of- fers to remain In the college game. But in the meantime came an offer he least expected, never dreamed of ito general manage 6 race track. The Slipper was aStounded.
 We don't want you because you were Q famous football coach" tho people back of the track explained. We want you because you know how to promote"
 And VIC suspect the Slipper s proud of his ability as & promoter. When you are coaching Q relative ly obscure college team and you want to get on the big time you have to be a promoter. We don't believe even the good brothers of St. Mary's will question that the Slipper put the college on the na- tional football map. And he did 1t through his own energy, enterprise and personality.
 St. Mary's and Fordhaf, have been 0 New York fixture since 1880. It is one Of the big games Of the year hereaboutS-or rather 1t used to be. We hear that after this year the series is to be discontinued. But the point Is the Slipper created 1t. He came to New York ard sold 1t to Jack Coffey, graduate manager of Fordhain. More times than not lt was 6 thriller. At oil times 1t was Q financial success. Especially Tor little St. Marys, as the college was then known in the headlines. They picked Up around $40000 every lime they played here.
 It was the Slippers success in college football (and nobody pre-. ends any more that college foot oall doesn't keep It's eye on the cash 'egieter) that attracted the race rack people. They had started work on . $2,0oo,oo enterprise call- 'd the Golden Gate Turf club. They wanted somebody to run 1t. They iecided the Slipper was their man. He thought 1t over, decided he liked he Idea, invested some of his own money, and signed for five years
 We regret to state the Slipper 'an not yet te compared to Col. Matt Vim as Q managerial genius lround a race track. The fact Is 10 hasn't had c chance. No sports 'enture in years started out under aich ifiauSpicious circumstances. Tor forty two consecutive days 1t ained. Tt got 50 we couldn't even | 'efer to 1t as unusual weather" ad- nitted the Slipper grirnly yesterday. The resultant floods practically car- jed the track away. As . desperate Eegture five days of racing were at- efapted. It was pretty sad.
 Much Money Lost
 Naturally c wad of dough was washed out to seq and the d1fiicult l problem of refinancing now faces | he management. The Slipper iS optimistic that fresh money will be | orthcomii1g and thatt he track will e6pef1 to Q happier start later in he year. But come what may it | eefns that the coach who was | ;fioWri around here for his coiorful | ootbail teams ia1 their colorful garb | will stay in the race track business. ie says he's through with football. At the same time it's still c game | hat is close to hig heart.
 For example, he agrees with Clip- ,er Smith of VillanovG that the col- egeg should let down the bars and jay freshmen for the duration of he current unpleasantneEg. "This ' iio time for athletic distinctions, ny kind of distinctions, in colleges" le insists. "our job now iD to de- eiop men, strong, well conditioned nen, and think the colleges should | sad the way. Who cares now whether c football player is c fresh. nan or c senior? The important hing should be: Is he it and eady."
 The skipper thinks 1t Is deplora. 'le that such c large percentage of oung men are being dlScarded by raft boards because of physical un. ltnegg, and he wonders if the grow ng popularity Of soft ball may not Q significaft. Imagine bringing ID Americans on soft bailg," he coffs. It seems his indignation bout this is based on what ig hap. 'efiing in California. "AlmoSt two hirdg of the high schools out there ave abandoned hard ball for soft all, and, what's worse, now they